The heaven-reaching divine statue in the City of Wrongful Death was by no means just for show. This divine statue was the very foundation upon which the Listening Nether Cult was established. It was built at the center of the secret realm, secretly aligned with the spiritual vein of Skull Mountain.
One could say it was the cornerstone of the Witch Ghost Secret Realm. The construction of the divine statue began when the Listening Nether Patriarch was still alive, using cultivators as laborers and mortals as materials. It was only barely completed after the Listening Nether Patriarch's three-hundred-year reign ended and he died of old age.
It possessed countless divine wonders and was connected to one of the Listening Nether Cult's trump cards, not to be used unless absolutely necessary. However, at this moment, everything had changed. Lu Yang was seen sitting upright atop the divine statue's head.
Without making any move, he instantly reversed the feng shui, replacing the divine statue to become the center of heaven and earth in this secret realm! This was not something he did intentionally, but a natural effect of the disparity in their status.
Just as mortals only pay attention to the world's highest peak but are mostly unaware of the second highest, heaven and earth often only focus on the person with the higher status.
"I have come as invited. Where is Senior?"
Before Lu Yang's voice had faded, a magnificent Sage's Aspect rose from the ground behind him. It too opened and closed its lips, letting out a thunderous roar. In an instant, Lu Yang's voice echoed both inside and outside the secret realm.
The countless mortals within the City of Wrongful Death were relatively fine. They just couldn't help but cover their ears, feeling as if the sound was like thunder rolling out from the mountains, leaving them dazed and bewildered. Only the eight elders of the Listening Nether Cult felt as if Lu Yang's voice possessed 'weight'.
With a boom, it toppled down upon them, shaking their escaping lights into disarray. They nearly fell from the sky. Gazing up at the Sage's Aspect that Lu Yang had manifested, looks of terror appeared on all their faces.
"The scoundrel is outrageous. He is blaspheming the Patriarch!"
"Just a single voice did this to us... Could he be an existence on the same level as the Patriarch?"
"Impossible!"
For a moment, the expressions of the eight elders changed, all of them flushing red. Their previous discussion on how to subdue Lu Yang had instantly become a joke! However, in the next second, looks of joy suddenly appeared on their faces.
The heaven-reaching divine statue was seen trembling slightly under the sound of Lu Yang's voice. A soul hidden within was startled awake, letting out a long sigh: "A disciple of the Primordial Saint Sect... has finally come."
As the voice fell, the originally cold and hard divine statue's brows suddenly relaxed, and its eyes, which had been cast from refined iron, instantly showed a glint of spiritual wisdom. A Foundation Establishment soul had awakened!
A true Foundation Establishment soul, the same as the Old Ancestor of the Yun family from his previous life, and perhaps even superior, because this one's cultivation seemed to be higher than the Yun family's Old Ancestor! Immediately after, Lu Yang saw a brilliant light fly out from the heaven-reaching divine statue.
It then used qi to manifest a form, turning into a handsome Daoist with white hair, a youthful face, and an immortal bearing, who landed before him. He then chuckled, "Interesting. Where is your physical body, little friend?
How is it that only a soul remains?"
"I have made a poor showing, Senior."
Lu Yang smiled faintly, his gaze fixed on the Listening Nether Patriarch.
"You don't seem to be in a much better state yourself, Senior. This should be your fifth life, shouldn't it?"
He was certain that this person had to be a remnant of the Witch Ghost Sect. However, a thousand years had passed since the time of the Witch Ghost Sect. For a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master to live until today, he would have had to reincarnate at least four times.
Even with sky-high cultivation, he was no longer someone to be feared.
"I wonder how Senior knew I was a disciple of the Saint Sect?"
The Listening Nether Patriarch shook his head.
"Little friend, the moment you acted, you nearly slaughtered all the cult members under my command. With such a style, who else could you be but one of those madmen from the Primordial Saint Sect?"
Hearing this, Lu Yang frowned, then said with an air of awe-inspiring righteousness, "Senior, your Dao lineage uses ghosts to herd the people and brings harm to all living beings. This junior's actions were to eliminate a scourge for the people!" The Listening Nether Patriarch immediately laughed.
"Truly a disciple of the Saint Sect!"
Lu Yang: "..." After a moment of silence, Lu Yang took the initiative to change the subject.
"Senior invited me here. What might your intentions be?"
"To escape my predicament and re-establish my Witch Ghost Dao lineage."
The Listening Nether Patriarch chuckled lightly.
"For that, I need to borrow something from you, little friend. I hope you will not refuse."
"Oh?"
Lu Yang's gaze was intense.
"What does Senior wish to borrow?"
As his voice fell, the Listening Nether Patriarch's expression turned strange, his eyes holding a somewhat chilling glint. He stared intently at Lu Yang, as if looking at a piece of prey. Lu Yang was not the slightest bit afraid, meeting his gaze calmly.
"You already understand, don't you, little friend? I intend to use the hand of the Primordial Saint Sect to break that Golden Core sword qi. Naturally, I will need a Primordial Saint Sect identity."
The Listening Nether Patriarch grinned, his snow-white teeth flashing with a grim, cold light.
"My Witch Ghost Sect specializes in the study of souls, and we have some insights when it comes to reincarnation and possession. I have already reincarnated four times. Logically, my fifth life should be completely muddled, with no hope of transcendence, but there are still clever ways around it."
"As long as you are willing to lend me your body for a time."
"I will take your place, and my fifth life can be revitalized. I see that your potential is extraordinary, little friend. Perhaps you can even help me regain my position at Foundation Establishment."
His tone was calm, but the fact he stated made one's hair stand on end.
"Senior, you wish to possess me?"
Lu Yang raised an eyebrow.
"This wouldn't be the first time. On the day that Golden Core sword qi descended, why do you think so many at Foundation Establishment died, while I alone survived?"
The Listening Nether Patriarch was very experienced; he had done something similar once before. He had relied on the art of possession to seize a mortal's body as a vessel, using the mortal's fate to conceal his own, thereby avoiding the purge of the Golden Core sword qi.
Back then, he was the only one in the Witch Ghost Sect who had mastered this technique.
"So this time, you've set your sights on me, Senior?"
"I should thank you," the Listening Nether Patriarch said with a smile.
"My time is almost up. If you hadn't appeared, I'm afraid I wouldn't have lived much longer."
Lu Yang sneered.
"You think you can possess me?"
"In life, one must always take a gamble. The Witch Ghost Sect cannot perish at my hands. For that, I am willing to pay any price. Life and death mean nothing."
Though he said this, the Listening Nether Patriarch's attitude was extremely confident. Perhaps he was certain that Lu Yang was no match for him, or perhaps after barely surviving for over a thousand years, he had long since come to view many things with indifference. But regardless, at this moment, he gave Lu Yang a strong sense of crisis.
However, Lu Yang still had a question in his mind. If it was only about possession, why would the Golden Core sword qi need to slaughter the entire secret realm? There must be a more important reason that he didn't know.
Of course, Lu Yang didn't expect the Listening Nether Patriarch to tell him. Even what he was saying now, Lu Yang only believed thirty percent of it and not a word more. After all, who knew if this was just something said to mislead him.
"It seems I will have to capture you first, Senior, and then interrogate you in detail!"
A light flashed in Lu Yang's eyes, and his figure suddenly vanished. The Sage's Aspect behind him, however, instantly became clear and distinct. Its two great hands of golden light clapped together from the left and right.
Boom!
In an instant, a brilliant golden light submerged the Listening Nether Patriarch's vision. He had been caught in the palms of Lu Yang's Sage's Aspect, about to be refined in an instant. However, in the next second, an even more intense brilliant light erupted from the hands of the Sage's Aspect, directly blasting open Lu Yang's palms.
Then, roiling dark clouds were seen overlapping with the brilliant light, finally revealing a towering, lofty mansion. It had jade steps and a red courtyard, solemn and dignified. On the plaque were three large characters: [Yanmo Hall]!
The gates of the mansion were wide open, revealing jade steps and a red courtyard. The Listening Nether Patriarch occupied the primary seat, and behind him, a Dharma body also manifested, holding a banner of human heads in its left hand and a book in its right. This was—the Mysterious Underworld Palace Lord Aspect!
"To achieve Foundation Establishment, status is merely an admission ticket, nothing worth boasting about."
Before the Listening Nether Patriarch's voice had faded, his aura also began to soar in sync.
Boom!
In the next second, his status reached a level equal to Lu Yang's. The two stood on the same starting line, not yielding an inch, and collided with a deafening boom!. Instantly, the remaining eight elders of the Listening Nether Cult had no time to offer assistance.
The collision between the two kicked up sky-high waves of qi visible to the naked eye. The waves surged like a tsunami, throwing the elders back violently and causing them to vomit blood without end. And under such a collision, the brilliant light between the Listening Nether Patriarch's eyebrows grew ever brighter.
Since I can't hide it anymore... it's either success or death!" The Listening Nether Patriarch's tone was somber, but his actions became increasingly resolute, as if he had already made up his mind.
This mysterious Foundation Establishment cultivator had once relied on the art of possession to conceal the heavenly secrets, and only then did he escape the reckoning of the Golden Core sword qi.
However, at this moment, he gave up hiding and no longer concealed the heavenly secrets, causing his true identity from the past and its corresponding karma to become increasingly clear.
Clang, clang—!
Within the secret realm, the Golden Core sword qi hanging high in the sky also seemed to sense something. It let out a series of soft clinks, like a divine sword rumbling in its sheath.