Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect-Chapter 85: Possession

The Heaven-Reaching Divine Statue in the City of the Wronged Dead was far from being just for show.

This divine statue was the foundation upon which the Tingyou Sect was established. It was built at the very center of the Secret Realm, secretly aligned with the Lay Line of the Skull Mountains. One could say it was the cornerstone of the entire Wu Ghost Secret Realm.

Construction on the statue began when Ancestor Master Tingyou was still alive, with Cultivators as laborers and mortals as tools. It was only barely completed after Ancestor Master Tingyou’s three-hundred-year reign ended when he died of old age. It possessed countless mystical properties and was tied to one of the Tingyou Sect’s ultimate trump cards, not to be used unless absolutely necessary.

But now, everything had changed.

Lü Yang sat cross-legged atop the statue’s head. Without so much as a single movement, he instantly reversed the feng shui, usurped the statue’s place, and became the new nexus of Heaven and Earth in this Secret Realm!

This was not a deliberate act on his part, but a natural consequence of the difference in their Positions.

Just as mortals only pay attention to the world’s highest peak, with most being unaware of the second highest, Heaven and Earth also tend to focus only on the one with the higher Position.

"I have come as invited. Where are you, Senior?"

Before Lü Yang’s voice had even faded, a magnificent Saint Appearance rose from the ground behind him. Its lips parted as well, unleashing a thunderous roar!

In an instant, Lü Yang’s voice reverberated both inside and outside the Secret Realm.

The countless mortals within the City of the Wronged Dead had it relatively easy; they merely couldn’t help but cover their ears, feeling as if the sound was like thunder rolling out from the mountains—baffled and utterly lost.

Only the eight Elders of the Tingyou Sect felt as if Lü Yang’s voice possessed a physical ’weight.’ It came crashing down upon them with a great RUMBLE, shattering their Flying Lights and nearly causing them to plummet from the sky. As they looked up at the Saint Appearance manifested by Lü Yang, expressions of terror filled their faces.

"The villain is so arrogant... He’s desecrating the Ancestor Master!"

"A mere voice was enough to... Could he be an existence on par with the Ancestor Master?"

"Impossible!"

In that moment, all eight Elders’ faces changed. They were red-faced and flustered. All their previous discussions on how to subdue Lü Yang had instantly become a complete joke!

However, the very next second, joy suddenly appeared on their faces.

The Heaven-Reaching Divine Statue trembled slightly under the force of Lü Yang’s voice. A Soul hidden within was also awakened, and a long, drawn-out sigh emerged:

"A disciple of the Stain Sect... has finally come."

As the voice fell, the originally cold, hard features of the divine statue suddenly relaxed their brow. Its eyes, forged from Refined Iron, instantly flickered with the light of Spiritual Wisdom.

The Foundation Establishment Soul had awakened!

A true Foundation Establishment Soul, just like the Yun Family’s Ancestor from his previous life, and perhaps even superior. This was because this being’s Cultivation seemed to be even greater than that of the Ancestor!

Immediately after, Lü Yang saw a Splendid Light fly out from the Heaven-Reaching Divine Statue. It then borrowed the surrounding qi to manifest a form—that of a handsome Daoist with white hair and a youthful face, bearing the air of a celestial immortal. He landed before Lü Yang and chuckled. "Interesting. Where is your physical body, young friend? How is it that only a Soul remains?"

"You jest, Senior."

Lü Yang smiled faintly, his gaze fixed on Ancestor Master Tingyou. "You don’t seem to be in much better shape, Senior. This should be your fifth life, shouldn’t it?"

He was certain this person had to be a remnant of the Wu Ghost Sect.

The Wu Ghost Sect, however, had fallen a thousand years ago. For a Foundation-Stage Cultivator to survive to this day, they would have had to reincarnate at least four times. No matter how immense their Cultivation, they were no longer to be feared.

"How did you know I am a Stain Sect disciple, Senior?"

Ancestor Master Tingyou shook his head. "Young friend, the moment you acted, you nearly slaughtered all of my followers. With a style like that, who else could you be but one of those lunatics from the Stain Sect?"

Lü Yang’s brow furrowed at his words, but he then declared with righteous indignation, "Senior, your sect uses ghosts to herd the people and brings harm to all living things. My actions were to rid the world of a menace for the sake of the people!"

Ancestor Master Tingyou immediately laughed. "Spoken like a true Stain Sect disciple!"

Lü Yang: "..."

After a moment of silence, Lü Yang took the initiative to change the subject. "Senior, you invited me here. What is your intention?"

"To break free from my confinement and re-establish my Wu Ghost Lineage." Ancestor Master Tingyou chuckled lightly. "To do so, I must borrow something from you, young friend. I hope you won’t refuse."

"Oh?" Lü Yang’s eyes burned brightly. "And what is it you wish to borrow, Senior?"

As his voice fell, Ancestor Master Tingyou’s expression turned sinister. A chilling light flickered in his eyes as he stared intently at Lü Yang, as if looking at a piece of prey.

Lü Yang was not the least bit afraid, meeting his gaze without flinching.

"You already understand, don’t you, young friend? I intend to use the Stain Sect’s hand to shatter that Golden Core Sword Qi, so naturally, I need a Stain Sect identity."

Ancestor Master Tingyou grinned, his teeth stark white and glinting with a menacing chill. "My Wu Ghost Sect has delved deep into the study of the Soul, and we have some expertise when it comes to reincarnation and possession. I have already reincarnated four times. Logically, in my fifth life, my essence should be completely clouded, with no hope of cultivating again. But there are... clever workarounds."

"As long as you are willing to lend me your body."

"I will take your place. My fifth life will then be revitalized. I see you have extraordinary potential, young friend. Perhaps you can even help me ascend to the Foundation Establishment stage once more."

His tone was casual, but the facts he stated were enough to make one’s blood run cold.

"You want to possess me, Senior?" Lü Yang raised an eyebrow.

"This wouldn’t be the first time. On the day the Golden Core Sword Qi descended, why do you think so many at the Foundation Establishment stage died, while I alone survived?"

Ancestor Master Tingyou was highly experienced; he had done something similar long ago. Using the art of possession, he had seized a mortal’s body to use as a shell, borrowing their Fate to conceal his own presence. This was how he had avoided the purge of the Golden Core Sword Qi. Back then, among the entire Wu Ghost Sect, he was the only one who had mastered such a technique.

"So you’ve come for me this time, Senior?"

"I should be thanking you," Ancestor Master Tingyou said with a laugh. "My time is almost up. If you hadn’t appeared, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have lasted much longer."

Lü Yang sneered. "And you think you can possess me?"

"In life, one must always take a gamble. The Wu Ghost Sect cannot be allowed to perish in my hands. For that, I am willing to pay any price. Even death means little."

Despite his words, Ancestor Master Tingyou’s attitude was one of extreme confidence. Perhaps he was certain that Lü Yang could not possibly be his match, or perhaps after barely clinging to life for a thousand years, he had long since learned to look upon many things with detachment. Regardless, he now exuded a powerful sense of crisis that put Lü Yang on high alert.

However, Lü Yang still had one lingering question.

’If it’s just about possession, why would the Golden Core Sword Qi need to slaughter the entire Secret Realm? There must be another, more important reason that I don’t know about.’

Of course, Lü Yang didn’t expect Ancestor Master Tingyou to tell him the truth.

Even what he had already said, Lü Yang only believed a fraction of it. After all, Heaven only knew if he was deliberately saying it to conceal his intentions.

"Looks like I’ll have to capture you first, Senior, and then interrogate you thoroughly!"

A sharp light flashed in Lü Yang’s eyes, and his figure abruptly vanished. The Saint Appearance behind him, however, instantly became solid and clear, its two giant, golden hands clapping together from either side.

BOOM!

In an instant, a brilliant golden light flooded Ancestor Master Tingyou’s vision. It seemed Lü Yang’s Saint Appearance had caught him in its palm, intending to begin Refining him immediately.

The next second, however, an even more intense Splendid Light erupted from within the Saint Appearance’s hands, blasting open Lü Yang’s palms. Then, rolling black clouds intertwined with the Splendid Light, finally revealing a towering, majestic mansion that reached into the clouds. It had jade steps and a cinnabar staircase, solemn and dignified. The plaque bore the inscription:

[Yama Hall]!

The mansion’s gates stood wide open. Upon its jade steps and cinnabar staircase, Ancestor Master Tingyou sat in the seat of honor. Behind him, a Dharma Body also manifested, holding a Human Head Banner in its left hand and a book in its right.

This was—the Nether Lord’s Appearance!

"To achieve Foundation Establishment, Position is merely the entry ticket. It’s nothing to brag about." Before Ancestor Master Tingyou had even finished speaking, his Qi trace surged in tandem.

BOOM!

The next second, his Position reached a level equal to Lü Yang’s. The two now stood on the same starting line, neither giving an inch as they collided with a thunderous crash!

In that instant, the remaining eight Elders of the Tingyou Sect had not even had a chance to provide aid.

The collision between the two kicked up monstrous, visible waves of qi. They surged and crashed like a tsunami, blasting the Elders backward and causing them to vomit blood endlessly.

And amid this collision, the Splendid Light between Ancestor Master Tingyou’s brows grew ever brighter.

"There’s no hiding it now, anyway... It’s victory or death!" Ancestor Master Tingyou’s tone was grim, but his actions grew more resolute, as if he had already made up his mind.

This mysterious Foundation-Stage Cultivator had relied on the art of possession to conceal his karma links, which was how he had escaped the reckoning of the Golden Core Sword Qi.

Now, however, he had given up on hiding. He no longer concealed the Celestial Secret, and as a result, his true identity from the past and its corresponding karmic links became increasingly clear.

CLANG CLANG—!

Within the Secret Realm, the Golden Core Sword Qi hanging high in the sky seemed to sense something. It began to emit a series of soft chimes, like a Divine Sword humming within its scabbard.