Chapter 55: The Witch Ghost Emerges, the True Person Retires

Although Ming Chan was a rogue cultivator, he had received the transmission of the Buddhist Sect, so he understood the Foundation Establishment True Person and was even more aware of the terror of this realm.

The so-called "Foundation Establishment" is merely a term used in the Immortal Sects; in the Buddhist Sect, it is called by another name: "Lotus Throne." Cultivators who build their Dao Foundation are titled "True Person," while those who practice Buddhism and sit upon the Lotus Throne are titled "Luo Han." Although their names differ, the result is ultimately the same path leading to the same destination.

"An Luo Han... there is an Luo Han behind the scenes of Skull Mountain!"

"Damn it, what opportunity! It's all fake! Clearly, an Luo Han is luring people in; even if there really is an opportunity, it has already been reserved for that Luo Han!"

"Amitabha... damn it!"

At this very moment, Ming Chan had completely lost the appearance of a Buddhist monk; in his panic, his old habits had resurfaced, and foul language poured out endlessly.

After all, before he practiced Buddhism, he was merely a mountain bandit.

It was quite funny; every time he killed someone or robbed a traveler, he would bow to a Buddha statue, never expecting that one day he would actually receive a Buddhist opportunity.

The opportunity even stated that this was merit accumulated from his past few lives.

So he put down his butcher's knife and instantly became a Buddha.

Since then, everything Ming Chan did went smoothly; he effortlessly broke through to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, standing only one step away from Foundation Establishment.

However, now, he felt only panic.

The merit of three lives that had been invincible in the past, the overwhelming luck, at this moment seemed to have lost all effect, serving only to warn him frantically from the unknown.

Danger! Certain death! Run fast!

As Ming Chan ran and ran, he gradually stopped his steps; sweat poured down his bald head, and looking around, he discovered he was still exactly where he had started.

What place is this?

Did I really just run?

"I..."

Filled with doubt, the Buddha light in Ming Chan's eyes gradually extinguished; he 'accidentally' suffered a qi deviation, and his body, cultivated for decades, simply lost its breath.

He died.

From beginning to end, the Foundation Establishment True Person never even appeared; merely making a slight impact on the great web of cause and effect, he naturally and inevitably died suddenly.

At the same time, outside the market of Skull Mountain.

Yun Zhiqiu and Ouyang Feng were also sweating profusely at this moment; they had not fled, not because their reaction was slower than Ming Chan's, but because they knew fleeing was useless.

When facing a True Person of Foundation Establishment, would they let you escape?

Rogue cultivators simply lack experience.

Especially Yun Zhiqiu; as Lu Yang broke through, he felt the spiritual platform that had been covered in dust suddenly clear, followed immediately by intense panic surging into his heart.

What am I doing? What did I just do?

Just then, a figure quietly appeared.

It was a youth wearing a black robe, with a gloomy countenance and a pale face; at first glance, he seemed to be just an ordinary Taoist commonly seen in the mortal world.

"... Greetings, Senior!"

Without any hesitation, Yun Zhiqiu sheathed his sword and bowed.

Yinshan True Person did not respond, merely gazing intently at Skull Mountain below; at the foot of the mountain, a black flame was rising slowly from the earth veins.

On the other side, Lu Yang also suddenly understood.

"The Witch Ghost Secret Realm..."

The cause and effect and destiny in the unknown told him that as he broke through, his fortune reached its peak, the Witch Ghost Secret Realm sensed this, and thus emerged to choose him.

"... As expected, it was fishing!"

The next second, the Witch Ghost Secret Realm, which had been constantly sending him a sense of intimacy, suddenly stalled; immediately, intense anger and fear erupted.

These were the emotions of the Secret Realm Spirit.

The fish has taken the bait.

"Come."

Yinshan True Person spoke Xu Xu; he revealed no supernatural powers, yet with just that one sentence, the emerged Witch Ghost Secret Realm could not control itself and flew toward him.

Then Lu Yang couldn't help but curse aloud in his heart: "Damn it!"

Because within the opened secret realm, there was indeed a magnificent sword qi, crouching like a tiger and coiling like a dragon, seemingly waiting to deliver a fatal blow to those outside!

Zing—!

The next second, Lu Yang's thoughts froze; wherever he looked, there was only a sword qi locked onto him, as if his entire body had been seen through by it.

"Jin Dan sword qi..."

Yinshan True Person stepped back one pace, placing Lu Yang in front of him; this was the reason he had always been unwilling to act personally and instead chose to hide behind the scenes.

In an instant, Yinshan True Person was filled with relief; after all, if the Witch Ghost Secret Realm had been opened by his own hand, then the unlucky person locked onto by the sword qi at this moment would probably have been him, and in the face of Jin Dan sword qi, there was no difference between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining; it was all a matter of one sword strike.

However, surprisingly, the sword qi did not strike.

Lu Yang only felt that the perfect true qi he had just cultivated, the Zheng San Pin "True Dragon Fiend," trembled slightly, as if resonating with the sword qi inside the secret realm.

Both sides remained deadlocked like this.

"... Hmm?"

Seeing this scene, even Yinshan True Person let out a light exclamation, looking at Lu Yang with some surprise; clearly, he had not expected such a variable.

It was unknown how much time passed.

Lu Yang seemed to have passed some test of the sword qi; the opponent no longer struck, but instead dissipated directly on the spot, turning into rolling spiritual energy that returned to heaven and earth.

"Hmph!"

Lu Yang suddenly came to his senses; his stalled thoughts resumed thinking, and his entire body instantly broke out in a cold sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of water.

"Nine Transformations Dragon Art, the inheritance of the Coiling Dragon True Person? Your luck is good; the Coiling Dragon True Person was not a demonic cultivator."

"This Jin Dan sword qi has singled out demonic cultivators; if you practiced the techniques of my Holy Sect, you would be dead without a doubt; fortunately, you practice the Nine Transformations Dragon Art."

Yinshan True Person sized up Lu Yang, somewhat surprised, but did not care too much; after all, the quality of the bait was not important, and whether Lu Yang lived or died was of no consequence to him; the key was whether the fish had been caught. Since the Witch Ghost Secret Realm had already emerged, his purpose for this trip had been achieved.

It is time to reel in the line.

True Person Yinshan raised a hand and grasped; the Wugui Secret Realm that had just emerged, with black flames shooting straight into the clouds, instantly vanished, transforming into a streak of light that fell into his palm.

"Excellent, excellent, excellent! A perfect Heavenly Corpse Fiend!"

True Person Yinshan looked satisfied; the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment realm held another mystery, one requiring the Qi of Earth Fiends, and the Heavenly Corpse Fiend was the finest of the finest among Earth Fiends.

With this object obtained, his breakthrough to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment was as certain as nails in wood!

Just then, Lu Yang suddenly stepped forward, knelt on one knee without a word, and declared in a booming voice: "Congratulations, Senior Brother, on obtaining this opportunity; from now on, the Great Dao is in sight!"

Not far away, Luo Wuya, the Second Senior Brother of the Sanhe Association, instantly changed expression.

Damn it, someone stole the chance first!

No wonder this kid managed to stand out among ordinary disciples; truly worthy of being a disciple of our Holy Sect, a shameless flatterer... Luo Wuya cursed Lu Yang in his mind while rushing forward without stopping: "Congratulations, Senior Brother, on a thousand years of immortal life!"

"Hahaha, a thousand years is the lifespan of a Jin Dan; this elder cannot accept such a thing, cannot accept it."

Though he said so, True Person Yinshan clearly enjoyed this; while saying he could not accept it on his lips, in truth he wished Lu Yang and Luo Wuya would offer even more.

In the end, even Yun Zhiqiu and Ouyang Feng forced themselves to offer a few congratulations.

However, upon hearing this, True Person Yinshan glanced at Ouyang Feng with a teasing look: "The Divine Martial Gate openly provoked our Holy Sect, yet you still dare to speak before me?"

Ouyang Feng's scalp instantly prickled, and he trembled as he said: "You cannot kill me! I, I, the Divine Martial Gate also has True Persons!"

"Not anymore."

True Person Yinshan casually spoke words that made Ouyang Feng's liver and gallbladder shatter: "Since this Seat can appear here, the Divine Martial Gate's fate has already ended."

"This, this is impossible! My Divine Martial Gate—"

Before Ouyang Feng could finish speaking, his entire body's blood and Qi suddenly ran wild; yet, with his mind lost in shock and anger, he lacked the strength to suppress it, so he could only widen his eyes—

Boom!!!

A deafening explosion rang out; Ouyang Feng, a cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining, suddenly burst apart, turning into a shower of light that quietly merged into heaven and earth!

Only when the shower of light ceased did True Person Yinshan shift his gaze; Yun Zhiqiu, who hailed from the Yuchu Sword Pavilion, broke out in a cold sweat, yet in the end he did not act. Instead, he waved his sleeve, taking Luo Wuya and Lu Yang with him as they vanished from the spot, leaving behind a skeleton mountain utterly silent as a crow.

(End of this chapter)