Chapter 84: To Pacify the Witch-Ghost Realm!

Witch-Ghost Secret Realm, headquarters of the You Sect.

Unlike other parts of the Secret Realm, as the headquarters of the You Sect, this place had ghostly envoys clearing out witch-ghosts, and over time, even a city had been built here.

Its name was 'City of the Unjustly Dead'.

In the center of the towering city, a divine statue pierced the clouds.

Nearly eighty percent of the population within the Secret Realm had gathered inside this 'City of the Unjustly Dead', where every minute and second they could see this heaven-piercing divine statue.

Its appearance was none other than the Patriarch of the You Sect, and beneath the statue stood a magnificent, golden hall, the secluded cultivation ground of the You Sect's eight Elders; the You Sect appointed no Sect Master, venerating only the Patriarch, thus all affairs were jointly decided by the eight Elders.

On ordinary days, only one Elder took turns on duty, while the other seven remained in a state of slumber.

After all, the system of the You Sect involved feeding one's body to ghosts, resulting in an extremely short lifespan; without using this method to extend life, they would be backlashed by witch-ghosts within a few years.

However, at this moment, fully six Elders had entered a state of revival.

Eldest Elder White Impermanence sat cross-legged in the foremost seat; he appeared extremely young, dressed in white robes, tall and thin, with a terrifying smile permanently fixed on his face:

"The Patriarch's divine statue has been destroyed; this incident is no small matter."

"Before the statue was destroyed, a dharma decree from the Patriarch was transmitted, ordering us to find the person who destroyed the statue at all costs; only then were all you junior brothers awakened together."

Speaking to this point, White Impermanence looked toward the two empty seats and frowned, asking:

"Where are Junior Brothers Wen and Wu?"

A burly man clad in armor and wielding weapons, with a bull's head hanging from one shoulder guard, rose to his feet and said: "They have just returned to their positions; revival still requires time."

Hearing this, White Impermanence nodded: "Very well, there is no rush for this matter."

Before his voice had faded, another Daoist Priest in black robes stood up; his face was fierce, his body broad and fat, and he spoke harshly: "In my opinion, why wait for them to revive?"

"According to the sect's classics, although the outside world is full of strong experts, true powerhouses reaching the Patriarch's level dare not enter, while cultivators below the Patriarch's level are at most our equals; weren't those outsiders who intruded upon the headquarters recently, calling themselves 'disciples of the Shenwu Sect', exactly like that?"

"Rather than waiting here in vain, we should take the lead ourselves."

"In any case, both Day Wandering God and Night Wandering God have returned to their positions; they can easily monitor the inside and outside of the Secret Realm. No matter how that outsider tries to hide, he certainly cannot escape our grasp."

"Senior Brother's words are most correct."

The one who spoke in agreement was a handsome young man with three eyes growing from his forehead; he smiled and said: "How could a mere wild fox Zen from the outside world be a match for us?"

Of the eight Elders of the You Sect, before ascending to the rank of Elder they might have had their own names, but after becoming Elders, they used only the titles of the red-robed ghosts they each commanded as their public names: Black and White Impermanence, Wen and Wu Judges, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, Day and Night Wandering Gods, each possessing their own divine and extraordinary methods.

The three-eyed young man who had just spoken was 'Day Wandering God' among the Day and Night Wandering Gods.

As the name implies, his witch-ghost was the third eye in the center of his forehead, golden in color and shaped like a great sun; opening it allowed him to observe everything manifest within the Secret Realm.

The other, 'Night Wandering God', was his exact opposite, capable of observing everything hidden within the Secret Realm.

Working together, everything that happened within the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm was as clear as the lines on a palm to the You Sect; no matter how powerful, nothing could escape their discerning eyes.

Clearly, the eight Elders were vaguely divided into two factions.

White Impermanence, along with Ox-Head and Horse-Face, formed one faction, advocating caution and wishing to wait until all eight were present before seeking the person who had destroyed the Patriarch's divine statue.

Meanwhile, Black Impermanence and the Day and Night Wandering Gods were brimming with confidence, believing that people from the outside world were nothing special and that they could handle the situation easily on their own.

"Junior Brother is too rash."

Eldest Elder White Impermanence shook his head, the smile on his face unchanged: "This matter is not merely about the destruction of the Patriarch's divine statue or the loss of some face for our sect."

"It is because the person who destroyed the divine statue is related to a grand strategy of our sect."

"All junior brothers are clear that although this place is good, it is ultimately a cage; if we wish to live longer, or even reach higher realms, we must leave."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Black Impermanence's eyes flashed slightly, yet he did not speak aloud: "Does Senior Brother mean that person can help us leave this place? Impossible; who can break the Heavenly Sword?"

At these words, the other Elders also revealed expressions of fear; the so-called 'Heavenly Sword' was naturally the Golden Core sword qi hanging high above the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm, which for a thousand years had become a nightmare in the hearts of everyone in the Secret Realm, leaving no one daring to harbor thoughts of resisting it.

"Just because we cannot break it does not mean no one in the outside world can."

White Impermanence chuckled lightly: "The Patriarch planned this long ago; as long as we manage to capture this person, we can naturally borrow his strength to break that damned Heavenly Sword."

White Impermanence spoke with certainty, appearing extremely confident.

Although Black Impermanence and the others still harbored doubts, since White Impermanence had explicitly stated this was the Patriarch's plan, they no longer insisted on their own views.

Just then, two more auras manifested within the great hall.

On the empty seats, two figures and their illusory forms appeared; one holding a brush and book, the other suspending a bright mirror; these were the final two Elders.

"Judges Wen and Wu have also revived!"

Seeing this, White Impermanence laughed heartily: "Good; please have Day and Night Wandering Gods make their move. Once the target is locked, Ox-Head and Horse-Face will assist us in rushing over quickly."

Hearing this, Day and Night Wandering Gods nodded, then simultaneously opened their dharma eyes.

However, the next second, they froze in shock.

"Junior Brothers?" White Impermanence frowned and asked in a low voice: "Could it be that the person who destroyed the Patriarch's divine statue is extremely skilled at hiding, and you cannot find his tracks?"

"No..."

Seeing Day and Night Wandering Gods display looks of disbelief, they then spoke with hesitant tones: "He is not hiding elsewhere... he is right outside the City of the Unjustly Dead!"

Outside the City of the Unjustly Dead, Lu Yang stood with his hands behind his back, holding the Myriad Souls Banner in his true form.

How could one allow others to sleep peacefully beside one's own bed? Since he intended to turn the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm into his own foundation, Lu Yang naturally could not allow the existence of the You Sect to continue.

Moreover, he also wished to meet the old remnant of the Ghost Path behind the You Sect.

"Let us send a greeting first."

With a thought, Lu Yang projected a circle of light behind his head, clear as a mirror; leveraging the status of 【Sage Thief】, he looked down upon the city from above.

Almost simultaneously, nearly every cultivator of the You Sect felt a sensation.

Yet no one understood what had happened; they only saw the witch-ghosts within their bodies suddenly go berserk, emitting indescribably mournful screams.

The next second—

"Profound Yin Soul-Seizing Great Art."

Lu Yang sliced with two fingers; the circle of light that had reflected the entire city quietly shattered, and then a terrifying power of curse-killing spread out.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Without any warning, within the City of the Unjustly Dead, the mortals remained unaffected, but the cultivators suddenly revealed expressions of terror, then clutched their necks.

On their necks, a fissure appeared.

Immediately, blood gushed forth like a flood.

"Thud!"

The sound of countless heads hitting the ground merged together, uniform and synchronized, becoming an earth-shaking dull boom that instantly spread throughout the entire city!

In an instant, countless witch-ghosts, losing the cultivators who controlled them, shot into the sky, yet as if out of control, swarmed toward Lu Yang outside the city; seeing this, Lu Yang opened the Myriad Souls Banner, swallowing like a whale drinking from the sea, refusing nothing, and in less than an hour, he had taken in hundreds, even thousands of witch-ghosts!

"Audacious rogue!!!"

Only then did eight trails of scarlet light, red as blood, explosively rise from the center of the City of the Unjustly Dead; within the fleeing lights, the eight Elders of the You Sect looked as if their eyes were about to burst from their sockets.

They did not care about the sect members who had been almost completely wiped out.

However, Lu Yang's act of collecting the witch-ghosts instantly enraged them; every witch-ghost was crucial to the You Sect, and this was digging up their roots!

White Impermanence immediately stepped forward: "Are you the thief who destroyed our sect's Patriarch's divine statue?"

Lu Yang paid no heed to White Impermanence's questioning; he merely looked around as if sensing something, then gazed at the heaven-piercing divine statue within the City of the Unjustly Dead.

"So it is there."

The next second, Lu Yang's figure vanished from his original spot.

"What!?"

The eight Elders' faces changed dramatically; instinctively looking around, they finally saw Lu Yang sitting cross-legged atop the head of the heaven-piercing divine statue in the city center.

Seeing him lower his eyes to gaze directly at the divine statue, he smiled faintly:

"I have come as invited; where is the Senior?"

(End of Chapter)