Chapter 240: The Map Exhausted, the Dagger Appears

Facing the summons of Lingyin Old Ancestor, Yunhe remained in the secret passage, knowing he had to make a decision quickly.

Because Mu Haitang and Lingyin Old Ancestor appeared, it meant the secret passage had been exposed; he either had to leave now or go out and intervene in this confrontation.

Logically, not appearing now would be the wisest move.

But one thing made him hesitate—he didn't know how to leave this secret realm.

Normally, when the secret realm's opening time arrived, the Luotian Order would take the cultivators who had entered the secret realm away.

Or, like Wuxingzi and Wei Qiyuan, after picking the gourd, they could immediately leave the secret realm.

But currently he could achieve neither of these.

He could only leave the secret passage, leave the Luotian Palace, find a place to hide, and wait for the secret realm to close.

But doing so would bring up another problem.

Mu Haitang and Lingyin Old Ancestor both knew the secret passage inside the Luotian Palace; did they also know other secrets about the Luotian Secret Realm?

For example, being able to find his hiding place before the secret realm closed.

Then, if Lingyin Old Ancestor managed to seize Xuekui Old Ancestor's body by luck, his strength would certainly be beyond what Yunhe could handle now, and he would truly become fish on a chopping board, at anyone's mercy.

Even if we retreat ten thousand steps.

Even if he managed to wait until the secret realm closed smoothly, when they were sent away by the Luotian Order, would they be scattered across various places in the Cloud Exterior Realm, or gathered together?

If they were gathered together, then whether he hid or not would make little difference; if they were scattered, it would also depend on his luck whether Lingyin Old Ancestor would end up relatively close to him.

After considering all this, Yunhe determined that he could not leave for the time being.

To be honest, speaking from his deepest desire, he also did not want to leave just now.

Whether it was Lingyin Old Ancestor or Xuekui Old Ancestor, both posed a great threat to him.

And now these two Yuan Ying Old Monsters—one had been dead for who knows how many years, leaving only a shattered soul and a corpse-formed Yuan Ying; the other was in a state of unhealed heavy injury, which was also terrible, otherwise Lingyin Old Ancestor would not have targeted him.

Although thinking this way was somewhat overly bold, Yunhe indeed felt a notion arise in his heart—why not let these two Yuan Ying Old Monsters fight each other to mutual destruction?

It wasn't that he was arrogant.

But since Lingyin Old Ancestor took a liking to his 'Corpse Soul Gu,' it showed that the Corpse Soul Gu could indeed play a certain role when those two old monsters clashed.

Yunhe also was not completely without any room for maneuver.

"We can take a gamble; if we fail, given their current state, determining a winner would absolutely require a considerable amount of time, and by then hiding again and waiting for the secret realm to close would still be in time."

He muttered under his breath, his gaze sweeping over Feng Peng, Xuanming Old Ancestor, and Old Ghost Woman.

Relying on the superiority of his own cultivation method and having taken the Sunburst Pill, Feng Peng at this moment actually managed to suppress both opponents single-handedly, holding them down firmly!

As for Xingzi,

Originally he had been preparing to flee, but after Lingyin Old Ancestor's sudden appearance restrained Xuekui Old Ancestor, he realized the situation had changed and, without hesitation, began to slash at Xuekui Old Ancestor's 'human puppet'.

Along with him was Mu Haitang.

Although Xuekui Old Ancestor could not move at the moment, his human puppets all possessed self-awareness and spiritual intelligence; they also clearly understood that if Xuekui Old Ancestor fell, they would certainly be unable to survive, and thus they were also doing their utmost to try to advance.

But Xingzi was indeed one of the three chief heirs of the Cloud Upper Palace; even though he was only at the Middle Jie Dan Stage, he had previously been able to briefly resist Xuanming Old Ancestor's Yuan Ying Corpse Refining, and now, facing a multitude of human puppets, he showed the aura of one man holding a gate against ten thousand.

As the black-and-white twins in his hand fell one by one with 'popping' sounds, the Star Net Chessboard actually evolved into various kinds of techniques—sometimes flames, sometimes water currents, sometimes frost, sometimes lightning—accompanied by continuous roaring and flashing light, displaying strength far surpassing that of Middle Jie Dan Stage cultivators, even those at Late Jie Dan Stage.

The more he stimulated the chessboard before him, the more Yunhe felt his eyes burn with envy.

What a splendid treasure!

Not a single human puppet could approach his person.

And Mu Haitang, who was with him, also displayed strength utterly beyond that of a Late Jie Dan Stage cultivator.

As a sword cultivator, although she held only a single heavy sword, the 'Silver Flood Heavy Bone Sword,' her understanding of how to wield a sword, especially a heavy one, seemed extremely deep, and her swordsmanship far exceeded her cultivation base, not just by a little.

This could be heard from the change in Xingzi's gaze when he looked at Mu Haitang, as well as from his involuntary words of praise.

"Controlling the sword with divine will, fellow Daoist, you are truly extraordinary!"

However, faced with Xingzi's praise, Mu Haitang merely gave him a sideways glance and then paid no further attention.

Fortunately, the Cloud Upper Palace's cultivated heirs were still of decent caliber, so Xingzi did not become angry; instead, his gaze grew ever more admiring, even faintly revealing a hint of affection.

The situation.

Remarkably balanced.

"Why not take the opportunity to pick the Gilded Ochre Yellow Gourd and run?"

When this idea arose, Yunhe secretly shook his head and rejected it.

It wasn't that there was no opportunity, but rather that the current timing was unsuitable.

Now the situation on the platform was obviously very balanced, and that yellow gourd was also a target of Feng Peng and Xingzi; let alone if he were to pick it, even if he merely approached the gourd vine and showed an obvious intention to harvest, the situation on the field would instantly change dramatically.

This was something Yunhe did not wish to see.

But just because he could not pick it now did not mean he could not find an opportunity to gradually approach, concealing his intention to harvest.

Then, if the situation were to lose control, or if his calculations could not succeed, he would also have the chance to gamble on picking the gourd and fleeing.

That was the thought.

Just as Yunhe was about to move, a voice from Lingyin Old Ancestor reached his ears again, and its tone had already turned somewhat grim and hostile.

"Young Friend Yun, what are you still waiting for? Do you think this seat cannot now provoke the Soul-devouring Insect?"

Upon hearing this, Yunhe smiled slightly, feeling the Soul-devouring Insect within his body stirring restlessly.

He no longer hesitated, stepping out of the secret passage.

He arrived on the platform.

As for his appearance, everyone on the platform besides Mu Haitang was startled, but upon discovering that he 'only' had the cultivation base of Middle Jie Dan Stage, they also did not take it to heart.

Even if Yunhe could rival a genius like Xingzi among Middle Jie Dan Stage cultivators, no matter how strong his manifested strength was, at bottom he was still just a Jie Dan cultivator, posing no threat whatsoever to those Yuan Ying cultivators.

After leaving the secret passage, Yunhe's face showed a hint of pain and a hint of panic, and he hurried toward Xuekui Old Ancestor's direction at the fastest speed.

However, no one noticed that his path was not a straight line but veered toward the gourd vine, drawing somewhat closer.

"Lingyin Senior, what should I do?" Yunhe spread out his divine sense, attempting to send a mental transmission.

At the same time, his divine sense also let him briefly "see" the current state inside Blood Kui Old Ancestor's body.

Setting aside the two divine souls for now, two small, somewhat cute-looking Yuan Ying infants with a slowly growing murderous aura were desperately fighting over Blood Kui Old Ancestor's blood-refined body.

This body is quite extraordinary, but it is obviously not Blood Kui Old Ancestor's original flesh; although it has become his shell, it has not fully merged, becoming a breakthrough point for Lingyin Old Ancestor.

The two entangled divine souls were grappling with each other; with Yunhe's current divine sense, it was hard to tell who was who.

"So it's you!"

Blood Kui Old Ancestor's voice also came over, filled with intense surprise; apparently he hadn't expected that the mere early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator who had fled from him while he was weak would now appear here.

Moreover, judging by the situation, he seems to still be Lingyin Old Ancestor's "assistant".

However, Blood Kui Old Ancestor still looked down on this somewhat.

"Finding two mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators as helpers—is that your confidence?"

Although he hasn't fully merged with his fleshly body and his condition isn't at its peak, compared to Lingyin Old Ancestor, his advantage is still considerably greater.

However, Blood Kui Old Ancestor soon changed his view and attitude.

"Following this strand of divine soul."

Then, Lingyin Old Ancestor, with some effort, pulled out a strand of Blood Kui Old Ancestor's divine soul from the blood-refined body.

This was like pulling out a thread from a tangled ball of yarn.

Seeing this, Yunhe's eyes flashed, he slightly raised his palm, and the "Corpse Soul Gu" in his palm began to wriggle.

Immediately, a strange suction force firmly grabbed a strand of Blood Kui Old Ancestor's divine soul, causing him to startle in alarm.

"What is this?!"

He could feel his own divine soul being tugged by a force; although it wasn't particularly strong, if he weren't entangled by Lingyin Old Ancestor, he could completely ignore this kind of soul-attracting force.

But now.

This special suction force targeting the divine soul, however, became the key to reversing the situation between him and Lingyin Old Ancestor!

"Is this the divine soul of a Yuan Ying old monster? It's truly not ordinarily strong."

And Yunhe, who was controlling the Corpse Soul Gu, was also secretly shocked.

Because he could feel the strain transmitted by the Corpse Soul Gu, and this was only a single strand of divine soul; it's hard to imagine how strong the divine soul of a peak Yuan Ying old monster could be, and it's no wonder they say the Yuan Ying stage is the best realm for seizing a body—such soul strength would surely overwhelm low-level cultivators attempting possession without dispute.

Although he had held back, not letting the Corpse Soul Gu exert its full ability, that feeling was unmistakable.

However, what amazed Yunhe the most was actually Lingyin Old Ancestor's divine soul.

Having been dead for who knows how many years, its divine soul is still this strong.

"Could it be that he cultivated some method to strengthen the divine soul?"

Zizi—

The Corpse Soul Gus were struggling, also excited.

They found it extremely difficult to tug at Blood Kui Old Ancestor's divine soul, but they could instinctively sense that if they could swallow a fragment of divine soul, it would be immensely beneficial for them.

"Young Friend Yun, increase the force!" Lingyin Old Ancestor said firmly.

"Fellow Daoist! What conditions did that old geezer promise you? I'll offer three times that!" Blood Kui Old Ancestor also sent a mental transmission again.

However, compared to his attitude when he first recognized Yunhe, it has undergone a complete reversal.

"Hmph, three times? Can you afford that, Blood Kui?" Lingyin Old Ancestor snorted coldly.

"What's the matter, Yin Ming? You only have a single strand of divine soul left—what good thing could you possibly offer?"

But Blood Kui Old Ancestor's way of addressing Lingyin Old Ancestor made Yunhe slightly startled.

Yin Ming?

Could it be that the so-called "Lingyin Old Ancestor" is a false title, and his real name is actually "Yin Ming"?

Of course, this is not the point right now.

Then Lingyin Old Ancestor sent another mental transmission: "Young Friend Yun, we will seize this opportunity to take down Blood Kui in one fell swoop; then you will not only be rid of a Yuan Ying cultivator who bears a grudge against you, but you will also gain an additional Yuan Ying cultivator who can look after you quite well—do you understand the stakes?"

Yunhe heard the subtext in his words.

It was nothing more than wanting to tell him that Blood Kui Old Ancestor is his enemy, and if he believes his lies, he won't even know how he'll die.

He couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

"Is there even one good thing between the two of you?"

But his face tightened, he wiped the sweat beading on his forehead, and said:

"Senior, it's not that I don't want to; I simply can't. Blood Kui Old Ancestor is, after all, a Yuan Ying cultivator, and my Corpse Soul Gu is far inferior to a Yuan Ying cultivator."

Upon hearing this, Lingyin Old Ancestor fell into a brief silence.

After a while.

Yunhe suddenly felt some strange text fragments transmitted by Lingyin Old Ancestor's divine sense.

Those texts were quite ancient and mysterious, but Yunhe could faintly understand a bit or two, because they were actually Ancient Demon Tribe script!

Just like the characters recorded on the bronze tablet that the Immortal Maiden Qīnglíng gave him for the "Immortal-Slaying Gourd", they are similar.

Of course, Lingyin Old Ancestor didn't know Yunhe could understand some of it, so he also attached his own interpretation.

Put together, it is a secret art—Soul-Devouring Art!

Just looking at the name, this seems to be a rather extraordinary divine-sense-type secret art.

Indeed, that is exactly the case.

Because it can, in a short time, strengthen the practitioner's divine sense intensity—not only for cultivators, but for any beings possessing a soul and divine sense.

However, its side effects are extremely exaggerated; after using this secret art, the user's divine sense will become extremely weak over the next ten years.

If the divine sense isn't strong enough, or if the secret art is used for too long, causing an irreversible decline in divine sense level, it's also not impossible.

Moreover, Lingyin Old Ancestor obviously kept a backhand; he did not transmit the entirety of this secret art to Yunhe, only the part that strengthens divine sense, not the part that stabilizes it.

Perhaps he doesn't have it either, but Yunhe feels that it should be Lingyin Old Ancestor guarding against him.

However, if this secret technique is used in a life‑or‑death struggle, or when facing a Yuan Ying Cultivator who forcibly seizes a body like today, it should serve as the final trump card.

After all, Yunhe's divine sense is naturally his most obvious strength.

"How is it?" Lingyin Old Ancestor asked.

Yunhe gritted his teeth, his expression turned fierce, and he said in a low voice, "Junior understands."

Immediately, he drove the Corpse Soul Gu without holding back.

Inside Blood Kui Old Ancestor's body, two powerful souls launched their final "struggle".

And Lingyin Old Ancestor, who possessed external power, gradually gained the upper hand.

But such a life‑or‑death contest of souls also caused severe consumption of both souls.

When Lingyin Old Ancestor gradually took control of that body,

"Pfft—"

Yunhe suddenly coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, and the power of the Corpse Soul Gu also stopped abruptly at that moment.

This sudden change caused both souls to startle.

Next, a surge of qi and blood rose on the Blood‑forged Body, and Blood Kui Old Ancestor let out a feral laugh as he began to counterattack.

Although Lingyin Old Ancestor was not instantly defeated, his earlier advantage vanished in an instant.

"Yunhe!!"

Lingyin Old Ancestor's angry voice rang out again, but Yunhe clutched his chest, his face turned pale, looking utterly exhausted.

"Senior, I can't go on; I need to rest a bit."

"!!!"

If Lingyin Old Ancestor still had a fleshly body, he would probably spit out a mouthful of old blood right now.

But he also knew that now was absolutely not the time to retreat; he immediately surged his soul power to contend with Blood Kui Old Ancestor.

Moreover, by leveraging the advantage Yunhe had brought earlier, he actually managed to regain a bit of the upper hand.

"Senior, I'll help you!" Yunhe shouted.

But what made Lingyin Old Ancestor's heart sink was that Yunhe's Corpse Soul Gu this time actually targeted him!

For Yunhe, this was the moment of "the map exhausted, the dagger appears".

Moreover, without anyone noticing, he had become the person closest to the Luotian Gourd Vine and seemed about to touch the Sunlight Heavy Water.

At this point Yunhe already had the advantage of being able to advance or retreat.

Today I brought my daughter for a follow‑up check; the result was a definitive diagnosis of mycoplasma pneumonia, and she was hospitalized.

Seeing her tiny hand pierced with several needles, a whole tube of blood drawn, while I could only grit my teeth and hold her down, my heart ached almost to the point of tearing out.

I might have to keep this update schedule for two or three days; I'm still running a fever of 38.2 °C that won't go down, probably also due to mycoplasma, so I'll squeeze in an IV drip tomorrow when I have time and write more.

The only consolation is that after being hospitalized I feel more at ease; after getting the IV drip tomorrow I should be able to free up a bit more time to write, but the update schedule and amount are uncertain.

I hope my family recovers soon.

I hope I can soon return to my usual ten‑thousand‑word‑a‑day self.

(End of chapter)