The Wu Ghost Secret Realm, headquarters of the Tingyou Sect.
Unlike the rest of the Secret Realm, this was the Tingyou Sect’s headquarters, where Ghost ssengers constantly purged the area of Wu Ghosts. Over ti, a city had even been built here.
It was nad the City of the Wronged Dead.
In the center of the towering city, a divine statue soared into the heavens.
Nearly eighty percent of the Secret Realm’s population was concentrated within the City of the Wronged Dead, and at every mont, they could see this Heaven-Reaching Divine Statue.
Its face was unmistakably that of the Tingyou Sect’s founder. Below the statue stood a magnificent, resplendent palace that served as the place of seclusion for the sect’s eight Elders. The Tingyou Sect had no Sect Leader and revered only its founder; therefore, all affairs were decided jointly by the eight Elders.
Normally, only one of the eight Elders was on duty at a ti. The other seven remained in a state of slumber.
After all, the Tingyou Sect’s system revolved around feeding Wu Ghosts with their own bodies, which resulted in extrely short lifespans. Without this thod of prolonging their lives, they would suffer a backlash from their Wu Ghosts and perish within a few years.
At this mont, however, a full six Elders were stirring from their slumber.
The Great Elder and an Impermanence, White Ghost Guard, sat in the seat of honor. He looked remarkably young, clad in white with a tall, slender build, and an unsettling smile was perpetually fixed on his face.
"The founder’s divine statue has been destroyed. This is no small matter."
"Before the statue was destroyed, we received a Decree from the founder, ordering us to find the one who did it at any cost. That is why I have awakened all of you."
At this, White Ghost Guard glanced at the two empty seats and frowned.
"Where are our two brothers, the Scribe and Warden?"
A burly man, clad in heavy armor with an ox-head motif on one pauldron, rose to his feet. "They have just returned to their posts. It will take them more ti to awaken."
White Ghost Guard nodded. "Very well. There is no rush."
His words had barely faded when another figure in a black robe stood up. He was fierce-looking, burly, and stout. "Why bother waiting for them to awaken?" he growled.
"According to our sect’s records, while the outside world has many masters, those who have truly reached the founder’s realm dare not enter here. The strongest cultivators below that level are, at best, our equals. Weren’t those outsiders who trespassed on our grounds a few days ago—those so-called ’disciples of the Divine Martial Sect’—proof enough of that?"
"Rather than just sit here waiting, we should make the first move."
"Besides, the Night and Day Wardens have both returned. They can survey the entire Secret Realm. No matter how that outsider tries to hide, he’ll never escape our grasp."
"You are right, Brother."
The one who spoke in agreent was a handso young man with a third eye on his forehead. He laughed. "How could a re unorthodox hack from the outside world possibly be our match?"
The eight great Elders of the Tingyou Sect may have had their own nas before their promotion, but once they beca Elders, they were known only by the titles of the Red-clothed Ghosts they commanded: the Black and White Ghost Guards, the Scribe and Warden Judges, Ox-headed and Horse-faced, and the Night and Day Wardens. Each possessed their own uncanny abilities.
The three-eyed young man who had just spoken was the ’Day Traveling God’ of the Night and Day Wardens.
As his na suggested, his Wu Ghost was the third eye in the center of his forehead. It was golden in color and shaped like a great sun; when opened, it could perceive every manifest object within the Secret Realm.
The other, the ’Night Wanderer,’ was his complete opposite, able to perceive every hidden thing within the Secret Realm.
When they worked together, everything that happened in the Wu Ghost Secret Realm was as clear as the lines on their palms to the Tingyou Sect. No one, no matter how capable, could escape their eyes.
Clearly, the eight Elders were divided into two factions.
White Ghost Guard, along with Ox-headed and Horse-faced, ford one faction. They advocated for caution, wanting to wait until all eight of them were assembled before searching for the person who had destroyed the founder’s statue.
anwhile, Black Ghost Guard and the Night and Day Wardens were brimming with confidence, believing that this outsider was nothing remarkable and that they could easily handle the situation by themselves.
"You are being too reckless, my brothers."
The Great Elder, White Ghost Guard, shook his head, his smile never wavering. "This matter is not rely about the destruction of the founder’s statue, nor is it just a matter of our sect losing face."
"The one who destroyed the statue is integral to a grand plan of our sect."
"As all of you know, this place, as good as it is, is ultimately a cage. If we wish to live longer, or even ascend to a higher realm, we must leave."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, the Black Ghost Guard’s eyes glinted, but he remained skeptical. "Are you saying that person can help us leave this place, Brother? Impossible! Who could possibly break the Celestial Sword?"
At his words, the other Elders’ faces filled with dread. The so-called "Celestial Sword" was, of course, the streak of Golden Core Sword Qi that hung high above the Wu Ghost Secret Realm. For a thousand years, it had been a nightmare for everyone living in the Secret Realm; no one even dared to entertain the thought of resisting it.
"Just because we can’t break it, doesn’t an no one in the outside world can."
White Ghost Guard chuckled. "The founder made plans for this long ago. As long as we capture this person, we can leverage their power to shatter that damned Celestial Sword."
White Ghost Guard spoke with absolute conviction, radiating confidence.
Although the Black Ghost Guard and the others still had their doubts, since the White Ghost Guard had explicitly stated this was the founder’s plan, they no longer insisted on their own opinions.
Just then, two more auras manifested within the grand hall.
In the empty seats, two still-ethereal figures appeared. One held a brush and book, the other a shining mirror. They were the final two Elders.
"The Scribe and Warden Judges have awakened!"
White Ghost Guard laughed heartily at the sight. "Excellent! I’ll ask the Night and Day Wardens to act. Once you’ve located the target, Ox-headed and Horse-faced will help us get there swiftly."
The Night and Day Wardens nodded, and both opened their Dharma Eyes.
The next mont, however, they froze.
"My two brothers?" White Ghost Guard’s brow furrowed, and he spoke in a low voice. "Is the one who destroyed the founder’s statue so skilled at concealnt that you cannot find him?"
"No...."
The Night and Day Wardens wore expressions of utter disbelief, then one said hesitantly, "He’s not hiding sowhere else... He’s right outside the City of the Wronged Dead!"
.....
Outside the City of the Wronged Dead, Lü Yang stood with the Myriad-Soul Banner in hand, his other arm clasped behind his back.
One cannot suffer a rival sleeping in one’s own bed. Since he intended to make the Wu Ghost Secret Realm his own domain, Lü Yang naturally could not tolerate the continued existence of the Tingyou Sect.
Besides, he was also curious to et the old remnant of the Wu Ghost Sect who was backing the Tingyou Sect.
’Ti for a proper greeting.’
At Lü Yang’s thought, a halo of light appeared behind his head, as clear as a mirror. Aided by the Position of [Theft to Sainthood], he gazed down upon the city from above.
Almost simultaneously, nearly every cultivator in the Tingyou Sect felt sothing.
Yet none of them understood what was happening. They could only feel the Wu Ghosts within their bodies suddenly begin to rampage, letting out wails of indescribable anguish.
The next mont—
The Yin Curse.
Lü Yang made a slashing motion with his fingers. The halo of light that had reflected the entire city silently shattered, and a terrifying Power of Curse Killing spread outward.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Without any warning, the mortals inside the City of the Wronged Dead remained completely unaffected. The cultivators, however, suddenly showed expressions of terror and clutched at their necks.
A gash had appeared on each of their necks.
Imdiately after, blood began to gush out.
THUD!
The sound of countless heads hitting the ground rged into a single, synchronized, earth-shaking thud that echoed instantly throughout the city!
In that instant, countless Wu Ghosts, freed from the cultivators who had restrained them, shot into the sky. Then, as if compelled by an unseen force, they sward toward Lü Yang outside the city. Lü Yang unfurled the Myriad-Soul Banner and, like a whale swallowing the ocean, took them all in. In a matter of monts, he had absorbed hundreds, even thousands, of Wu Ghosts!
"AUDACIOUS FIEND!!!"
Only then did eight streaks of blood-red Flying Light erupt from the center of the City of the Wronged Dead. Within them, the eight Elders of the Tingyou Sect stared with eyes that looked fit to burst with rage.
They cared little for their followers, who had been all but annihilated.
However, Lü Yang’s act of absorbing the Wu Ghosts sent them into an instantaneous rage. Every single Wu Ghost was vital to the Tingyou Sect; he was striking at their very foundation!
The White Ghost Guard stepped forward. "Are you the wretch who destroyed our founder’s statue?"
Lü Yang ignored the White Ghost Guard’s question. He simply glanced around, as if sensing for sothing, before his gaze fell upon the Heaven-Reaching Divine Statue within the City of the Wronged Dead.
’So that’s where it is.’
The next mont, Lü Yang’s figure vanished.
"What!?"
The eight Elders’ faces contorted in shock. They instinctively scanned their surroundings, finally spotting Lü Yang’s figure seated cross-legged atop the head of the Heaven-Reaching Divine Statue in the city’s center.
He lowered his gaze, looking straight down at the statue, and smiled faintly.
"I have co as you invited. Now, where are you, senior?"
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