Chapter 153: Chapter 132: An Illusory Immortal Fate, the [Thunder Core] Answers the Call

Outside Lengsong Hall, Fang Han, who was sitting by the carriage, suddenly furrowed his brow as if hearing someone whisper in his ear.

A moment later, he clutched his stomach, stood up, and shouted to the accompanying servant boy, "Brother Qing, I’m going to find a latrine!"

The servant boy waved a dismissive hand and grumbled back, "A lazy donkey always has to shit and piss when it’s time to work! Don’t dawdle. If the master comes out and there’s no one to drive the carriage, you’ll be in for it!"

Fang Han didn’t reply. He scurried to the back courtyard and, following the old immortal’s instructions, took two steps back and nimbly scrambled over the wall.

The Majestic Spirit Essence Qi attached to him immediately spoke in a low voice, "The front courtyard is empty. Head straight for the rear courtyard, and don’t make a sound."

...

...

Inside the ancestral hall of Gao Village, Jiang Yi pinched three sticks of Incense of Faith, using the Majestic Spirit Essence Qi’s vision to spy on the situation at Lengsong Hall.

Curled up on his leg, True Master Xuanmiao stretched out its neck and clicked its tongue in amazement.

"This courtyard doesn’t look like a place for the living at all. It’s clearly a baleful ground for raising yin corpses! Especially that Buddhist hall—low in the middle and high on both ends, it’s the spitting image of an overturned funeral urn."

Jiang Yi asked with a smile,

"Cat Master, you even understand the arts of feng shui and geomancy?"

True Master Xuanmiao puffed out its chest and said proudly,

"In Cultivation, understanding one thing leads to understanding all things. Techniques like searching for dragon veins and identifying acupoints are also rooted in the [Five Elements] and [Yin and Yang]. It’s nothing too profound. You’ll understand once you achieve Flying Foundation Establishment, Xiao Jiang."

Jiang Yi was lost in thought. ’It seems the Cultivation methods for the three major Realms of Qi Cultivation, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Position are vastly different.’

’Qi Cultivation is about gathering Spiritual Energy, and Foundation Establishment is about cultivating one’s Life Essence. I wonder what kind of progress is made at the True Monarch level?’

He mulled it over for a moment, then posed the question to True Master Xuanmiao.

The Cat Master was staring with great interest at the images transmitted by the Majestic Spirit Essence Qi and spoke unhurriedly,

"The ways of a True Monarch are profound beyond measure. However, they can be broadly summarized as: ’To hold the profound and occupy the position, to expound the Dao and clarify the law; to add intent and complete the form, to govern the ten thousand transformations.’

"You just need to remember this saying, Xiao Jiang. Don’t ponder it too deeply, or it will affect your true path."

Jiang Yi nodded in acknowledgment. His gaze returned to Lengsong Hall, where he saw Fang Han slowly approaching the Buddhist hall. Its doors and window lattices were covered with vermillion talisman paper.

True Master Xuanmiao added,

"The Huang and Wang Families aren’t just colluding with the Youquan Sect—they’ve clearly become its disciples and learned the *Nine Nether Transformation and Evil-Subduing Technique*. They must be raising an ancient Fierce Fiend inside!"

At this, it couldn’t help but lick its lips, a greedy glint in its amber eyes.

Jiang Yi gently rubbed True Master Xuanmiao’s still-bulging, round belly and said softly,

"They connected with the Youquan Sect with the intention of cultivating the [Ghost Dao] and entering [Fengdu] from the start.

"The Huang Family is ruthless enough. Their own great-grandfather cultivated himself into a ghostly entity, waiting for his descendants to subdue him. They then used Blood Ointment to host a banquet of myriad beasts, making tens of thousands in the city consume blood qi and evil qi to weaken the might of the thunder tribulation’s punishment.

"This meticulous plan, nearly two hundred years in the making, can truly be described as cautious and deliberate, like treading on thin ice."

He paused, a touch of wonder in his tone, but his gaze remained cold,

"This meticulous plan, nearly two hundred years in the making, can truly be described as cautious and deliberate, like treading on thin ice."

He left the second half of his thought unsaid.

’It’s just a pity. They regarded common people as worthless weeds, as live sacrifices, hoping to seize a great Opportunity and become a Foundation Establishment Dao Race on the mountain of bones in Hanyang Prefecture.’

’Little did they know that from the very beginning, the entire Huang and Wang Families were merely pawns in someone else’s game.’

...

...

RUMBLE!

A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky as layers of dark clouds gathered, pressing down like heavy mountains.

Yet even such a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere couldn’t suppress the jubilant mood in Hanyang Prefecture.

The areas in front of the flowing banquet tables were already packed tight. Young, able-bodied men from the outer city, dressed in coarse brown short clothes, were especially numerous, each holding a porcelain bowl and waiting for food to be served.

"The Wang Family’s old master is truly blessed with fortune and longevity! For his hundredth birthday banquet to have such splendor... if we bask in some of this good fortune, our own days are sure to be smooth sailing!"

A peddler with his carrying pole set down beside him offered these auspicious words.

A peasant woman next to him picked up a piece of fatty meat with her chopsticks, stuffed it into her child’s mouth, and chimed in with a smile, "Isn’t that the truth! Master Wang is so kind-hearted to set up so many feast tables, with all you can eat! If we eat a few more bites, maybe we can add to our own fortune and longevity!"

"May the old master enjoy immortal fortune and a lifespan equal to the heavens!"

"May the Wang and Huang Families prosper for generations, so the people of Hanyang Prefecture can also benefit from their good fortune..."

A rising and falling chorus of congratulations and well-wishes spread on the wind, and smiles graced the faces of everyone at the banquet tables.

A centenarian, carried over by his children and grandchildren to receive a monetary gift, looked at the dark clouds on the horizon and chuckled. "Loud thunder but little rain. The heavens themselves must be here to celebrate his longevity. This is a good omen for favorable weather!"

Meanwhile, inside the Buddhist hall of Lengsong Hall, Huang Yulang waved his wide sleeve, dispelling the Array restrictions that sealed the Evil Yin Qi. With a tremendous CRASH, the four walls collapsed and shattered, and a roiling black cloud shot into the sky!

"We respectfully invite Great-grandfather to ascend!"

Tears welled in Huang Yulang’s eyes. Cultivating the [Ghost Dao] required enduring three great sufferings.

First was hunger and thirst: to be tormented day and night, yet never feel full. Even drinking blood and eating live sacrifices could only offer a slight reprieve;

Second was heat and cold: without the fleshly vessel, the soul and Primordial Spirit were tormented by the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism, like being tortured in a furnace and an icy hell;

Third was ignorance: to be without knowledge or awareness, one’s consciousness slowly ground away. Over time, this was the most difficult to endure.

Only by passing through these three sufferings and coming to see them as sweet could one be considered a proper Ghost Cultivator.

But his great-grandfather, Huang Yangde, hadn’t intended to become a Ghost Cultivator. Instead, he had refined himself into a ghostly entity to be subdued by his descendants, guaranteeing their entry into [Fengdu].

Thus, for over a hundred years, he had to endure this torture repeatedly.

The Buddhist hall collapsed. A black cloud spread out, instantly blanketing Lengsong Hall.

The terrifying Qi Mechanism of countless streams of Evil Yin Qi made it seem as if the gates of the underworld had burst open, spewing forth a torrent of vicious monsters!

"This is..."

The sight made Fang Han’s hands and feet turn cold, as if he had plunged into an icy cavern.

"Jump into the pool! You might save your life!"

The voice of the Majestic Spirit Essence Qi boomed like a great bell, jolting Fang Han.

He hurriedly did as he was told. With a SPLASH, he sank into the deathly still, ghastly green pool beside him.

The result terrified him so much his face turned pale and his soul almost scattered—bloated female corpses floated everywhere at the bottom of the water like seaweed.

"Oh my god!"

...

...

「Outside Hanyang Prefecture, high in the vast sky.」

"What an ancient Fierce Fiend! It is destined to be mine!"

Huang Zishang rose to his full height, clapped his hands, and laughed. He turned to Song Chou beside him and ordered, "Elder Song, go to Goose Mountain and provide support for me. After I subdue these two Fierce Ghosts and seize the destinies of the Huang and Wang Clans, we will open [Fengdu] together!"

Before his words had faded, this Elder of the Zhao You Sect, who was not of the main family line, abruptly raised his eyes and roared in fury, "What ghostly entity dares to cause chaos in Hanyang Prefecture!"

Huang Zishang had already reached the Qi Cultivation Twelfth Layer, only a single step away from Foundation Establishment and Ascension.

His sudden shout was like a peal of rolling thunder, so powerful it made the raging waves of the Lujiang crash against the shore and caused the entire Hanyang Prefecture to tremble slightly.

In the next moment, he crossed several miles in a single leap, streaking above Hanyang Prefecture City wrapped in a blazing aura.

At this moment, Hanyang Prefecture was no longer the joyous place it had been.

From Duke’s Mansion where the Huang and Wang Families resided, to Mud Bottle Street where the commoners of the outer city lived, the entire place had transformed into a living hell on earth!

The Fierce Fiends that the two clan elders had become swept through the city like a rolling black cloud. Within the nearly endless Evil Yin Qi, hundreds of terrifying faces materialized, a horrifying swarm of monsters. Anyone they pounced on had their Essence Blood and Primordial Qi instantly drained dry.

"Immortal Master! Help us!"

"I beg the Immortal Master to show mercy! Be compassionate and save my son!"

"Sons of bitches, the Huang and Wang Families! I knew they were up to no good..."

Shrill cries and curses rose to a crescendo, echoing through the streets and alleys of Hanyang Prefecture.

Huang Zishang stood upon the air, deliberately waiting for a moment. Only when more than half of the city’s mortals were dead or injured did he raise a hand to activate the Copper Bell hanging above his head. With just three rings, the two black clouds, as vast as mountain ranges, instantly exploded!

"Mere ghostly entities, you dare to run rampant!"

Huang Zishang’s voice boomed like a great bell, spreading throughout the city:

"I am Elder Huang Zishang of the Zhao You Sect! The Huang and Wang Clans have raised ghostly entities, harmed the populace, and even colluded with the Ancient Demon Cultivator sect, Youquan Sect! Their crimes are worthy of ten thousand deaths! Today, I shall enact justice on behalf of the heavens and exterminate you all!"

As his voice fell, his fingers had already formed a Seal Technique. The Third Grade "Dragon Transformation True Qi" surged forth, erupting from a single flicker of flame into a torrential inferno.

The light of this flame was as soft as water and held not the slightest hint of heat. It didn’t burn metal or wood, but once it touched anyone from the Huang or Wang Clans, it would cling to them like a festering sore on the bone, not stopping until it had burned them to ash.

In an instant, the two mansions of the Huang and Wang Families lit up like thousands of lanterns ignited at once, the raging flames crackling as they enveloped human figures. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Their former wealth and glory turned to scorched earth in a flash, incinerated by the Dragon Transformation True Qi.

...

...

"The Zhao You Sect... Impossible! How did they get here so fast!"

Inside Lengsong Hall, Huang Yulang was utterly devastated, as if waking from a long dream. He shivered violently.

He hadn’t even had time to set up the Ritual Altar to subdue his great-grandfather, so how had an Elder from a Branch Sect at the Qi Cultivation Twelfth Layer already arrived?

’No, that’s not right!’

’The destiny of the [Ghost Dao]? The Foundation Establishment Opportunity of [Fengdu]?’

’Why would they fall into the Huang Family’s hands for no reason?’

’And that prophecy... it gave a surname but no given name. It was clearly incomplete...’

A flood of doubts rushed into his mind, making Huang Yulang’s face turn deathly pale.

"Brother Yulang..."

Wang Yang was in a complete panic. For so many years, the Wang Family had followed the Huang Family’s lead. Now that their plot was exposed and the enraged Zhao You Sect was exterminating both clans, what were they to do?

Huang Yulang turned a deaf ear. He tore the white jade crown from his head and hurled it to the ground, shattering it to pieces.

This patriarch of the Huang Family, his hair disheveled, seemed to be both crying and laughing. "So, there was never any heaven-sent immortal fate! Our ancestors fell into a scheme long ago. Two hundred years of planning, generation after generation, all just to pave the way for someone else..."

He gritted his teeth, his face a mask of extreme hatred, and looked up at the majestic Huang Zishang, who trod on flames in the air.

"You son-of-a-bitch Upper Cultivator from the Zhao You Sect! You’ve ruined my clan..."

Before the words could leave his mouth, a wisp of Dragon Transformation True Qi descended like a flicker of flame and touched Huang Yulang’s magnificent brocade robe!

WHOOSH. His flesh and blood withered, his skeleton charred black, and in an instant, he disintegrated into flying ash.

"Brother Yulang!"

Wang Yang roared, but he soon followed in Huang Yulang’s footsteps, burned alive.

Huang Zishang seemed to be waiting for something, delaying the capture and subjugation of the two Fierce Fiends, whose Primordial Spirits were clouded and minds lost, allowing them to add to the slaughter.

He waited until, from the Profound Dome high above, peals of thunder suddenly rolled in, growing closer and closer.

An immense amount of Thunder Essence materialized from thin air, seeming to weave together and condense, revealing a massive, incomparably Ancient Gate.

The [Thunder Core] had answered the call!