Chapter 55: The Shaman-Ghost Emerges, The Perfected One Reels in the Rod
Although Ming Chan was a rogue cultivator, he had obtained the inheritance of the Buddhist Sect, so he had some understanding of Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones and was even more aware of the terror of this realm.
The so-called “Foundation Establishment” is merely the term used in the Immortal Sects. In the Buddhist Sect, it has another name: “Lotus Platform.” A cultivator who establishes their Dao Foundation is called a “Perfected One,” while a Buddhist who sits upon the Lotus Platform is called an “Arhat.” Although the names differ, the results ultimately reach the same goal by different routes.
“An Arhat… There is an Arhat behind Skull Mountain!”
“Damn it all, what opportunity? It’s all fake! It’s clearly an Arhat hooking people. Even if there really were an opportunity, it would have already been internally decided by that Arhat!”
“Amitabha… Fuck!”
At this moment, Ming Chan had completely lost the appearance of a Buddhist monk. In his panic, his old habits resurfaced, and foul language poured out endlessly.
After all, before he cultivated Buddhism, he was originally a mountain bandit.
It was funny to say, but after every murder and robbery, he would bow to a Buddha statue. He never thought that one day he would truly obtain a Buddhist opportunity.
The opportunity even stated that this was merit accumulated from his previous lifetimes.
Thus, he put down the butcher’s knife and became a Buddha on the spot.
Since then, no matter what Ming Chan did, it was smooth sailing. He easily broke through to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining and was only a step away from Foundation Establishment.
However, right now, he felt only panic.
The merit of three lifetimes and the monstrous luck that usually made him successful in every endeavor seemed to have lost their effect in this moment. They could only frantically warn him in the unseen world.
Danger! Certain Death! Run!
As Ming Chan fled, his footsteps gradually slowed. Sweat poured down his bald head. He looked around, only to realize he was still exactly where he had started.
Where is this place?
Was I really running just now?
“I…”
With doubt in his heart, the Buddha light in Ming Chan’s eyes gradually extinguished. He ‘accidentally’ suffered Qi Deviation, and the Dharma Body he had bitterly cultivated for decades lost its breath just like that.
He died.
From beginning to end, the Foundation Establishment Perfected One did not even show his face. He merely influenced the great web of karma slightly, and Ming Chan died a sudden, natural death as a matter of course.
Meanwhile, outside the Skull Mountain Market.
Yun Zhiqiu and Ouyang Feng were also drenched in sweat. They didn’t run, not because their reactions were slower than Ming Chan’s, but because they knew running was useless.
With a Foundation Establishment Perfected One in front of you, would he let you escape?
Rogue cultivators truly lacked experience.
Especially Yun Zhiqiu; as Lu Yang broke through, he felt the dust on his spiritual platform suddenly clear, followed by intense terror surging into his heart.
What am I doing? What did I just do?
Just then, a figure quietly emerged.
It was a young man wearing a black robe. His face was shadowed and pale; at first glance, he seemed like an ordinary Daoist one might see anywhere in the mortal world.
“…Greetings, Senior!”
Without any hesitation, Yun Zhiqiu immediately sheathed his sword and bowed.
Perfected One Yin Shan ignored him. His burning gaze was fixed on Skull Mountain below, where a plume of black flame was slowly rising from the earth veins.
On the other side, Lu Yang was also blessed with sudden insight.
“Shaman-Ghost Secret Realm…”
The unseen karma and destiny told him that as he broke through and his Qi destiny reached its peak, the Shaman-Ghost Secret Realm sensed it and emerged to choose him.
“…Sure enough, he was fishing!”
The next second, the Shaman-Ghost Secret Realm, which had been constantly transmitting a feeling of intimacy to him, suddenly stagnated. Immediately after, intense anger and fear erupted from it.
This was the emotion of the Realm Spirit.
The fish had taken the bait.
“Come here.”
Perfected One Yin Shan spoke slowly. He didn’t display any flashy divine abilities, but with just this one sentence, the emerging Shaman-Ghost Secret Realm flew toward him uncontrollably.
Then, Lu Yang couldn’t help but curse in his heart: “Holy shit!”
Because inside the opening Secret Realm, there was shockingly a brilliant streak of Sword Qi, crouching like a tiger and coiling like a dragon, seemingly waiting to deal a fatal blow to anyone outside!
Zheng—!
In the next second, Lu Yang’s thinking froze. Wherever he looked, there was only that Sword Qi locked onto him, as if his entire body had been seen through.
“Golden Core Sword Qi…”
Perfected One Yin Shan took a step back, positioning Lu Yang in front of him—this was the reason he had been unwilling to act personally and chose to hide behind the scenes.
In an instant, Perfected One Yin Shan’s heart was full of relief. If he had opened the Shaman-Ghost Secret Realm with his own hands, the unlucky one locked onto by the Sword Qi right now would probably be him. And in the face of Golden Core Sword Qi, there was no difference between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining; both were a matter of a single strike.
However, surprisingly, the Sword Qi did not slash out.
Lu Yang only felt his newly cultivated Perfected True Qi, the Grade 3 “True Dragon Evil Qi,” vibrate slightly, appearing to echo with the Sword Qi inside the Secret Realm from a distance.
The two sides stalemated just like that.
“…Hm?”
Seeing this scene, even Perfected One Yin Shan let out a soft sound of surprise. He glanced at Lu Yang unexpectedly, clearly not anticipating such a variable.
Unknown how much time passed.
Lu Yang seemed to have passed some kind of test by the Sword Qi. The opponent no longer slashed out but dissipated on the spot, turning into rolling Spiritual Qi that returned to heaven and earth.
“Hah!”
Only then did Lu Yang snap back to reality. His frozen mind resumed thinking, and his whole body was instantly drenched in sweat, as if he had just been fished out of the water.
“Nine Transformations Dragon Art… the inheritance of Perfected One Coiled Dragon? Your luck is good; Perfected One Coiled Dragon was not a demonic cultivator.”
“This strand of Golden Core Sword Qi was targeted at demonic cultivators. If you cultivated the techniques of my Saint Sect, you would undoubtedly be dead. Fortunately, you cultivate the Nine Transformations Dragon Art.”
Perfected One Yin Shan sized up Lu Yang with some surprise, but he didn’t care too much. After all, the quality of the bait didn’t matter, and whether Lu Yang lived or died was harmless to him. Catching the fish was the key. Since the Shaman-Ghost Secret Realm had already emerged, his goal this time had been achieved.
It was time to reel in the rod.
Perfected One Yin Shan raised his hand and grabbed. The Shaman-Ghost Secret Realm, whose black flames went straight into the clouds, instantly vanished, transforming into a stream of light that fell into his palm.
“Good, good, good… a perfect Heavenly Corpse Baleful Qi!”
Perfected One Yin Shan looked satisfied. The cultivation of the Foundation Establishment realm held other mysteries, one of which required Earthly Baleful Qi. And Heavenly Corpse Baleful Qi was a top-grade variety among Earthly Baleful Qis.
With this item, breaking through to the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment was a certainty!
Just then, Lu Yang suddenly stepped forward. Without a second word, he knelt on one knee and said in a booming voice: “Congratulations to 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 Three Rivers Society, immediately changed his expression.
Son of a bitch, I was beaten to the punch!
No wonder this kid could make a name for himself among the ordinary disciples. Truly a disciple of my Saint Sect, a shameless sycophant… While cursing Lu Yang in his heart, Luo Wuya rushed forward without stopping: “Congratulations to Senior Brother on an immortal life of a thousand years!”
“Hahaha, a thousand years is the lifespan of a Golden Core. I cannot accept that, I cannot…”
Although he said that, Perfected One Yin Shan clearly ate it up. His mouth said he couldn’t accept it, but in reality, he wished Lu Yang and Luo Wuya would say a bit more.
In the end, even Yun Zhiqiu and Ouyang Feng braced themselves and offered a few words of congratulations.
However, hearing this, Perfected One Yin Shan looked at Ouyang Feng with a playful expression: “The Divine Martial Sect openly provoked my Saint Sect, yet you still dare to speak in front of me?”
Ouyang Feng’s scalp instantly exploded, and he trembled: “You can’t kill me! My… my Divine Martial Sect also has a Perfected One…”
“From today on, you won’t.”
Perfected One Yin Shan casually spoke words that split Ouyang Feng’s liver and gall: “Since this Seat is able to appear here, the Qi destiny of the Divine Martial Sect has already been severed.”
“This… this is impossible! My Divine Martial Sect…”
Before Ouyang Feng’s voice could fall, the Qi and blood in his entire body went inexplicably berserk. Unfortunately, his mind, having been lost in shock and rage, was powerless to suppress it. He could only stare with wide eyes—
Bang!!!
With a loud explosion, Ouyang Feng, a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, blew apart just like that. He transformed into a sky full of rain of light, quietly merging into heaven and earth!
Only when the rain of light ceased did Perfected One Yin Shan look away. Yun Zhiqiu, who came from the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion, was drenched in sweat watching this. However, in the end, Yin Shan did not make a move on him. Instead, with a wave of his sleeve, he took Luo Wuya and Lu Yang and vanished from the spot, leaving behind only a silent Skull Mountain.
Translation note:
Aura (气机 – Qìjī): Often translated as “Qi signature” this refers to the unique spiritual imprint or trace a cultivator leaves behind when using dao arts or simply existing in a space. In high-level battles, one can track, lock onto, or attack an enemy solely by seizing their “aura” even if the enemy is hiding or has fled. It acts like a mystical fingerprint.
Aura (气机 – Qìjī): Often translated as “Qi signature” this refers to the unique spiritual imprint or trace a cultivator leaves behind when using dao arts or simply existing in a space. In high-level battles, one can track, lock onto, or attack an enemy solely by seizing their “aura” even if the enemy is hiding or has fled. It acts like a mystical fingerprint.
Advance chapters at Nightjar Reads · nightjarreads.com