txolops Chapter 54: Heaven falls in the same world
Chapter 54: Heaven falls in the same world
The world lost its color, and all sounds ceased, just like the silent and colorless twilight of before.
Only a chilling sword light suddenly appeared, like autumn waters filling the sky, and swiftly... sliced across the neck of the Lord of Zhengyang!
"Ahhhhh—"
In an instant, a series of mournful howls arose, as if the cries of countless living beings overlapped!
Those gentle, jade-like faces suddenly froze, blood lines appeared on their necks, and heads rolled off one after another, blood gushing out like a spring, and in no time, it had flooded their feet.
At the same time, the bizarrely growing human-faced tumor also paused, its evil nature faded, and the survivors regained their senses, their faces filled with fear, and fled in panic.
The old monster, whose chest had sprouted new heads, also let out a miserable howl, its voice carrying an eerie emphasis, as if something else had parasitized its body.
But he dared not linger, and suddenly transformed into a streak of light, fleeing desperately out of the temple.
However, Fang Chen had no time to pursue. Instead, he stared intently at the headless corpse. With a wave of his hand, the Zhengyang Spirit Lamp in Mingjun Daoist's hand flew into his palm. The dim yellow light enveloped the corpse, which stood quietly, as if it had already become a corpse.
"Junior brother, why not finish him off?" Daoist Mingjun looked at the familiar figure with a sorrowful expression, but he also knew that the thing in front of him was no longer the Daoist Master, but an evil spirit that had crawled out of the old world. If he was not eliminated today, no one present would be able to survive.
Fang Chen did not answer, but stared intently ahead.
How could he not know?
However, after a series of fierce battles, both the power of the sword gourd and his own magical power were nearly exhausted. Let alone slaying this evil spirit, he would probably not even be able to slay an ordinary night-roaming ghost.
If we act rashly and completely disrupt the fragile balance between the old monster's [Beast Creation Technique] and this evil creature, that would be disastrous.
"Shangyang..."
A weak call came from behind.
The two turned around and saw that Master Shangming was standing behind them at some point, but his figure was almost transparent, like a candle flickering in the wind, and could disappear at any moment.
Although he took advantage of the moment when the two old demonic monsters were scattered and killed the Turbid World Flying Zombie, he himself was on the verge of collapse.
Master Shangming looked at the headless corpse, a trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes, which then turned into a resolute expression:
"Since things have come to this, I will use this last bit of my spiritual light to take Yang... on our journey together."
Before the words were even finished, a sudden change occurred!
At the severed neck of the headless corpse, flesh and blood began to writhe and grow wildly, attempting to regenerate a head covered in human-faced tumors!
Master Shangming's expression changed, and he said sternly:
"There's no time to lose! You all retreat quickly, I'll be going now..."
"Uncle-Master, wait!" Fang Chen interrupted, grabbing his almost ethereal arm.
"Hmm?" Shang Ming suddenly looked at Fang Chen, his eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty. "What do you mean? Have you been possessed by that evil creature?"
"That's not the case, but rather we are forced by the situation," Fang Chen said in a deep voice. "Uncle-Master, if the Zhengyang Sect wants to survive, not only can we not destroy Master's body at this moment, but we also need to borrow his power."
He spoke faster:
"If my martial uncle dies alongside my master, and my martial uncle Shangde in the underworld also suffers excessive losses in this battle, then my Zhengyang Sect will be without any high-level combatants above the Yin God level for some time to come. In addition, the sect has suffered heavy losses in this great battle... I'm afraid there will be unforeseen circumstances ahead."
Fang Chen's gaze swept over the mess on the ground:
"Uncle-Master, don't forget, this place is called Dao City, but it's actually a demonic lair. The Soul-Seizing, Yin-Bone, and Animal-Creating sects are just three evil forces. Besides, there are all sorts of other sects and heretics lurking around. If our Dao's higher-ups are truly wiped out and our foundation is empty, let alone those evil forces, even our so-called righteous fellow disciples might want to devour us. Therefore, Master's body... must not be destroyed right now!"
"Not destroy it?" Shangming frowned. "But Shangyang has already been possessed by evil spirits. What use is it? Could it be...?"
He paused, suddenly remembering the Dao Master's still-burning soul lamp:
"Do you mean to let my Yin Spirit enter this evil body, awaken the remnant true spirit of the Dao Lord, suppress the evil nature, and thus transform it into a protector of this Dao?"
"That's exactly what I meant." Fang Chen nodded. "Uncle Shangming, you and Uncle Shangde's physical bodies were damaged, and you had no choice but to become Yin spirits. Although you preserved your souls, your combat power was less than one-tenth of what it used to be, and you need to constantly resist the evil influence of this world. If you could take over this body and refine it into a shell that you can live in, you might be able to restore your full cultivation."
"But this evil thing is inherently strange, and it comes from the shadows of the old world. It is a mixture of evil, bestiality, and filth..." Master Shangming hesitated. "Even if we take its body, its true spirit will probably be corrupted and eroded by its demonic influence, causing endless troubles."
His concerns are not without merit.
This evil entity is already dangerous and unpredictable. If it were to absorb the cultivation and memories of a wandering immortal, once it lost control, it would not only retain its bizarre power but also possess the combat experience and wisdom of an immortal... The calamity it would cause would likely far exceed what we see today!
However, what this disciple said was not untrue. If all the higher-ups were wiped out, I fear it would be the end for this sect...
"Chen'er is right."
A deep, resonant voice suddenly came from the side.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw the figure of the Supreme Virtue Immortal slowly appearing from the underworld and arriving in the void.
In the underworld, the fundamental entities controlled by the three major evil cults had gone out of control due to the death of the practitioners in the mortal world. They were suppressed by the joint efforts of the ancestors of the Righteous Yang Path in the underworld, allowing the Supreme Virtue True Man to extricate himself and return to aid the mortal world.
He stepped forward, glanced at the hesitant Master Shangming, and said in a deep voice:
"Given this situation, to save the Dao Master and ensure the survival of the Dao lineage, there is only one feasible method: to perform the [Three Corpses Sacrifice Technique]!"
"The Three Corpses Self-Sacrifice Technique?"
Upon hearing this, Master Shangming's expression changed drastically.
The Three Corpses Self-Sacrifice Technique was obtained by the founder of the Zhengyang Path from killing an elder of the Innate Demonic Sect. It originated from the Heart Demon branch of the supreme secret transmission of the Demonic Sect, the Heavenly Demonic Dao Method.
The art of inner demons is unpredictable and treacherous. When cultivated to its highest level, it can transform into an invisible inner demon, corrupting the Yang Spirit, stealing the Dao Fruit, and refining it into an avatar of the self. Furthermore, it can infiltrate the hearts of all beings, roam the river of memories, and become nearly immortal.
The "Three Corpses Body-Seizing Technique" is a possession-grabbing evil method that evolved from this technique. It requires forcibly seizing three souls, corresponding to the three corpses in the human body, and seizing the positions of the host's three souls, namely, the Fetal Light, the Refreshing Spirit, and the Netherworld Spirit.
Once the three souls have taken over, it's like a cuckoo usurping a magpie's nest. Then, using secret methods, the host's seven spirits are driven and gradually eroded and controlled. Yin energy is used to grind down the host's intelligence, kill close relatives to sever their emotions, and light a sky lantern to torment their soul... until the host's original self and consciousness are completely obliterated and devoured, thus completing the possession. This process is bloody, cruel, and extremely vicious.
If this evil practice of plundering living beings were performed in the old world, where spiritual energy was abundant and the Way of Heaven was clear, it would surely be punished by Heaven and its path would be cut off.
However, in this world of decay and depravity...
Master Shangming remained silent for a long time, then looked up at the headless corpse whose neck was still writhing and growing, its evil aura resurfacing. He then surveyed the surrounding ruined dojo and the corpses of his fellow disciples scattered everywhere. Finally, he took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his eyes:
"Enough! Enough! Enough! We are righteous cultivators, and should not practice such demonic and evil methods. However, heaven and earth are collapsing, and the five turbidities are rampant. The world is like this. In order to preserve our lineage and protect our disciples, we can only... go with the flow!"