The one who had seized Sect Master Lu's body was a Great Yu Tribulation Transcendence cultivator. With that, everything made sense.
Why had there been no record of any clash between Body Integration cultivators? For a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator, seizing the body of someone in the Body Integration stage was effortless!
Why had Sect Master Lu been so mediocre, yet became the first among his peers to break through to Tribulation Transcendence? His body had already been seized by a Great Yu Tribulation Transcendence cultivator; this was equivalent to merely stepping back into the Tribulation Transcendence realm, so of course the process was smooth and easy!
These were all circumstantial clues; Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou lacked concrete proof, but they could think of no other possibility!
Just as Provincial Governor Lü and the others were about to offer their congratulations to the Corpse Driving Sect, they heard Sect Master Lu burst into uproarious laughter—wild and unbridled, completely unlike his usual temperament.
"Finally... I've finally returned to the Tribulation Transcendence stage!"
"Wait, you aren't Lu Baqian! Who are you?!" Provincial Governor Lü reacted instantly, barking sharply as an ominous premonition welled up within him.
Wu Youdao and Venerable Cang Lei offered their congratulations to "Sect Master Lu."
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Wu Ji, on successfully transcending the tribulation."
Hearing these words, Elder Gai's pupils contracted slightly, his face full of disbelief. "Wu Ji? Venerable Wu Ji?! Venerable Wu Ji of the Wu Corpse Sect!"
The Wu Corpse Sect had been classified as a super-rank sect precisely because they possessed a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator in Venerable Wu Ji!
During the battle earlier, Elder Gai had still wondered: history recorded that Venerable Wu Ji's whereabouts were unknown, meaning he should have fallen into a deep slumber to awaken in the Golden Age.
If so, why were only the Body Integration cultivators of the Wu Corpse Sect fighting? Where was Venerable Wu Ji?
Now it was finally clear: Venerable Wu Ji had been right under his nose the entire time!
Now Great Yu's side had three Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, multiplying the pressure on the already embattled Qiu Jin'an.
The man in the white paper hat gnashed his teeth, glaring at Venerable Wu Ji who had taken over Sect Master Lu.
Huang Ming and Meng Tian had already confessed about this matter, which was one of the reasons he had resolved to deal with the Great Yu Tribulation Transcendence cultivators.
Because of the corpse drivers' unique view of life and death, rumors outside claimed that the founder of the Nine Nether Cult had hailed from the Corpse Driving Sect.
This was actually just a rumor, but one thing wasn't wrong: the corpse drivers' view of life and death was very close to that of the Nine Nether Cult, which naturally predisposed the Nine Nether Cult to look favorably upon corpse drivers.
Toward Venerable Wu Ji, who had seized Sect Master Lu's body, the Nine Nether Cult Master was naturally furious.
His original plan had been to coordinate with Qiu Jin'an to swiftly finish off Wu Youdao before Venerable Wu Ji could return to the Tribulation Transcendence stage.
Unfortunately, things had not gone to plan. He had not anticipated that Great Yu's side also had Venerable Cang Lei, nor had he anticipated Venerable Wu Ji undergoing his tribulation ahead of schedule.
Seeing that all the members of his side had assembled, Wu Youdao revealed his greedy, vicious true colors.
"Provincial Governor Lü, I have already given you a chance to hand over the power of national destiny. Since you will not yield it, then I have no choice but to take it myself!"
The moment his words fell, the three Tribulation Transcendence cultivators struck at once, targeting Provincial Governor Lü. The spiritual energy across all of Hanshui City turned violent. This strike was like the end of the world, instantly bashing Provincial Governor Lü into a near-death state. Fortunately, the power of national destiny saved his life; otherwise, from this blow alone, Provincial Governor Lü would have perished on the spot.
With a heavy thud, Provincial Governor Lü crashed to the ground, tumbling into the mansion right beside Lu Yang.
Lu Yang's eyelid twitched. Things had gone from bad to absolute worst. Great Yu actually had three Tribulation Transcendence cultivators on their side; the disparity in strength was simply too vast.
"Worthy of the power of national destiny—still alive even after that. It truly makes me covet the power of national destiny even more. Who knows what heights my Dragon-Tiger Qi might transform to?"
Provincial Governor Lü propped himself up, letting out a cold snort, ready to face death without fear. "Do you think killing me will make the power of national destiny yours? How utterly ridiculous! Even if I die, the power of national destiny will return to its rightful place. You won't get a single shred of it!"
"Is that so?" Venerable Wu Ji showed an eerie smile and took out an intimately familiar talisman. "Why do you think I went through the trouble of seizing this body?"
"The Soul-Expelling and Spirit-Dispersing Talisman!" Provincial Governor Lü recognized the talisman and felt a sinking dread. This was the talisman that the yamen and the Corpse Driving Sect had rushed out overnight to resolve the ghostly peril. The one in Venerable Wu Ji's hand was the master talisman; to enhance its power, the Great Seal of Huangzhou had even been stamped onto it!
What did he bring this talisman out for now?!
Venerable Wu Ji held up the talisman. Across Hanshui City, countless motes of light lit up—these were all the places where the Soul-Expelling and Spirit-Dispersing Talismans had been used.
"Activate the array!"
The talisman in Venerable Wu Ji's hand burned, and the points of light throughout the city grew ever more brilliant, linking point to surface to form a grand array. Provincial Governor Lü felt the power of national destiny being stripped away from his body bit by bit, turning into an ownerless entity.
"I went through so much effort to seize this body, and all for this very moment!" Venerable Wu Ji laughed incessantly, his grating laughter audible across the entirety of Hanshui City.
"The previous provincial governor was deposed, and the imperial court mistrusted other factions. You, a newly appointed governor, could only trust our Corpse Driving Sect! When the ghostly calamity struck, only our Corpse Driving Sect could resolve it!
"The Soul-Expelling and Spirit-Dispersing Talismans were crafted jointly by the Corpse Driving Sect and your yamen. The talismans naturally carry the will of the yamen, and with the impression of the Great Seal of Huangzhou stamped upon them, that intent was reinforced even further!
"I used the vicious ghosts as anchors, having the disciples use the talismans to eliminate them. Once the talismans combined with ghostly qi, they became nodes of the array!"
All the array masters had guessed wrong: the array in Hanshui City had neither used vicious ghosts as nodes nor aimed to disrupt the balance of yin and yang; it relied entirely on the Soul-Expelling and Spirit-Dispersing Talismans.
Yet the array masters had no idea that the Soul-Expelling and Spirit-Dispersing Talismans even existed, so none of them had paid any attention to the talismans.
"The talismans and the exorcisms were both the will of your yamen, meaning this array is also the will of your yamen! This is equivalent to the yamen willingly relinquishing the power of national destiny!" Venerable Wu Ji sneered mockingly. The conditions to render the power of national destiny ownerless were exceedingly harsh—the yamen had to willingly abandon it.
That was why he had orchestrated this entire series of events, all to obtain the power of national destiny!
Feeling the power of national destiny slipping from his control bit by bit to become an ownerless entity, Provincial Governor Lü felt completely powerless. If a more experienced provincial governor had been in his place, they would never have made such a fatal mistake.
"We cannot let them obtain the power of national destiny!" Qiu Jin'an and the Nine Nether Cult Master hastily struck.
Yet how could the two of them possibly match three Tribulation Transcendence cultivators?
"Grand Luo Triple Force!"
"Heaven's Punishment Lightning!"
"Thousand-Li Corpse Qi!"
The three Tribulation Transcendence cultivators attacked at once, sending Qiu Jin'an and the Nine Nether Cult Master flying, coughing up blood non-stop.
A substance resembling light and water drifted out of Provincial Governor Lü's body, rising in strands and ribbons into the air.
Seeing the long-desired power of national destiny, Wu Youdao reached out with a giant hand, unleashing Universe in the Palm as it pressed down toward Provincial Governor Lü.
And Lu Yang and the others were right beside Provincial Governor Lü.
"The power of national destiny is mine!"
"This immortal also thinks this power of national destiny is quite nice. Why not let this immortal use it first?"
A frivolous, lighthearted voice suddenly rang out, echoing between heaven and earth with no discernible origin.
A figure suddenly materialized between Provincial Governor Lü and the massive hand, extending a slender jade hand to absorb all the power of national destiny without leaving a single drop.
"With just this, you actually have the nerve to claim you're using Universe in the Palm?"
The woman sneered. Raising her hand, she delivered a palm strike that sent Wu Youdao's giant hand flying back. Wu Youdao gripped his wrist tightly, his palm trembling continuously, a flicker of panic in his eyes.
Cloaked in the power of national destiny, the woman's face was obscured. She possessed an exquisite figure and bare jade feet, resembling an immortal maiden descending to the mortal realm—sacred, inviolable, inspiring awe and worship.
"Who are you?!"
Wu Youdao stared fixedly at the mysterious woman. He felt as if she were an abyss, unfathomably deep.
The strike that had just knocked back his palm had not exceeded the early Tribulation Transcendence realm, yet the mastery over power control and application she displayed was far beyond his own!
How was that possible?!
The mysterious woman looked down at Wu Youdao with disdain, parting her lips to utter her title in a lazy tone:
"This immortal is the Supreme Grand Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Court Cult—Dou Tianzun."
Chapter 443