161: It seems that's really the case?

"Since I can't escape, then I won't."

Gu Changsheng took a deep breath, the trace of panic in his eyes forcibly wiped away and replaced by a near-manic calmness.

He no longer restrained his Aura; instead, with a wave of his sleeve, he dispersed the rotting flesh and decayed bones covering his body.

His originally hunched frame straightened up.

He sat cross-legged in a bold, imposing manner atop that mound made of enemy heads built from countless corpses.

The recently formed [Withered Meets Spring] inside his body began to circulate frantically.

On the left half of his body, the skin rapidly shriveled and turned ashen, exuding a withered decay that felt as if it had been dead for ten thousand years, as if a single touch would turn it to ash.

On the right half of his body, the skin was crystal clear as jade, with green light flowing through it; the rich yi wood vitality was almost tangible enough to overflow, and even the white bones beneath him began to grow fresh green moss.

One side withered, one side flourishing; one side death, one side life.

Two completely opposite Daoist charms reached a heart-palpitating balance within him.

Gu Changsheng slowly closed his eyes, his hands resting naturally on his knees, his fingertips forming a strange "Formless Seal."

The taiyin submerging spirit jade was no longer providing passive defense; instead, he pushed it to its absolute limit.

[Effect Two: Obfuscation - Fully Activated.]

Buzz.

A layer of invisible Chaos mist quietly spread out with him as the center.

This mist had no color or shape, yet it tangled his entire being and even the threads of Karma around him into a chaotic mess.

The instant he finished doing all this—

Boom!

The thick rock layer overhead split open into a massive fissure without warning.

No rubble fell.

Because all the rock and soil had been directly annihilated into nothingness the moment they touched that Aura.

A figure wearing a Purple-Gold Daoist Robe slowly descended from the crack.

He seemed to walk slowly, yet he crossed a distance of a thousand zhang in a single step.

True Man You Quan.

This Old Ancestor of the Corpse Yin Sect, who had awed the Southern Border for centuries, finally revealed his true form.

He was surrounded by thick purple-black corpse Qi—this was no ordinary Death Qi, but "Corpse Emperor Evil Qi" refined from the corpses of countless high-level Cultivators.

Wherever the Evil Qi passed, the originally calm Black Water River instantly boiled, and countless fierce corpses and malevolent ghosts at the bottom let out terrified wails before exploding into clouds of blood mist as a sacrifice to this king.

Terror.

A suffocating terror.

This was the pressure of a Late Stage Purple Mansion great Cultivator.

Even just standing there, his very existence was a form of slow execution for lower-level lifeforms.

True Man You Quan floated in mid-air, looking down from above at the mountain of corpses.

His cloudy yet sharp eyes instantly locked onto the figure sitting cross-legged at the peak of the corpse mountain.

"Hmm?"

A soft exclamation echoed through the empty underground cavern.

True Man You Quan's hand, which he had been raising, paused slightly.

According to his expectations, the rat who dared to steal a meal right under his nose should have been bleeding from its seven orifices and kneeling for mercy under his pressure by now.

But the scene before him completely exceeded his understanding.

That Purple Mansion pressure, powerful enough to crush gold and stone, vanished without a trace like a clay ox entering the sea when it touched the three-zhang range around the Daoist.

No.

It hadn't vanished.

It had been "swallowed."

The withered Death Qi on the Daoist's left was like a bottomless black hole, greedily devouring all the power pressing in; the yi wood vitality on the right was like an indestructible shield, isolating all Killing Intent.

"Interesting."

The contempt in True Man You Quan's eyes lessened, replaced by a deep sense of inquiry.

His Divine Sense, sharp as a blade, stabbed recklessly toward that mass of Chaos.

He wanted to see this person's origins clearly.

Whether it was a man or a ghost, one probe would tell.

However...

When that Divine Sense, vast as the sea, crashed into the mist surrounding Gu Changsheng, True Man You Quan's expression changed.

He couldn't see through it.

He completely couldn't see through it.

In his perception, what sat there wasn't a person at all.

But an indescribable void.

It was like... facing those unspeakable ancient existences within the Great Void.

Even the other party's cultivation Realm was jumping frantically between Foundation Establishment, Purple Mansion, and even higher levels, making it impossible to lock onto.

"How is this possible?"

True Man You Quan's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks.

He had traversed the Southern Border for centuries; what bizarre Cultivation Technique had he not seen?

But a method that could completely hide one's Karma to the point that even a Late Stage Purple Mansion couldn't glimpse a single bit was simply unheard of.

Unless... the Rank of the treasure on the opponent's person far exceeded his imagination.

Or, the opponent's Realm was not below his at all!

As soon as this thought emerged, True Man You Quan's boiling Killing Intent was instantly doused like a bucket of ice water.

The iron rule of the Cultivation World:

Be strong against the weak, and be cautious against the strong.

The longer an old monster lived, the more they cherished their life.

Facing an existence whose depth he couldn't see through and who dared to be so fearless in the Corpse Yin Sect's Forbidden Ground, acting rashly was a major taboo.

What if it was an old monster playing the pig to eat the tiger while traveling through the Mortal World?

Such things were not uncommon in the unofficial histories of the Cultivation World.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Atop the mountain of corpses.

Gu Changsheng remained sitting with eyes closed, motionless.

Only he knew that the clothes on his back were already soaked with cold sweat.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the System panel was refreshing frantically.

[Warning! High-energy reaction source locked!]

[The opponent is evaluating risks.]

[True Man You Quan's psychological state update: Killing Intent (90%) → Surprised Suspicion (50%) → Wariness (70%).]

The gamble paid off.

The tight string in Gu Changsheng's heart loosened slightly.

He was betting on the suspicious nature of old monsters like You Quan.

If it had been some hotheaded youth who threw a punch first regardless of the consequences, he would be in trouble today.

But You Quan didn't dare.

The higher the status and power, the more one feared death.

"Since you don't dare to move, then it's my turn."

Gu Changsheng slowly opened his eyes.

His left eye was pitch black as ink, so deep it seemed capable of sucking in Souls; his right eye was vibrant green, exuding an indifference that looked down upon all living beings.

He did not stand up to salute, nor did he even change his posture.

He merely looked up slightly, his gaze piercing through the layers of corpse Qi to meet True Man You Quan's eyes in mid-air.

Calm.

Too calm.

That look was like watching an ignorant Junior barge into one's own back garden.

There was no panic from being discovered, nor was there fear in the face of a strong person.

Only a natural composure.

Hiss...

True Man You Quan's heart skipped a beat from that single glance.

He was all too familiar with that look.

Back when he was only a Purple Mansion with two Divine Abilities, he had the honor of meeting a Golden Core True Lord; the way that True Lord looked at him was exactly like this.

High and mighty, viewing all things as straw dogs.

"Could it really be some Senior powerhouse?"

True Man You Quan was uncertain, and the hand hidden behind his back quietly released the hand seal he had been holding.

He didn't dare to gamble.

Although the Corpse Yin Sect was powerful, in front of a truly top-tier expert, it was merely a slightly larger ant nest.

If he provoked a hidden old monster and caused the Sect's destruction, he would be a sinner for all eternity.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

The two confronted each other across the distance.

On one side was a Purple Mansion Great Immortal Master, aggressive yet stuck in a difficult position.

On the other was a "mysterious expert" who was strong on the outside but weak on the inside, yet steady as Mount Tai.

The surrounding air seemed to solidify, and even the drifting wisps of corpse Qi stopped flowing.

Finally.

After ten breaths.

True Man You Quan still couldn't withstand this unknown pressure.

He took a deep breath, the aggressive pressure around him receding like a tide, and the cold, hard lines of his face forced a stiff relaxation.

"Fellow Daoist."

True Man You Quan was the first to speak; though his voice was still raspy, the previous murderous intent was gone.

"Intruding into my Corpse Yin Sect's Forbidden Ground without cause and using my earth veins to practice cultivation—isn't that showing a bit too little respect for me, You Quan?"

This was a probe.

It asserted his identity as the host while retaining some dignity as a powerhouse, and simultaneously gave the other party a way out.

He was waiting.

Waiting for an explanation or an attitude from the other party.

Gu Changsheng sneered in his heart.

Old fox.

These words sounded tough, but in reality, he had already backed down.

If he truly had the confidence, he would have slapped down long ago; why would he waste words?

"Heh."

Gu Changsheng gave a light laugh.

The sound wasn't loud, yet it clearly penetrated the layers of corpse Qi and exploded in True Man You Quan's ears.

He slowly raised his right hand.

He did not perform any earth-shattering Divine Ability.

He merely made a gentle grasping motion toward the void.

Whoosh—

The ten-thousand-year corpse Evil Qi, which was originally violent and disordered—something even True Man You Quan had to handle with care—actually gathered obediently in his palm like a well-behaved pet.

In the blink of an eye.

A black lotus flower condensed from pure Death Qi bloomed at his fingertips.

Immediately after.

A flash of green light flickered at Gu Changsheng's fingertip.

Around the edges of the black lotus petals, a ring of fresh green veins actually grew out.

Withered wood meets spring, seeking life within death.

This display was extremely beautiful and extremely arrogant.

True Man You Quan's eyelids jumped wildly as he looked at the black-green lotus spinning on Gu Changsheng's fingertip.

This kind of control over Death Qi... even for an expert like him who had played with corpses his whole life, he felt inferior.

This person's comprehension of the Dao of 'Withered and Flourishing, Life and Death' was absolutely above his!

"Borrowing the land to practice?"

Gu Changsheng finally spoke.

His voice was low, carrying a raspiness that had weathered many ages, as if he were a living dead man who had crawled out of an Ancient Tomb.

"This seat was merely passing through this place and saw that the Death Qi in this Myriad Corpse Pit was stagnant; not only was it not being utilized, but it had become a hidden danger for the Sect."

"Having an itch for technique, I simply helped you all sort it out."

As he spoke, Gu Changsheng gave a casual toss.

The black-green lotus floated out lightly and landed in the Black Water River below.

Boom!

The originally dead Black Water River actually became a bit clearer in an instant, and that nauseating stench was replaced by a faint fragrance of vegetation.

"What?"

Gu Changsheng raised his eyelids, looking at True Man You Quan with a half-smile.

"Does Fellow Daoist You Quan intend to... repay kindness with enmity?"

True Man You Quan was stunned.

He looked at that section of the underground river that had clearly been purified and felt the Spiritual Qi fluctuations that had become more refined and easier to absorb; for a moment, he was actually at a loss for words.

This... it really seems to be the case?

This Myriad Corpse Pit had accumulated for ten thousand years, and the Evil Qi was messy and cluttered, having long since become a headache for the Corpse Yin Sect.

Generations of Ancestral Masters had wanted to manage it but had no way to start because the Evil Qi was too heavy.

Now, after this person's meddling, although the quantity had decreased, the quality had improved by more than one level.

"Could it be... I really misunderstood?"

True Man You Quan's stance began to waver.