Chapter 123

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Chapter 123: Coercing the Ancestor!

The sky roared with heavenly thunder, lightning tearing through the void. The entire seventh level was bathed in blinding flashes.

Lost in his triumph, Hua Yicheng never expected an ambush. Amidst the thunderous cracks, a familiar voice pierced through—Ye Yun’s. He whirled around, instinctively raising his right arm to block.

His arm lightened abruptly. Blood sprayed like crimson blossoms against the lightning-lit sky. Yet no pain came—purple electricity crackled around the severed stump, numbing it completely.

As the thunder faded and electric snakes vanished, agony finally struck. Hua Yicheng screamed, clutching his mangled limb.

"Didn’t think we’d meet so soon?" Ye Yun approached, Purple Shadow Sword trailing rippling violet light.

"Ye Yun! How are you here?" Hua Yicheng glared up, face twisted with rage and pain.

"You brought me here, Brother Hua. Forgotten already?" Ye Yun’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Confusion flashed across Hua Yicheng’s face before hardening into hatred. "You swore not to kill me!"

"An arm isn’t fatal." Ye Yun’s gaze slid to Hua Yicheng’s remaining limb.

The wounded man scrambled behind the Soul Turning Tower, blood pooling beneath him. Ye Yun stayed put—having tested Hua Yicheng’s cultivation level during the strike, he knew they were evenly matched. The severed arm had been opportunity, not challenge.

"Ye Yun? Explain this brutality." A displeased feminine voice echoed from the tower.

Hua Yicheng flinched backward, gaping at the Light Tower.

"Meet your ancestor," Ye Yun gestured casually. "Hualun, master of this great tomb."

"Impossible!" Hua Yicheng choked. "Hualun perished millennia ago!"

"A wisp of my soul endures," the voice corrected. "My blood recognizes yours, child."

Hua Yicheng collapsed against the tower. "Ancestor? I’m Hua Yicheng, current family patriarch…"

"Then receive your reward." Hualun’s tone warmed. "Two cultivation techniques. Resources to reach foundation establishment stage. The Golden Pill Dao will follow."

Greed overpowered pain as Hua Yicheng kowtowed. "This unworthy one thanks Ancestor!"

"Rise. Report our family’s status."

Hua Yicheng pushed up with his bleeding arm, sudden malice twisting his features. "Ancestor! This outsider maimed me! Execute him!"

Ye Yun chuckled, sword glinting. "Worry about your remaining arm, Brother Hua."

Hua Yicheng sneered, "Ye Yun cut off my arm, but I won’t kill you. I’ll sever your limbs and destroy your cultivation, reducing you to a lowly mortal—no, the lowest kind of mortal, living like livestock every day."

Ye Yun said, "Oh? If that day comes, I won’t mind. I’m more concerned that your fate will be ten times worse than mine."

"Sharp tongue! You’ll learn your lesson soon," Hua Yicheng barked angrily, leaning against the Soul Turning Tower.

"Enough quarreling. Ye Yun, cutting my descendant’s arm was wrong. But it matters little. Once Yicheng reaches the late foundation establishment stage, the arm will regrow," Hualun’s voice sounded hurried and displeased.

Ye Yun immediately grasped Hualun’s hidden meaning—she feared he’d expose the body-seizing plot. If Hua Yicheng refused to approach, her chance to escape the great tomb would vanish.

"Ancestor, this wretch must die!" Hua Yicheng roared.

"Come place your palm on the Light Tower first. I’ll impart two cultivation techniques and pass on some precious treasures," Hualun replied, her tone forcibly calm.

Hua Yicheng hesitated, eyeing Ye Yun. "He’s right here. What if he interferes during the transmission?"

"Fear not. Ye Yun swore an oath not to attack. Otherwise, we’ll all perish together in this tomb," Hualun’s voice echoed from the glowing structure.

"This snake can’t be trusted!" Hua Yicheng glared at Ye Yun, knowing any interference during the ritual would doom him.

Ye Yun chuckled. "Overthinking as always, Brother Hua. I’ve sworn to Heaven not to harm you. Once you finish receiving the techniques and open the exit, our future relations can wait."

"Hurry. My soul can’t maintain this state much longer—I must soon seal myself into dormancy," Hualun urged impatiently.

Finally reassured, Hua Yicheng sat cross-legged and pressed his left palm against the Soul Turning Tower.

Instantly, suction locked his hand in place.

"Focus your breath and empty your mind. My mental intent will carve the techniques into your soul through spiritual imprints," Hualun commanded. Her remnant soul flowed from the tower into Hua Yicheng’s palm.

Mistaking this for normal technique transmission, Hua Yicheng lowered all defenses. Within moments, he lost control of his body. An icy energy flooded his mind, devouring his consciousness.

"Ancestor! What’s happening?" he cried out.

"Relax. This well-trained Hua family body suits me perfectly. Die quietly—our clan will prosper under my rule." Though Ye Yun’s physique was superior, merging with non-family blood would take decades. Hua Yicheng’s vessel could be fully claimed within hours.

Even the dimmest fool would recognize body-seizing now. Hua Yicheng thrashed mentally. "Treacherous crone! I won’t—"

"All Hua descendants exist to revive me. Didn’t my ancient texts make this clear?" Hualun’s invading soul pulsed with triumph. Agony tore through Hua Yicheng’s spiritual core. He couldn’t even scream as his consciousness dissolved.

The fire in his eyes guttered out, leaving empty husks.

Ye Yun watched intently, Purple Shadow twitching in his grip. Though body-seizing should reset cultivation, he kept Thundercloud energies swirling nearby—one couldn’t gamble with a Golden Pill master’s remnant soul.

Hua Yicheng’s corpse-pale face suddenly twitched. Life returned to the dead eyes.

"Ahahaha!" A wheezing, ancient laugh issued from the stolen throat.

Purple Shadow flashed to the usurper’s neck.

"What mischief now, young fellow?" The voice had shifted to Hualun’s aged rasp.

Ye Yun’s sword hand jerked slightly. "Congratulations, Senior Hualun. How much power remains?"

"Body-seizing destroys all true qi—this vessel’s merely at body refinement stage now. Put your sword down, boy." The ancient soul saw through Ye Yun’s caution instantly.

"Then I’ll rest easy." Ye Yun’s left hand jerked upward. The Soul Turning Tower leapt to hover above his palm.

"What madness is this?!" Hualun snarled.

"With your soul housed in flesh, this tower becomes mine per our bargain. All treasures for your survival—wasn’t that the deal?" Ye Yun smiled like a fox.

Hualun’s stolen face contorted. Losing the tower would add fifty years to her recovery—yet Purple Shadow’s edge kissed her new throat.

"Remove your soul imprint from the tower. Now. And teach me its controls." The pleasant tone contrasted with the blade’s deadly shimmer.