Chapter 443: Immortal Fairy Makes a Move

The body-snatcher who possessed Sect Master Lu was a Tribulation Transcendence stage expert from the Great Yu. With that revelation, everything suddenly fell into place.

It explained why there were no records of a confrontation with any Body Integration stage cultivators; for a Tribulation Transcendence expert, possessing a Body Integration cultivator was child's play!

It explained why Sect Master Lu, a man of thoroughly mediocre talents, had been the very first of his generation to break through to the Tribulation Transcendence stage. He had already been possessed by the Great Yu expert; this was merely a retread of familiar ground, rendering the entire process effortlessly smooth!

Though Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou lacked concrete proof, all signs pointed to this truth, and they could conceive of no other possibility!

Just as Governor Lyu and his companions were about to offer their congratulations to the Corpse Refining Sect, the possessed Sect Master Lu erupted into a fit of wild, unbridled laughter, entirely uncharacteristic of his usual temperament.

"At last, at last I have reclaimed the Tribulation Transcendence stage!"

"No, you are not Lu Baqian! Who are you!" Governor Lyu reacted instantly, barking a harsh demand as a foul premonition welled deep within him.

Wu Youdao and Venerable Pale Thunder stepped forward to offer their felicitations to the "Sect Master."

"Congratulations to Fellow Daoist Shaman-Priest on your successful ascension through the tribulation."

Upon hearing those words, Elder Gai's pupils contracted sharply, his face washed with absolute disbelief. "Shaman-Priest? Venerable Shaman-Priest?! The Venerable Shaman-Priest of the Shaman Corpse Sect!"

The Shaman Corpse Sect had been classified as a supreme-grade sect precisely because they possessed a Tribulation Transcendence powerhouse in the form of Venerable Shaman-Priest!

During the battle moments earlier, Elder Gai had found it odd; historical records stated that Venerable Shaman-Priest’s whereabouts were unknown, suggesting he had entered a long slumber to await the revival of the great era.

If that were the case, why had only the Body Integration cultivators of the Shaman Corpse Sect been fighting? Where was Venerable Shaman-Priest?

Now, it was finally clear. Venerable Shaman-Priest had been right under his nose from the very beginning!

The Great Yu faction now boasted three Tribulation Transcendence masters, piling an immense weight of pressure upon the already embattled Qiu Jin'an.

The man in the white paper hat gnashed his teeth, glaring fixedly at the Shaman-Priest who now occupied Sect Master Lu's body.

Huang Ming and Meng Tian had already confessed to this matter, which was one of the reasons he had resolved to deal with the Great Yu’s Tribulation Transcendence experts in the first place.

Due to the peculiar philosophy regarding life and death held by corpse drivers, rumors floated in the outside world that the founder of the Nine Nether Sect had originally hailed from the Corpse Refining Sect.

Though that was a mere fabrication, one point held true: the corpse drivers' worldview closely mirrored that of the Nine Nether Sect, giving the latter an innate affinity for the former.

Faced with the Shaman-Priest who had stolen Sect Master Lu’s body, the Sect Master of the Nine Nether Sect was naturally consumed with an uncontrollable fury.

His original plan had been to coordinate with Qiu Jin'an to swiftly eliminate Wu Youdao before the Shaman-Priest could fully return to the Tribulation Transcendence stage.

Regrettably, things had gone awry. He had not anticipated the presence of Venerable Pale Thunder on the Great Yu's side, nor had he foreseen the Shaman-Priest triggering his tribulation ahead of schedule.

Seeing his faction assembled in full, Wu Youdao allowed his true colors of greed and ferocity to show.

"Governor Lyu, We have already granted you a chance to surrender the power of the State Destiny. Since you refuse, We shall simply have to take it by force!"

The moment the final word left his lips, the three Tribulation Transcendence experts struck simultaneously, aiming their blows directly at Governor Lyu. The spiritual energy of the entire Hanshui City turned violently apocalyptic; the strike was like the end of the world, instantly battering Governor Lyu to the brink of death. Had it not been for the life-saving grace of the State Destiny's power, that single blow would have claimed his life on the spot.

With a heavy thud, Governor Lyu crashed to the ground inside the grand estate, landing right beside Lu Yang.

Lu Yang's eyelids twitched violently. The situation had deteriorated to the absolute worst; the Great Yu faction actually possessed three Tribulation Transcendence masters. The disparity in strength was simply too vast.

"As expected of the State Destiny's power, to survive even that. We desire it more with each passing moment. We wonder to what heights Our own Imperial Dragon-Tiger Aura will evolve once infused with it."

Propping up his broken body with sheer willpower, Governor Lyu let out a cold snort, utterly unafraid of death. "Do you truly believe that killing me will grant you the State Destiny? Utterly laughable. Even if I die, the State Destiny will simply return to its source. You won't obtain a single shred of it!"

"Is that so?" The Shaman-Priest flashed a sinister smile and drew forth a thoroughly familiar talisman. "Why don't you guess why I went to such lengths to possess this particular body?"

"The Soul-Dispersing, Spirit-Expelling Talisman!" Governor Lyu recognized the talisman instantly, and a terrible realization gripped him. This was the very talisman the local government and the Corpse Refining Sect had manufactured overnight to quell the ghost plague. The one in the Shaman-Priest's hand was the Master Talisman, and to augment its potency, it bore the official seal of the Huang Province.

What did he intend to do by producing this talisman now!

The Shaman-Priest hoisted the talisman high, and countless points of light kindled across Hanshui City—every single location where the Soul-Dispersing, Spirit-Expelling Talismans had been deployed.

"Activate the array!"

The talisman in the Shaman-Priest's hand erupted into flames, and the glowing points across the city flared with brilliant intensity, connecting line by line to form a massive array. Governor Lyu felt the power of the State Destiny being stripped from his body bit by bit, reverting into an unowned entity.

"I spent all that effort to possess this body precisely for this moment!" The Shaman-Priest laughed maniacally, his grating voice echoing through every corner of Hanshui City.

"The previous governor was ousted, and the imperial court mistrusted all other local factions. A newly appointed governor like yourself had no choice but to rely on our Corpse Refining Sect. When the ghost plague struck, only our sect possessed the means to resolve it!"

"The Soul-Dispersing, Spirit-Expelling Talismans were co-authored by the Corpse Refining Sect and your government. They naturally carry the authority of the state, and with the added seal of the Huang Province, that authority was multiplied tenfold."

"I used the vengeful ghosts as anchors, sending my disciples out to exorcise them with the talismans. The moment the talismanic power merged with the ghostly miasma, it established a node for the array."

Every master of formations had guessed wrong. The array over Hanshui City used neither the vengeful ghosts as its primary nodes nor did it seek to disrupt the balance of Yin and Yang; it was anchored entirely upon the Soul-Dispersing, Spirit-Expelling Talismans.

Yet, those array masters had been completely oblivious to the talismans' existence; no one had paid the slightest attention to a mere exorcism tool.

"The talismans and the exorcisms were both enacted under your government's mandate. Therefore, this array is also recognized as the government's will. This is tantamount to the state deliberately relinquishing the State Destiny!" The Shaman-Priest sneered. The conditions required to render the State Destiny unowned were exceptionally harsh; the government itself had to actively abandon it.

To achieve this, he had orchestrated this entire sequence of events, all for the sake of seizing the State Destiny!

Feeling the State Destiny slipping from his control and turning into a masterless force, Governor Lyu was overcome by a profound sense of helplessness. Had a more experienced governor been in his place, such a fatal mistake would never have been made.

"We cannot allow them to obtain the State Destiny!" Qiu Jin'an and the Sect Master of the Nine Nether Sect lunged forward in desperation.

But how could the two of them hope to match three Tribulation Transcendence powerhouses?

"Great Luo Triple Surge!"

"Heavenly Tribulation Thunder!"

"Corpse Miasma of a Thousand Miles!"

The three Tribulation Transcendence masters struck in unison. Qiu Jin'an and the Nine Nether Sect Master were sent flying through the air, coughing up blood uncontrollably.

A substance resembling both light and water began to drift out from Governor Lyu's body, rising into the sky in shimmering strands and ribbons.

Seeing the State Destiny he had dreamed of, Wu Youdao extended a massive hand, invoking the grand technique of the Universe Within the Palm as he pressed down toward Governor Lyu.

And Lu Yang's group stood directly beside the fallen governor.

"The State Destiny belongs to Us!"

"This Immortal also finds this State Destiny rather pleasing. Why don't you let this Immortal sample it first?"

A light, mocking voice suddenly rang out, echoing through the heavens and the earth, its source untraceable.

A figure materialized abruptly between Governor Lyu and the descending giant hand, extending a slender, jade-like hand to absorb every drop of the floating State Destiny.

"And you have the audacity to call that pathetic display the Universe Within the Palm?"

The woman let out a soft scoff and struck upward with a casual palm, deflecting Wu Youdao's massive hand away. Wu Youdao clutched his wrist tightly, his hand trembling violently, a trace of panic flitting across his eyes.

Shrouded in the radiant glow of the State Destiny, the woman's face remained obscured. She possessed a graceful, exquisite silhouette and stood with bare jade feet, resembling a celestial maiden descending to the mortal realm—sacred, inviolable, and compelling all to bow in reverence.

"Who are you!"

Wu Youdao stared fixedly at the mysterious woman, sensing an abyss-like, unfathomable depth within her.

The blow that had just deflected his hand had not exceeded the boundaries of the early Tribulation Transcendence stage, yet her mastery over the control and application of power was leagues above his own!

How could this be possible!

The mysterious woman looked down upon Wu Youdao with utter disdain. She parted her crimson lips slightly and, in a thoroughly lazy tone, enunciated her title:

"This Immortal is the Supreme Celestial Sovereign of the Heavenly Court Sect, Sovereign Dou."