Chapter 420: Huang Ming's Identity

And it was a cloning technique of this very nature.

Before Huang Ming could fully process it, the two swords, Qingfeng and Mingyue, descended with a whistling roar, like two flood dragons soaring through the East Sea, bringing with them a storm of blood and gore.

Lu Yang was unsure if the living corpse could regenerate if he cut it again. Rather than risking an uncertain outcome, he decided to strike directly at Huang Ming.

He simply didn't believe Huang Ming could regenerate in the same way as the living corpse.

Huang Ming hurriedly maneuvered the living corpse to attack. Lu Yang instructed his clone to use the Mingyue Sword to fend off the living corpse, while he himself engaged Huang Ming in battle.

The two sides once again fell into a stalemate, but Huang Ming quickly realized his disadvantage.

Lu Yang's mental energy was stronger than his own, allowing him to control his clone with greater precision. In the ongoing battle between the living corpse and the clone, the living corpse was steadily forced back.

Once the clone emerged victorious, Huang Ming would then face the predicament of fighting two against one.

Lu Yang's faint chuckle reached Huang Ming's ears, causing a cold sweat to break out on him.

“Do you not even understand the principle of not being distracted during a fight? Break!”

Lu Yang then unleashed the 'Break' spell. Sword qi surged skyward, erupting outwards, its dazzling radiance intertwining like a silken curtain.

A crimson light barrier appeared before Huang Ming; this was his strongest defensive technique. However, against the 'Break' spell, unleashed with full power, the crimson barrier lasted only half a breath before it was shattered.

Thump—

Huang Ming attempted to use his 'Corpse Transfer' ability again, but ultimately he was a beat too slow, and his right shoulder was pierced through.

Huang Ming was severely wounded, requiring at least half a month of quiet recovery to heal.

Huang Ming had consumed a Qi-Recovery Pill once during the fight, but by the end, he still faced the problem of insufficient spiritual energy.

In contrast, Lu Yang had not consumed any spiritual energy recovery pills from start to finish. This was thanks to both the immense power of the Invincible Pill and his habit of eating tofu daily during his initial cultivation.

The long-term consumption of tofu helps regulate a cultivator's Five Elements balance, resulting in greater stamina during combat.

“I concede!” Huang Ming uttered through gritted teeth, forced to accept his defeat, and then took a pill to treat his injuries.

Lu Yang sheathed his sword, greeting him with a smile as if he hadn't just inflicted the injuries on Huang Ming.

“What made you decide to disperse your cultivation and start anew?”

Huang Ming sighed, “When I was younger, I was too impatient and didn't build a solid foundation. I’ve been stuck in the mid-stage of the Integration Realm, unable to break through. This presented a good opportunity to disperse my cultivation and cultivate anew, so I reincarnated.”

Lu Yang wondered, “Then why didn't you join one of the Five Great Immortal Sects? Their resources are abundant, surely superior to those of the Corpse-Driving Sect?”

“Immortal sects are difficult to enter. There are too many masters, and anyone might discover our identities. You, on the other hand, are quite audacious; not only did you infiltrate an Immortal Sect, but you're also so high-profile about it.”

Huang Ming, recalling Lu Yang's formidable mental energy, assumed that he too had reincarnated and cultivated anew.

He then continued, “Your cloning technique is so unique, yet I’ve never heard of it, nor is there any historical record. It must have been lost due to a lack of successors. Are you a cultivator from the Great Qian era?”

“No, I did not disperse my cultivation and cultivate anew.”

“Don't boast. You expect me to believe you could defeat me without having dispersed your cultivation and re-cultivated? Alright, I’ll reveal something: I am Venerable Huang Cen of the Great Yu Dynasty. What's your name? Perhaps I’ve heard of your reputation.”

Lu Yang did not reply, silently observing Huang Ming.

Huang Ming seemed to grasp something as well.

Huang Ming: “...”

Lu Yang: “...”

“You’re a cultivator from the Great Yu Dynasty!?”

“You are truly a disciple of the Dao-Seeking Sect!?”

Both spoke in unison.

Lu Yang had assumed Huang Ming was an elder from the Corpse-Driving Sect who had dispersed his cultivation and cultivated anew, hence his casual tone. He had not anticipated Huang Ming being a cultivator from the Great Yu Dynasty.

Huang Ming was even more shocked than Lu Yang. The combat prowess Lu Yang displayed had genuinely been cultivated step by step, without him having dispersed his cultivation and cultivated anew. Even the Grand Tutor couldn’t achieve this at his current realm!

Are the geniuses of the Great Era truly this formidable?!

Meng Jingzhou realized the gravity of the situation: Huang Ming was actually a Great Yu cultivator.

Mang Gu and Zhao Po were encountering ancient cultivators for the first time, so their reactions were not as pronounced as Lu Yang's and Meng Jingzhou's.

Huang Ming quickly reacted, his tone sinister, his eyes clouded with gloom, devoid of any hint of a smile. “Excellent, excellent. Truly a genius born in this Great Era, to be able to push me into such a wretched state!”

“Since that is the case, I cannot allow you to live!”

“Initially, I intended to kill everyone who overheard our conversation after we finished speaking, but now it appears even you must die!”

Huang Ming no longer concealed his murderous intent and used a secret technique to summon his companion.

“Daoist Meng, kill them all!”

“Lu Yang, be careful, an Integration Realm cultivator is approaching!”

No sooner had Immortal Fairy's warning fallen than an immense pressure, like that of a towering mountain, descended upon the area.

A middle-aged man with mostly white hair appeared in the sky, completely disregarding Lu Yang and the others. He looked down at Huang Ming, a mocking smile on his face.

“Daoist Huang, why are you in such a disheveled state?”

“If it were you, you'd be in the same state!” Huang Ming retorted angrily. Lu Yang’s talent was terrifyingly high; even he, a dignified Integration Realm cultivator who had dispersed his cultivation and cultivated anew, couldn’t defeat him.

What would happen if he were allowed to grow up?

He must be eliminated as soon as possible!

“No problem at all,” the ancient cultivator, addressed as Daoist Meng, said with a smile. A mere handful of Golden Core cultivators could be annihilated with a flick of his finger.

“Th-that's him!” the Drowned Ghost instinctively shrieked, recognizing a familiar aura.

“He was the one who knocked me unconscious and brought me here from the East Sea!”

Daoist Meng looked down, saw the Drowned Ghost, and chuckled softly.

“So it’s that Drowned Ghost from the East Sea.”

Lu Yang was startled. This implied that Daoist Meng was responsible for the ghostly calamity in Hanshui City, having captured ghosts from various locations and brought them there. What their ultimate goal was, he couldn't tell!

Daoist Meng no longer paid attention to the Drowned Ghost, deeming Nascent Soul stage ghosts unworthy of his concern. “I will help you kill these individuals and fabricate the crime scene to appear as though you perished alongside this Drowned Ghost. This way, you can remain in the Corpse-Driving Sect. In exchange, you must disclose one of your hidden treasure locations to me.”

Huang Ming gritted his teeth, angry but unable to voice his displeasure. This was blatant opportunism, yet he was helpless.

“Agreed!”

“Haha, then I thank Daoist Huang in advance for your generous contribution!”

Having secured what he wanted, Daoist Meng no longer held back, looking at Lu Yang and the others as if they were already dead.

“You young ones, this Venerable is benevolent. I shall allow you to choose your method of death: will you be flayed alive, refined into a human elixir, or perish from a hundred ghosts piercing your body?”

Lu Yang and the others broke out in a cold sweat, their backs drenched, especially Zhao Po, who had never witnessed such a scene.

“Then what kind of death will you choose for yourself?”

A sudden voice shattered the deathly silence.

“Who?!” Daoist Meng was greatly startled; he hadn't even noticed when the newcomer had arrived!

Boom—

Daoist Meng was struck by a five-colored light wheel, plummeting from the sky, spitting blood, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes.

From just this single strike, he could sense the vast disparity in power between himself and his opponent.

The newcomer wore a green robe, his hands clasped behind his back, his tone indifferent. A five-colored light wheel hovered behind his head, making him appear divine.

“Qiu Jin’an, Sect Master of the Five Elements Sect.”