[Wu You Heaven], above the layers of cloud seas.
Mu Changsheng looked bewildered. He remembered that the [Myriad Spirits Banner] had been used up when he constructed [Wu You Heaven]. How could there still be a banner spirit?
No, not a pure banner spirit... A living person entered the banner? Not only that, the banner master specially reconstructed a physical body for him and restored his freedom. Where did such a banner master come from, to be so kindhearted? My inheritance should have fallen to the Demonic Sect in Jiangbei. How could a good person appear in the Demonic Sect?
For a moment, Mu Changsheng's mind raced.
As the previous owner of the [Myriad Spirits Banner], his research on banner spirits was incredibly deep, which was why he could spot Patriarch Nether Whisper's abnormal state at a glance.
But that was all.
Although he saw that Patriarch Nether Whisper had once been a banner spirit, he failed to see that even now, Patriarch Nether Whisper was still under Lu Yang's control.
Because this was the domain of [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes].
The banner spirits in Lu Yang's hands, after being washed by [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes], had been completely reborn. They were distinctly different from the banner spirits in Mu Changsheng's cognition.
But this didn't stop Mu Changsheng from favoring Patriarch Nether Whisper.
A Banner Spirit is good!
Since he has been a banner spirit, he must have had close contact with [Wu You Heaven]. The success rate of attaining [Wu You Heaven] should also increase somewhat.
The next second, he looked at Chong Guang, a look of awe flashing in his eyes: This one is also extraordinary... reincarnation of an Immortal Spirit. Not to mention his monstrous fortune, his Dao Heart and natural talent are not lacking either. If I hand [Wu You Heaven] to him, there should also be great hope for him to successfully attain it.
Thinking of this, Mu Changsheng even felt a bit troubled.
Who should he choose?
Just then, Patriarch Nether Whisper suddenly spoke: "Speaking of which, I have actually researched Fellow Daoist's [Wu You Heaven] in private for a long time."
"...Oh?"
Hearing this, Mu Changsheng immediately raised his head, then smiled: "Interesting. Since that's the case, what does Fellow Daoist think of my [Wu You Heaven]?"
Mu Changsheng spoke modestly.
But in reality, since he asked this question, he was boasting. After all, not everyone could cultivate an unorthodox Dao Fruit out of thin air like him.
However, the next second, Patriarch Nether Whisper shook his head:
"If measured by the standards of mediocre people, then Fellow Daoist's [Wu You Heaven] can be called a shocking masterpiece. But in my opinion, I can only say it still needs work."
Mu Changsheng: "..."
As the voice fell, although Mu Changsheng still smiled, a hint of coldness had already appeared in his eyes: "Then what areas does Fellow Daoist think need improvement?"
This was meant to be sarcasm.
Who would have thought that after hearing it, Patriarch Nether Whisper would say with a solemn face: "Leaving other things aside for now, at least the illusions here have plenty of room for improvement."
"I observe that the trials here are all based on Fellow Daoist's own experiences. Although thrilling, they become slightly dull after seeing too much. Fellow Daoist probably didn't create [Wu You Heaven] to seek the Dao, but to deal with the Perfected Lords of the world, essentially treating it as a weapon."
Speaking up to here, Patriarch Nether Whisper shook his head:
"In my view, Fellow Daoist has wasted such a fine Dao Fruit. If cultivated patiently, the potential of this Dao Fruit wouldn't lose to an Orthodox Dao Fruit."
Mu Changsheng fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.
Patriarch Nether Whisper was right. [Wu You Heaven] was just a weapon he used to restrict the Perfected Lords of the world, not the foundation he planned to use for seeking the Dao.
However, Mu Changsheng scoffed at the potential mentioned by Patriarch Nether Whisper.
"Orthodox Dao Fruits originate from Heaven; how can a mere unorthodox Dao compare? Although Fellow Daoist has outstanding talent, you are ultimately blinded by a single leaf, speaking nonsense."
"Perhaps."
Patriarch Nether Whisper gave a noncommittal response, merely sizing up the surroundings carefully again. Brilliance shone in his eyes, as if countless spiritual lights were flowing in the flickering.
During the half-year Lu Yang was in closed-door cultivation, he hadn't been idle either. Besides cultivating the [Wu You Heaven] divine abilities, he also took time privately to visit Skull Mountain and retrieve the fragments of his divine soul "lost" in the Shaman-Ghost Secret Realm. This gave his comprehension a qualitative leap compared to before.
The next second, Patriarch Nether Whisper chuckled lightly:
"If Fellow Daoist hands [Wu You Heaven] to me, I am confident I can make it lock down the Perfected Lords of the world for a longer time, and the strength of the lockdown will also increase significantly."
Hearing this, Mu Changsheng was instantly stunned:
Is he joking?
[Wu You Heaven] was his magnum opus. Especially regarding the function of locking down the Perfected Lords of the world, he believed he had achieved perfection.
Sixty years was the limit.
Although if a Perfected Lord were willing to pay the price and burn their Grotto-Heaven, they might break the lockdown in thirty years, but this was already an exaggerated achievement.
After all, [Wu You Heaven] was just an unorthodox Dao Fruit!
To achieve such a magnificent feat with an unorthodox Dao Fruit was already extremely exaggerated... yet right now, Patriarch Nether Whisper actually said there was still room for improvement?
But soon, Mu Changsheng regained his calm.
He didn't get angry because of this. Instead, he became unprecedentedly solemn, bowing earnestly to Patriarch Nether Whisper and saying, "Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist."
"Fellow Daoist is too polite."
Patriarch Nether Whisper returned the bow, then handed over a strand of divine sense. Mu Changsheng examined it carefully, and only after a moment did he exhale deeply.
Seeing this scene, Chong Guang, who had remained silent on the side, suddenly sighed.
I don't need to choose anymore.
Mu Changsheng's reaction explained everything. Patriarch Nether Whisper attaining [Wu You Heaven] was a foregone conclusion— irreversible. There was no room for him to intervene.
"Fellow Daoist Chong Guang."
Just then, Patriarch Nether Whisper suddenly turned around, looked at Chong Guang, and said sincerely, "The Lord behind me is actually a kind-hearted person."
"Fellow Daoist need not worry too much."
"Given time, as long as Fellow Daoist cooperates fully, the position of [Overturned Lamp Flame] will belong to no one but you in the future. For you, doing more now is making more mistakes."
Chong Guang frowned slightly upon hearing this, then shook his head:
"Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist. I will consider it carefully... But this is my path. Only I can walk it. I will not entrust my life and fortune to others."
After speaking, Chong Guang looked at Mu Changsheng:
"Fellow Daoist Primordial, I want to discuss a transaction with you."
"...Agreed."
Mu Changsheng nodded upon hearing this. Then the sea of clouds rose and fell, obscuring the two. A moment later, Mu Changsheng walked out alone; Chong Guang had already vanished.
"He got what he wanted and has left."
Mu Changsheng said indifferently, "Fellow Daoist has amazing talent and saw through many things without me explaining. Since that's the case, I won't waste words."
The next second, light emerged from his palm.
The light gathered, forming the shape of a treasure pill engraved with infinite talisman scripts, illusory and ethereal. Even the surrounding sea of clouds surged because of this treasure pill.
[Competing for Freedom]!
"I have understood all of Fellow Daoist's ideas. Since Fellow Daoist has the heart, I leave it to you. Perhaps you can bring brand new variables to this world."
Speaking up to here, a look of anticipation appeared in Mu Changsheng's eyes. He had seen Patriarch Nether Whisper's modification of [Wu You Heaven]; the magnitude was so great that it shocked him. Strictly speaking, it could no longer be called [Wu You Heaven]. If successful, it would undoubtedly bring him significant benefits as well.
However, there was one thing he still had doubts about.
"Fellow Daoist, do you have the determination to make enemies of the Perfected Lords of the world at all costs? Facing the oppression of the world's Perfected Lords, do you have a reason to persist?"
Mu Changsheng asked in a deep voice.
This was the key. If the person who attained [Wu You Heaven] was a weakling who dared not oppose the Perfected Lords of the world, then they were not a suitable candidate.
At the same time, Patriarch Nether Whisper showed a look of nostalgia:
If it were just me alone, I'm afraid I wouldn't dare...
Because no one understood the terror of a Perfected Lord better than him. By now, he had long extinguished the lofty ambitions of his youth, no longer high-spirited.
...But Lu Yang is different. That child still has spirit.
At this moment, the reason Patriarch Nether Whisper was attaining [Wu You Heaven] wasn't for himself, but for Lu Yang, for the brand new future of the Shaman Ghost Dao.
Patriarch Nether Whisper didn't care about life or death.
Living out a short life with effort, leaving the results for descendants to inherit—the Shaman Ghost Dao of the past was like this, supporting him with all their might to seek the Golden Core.
Otherwise, in a mere three hundred years, even if his Dao comprehension was sufficient, he couldn't have gathered four Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends.
Seeking the Golden Core in one lifetime sounded stunning. But if not for the Shaman Ghost Dao pouring out the sect's fortune to support him, Patriarch Nether Whisper alone couldn't have achieved such a thing.
Now, it's my turn.
With such an heir, as the Patriarch, as an elder, how can I sit by and watch?
Something must be done.
If one insisted on a reason to be the enemy of the world's Perfected Lords, this was it. Perhaps not grand, but enough for Patriarch Nether Whisper.
The next second, Patriarch Nether Whisper restrained all expressions and grabbed the ball of light in Mu Changsheng's hand without hesitation. In his hand, this divine ability originally named [Competing for Freedom] gradually changed. The original name was erased, and a new name emerged—
[Passing the Fire]