Although Ming Chan was a rogue cultivator, he had received Buddhist teachings and thus understood something of the realm of Foundation Establishment cultivators. He was well aware of the terror this level represented.
The so-called "Foundation Establishment" was merely the term used by immortal sects; in Buddhism, it was called the "Lotus Platform." Immortal cultivators who built their Dao foundation were addressed as "True Men," while Buddhists who sat upon the Lotus Platform were called "Arhats." Though the names differed, the essence was the same.
"An Arhat. There's an Arhat behind Skull Mountain!"
"Damn it all, what kind of opportunity is this? It's all a trap! Clearly, an Arhat is luring people in. Even if there truly is some treasure, it's already been marked by that Arhat!"
"Amitabha. Damn it!"
At this moment, Ming Chan had completely shed the demeanor of a Buddhist monk. His old, panicked nature surfaced, and he spewed a torrent of vulgarities.
After all, before converting to Buddhism, he had been a mountain bandit.
Ironically, after every murder and robbery, he would bow before a Buddha statue. He never imagined that one day he would actually receive a Buddhist opportunity.
The opportunity even claimed it was due to merits he had accumulated in past lives.
Thus, he laid down his butcher's knife and instantly became a Buddha.
From then on, everything Ming Chan did went smoothly. He easily broke through to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, just one step away from Foundation Establishment.
But now, he felt only fear.
His three lifetimes of invincible merit and overwhelming fortune seemed to have lost their effect, serving only as a frantic warning from unseen forces.
Danger! Certain death! Run!
Ming Chan fled but gradually came to a halt, his bald head drenched in sweat. Looking around, he found himself back where he started.
Where was he? Had he truly been running at all?
Filled with doubt, the Buddhist light in Ming Chan's eyes slowly dimmed. He had unexpectedly suffered a qi deviation, and his body, cultivated over decades, simply died.
He was dead.
From beginning to end, the Hidden Mountain Sage had never even revealed himself. Ming Chan was merely affected by a subtle shift in the great net of cause and effect, and he perished on his own.
Meanwhile, outside the Skull Mountain market.
Yun Zhiqiu and Ouyang Feng were also drenched in sweat.
They hadn't fled—not because their reactions were slower than Ming Chan's, but because they knew escape was futile.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator was right before them. Did they think they could run? How naive these rogue cultivators were.
Especially Yun Zhiqiu. As Lü Yang broke through, he felt his previously clouded mind suddenly clear, followed by a surge of intense fear.
What was I doing? What did I just do?
Just then, a figure appeared silently.
It was a young man in black robes, his face gloomy and complexion pale—at first glance, he seemed like an ordinary Daoist priest one might encounter anywhere in the mortal world.
"...Greetings, Senior!"
Without hesitation, Yun Zhiqiu sheathed his sword and bowed deeply.
The Hidden Mountain Sage ignored him, his gaze fixed intently on Skull Mountain below. There, a black flame rose slowly from the earth's veins.
On the other side, Lü Yang also had a sudden realization.
"The Witch Ghost Secret Realm..."
Karmic destiny told him that as he broke through, his fortune peaked, and the Witch Ghost Secret Realm, sensing this, chose to manifest before him.
"...It really was fishing!"
The next second, the Witch Ghost Secret Realm, which had been constantly sending him a sense of familiarity, suddenly froze. Then came a violent eruption of anger and fear.
This was the emotion of the secret realm's spirit.
The fish had taken the bait.
"Come here."
The Hidden Mountain Sage spoke slowly, revealing no supernatural power. Yet with these two words alone, the newly emerged Witch Ghost Secret Realm flew uncontrollably toward him.
Then Lü Yang couldn't help but curse inwardly: Damn it!
Because within the opened secret realm lay a magnificent sword aura, coiled like a crouching tiger and hidden dragon, seemingly waiting to deliver a fatal blow to the person outside!
Clang—!
The next second, Lü Yang's thoughts froze. His gaze locked onto a sword aura that had fixed upon him, as if it had seen through his entire being.
"Golden Core Sword Qi."
The Hidden Mountain Sage took a step back, shielding Lü Yang in front of him. This was precisely why he had always been unwilling to act personally, choosing instead to remain hidden behind the scenes.
In that instant, the Hidden Mountain Sage was filled with relief. If he had personally opened the Witch Ghost Secret Realm, he would likely be the unfortunate one targeted by the sword qi. And before Golden Core Sword Qi, there was no difference between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining—both could be dealt with in a single strike.
However, to his surprise, the sword qi did not strike.
Lü Yang only felt his newly perfected true qi—the third-grade "True Dragon Fiend"—tremble slightly, as if resonating with the sword qi within the secret realm.
The two sides remained locked in a stalemate.
"...Hmm?"
Even the Hidden Mountain Sage let out a soft exclamation, glancing at Lü Yang with some surprise. He clearly hadn't expected such a variable.
How long passed...
It was as if Lü Yang had passed some test of the sword qi. Instead of striking, it simply vanished on the spot, transforming into rolling spiritual energy that returned to the world.
"Ugh!"
Lü Yang suddenly snapped back to reality, his thoughts returning to normal. He was instantly drenched in sweat, as if pulled from water.
"The Nine Transformations Dragon Technique—the legacy of True Man Panlong? You're lucky; True Man Panlong was not a demonic cultivator."
"This Golden Core sword qi targeted demonic cultivators. If you had been cultivating my Holy Sect's techniques, you would surely be dead. Fortunately, you cultivate the Nine Transformations Dragon Technique."
The Hidden Mountain Sage sized up Lü Yang, somewhat surprised but not overly concerned. The quality of the bait wasn't important, and Lü Yang's life or death was irrelevant. The key was whether he'd caught a fish. Now that the Witch Ghost Secret Realm had appeared, his goal was achieved.
Time to reel in the bait.
The Hidden Mountain Sage raised his hand. The newly emerged Witch Ghost Secret Realm, its black flames soaring to the sky, vanished instantly, transforming into a stream of light that landed in his palm.
"Excellent! Perfect Heavenly Corpse Fiend!"
The Hidden Mountain Sage exclaimed with satisfaction. Cultivation in the Foundation Establishment realm held its own mysteries, requiring Earthly Fiend Qi. The Heavenly Corpse Fiend was the highest grade of such qi.
With this item, his breakthrough to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage was assured!
Just then, Lü Yang suddenly stepped forward, knelt on one knee without a word, and proclaimed loudly, "Congratulations, Senior Brother, on obtaining this opportunity! From now on, the Great Dao is within your reach!"
Not far away, Luo Wuyai, the second senior brother of the Three Rivers Society, immediately changed his expression.
Damn it—he beat me to it!
No wonder this kid managed to stand out among the ordinary disciples. He truly lived up to his reputation as a disciple of the Holy Sect—a shameless sycophant… Luo Wuyai cursed Lü Yang inwardly while simultaneously stepping forward: "Congratulations, Senior Brother, on your thousand-year immortal lifespan!"
"Hahaha, a thousand years is the lifespan of a Golden Core cultivator. I cannot accept that, I cannot accept that."
Despite his words, the Hidden Mountain Sage clearly enjoyed this. He said he couldn't accept it, but in truth, he wished Lü Yang and Luo Wuyai would say more.
In the end, even Yun Zhiqiu and Ouyang Feng forced themselves to offer a few words of congratulations.
However, upon hearing this, the Hidden Mountain Sage glanced at Ouyang Feng with amusement. "The Divine Martial Sect openly provokes my Holy Sect, and you still dare to speak before me?"
Ouyang Feng's scalp instantly tingled. He stammered, "You cannot kill me! I... my Divine Martial Sect also has a Foundation Establishment cultivator!"
"There won't be any more after this."
The Hidden Mountain Sage casually uttered words that shattered Ouyang Feng's spirit. "Since I can appear here, the Divine Martial Sect's fate is sealed."
"This... this is impossible! My Divine Martial Sect—"
Before Ouyang Feng could finish, his blood and qi inexplicably surged. In his shock and rage, he lost his composure and could not suppress it. He could only stare wide-eyed—
Boom!!!
With a thunderous explosion, Ouyang Feng, a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, burst into a shower of light, quietly merging into the world!
Only after the light rain subsided did the Hidden Mountain Sage shift his gaze. Yun Zhiqiu, a native of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion, was drenched in sweat from watching.
Yet in the end, the Hidden Mountain Sage did not act against him. Instead, with a flick of his sleeve, he vanished from the spot along with Luo Wuyai and Lü Yang, leaving behind only a silent Skull Mountain.