With A-Dai's guidance, Luo Chuan and his companion soon arrived at the place where Wu Yu was hiding.
As the former Progenitor of the Corpse Yin Sect, Wu Yu had already reached the end of his strength. He appeared as a Nascent Soul inside a secret chamber shrouded in talismans.
These talismans could block divine sense from probing the chamber, which was why the Corpse Puppet hadn't found Wu Yu's exact location after he perished.
Wu Yu looked at the unfamiliar man who had suddenly appeared. His expression changed noticeably. Unable to see through the man's cultivation, he could only cup his hands in a slight greeting.
"This old man is Wu Yu, Progenitor of the Corpse Yin Sect. Greetings, fellow Daoist. May I ask who you are, and why you've come to this cave abode where I'm hiding?"
Luo Chuan held one hand behind his back and said indifferently, "I am Luo Chuan, Progenitor of the Hengyue Sect."
At the words "Hengyue Sect," Wu Yu's expression changed noticeably. He clearly knew of this thousand-year-old sect, but was curious about when its Progenitor had become so young.
"The Hengyue Sect... This old man hasn't visited in several hundred years. Back then, I was on very friendly terms with True Person Tianlong of the Hengyue Sect. I never imagined that the Hengyue Sect would have fallen into such decline, with even its Progenitor a wet-behind-the-ears junior."
Hearing Wu Yu's words, Luo Chuan gave a cold snort in his heart, then released his spiritual power. In an instant, Wu Yu felt an unprecedented pressure.
Wu Yu raised his head in shock. His expression was like the third reaction image on your phone—he stood there, dumbstruck, unable to believe his eyes.
"This astonishing pressure... Could it be... a senior in the Spirit Severing Realm?!"
A-Dai immediately turned to look at Luo Chuan, his face full of astonishment.
The Spirit Severing Realm—that was a realm beyond the Nascent Soul Realm.
It was said that such mighty experts only appeared in Level 4 Cultivation Countries, and they were exceedingly rare. Every one of them could shake the world with their name.
Wu Yu knelt on the ground, not daring to show the slightest disrespect. He immediately kowtowed and bowed again, fawningly saying, "Junior Wu Yu of the Corpse Yin Sect pays his respects to senior!"
"Junior was blind just now and failed to recognize senior in time. I beg senior to forgive me."
Luo Chuan withdrew the spiritual power he had released and glanced toward the outside of the cave abode. "That should be your Corpse Puppet, right?"
Wu Yu had naturally sensed the aura of his Corpse Puppet as well. He sighed and nodded. "That's right... It is indeed the Corpse Puppet I refined all those years ago."
"Originally, the cultivation method's influence meant the Corpse Puppet would never betray me in its lifetime. Unfortunately, three hundred years ago, I brought it here. I planned to use this place's frigid yin energy to break through to the early Nascent Soul stage, but my efforts came to nothing."
"The Corpse Puppet even took the opportunity to inflict severe injuries on me. While my mind was in turmoil, it escaped my control."
"I had to go into seclusion to heal, so I had no mind to pursue it. When my injuries had improved slightly a century later, I went out to look for the Corpse Puppet. I don't know what fortuitous encounter it had, but it had actually gained intelligence and reached the middle Nascent Soul stage before me."
"Unable to defeat it, I abandoned my physical body and fled by sheer luck. My Nascent Soul was badly wounded, too. From then on, I hid inside this statue, afraid to go out."
Wu Yu instinctively clenched his fists, his eyes brimming with fury at the Corpse Puppet's betrayal.
"That Corpse Charm outside was my physical body. I never imagined that, under the influence of the frigid yin energy in Kumang Forest, it would also cultivate intelligence. Sigh."
Luo Chuan shrugged and glanced at Wu Yu, his expression unchanged. "I came here mainly for A-Dai. But A-Dai couldn't bear to leave you and refused to come away with me."
"Senior, do you mean... you're willing to help junior reforge his physical body?" Wu Yu asked, raising his head excitedly.
Luo Chuan nodded, his tone still calm. "I'll help you reforge your physical body, and A-Dai will become my disciple. In return, I also need something from the Corpse Yin Sect."
Upon hearing this, Wu Yu dropped to his knees and kowtowed again without the slightest hesitation. "As long as senior helps junior reforge his physical body, junior will spare no effort to serve you. If there's anything you want, the disciples of the Corpse Yin Sect will all obey your command."
Luo Chuan nodded with a faint smile, then turned around with an easy flourish and swung his right hand forward. A special energy instantly shattered the cave abode's entrance.
As the entrance shattered, the Corpse Puppet and Corpse Charm in the sky sensed Wu Yu's aura and immediately flew over, glaring viciously in their direction.
The Corpse Puppet appeared out of thin air. Looking at Wu Yu, it wore a greedy glint in its eyes. "Hehehe, three hundred years. Master, we've finally met again."
Wu Yu clenched his fists and said furiously, "You were my Corpse Puppet! I never thought you'd betray your own master!"
"Are you not afraid my senior brother, Ye Zizai, will arrive and tear you, you ungrateful bastard, limb from limb?"
The Corpse Puppet laughed scornfully and said coldly, "Ye Zizai? Even his Corpse Puppet, Flying Rakshasa, has to address me as Lord Zi. Do you really think he'll help you stay alive?"
"Impossible!"
The Corpse Puppet ignored Wu Yu's impotent roar. Its gaze swept around the cave abode before coming to rest on Luo Chuan, and it noticed the badge hanging on his chest.
"So you're a junior of the Hengyue Sect. Looks like I'll get to eat two Hengyue Sect disciples today. At least this trip wasn't for nothing."
"Corpse Charm, that pretty boy is yours. I have to eat my master's Nascent Soul before I can truly leave this place. As for everyone else, kill them all!"
At Lord Zi's command, the Corpse Charm charged toward Luo Chuan without hesitation, clearly not taking the two children seriously.
Luo Chuan raised a finger and gave the Corpse Charm a slight flick. In an instant, a bright blue beam shot straight through its head without the slightest resistance.
Seeing this, Lord Zi immediately turned and fled. It was clear from this that, in the worldview of Renegade Immortal, when faced with danger, one's first reaction wasn't shock—it was to run!
Yet, watching the direction the Corpse Puppet had fled, Luo Chuan made no move to pursue it. Instead, he slowly raised his right hand and made a grabbing motion toward empty space.
Just as A-Dai was wondering what he was doing, the space before them suddenly ripped open. A pair of enormous hands seized the fleeing Corpse Puppet and dragged it back into the cave abode.
Lord Zi begged for mercy in terror. "Senior in the Spirit Severing Realm, spare me! Spare me!"
"Wu Yu, what do you want to do?" Luo Chuan asked calmly, looking at Wu Yu's Nascent Soul form.
Wu Yu flew over and hurriedly replied:
"Reporting to senior, because of the connection between the Corpse Puppet and me, if the Corpse Puppet perishes, my soul will also be badly injured. Right now, I'm nothing but a disembodied Nascent Soul. If the Corpse Puppet perishes, my body will instantly scatter and my Nascent Soul will vanish."
"So you want me to erase its divine sense, so you can possess the Corpse Puppet's body?"