Chapter 480: Ants Looking up at the Sky (1)

I didn't believe in fate, nor did I believe in heaven. From my very first live stream, I maintained a skeptical attitude toward everything concerning the Underworld Live Show. Whenever I spoke with Blind Liu about hexagrams and Fate Patterns, I dismissed it all with disdain.

Deep in my bones, I refused to believe in fate. I refused to accept that everything in this world was predetermined.

True, everyone was born into different circumstances with different starting points. Some sat high and mighty, standing at the pinnacle of the world from the moment they drew breath. Others exhausted themselves for half their lives just to pay off their loans and own a home.

Some worked desperately hard only to be met with failure after failure. Some battered themselves bloody against life's obstacles, yet still had to force hypocritical smiles that sickened even themselves.

From initial reluctance, to repeated disappointments, and finally enduring soul-crushing despair, they would eventually tell themselves in a numb tone that it was time to give up, that this was their fate, that everything was preordained!

Was one ultimately unable to sway Destiny just because of youth?

In my eyes, it wasn't like that at all. In this moment, I even had an extremely dangerous thought: perhaps the Two-Faced Buddha hadn't been wrong. Perhaps his actions were just a bit too extreme.

Along the unlit length of No-Lights Road in the dilapidated old city district, the starlight gradually faded. The silver frost sprinkled across the sky was driven away bit by bit by black clouds and Yin energy.

The talisman in my hand was covered in a dense web of cracks, and more and more black marks surfaced on my skin. This affliction was called "Blight," formed by yin poison. It could corrode flesh and bone and drain a person's life force.

"Gao Jian, just surrender. You won't survive today."

She Qian hid among the crowd, speaking in a mocking, sinister tone. Beside him stood a highly unusual, large-headed dwarf who hopped on his feet and pointed at me, cursing, "You destroyed the dao foundation of my Ghost Infant Lineage! I'm going to subject you to the death of a thousand cuts and lock you in the Pit of Ten Thousand Snakes to be tortured day and night!"

"Where did this jumping clown come from, daring to oppose our Three Yin Sect?"

"Extract his soul and refine his spirit, then turn his physical body into a corpse puppet to serve as a warning to others!"

Vicious threats rang out from all directions, drowning me alongside the phantom soldiers and ghost pawns.

"So what if you don't believe in fate? It's nothing more than a dog's dying barks. Heaven is above our heads, and all living beings are but ants. Just you? An ant wants to overturn the heavens?" Lord Snake's gloomy, cold voice issued from two mouths simultaneously, halting the surrounding curses and pronouncing my death sentence. "The Seven Stars hide their light, the Meridian Great Gate stands open. It's getting late. Gao Jian, it's time to send you on your way!"

He looked like a living Yama of the mortal realm, wielding the absolute power of life and death. He raised his arm, driving all the phantom soldiers to charge.

"Bang!"

The massive army charged, crushing forward like overturning mountains and collapsing rivers.

Under the immense pressure, the last speck of starlight in my hand vanished into thin air. The Great Divine Mantra of the Big Dipper let out a soft sound and crumbled into drifting ash.

It was a night walk of a hundred ghosts. Unbridled and wanton, they were hideously excited, forming a sharp contrast with me as I was besieged in the center.

'Am I going to die?' In the end, life was so simple that only two words remained: life and death.

"Did you think anyone could practice usurping fate? I've lived for over a century and seen many breathtakingly brilliant geniuses, but in the face of fate, they could only bow their heads." A rare gleam surfaced in Lord Snake's murky eyes. He stared intently at my face, wanting to find the expression he hoped to see. Fear? Panic? The dead ashes of despair?

He was soon disappointed. Even with the Great Divine Mantra of the Big Dipper shattered, I still hadn't given up!

A burst of nameless anger flared in his heart. He gave a cold snort and stopped speaking.

Beside him, however, She Qian read his master's mood. Eager to claim credit, he immediately stepped forward and shouted, "Gao Jian, didn't you want to defy the heavens? Weren't you going to shatter the cage of fate? My master calculated that your only path of survival lies in this very place. Your hope of escape is right in front of you now, so why do you keep retreating? Haha! Just give up. If you submit, maybe we'll show some leniency."

"Even now, you're still trying to shake my will? What a despicable bunch. No wonder you willingly serve as the lapdogs of heaven's will!" With my talisman shattered and my Pre-Heaven True Qi exhausted, I stood alone amidst the tide of phantom soldiers like an unyielding reef that was entirely out of place.

"Young man, put away your arrogance. The will of heaven is hard to defy. This has nothing to do with good or evil; it is the fundamental basis of a cultivator's practice. Follow heaven, and you will enjoy long life and eternal prosperity. Defy heaven, and you will inevitably face endless tribulations until your body dies and the Dao dissolves."

Lord Snake's true body stood in the middle of No-Lights Road, his eyes shut tight, only his mouth opening and closing as he spoke continuously.

"The will of heaven is hard to defy, but not impossible to defy." I clenched my fists. Inside my body, one yin aperture after another slowly opened, and surging Yin energy circulated through my Yin Meridian.

"Stubborn even at death's door. If my guess is right, the Great Divine Mantra of the Big Dipper was your final trump card, wasn't it? It could match an Upper Vehicle Talisman, and its power was immense, but it also drained all your true qi. Without true essence, what will you use to activate a talisman? Even if I handed you an Upper Vehicle Talisman right now, you wouldn't be able to use it."

"Without talismans, I still have my ghost arts. Without ghost arts, I still have my fists. Even if my ten fingers are broken and my fists are pounded into bloody mush, I still have my teeth! I can still tear a chunk of flesh off your body!" This unprecedented desperate situation ignited the ruthlessness buried at the bottom of my heart. Extreme rationality and extreme madness blended together—that was my current state.

"Enough. I'll discuss this with you after I extract your soul and destroy your physical body!" Lord Snake wasn't going to waste any more breath on me. He urged the phantom soldiers to attack with full force. As their numbers continued to swell, towering, malicious ghosts—far stronger than the ordinary soldiers—began to appear among them.

Driven by Lord Snake, these ghost creatures and phantom soldiers fell into a state of complete frenzy. They viewed me as their enemy, wanting to seize my body, tear my soul apart, and devour every inch of my life force.

My clothes had long been torn to shreds, and my exposed muscles had turned a purplish-black. That was the "Blight" left behind by the gnawing ghosts. More than half of my body had already been invaded by the poison of the Blight, making me look like a living corpse. It was a truly terrifying sight.

Bared ghost fangs and pale ghost hands—the evil spirits from the underworld couldn't wait to drag me away.

"Yin-Yang Has an Order! Wandering souls crossing over shall ascend as immortals. Those who defy this command shall be cast into the netherworld, their bones reduced to dust!" I changed my hand seals. Billowing Yin energy wrapped around my arm like iron chains. Pressing my five fingers together, I charged head-on into the phantom soldiers.

"Commanding Yin and Yang... what immense audacity this ghost art possesses." Lord Snake quickly regained his composure. He knew very well that before long, this ghost art would become the new legacy of their Three Yin Sect.

The wounds on my body multiplied, blood streaming freely. Most of the injuries that had previously healed thanks to the wood spirit essence of the locust tree tore open a second time. I was in a terrifyingly wretched state.

I didn't know exactly how much time had passed, but every second felt agonizingly long.

My left leg had completely lost sensation, making it hard to move. Two evil cultivators of the Three Yin Sect pulled out something resembling ropes with iron hooks attached to one end. Mingling among the phantom soldiers, they struck suddenly. One of them drove an iron hook into my back, while the other only managed to snag my jacket.

"Soul Fishing!" someone in the crowd shouted, and the ropes were pulled taut.

A sharp, agonizing pain shot from my back, piercing straight into my soul. I let out a muffled groan and clenched my jaw.

"Riiip!"

My suit jacket tore and fell to the ground, and the phone in my pocket tumbled out with it. The screen glowed brightly, displaying several missed calls. I didn't see who had called; my eyes instinctively darted to the time.

'23:30. Thirty minutes until the day ends.'

Reaching back, I grabbed the iron hook lodged in my flesh and slowly pulled it out inch by inch.

Covered in blood, I glared at those sinisterly grinning evil cultivators, wishing I could rush up and smash their skulls.

"Watch out!" Wen Chao's voice rang out from the private car parked at the distant alley entrance. His face was deathly pale as he witnessed the scene, frantically waving his hand and pointing in a certain direction.

I twisted my head with great difficulty and followed his point. The Filthy Ghost and the Desire Ghost were at their dying breaths, on the verge of dissipating. The multicolored, blind Snake King had already finished them off and was slithering toward me!

I could barely hold my ground against the phantom soldiers and ghost creatures, but I was utterly helpless against this giant mountain-guarding serpent.

The Blood Fox had repeatedly warned me earlier, draining too much energy and falling into a deep slumber. The talisman edicts on my body were completely useless against this giant snake. Now, my only option was to find a way to temporarily lure it away.

'What other trump cards do I have left? The Dream Wing Gu?' I peered inward with my mind. The pale blue butterfly was even more panicked than I was, trembling uncontrollably within my Liver Aperture.

'The Infant Spirit is still sleeping, but there's no other choice.' I injected all my remaining Yin energy into my Kidney Aperture. "Infant Spirit, Infant Spirit, of name unknown, I bestow upon you the Fate Ghost, descend to my altar! Fortune to those who obey me, doom to those who defy! Aid me in realizing the Dao, assist me in attaining the truth!"