Cultivation Starts with Rejuvenation

As Gugu burrowed underground, Li Ji’an’s heart also skipped a beat upon seeing this scene.

In the Cultivation Realm, whether mundane or cultivator, one possesses the Three Souls and Seven Spirits. Once deceased, the Celestial Soul returns to the Celestial Dao, the Earth Soul merges with the earth, and the Life Soul enters reincarnation.

The Life Soul is a person’s Lifebound Yin Soul. Without the Heaven and Earth Dual Souls, one becomes a Yin Ghost.

Normally, Yin Souls cannot exist for long. If unable to enter reincarnation within seven days, they will dissipate and cease to exist.

However, in specific locations, like the Dragon Burial Cave, where there are Blood Fiend environments sealed by supreme power, Yin Souls cannot dissipate and can grow by drawing nourishment from the Blood Evil Yin Vein, becoming ghosts.

Ordinary ghosts still only possess the Power of the Yin Soul and mostly affect the Divine Soul in the Sea of Consciousness of common people.

If they wish to inflict physical harm, they must possess a body.

However, Tier Three Yin Ghosts transcend ordinary ghosts, possessing the miraculous power to manifest physically.

In some sense, they have become a different kind of cultivator, with the potential for an alternative path to enlightenment.

Li Ji’an had once seen ancient texts that recorded the existence of ancient cultivators who practiced the Ghost Dao, forming a Ghost Infant and achieving the miraculous feat of Deceiving Heaven and Divinity Transformation.

However, the path of Ghost Cultivation is even more difficult than Dharma Cultivation, Soul Cultivation, or Body Cultivation, as it is devoid of the Heaven and Earth Dual Souls and cannot absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Rhythm Dao Principles. Moreover, encountering a Celestial Tribulation during the transformation into a Ghost Infant leads to certain death, and since ancient times, fewer have reached the Ghost Infant stage than those who have achieved Ascension as an Immortal Monarch.

Yet, it is not without advantages. Its advantage lies in the soul wandering without a destination, persisting theoretically unless struck by celestial lightning or earth fire or consumed by something restraining.

However, the Power of Time will eventually erode its potential, weakening its Soul Power.

The Tier Three Ghost King before us is clearly in the period of attrition from the Power of Time. Unable to advance further, it will start to decay and eventually wander aimlessly.

"Hold on!" Upon realizing it was a Tier Three Ghost King, Lin Xiuzhu hurriedly spoke.

A Tier Three Ghost King rivals a Core Formation Cultivator, and in such places with the constant supply of Evil Qi from the Blood Evil Yin Vein, its strength is significantly enhanced.

Lin Xiuzhu clearly sensed that the power of its strike was comparable to his own, and without using Magical Treasures and Corpse Puppets to counter it, he would fall behind.

"Roar~" Several clusters of ghostly fog roared in unison as if in response.

"Fellow Daoist, listen to me. Once I gain the opportunity, I can lead you out of here. By then, with vast skies and lands full of fresh blood meals, you might have the hope of advancing further," Lin Xiuzhu immediately offered as an incentive.

Upon saying this, the ghostly fog visibly paused, several clusters showing signs of merging.

"Roar~" However, after only three breaths, the ghostly fog erupted once more.

Then, losing all reason, it lunged at Lin Xiuzhu again.

Boom~

Yin Qi condensed into sharp cones, attacking from all directions. Lin Xiuzhu’s face darkened, and blazing flames formed a shield around him.

The next moment, the Yin Qi crashed directly into the flames without hesitation.

The scene instantly erupted in a fiery explosion, with bursts of fire illuminating the entire black fog.

Where the flames passed, they stirred up a surge of black fog.

But soon, more Yin Qi surged forth, extinguishing the flames.

"It’s remarkable that it’s not even afraid of my Three-Flame Corpse Fire!" After the strike, Lin Xiuzhu became even more serious.

The Three-Flame Corpse Fire is the only magic technique among all his techniques that restrains Yin Souls, and with this Corpse Fire alone, it’s possible to annihilate an ordinary Mid-stage Core Formation True Man.

Yet, facing this Yin Ghost, which should have been restrained by the Corpse Fire, the effect was minimal.

"At least comparable to a Late Period Core Formation Ghost King!"

Fortunately, at this moment, Lin Xiuzhu also noticed that this Ghost King was in a Chaos Period, lacking consciousness, and driven only by the instinct for living blood meals, without the intelligence to use special techniques.

Otherwise, if the Ghost King was in a fully conscious state, utilizing various techniques, he would have to reveal all his cards and potentially risk severe injury just to eliminate it.

If it were so, he would be in danger here, with the presence of the Yin Ghost Saint Child and the Blood Spirit Saintess.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh~" Thinking along these lines, he wasted no time and instantly summoned five more Corpse Puppets.

Adding the Lifebound Golden Corpse, six Corpse Puppets faced off against the Ghost King’s divided selves.

The Ghost King now lacked intelligence, acting only on instinctual collisions and bites, making the Corpse Puppets capable of holding it at bay despite being inferior.

Six Corpse Puppets restrained the six divided selves of the Ghost King before Lin Xiuzhu sat cross-legged on the ground, summoning a dark jar.

As Lin Xiuzhu channeled Magical Power into it, the dark jar started radiating ghostly light.

Strands of ghostly light seeped out silently, entwining the divided selves of the six Yin Ghosts.

This jar is the supreme treasure of the Corpse Puppet Sect, also the foundation upon which the first-generation Golden Puppet Holy Monarch established the sect in the Celestial Cyan Domain.

Called the Corpse Refining Vessel, used with the Corpse Refining Technique of the Corpse Puppet Sect, it can refine Golden Corpses beyond Tier Three.

Corpse refining requires the separation of corpse and soul, particularly for refining Golden Corpses above Tier Three, where the Yin Soul must be completely eradicated, making this vessel exceptionally effective for wearing down Yin Souls.

"Sizzle, sizzle~" As the ghostly light touched the six clusters of Yin Qi, white smoke hissed audibly.

The Yin Qi, as if struck by lightning, dispersed frantically.

Yet, the ghostly light clung like a parasitic worm, rendering the Yin Qi unable to escape.

"Roar~" The six clusters of Yin Qi struggled madly, sending the six Corpse Puppets restraining them flying away. At the same time, as the ghostly light entwined longer, the Yin Soul’s aura rapidly diminished.

Being dragged helplessly towards the Corpse Refining Vessel by the ghostly light.

As the six clusters of Yin Qi were about to be completely absorbed into the Corpse Refining Vessel, Li Ji’an’s Divine Sense detected a faint magical fluctuation not far away.

He immediately instructed Gugu to move in that direction.