Cultivation Starts with Rejuvenation

As soon as the voice of the Yin Ghost Saint Child echoed, a fierce glint flashed in Lin Xiuzhu’s eyes, but it quickly faded.

"Old ghost, there’s already a Tier Three Ghost King critically injured by me; it’s your gain now."

The next moment, the Yin Ghost Saint Child appeared before Lin Xiuzhu.

"Brother Lin, rest and heal. I’ll take care of this ghost." He subtly sensed Lin Xiuzhu’s condition, showing a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

Still, he underestimated the foundation of the Quasi-Sect Leader of the Corpse Puppet Sect.

Upon seeing the Ghost King, whose power was less than thirty percent of its peak and had fallen into chaos again, he let out a satisfied sneer.

"Dare to harm Brother Lin, this Saint Child will surely capture you into the Soul-Summoning Banner, making you endure the torment of the Earth Nether Fire every day."

As he sneered, a Soul Banner emitting uncontrolled Yin Qi was already summoned.

As the Soul Banner appeared, the entire corridor howled with yin wind, endless wails and roars echoed incessantly.

With a flick of his wrist, countless black threads shot from the Soul Banner towards the greatly weakened ghost mist.

"Wuu wuu wuu~" As the Ghost King’s mist body was entwined by the black threads, white gas steamed, and the Ghost King’s wail echoed through the area.

Swish~

The Yin Ghost Saint Child twisted the Soul Banner again, and the black threads pulled the Ghost King mist body back into the Soul Banner in an instant.

As the Ghost King mist body was absorbed, the Soul Banner glowed with a black shimmer, visibly turning even darker, with an even thicker aura of Yin Sha Qi.

"It has advanced!" The Yin Ghost Saint Child’s eyes exploded with joy.

His Soul-Summoning Banner was crafted by his father, the former Sect Leader of the Yin Ghost Sect, not only using Extremely Yin Golden Amber as the main material but also nourished for a century in the Purgatory Demon Cave, with hopes of breaking through to Tier Four.

It’s accompanied him since his Qi Cultivation Stage, and it advanced to Second Tier after merely devouring a hundred mundane Yin Souls.

Later, by devouring two hundred Qi Cultivators’ Yin Souls, it advanced to Second Tier Middle Stage. By devouring three hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators’ Yin Souls, it reached Second Tier Late Period.

Until now, it had been stuck on the verge of Tier Three, as Core Formation Cultivators are rare, and most would counterattack even if it meant their divine soul’s destruction. Up until now, it had only devoured a dozen Early Period Core Formation Yin Souls.

Moreover, not every deceased can become a Yin Soul. A newly deceased person only retains a Life Soul, which dissipates into the world within seven days without a soul-nurturing place or yin fiend nourishment, never becoming a Yin Soul.

This Tier Three Late Period Ghost King had absorbed the Blood Fiend Yin Gloom for over a millennium, containing Yin Ghost Qi comparable to several Late-stage Core Formation Ascendant’s Yin Souls.

Beyond his expectations, this allowed his Soul-Summoning Banner to directly leap to Tier Three.

A Tier Three Soul-Summoning Banner, in terms of power, is at least comparable to a Sixth Grade Magical Treasure.

The most crucial point is that, given his Middle Stage Core Formation Cultivation, he couldn’t unleash more than fifty percent of a Sixth Grade Magical Treasure’s power, while his Soul-Summoning Banner can fully manifest all its power.

Seeing this scene, Lin Xiuzhu’s eyes narrowed abruptly.

He naturally knew of the Yin Ghost Sect’s heritage, and this Soul-Summoning Banner is said to be the strongest technique of the Yin Ghost Sect lineage.

His cultivation is comparable to that of the Yin Ghost Sect’s Saint Child, but with the Golden Puppet boosting, he could manifest fifty percent of his Lifebound Magical Treasure, the Bloodthirsty Staff’s power, always slightly suppressing the other.

Now, with the opponent’s Soul-Summoning Banner advancing to Tier Three and able to fully utilize its power, in terms of cultivation and magical treasure, the opponent has clearly surpassed him.

Even with his Golden Body Corpse Puppet, it’s likely a fifty-fifty split.

Only the Thunder Talisman Treasure could potentially deliver a fatal strike against it, but unfortunately, there’s only one more attack left.

Moreover, the Blood Spirit Saintess’s Blood Attraction Secret Technique remains a threat to him.

Seeing the joy on the Yin Ghost Saint Child’s face, Lin Xiuzhu grew more sullen.

Not only did he have to use his trump card against the Ghost King, but he also got injured.

Ultimately, the Yin Ghost Saint Child reaped a huge benefit.

Earlier, he even suspected that the Ghost King might have been briefly awakened mentally by the Yin Ghost Saint Child, and that final attack was executed under its control—perfectly a double-edged plan.

Now, he could only swallow his grievance silently and even had to thank the other for his help.

"Hahaha, Brother Lin, how are your injuries? That meddlesome Ghost King has been captured by me, and I’ll make sure it suffers in the Soul Banner for you to vent your anger," the Yin Ghost Saint Child laughed, sensing Lin Xiuzhu’s gaze.

Lin Xiuzhu closed his eyes and said lightly, "Then I really must thank you."

"Brother Lin, you’re too polite. My Yin Ghost Sect and the Corpse Puppet Sect have always shared close ties; there’s no need to distinguish so finely," the Yin Ghost Saint Child said with a sinister smile.

"Brother Lin, I’ve already sent Yin Ghosts to explore this place, and all obvious opportunities have already been seized by others. I’ve also learned through the Yin Souls that several from the Ten Thousand Laws Palace came here three thousand years ago, eventually killing each other until only one left with a bounty of spiritual resources.

In addition, before the Ten Thousand Laws Palace entered, someone else had already swept through once, though some areas remained sealed due to unbroken restrictions, allowing those from the Ten Thousand Laws Palace to take advantage.

Now, all public areas hold no more opportunities, only a few hidden locations remain.

The remnant recording from the Ten Thousand Laws Palace then stated there was a place called Dragon Abyss here, which seals a True Dragon Residual Soul. Do you know how to reach it, Brother Lin?"

Lin Xiuzhu slightly frowned at his words. Upon seeing bodies nearly three thousand years old earlier, he had come to such a realization, but still clung to a shred of hope.

But now, that shred of hope vanished.

So, this time, the Dragon-Suppressing Cauldron might be his only chance for a fortuitous encounter.

"All places have already been explored?" Lin Xiuzhu responded with extreme disappointment.

The Yin Ghost Saint Child, whose senses were tightly locked onto Lin Xiuzhu, also felt a dip in his heart.

"Could he truly have no secrets left?"

"Impossible, the ancestral record states that when the Four Sects received that journal entry back then, the Corpse Puppet Sect and Blood Spirit Sect took out different fragments of ancient residual soul memory secretly consumed by an ancestor of the Yin Ghost Sect, surely they must be hiding something."

While complaining internally, the Yin Ghost Saint Child’s mind was set.

Since he could find no opportunities here now, he decided to stick to Lin Xiuzhu.

"Brother Lin knows the methods of my Yin Ghost Sect; over a hundred Yin Souls probing the way certainly won’t miss anything."

"Such misfortune! After years of scheming, the opportunities for our Four Sects vanish in a day, alas," Lin Xiuzhu sighed, showing despair over the missed opportunity, and then hastened his healing.

The Yin Ghost Saint Child let out a cold sneer, sitting down immediately, familiarizing himself with the newly promoted Tier Three Soul-Summoning Banner’s wonders.

Seeing the Yin Ghost Saint Child’s behavior, Lin Xiuzhu frowned secretly. The opponent was sticking to him.

Now it’s just a matter of who can endure the longest.

Three days passed in a flash.

Li Ji’an, who had been keeping a close eye on Lin Xiuzhu through Gugu’s vision, also started to doubt, "Could it be that my opportunity this time isn’t tied to Lin Xiuzhu? Might it be related to the Blood Spirit Saintess?"

While pondering this, Ning Sujin suddenly transmitted a reminder: "The Blood Woman is here."

Li Ji’an immediately withdrew from Gugu’s vision, reversing his qi and blood flow, appearing to be meditating and healing.

Ning Sujin, using her Primordial Spirit Power, executed the "Deceiving Heaven" Secret Technique taught by Li Ji’an.

Over the years, under Li Ji’an’s guidance, combined with her own comprehension and divine soul level, she had cultivated it to the peak of the Second Layer.

"Deceiving Heaven" was obtained by Li Ji’an from a Fake Pill Sword Cultivator he had slain in the Ten Thousand Merchants Domain. The first layer hides forms, the second conceals qi, and the third obscures the divine.

With Ning Sujin’s Primordial Spirit Power, it couldn’t be easily seen through by a Core Formation Ascendant in the short term.