Chapter 230 - 222: Evil Spirit Banner
The Magical Artifact was forged on the ninth day.
Ji Huaiyuan sent someone to invite Li Yuan to the Artifact Refining Room to inspect the finished product.
The Artifact Refining Room was in a low mountain behind the stockade. The cave dwelling wasn’t large. In the center stood an artifact refining furnace about half a man’s height. The furnace fire had already been extinguished, but residual heat still wafted from its opening.
Ji Huaiyuan stood before the furnace, holding a Magical Artifact in his hand.
A banner.
The body of the banner was about two feet long. The pole was made of a dark gray, bone-like material, polished from the spine of a Demon Armor Giant Beetle. The banner’s face was dark red, its surface faintly showing extremely fine, carapace-like markings—the patterns left behind after fragments of the Demon Armor Giant Beetle’s shell were fused into it.
The edges of the banner were reinforced with a frame made from the ribs of a Jiao Linxi. The entire banner emanated a steady Spiritual Wave, mingled with a faint wisp of Evil Qi.
"The Evil Spirit Banner." Ji Huaiyuan handed the Magical Artifact to Li Yuan.
"It’s a Tier Two Low Grade artifact, and its quality is on the higher end of that grade. The effect of incorporating the Inner Core was even better than I expected. The banner has an extremely high affinity for Evil Qi."
He briefly explained the Magical Artifact’s functions.
"It has two core functions. First, it passively absorbs surrounding Evil Qi and stores it within the banner. Its storage capacity depends on the banner’s surface, but it can hold roughly thirty charges of concentrated Evil Qi. Second, it can actively release the stored Evil Qi against an enemy. You can either form an Evil Qi storm to cover an area or condense it into an Evil Qi arrow to attack a single target."
Li Yuan took the Evil Spirit Banner. It had a reassuring heft.
The moment his finger touched the pole, a panel appeared.
[Detected Equippable Item: Evil Spirit Banner (Complete)]
[Equipment Entry Preview: Evil-Spirit Conversion (Blue) — Can convert Evil Qi into Spiritual Power and Spiritual Power into Evil Qi. The two can undergo a preliminary fusion without affecting their original properties.]
[Condition for Permanence Preview: Consume one Tier Two Evil-type Demon Beast’s Inner Core (0/1)]
[Current equipment slots are full (5/5). Replace currently equipped item?]
’A blue entry.’
Li Yuan’s finger paused on the banner pole for a moment.
’Evil-Spirit Conversion. Spiritual Power and Evil Qi can be converted into one another, and they can even undergo a preliminary fusion.’
’My Evil Essence Unity technique already allows me to convert Evil Qi into Spiritual Power, but it’s a one-way street, and the conversion efficiency isn’t very high. This Evil-Spirit Conversion is two-way; Spiritual Power can also be turned into Evil Qi. More importantly, the two can be partially fused.’
’Fusion means Spiritual Power and Evil Qi are no longer two separate energies but can be used in tandem. When I attack, my Spiritual Power can carry the corrosive effect of Evil Qi. When I defend, the dense quality of Evil Qi can enhance the thickness of my Spiritual Power shield.’
’With the artifact’s inherent functions combined with the effect of the blue entry, the true value of this Evil Spirit Banner far exceeds that of a typical Tier Two Low Grade Magical Artifact.’
’The condition for making it permanent is to consume the Inner Core of a Tier Two Evil-type Demon Beast.’
’The Demon Armor Giant Beetle was an Evil-type Demon Beast, but its Inner Core was already used in the refining process. To make this entry permanent, I’ll need to find another Tier Two Evil-type Demon Beast.’
’There’s no shortage of Evil-type Demon Beasts in the depths of the Ghost Mist Forest, but finding a Tier Two one won’t be easy. I’ll keep it in mind for now.’
"Senior Ji, thank you." Li Yuan put the Evil Spirit Banner away.
Ji Huaiyuan waved his hand, a hint of satisfaction on his face.
"With good materials, the finished product will naturally be of high quality. I’m just glad you’re satisfied, Fellow Daoist."
The two of them left the Artifact Refining Room and returned to the main hall, where they sat down.
Li Yuan took a sip of tea, then remembered something.
"Senior Ji, there’s something I wanted to mention."
"Please, go ahead, Fellow Daoist."
"I went to Huode Marketplace a few days ago," Li Yuan said, setting down his teacup. "While I was there, I sensed the lingering presence of Demonic Qi on several people."
Ji Huaiyuan froze, his hand, holding a teacup, stopping in mid-air.
Then, he slowly set the teacup down and nodded.
"I know."
His tone was calm, as if he were speaking of something he had known for a long time.
"Management over at Huode Marketplace is lax, and it attracts a mix of good and bad people. Over the years, a number of individuals with questionable origins have been showing up in the marketplace. The Ji family has noticed a few things."
He rested his fingers on the tabletop.
"However, the Ji family’s power is limited; we can’t manage too much. I’ll report this matter to the Primordial Yang Sect and let the Sect handle it."
Li Yuan nodded and said no more. He returned to the quarters arranged for him and equipped the Evil Spirit Banner.
The moment the equipment took effect, both the Spiritual Power and the Evil Qi within his body changed.
The change was subtle, yet extremely distinct.
A faint, dark ripple spread across the surface of the liquid Spiritual Power stored in his Dantian, like a calm pond stirred by a breeze. The quality of the Spiritual Power itself hadn’t changed, but it now held a new potential—it could be converted into Evil Qi at any moment.
At the same time, the Evil Qi passively gathered in his body by his Evil Essence Unity technique was also different.
Previously, the Evil Qi existed in his body independently. It could either be used for Body Tempering or converted into Spiritual Power—the two paths were completely separate.
Now, a third state existed between Evil Qi and Spiritual Power.
A fused state.
Li Yuan tried guiding a wisp of Spiritual Power and a wisp of Evil Qi to his right palm simultaneously.
The two energies converged in his palm.
There was no repulsion, no conflict. Like two rivers merging, the Spiritual Power and Evil Qi fused together naturally.
The resulting energy’s quality was somewhere between that of Spiritual Power and Evil Qi. It was heavier and more corrosive than Pure Spiritual Power, yet more refined and controllable than pure Evil Qi. Its color was a deep, dark gold, a mixture of the transparent Spiritual Power and the dark-red Evil Qi.
The next morning, Li Yuan bid farewell to Ji Huaiyuan and left the Ji family’s stockade.
He activated his Wind Escape Skill and flew toward the Ghost Mist Forest.
The better part of a day later, a wall of grayish-white fog appeared in his field of view.
Li Yuan descended and stepped into the dense fog.
His Evil Essence Unity technique activated automatically, drawing Evil Qi from all directions.
Li Yuan walked deeper for some time until he found the clearing he had used for cultivation before.
He sat down cross-legged and began to circulate the Cyan Wood Longevity Skill.
After two full cycles, he switched to the Soul Condensation Skill.
His Divine Soul was repeatedly forged through compression and expansion. The soul-tempering effect of his Evil Essence Unity technique worked in tandem, with the Evil Qi automatically scouring the nodes of his Divine Soul as it passed through them.
With the forging from the Soul Condensation Skill and the tempering from the Evil Qi, the refinement of his Divine Soul steadily increased.
The permanent entry from his Soul Light Tempering continued to take effect, and both his Divine Soul’s strength and the fineness of his control over it grew slowly.
After cultivating for about eight hours, the feel of the process changed.
The rhythm of the Soul Condensation Skill’s circulation shifted from deliberate control to being semi-automatic. The compression and expansion of his Divine Soul no longer required his full concentration to guide; it had formed a stable, self-sustaining cycle that only required minor adjustments at key junctures.
A panel appeared.
[Cultivation Technique: Soul Condensation Skill — Proficient (0/400)]
’The Soul Condensation Skill has reached the Proficient level.’
The efficiency of the soul-forging process increased significantly. The magnitude of each compression and expansion was greater than at the beginner level, and the strengthening effect on his Divine Soul was far more pronounced.
Li Yuan ceased his cultivation, stood up, and stretched his limbs.
He took a lap around the clearing, surveying the surroundings.
The terrain deep in the Ghost Mist Forest consisted mainly of dead trees and scattered rocks, and visibility was severely limited by the thick fog. However, the ground was relatively flat and the space was large enough, making it much better than the courtyard back in the marketplace.
’I can make talismans here, too.’
’Making Spirit Water Talismans just requires talisman paper, Spiritual Ink, and a quiet environment; no special facilities are needed. The depths of the Ghost Mist Forest are deserted, making it even quieter than the courtyard in the marketplace.’
Li Yuan took his talisman-making materials out of his storage bag and spread them across a large, flat rock at the edge of the clearing.
Spirit Water Talismans, Soul Refining Talismans, Gathering Essence Talismans, and Demon-breaking Talismans—he drew them in rotation.
He alternated between cultivation and talisman-making, and his efficiency was more than double what it had been in the marketplace. The passive Body Tempering from the Evil Qi and the absorption of Spiritual Qi occurred simultaneously. He cultivated during breaks from making talismans, and made talismans during breaks from cultivation.
「Three days passed in this manner.」
On the evening of the third day, as Li Yuan was cultivating cross-legged, his Divine Sense suddenly caught two unfamiliar auras.
They were approaching from the outer edges of the Ghost Mist Forest. Their speed was slow, as if they were cautiously feeling their way forward.
’Two people. Both are at the Late-stage of Qi Refining, and their auras carry an extremely faint fluctuation of Evil Qi.’
Li Yuan opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the auras.
A moment later, two figures emerged from the dense fog.
It was a man and a woman, both appearing to be in their thirties. The man was tall and thin, dressed in a short gray robe with an iron sword at his waist. The woman was plain-faced and wore a long, dark-cyan robe, with a bamboo box on her back.
The moment the two of them saw Li Yuan, they both stopped in their tracks.
The spiritual pressure of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator made them visibly tense.
The male Cultivator was the first to react, cupping his hands in a salute.
"Senior."
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The male Cultivator rubbed his hands, carefully considering his words.
"My surname is Zhou, and this is my junior sister. We practice a Cultivation Technique related to Evil Qi, so we need to cultivate in a place where it’s dense. We heard the concentration of Evil Qi is extremely high deep within the Ghost Mist Forest, so we came to have a look."
He glanced at Li Yuan, his tone growing more cautious.
"We sensed your aura, Senior, as we approached and realized someone was already here. If you don’t mind, we’d like to find a place to cultivate nearby. We won’t disturb you; we’re just looking to borrow a small spot."
He paused for a moment before adding,
"The concentration of Evil Qi in this area is too high, and Tier One Demon Beasts appear from time to time. For two cultivators at the Late-stage of Qi Refining like us, it’s quite a struggle to cope. If we could cultivate within your protected vicinity, Senior, we would be much safer."
"If you are willing, Senior, I can offer Spirit Stones as a protection fee."
With that, the man took a handful of Spirit Stones out of his storage bag.
Li Yuan glanced at them.
’Their auras do indeed carry fluctuations of Evil Qi, which means they must practice a related Cultivation Technique. There’s no trace of Demonic Qi, so they aren’t Demon Cultivators.’
’With their Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivation, being this deep in the Ghost Mist Forest is indeed dangerous. A Tier One Top Grade Demon Beast would be a life-or-death battle for them. If they ran into a Tier Two Demon Beast, it would be a death sentence.’
"Alright," Li Yuan said without feigning politeness, accepting the Spirit Stones. "Just find a spot around this clearing. Don’t go too far."
Visible expressions of relief appeared on their faces.
"Thank you, Senior."
The two of them bowed with cupped hands, retreated to a thicket of dead trees at the edge of the clearing, and each found a spot to sit down and cultivate.
Li Yuan closed his eyes and resumed his cultivation.
’Having two more people around doesn’t matter; their Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivation poses no threat to me. In fact, having them cultivate nearby could act as an extra layer of early warning. They’ll be the first to notice if anything is amiss.’
However, this also made Li Yuan realize a problem.
’I plan to cultivate in the Ghost Mist Forest long-term, and Chen Yi even designated this as my exclusive territory. But right now, the area is completely open, with no protective measures whatsoever.’
’When I’m cultivating, I rely entirely on my Divine Sense to passively detect anyone approaching. That’s fine during the day, but at night, the range of my Divine Sense shrinks. If someone deliberately concealed their aura, I might not notice them right away.’
’I need to set up some Arrays.’
’An Early Warning Array to detect intruders, a Spirit Gathering Array to improve my cultivation efficiency, and a Defense Array as a final failsafe.’
’I have a permanent entry for insights into the Array Dao, and I’ve already reached the beginner level of the Tier One Array Dao. But at this level, I can only set up the most basic Arrays, and their effects are limited.’
’To set up a complete system of Arrays that can operate long-term in the depths of the Ghost Mist Forest, I’ll need a more systematic inheritance of the Array Dao.’
’I’ll have to keep an eye out for one at the next trade gathering.’