Demonic Cultivator(238-243) (Patreon)

Chapter 238: Three Inquiries of Destiny!

On Reincarnation Star—controlled directly by the Reincarnation Divine Sect and the largest and most Spirit Qi-rich among more than ten cultivation stars—there was a gigantic island in the midst of its boundless ocean.

This island served as the residence for the high echelons of the Reincarnation Divine Sect. The island was a true paradise, home to rare beasts and towering ancient trees, a place blessed with exceptional natural beauty. Only the most powerful, who had reached the Deity Transformation phase, or those of high status such as sect leaders, protectors, or the Holy Son, could reside here.

At this moment, Wen Lingtian, an Astral Projection old ancestor of the Reincarnation Divine Sect, was pacing back and forth in the grand hall of the sect. Typically stoic and unemotional, his expression now was as grim as it could be.

Suddenly, a figure flew into the hall—it was a Deity Transformation stage elder. With utmost respect, the elder reported, "Honored Ancestor, the eighth-ranked extraterrestrial battlefield has completely collapsed. We have failed to locate the Taotie Seed."

Wen Lingtian took a deep breath. "What about Hanshuang? I sensed that she released the Life-Death Mystic Ice, she must have faced a great calamity. Did you bring her back?"

The elder sighed, "Before the total collapse of the extraterrestrial battlefield, we sent multiple groups of cultivators to the cave to search for the Holy Maiden. Six Nascent Soul cultivators perished in spatial rifts, and over fifty Golden Core cultivators fell to ancient beasts such as the nether crocodile. But we never found any trace of the Holy Maiden."

Wen Lingtian frowned deeply. "Impossible! The Life-Death Mystic Ice is extremely hard; even small spatial rifts cannot break it!"

The Deity Transformation elder offered a bitter smile, "Ancestor... we truly could not find her..."

Wen Lingtian waved his hand dismissively, "Go."

"Yes," the elder bowed respectfully and departed.

As Wen Lingtian paced back and forth, his frustration grew. Finally, he decided to take out a disc. The disc was engraved with the Bagua and embedded with eight precious gems, each containing the essence of destiny.

At the center of the disc was a still pool of water—his life-bound magic treasure, the "Inquiry Heaven Disc," specialized not in combat but in divination. Using this disc, Wen Lingtian had risen step by step to his current exalted position.

"Expend fifty years of lifespan to inquire about the whereabouts of Leng Hanshuang," Wen Lingtian muttered as he manipulated the disc.

The normally tranquil water surface began to stir but never settled down again. There was not even a fragmented image, not to mention any slight clue. When the water finally calmed down, everything was as it was before, except Wen Lingtian had irreversibly lost fifty years of his lifespan.

Wen Lingtian furrowed his brows deeply. He took a deep breath and commanded in a low voice, "Expend one hundred years of lifespan, inquire the heavens again!"

Around the Inquiry Heaven Disc, two of the eight embedded gems began to rotate, their energy cascading into the water. The surface agitated once more, like the sea during a tempest, but just like before, no image appeared.

Wen Lingtian felt a pang of pain. He had just thrown away a hundred and fifty years of his lifespan for nothing—as if creating mere ripples in water, revealing nothing.

"Who could stand this!" Wen Lingtian glanced at his reflection in the water, noting several new strands of silver hair at his temples.

With fierce determination, he growled, "Three hundred years of lifespan! Three inquiries of the heavens!"

This time, all eight gems whirled vigorously, causing the entire Inquiry Heaven Disc to tremble. The water churned violently as if a colossal, unseen beast was stirring the storm within it.

A deep darkness began to emerge in the water, but before Wen Lingtian could get a closer look, the tumultuous surface was forcefully flattened, as if an invisible giant hand had slammed down, completely smoothing over all traces of divination.

Wen Lingtian was left speechless. In his many years on the path of cultivation, he had never encountered such a situation. "It's very far as if separated by two different worlds. How is this possible!"

The brief insight he got from that moment was the only thing he perceived. He felt so frustrated he wanted to spit blood. The whereabouts of Leng Hanshuang remained unknowable as if she had vanished from this world forever. And he had irreversibly lost a total of four hundred fifty years of his lifespan!

Even for an Astral Projection cultivator with over six thousand years of lifespan, this was not a sustainable way to use it.

Wen Lingtian sighed deeply. One perilous-level battlefield had collapsed, and another of the most extreme-level ones showed signs of imminent collapse. The Holy Maiden had mysteriously disappeared, and the much-hoped-for Taotie Seed was also gone.

"The Heaven Shaking Divine Sect seems to be stirring," he murmured to himself. "Indeed, it is a time of many troubles."

Rubbing his temples, Wen Lingtian felt exhausted by the weight of these developments...

Three years later on Blue Star, Chu Xuan had underestimated the formidable nature of the Life-Death Mystic Ice. This chunk of ice, a lifeline bestowed by the Astral Projection ancestor of the Reincarnation Divine Sect to Leng Hanshuang for protection, proved incredibly resistant. Despite three years of relentless burning by the Corpse Refining Blood Fire, only a small portion of the ice had melted.

The Life-Death Mystic Ice was peculiar in its composition; it resembled a block of ice but was more akin to a translucent gemstone. Chu Xuan decided to focus his efforts on enhancing the Corpse Refining Blood Fire instead. The color of the fire had deepened significantly from its original yellow to a dark golden hue.

Chu Xuan visited the Soul Star and brought back two million living souls, casting them all at once into the Corpse Refining Blood Fire.

"Two million living souls should be enough for your advancement, right?" he remarked as he sat outside the array, refining his physical body while keeping an eye on the fire.

Another year passed, and the Corpse Refining Blood Fire underwent a transformative shift from quantitative to qualitative change. The dark golden color turned into a captivating dark purple.

The Corpse Refining Blood Fire had evolved into the Blood Evil Yin Fire, capable now not only of burning the body but also scorching the soul.

Chu Xuan gestured with his hand, examining the dark purple flames of the Blood Evil Yin Fire with satisfaction. He tested the fire on himself and discovered that the Blood Evil Yin Fire could even damage the Nascent Soul.

Even the formidable entities like Two Armed and Four Armes, along with Hu, steered clear of it, indicative of its potent force. Having devoured tens of millions of zombies and nearly ten million tormented souls, the Blood Evil Yin Fire had reached a level capable of harming Nascent Soul cultivators!

For Chu Xuan, this was exhilarating news, offering him a new means of combating enemies. "However, after ascending to Blood Evil Yin Fire, it might be difficult to store it inside the fire bees," he pondered, concerned that the fire's formidable power could be too much for the fire bees to contain.

He experimented, and sure enough, the fire bees became visibly distressed after absorbing the Blood Evil Yin Fire, buzzing erratically before bursting. "It seems urgent to upgrade the queen bee's level," Chu Xuan sighed softly, turning his gaze back to the Life-Death Mystic Ice.

His hope now lay in burning through the Life-Death Mystic Ice to obtain Leng Hanshuang's storage bag and recover a significant amount of resources for himself.

"Well? The burning has sped up!"

Noticing the accelerated burning rate, he couldn't hide his surprise.

Chapter 239: Search Your Soul for Cooperation

Chu Xuan gazed at the gradually diminishing Life-Death Mystic Ice, a look of satisfaction crossing his face. No wonder he had initially struggled to melt it; the ice required the burning of a soul-devouring fire.

Even so, fully melting it wouldn't happen overnight. Chu Xuan estimated that, at the current rate, it would take between three to five years to completely dissolve. By then, he could retrieve the items carried by Leng Hanshuang.

Chu Xuan smiled, considering the circumstances. In the world of cultivation, the Reincarnation Divine Sect would have soon located and retrieved the Life-Death Mystic Ice. For most cultivators, even encountering this ice wouldn't help—they couldn't break it.

Chu Xuan surmised that the ice could likely withstand attacks even from Deity Transformation cultivators, though he hadn't considered the possibility of it withstanding Astral Projection cultivators. If that were possible, why would the Reincarnation Divine Sect's Astral Projection ancestor gift it to a Holy Maiden rather than keep it?

"The Astral Projection ancestor of the Reincarnation Divine Sect probably never imagined that the Life-Death Mystic Ice encasing Leng Hanshuang would be continuously burned atop my Blood Evil Yin Fire day and night," Chu Xuan mused with a slight smile.

Normally, it would be incredibly difficult for cultivators below the Deity Transformation to break the ice in a short period, especially in a situation like Chu Xuan's, where the ice was exposed to a relentless flame for several years—an almost impossible scenario.

Moreover, Chu Xuan's Blood Evil Yin Fire was fundamentally different from the flames cultivated by ordinary cultivators. After all, his flame had devoured tens of millions of zombies and living souls!

Chu Xuan returned to the rooftop of the Haotai Hotel and took out a jade pendant containing the essence blood of True Master Tiancang. He had refrained from using it previously to conceal his energy signature, but now it was time to bring it out.

Chu Xuan broke the seal on the jade with his spiritual energy, extracted the blood essence, and dripped it onto the jade slip of the Body-Seizing Technique.

Instantly, the jade slip emitted layers of dark vapor—this was the seal left by True Master Tianqing. Chu Xuan delved his divine consciousness into the jade slip again, and this time, the Body-Seizing Technique was fully revealed to him. He swiftly committed it to memory.

To practice the Body-Seizing Technique, he first needed to find the materials to craft the Acquired Miraculous Jade. Most of the auxiliary materials were easy to obtain; the challenge lay in acquiring the main material.

"Spirit Mechanism Jade, why have I never heard of it?" Chu Xuan frowned. It could be a divine object of the Deity Transformation, which would be problematic.

Next, he would have to search the Myriad Souls Sect's library to see if there were any records related to the Spirit Mechanism Jade…

Time flew by swiftly, and three years had passed in the blink of an eye. Chu Xuan, with his hands clasped behind his back, stood before the Life-Death Mystic Ice.

Now, only a thin layer remained, stubbornly preserving Leng Hanshuang's body. Yet, even this remnant was on the verge of total disintegration under the relentless assault of the Blood Evil Yin Fire.

Crack, crack!

Pieces of ice plummeted to the ground. The lifelike ice sculpture, now riddled with extensive cracks, suddenly shattered with a thunderous crash. Leng Hanshuang's body fell to the floor.

The moment she touched the ground, Hu, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately seized her throat. Both Two Arms and Four Arms rushed forward, capturing her soul to prevent any chance of her Nascent Soul self-destructing.

Chu Xuan extended his hand and swiftly confiscated Leng Hanshuang's storage bag, nodding slightly in approval.

Leng Hanshuang awoke as if from a deep dream, feeling as though she had been lying on a bed made from millennium-old profound ice that was perpetually aflame beneath. The sensation of ice and fire had left her oscillating between shivering from the cold and passing out from the heat. Now awake, she found herself in a dire, inescapable predicament.

Leng Hanshuang looked around. She was surrounded by unfamiliar architecture, and the air was devoid of Spiritual Qi, nearly barren, yet filled with a strange energy.

"Where is this?" Leng Hanshuang asked in shock.

Chu Xuan smiled. "Welcome to the underworld."

Taking a deep breath, Leng Hanshuang slowly regained the composure befitting a Holy Maiden. "I don't care who you are, if you kill me, you will face relentless retribution from the Reincarnation Divine Sect! My body bears the mark left by my ancestor. Anyone who kills me will be cursed for life!"

Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for the warning. In that case, I'll have someone else kill you."

Leng Hanshuang paused, confused. "What?"

Chu Xuan grinned. "No rush, I'm not going to kill you just yet. For now, I'll spare your life. But first, I need to search your soul, so please cooperate."

Leng Hanshuang's pupils dilated in fear. A soul search? That would leave her a mindless husk! She must not let him proceed with this!

She instinctively tried to activate her magic treasures, only to realize that all her treasures had been taken. Her Spiritual Qi was suppressed, her Nascent Soul was under the control of the two demonic guardians, and she couldn't even self-destruct.

This was true despair.

Chu Xuan's cold laughter echoed as he confronted Leng Hanshuang, who stared back with regret filling her eyes.

"I initially only wanted to hide until you left, and then leave on my own," he said. "But you, you madwoman, had to stir up the nether crocodile and force me out. Did you ever consider ending up in this situation when you came after me?"

Without hesitation, Chu Xuan proceeded to perform the soul-searching technique. Leng Hanshuang's eyes, once lively and bright, quickly dulled to a lifeless stare. Any fleeting spark of intelligence was merely a dying flicker; she would no longer progress an inch in this lifetime, essentially reduced to a state of idiocy.

"This woman possesses both an earth spirit root and an earth spirit body... I never expected such a spiritual constitution!" Chu Xuan exclaimed in surprise.

Leng Hanshuang's earth spirit root was the Ice Spirit Root, and her earth spirit body was the Ice Soul Spirit Body. Cultivators with such attributes have significantly stronger souls compared to their peers and can cultivate soul-enhancing techniques with much greater efficacy.

When deploying soul-based mystical techniques, they carry a potent force of icy coldness, making them extremely powerful—even overpowering others at the same level.

It was precisely because of these attributes that Leng Hanshuang had been favored from a young age as a Holy Maiden of the Reincarnation Divine Sect, cherished immensely by the Astral Projection ancestor Wen Lingtian. Perhaps it was also these traits that shaped her current temperament.

"I'll take both the earth spirit root and body!" Chu Xuan declared, pleased with his findings. It was well known that only earth-grade spirit roots were somewhat useful at the Nascent Soul stage, providing a slight chance of success in advancement. Lesser grades of spirit roots offered no such benefits.

As Chu Xuan planned his ascension to the Deity Transformation phase, even ultimate spirit roots would become useless. Only the earth spirit root could still be of some benefit.

"First, I'll use the 'Complete Root Seizing Technique' to seize the Earth-grade ice spirit root. Then, I'll use the 'Body-Seizing Technique' to take the Ice Soul Spirit Body. Leng Hanshuang's storage bag also contains several Ice attribute techniques for me to choose from. Plus, there are several superior and top-grade magic treasures..."

"Goodness, this is quite the haul," Chu Xuan chuckled, hardly able to contain his glee.

Chapter 240: Nascent Soul Technique, The Mysterious Heavenly Ice Soul Scroll

Over the next period, Chu Xuan, assuming the identity of Lin Fan, entered the treasure pavilion to exchange for various materials required for the Complete Root Seizing Technique. He didn't exchange everything all at once but did so in small quantities over multiple visits.

He also exchanged some less commonly used materials or those he might need in the future to confuse any onlookers. For other materials, he changed his appearance and purchased them from markets near the Yin Soul Mountain Range. Within just a couple of weeks, Chu Xuan had all the necessary materials ready.

The pills required for the technique were the Sky-Mending Pill and the Spirit-Binding Pill. With Chu Xuan's prior proficiency in pill making, crafting these would normally be somewhat challenging.

However, now possessing the True Blood Physique, even if there were slight imperfections in the pill crafting process, just a drop of his essence blood mixed into the pills could rectify their properties. Thus, crafting these two types of pills posed no difficulty.

The process of seizing Leng Hanshuang's spirit root was similar to how he had previously taken Duan Feipeng's ultimate-grade thunder spirit root. The entire procedure went smoothly without any obstacles, and Chu Xuan successfully obtained the earth-grade ice spirit root.

As for the superior Thunder spirit root previously obtained, Chu Xuan had implanted it into Hu's body, while the original spirit root was placed into Bao's body. This allowed both Hu and Bao to possess their own spirit roots, significantly accelerating their cultivation speeds.

...

"Spirit Mechanism Jade... so that's how it's obtained," Chu Xuan murmured in surprise. After extensive research in the Myriad Souls Sect's library, he discovered that Spirit Mechanism Jade wasn't an actual jade but was formed through a demonic array that refined cultivator skulls into a substance neither flesh nor jade.

"To craft a piece of Spirit Mechanism Jade, at least one Nascent Soul cultivator's skull is needed. However, a sufficient number of ordinary human skulls, equivalent in quantity to a Nascent Soul cultivator's skull, would also suffice."

Chu Xuan pondered this information. Mystic Azure Star was not like the extraterrestrial battlefield where Golden Core cultivators were as common as dogs and Nascent Soul cultivators were plentiful. Here, each Nascent Soul cultivator was significant, and their demise would cause a stir.

He was merely recuperating at the Myriad Souls Sect and did not wish to cause any significant disturbances. If he could use a large number of ordinary human skulls to craft Spirit Mechanism Jade, it would be ideal. Other cultivators might worry about accumulating bad karma, but Chu Xuan did not care.

Blue Star was abundant with powerful high-level zombies. "If ten thousand are not enough, then twenty thousand. If twenty thousand are insufficient, then forty thousand! Capturing more is always enough."

"Once the Spirit Mechanism Jade is crafted, I can use the Body-Seizing Technique to also seize Leng Hanshuang's Ice Soul Spirit Body," Chu Xuan nodded to himself. With the earth spirit root and earth spirit body, his cultivation speed was sure to increase exponentially.

Chu Xuan found a desolate desert on Blue Star and set up the Spirit Mechanism Array. This array was not created by True Master Tianqing but had been devised by a great figure of the demonic path long before.

It was specifically used to craft Spirit Mechanism Jade to hasten the understanding of techniques and scriptures. True Master Tianqing had made slight modifications to the original design, significantly reducing energy consumption and greatly increasing production capacity. This pleased Chu Xuan, as the consumption of high-level zombies had been excessively rapid lately.

After setting up the Spirit Mechanism Array, Chu Xuan ordered Two Arms, Four Arms, Long, Hu, and Bao to capture high-level zombies from across Blue Star and throw them into the array. He then sat in meditation near the array, beginning to study a Nascent Soul stage technique.

Chu Xuan placed the jade slip against his forehead and delved deep into contemplation. After a long while, he opened his eyes, thoughtful. The technique was named the "Mysterious Heavenly Ice Soul Scroll."

It included a comprehensive suite of spells for attack, defense, escape, treasure refinement, soul transformation, physical enhancement, and spiritual secrets. It was indeed all-encompassing.

Compared to it, other techniques found in Leng Hanshuang's storage bag seemed rather insufficient. Those techniques were either solely offensive or defensive, or specialized in escapism, presenting significant limitations. Of course, despite these flaws, they were not without their merits.

Chu Xuan estimated that while he cultivated the Mysterious Heavenly Ice Soul Scroll, he could also practice several other techniques in tandem. Selecting a few special techniques to supplement his primary practice would allow him to maximize his abilities.

From Leng Hanshuang's memories, Chu Xuan learned that the Mysterious Heavenly Ice Soul Scroll was a secret core technique of the Reincarnation Divine Sect: The first part corresponded to the Nascent Soul stage. The second part was for the Deity Transformation. The third part was applicable to the Astral Projection stage!

Leng Hanshuang, as a Holy Maiden, only possessed the first part. The second part was held by Deity Transformation elders, and not every one of them had it. Only those elders who had grown up within the Reincarnation Divine Sect, advancing from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, and then to Nascent Soul and Deity Transformations, were privy to it.

Deity Transformation elders who joined the sect later did not have access to the second part. The third part was exclusively in the hands of the Astral Projection ancestor Wen Lingtian.

After studying the Mysterious Heavenly Ice Soul Scroll, Chu Xuan was thrilled. Initially, he thought it was a standard righteous technique, but upon thorough reading, he discovered it contained a method to accelerate cultivation by absorbing ice souls!

In the bitterly cold and dark places where wronged spirits wreak havoc, these spirits, over the years, condense a crystal within their bodies imbued with icy Spiritual Qi. These are not Ice Souls but Ice Soul Crystals.

To purify these crystals into pure Ice Souls, a special method described in the Mysterious Heavenly Ice Soul Scroll must be used to remove the impurities and resentful spirits within them.

Leng Hanshuang employed such methods to accelerate her cultivation. The Reincarnation Divine Sect, after all, controls over a dozen stars and can naturally find such bitterly cold and dark places.

However, creating wronged spirits to produce Ice Souls damages one's virtue and can even incur karmic retribution. Thus, even Leng Hanshuang, as a Holy Maiden, couldn't obtain many Ice Souls—just five palm-sized pieces a month. Usually, she had to rely solely on her own spirit root and body for cultivation.

Chu Xuan, upon learning this, slapped his thigh in excitement. "Why didn't anyone mention this fantastic opportunity before!"

Although Blue Star lacked a sufficient number of spirits, Soul Star had plenty and more than enough. All he needed to do was set up an array and guide the wronged spirits into it. Within at most a hundred years, numerous spirits possessing Ice Soul Crystals would appear, ripe for harvest.

Chu Xuan wasn't concerned about the impure resentful spirits within the crystals. He dealt with corpse spirits on a daily basis. What was there to fear from some impure malevolent spirits? If it could enhance his cultivation speed, he was willing to absorb these malevolent spirits daily!

Chu Xuan caressed the jade slip, full of praise. "This Mysterious Heavenly Ice Soul Scroll, just by its name, indicates it's a top-tier orthodox technique. Truly as expected! I'm off to set up the array on Soul Star!"

He quickly found an appropriate Nascent Soul stage array within Leng Hanshuang's storage bag. Wrapping the array plate with his soul, he immediately used a soul-splitting technique to separate this part of his soul and transported it through the soul transmission matrix to Soul Star.

Chapter 241:  Ice Soul Formation

Chu Xuan gazed at the Yellow Springs Soul Refining Array and nodded slightly. It had been a long time since he last visited this formation. During this period, he had only fetched a few items. Each time, he harvested several million wronged souls and vengeful spirits.

Yet, the number of ghosts within the formation continued to grow unabated. The strongest of the ghosts had already reached the level of a ninth-grade Ghost Commander. However, no Ghost King had yet emerged.

Chu Xuan had no intention of allowing a Ghost King to arise among them. He planned to construct another formation called the "Extreme Cold Ice Crystal Formation" on the basis of the current one, a Nascent Soul stage formation.

This new formation would have dual functions. It would accelerate the mutual slaughter among the ghosts, determining the emergence of even stronger spirits. It would also cause the ghosts' bodies to condense ice soul crystals—a strategy that killed two birds with one stone.

The ghosts would be devoured by Two Arms and Four Arms to further their own realms, while the ice soul crystals would be reserved for his own absorption to swiftly advance the levels of his Mysterious Heavenly Ice Soul Scroll.

Chu Xuan had never set up a Nascent Soul stage formation before. His initial attempt was somewhat strenuous. However, everything has its first time, and with more practice, he would naturally master it.

Chu Xuan spent a whole day setting up the Extreme Cold Ice Crystal Formation. He made many errors during the process, but each was quickly corrected. Before long, a chill began to rise within the bounds of the formation.

The ghosts within were subtly transformed by this influence. This process would take a considerable amount of time, but it could be hastened by artificially increasing the chill and yin energy.

"From now on, it shall be known as the Ice Soul Formation," Chu Xuan declared casually, waving his hand. "This formation consumes a great deal, requiring a millennium-old ice crystal every five years. If we wish to accelerate this process, the consumption will be even greater. I must pay more attention to this matter."

Chu Xuan noted this and began to check what messages the spies he had planted had sent back.

"This detailed?" Chu Xuan was surprised at the information sent by Ghost Three and Ghost Four. The intelligence included detailed data on the garrison situations and exact numbers of twelve large cities under the Husbandry Faction. They had even sent back a map!

"What position have they managed to infiltrate? Could they already be close servants to the Greedy King?" Chu Xuan marveled. He truly had picked a group of ghost geniuses!

He scrutinized the vast and intricate but exceedingly detailed intelligence, pondering deeply. The strength of those twelve large cities was quite mediocre. Armed with Two Arms and Four Arms, Chu Xuan could easily storm in and wreak havoc. The Ghost Kings there were like a tonic for enhancing his soul.

Chu Xuan felt a touch of emotion. Which other cultivator could enjoy such treatment, freely devouring powerful souls?

After all, ghosts were a resource. The lands of extreme yin and places of grievous injustice had long been controlled by powerful forces. Not everyone could take and use them as freely as Chu Xuan.

"Let's choose Moonlight City," Chu Xuan decided.

Moonlight City was a new large city established by the Husbandry Faction, filling the void left by the former Torrential Flow City.

"However, before I go, I should strengthen my powers a bit more. It would be best to master a Nascent Soul stage soul technique."

Chu Xuan reviewed the jade slips and selected the soul technique he sought. This technique, a high-grade Nascent Soul stage soul technique called "Sky-Tearing Cold Palm," had two levels.

Mastering the first level allowed one to condense a giant hand of consciousness. Achieving the second level allowed for the formation of two such hands, as if tearing the skys themselves. Even just mastering the first level, the attack would carry the essence of chilling delay.

Chu Xuan estimated that mastering the first level alone would be sufficient to ensure no major mishaps. He planned to bring along several Ghost Commanders as cannon fodder. With such preparations, he would surely rest easy.

Having made his plans, Chu Xuan immediately sat down beside the Ice Soul Formation to cultivate the Sky-Tearing Cold Palm. A year later, he effortlessly mastered the first level of the technique.

Within the Ice Soul Formation, he chose five spirited Ghost Commanders and over a hundred capable Ghost Generals. After gathering them into his Sky-Shielding Umbrella, he set off with Two Arms and Four Arms towards Moonlight City.

Before long, Chu Xuan stood atop a mountain from which he could easily overlook Moonlight City. The newly constructed large city, though termed large, was in truth built atop the ruins of a past civilization.

The Husbandry Faction's Specter Kings had fiercely competed for this new city. A new city meant more breeding grounds, and thus more souls for their voracious consumption. No Specter King did not wish to become stronger. Naturally, many vied for the opportunity to guard such a city.

Now, the guardians of Moonlight City were Hun Fei and Hun San, two souls who had ascended from great specters to specter kings just over a decade ago. Their forces were not numerous, which was precisely why Chu Xuan had chosen Moonlight City. If he was going to practice his skills, naturally, he preferred to pick an easy target.

Even on the Soul Star, Chu Xuan did not lose his usual cautious nature. He had already silently circled around Moonlight City, laying down a formation. With this formation in place, every soul within the city walls would be trapped like fish in a barrel—none could escape. This was indeed Chu Xuan's usual way of doing things.

At this moment, Four-Arms was already itching to start. Two-Arms, almost instinctively, pulled out a divination disk to consult. However, after a while, the disk still hadn't settled down.

Chu Xuan, with a hint of amusement, asked, "What does the divination show?"

Two-Arms scratched his head, offering an embarrassed smile, "It's still spinning, heh heh heh..."

Chu Xuan looked down. Indeed, the divination disk was spinning violently—as if water were boiling. He waved his hand dismissively, "Then let's not overthink it. Let's go straight in."

"Woof woof woof!" Four-Arms, unable to contain his excitement, charged forward.

Chu Xuan facepalmed.

Atop the walls of Moonlight City, two specters were yawning out of sheer boredom as they carried out their dull guard duties. There were indeed frequent conflicts between the Slaughter Faction and the Husbandry Faction.

However, Moonlight City was far from the Slaughter Faction's territory and could even be considered a central location for the Husbandry Faction. It was unlikely that some madmen from the Slaughter Faction would cross such a vast distance to launch a slaughter in Moonlight City. Thus, the city's guards were always somewhat lax. Not exactly strict, their presence was almost unnecessary.

Inside Moonlight City, there were plenty of Husbandry Faction specters just waiting for death, living their greatest desire to consume the souls of the inhabitants of Soul Star to their heart's content.

"This thing smells so good; it's like being in heaven with food everywhere!" one specter exclaimed.

"Dude, you have such expensive stuff? Share some with me," another specter replied.

The two specters huddled together, inhaling and exhaling smoke, lost in a dreamy haze. They were smoking a long roll made from the peeled and dried bark of a plant, known as a fragrance roll. When burned, it produced clouds of smoke that induced delightful hallucinations, a favorite among the Husbandry Faction souls.

For these two lowly specters, acquiring even a single fragrance roll was a challenge.

"Woof woof woof!"

Suddenly, they heard an inexplicable noise.

"Where did that dog bark come from?"

The two specters looked up in unison, startled. Their pupils suddenly reflected the image of a trident spear hurtling through the air!

With a thud, they were pinned to the ground in an instant.

Chapter 242: Destroyed Three Cities in a Row

Moments later, Chu Xuan stood at the highest point of Moonlight City, looking down upon the vast city of the Husbandry Faction. He did not need to lift a finger himself. His subordinates—Ghost Kings, Ghost Commanders, and Ghost Generals—would naturally slaughter their way through. If he possessed such power but could not take down a mere Moonlight City, it would be a disgrace indeed. Chu Xuan merely needed to wait here.

It wasn't long before Two Arms and Four Arms came before him, dragging two Specter Kings with them. These were Hun Fei and Hun San, the guardians of Moonlight City.

These newly promoted Specter Kings had never seen such a force before. The numerous powerful spirits surged into Moonlight City and began a massacre without a second word. They were so frightened that their spectral forms dimmed on the spot. Lacking even the strength to resist, they were easily captured by Two Arms and Four Arms.

Two-Arms announced, "Father, I've brought these two for you."

Hun Fei and Hun San exchanged a glance, then knelt down before Chu Xuan with a thud.

"Lord! We are willing to serve you loyally!"

"Lord! We pledge ourselves to your service!"

To them, the spirits who had captured them so effortlessly were exceedingly powerful. And yet, these powerful spirits were deferential to the one before them. Clearly, this was the true powerhouse. Surrendering to such a strong being brought no shame!

Chu Xuan shook his head, "Too weak and too disloyal. I have no need for subordinates like you."

Suddenly, he used the Sky-Tearing Cold Palm, taking control of the two Specter Kings. Under the soul-searching technique, all beings were equal, and their memories were laid bare.

After swiftly reviewing the memories of the two Specter Kings, Chu Xuan casually tore them to shreds. He quickly absorbed and refined them using a melting furnace technique. His soul body immediately swelled by a whole size.

Specter Kings were roughly equivalent to Ghost Commanders. However, the specters were somewhat different from ghosts as they possessed independent thought.

Thus, refining a Specter King was about equivalent to refining four to five Ghost Commanders of the same level. This was why Chu Xuan's soul power surged so dramatically.

"How much was lost?" Chu Xuan asked nonchalantly, wiping his mouth.

Two-Arms replied, "None, except I ate too quickly and broke my teeth."

Chu Xuan nodded with a smile, "Good."

Soon, there was no remnant of any soul clan from the Husbandry Faction left in Moonlight City. As for the Soul Star people who had been kept there, they had all been sent to their destined places.

Before leaving, Chu Xuan, as was his custom, cast down a Blood Evil Yin Fire. The dark purple flames rose and quickly engulfed the entire city.

Ten days later.

Two Specter Kings, each leading their great specters, arrived at Moonlight City. They stared at the charred remains of the city, their expressions ugly. They were Hun Shang and Hun Bao, rulers of Echo City, one of the twelve large cities.

Echo City, being one of the first established large cities, was rich in resources. The newly established cities of the Husbandry Faction invariably had dealings with Echo City.

Not long ago, the two Specter Kings of Moonlight City, Hun Fei, and Hun San, had purchased a batch of high-quality Soul Star seedlings from Echo City.

Hun Shang and Hun Bao had prepared the seedlings but had seen no one from Moonlight City come to collect them. Curious about the delay, they had come to investigate and were greeted by a distressingly familiar scene.

"What's going on here? First, it was Torrential Flow City, now Moonlight City?" Hun Shang frowned. He sniffed the burned ashes, "The smell is different from Torrential Flow City, seems like the flames were stronger."

Hun Bao angrily said, "It must be those lunatics from the Fireburn Gang! They even burned down a small city half a year ago!"

The Slaughter Faction was large and divided into many factions, generally categorized by their methods of killing. The major factions included the Slaughter Gang, the Devour Gang, the Fireburn Gang, etc. To them, killing was a form of amusement.

Hun Shang furrowed his brow, "I don't think so. Many souls fear the light of fire, and even the crazies of the Fireburn Gang wouldn't dare to use too much fire. Until now, they have only dared to attack our small cities, never even a medium-sized one, let alone a large city guarded by a Specter King."

Hun Bao waved his hand impatiently, "I know you've been dealing with some of the milder factions of the Slaughter Faction behind the scenes. Don't make excuses for those lunatics; it was definitely the Fireburn Gang's doing."

Hun Shang frowned. With many individuals, there are bound to be differing opinions. It wasn't strange for some souls within the Slaughter Faction to lean towards the Husbandry Faction.

Indeed, Hun Shang had cooperated with these milder Slaughter factions multiple times, which had also allowed him to gather more intelligence about the Slaughter Faction. That's why he believed the Fireburn Gang couldn't have done this.

Hun Shang tried to reason further, but Hun Bao coldly huffed, "Enough, I won't listen. Right now, on this Soul Star, the strongest are our Husbandry Faction and the Slaughter Faction. We in the Husbandry Faction have little internal strife. It must be those lunatics from the Slaughter Faction's Fireburn Gang. I'm going to find them and fight it out!"

With that, Hun Bao led his great specters away, full of fury. Hun Shang sighed deeply and also departed.

...

In the following days, Chu Xuan led Two-Arms and Four-Arms, along with their Ghost Commanders and Generals, in multiple strikes. They razed a city each month, specifically targeting the Husbandry Faction. Everywhere they went, every Specter King and Great Specter was swept away.

Specter Kings were soul-searched by Chu Xuan, then torn to shreds and absorbed through a melting furnace technique. As for the Great Specters and lesser specters, they were left for the weaker spirits to absorb.

In the process, Two-Arms and Four-Arms naturally advanced to the rank of third-level Ghost Kings. Chu Xuan's own soul part also swelled significantly, almost reaching a quarter of his original body's power.

"Three months, three large cities annihilated," Chu Xuan mused with a smile, stroking his chin. "Each time, every soul of the Husbandry Faction within the city was slaughtered, not a single one escaped. And afterward, I used Blood Evil Yin Fire to clean up the battlefield, leaving no trace that the Husbandry Faction could discern."

Chu Xuan had learned from his spies, Soul One, Soul Two, Soul Three, and Soul Four, about a faction within the Slaughter Faction called the Fireburn Gang. The name sounded almost edible, but their actions were brutal.

The Fireburn Gang's specters preferred using fire to kill other souls for their brief pleasure. Unsurprisingly, all these impressive achievements would likely be attributed to the Fireburn Gang.

The messages from his spies indicated that the conflict between the Husbandry and Slaughter factions had escalated further. What started as minor skirmishes was now heating up.

Just a few days ago, there had even been a clash between Specter Kings from both sides that ended inconclusively. However, Chu Xuan felt that things were moving too slowly.

He decided it was time to visit the Slaughter Faction directly. Given the temperament of those madmen, once a city of the Slaughter Faction was wiped out, they would inevitably lash out against the Husbandry Faction. Only then would the real battle between the two factions begin in earnest.

"Let's start with an easy target," Chu Xuan decided, quickly choosing a large city controlled by the Slaughter Faction. He didn't act personally but instead sent Four-Arms with a large contingent of Ghost Commanders to execute the plan.

Chapter 243: Merit has no use, after all. Isn't it all about my artifact-refining talent?

With Four-Arms, a Ghost King wielding four lifebound ghost artifacts, attacking a major city of the Slaughter Faction was simply unstoppable.

Chu Xuan had imparted to Four-Arms a soul technique called the "Hidden Soul Method" to conceal his aura. This technique, a skill from the Husbandry Faction, could slightly alter the soul's form.

Four-Arms' arms were thus disguised to look indistinguishable from those of the Husbandry Faction's specters.

Chu Xuan had also instructed Four-Arms to deliberately let a few Slaughter Faction specters escape. This way, the news would spread. The minds of the Slaughter Faction's specters were more single-minded compared to those of the Husbandry Faction. They believed their only significant enemy was the Husbandry Faction, thinking that if they could eliminate them, Soul Star would be theirs.

Now, with a major city of their faction destroyed, they would undoubtedly blame the Husbandry Faction, further intensifying the conflict.

Days later, Chu Xuan was by the Ice Soul Formation, continuing his cultivation of soul techniques. He received a message from Soul One.

"Master, the Slaughter Faction's specters have learned that a major city has been destroyed, and they are all furious. Only a few advocate for investigation; most are claiming they will immediately launch a massive attack on the Husbandry Faction. Some have already started taking action without a second word."

Chu Xuan nodded slightly. The situation was unfolding exactly as he had planned. Next, he only needed to watch as the Slaughter and Husbandry factions fought each other to the death. If the Ghost Kings from both sides died in direct conflict, the situation would escalate even further.

Eventually, the Slaughter Faction's Slaughter King and the Husbandry Faction's Greedy King would have to step in to clean up the mess.

By then, Chu Xuan would truly understand the strengths of these two Kings. His own accumulated power would be considerably formidable by that point, and striking like thunder at that moment would not be too late.

"I've been on Soul Star for some time now; the Spirit Mechanism Formation should have yielded some results, right?" Chu Xuan didn't recall that part of his soul. Instead, he immediately rose, steering the Imperial Sky Mirror towards the Spirit Mechanism Formation.

Before long, he hovered over the Spirit Mechanism Formation, looking down at the array filled with shriveled heads. The Spirit Mechanism Formation only refined the heads; other parts of the body were not needed. The parts below the heads were put to full use. These torsos were transported by corpse puppets to other formations and transformed into large blood pearls.

At this moment, Chu Xuan fixed his gaze and discovered that among the layers of heads in the formation, some were now emitting a jade-like radiance, the fluid slowly solidifying into shape.

Stretching out his hand, he used his spiritual consciousness to retrieve a piece of Spirit Mechanism Jade, gripping it tightly in his hand. At a glance, the Spirit Mechanism Jade was a piece of translucent stone, exuding a faint fragrance. Sniffing it closely, it even seemed to make one's thoughts sharper and more focused.

Chu Xuan recalled from the archives of the Myriad Souls Sect that carrying this item over time could significantly speed up a cultivator's comprehension of various techniques and scriptures—a truly rare treasure.

However, the method of its creation was deemed excessively cruel and thus shunned by righteous cultivators. Of course, while they might verbally reject it, whether they used it or not was another matter entirely. The cruelty of its creation was the creator's burden, not the user's.

"The materials needed to refine the Acquired Miraculous Jade are now complete," Chu Xuan thought. "I could begin the refining process now, but given the high grade of this item and True Master Tianqing's specific mention that it has a substantial chance of success, I prefer to be patient. I will wait until there is more Spirit Mechanism Jade before I proceed with the refining."

Chu Xuan was not one to rush for quick success. The Spirit Mechanism Formation was set and unthreatened by others' interference. He decided to calm his mind and prepare the materials needed for upgrading other magic treasures.

His lifebound magic treasures like the Evil Soul Chain, Blood Beehive, and Sky-Shielding Umbrella all required enhancements, particularly the Evil Soul Chain, which had been with him for a long time and was extremely handy.

Currently residing in the Myriad Souls Sect, apart from completing tasks assigned by the Elder of Myriad Souls, Chu Xuan had little else to distract him. The Elder's tasks typically involved capturing living souls, demanding at least two hundred thousand at a time.

To be safe, Chu Xuan often sourced these souls from zombies on Blue Star to fulfill these tasks. Each completion left him with considerable free time, which he now intended to use to upgrade his magic treasures.

Originally, the Evil Soul Chain was a mid-grade magic tool. Over time, after integrating substantial amounts of Ghost Evil Steel, it evolved into a top-tier magic tool.

Now, Chu Xuan aimed to elevate it straight to the ranks of high-grade magic treasures. The materials required for this were extensive, most of which could be purchased, except for the rare Blood Resentment Black Steel.

Blood Resentment Black Steel could only be created by watering fine steel with the blood of mortals who died violently—a process necessitating slaughter. Such violent deaths imbued the metal with deep resentment.

While such acts accumulated significant karmic debts, even if high-level cultivators commanded lower-level ones to perform these deeds, the karma would still affect the higher-level cultivators. Thus, the production of Blood Resentment Black Steel had long been lost to time, with few daring to defy the world's censure to craft it.

However, Chu Xuan relied solely on his own efforts. Fortunately, he still held a small advantage: the vast Blue Star was overrun with zombies. Producing Blood Resentment Black Steel was merely a matter of time.

Two years later, Chu Xuan had managed to acquire ten jin of Blood Resentment Black Steel, successfully upgrading the Evil Soul Chain to a high-grade magic treasure.

The spirit within the chain, Huikong, had also made significant advancements. Previously, although Huikong possessed some intelligence, it wasn't particularly bright, requiring Chu Xuan to divide some of his mental energy to control it.

But now, it could fight autonomously, freeing Chu Xuan from the need to manage it directly. This meant that Chu Xuan could control yet another magic treasure simultaneously—bringing the total to five.

When Chu Xuan returned to the Spirit Mechanism Formation, he was pleased to nod in satisfaction. The formation had accumulated four pieces of Spirit Mechanism Jade.

This quantity was sufficient. Even if the success rate was low, a one in four chance should be enough to succeed. If it didn't work out, he could always blame it on merit—how could so much accumulated merit not pay off? Surely, a bit of complaining would make it effective.

After a day of calming his mind and steadying his emotions, Chu Xuan began the process of refining the Acquired Miraculous Jade. Following the attempt, he immediately discovered that the success rate was not just low—it was terrifyingly low!

True Master Tianqing's comments about the low success rate were an understatement. True Master Tianqing must have had an extraordinary talent in artifact refining to succeed at making it. Chu Xuan's own talent in artifact crafting, he realized, simply couldn't compare to that of Master Tianqing.

"Chu Xuan, Chu Xuan, use your invincible merit to find a way!" he muttered to himself after failing twice consecutively. Taking a few deep breaths, he started the process again. This time, he succeeded.

Moments later, Chu Xuan looked at the pure white Acquired Miraculous Jade in front of him and flashed a confident smile.

"Merit has no use, after all. Isn't it all about my artifact-refining talent?"