2: Xuanyin flag, the remnant soul of the golden elixir!

Inside the thick jungle shrouded in Profound Yin black mist, large patches of shattered skeletons were visible everywhere.

Occasionally, green ghost fires flickered, and eerie beast roars could be faintly heard from within the mountains.

Beneath an ancient locust tree that had been split in half,

a gray-robed youth was using a large bone shard, like an iron shovel, to dig several two-foot-deep pits under the locust tree.

“Found it!”

“This is… a small banner?”

Shi Chuan looked at the palm-sized black banner in the pit, picked it up, and cleaned off the dirt. A black-red hue appeared on the banner's surface, and upon closer inspection, threads of red, like earthworms, gently wriggled on it.

However, the flagstaff had several cracks, damaging many of the ancient characters inscribed on it, and a black rhomboid gem was embedded at the end of the flagstaff.

Furthermore, Shi Chuan could sense that pure Spiritual Qi emanated from within this small banner, not the chilling Corpse Qi.

As it transmitted into the meridians of his right hand, the stiffness in his entire right arm was greatly dispelled!

Such pure Spiritual Qi, what a treasure!

Shi Chuan was overjoyed.

He immediately drew a cut with his short dagger, and a drop of fresh blood fell onto the small banner!

The blood was absorbed instantly.

Buzz!

In a flash, the small banner in his right hand was enveloped by a black baleful Qi, transforming into a wisp of black light that merged into his right palm.

The next moment, information about this small banner appeared in Shi Chuan's Sea of Consciousness.

This is a Profound Yin Banner!

It has a control incantation, and this Magical Artifact has two abilities.

First, Spirit Transformation!

It can transform Corpse Baleful Qi into Spiritual Qi.

Second, Soul Seizing!

It can seize souls and nourish evil spirits!

What made Shi Chuan even happier was that the Profound Yin Banner's Spirit Transformation ability was passive, requiring no Spiritual Qi to activate.

Only the second ability, Soul Seizing, still needed to be explored!

With this Profound Yin Banner in hand, becoming an Outer Sect Disciple of Corpse Refining Peak and leaving this Corpse Refining Cave would not be a difficult task!

Shi Chuan did not linger. Instead, he filled all the pits dug under the locust tree, covered his tracks, and then hurriedly left.

He headed straight for his lair in the Corpse Refining Cave.

His cultivation at the initial Qi Refinement Stage first level was too low. Now that he had the Profound Yin Banner, he naturally needed to Cultivate for some time. It would be more appropriate to emerge after the bigu pills were consumed and he had mastered a Corpse Raising Art spell!

When he was almost at the stone cave,

Shi Chuan saw Li Jiang, who had only recently arrived, on a gravel path. He was beaten black and blue, and the Medicinal Pill bottle containing Corpse Nourishing Pills, which he had clutched tightly, was snatched away.

The one who snatched the Medicinal Pill bottle was also a gray-robed Utility Disciple, gaunt as a skeleton with sunken eyes. His pair of grey-green eyes, tainted by Corpse Qi, looked up at Shi Chuan, who was also in a gray robe.

Immediately, he turned around in a hurry and flew into the black mist and Profound Yin, disappearing in a flash.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

“Thank you, Senior Brother, for your help. This Junior Brother is extremely grateful!”

“Senior Brother has achieved success in Qi Refining and is a Disciple with a badge on Corpse Refining Peak. If Senior Brother could help me send a message, I will certainly have the Elders in my Family send another bottle of Corpse Nourishing Pills to thank Senior Brother!”

Li Jiang, with blood at the corners of his mouth and swollen eyes, struggled to get up from the ground. He looked at Shi Chuan, his eyes filled with tears and gratitude as he spoke.

‘Family.’

Shi Chuan's heart sank.

This Li Jiang indeed had some background, and he had just arrived, flaunting Corpse Nourishing Pills. This looked like a trap no matter how he saw it!

The so-called Corpse Nourishing Pills, which he had wanted to give to him before, now seemed to have been snatched away!

Having such a person as a neighbor was not a good thing at all!

“I was just passing by, Junior Brother. There’s no need to be so polite.”

After speaking, Shi Chuan, as before, did not say anything more. Instead, he passed by and headed straight for the stone cave passage several hundred steps away.

Li Jiang on the gravel path raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. After watching Shi Chuan's disappearing figure and standing still for a few breaths, he also headed towards the stone cave entrance.

After returning to his lair,

Shi Chuan closed his door tightly and, with the help of the Profound Yin Banner's Spirit Transformation, began to continuously absorb external Spiritual Qi to refine the first Spiritual Vein he had opened within his body.

The Corpse Raising Art that Shi Chuan obtained only covered the first four levels of the Qi Refinement Stage.

However, for Shi Chuan at present, it was already enough.

Without the interference of the chilling Corpse Qi, Shi Chuan felt that Cultivating was so smooth, and his cultivation progress could rapidly improve.

Time flew by.

It was zi shi (11 pm - 1 am) in a blink of an eye.

【zi shi has arrived】

【Received a purple intelligence】

【Purple Intelligence: A remnant soul of a Golden Core Stage Demonic Cultivator is hidden within the Profound Yin Banner, waiting for an opportunity for Possession. You can cast the Profound Yin Banner's Reverse Incantation to reverse and devour it. The incantation is as follows…】

【Note: The Reverse Incantation can activate the Profound Yin Banner with just a wisp of Spiritual Qi. Even at Qi Refinement Stage first level, one can devour the Golden Core Demonic Cultivator's remnant soul with the Profound Yin Banner!】

When Shi Chuan saw the purple intelligence, his eyes lit up.

But then, after seeing the content of the purple intelligence, a chill ran down his spine!

There was actually a remnant soul of a Golden Core Demonic Cultivator within this Profound Yin Banner. It seemed that the Profound Yin Banner's so-called passive Spirit Transformation ability might be a lure from the old demon within the Profound Yin Banner!?

No time to lose, he needed to cast the Reverse Incantation as soon as possible!

Shi Chuan thought of the remnant soul of a Golden Core Demonic Cultivator within the Profound Yin Banner in his body, not knowing when it would attempt to possess him.

This was like a fragrant baby flaunting itself in front of a tiger demon that had been hungry for a long time!

He could be killed at any moment!

Shi Chuan summoned the Profound Yin Banner, causing it to slowly float in the air, continuously releasing pure Spiritual Qi.

“Reverse Incantation, refine it for me!!!”

Shi Chuan formed hand seals, and the few wisps of Spiritual Qi he had Cultivated for half a day were all channeled into the Profound Yin Banner.

In an instant, the earthworm-like red lines on the Profound Yin Banner vanished into thin air. All the red lines from the banner's surface instantly rushed towards the black gem at the end of the flagstaff.

“Ahhh!!!”

“How is this possible!”

“Reverse Incantation, you junior, how could you know the Reverse Incantation on this Profound Yin Banner!!!”

“Who exactly are you!?”

“Who exactly… is…”

The furious and unwilling roar from within the Profound Yin Banner came to an abrupt halt.

That old and hoarse voice made Shi Chuan's heart race, and his hands trembled slightly.

After more than ten breaths,

a vast amount of information about the Golden Core Demonic Cultivator's memories was transmitted from the Profound Yin Banner. The memory transmission continued for nearly half an hour before stopping.

The floating Profound Yin Banner then fell to the ground. Only a few red lines remained on its surface, the rest having disappeared, as if it had become dormant.

After sifting through the Golden Core Demonic Cultivator's memories, Shi Chuan was quite pleased.

These memories contained Cultivation Techniques, array formations from the Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation, Demonic Sect forbidden arts, and more. This was like unexpectedly acquiring a Treasure Trove.

Its value was immeasurably higher than the Profound Yin Banner itself.

Eternal Vine!

The Golden Core Demonic Cultivator of the Red God Sect was once an Elder of the Red God Sect.

The Red God Sect was once a renowned top Demonic Sect, a force with several Nascent Soul Demonic Lords.

Shi Chuan, now a Utility Disciple, only knew that the Peak Master of their Corpse Refining Peak seemed to only have Foundation Establishment cultivation.

Shi Chuan sorted through the Golden Core Demonic Cultivator's memories, and there were indeed many Cultivation Techniques related to Cultivation.

Among them, the most significant was the Crimson God Demonic Sect's foundational Cultivation Technique, the Four-Revolutions Crimson God Art, which could be Cultivated to the Nascent Soul Stage!

Although Eternal Vine only had the Three-Revolutions Crimson God Art, which could at most be Cultivated to the Golden Core Stage, for Shi Chuan now, it was already an excellent choice.

Looking at the Corpse Raising Art Shi Chuan was currently Cultivating, with the perspective of someone who had fused with part of the Golden Core Demonic Cultivator's memories,

this might also be called 'Corpse Refining Art.' Upon Major Achievement in Qi Refining, or perhaps after entering the Foundation Establishment Stage, there was a possibility of refining oneself into a second-tier Corpse Puppet, becoming a Puppet for others, doing all the work for them!