98: Fighting magic, extracting souls and refining puppets all in one! (Please read on)

Eastern Suburb Ward.

In the backyard of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, within a bamboo forest spanning several acres.

Within the verdant bamboo forest, there was a sizable open space, and along its edge were many Cultivators.

Among them were Zhang Lingxi and his group. Of the other dozens of Cultivators, three elderly Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivators led the team. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the two figures in the center of the open space.

One of them was a middle-aged man in a black robe, with slightly graying temples and a hint of weariness about him, appearing to be in his forties or fifties.

Opposite him was an old man hidden beneath a loose green robe, with only a pair of hands, like bird claws, hanging naturally from his wide sleeves.

One of his hands held a skull staff, and his entire body exuded a rolling Evil Qi. The pressure of his Qi Refining Perfection Realm was released without reservation.

Old Ghost Cangjiang!

When Zhang Lingxi and the others saw the green-robed old man, they knew his identity. This person was a minor Rogue Cultivator of some renown outside the Five Elements Immortal City.

It was well-known that at least two Cultivators at Qi Refining Perfection had died by his hand. He was ruthless and merciless, hailing from a small demonic Cultivation School.

To be able to Cultivate to the Qi Refining Perfection Realm from a small School indicated that this Old Ghost Cangjiang definitely had some tricks up his sleeve.

Upon seeing Old Ghost Cangjiang, Zhang Lingxi and many Cultivators from the Zhang Clan felt their hearts sink, as they all knew his methods.

"I heard Daoist Yu is a highly skilled disciple of the Yellow Springs Demon Sect. Why bother sticking up for some damn Zhang Clan? As long as Daoist Yu concedes, we don't have to fight to the death. Wouldn't it be more pleasant to sit down and discuss the Dao?"

"I am very interested in the Cultivation Technique of the Yellow Springs Demon Sect. Daoist Yu, just name your price, and I will not bargain."

Old Ghost Cangjiang, Ding Xiaoyu, expressed a hint of goodwill in his tone.

As fellow demonic Cultivators at Qi Refining Perfection, if they truly fought to the death, any injuries would also reduce their Lifespan. There was simply no need!

As long as enough Spirit Stones were given, wouldn't it be better for everyone to be friends and discuss the Dao?

True life-and-death duels should only be fought against those of lower Realms to ensure victory.

"Oh?"

"I didn't expect Fellow Daoist to be such a straightforward person!"

"Twenty thousand Spirit Stones."

Shi Chuan's tone was calm.

"Hmm?"

"Fellow Daoist must be joking..."

Ding Xiaoyu was about to continue.

He then saw Shi Chuan, a few dozen steps in front of him, holding several talismans. Ding Xiaoyu instinctively sensed the dangerous aura emanating from the talismans.

At the same time, a massive surge of blood Qi condensed around Shi Chuan, forming four Flying Swords. Each Flying Sword shimmered with a crystalline crimson glow, and sharp Sword Qi swept in all directions.

This caused the expressions of the many Cultivators watching from the surroundings to change.

"I didn't expect Elder Yu to also be proficient in Flying Sword techniques!"

Zhang Lingxi's expression was surprised, but also filled with a hint of joy.

Flying Sword techniques were an absolutely superior method for defeating enemies of the same rank in combat.

Swish, swish, swish!!!

The four Flying Swords transformed into streaks of dazzling light, shooting towards Ding Xiaoyu. In an instant, they were right in front of him.

Ding Xiaoyu hadn't expected Yu Shu to act so decisively. They were both Cultivators at Qi Refining Perfection, and Yu Shu, being so young, had already advanced to Level 10 Qi Refining.

He even had some hope of Foundation Establishment in the future. If he made an enemy of such a person, and failed to kill him this time, it would be like letting a tiger return to the mountains.

It would be better to spend more Spirit Stones to resolve this trouble.

But Yu Shu wasn't giving him a chance!

"Fellow Daoist, you better think carefully!"

Ding Xiaoyu snorted coldly. The skull staff he held released a dark green magical power shield, enveloping him.

A top-tier first-grade Magical Artifact!

At the same time, from beneath his loose sleeves, a large swarm of green mosquitoes surged out like a green torrent.

The buzzing of the mosquitoes echoed incessantly in the surroundings.

Each green mosquito Gu worm was as large as a cherry, emerald green all over, with mouthparts as hard as profound iron.

The swarm of mosquitoes flew out, completely engulfing the four Flying Swords that were blocking them, binding them tightly within the swarm, preventing them from breaking free.

"Profound Yin Banner, Soul Capture!"

Upon seeing this, Shi Chuan's expression remained calm.

The blood Qi Flying Swords had only used less than one-thousandth of the power within the blood serpent pearl, yet they already possessed the conventional combat power of the Qi Refining Perfection level.

Such large swarms of Gu worms were precisely countered by the Profound Yin Banner.

A massive black mist vortex appeared above the swarm. The Profound Yin Banner enlarged to over ten feet, and strands of gray-white wandering souls were drawn from a large number of green mosquito Gu worms, visibly condensing into a stream of gray-white mist that was sucked into the Profound Yin Banner.

"Soul artifact!?"

"Not good."

Ding Xiaoyu's face changed dramatically when he saw the soul artifact Shi Chuan was wielding. This clearly countered him.

Just as he wanted to recall the swarm, a large portion of the swarm was visibly dead, covering the ground with a layer of green giant mosquito carcasses.

"Damn it!!!"

Ding Xiaoyu's eyes were bloodshot.

These Gu worms were extremely difficult to Cultivate, having been nurtured since they were eggs, taking nearly a hundred years to achieve their current results.

But now, in just a dozen breaths, seven or eight tenths of the swarm had already been lost.

For Ding Xiaoyu, this was like having a shovel brutally dug into his heart.

"It's time to end this!"

Upon seeing this, Shi Chuan felt that his objective had been mostly achieved, and there was no need to continue the act.

"Let me send you on your way."

Shi Chuan threw out four high-grade first-tier Soul Burial Talismans. The talismans activated, transforming into four black arrows that easily pierced through the Spiritual Qi shield formed by the Magical Artifact skull staff, and slammed into Ding Xiaoyu's head.

In an instant, Ding Xiaoyu's body immediately petrified, and the next moment he fell heavily to the ground, emitting a dull thud.

"Soul Capture!"

"Refine Puppet!"

The ten-foot-tall Profound Yin Banner beside Shi Chuan flapped loudly. Several red lines pierced into Ding Xiaoyu's head, extracting a black wandering soul and pulling it into the Profound Yin Banner.

As for Ding Xiaoyu's corpse, Shi Chuan cast several puppet-refining incantations and threw out five corpse-controlling talismans. The talismans transformed into five black nails, several inches long, which directly pierced into his glabella and four limbs.

In an instant, Ding Xiaoyu, who had been lying on the ground, stood up, his expression stiff, and walked in front of Shi Chuan, who then raised his hand and collected him into his corpse raising bag.

The dozens of Qi Refining Cultivators along the bamboo forest gasped in unison.

Especially the three Clan Chiefs who had invited Old Ghost Cangjiang, Ding Xiaoyu. They exchanged glances, seeing only bitterness in each other's eyes.

Now they were truly in trouble, having provoked such a formidable individual.

Being at the same Level 10 Qi Refining, yet able to completely suppress Old Ghost Cangjiang in just a few rounds, and even extract his soul and refine him into a puppet, this was not like a fight between peers at all, but rather like a Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivator dealing with a Mid-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator.

"Elder Yu has the potential for Foundation Establishment!"

"To be able to resolve a peer so cleanly and efficiently at the same Qi Refining Perfection Realm is enough to prove this point."

Zhang Lingxi was overjoyed to witness this scene.

He had truly made the right gamble.

"Everyone, if you have enough Spirit Stones, you can invite a few more Fellow Daoists at Qi Refining. That way, my soul banner and corpse raising bag can gain more."

Shi Chuan's gaze swept over the three Clan Chiefs of the Late Stage Qi Refining Families, and he spoke.

"Daoist Yu is joking. We were overestimating ourselves. We will definitely come to apologize tomorrow!"

"Yes, we were overestimating ourselves, overestimating ourselves."

"Daoist Yu's demeanor is exceptional, and we admire him greatly. My Family has a few good Magical Artifacts, and I will definitely invite Daoist Yu to admire them tomorrow."

"My Family also has a few talismans obtained by chance, as well as a few rare spiritual crystals, all to be presented for admiration."

"Mine too."

The three Clan Chiefs of the immortal Cultivation Families exchanged glances with Shi Chuan, then hastily bowed and said.

If they dared to provoke such a fierce individual who so deftly dealt with a peer, wouldn't they be tired of living?