Chapter 77 Refining Ghost Essence

"Pfft!"

The Ghostly Creature's sharp claws, lunging toward Chen Mu's Dantian, suddenly froze three inches from his clothes.

It looked down at its own chest.

There, a short blade was embedded squarely in its heart.

The two characters "Soul-Slaying" engraved on the hilt guard erupted with a blinding black light!

Chen Mu slowly raised his head, a cold sneer tugging at the corner of his mouth.

The Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique he had just used was merely a feint, an overt attack to draw its attention.

But the soul-slaying blade hidden in his sleeve was his true killing move.

"Th-this is..."

For the first time, the Ghostly Creature's voice lacked its condescending arrogance, replaced only by incredulous terror.

Chen Mu's eyes were cold as ice; the Soul-Loss Art, now at Perfection, poured out from his Sea of Consciousness and surged wildly into the Ghostly Creature's body along the soul-slaying blade.

The soul-slaying blade was specialized in severing wandering souls and evil spirits.

The Soul-Loss Art was specialized in countering soulless spirits.

The combination of the two was the bane of this pseudo-soul, created from paper paste and embodying resentment and obsession!

Even more terrifyingly, the Evil-Breaking Nail that Qi Huan had driven into its body moments ago was now triggered by this power, erupting with pure Yang Evil Qi and violently assaulting its soul body.

"Argh!"

The Ghostly Creature let out an extremely shrill screech.

It was not merely physical pain, but the terror of its Origin being completely torn apart and suppressed!

Its golden radiance dimmed rapidly, and its paper-pasted body began to turn gray and crack from the point of the blade.

"Impossible! How could you..."

The Ghostly Creature's voice was intermittent, filled with unwillingness and hatred.

Chen Mu, however, couldn't be bothered to waste words; he twisted his wrist, and the soul-slaying blade sliced horizontally.

"Boom!"

The Ghostly Creature's towering body stiffened abruptly, then shattered inch by inch.

First the limbs, then the torso, and finally the head.

The entire paper-pasted shell turned into a sky full of paper scraps in the blink of an eye, fluttering down and returning to the world.

A turbid, dark-gold bead about the size of an egg slowly appeared, floating in mid-air.

Countless twisted faces could be vaguely seen struggling and wailing within it.

At the same time, the System's prompt sounded in Chen Mu's mind.

[Killed Heart-Awakening Realm Early Stage Ghostly Creature, plundered Lifespan: 274 years]

[Obtained special item: Ghost Origin]

Chen Mu's pupils constricted slightly. According to the original owner's memories, this thing was the essence of a Ghostly Creature's cultivation, containing the majority of its Soul Power and Yin Evil cultivation.

He let out a long breath, a sense of exhaustion hitting him instantly, and he staggered half a step before managing to steady himself.

The soul-slaying blade combined with the Soul-Loss Art was powerful, but the toll on the user was also immense.

The strike just now had drained most of his strength.

Not far away, Qi Huan finally recovered from his extreme shock, his lips trembling.

"Th-this..."

Qi Huan's voice sounded as if it were squeezed from his throat, trembling with disbelief.

This was a Heart-Awakening Realm Ghostly Creature, a tough opponent capable of bizarre virtual-real transitions and possessing special methods to interfere with Hell.

Even he, having exhausted all his strength and used his trump card Magic Treasure, could only barely survive.

Yet this newcomer, who had joined the Demon Suppression Division only a few days ago, had just stabbed it to death with one strike?!

Qi Huan struggled to stand up, accidentally aggravating his wounds, causing him to wince in pain, yet his eyes were frighteningly bright, as if he were meeting Chen Mu for the first time.

"Brother... you... you're f*cking... too savage!"

"What kind of blade did you use just now? That aura... how come I've never seen it before?"

Chen Mu glanced at him but didn't respond.

He really didn't have the energy for small talk right now.

Although the Ghostly Creature was destroyed, the Ghost Origin still floated in the air, emitting an alluring yet dangerous aura.

By conventional logic, the Ghost Origin was the gathered essence of a Ghostly Creature's cultivation, but to the living, it was an extremely Yin and evil object.

If one attempted to absorb it forcibly, they would likely suffer for it.

At best, Yin Qi would enter the body and damage one's Foundation; at worst, one's Divine Soul would be corrupted, turning them into a half-human, half-ghost monster.

But Chen Mu had the System.

With a thought, he attempted to cast his consciousness toward the Ghost Origin.

[Attempt to refine the Ghost Origin?]

"Refine."

Chen Mu did not hesitate, immediately sitting cross-legged with his hands held before his abdomen; the Ghost Origin slowly descended and hovered between his palms.

Qi Huan stared in astonishment, hurriedly leaning in, unable to stop himself from speaking.

"Y-you... you're refining it?"

"Mm."

Qi Huan's eyes nearly popped out of his head; disregarding his pain, he waved his hands anxiously.

"Brother, are you crazy? Can that thing be refined? That's a Ghost Origin! It's a crystal of Yin Evil and bad luck, who knows how many messy resentments are mixed inside!"

"We martial artists value Qi, blood, and Yang vigor; this is like eating arsenic as if it were candy. If it goes wrong, losing all your cultivation is the best-case scenario."

Qi Huan spoke earnestly; as a Banner Officer of the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division, he knew well the dangers of a Ghost Origin.

How many self-important Cultivators, either greedy for rapid power gains or deluded by Ghostly Creatures, had forced themselves to refine Ghost Origins, only to meet miserable ends.

"Quiet."

Chen Mu ignored his dissuasion, simply closing his eyes and pouring his full focus into it.

[Absorbing...]

[Injected 5 years of plundered Lifespan, catalyzing the transformation of the Ghost Origin...]

[Year 1: You wrapped the Ghost Origin with Protective Aura. Death Qi counter-attacked your Meridians. You circulated Taibao Horizontal Training; your protective golden radiance clashed violently with the Ghost Qi, forcibly suppressing it.]

[Year 3: The Impurities on the surface of the Ghost Origin peeled away. You sensed remnants of vengeful souls and whispers from Hell mixed within. You used the Soul-Loss Art to condense Soul Power into a blade, severing all distracting thoughts, leaving only pure Yin energy.]

[Year 4: The Ghost Origin shrank by 30%. As your Qi and blood surged, the sound of ghost wails faintly emerged, and your bones hummed like a bell.]

[Year 5: The Netherworld power was fully absorbed. The strength of your Protective Aura doubled. Your Sword Intent was imbued with Netherworld sharpness, capable of breaking souls and eroding bones; the afterimages of your Divine Void Step now carried a chilling, ghostly trajectory.]

Qi Huan stood by in terror, watching helplessly as the Ghost Origin shrank at a visible rate, while a faint, cyan-black halo emerged around Chen Mu's body.

He couldn't help but shudder, his heart filled with even greater shock.

He had heard that some Demonic Path evil Cultivators would take risks to refine Ghost Origins or Demon Cores to increase their cultivation.

But without exception, they all required the assistance of large amounts of Yang-type medicinal herbs or protective Formations, and the success rate was extremely low; one slight mistake would result in death and the dissipation of their Dao.

Yet Chen Mu was just sitting there, without any protection, absorbing it raw?!

"He's crazy... he's truly crazy..."

Qi Huan muttered to himself, but dared not speak to disturb him. He could only watch with bated breath, acting as a Protector to prevent any accidents.

Time passed second by second. As the Ghost Origin grew smaller and smaller, the cold aura around Chen Mu grew heavier and heavier.

His complexion turned cyan, frost hung from his eyebrows and temples, and his lips had turned slightly purple.

Qi Huan's heart was in his throat.

Just as he thought Chen Mu was about to collapse, Chen Mu's body gave a violent jolt.

Then, he slowly opened his eyes.

[Ghost Origin refining successful.]

[Obtained Lifespan: 40 years!]

[Cultivation increased: Dao Entry Realm Late Stage!]