525: Chapter 525 Collusion

Ghost Commander Youming couldn't care less about breaking through the chain suppression; he decisively withdrew all his Nether Qi to suppress the Karma Fire within his body.

However, something terrifying happened. The Karma Fire could not be suppressed at all; in fact, the more he tried to suppress it, the more vigorously it burned.

This fire was not burning his Nether Mana, but was directly incinerating his soul body.

'What kind of technique is this?'

Filled with a mix of terror and confusion, Ghost Commander Youming didn't even know how he had been hit, nor had he ever seen such a method. For a moment, he had no idea how to respond.

The immense pain of the Karma Fire scorching his Divine Soul made it impossible for him to think rationally, and his Spells and Divine Abilities were difficult to manifest.

"Give up!"

Liu Xuan's calm voice echoed through the hall. "Once the Avici Karma Fire is ignited, there are only two ways it can be extinguished: one is when your Divine Soul is burned to ash, and the other is if I take the initiative to stop. Take your pick!"

The ten thousand soul banner radiated brilliant light as countless chains transformed into illusory runes, gathering together and hovering above Ghost Commander Youming's head.

"Give up your resistance and become the primary soul of this ten thousand soul banner. Not only will you remain unharmed, but you'll also have a grand future ahead. Why not enjoy it?"

"You want to enslave me?"

Ghost Commander Youming's face was distorted by the burning Karma Fire, but his eyes still retained a hint of clarity.

"To think that remnants of an evil sect that enslaves ghost cultivators still exist in this world, and that I would be the one to encounter them."

"Fellow Daoist, evil sects are not tolerated by the Dao Court. I... I advise you to stop as soon as possible, otherwise, no one can save you."

"Holy crap..."

"Have you been burned into a muddle?"

Liu Xuan was amused by him and teased, "The ones not tolerated by the Dao Court aren't just evil sects; you ghost cultivators are the same."

"You, a Ghost Marshal of the Southern Border, trying to use the Dao Court to pressure me—isn't that a bit ridiculous?"

Ghost Commander Youming shook his head and tried a different angle. "This Marshal is a subordinate of the Lianyue Ghost King of the Lianyue Immortal Palace in the Black Death Marsh. If you dare to enslave me, there will be no place for you in the entire Southern Border!"

Lianyue Immortal Palace?

Lianyue Ghost King?

Liu Xuan frowned slightly. Because he had previously considered going to the Black Death Marsh to detain ghosts, he had some understanding of the place.

The Black Death Marsh was a distant land located an unknown distance south of the Endless Demon Court; it was a paradise for ghost cultivators.

Liu Xuan wasn't very clear on the specifics, but he had heard of the Lianyue Ghost King's name.

Rumor had it that this female Ghost King's cultivation was already close to the Late Stage of Soul Transformation, making her one of the strongest ghost cultivators in the world, practically invincible within the Black Death Marsh.

"The Black Death Marsh is incredibly far from here. It's impossible for you to have come from there. Your deceptive tactics aren't very good."

The arrow was already on the string; Liu Xuan didn't care whose subordinate he was. Even if he truly was a subordinate of the Lianyue Ghost King, after exposing so many methods today, it was impossible to let him leave under any circumstances.

"Submit!"

"Or die!"

A mysterious colorful aura emerged from Liu Xuan's body, and his voice carried an indescribable power of confusion.

The Qi of the Six Desires Heavenly Demon reached Ghost Commander Youming's ears along with the voice. His consciousness, already muddled by the Karma Fire, completely sank. The ferocity in his deep purple pupils vanished, leaving only a sense of ignorance and innocence, like a fresh college graduate with a hint of clear stupidity.

The moment his will collapsed, the ten thousand soul banner's rune mark hovering over his head drilled into his soul body.

After entering his soul body, the rune mark dispersed into invisible chains that spread throughout his entire being.

At this point, Ghost Commander Youming became the primary soul of the ten thousand soul banner. His life and death were now subject to Liu Xuan's single thought; without Liu Xuan's permission, he couldn't even commit suicide.

If he wanted to kill himself, his soul body would still return to the ten thousand soul banner. Unless the ten thousand soul banner was destroyed, he could never escape.

"Speaking of which, does this count as a different kind of eternal life?"

Living beings have lifespan limits. The higher one's cultivation Realm, the stronger the restriction of the Great Limit. No one can escape this decay at the Soul level, including Yin Souls and ghost cultivators.

But there is one exception: artifact spirits. Artifact spirits are bound to Spirit Treasures; as long as the Spirit Treasure is not destroyed, they will not perish.

The Souls detained by the ten thousand soul banner possessed the characteristics of artifact spirits, granting them a certain degree of immortality.

However, it is said that while artifact spirits are very similar to living beings, there are actually significant differences. Their intelligence grows slowly, and every so often, they undergo a tribulation originating from themselves. If they pass, they can preserve their intelligence and even elevate the level of the Spirit Treasure.

If they fail, although they won't perish, their memories will be reset, and it's possible the level of the Spirit Treasure will drop as a result.

"If the memories are reset, are they still the same person?"

Liu Xuan didn't dwell on it. He turned the avici karmic fire mirror in his hand, and the Karma Fire on Ghost Commander Youming stopped scorching his soul body. Instead, it stabilized and fused with his Soul.

After a while, Ghost Commander Youming's consciousness slowly recovered. Feeling the changes within his soul body, a bitter smile appeared on his face.

'I thought this was a simple task, but I never expected to turn myself into someone else's servant!'

A dignified Peak Nascent Soul Ghost Marshal, master of the Law of the Nether, capable of appearing and disappearing through the Earth Veins—as long as he was a bit cautious, he didn't even fear a Spirit Transformation Dao Lord. How could he have ever thought he would one day fall to being someone's servant!

"Your subordinate, Youming, greets the Master!"

Things had reached this point; there was no other way but to submit. Ghost Commander Youming looked at Liu Xuan and bowed deeply.

The aura of the person before him was only at the Golden Core Realm, but Ghost Commander Youming didn't dare to underestimate him in the slightest.

The ten thousand soul banner was a Grade 4 Peak-tier item, and the mysterious mirror in his hand that could emit eerie fire was even harder to judge in rank. Someone who could master such Spirit Treasures was definitely not a common Golden Core Immortal Master.

"Good, good!"

Liu Xuan nodded with satisfaction. He had thought this fellow wouldn't submit so quickly and would need some slow training, but it turned out he was a wise man who understood the situation.

"You said before that you are a subordinate of the Lianyue Ghost King of the Black Death Marsh. Is that true?" Liu Xuan asked.

"Yes, I am a Ghost Marshal of the Lianyue Immortal Palace, named Youming. I command the Nether Ghost Soldiers and oversee a region of the Ghost Realm."

Liu Xuan's expression tightened as he continued, "What is a Peak Nascent Soul Ghost Marshal like you doing sneaking into my Liu Residence?"

Ghost Commander Youming thought for a moment and replied, "I came here this time to capture a Grade 5 Bloodline Yao Beast named Liu Tongxiao."

"Demon Lord Cangyuan of the Biyou Pool sent word to the Lianyue Immortal Palace that a Grade 5 Bloodline Yao Beast had appeared in the Liu Family of the Star Hall, so I was sent to capture it or kill it on the spot."

Liu Xuan's pupils shrank suddenly, and he said coldly, "Your Lianyue Immortal Palace is in collusion with the Endless Demon Court?!"

"I don't know!" Ghost Commander Youming shook his head slowly. "I'm not very clear on whether there is collusion. The mission was issued by the Lianyue Immortal Palace, and I was only responsible for executing it."

"Are you in contact with Demon Lord Cangyuan of the Biyou Pool? Do you have some kind of arrangement over there..."

Liu Xuan asked a series of questions in succession, but Ghost Commander Youming wasn't very clear on any of them. He had been staying in the Black Death Marsh and only had a partial understanding of the war in the Southern Border.

There wasn't much useful information, but it was enough to resolve many of Liu Xuan's previous doubts about the state of the war.

"The Lianyue Immortal Palace is definitely in contact with the Endless Demon Court!"