Chapter 203: Slaying Evil, Quelling Chaos, and the Longevity Workshop

After the first level of the Advent of the Ghost God was successfully cultivated and the ghost soldier had been refined and sealed into his body, the next step to increase its strength was quite troublesome. Besides the slow, gradual growth that came with the master’s own cultivation, the only way to rapidly increase its power was to cultivate the Yin Gathering Art.

The Yin Gathering Art involved attracting nearby resentful souls and the yin energy of heaven and earth, absorbing all of it into one’s own body, and turning one’s body into a battlefield, allowing the sealed ghost soldier to kill and devour the other ghosts to increase its own strength. This method, while seemingly simple, was extremely dangerous to execute.

Ghosts were inherently yin creatures, composed of pure yin energy without a trace of yang. A single ghost or two was manageable, but to use the Yin Gathering Art to draw a large number of them, along with the ambient yin energy, into one’s body was to risk a catastrophic imbalance of yin and yang. Not even an immortal could save one from that. If one could cultivate the Advent of the Ghost God to the second level and achieve a harmony of yin and yang within the body, the danger of using the Yin Gathering Art would be greatly reduced. But Qin Haoxuan was still only at the first level.

Xing tried to stop him. “This is very dangerous for you. The battlefield we’re on is full of dense yin energy and tens of thousands of resentful souls. I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it. Moreover, the Yin Gathering Art has extremely high requirements for one’s Dao Heart. If your Dao Heart is not firm enough, it’s very easy for a yin-yang imbalance to occur.”

Qin Haoxuan sat cross-legged on the ground and analyzed the situation to himself. “If I can’t increase my combat strength quickly, and the enemy cultivator invites even more powerful reinforcements, once we are forced to flee without the cover of the army’s killing aura, we will most likely be found by Master Chi Lian. I don’t have many combat options, so I have no choice. The fastest way to increase my strength is to cultivate the Yin Gathering Art and make my ghost soldier stronger.”

Xing pouted. “If we were in the Netherworld, I’d have a hundred ways to make sure Master Chi Lian could never find us…”

Qin Haoxuan shot him a sidelong glance. “There are no ‘ifs’.”

Xing pondered for a moment and said no more. With his decision made, Qin Haoxuan took several deep breaths to calm his mind and began to prepare. Seeing his expression, Xing no longer tried to dissuade him. He knew that Qin Haoxuan was making a gamble—a gamble that the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art could help him.

He circulated the trace of yin energy he had cultivated, and soon a cold aura pervaded his entire body. Wisps of yin-cold black energy spread over him like a spider’s web, a狰狞and terrifying sight. Strands of yin energy, though weak, were exceptionally pure.

Beside him, Xing’s usual playful demeanor was gone. He reminded him with a serious tone, “Be extremely careful. The nearby resentful souls will flock to you like moths to a flame, along with the pure and malevolent yin energy of heaven and earth. You must be prepared. Hold fast to your Dao Heart, and do not be careless.”

The moment his words faded, a series of shrill, ghostly wails could be heard. As Qin Haoxuan activated the Yin Gathering Art, the resentful souls from all directions rapidly converged on him, accompanied by an extremely cold yin energy from the heavens and the earth. Wherever this energy passed, frost formed, a chilling and bleak sight.

This torrent of souls and yin energy surged into his tent, making the air so thick and cold it was difficult to breathe, transforming the small space into a terrifying Asura hell. If not for Xing’s foresight in setting up a barrier to conceal the disturbance, the commotion would have surely alerted the enemy cultivator. Even Xing, a native of the Netherworld, couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath and circulate his own energy to resist the intense yin energy.

As the energy and the ghosts poured into his body, Qin Haoxuan shivered, and his skin took on a dark, demonic luster. His originally fair skin turned from white to gray, and finally to a translucent black, as deep as the night sky. One after another, dark, ghostly figures plunged into him. The bone-chilling yin energy was like a thousand ice blades, rampaging through his meridians. The pain, originating from within his own body, was extraordinary. Qin Haoxuan, with his firm Dao Heart, gritted his teeth, not making a single sound, as beads of cold sweat dripped from his brow. He tried to mobilize the spiritual energy in his body to harmonize with the yin energy, but his meager power was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot; it was instantly crushed.

The sight of the dense yin energy and the swarm of ghosts pouring into his body made even Xing’s back run cold. If it had been a cultivator with an unstable Dao Heart, the sight alone would have been enough to shatter his mind. If a mortal were to come into contact with this yin energy, they would instantly become a desiccated corpse. Although a cultivator would not die on contact, to be able to withstand such a ferocious assault of heavenly and earthly yin energy was unheard of. This scene once again left Xing dumbfounded.

Illusions of fierce ghosts, lost souls, and the dead abyss of the Netherworld appeared in Qin Haoxuan’s mind. But at this moment, the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art automatically began to circulate. A vast spiritual energy surged from his dantian and flowed into his meridians. Under its miraculous effect, all the illusions in his mind instantly shattered. The malevolent yin within the heavenly yin energy and the fierce ghosts was completely eliminated, leaving only pure yin essence, a delicious meal for his ghost soldier.

As the malevolence was purged, his blackened skin quickly returned to its fair, jade-like color. He sat at the center of the swirling yin energy, as peaceful as if he were in ordinary meditation. This transformation left Xing, who still had to circulate his own energy to resist the yin, completely dumbfounded. He roared in his heart, It must be the miraculous effect of the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art! It must be!

The ghost slave in his body feasted on the purified yin essence, its body glowing with a faint black light, extremely agitated. After absorbing the yin energy and souls for some time, and feeling that his ghost slave had eaten its fill, he stopped his meditation and opened his eyes.

“It’s finally over!” Xing let out a breath of relief. He was more tired from resisting the yin energy than the leisurely-looking Qin Haoxuan.

Qin Haoxuan looked at his ghost soldier. After eating its fill, it was still the same as before, at the limit of the Twenty-Fifth-Leaf, but it had not broken through. This felt very strange to him. “I can feel that the ghost soldier has reached its limit, but it’s still at the strength of a Twenty-Fifth-Leaf. It hasn’t advanced. What’s going on?” he asked Xing.

Xing thought for a moment and said, “It’s probably because your own realm is too low, so it’s limiting the ghost soldier’s realm. When you advance, it will be able to advance as well.”

“Aigh,” Qin Haoxuan sighed. He had hoped he could cultivate a Spirit Tree Realm ghost slave to have a fighting chance against Master Chi Lian, but that cruel reality had shattered his beautiful dream.

After he finished, it was already dark. Su Wu once again came to his tent to request an audience. “High Immortal, may I ask if you are free?” This was already his fifth visit. Before, he had been unable to even enter the tent because of the barrier Xing had set up.

“Come in!”

Su Wu entered, kowtowed respectfully, and said, “Su Wu pays his respects to the High Immortal. Today, you displayed your divine might and slew the enemy’s immortal, protecting the lives of my soldiers. On behalf of the entire army, I thank you.”

“If you have something to say, just say it,” Qin Haoxuan said, not wanting to beat around the bush.

Su Wu complied and said, “High Immortal, besides expressing my sincere gratitude, I have a hidden worry. The enemy still has one immortal in their camp. We mortal soldiers are absolutely no match for him. I implore you to take action in tomorrow’s battle and slay the enemy immortal to avoid more of my soldiers dying in vain.”

“Oh, that. If I kill their immortal, what do you plan to do?” Qin Haoxuan’s gaze fell faintly on him, his face calm as he waited for his reply.

“If you kill their immortal, this humble general will immediately order the entire army to charge while their morale is low and defeat them in one fell swoop!” Su Wu’s answer was firm and powerful.

An imperceptible twitch went through Qin Haoxuan’s facial muscles. He continued in a calm voice, “And then?”

Su Wu said with a serious expression, “Relying on the might of the High Immortal, we will continue to seek out the other rebel armies and fight our way through, ending this rebellion as soon as possible!” As he spoke, a look of desire glinted in his eyes. If he could lead the army to quell the rebellion and reverse the empire’s trend of repeated defeats, he would be promoted and ennobled. Of course, all of this required Qin Haoxuan’s support.

Seeing that Qin Haoxuan’s expression was displeased, he quickly added, “Reporting to the High Immortal, the King of the Foothills, Ling Feng, is cruel and inhumane. He has enjoyed the grace of the imperial court for generations yet shows no gratitude. Instead, he has raised an army in rebellion, causing great suffering to the people. I ask that you, High Immortal, for the sake of the common people, show great compassion and quell this rebellion for the good of the nation. This humble general dares not take the credit. I will certainly report the full story to His Majesty the Emperor and request a reward for you, and I will petition His Majesty to issue an edict to have longevity monuments erected for you throughout the country.” Su Wu was a clever man. He knew that the interests of the mortal world could not move these immortals, so he simply put the great hat of “saving the common people” on his head. With that, he thought, Qin Haoxuan would surely agree to continue helping him.