A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 260 Yaksha and Yin Demon Armor

Yuan Yao knew that in order to enhance the power of magic treasures like Soul Banners, it was necessary to continuously hunt down living beings and extract their souls for refinement. Usually, only the core figures of large demonic sects with great power and no scruples dared to and had the resources to refine and cultivate such extremely dangerous treasures.

Recalling Luo Ming's rude gaze towards her earlier, and the favor shown to her by fierce people like the Bearded Man, Yuan Yao's wariness and dislike for Luo Ming immediately increased several degrees.

"This person's origins are unknown, his methods are bizarre and ruthless, and he's entangled with demons like the Barbarian Beard... He's definitely not a good person, so it's best to stay as far away from him as possible." She made up her mind that she would never have any contact with this person again.

"Tihun, let's go this way, away from that demon," she whispered to the little green monkey in her arms, gently stroking its cool, smooth fur.

The Soul-Crying Beast squeaked as if it understood, but its small, red eyes still greedily glanced at the incredibly dense aura of Yin spirits in Luo Ming's direction, seemingly reluctant to leave. However, urged by its master, it obediently turned around.

Without further hesitation, Yuan Yao unfurled her black robe, quickened her pace, and sped off into the depths of the gray mist on the other side, where Luo Ming's location was even further away.

The Soul-Crying Beast in her arms was also busy, its little nose twitching constantly, aiming at the wandering ghosts in the mist, and occasionally shooting out a dim yellow light from its nostrils.

The yellow light was quite strange. Any spirit that was illuminated by it, regardless of its strength, would freeze in place as if immobilized. Then, it would be involuntarily stretched and twisted by an invisible suction force, turning into a wisp of gray smoke, which would be sucked into the nostrils of the Soul-Crying Beast in a flash.

Having devoured the Yin spirits, the Crying Soul Beast's emerald light seemed to have become even more lustrous, and it emitted a soft, satisfied purring sound.

The man and the beast proceeded cautiously and efficiently through the land of ghosts and vengeance in this manner.

Meanwhile, in various parts of this vast, misty, and ghostly land, nearly a hundred cultivators who entered this place with fragments of the Void Heaven Map were also undergoing their own trials.

Some cultivators are well-prepared, either possessing lightning-attribute magic treasures, cultivating extremely yang and strong techniques, or holding Buddhist or Taoist magical artifacts and talismans specifically designed to suppress yin spirits.

Within the gray mist, flashes of lightning and thunder could be seen at times; flames would rise and yang energy would roll; and golden light would shine and chants would echo softly.

Although these cultivators also had to be careful, they were generally quite calm. They were using their own methods to resist and purify the approaching evil spirits while trying to find their way and grope their way towards the rumored exit.

However, not everyone had such a smooth journey.

A blue-robed cultivator in the early stage of Core Formation was now pale-faced and sweating profusely. A light blue pearl floated above his head, casting a pale blue light barrier that protected him.

This "Mysterious Water Pearl" was originally a good defensive magic weapon, and it also had a certain effect of isolating Yin energy. But at this moment, outside the light screen, there were more than a dozen ghostly creatures with twisted shapes and their bodies emitting pale green phosphorescent flames.

These ghostly creatures possessed formidable auras, comparable to cultivators at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. They continuously spewed green ghostly flames to scorch the light barrier, or frantically tore at it with their sharp claws, producing a teeth-grinding "crunching" sound. The blue light barrier dimmed at a visible speed, ripples spreading across it.

"Damn it! How unlucky! I've only been here a short while and I've already run into this troublesome 'phosphorus ghost'!"

The blue-robed cultivator was inwardly groaning. He desperately channeled his magic power into the Xuan Shui Pearl, while frantically scanning his surroundings, hoping to find a way to break through or get help. However, all he could hear was churning gray mist and the faint sounds of fighting or screams coming from who-knows-who, which only added to his despair.

Further away, short, piercing screams could occasionally be heard, then abruptly cease. These were the cries of unlucky or weak cultivators, swallowed up by stronger ghosts or the eerie environment, their bodies and souls extinguished. Each scream made the cultivators still struggling forward tense up, becoming even more cautious.

The Land of Ghostly Grievances, as its name suggests, is a lair of vengeful spirits, a testing ground and graveyard for cultivators. Opportunities and dangers coexist, but clearly, danger looms more directly over everyone. Someone like Luo Ming, who not only remains fearless but also regards this place as a hunting ground and a treasure trove of resources, is probably unique.

At this moment, Luo Ming was completely unaware of Yuan Yao's vigilance in the distance and the struggles of the other cultivators, and paid them no heed. He was completely focused on controlling the Thousand Demon Banner, advancing steadily through the gray mist like a tireless reaper. The cheers and roars of the demonic souls within the banner, as well as the ever-increasing solidity emanating from his own magical artifact, filled him with the joy of a bountiful harvest.

"At this rate of absorption, it might not be long before the Thousand Demon Banner approaches a critical point in the magic weapon and unleashes even stronger divine powers..." Luo Ming pondered in his heart.

Time passed slowly, and the gray fog seemed to have no end.

Luo Ming wielded the Thousand Demon Banner like a moving abyss, sweeping across everything in its path. Wherever it passed, the vengeful spirits and ghosts became provisions for the demons within the banner. However, the deeper they went, the more powerful the vengeful spirits in the mist became. They were no longer just mindless wandering souls; some began to materialize into partial forms, capable of simple encirclement attacks, and even spewing out malevolent energy attacks.

Two days later, Luo Ming arrived at the entrance of a canyon where the terrain suddenly narrowed.

The scenery here was completely different from the surrounding area. The thick gray fog seemed to have settled here, turning into an unsettling dark color, like viscous ink. The chilling aura was almost tangible; even with the demonic domain of the Thousand Demon Banner shrouding him, Luo Ming could feel a bone-chilling cold constantly trying to penetrate in.

Inside the canyon, jagged rocks resembled countless twisted ghostly figures. And amidst those jagged rocks and the thick, oppressive fog, several shadowy figures flickered and swayed.

They were completely different from the spirits and ghosts encountered before. They had real, gray-black, shriveled bodies that, although stiff and decaying, had distinct outlines and were vaguely recognizable as human-shaped.

Its body was covered in filthy, tangled, writhing, ghastly green fur, and it held a rough bone fork made from the bones of some unknown creature. Two eerie green flames danced in its eye sockets, filled with chaos, violence, and an extreme thirst for the lifeblood of the living.

"Yaksha?" Luo Ming's pupils contracted slightly as he recognized this kind of ghostly creature, which was rumored to be quite troublesome in the cultivation world. This was not the vengeful spirit of a natural being after death, but rather a kind of evil spirit that was "reborn" by chance after the physical body of a human cultivator had fallen in a place with extremely dense yin energy, after a long period of time.

They possess some characteristics of zombies and the ferocity of vengeful spirits, making them even more difficult to deal with. The higher their cultivation level in life, the stronger the yaksha they transform into tends to be.

The dozen or so Yakshas in front of him exuded an aura roughly equivalent to that of a cultivator in the early stage of Core Formation, but Luo Ming knew that with the support of the dense Yin energy in this place, their actual combat power was probably no less than that of an ordinary cultivator in the middle stage of Core Formation.

What's particularly troublesome is that they have physical forms, unlike ordinary ghosts that fear pure yang energy and some exorcising spells. Moreover, judging from the subtle coordination in their actions, they clearly possess a certain instinctive combat awareness.

Just now, several Foundation Establishment stage demon souls that rushed forward tried to tear apart these yakshas, ​​but were struck by the ghastly green eerie fire spewed from the mouth of one of the yakshas.

The sinister fire was extremely vicious, capable of directly burning the soul. The few demon souls only had time to let out half a scream before they twisted and dissipated in the green fire. Even their pure soul power was absorbed into the Yaksha's mouth, making the green flames in its eyes even brighter.

Luo Ming showed no alarm on his face, but his eyes became even more profound. "This canyon blocks our path, and the fog on both sides is even thicker, making it difficult to perceive far with divine sense. We don't know how much time it will take to detour, adding an element of uncertainty."

With a slight thought, a crimson flame shot out from the distant mist like a meteor, landing beside him and revealing the majestic form of the Fat Sun Bird. The intense yang flames rising around it were completely out of place with the chill of the area, emitting a soft sizzling sound.

The group of yakshas, ​​whose originally fierce, eerie green eyes shone brightly, instinctively shrank back the moment the fat sun bird appeared, revealing obvious fear and apprehension. They subconsciously took a half-step back, and even the green fur wriggling on their bodies subsided slightly. Yang fire, especially the true fire of a spirit bird like the fat sun bird, which is endowed with extraordinary talent, is particularly effective in restraining such yin and evil creatures.

However, when they turned their gaze to Luo Ming, their fear was quickly replaced by an almost insane greed. Luo Ming's blood and qi, tempered and refined through the "Myriad Spirits Blood Technique" and brimming with vitality like a furnace, were an unparalleled delicacy and tonic to them! This temptation even temporarily overshadowed their fear of Yang Fire.

"Hmph, it seems my flesh and blood are quite a tonic for you." Luo Ming sneered, his eyes flashing with cold light. "Then let's see if your appetites match these teeth!"

Without further hesitation, he formed hand seals, and a complex beam of spiritual light entered the Thousand Demon Banner that was slowly rotating above his head.

"roar--!"

"Awooo—!"

Inside the banner, the dozen or so Core Formation stage demon souls that served as the main souls, along with numerous Foundation Establishment stage demon souls that had devoured a large number of Yin souls and greatly increased their strength, simultaneously unleashed earth-shattering roars, their excitement mixed with vigilance and ferocity towards the Yaksha.

As Luo Ming activated his magic technique, the immense Yin energy contained within the Thousand Demon Banner surged forth, not dissipating, but rapidly converging and condensing towards these demon souls!

In just a few breaths, an astonishing scene unfolded: the bodies of each demon soul that leaped out of the black mist were covered with a thick, ancient, and metallic-looking black armor!

Simple demonic runes flowed across the armor, originating from the same source as the Thousand Demon Banner. This was one of the wondrous uses of the Thousand Demon Banner that Luo Ming had initially discovered—using the pure Yin energy within the banner to condense a "Yin Demon Armor" for the demon soul!

This armor differs from the black armor formed before. Since the Thousand Demon Banner absorbed a large amount of Yin energy in this place, the armor formed here has the same origin as the Yin energy in this place. It can greatly weaken Yin energy attacks and also has a good defensive effect against the green Yin fire.