A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 378 Ghost Fire

As he leisurely sipped his tea, he gazed calmly at the distant horizon, at the silhouette of "Tianzhu Peak," towering majestically like a giant pillar supporting the sky, appearing and disappearing amidst the swirling clouds. That was the location of the Yuling Sect's mountain gate.

On the table opposite it, a small banner, only a foot long, completely black, but with faint pale flame patterns flowing on its surface, exuding a faint chill and fierce aura, was quietly floating.

On the banner, a small wolf phantom, its body entirely silver and its eyes bright but with a hint of lingering fear, was cautiously lying down.

The "Ten Thousand Souls Banner" of today has undergone significant changes compared to before.

The aura seemed to solidify further. Deep within the dark banner, a ferocious ghostly phantom, baring its fangs and claws, with a hideous face and pale flames burning around its body, could be vaguely seen. It was constantly circling, wandering, and crashing, like a ferocious beast trapped in a cage, eager to break free from the banner!

The aura emanating from that vengeful ghost figure had reached the Nascent Soul level! It was none other than the Ghost King who, some time ago, had devoured a massive amount of Yin energy and Yin vein essence in the Yin Land of the Ghost Spirit Sect branch altar on Spirit Beast Mountain and successfully advanced to the next level!

As Yin Yue gazed at the pale ghostly figure that roamed wildly within the banner, occasionally crashing into the banner's restrictions and radiating a chilling and ferocious aura, a human-like fear unconsciously appeared on her small face.

"Brother Luo, this ghost... after advancing in rank, it's become far too ferocious. These past few days, as you instructed, I've tried to communicate with and appease it as its spirit, and also used the Ten Thousand Soul Banner's restrictions to restrain it somewhat. Not only did it refuse, but it repeatedly tried to attack the restrictions in the opposite direction, attempting to devour my soul power! If it weren't for my special soul body, the protection of the banner's material and some of the restrictions, and your timely suppression with your powerful divine sense... I'm afraid my remnant soul would have already become nourishment for it to consolidate its realm!"

Recalling the terrifying scene when the Ghost King had just successfully advanced and was initially stabilizing within the banner, suddenly launched an attack, and the pale and eerie "Netherworld Ghost Fire" almost backfired through the restriction, igniting and devouring her soul, Silver Moon still felt lingering fear.

Upon hearing this, Luo Ming put down his teacup, glanced at the restless, pale ghostly figure within the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, and showed little surprise. Instead, he smiled lightly and spoke calmly:

"Things of the ghost path are inherently ferocious, bloodthirsty, and soul-devouring. This Ghost King, capable of awakening the top-tier ghost path divine power of 'Netherworld Ghost Fire,' is even more ferocious. The stronger it is, the greater its future assistance to us. However, before we can completely control it, it is indeed a restless hidden danger."

He paused for a moment: "This is precisely why we must obtain the method of refining it as soon as possible. Only by obtaining the complete inheritance of the refining technique, re-refining this banner, and imposing stronger restrictions can you, as the 'spirit,' truly control it as if it were your own arm, unleashing its full power, instead of living in constant fear and worry about backlash."

Silver Moon nodded her little head, the lingering fear in her eyes gradually replaced by a hint of anticipation: "That's true. Given the strength of the 'Netherworld Ghost Fire' divine power that this Ghost King awakened after advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, there are probably not many Nascent Soul cultivators of the same level who can reliably defeat it. If I can completely control this banner and perfectly wield it against the enemy..."

She imagined the scene, her tone tinged with excitement, "Hehe, when we encounter that old Demon Flame Sect fellow who fought you at Qinghu Lake again, with this Ghost King and Netherworld Ghost Fire, even without your help, I might not be afraid of him if I control the Myriad Soul Banner on my own!"

Luo Ming chuckled and shook his head, then raised his hand and lightly tapped Silver Moon's little head: "Dream on. The premise is that you can control this ferocious beast first. Otherwise, forget about fighting it, don't let it devour you as a snack first."

His expression turned serious, and he instructed, "For the next period of time, until I obtain the refining method of the Spirit Control Sect, you should focus on nurturing your soul within the banner and familiarizing yourself with the changes in the restrictions. Do not attempt to communicate with or restrain this Ghost King lightly, lest you provoke it and trigger a backlash."

"Yes, Yinyue understands." Yinyue replied obediently, knowing the importance of the matter.

Luo Ming nodded and said no more. He reached out and the floating Ten Thousand Soul Banner transformed into a streak of black light, entered his body, and was absorbed into his dantian, where he slowly nurtured and suppressed it with his own magical power.

He stood up, straightened his robes, drank the cup of spiritual tea on the table in one gulp, and then slowly walked towards the stairwell, preparing to leave this "Wangxian Tower".

"Let's go. Let's wander around 'Wangxian City' and find out about the Yuling Sect's recruitment of disciples. Let's see if we can find a suitable opportunity to infiltrate them." Luo Ming thought to himself as he went downstairs.

To obtain the special refining method of the "Ten Thousand Souls Banner," one must infiltrate the Yu Ling Sect and get close to its core inheritance. This is undoubtedly the safest and most likely way to succeed.

Although it was a bit slow, it didn't matter to him. Now that he had resolved the issue of his Golden Core, it didn't matter where he cultivated.

Although it was a bit slow, it didn't matter to him. Now that he had resolved the issue of his Golden Core, it didn't matter where he cultivated.

Moreover, as the second largest sect in the demonic path and the only beast-taming sect in Tiannan, the Yuling Sect might have many useful things for him. He planned to gather as much information as possible during his infiltration.

He couldn't possibly come all this way just to take the method for refining the soul banner and leave; that would be a huge waste of his time.

"Oh, right, those Nascent Souls cultivated by the Spirit Control Sect for Core Formation cultivators to fuse with, if I could get my hands on them, whether it's for my spirit beast to devour them directly, or for me to cultivate the Water-Fire Golden Core Forging Technique..."

Luo Ming suddenly realized that the Yu Ling Sect had quite a few good things.

"The Spirit Control Sect... Spirit Beast Mountain... After a hundred years of twists and turns, we have to return in this way again." A faint sense of emotion swept through Luo Ming's heart, but his eyes remained calm and firm.

In order to completely eliminate the threat of the Ghost King, to be able to condense his Nascent Soul in peace in the future, and for many other benefits, he had to make a trip to the Spirit Control Sect.

As for the turmoil caused by the destruction of the Ghost Spirit Sect's branch, he temporarily put it out of his mind. As long as he didn't actively expose himself, they shouldn't be able to trace him back to anyone in the short term.

The figure in blue quickly blended into the bustling crowds of "Wangxian City" and headed towards the most prosperous and well-informed area in the city center.

three months later.

In the center of Wangxian City, a vast square paved with hard bluestone was now bustling with activity, packed with cultivators from all over the country, each with their own agenda and eager to join the powerful demonic sect, "Yuling Sect."

At a glance, there were several hundred people, most of them dressed in different clothes, with expressions of tension, anticipation, or feigned composure on their faces. They talked to each other in hushed tones, their eyes occasionally glancing at the high platform in front of the square.

The air was filled with a restless atmosphere that mixed excitement, trepidation, and competition.

Luo Ming changed into a black, coarse cloth Taoist robe, which was the most common and inconspicuous thing in the cultivation world. His face still had that ordinary and slightly wooden disguise. The magical power fluctuations emanating from his body were precisely suppressed to the level of the peak of the twelfth level of Qi Refining.

This is a cultivation level that is neither too high nor too low, enough to meet the entry requirements without attracting too much attention.

Like a drop of water flowing into the ocean, he quietly blended into the back of the crowd, his gaze calmly sweeping over his surroundings. He looked like an ordinary young rogue cultivator with decent talent but humble origins, striving to seek immortality.

Today marks the "Opening Ceremony" of the Yuling Sect, a once-every-five-year event open to new disciples from the entire Tiannan region.

As a behemoth second only to the Joyful Union Sect among the six sects of the demonic path, the Spirit Control Sect is filled with experts. It is said that there are three mid-Nascent Soul stage elders and four early-Nascent Soul stage elders in charge. With its profound foundation and abundant resources, it has a fatal attraction for countless low-level rogue cultivators and scions of small families.

For this reason, the conditions for recruiting disciples are astonishingly strict.

Luo Ming's gaze fell upon a giant banner hanging on a high platform in front of the square. The banner was made of some kind of tough animal hide, and on it, in striking gold-painted characters, were written the detailed conditions and restrictions for this recruitment of disciples.

Those who wish to join my Yuling Sect must meet one of the following conditions:

Firstly, one must be under thirty years old, possess three spiritual roots or better aptitude, and have a cultivation level of at least the eleventh level of Qi Refining.

Secondly, there are no age or spiritual root restrictions, but applicants must be proficient in one of the hundred arts of cultivation, such as weapon crafting, talisman making, formation, alchemy, beast taming, and spiritual plant cultivation, and must pass a special examination by their sect to prove that they have a special skill.

Those who meet the requirements can participate in subsequent assessments and selections, with the best candidates chosen. Places are limited, and quality will be prioritized over quantity.

After reading it, Luo Ming thought to himself, "I can't possibly spend every day refining magical artifacts and talismans after I go in. It seems that I can only sneak in by taking this first path and disguising myself as an ordinary disciple."

Through his investigations during his time in Wangxian City, he thoroughly understood the process by which the Yuling Sect recruited disciples.

There are two paths. The first is based on innate talent, age, and cultivation level, which is the main channel for recruiting combat and cultivation-type disciples. The second is to recruit "technical" talents with special skills.

With his current body refinement cultivation comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator and his mana power at the late stage of Core Formation, it would be easy for him to disguise himself as a "talent" proficient in a certain skill, and he could even easily pass the highest level of assessment.

However, his main goal in infiltrating the Yuling Sect was not to learn skills or acquire resources, but to get close to its core lineage.

Infiltrating as an ordinary disciple might be inconspicuous at first, but it would offer him greater freedom and make it easier for him to operate covertly.

For a body cultivator like Luo Ming, who has cultivated his body refining technique to the Nascent Soul stage and achieved a level of subtle control over his own body, disguising himself as a young cultivator in his early twenties with vigorous blood and energy is an easy task.

How could the Yuling Sect possibly trouble a Nascent Soul Ancestor to personally examine each ordinary Qi Refining stage disciple?