A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 398 Fierce Battle Between Two

The figure that suddenly appeared and snatched the demon core of the Fiery Sun Bird was none other than Luo Ming, who had already perfectly lurked nearby using the dual secret techniques of Concealing Yuan Technique and Turtle Breathing Technique, and had taken in everything that had just happened.

He looked down at his palm at the "Blazing Sun Bird Demon Core," a fist-sized, deep crimson-gold coin containing a tiny yet intense golden flame that radiated pure and vast fire-attribute spiritual power. A hint of barely suppressed surprise flashed across his eyes.

"This demon core not only contains most of the life essence and demonic power of this level eight Fiery Sun Bird, but also contains a wisp of newly awakened, extremely high-grade 'Golden Crow True Fire' essence! Its value far exceeds that of its physical body!"

Luo Ming thought to himself that although it was a pity that the equally precious feathers, bones, and essence of the Fiery Sun Bird had been destroyed in the self-destruction, the fact that he had unexpectedly obtained the most core and most promising demon core and true fire source was already a huge gain that far exceeded his expectations.

However, his joy and "picking up the bargain" behavior clearly stung and angered the two Nascent Soul Real Person and Blazing Sun Venerable in the sky, who had just recovered from their self-destruction and were frustrated and annoyed by their mutual destruction and lack of gains.

Watching helplessly as this priceless level-eight demon core was so easily taken away by a burly figure who appeared out of nowhere, with an unfamiliar aura and a face shrouded in a blurry light, the two were first stunned, then flew into a rage!

Almost simultaneously, the two shifted their angry and murderous gazes from each other and turned them to Luo Ming, who was holding the demon core below.

In an instant, these two adversaries, who had just been fighting to the death and wishing each other dead, reached a tacit understanding—to join forces and capture this mysterious cultivator who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere! As for who would get the demon core, they could fight for it based on their own abilities after they captured this person!

Such things are perfectly normal among demonic cultivators who live in a dog-eat-dog world and prioritize profit.

There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. It would be utterly foolish to engage in infighting and allow outsiders to profit. The reason why the six sects of the Demonic Path have been able to stand firm in Tiannan for so many years is that their high-ranking cultivators are all well aware of this principle.

Despite his injuries, Shattered Soul True Person used his divine sense, like an invisible tentacle, to sweep over Luo Ming below.

He tried to probe the depth of the other party's cultivation, but the feedback from his divine sense was blurry, as if it were isolated and distorted by an invisible force, making it difficult to make an accurate judgment.

However, he was certain that the other party's cultivation level had not reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm; at most, it was only the middle stage, or even the early stage, but their concealment methods were superb.

Although both of them had suffered serious injuries and their strength had been greatly diminished, they were both at the Nascent Soul stage, one at the mid-stage and the other at the peak of the early stage. With their combined strength, it should not be a problem for them to hold off or even suppress an opponent who was suspected to be at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul stage.

If we can stall for a moment and wait for our reinforcements to arrive, this person will have no chance to escape!

"Fellow Daoist, leave behind the demon core, and you might still be able to save your life. Otherwise..." Shattered Soul True Man spoke hoarsely, his voice cold and threatening.

At the same time, he and Master Lieyang moved slightly to the left and right, forming a subtle encirclement that blocked the main directions from which Luo Ming might escape.

Master Lieyang remained silent, only silently channeling his magical power. The dim crimson flames around him rose again. His gaze was like that of a hawk, fixed on Luo Ming, waiting for Master Suihun to finish speaking before striking with lightning speed.

Despite being locked on and surrounded by the killing intent of the two Nascent Soul cultivators, Luo Ming seemed completely unaware, remaining quietly standing in place. He simply and unhurriedly put the crimson-gold demon core into a seemingly ordinary storage bag at his waist.

After making this movement, he slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping through the blurry light and shadow covering his face, passing over the Soul Shatterer and the Blazing Sun Immortal in the air.

"Heh..." A slightly hoarse laugh, like the scraping of metal, came from his mouth, breaking the brief silence.

"I've long heard that the Ghost Spirit Sect's 'Heavenly Ghost Divine Power' is unpredictable and that the Spirit Control Sect's 'Soul Fusion' technique is unparalleled in the south. Today, I'm fortunate to be here, and I... would really like to experience it for myself."

Luo Ming's voice was calm and even, yet it carried a strange penetrating power and a provocative tone, clearly reaching the ears of the two men.

If it weren't for the need for the Thousand Demon Banner refining method in the hands of this Venerable Lieyang, he could have easily used earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic or technique) to leave quickly. With his current escape techniques and concealment abilities, the two of them would definitely not be able to catch up with him.

However, if he only deals with the Blazing Sun Immortal alone, the Soul Shattering True Man will definitely not stand idly by. In that case, he will have no choice but to take care of this person as well. If the two of them were at their peak, Luo Ming would have run away without saying a word, but now...

Before he finished speaking, he stretched his right hand forward, his five fingers spread wide.

"Buzz—!"

A streak of dark light flashed from his palm, and a strange little banner, only a foot long, pitch black as ink, seemingly able to absorb all light, appeared out of thin air and was firmly held in his hand.

As soon as Kobata appeared, he exuded a chilling aura of pale flames that caused a strange burning pain in one's soul!

"This is...?" Master Lieyang's gaze sharpened as he stared intently at the small black banner in Luo Ming's hand, a hint of surprise and confusion flashing in his eyes.

The shape and size of this banner are somewhat similar to the "Thousand Demon Banner" secretly passed down by his Yuling Sect, but the aura it exudes is completely different from the violent and fierce aura of the "Thousand Demon Banner" which is mainly composed of demon souls and evil spirits!

The black banner exuded an even more sinister, eerie, and deathly aura, yet within that deathly stillness lay a strange "burning" sensation. In particular, the powerful aura that was faintly visible deep within the banner's surface sent a chill down his spine.

"Compared to our sect's Thousand Demon Banner, this banner is... perhaps even more powerful!" Venerable Lieyang quickly made a judgment, his expression becoming even more solemn.

It's no wonder that Master Lieyang had difficulty recognizing it at first. This banner had undergone a fundamental transformation after Luo Ming had refined it again with the rare substance "Demon Essence Gold".

Later, it absorbed countless pure Yin souls from the "Land of Ghostly Resentment" and even sealed a true Nascent Soul stage "Ghost King" as its main soul. Its power and characteristics have changed drastically, naturally making it very different from the "Thousand Demon Banner" of the Spirit Control Sect, which is based on demon souls.

The Soul Shattering True Man's perception of the soul path and ghosts was even more acute. The moment the "Ten Thousand Soul Banner" appeared, a look of shock and greed flashed in his eyes!

He clearly sensed that this black banner was of extremely high quality, containing pure and vast Yin energy, and even a ferocious aura of a ghost king that made his heart tremble! This was definitely a top-tier ghost-path and soul-path magic treasure! If he could obtain it…

"Playing tricks! You think you can contend with the two of us with just a mere banner magic weapon? You're courting death!" Shattered Soul True Man suppressed his greed, shouted fiercely, and attacked first without hesitation! He feared that delay would lead to unforeseen changes, so he had to finish the battle quickly!

He pressed his hands down sharply! Two pitch-black ghost claws, much smaller than before but more solid, with nails gleaming with a cold, eerie green light, appeared out of thin air above Luo Ming's head, bringing with them a chilling wind and the power to suppress the soul, and they slammed down!

Almost at the same time that Shattered Soul Master made his move, Blazing Sun Venerable also made his move!

He opened his mouth and spat out a condensed crimson fireball, not to attack Luo Ming's body, but to transform into a raging fire cloud that sealed off the space around Luo Ming, cutting off his escape route!

Although the two Nascent Soul cultivators' coordination wasn't perfect, their combined fury and tacit understanding resulted in a fierce and deadly attack that instantly enveloped Luo Ming!

Despite the combined thunderous attack from the two Nascent Soul cultivators, Luo Ming remained calm. He gently trembled his right hand, which held the "Ten Thousand Soul Banner."

"call--!!!"

The small, jet-black banner, only a foot long, suddenly shone with a brilliant light and transformed into a towering black banner, hundreds of feet tall, seemingly connecting heaven and earth! The banner pole was as thick as a palace pillar, and when the banner was unfurled, it blotted out the sky and the sun, fluttering loudly!

Even more terrifying, as the black banner swelled, endless, dense, and impenetrable dark yin energy surged forth from the banner as if opening the gates of the underworld!

The yin energy surged and instantly filled the sky within a radius of several hundred feet, engulfing Luo Ming's figure along with the attacks of Shattered Soul True Man and Blazing Sun Venerable!

Amidst the yin energy, countless ghosts howled, and numerous grotesque and varied phantoms of malevolent spirits appeared and disappeared, emanating a chilling resentment and deathly aura.

And at the very depths of this churning ocean of yin energy, at the top of that hundred-foot-long black banner, a pale white flame suddenly ignited!

"roar--!!!"

A terrifying roar, filled with violence and cruelty, seemingly emanating from the deepest hell, suddenly erupted from the banner! The sound wave was so tangible that it even shook the surrounding churning Yin energy, causing it to scatter in all directions!

Immediately afterward, in the pupils of Shattered Soul True Man and Blazing Sun Venerable Master who had just shrank, a gigantic ghost, over ten feet tall, with a semi-transparent gray-white body, burning with eerie pale flames, a face as ferocious as a demon, two horns on its head, bone spurs on its back, and exuding overwhelming ferocity, stepped out from the surface of the hundred-foot black banner!

The Ghost King roared to the sky, its eyes, formed of pale flames, coldly and mercilessly locking onto the approaching Soul Shatterer and Blazing Sun Immortal. It opened its massive maw of fangs and spewed a torrent of eerie, pale flames mixed with wisps of black, aimed at the two descending "Netherworld Claws" and the crimson fire cloud that sealed off space!

As soon as the flame appeared, the surrounding temperature dropped instead of rising, and a strange chill, as if capable of freezing the soul and burning everything, spread out!

"Netherworld Ghost Fire?" Shattered Soul Master exclaimed in shock, his face showing horror for the first time!

As an elder of the Ghost Spirit Sect, how could he not recognize this top-tier spiritual fire, renowned for its ferocity within the Ghost Path? This fire is specifically designed to destroy divine souls and corrupt magical artifacts, and is extremely insidious! This black banner actually seals within a Nascent Soul stage Ghost King who has mastered the "Netherworld Ghost Fire"?

Master Lieyang was also shocked. He could feel that the pale flames were actually subtly restraining his Blazing Sun True Fire!