Ming Qi honestly knew very little about ghost creatures. He even considered them, upon hearing the name, to be something like ghosts, not existing in the human world. However, this isn't the case.
So-called ghost creatures are a special kind of creature, somewhere between humans and ghosts, capable of surviving in both the ghost and human realms. They lack a physical form, a stream of flowing air, yet within them reside one or more souls. They can only exist, but cannot reproduce. They possess consciousness, but their sole purpose is to kill and possess.
When a ghost creature encounters any living being, it will rush forward without hesitation to possess it. Strangling multiple souls, it will either be ripped apart by the soul within the individual, or completely possess the individual, thus gaining a new life.
In other words, the sole purpose of a ghost creature's existence is to possess and regenerate.
The Magic Forest has endured for countless ages, and countless souls have likely tangled together to form countless ghostly creatures. Any living individual who enters the Magic Forest will be possessed by these ghostly creatures, and then possessed again, ultimately decaying and becoming a member of their own.
Thus, the ghostly creatures' attack is purely mental, striking directly at the very depths of the soul.
Ming Qi, sensing the sound of wind around him, knew the invisible ghostly creatures were approaching. He instantly compressed his spiritual aura to a hundred meters and activated the Supreme Diagram to directly strengthen and amplify it, allowing his spiritual power to surge like a surging sea.
Yu Quanzhen's time hourglass could withstand the power of the Origin Formation, but it couldn't withstand the attacks of the elusive ghostly creatures. Now, as if the ghostly creatures before him were under some special command, even their attacks became more methodical.
"Everyone, be careful! Stay focused! Don't be distracted!"
Through Wuxiang Tongzi, Ming Qi had already gained some understanding of the ghost creatures and immediately instructed his companions on how to deal with them.
As he spoke, the people around Ming Qi had already compressed their mental energy into their souls, making it extremely difficult for the ghost creatures to attack.
Ming Qi, meanwhile, was already mobilizing his Yuan Power, following the methods he had learned from Wuxiang Tongzi to see if he could truly subdue the ghost creatures.
At the same time, howls of fear and pain began to echo through the Magic Forest.
Some mercenaries with lower cultivation levels could no longer withstand the attacks of the ghost creatures and began to mentally collapse.
It could be said that most of these people didn't even know of the existence of ghost creatures, had never heard of them, let alone how to fight them. As soon as they were attacked by the ghost creatures, they immediately collapsed.
In just a few breaths, Ming Qi could clearly hear several piercing howls of wild beasts, mixed with the eerie, almost weeping, sounds of unknown creatures circling and echoing above the Magic Forest.
"After taking possession, the ghost creatures will choose complete assimilation, assimilating the original form deep within their memories."
The Wuxiang boy continued to explain the knowledge of ghost creatures to Ming Qi in a disjointed manner, but Ming Qi didn't have much time to listen. After all, the ghost creatures were already nearby, attempting to attack them.
At this moment, whether it was Su Yuan, Wei Silong, or the others, they were extremely cautious, their faces solemn, not daring to distract themselves from any movement around them. The only ones who remained calm were Di Kui Yaohu and Da Bai.
Needless to say, the Dikui Demon Fox possessed a strength comparable to that of a human cultivator at the tenth level of the Innate Realm. Her spiritual power was so immense that ordinary ghostly creatures could not even approach her. As for Dabai, he seemed completely incapable of fear. Although somewhat wary of the surrounding ghosts, he showed no fear at all. The demonic beast's inherent advantages gave it a boldness comparable to that of the Dikui Demon Fox.
Swish, swish, swish!
The fiery red elemental energy flowing from Ming Qi's fingertips quickly intertwined around him, forming a vast net. With the power of his unique technique, Ming Qi could even see shadows moving back and forth.
Wolves, snakes, tigers, leopards, and all manner of other strange and bizarre demonic beasts constantly shuttled and collided within his energy net.
At the same time, Ming Qi could sense the constant vibrations of spiritual energy ripples around him, as if someone were striking a large bell.
"This is the ghost creature's attack method. It doesn't seem so terrifying."
Feeling the ghost creature's attack, Ming Qi quickly cast his spell. The fiery red energy became even more rapid and dense. Now, through the energy's radiance, he could clearly see the ghost creatures scurrying around.
Of course, under normal circumstances, ghost creatures' forms cannot be seen, and ghost creatures have no real form. What Ming Qi saw now was nothing more than their former forms.
Whatever it was, Ming Qi was now determined to put these annoying creatures to rest. He channeled his energy to its maximum, suddenly extending his hands. Simultaneously, the pulsing energy light transformed into a massive flaming hand, grabbing at a flying ghost creature.
The overwhelming force left the ghost creature no chance of escape, and it was immediately captured by Ming Qi's flaming hand. Ming Qi could clearly see that the captured ghost creature contained as many as a dozen demon beast souls, some strong and some weak, struggling painfully within Ming Qi's flaming hand.
"Hmph, let me see if the Eight Trigrams Seal can directly refine and devour you!"
Ming Qi pondered this in his mind, but his hands didn't hesitate. The second after his flaming hand grasped the ghost creature, he quickly formed several hand seals and struck the ghost creature.
The Eight Trigrams Seal was learned from the Supreme Diagram. Without even asking, Ming Qi could conclude that it was deeply connected to the method Wu Xiang Tong had previously used to gather the Origin Formation. He immediately applied it, and the effect was indeed remarkable.
"Not bad, you know how to connect the two."
Wu Xiang Tong's voice rang out, clearly demonstrating the correctness of Ming Qi's approach.
Ignoring Wu Xiang Tong's words, Ming Qi unleashed several hand seals in quick succession. He watched as the ghost creature, comprised of over a dozen souls, began to distort and transform drastically. In just a few breaths, it rapidly faded, then seemed to melt, completely fused into pure force by the power of the Eight Trigrams Seal.
Ming Qi was delighted. He hadn't expected the Eight Trigrams Seal to truly be able to fuse ghostly creatures. Wouldn't this provide him with an endless supply of power?
This endless supply of power meant that Ming Qi could rapidly increase his strength by devouring ghostly creatures, perhaps even breaking through to the sixth level of the Innate Spirit Pearl Realm in a short period of time.
However, Di Kui Demon Fox had previously stated that breaking through to the Spirit Pearl Realm wasn't simply a matter of cultivation. It required not only elevating one's spiritual realm but, more importantly, clarifying a specific form.
This meant forming a self-perceived individual within one's consciousness. This individual would later become the external form of one's spirit, transforming into a martial soul. This was crucial.
The form and attributes of a martial soul determined its power and the direction of future cultivation. Any flaw in this could have lifelong consequences.
"It's time to seriously consider the issue of phase."
Ming Qi thought to himself, his hands moving swiftly as he channeled all the energy he had refined from this ghost creature into the Supreme Diagram for storage. He then used his flaming hand again to grab another wandering ghost creature.
Ming Qi knew the capacity of the Supreme Diagram; to describe it as boundlessly vast was no exaggeration. Although the Supreme Diagram's soul, the Formless Child, had awakened, this did not affect the Diagram's ability to hold and store energy. Furthermore, by storing energy within the Supreme Diagram, not only could Ming Qi access it freely, but the Formless Child could also harness the energy within the Supreme Diagram to unleash his own power.
In the very moment Ming Qi collected and refined a ghost creature, the surrounding situation had undergone a significant transformation.
The cultivators, who had been moving in an orderly manner, were now completely disoriented. Only a few cultivators with higher cultivation levels were still able to withstand the ghost creature's mental attacks. Most of the mercenaries were plunged into boundless fear.
Ming Qi could clearly see no fewer than a dozen demonic beasts of various kinds, completely assimilated. Covered in blood, they rushed back and forth among the numerous mercenary monks, biting and roaring nonstop.
They had only just entered the Magic Forest, and such a chaotic situation had already occurred; it was truly unexpected.
At this moment, everyone placed their hopes on Yu Quanzhen, the lone Martial King.
Seeing dozens of mercenaries slain and over a dozen ghostly creatures completely assimilated, Yu Quanzhen seemed unable to remain silent any longer. He shouted in a deep voice, "Quietly, move towards me."
These words instantly became everyone's lifeline, and they all rushed towards Yu Quanzhen.
In fact, many people had already begun to approach Yu Quanzhen and his companions when the crisis arose. With Yu Quanzhen's command, they no longer hesitated. In just a few minutes, the area within a mile of Yu Quanzhen was filled with a large number of monks.
"Everyone, focus! Don't be distracted. This is a ghost creature, and all its attacks are mental."
He didn't care if anyone else followed his instructions. As he finished speaking, another magical weapon, a strange-looking staff, appeared beside him.
"Rhythm Staff!!!"
At this moment, the voice, which had been silent for so long, rang out again.