Beyond the mountain, above the clouds.
Two Foundation Establishment cultivators hovered in the air, their expressions indifferent as they gazed down at the black mist-shrouded mountain range below.
"Senior Brother Lin, you predicted with remarkable accuracy. The warriors' Qi and Blood is indeed irresistible to these Mingxue Beasts. The moment they entered the mountain, the Mingxue Beasts hidden deep within all swarmed out."
The alluring female Foundation Establishment cultivator spoke with a smile, a hint of flattery in her tone.
Elder Lin, the male Foundation Establishment cultivator, nodded slightly. "With the lifeblood and souls of these eight hundred warriors, especially the over two hundred of them at the Body Tempering Seventh Level and above, the 'Ghost Capturing Banner' will surely be strengthened a lot. Then, with us joining forces to activate the Ghost Capturing Banner, suppressing that Mingxue Beast King will be no trouble."
"When that time comes, that Skeleton Nether Flower will be yours, Senior Brother Lin."
The enchanting female cultivator's eyes sparkled as she gave soft chuckles. "After I help you obtain the Skeleton Nether Flower, I hope you won't forget what you promised me, Senior Brother."
"Junior Sister Chu, don't worry. Surely you know my character, don't you?" Elder Lin laughed heartily.
"I naturally trust you, Senior Brother."
Elder Chu smiled and nodded, then sighed. "But I am honestly impressed by the great lengths you have gone to, Senior Brother. Eight hundred warriors aren't easy for the Sect to train. The price you paid for this must be quite high, I assume?"
"If you want to achieve great things, how can you be frugal? As long as I get the Skeleton Nether Flower, I'm eighty percent confident of reaching the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. When that time comes, everything sacrificed today can be recovered twofold."
Immense confidence was tangible in Elder Lin's words.
"Then I congratulate you in advance on your breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, Senior Brother. It's only a matter of time for you to reach the Golden Core Realm."
Elder Chu made a gentle bow, but deep in her eyes, a trace of nearly imperceptible envy flashed.
...
Deep within the Siming Mountain.
Lu Lin silently moved through the tree branches and leaves, advancing deeper and deeper into the heart of the mountain.
Along the way, he had been attacked by monsters from time to time. He had killed those weaker, exchanging their spiritual energy for Training Time.
When encountering those that were over ten meters in length, he turned tail and ran without hesitation.
During his journey, he even glimpsed a terrifying giant beast twelve meters long from afar. It made his scalp tingle; he exerted himself to the maximum with the Spirit Cat Steps and narrowly shook it off.
After several hours, Lu Lin noticed a clear decrease in monster encounters.
His speculation proved correct—these monsters were indeed drawn out by the warriors' potent Qi and Blood.
The collective Qi and Blood of eight hundred warriors was immense, but his own alone was far from enough to attract much attention.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Lu Lin's gaze sharpened.
Ahead, a steep mountain peak appeared.
The entire mountain was deathly silent, with no trace of vegetation, only exposing to the air black rock that emitted a heart-palpating aura.
For some reason, the moment Lu Lin saw this mountain, he felt his breath catch, an inexplicable panic rising as if calamity was imminent.
Danger!
Extreme danger!
Within this mountain, there undoubtedly resided a terrifying being beyond imagination.
Lu Lin immediately held his breath and pushed the Self Concealment Technique to the limit, suppressing his Qi and Blood and sealing his pores, then slowly retreated.
Only after withdrawing several li did he heave a long sigh of relief and found his back soaked in cold sweat.
He selected a massive tree, about forty to fifty meters tall, and agilely climbed to where the branches and leaves were dense, concealing himself and settling down.
He decided to hide here for the three days.
As for gathering the Mingtie Cardamom? He'd just pick some on his way back.
Sure enough, his scheme worked well with this spot high enough off the ground and his Perfection mastery of the Self Concealment Technique.
In the following period, no monsters came to him.
The sky gradually darkened, black mist pervading everywhere. Not a hint of moonlight could be seen; it was truly pitch black.
Lu Lin didn't dare sleep, maintaining high alertness and concentration.
With his current Realm, he possessed vigorous Qi and Blood and a strong mental energy. Even if he went days without rest, it wouldn't affect him much.
Unnoticed, the sky brightened.
Boom!
At that moment, the energy in the air suddenly boiled, as if there had been an explosion just now!
An immense black banner appeared high in the sky, blotting out the sun and emanating a terrifying, chilling aura.
"Ah—"
Thick black smoke billowed from the banner, and countless piercing, miserable screams emerged from it, filled with resentment and malice, chilling to the bone.
Two figures hovered beneath the banner, their vast spiritual power pouring into it like a tidal wave, lending steadily more might to its aura that grew ever more dreadful.
Roar!!
As if sensing the threat of the black banner, from deep within the black mountain came an earth-shaking roar!
The next moment, a massive creature charged out of the mountain.
It looked similar to the monsters Lu Lin had seen before---a wide mouth with fangs, its body covered in black fleshy lumps. But it was terrifyingly huge, over twenty meters long, with a pair of broad, fleshy wings growing from its sides!
It fixed a pair of crimson eyes on the black banner in the sky and let out a deafening roar, the sound waves rippling outward and shaking off leaves that screened the sky.
Then, flapping its massive wings, it soared into the heavens, charging straight at the black banner!
"Junior Sister Chu, the Mingxue Beast King has appeared. Out with our full strength to suppress and kill this beast!"
Elder Lin shouted, channeling all his power into the Ghost Capturing Banner.
The black smoke around the banner churned even more violently, sometimes dispersing like mist, other times forming certain shapes.
They were actually clear human figures, their faces even half-distinguishable, setting up a disturbing chorus of wails and howls.
"That's…"
Lu Lin's pupils contracted, recognizing a few familiar figures among them.
They looked to be none other than Yu Chong and the rest of the Jiuchong Gang!
"Those killed warriors were actually all devoured by this black banner? Not only their lifeblood, but even their souls haven't been spared?"
Lu Lin's face grew a shade darker.
For martial artists, everything about soul was an elusive mystery.
But for cultivators, soul was a tangible existence.
He had long heard that within the Xuesha Demonic Sect, there was a "Soul-Searching Art" that could directly probe others' souls and extract memories.
Countless clues intertwined in Lu Lin's mind as the truth gradually emerged.
"The warriors are indeed just tools and expendable materials… To achieve their goals, eight hundred warriors have been sacrificed without a second thought. And this is just a Foundation Establishment cultivator's handiwork. If it were a Golden Core guru, perhaps he could have used the lives of a hundred thousand warriors as expendable materials?"
The more Lu Lin thought, the chillier he felt deep inside.
No matter what, he had to find out what mark the Demonic Sect had planted in him as soon as possible, then find a way to break it and escape from this demonic lair!
From on high, the sky-blotting Ghost Capturing Banner carried an invincible force as it slammed toward the Mingxue Beast King.
Snarl!
Sensing the threat of death, the Mingxue Beast King snarled at the sky, the fleshy lumps all over its body rapidly swelling before bursting, spewing large amounts of green venom that converged into a surging toxic river, rushing upward at the Ghost Capturing Banner!
Boom!!!
A deafening collision rocked the void, visible ripples sweeping in all directions.
Part of the impact reached the ground, reducing towering trees to particles and crushing massive rocks into gravel!
The earth gaped with terrifying, deep cracks, as smoke and dust billowed into the sky.
Lu Lin watched, his mind reeling with shock.
Was this the power of the Foundation Establishment Realm? Far too horrifying, surpassing the Qi Refining Realm by who knew how much, let alone a Body Tempering warrior.
The Mingxue Beast King was at an apparent disadvantage, as the impact sent it retreating far away.
"Kill!" Having gained an upper hand, Elder Lin shouted and channeled all his power into the Ghost Capturing Banner as it enveloped the Mingxue Beast King.
Countless black-smoke human forms pounced on the Beast King one after another. The Beast King flapped its massive wings and streaked its claws through the air, instantly tearing several of them into shreds, but more swarmed up shortly after.
For a time, the Mingxue Beast King was hard-pressed, falling back time after time. Each time it tried to break through, the Ghost Capturing Banner would block its path.