Pursuing Soldiers

Tu Shanjun opened the scarlet attribute panel.

Banner Name: Soul Reverence Banner

Banner Master: Zhao Shixian

Grade: Mid-grade Artifact

Soul-Banner Unity (Passive, Permanent): Absorbing killing intent and living souls can enhance the banner's abilities and grade.

Backlash (Passive, Permanent): When the banner master's strength and spiritual sense are insufficient to suppress the banner's main soul, the main soul can actively backlash against the master, refining them into a banner slave.

Soul Harvest: Extract living souls from dead bodies, absorbing souls and nether ghosts weaker than the main soul. (Current main soul strength: Qi Refining Layer 2).

Spirit Storage: The banner can store nether souls and ghostly beings. Current storage: (14/100).

Repair: Consume a certain amount of killing intent and living souls to repair the banner and main soul.

Hundred Ghosts Night March: Release all hundred ghosts within the banner, converging into a night-walking soul technique to launch an assault.

Having absorbed enough killing intent and that Qi Refining Layer 1 nether soul, the Soul Reverence Banner's grade rose to mid-grade, and it also derived a new divine ability.

"Hundred Ghosts Night March"

As the main soul, Tu Shanjun immediately comprehended the power of this spell.

The living souls within the banner could connect through the soul banner, transforming into a hundred night-walking ghosts, united in spirit to launch an assault.

The exact power was still unclear, but it should be a very strong spell.

The offensive techniques of a mid-grade artifact, especially one like the Soul Reverence Banner, were inherently powerful.

What he had now obtained was even a soul-attacking spell, more fearsome than ordinary physical attacks.

Despite possessing this extraordinary offensive art, Tu Shanjun still played dumb and showed no unusual movement.

As long as Zhao Shixian didn't know he was alive, Zhao Shixian would remain unguarded, and then it wouldn't be long before he could backlash against Zhao Shixian.

Zhao Shixian was overjoyed. The ten-foot soul banner, driven by his mana, shrank to a foot long, looking just like an ordinary command flag.

However, he was also puzzled as to why this situation had occurred.

He had never heard of an artifact embryo within the sect evolving in grade after refinement, nor of a treasure that actively upgraded its grade.

Even if such things existed, they were mostly legends, not something he could ever covet.

Yet here, right before his eyes, was such an item.

Just by devouring the mass grave and the killing stones he carried, it had risen an entire major grade, and even the main soul's strength within the banner had increased along with it.

How could this not astonish him, even fill him with dread?

Could this grade-upgrading treasure keep advancing endlessly as long as there was enough killing intent—top-grade artifact, dharma treasure, spirit treasure...

Zhao Shixian dared not think further, because he didn't even know the names of more powerful artifacts; he couldn't imagine them.

"Opportunity! My opportunity, Zhao Shixian's opportunity, the chance to attain the Dao!"

"Hahaha!"

Zhao Shixian's eyes burned with fervor. He decided, using the pretext of refining the artifact, since he had already left the sect, he wouldn't go back this time.

With this Soul Reverence Banner, even as a rogue cultivator, he could sustain his own cultivation.

He was merely a four-spirit-root pseudo-spirit-root cultivator, with no presence in the sect.

He had joined the sect in his early twenties, cultivated for over four years, and barely reached Qi Refining Layer 3. With such talent, he would never obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill in his lifetime, let alone receive the sect's dedicated training.

Without a Foundation Establishment Pill, for a pseudo-spirit-root cultivator, it was equivalent to having the path to immortality cut off entirely.

But now it was different. With this supreme treasure that could upgrade its grade by absorbing killing intent, would he ever have to worry about cultivation resources again?

Exploring dangerous lands, killing for treasure, seizing resources...

All of that was better than staying in the sect waiting to die, eventually becoming an outer sect steward and wasting away his life.

"I can't rush. I need to verify it again. Maybe this upgrade only happens once." Zhao Shixian gripped the Soul Reverence Banner, suppressing his excitement.

He had even thought of selling the Soul Reverence Banner to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill.

But such a thing was too unbelievable. If those big shots silenced him to keep the secret, the loss would far outweigh the gain.

Besides, he needed to verify whether this grade upgrade would happen again. If it only occurred once, it might just be a coincidence.

He still had to return to the sect, still needed resources, and this treasure might become useless.

Inside the banner, Tu Shanjun watched Zhao Shixian's shifting, uncertain expression and wondered if this demonic cultivator had discovered something.

Although Zhao Shixian's strength was lacking and his spiritual root talent was poor, he was indeed a bitter cultivator, spending his days either in meditation or practicing spells.

In two days, Zhao Shixian had destroyed another village, using the same trick: finding the village chief, luring him onto the formation with white-flour buns and silver.

With a sweep of his mana, the formation activated, and the mortals inside were refined into blood and killing intent.

Though Tu Shanjun had thought of saving them, with his Qi Refining Layer 2 cultivation, rashly triggering a backlash would surely end in defeat against Zhao Shixian's Qi Refining Layer 3.

For the sake of revenge, he chose to watch everything happen with his own eyes.

To achieve great things, one must endure!

Having seen more, his heart grew harder.

Tu Shan could only silently swear in his heart: "I will definitely refine Zhao Shixian to avenge you, and myself as well."

With the replenishment of blood Sha, another thirty Living Souls merged into the Soul Banner. Though it did not raise the banner's grade, it let Tu Shan touch the edge of the third layer of Qi Refining. The added Sha and Living Souls allowed him to break through once more.

Zhao Shixian was now fully certain that this supreme treasure could absorb Sha to elevate its grade.

Although the banner had not yet advanced, the infusion of Sha still made its surface more refined, and the ghost face on it grew even more lifelike.

The main pole became smoother and rounder, expelling another portion of its internal impurities.

Now, the Soul Banner ranked among the middle tier even within Mid-grade Artifacts.

Even the Main Soul had reached the third layer of Qi Refining.

Who could have imagined that two days ago, this Soul Banner was still an Artifact Embryo, refined into only a low-grade artifact, with its Main Soul barely at the first layer of Qi Refining?

Zhao Shixian stroked the banner in delight. The banner in his hand was no longer as cold and hard as at the start; it felt like deep, chilly jade carrying a faint cold aura. "Good treasure. With the Main Soul advancing to the third layer of Qi Refining, I've gained an ally of the same rank."

"Demon, I've finally found you!"

The sharp shout struck like thunder from a clear sky, exploding by his ear.

Zhao Shixian, who had just put away his spirit-stone formation, changed expression sharply. He knew that voice all too well.

That Righteous Cultivator who had hunted him for two days.

Under the banner of slaying demons and upholding the Dao, they had fought, and the wounds on his body were carved by that cultivator's flying sword.

Inside the banner, Tu Shan was deeply exasperated.

Don't shout. Right now, Zhao Shixian was overjoyed, his mind relaxed. If he struck first with a sneak attack, wouldn't he seize the advantage?

That pursuer had instead given a warning, exposing his own position.

Zhao Shixian snorted coldly. "You've chased me this long; it's hard to end peacefully. Since you insist on seeking death, I'll grant your wish."

Gripping the Mid-grade Artifact Soul Banner, his condition fully restored, he had no fear of the pursuing fourth-layer Qi Refining Righteous Cultivator.

"Watch my sword!"

The young Righteous Cultivator chasing him was not old, appearing to be about twenty.

Without another word, he pulled the Daoist Hairpin from his head and flung it forward. The hairpin caught the wind and transformed into a three-foot cyan flying sword, circling at his side.

Driven by his spiritual power, it shot straight for Zhao Shixian's head.

Zhao Shixian offered up the Soul Banner. Blood light surged, and the banner instantly expanded to a zhang in size.

The ghost face on the Soul Banner twisted ferociously, fluttering in the wind.

Like a general's war flag.

The main pole in Zhao Shixian's hand displayed its might, the banner cloth tightly wrapped around the shaft, forming something like a halberd that tangled with the three-foot flying sword.

The clang of metal on metal rang without pause.

Zhao Shixian did not retreat but advanced. In the span of a few breaths, he had already reached the young man's front.

Inside the banner, Tu Shan grew excited. As long as there was a fight, no matter the outcome, Zhao Shixian would inevitably let his guard down. That would be his chance to rebel.