Sister Sadako

Su Fan took out this "Ghost Path True Understanding," originally intending only to flip through it casually.

Who would have thought that once he started reading, it was already evening.

Actually, Su Fan had always been rather resistant to things from the Demonic Path.

He believed evil cultivators and demonic cultivators were no different.

It was only after reading this "Ghost Path True Understanding" that he realized demonic cultivators and evil cultivators were fundamentally different after all.

The Demonic Path's cultivation arts, like those of the Immortal Sects, were orthodox lineages passed down from generation to generation since ancient times.

Even the Immortal Sects acknowledged this point. The Immortal and Demonic Paths merely followed different routes.

The Immortal Sects and the Demonic Path were as incompatible as fire and water, but in truth, it was still a struggle over interests.

Whenever the Immortal and Demonic Paths fought, the Demonic Path might hire evil cultivators to wreak havoc throughout territories controlled by the Immortal Sects.

But the attitudes of both the Immortal and Demonic Paths toward evil cultivators were actually the same.

Although Demonic Path cultivators were vicious and brutal, they generally would not attack mortals in the Mortal World without good reason. After all, mortals were the foundation of both the Immortal and Demonic Paths.

Evil cultivators, however, cared nothing for that. They often stirred up storms in the mortal kingdoms of the Mortal World.

Thus, whether it was an Immortal Sect or the Demonic Path, both would crack down harshly on evil-cultivator organizations within their territories.

The spiritual energy in this Cultivation World was also divided into several categories.

There was the basic spiritual energy of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—as well as variant spiritual energies such as wind, lightning, ice, and Yin.

Sword cultivators, for example, mostly possessed metal-type spiritual energy in their spirit roots.

Demonic cultivators who practiced Ghost Path cultivation arts also required aptitude. The best aptitude was the Extreme Yin Physique.

The Extreme Yin Physique was the Heavenly Spirit Root among Ghost Path cultivators.

It allowed one to cultivate Yin-type arts at astonishing speed, and made one even more adept at controlling Shade Souls and Netherworld Creatures, or at casting more powerful Yin-type spells and secret arts.

Of course, cultivators with ordinary spirit roots could also cultivate the Ghost Path.

According to the "Ghost Path True Understanding," Netherworld Creatures and cultivators were likewise divided into different ranks.

They were, respectively: Shade Soul, Nether Soul, Vengeful Ghost, Ghost Soldier, Ghost General, and Ghost King.

A Shade Soul was the soul of a dead person that lingered behind because of an unfulfilled obsession, or remained in the mortal world due to feng shui and geography.

After being subdued and refined by a Ghost Cultivator, it became a Nether Soul, Vengeful Ghost, or Ghost Soldier, corresponding to the three stages of the Qi Refining Realm.

Ghost Generals and Ghost Kings corresponded to the Foundation Establishment Realm and Golden Core Stage, respectively. As for the ranks beyond that, this book did not introduce them.

"Ghost Path True Understanding" was considered the introductory inheritance of the Ghost King Sect—the cultivation art for Ghost Path cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm.

The book recorded a Ghost Cultivator cultivation art called "Netherworld Art," as well as more than a dozen Ghost Path Spells for the Qi Refining Realm.

The cultivation art could wait, but the Ghost Path Spells were worth studying.

Su Fan felt that raising a few Netherworld Creatures would be pretty good.

They could be used for scouting and keeping watch in ordinary times, and during battles, he could also use the "Evil Ghost Banner" to catch people off guard.

Su Fan was extremely satisfied with the power of the "Evil Ghost Banner." Just thinking about the scene in the basement made his scalp prickle.

He had not understood anything yet, and had directly released a whole group of evil ghosts.

He had nearly been scared to death.

Especially the female ghost inside the black banner. Judging by her aura, she should have reached the Ghost Soldier rank.

If nurtured properly, she would absolutely make a fine assistant.

Su Fan made up his mind. He would simply call her Sister Sadako.

As for the remaining Nether Souls and Vengeful Ghosts, they could serve as cannon fodder in the future.

The two most basic introductory spells in "Ghost Path True Understanding" were "Ghost Taming Technique" and "Netherworld Ghost Contract."

As its name suggested, the "Ghost Taming Technique" was a spell for controlling Netherworld Creatures.

The "Netherworld Ghost Contract," on the other hand, was used after subduing and refining a Netherworld Creature to imprint a spell mark on it, turning it into a Ghost Slave belonging to the cultivator.

Having mastered the "Ghost Taming Technique," Su Fan could summon any Nether Soul or Vengeful Ghost from the "Evil Ghost Banner."

The "Netherworld Ghost Contract" went without saying. He directly signed a contract with Sister Zhen.

A Ghost Slave bound by a ghost contract could communicate with a cultivator through Spiritual Sense. Just thinking about it was thrilling.

The "Ghost Taming Technique" was relatively simple, and he picked it up quite quickly.

The "Netherworld Ghost Contract" was much more difficult. It took him quite some time before he finally mastered it.

After learning the two spells, Su Fan excitedly returned to the basement and took out the "Evil Ghost Banner."

He cast the Ghost Taming Technique. A mass of black smoke surged out of the black banner and instantly transformed into a Ghostly Shadow, baring its claws and fangs before Su Fan.

Seeing the Nether Soul looking eager to pounce, he did not indulge it.

The Dao Seed inside his body erupted with a boom. A bolt of purple lightning burst from his right hand, frightening the Nether Soul into trembling all over.

With a whoosh, it fled straight to the edge of the basement, crouched in the corner, and began drawing circles on the wall.

You little runt. You still dare bare your teeth at me?

He cast the Ghost Taming Technique again, summoned the Nether Soul before him, and carefully examined it.

It had a deathly pale face, its tongue hanging out, and a pair of eyes without any whites. It gazed at Su Fan pitifully.

Its appearance was a little lacking. It was downright hideous.

Su Fan formed a spell seal with his fingers and reached his left hand toward the Nether Soul.

The Nether Soul crossed its arms over its chest and curled into a ball, looking as though it were shouting, Don't come any closer!

With his left hand forming seals and his mouth murmuring incantations, he slapped the top of the Nether Soul's head.

"Bzzz!"

Su Fan felt as though something had appeared in his mind. Immediately afterward, a fawning mental transmission came through.

"Yu... what you want me do..."

"Yaya..."

"You look so hideous. Can't you change your appearance..."

"Yaya..."

"For fuck's sake, say something..."

"Yaya..."

Communicating with this thing was simply like playing the lute to a cow.

He waved his hand, and the Nether Soul instantly turned into a mass of black smoke before darting back into the black banner as if pardoned from a death sentence.

Su Fan wanted to summon Sister Sadako, but he was still somewhat hesitant.

That was a Netherworld Creature at the Ghost Soldier level. If he really summoned her, what if she ended up devouring him?

But once he thought of the Lightning Dao Seed inside his body, he felt confident.

Su Fan formed seals and chanted an incantation. A dense mass of black mist surged out of the giant banner, instantly occupying more than half the basement.

A chilly aura spread in every direction.

The black smoke gradually condensed, taking the form of a woman dressed in a white ancient-style gown.

"Hiss..."

Suddenly, a terrifying hiss shook Su Fan's brain until it rang.

The female ghost raised both arms, waving two-foot-long claws, and charged viciously.

Wave after wave of Yin energy surged toward him. The bone-deep chill soon made his hands and feet stiff, freezing his entire body as though it had been encased in ice.

The Lightning Dao Seed inside Su Fan's body erupted with a boom.

Countless purple currents coursed through his body, driving that icy aura out in an instant.

He gathered the lightning into his right hand and slammed out with a fierce punch.

"Ah..."

A shrill scream rang beside Su Fan's ear. His punch sent the female ghost flying, nearly dispersing her Ghostly Shadow.

Lightning flashed beneath his feet. His figure instantly closed in on the female ghost, followed by a flurry of punches and kicks.

All that was missing were a whip and candles.

He beat the female ghost until she shrieked hoarsely, her Ghostly Shadow trembling without pause as if she might scatter into oblivion at any moment.

Su Fan felt that it was about enough. He condensed a spell seal with his left hand and slapped it onto the female ghost's head.

"Boom..."

An explosion rang out in his mind. Faintly, he sensed a pleading mental transmission.

Su Fan beckoned, and the female ghost's figure instantly floated before him, her Ghostly Shadow considerably more insubstantial.

"Bare your teeth again and I'll scatter you into oblivion..."

The female ghost's form trembled. A mournful mental transmission came into Su Fan's mind.

"Mm..."

Su Fan immediately became excited. She had responded!

"Can't you change into a better-looking form..."

This time, the female ghost did not respond. Instead, she once again transformed into black smoke, then re-formed into the appearance of a beautiful woman in ancient clothing.

Su Fan took one look and felt that this was much better. Although she still looked gloomy and eerie, at least she was pleasing to the eye.

"Mm... From now on, your name is Sadako..."