After uncovering the source of the merit, the worry that had weighed on Lu Yan's heart vanished in an instant, replaced by an uncontrollable surge of delight.
The merit gained from stripping a Zombie Wandering Soul was not much—so little it could even be called negligible. But there were simply too many zombies in this Apocalypse Version!
One had to understand that Lu Yan had slaughtered only a little over ten thousand zombies these past few days, yet that alone had brought down such an enormous amount of merit, helping him refine the embryonic form of the Golden Core divine ability known as the Profound Yellow Merit Fire.
If he slaughtered a hundred thousand or even a million zombies in the future, how much merit would accumulate within his body? Would he be able to cultivate a complete Profound Yellow Merit Fire before reaching the Golden Core Stage?
Just imagining it was enough to make one's heart tremble.
Not to mention that Zombie Wandering Souls separated from their physical bodies were the perfect materials for refining a Soul Banner and nurturing Vengeful Souls.
Lu Yan could already see a broad Avenue of Dawn waving to him.
Picking up the Soul Banner again, Lu Yan allowed the Ghost Mist to devour the two Zombie Wandering Souls.
By then, he had already reached the Third Layer Qi Refining. With the Profound Yellow Merit Fire suppressing the Vengeful Souls, Lu Yan no longer needed to spare part of his magical power to suppress the High-Grade Soul Banner and prevent it from biting back. He could control this Demonic Path Magical Artifact with ease.
His only concern was that maintaining the Vengeful Souls in the outside world also required a certain amount of magical power. Lu Yan's magical power was ultimately incomparable to that of cultivators in the Late Stage Qi Refining or at Peak Qi Refining, so he could not release all the ghostly entities within the Soul Banner for long periods.
After releasing the Vengeful Souls one by one, Lu Yan tested them and found that, at present, twenty-seven Vengeful Souls was the limit he could maintain under normal conditions. With any more, the rate at which his magical power recovered could no longer keep up with the rate at which controlling the Soul Banner consumed it, and he would have to rely on Spirit Stones for replenishment.
But for Lu Yan, that was already enough. Twenty-seven Vengeful Souls comparable to the Second Layer Qi Refining were sufficient to sweep through the outer urban districts.
Compared to that, what required more attention was the speed at which the Soul Banner refined wandering souls.
Under the radiance of the sun, Lu Yan once again walked out of that Abandoned Building and began exploring and hunting outside.
With the help of the Profound Yellow Merit Fire, Lu Yan seemed to have received divine aid afterward.
No longer needing to worry about the Vengeful Souls rebelling, Lu Yan began a Great Cleansing of the surrounding areas.
During the day, Lu Yan avoided the areas containing Peak Qi Refining Leader-Level Zombies and Foundation Establishment Zombie Kings. Instead, he started with the scattered zombies on the outskirts.
Although this approach was somewhat slower, it was stable.
During this process, Lu Yan discovered that his zombie-hunting had already formed a self-sustaining cycle.
Lu Yan stripped Zombie Wandering Souls to obtain merit; the Zombie Wandering Souls were refined into the Soul Banner; and the merit obtained could in turn nourish the divine ability known as the Profound Yellow Merit Fire, suppressing the rapidly increasing number of Vengeful Souls within the Soul Banner.
Under this system, Lu Yan's strength grew in nearly every aspect, no longer restricted by the backlash of the Vengeful Souls.
At night, Lu Yan also did not waste the Moonlight Spiritual Energy, using it to cultivate and strengthen his soul.
Breaking through to the Mid-Stage Qi Refinement in the Apocalypse Version was difficult, but absorbing the Moonlight Spiritual Energy could lay a solid foundation for his future advancement.
Once his cultivation reached Peak Qi Refining and he began nurturing his Divine Soul and giving birth to divine sense, the Moonlight Spiritual Energy's strengthening of his soul would bring Lu Yan benefits beyond measure.
At dusk, after clearing another Abandoned Mall, Lu Yan successfully refined the more than one thousand zombies inside it into thirteen Vengeful Souls.
Lu Yan unfurled the Soul Banner. A great number of Vengeful Souls gathered across its surface, while immense, sinister ghostly energy continuously spread out from within the banner.
The thirteen newly refined Vengeful Souls merged into the banner. Without magical power suppressing them and without cultivation pressing them down, their instinctive resentment made them want to launch a backlash.
Before Lu Yan could react, the other Vengeful Souls within the Soul Banner struck first.
A large number of Vengeful Souls charged at the thirteen newcomers, and the two sides began brawling. The Vengeful Souls that had originally intended to rebel were utterly bewildered.
As ghostly entities refined by a Demonic Path Magical Artifact, they were naturally conglomerations of negative emotions. Betrayal and rebellion were everyday occurrences to them, yet they had never imagined that they would be beaten senseless by other Vengeful Souls for rebelling.
The patterns drawn across the banner's surface shifted constantly. The original Vengeful Souls within the Soul Banner had clearly gained the upper hand, and soon they had completely suppressed the newcomers.
Only after finishing all this did the Vengeful Souls turn toward Lu Yan one after another, flattering smiles appearing on their faces.
The Vengeful Souls possessed almost no intelligence, so in theory they should not have been capable of such a reaction. But during these past days, whenever Lu Yan had nothing to do, he would take out the Profound Yellow Merit Fire and randomly choose two disobedient Vengeful Souls to roast.
Over the course of this week, more than three Vengeful Souls had already been reduced to scattered souls beneath the Profound Yellow Merit Fire.
In the face of this life-and-death crisis, submission and flattery had become their instinct for survival.
Facing the Vengeful Souls' behavior, Lu Yan said nothing. He formed a hand seal, and a Profound Yellow Merit Fire ignited in the void.
A week ago, the Profound Yellow Merit Fire in Lu Yan's hand had been no more than a fingertip-sized flame, barely deserving to be called the embryonic form of a divine ability.
Now, however, the Profound Yellow Merit Fire had grown to nearly half the size of a fist. Whether it was the radiance that drove away evil and destroyed demons or the majestic, righteous aura it emitted, both had clearly grown stronger.
Lu Yan had never used the Profound Yellow Merit Fire against an enemy, so he did not know where the upper limit of this divine ability lay. But its suppression of the Vengeful Souls had grown increasingly formidable.
Clenching his five fingers, Lu Yan withdrew the Profound Yellow Merit Fire. He glanced at the thirteen Vengeful Souls that had just joined the Soul Banner. Fear identical to that of their seniors now showed on their faces, and Lu Yan was quite satisfied.
Over the past week, Lu Yan had devoted nearly all his time to hunting and sleeping, clearing out more than ten thousand zombies.
After accounting for the losses and a few unrepentant troublemakers he had killed as a warning to the others, Lu Yan's Soul Banner had accumulated two hundred and thirty-one Vengeful Souls—twice as many as a week ago.
Lu Yan could clearly sense that this number had already reached the limit of the High-Grade Soul Banner.
He suspected that the person who had created the Soul Banner had never imagined that anyone could collect so many Vengeful Souls while it was still a High-Grade Magic Tool.
If he wanted the Soul Banner to contain more Vengeful Souls, there was only one method: raise the rank of the Soul Banner.
Upgrade the High-Grade Magic Tool into the Hundred Soul Banner at the Top Grade Magic Tool level!
Actually, the number of Vengeful Souls within the Soul Banner had long since exceeded one hundred.
The reason the Soul Banner had failed to advance was that its main soul, Warrior, was only at the Mid-Stage Qi Refinement—far from enough to support the advancement of the banner.
Lu Yan needed more and stronger main souls!
"It's time to hunt a Peak Qi Refining Leader-Level Zombie."
Lu Yan murmured softly to himself. He then glanced at the sky. There were still roughly two hours before complete darkness fell.
"Plenty of time."
Lu Yan held the Soul Banner in his hand as Vengeful Souls gradually emerged around him. The Ghost Mist began spreading in every direction, swallowing up several hundred meters of land.
The direction Lu Yan headed in was precisely the residential compound where he had first arrived when the Apocalypse Version descended.
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