Capturing Yin Souls

Chapter 10: Capturing Yin Souls

Lei Dong decided to wait patiently. He took out the Jade Slip and studied the Ghost Taming Art again. Although Qi Refining Stage Cultivators could learn and use the Ghost Taming Art, it was exceptionally complex and difficult to master. Lei Dong wasn't willing to waste any time.

As time passed, the sky gradually darkened. The instant the sun set, Lei Dong felt a wave of icy Yin energy sweep over him, making him shudder from head to toe. Fortunately, the main Cultivation Method he practiced was the Profound Yin Heart Sutra, which was Yin in nature. So even when Yin energy entered his body, he didn't find it too uncomfortable. The Profound Yin True Qi in his dantian was even more active than usual.

A thought occurred to him: if he practiced the Profound Yin Heart Sutra somewhere with extremely dense Yin energy, would it be even more effective?

Of course, he couldn't try that now. Once he sealed his senses and entered meditation, he might not even realize it if a pack of evil ghosts tore him apart. Thinking of evil ghosts, Lei Dong tightened his grip on the Ink Green Small Sword and grew more vigilant. His gaze swept across the area: mounds of upturned earth, dead branches and fallen leaves, weeds growing everywhere, and cheap, nameless tombstones. After countless years of geological shifts, many coffins were half-exposed; after enduring years of sun and rain, they had all rotted beyond recognition. A few Ghost Fires drifted in the distance, while the cold wind grew fiercer, howling like ghosts wailing and wolves howling. The place had looked all right during the day, but at night, its surroundings became increasingly sinister and terrifying.

Fortunately, the Yin Sha Sect's buildings were mostly designed to look ferocious and brutal. In the nearly five months since joining the sect, Lei Dong had gone from being frightened out of his wits to growing somewhat numb to it all. He was still a little uneasy, but more than that, he felt a flicker of excitement. Everything was ready; all he needed now was a Yin Soul. More importantly, Yin Souls came in different grades. What if he ran into a Top Grade Spirit Ghost? Wouldn't he hit the jackpot? It was just like how he'd sometimes felt a thrill of anticipation when buying lottery tickets in his previous life. Sure, the odds of catching a Middle Grade Spirit Ghost were no better than the odds of winning the grand prize. But that vague sense of expectation was the same.

After quite a while of looking around, he still hadn't found a single Yin Soul. Lei Dong had no choice but to move carefully, searching along the outskirts of the Mass Grave. One hour, then two hours passed. It was now the middle of the night, and even with his Profound Yin True Qi, the Yin Wind nearly froze him to the bone. Just as he was debating whether to venture farther in, a wave of dense Yin energy came howling toward him.

In the blink of an eye, Lei Dong surged his True Qi through his body and kicked off the ground, darting seven or eight meters to one side. He looked closely and saw a half-transparent, hazy figure, seeming both there and not there. A Yin Soul had lunged and missed, baring its teeth at him in a vicious snarl. But in the blink of an eye, it lunged at Lei Dong again.

Lei Dong took a deep breath to calm himself. Instead of immediately trying to capture the Yin Soul, he quickly retreated. This was still the outskirts of the Mass Grave; if another Yin Soul appeared, he could be thrown into disarray. He might as well imitate the aggro-pulling tactics from online games, luring it to a safe spot before slowly wearing it down.

The Yin Soul was fast, but Lei Dong's body, after Marrow Cleansing and Hair Washing, was no slouch. He was even slightly faster than it. The Yin Soul had finally caught the scent of human Yang energy. All it had to do was prey on this human and drain his Essence Blood, and it would grow stronger. It wasn't about to let him get away so easily.

After a chase that lasted three or four miles, the Yin Soul was nearly driven mad. Every time it was about to catch him, he slipped nimbly from its claws.

Just as the Yin Soul grew impatient and wanted to give up on its prey, Lei Dong stopped. He held the Ghost Green Small Sword in his right hand and a Soul Nurturing Pagoda in his left, gazing at the Yin Soul with eager anticipation. Before it was captured, there was no way to determine its quality. Only after it was inside the Soul Nurturing Pagoda could a special method reveal that.

As the Yin Soul lunged at him, Lei Dong murmured an incantation and flicked his wrist. The Ghost Green Small Sword shot forward like an arrow. At such close range, the Yin Soul had no time to dodge and took the sword straight on.

The Yin Soul shuddered violently. Wisps of smoke hissed from it as it roared, letting out one shrill, ear-piercing scream after another.

Although Yin Souls were made of spiritual energy and could hardly be harmed by ordinary physical means, what kind of sect was the Yin Sha Sect? Even the Ink Green Small Sword issued to new disciples could counter Ghost Souls. That single strike had badly wounded the Yin Soul. Instinctively sensing that it had hit a wall, it turned and tried to flee.

But Lei Dong had gone to all the trouble of luring this Ghost Soul out. How could he let it slip away so easily? With a tug of his fingers, the Ink Green Small Sword spun in midair and slashed viciously toward the Yin Soul.

This Ink Green Small Sword was a Flying Sword-type Magic Tool specially prepared by the Yin Sha Sect for its new disciples. Rather than focus on its power, the sect had put a great deal of effort into making it easy to control. Thus, even a newly initiated disciple like Lei Dong could use it after refining it for just a few days. Of course, his technique was still clumsy, and the Small Sword trembled as it flew, showing how hard Lei Dong was finding it to control. But dealing with this Yin Soul wasn't a problem.

Hiss—the Small Sword swept through the Yin Soul's transparent spirit body again. Ripples spread across it, and the blow nearly split it in two. As wisps of white vapor curled around it, the Yin Soul's form immediately grew even more transparent. A gust of Yin Wind swept past, and its body twisted and dissolved into mist, barely able to maintain its shape. Afraid the wind might scatter it, Lei Dong hurriedly used his Profound Yin True Qi to activate the Soul Nurturing Pagoda, aimed its entrance at the Yin Soul, and recited an incantation.

After a strange fluctuation of energy, the Yin Soul seemed caught in an invisible net. It shrank into a small, ever-shifting ball of smoke, then was drawn into the Soul Nurturing Pagoda. Lei Dong calmly sealed the entrance, then sat cross-legged on the ground, panting. He used the Breathing Technique to replenish the Profound Yin True Qi he'd spent.

Although the Ink Green Small Sword and the Soul Nurturing Pagoda were both low-grade Magic Tools for beginners, Lei Dong was only at the first level of the Qi Refining Stage, so controlling them was bound to be taxing. That brief clash had already used up nearly all his Profound Yin True Qi. After recovering some of it, Lei Dong didn't dare linger there. He turned and returned to Myriad Ghost City under cover of night.

If he kept searching, perhaps he could find another Yin Soul. But Lei Dong didn't dare take foolish risks. He'd gone to all the trouble of crossing into this world; he didn't want to die for no reason because of his own carelessness.

Myriad Ghost City truly lived up to its name. At night, it was even livelier than during the day. Given Lei Dong's status as a Myriad Ghost Cave disciple, no one would dare make trouble for him. He used the free lodging token at his waist to find an inn and settle in temporarily. Then he meditated and practiced Qi Refining at the inn until dawn. Even so, he had only recovered about seven or eight tenths of the strength he'd expended. He couldn't help reflecting that poverty really was the greatest sin. If he had some pills to restore his True Qi, he could take one while meditating and recover all that meager amount of True Qi in no time. Unfortunately, he had only one Spirit Stone left. It might come in handy for something important, so he couldn't waste it casually.

Only then did Lei Dong have the leisure to examine the Yin Soul he'd captured the previous night. To be safe, he'd used a castoff from one of his senior brothers.

He took out the newly refined Soul Nurturing Pagoda and used a special technique from the Ghost Taming Art to link it with his mind. To his surprise, the empty first level of the pagoda now held a mistlike Yin Soul. It had curled up in a corner without moving. Perhaps the Soul Nurturing Pagoda had nourished it a little; compared with its state the night before, when it had seemed ready to vanish at any moment, it was now much more solid.

The Soul Nurturing Pagoda was not only essential for capturing Yin Souls. It was also where they lived and cultivated. Even when injured, they could slowly recover with the nourishment of the pagoda. After all, one of its main materials was Soul Wood, which could nourish souls.

Lei Dong took a deep breath and used the Soul Nurturing Pagoda's identification function to assess the Yin Soul's quality. A faint glow fell upon it.

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