Black Fiend Sect

His cultivation had broken through, and his magic artifact was initially formed. Mo Yuan's mind was clear, and a sharp, forward-driving aura naturally emanated from him. Uncle Nine clearly felt the change in his disciple; it wasn't just an increase in cultivation, but a confidence and responsibility stemming from his Dao heart.

"Master, the Black Fiend Sect's wicked intentions are not dead. Instead of waiting for them to come to us, why don't we take the initiative? I wish to venture out and travel, partly to temper myself, and partly to see if I can find more clues about the Black Fiend Sect," Mo Yuan requested of Uncle Nine.

Uncle Nine pondered for a moment, looking at Mo Yuan's determined gaze. He knew that a fledgling eagle must eventually spread its wings and soar. He sighed, his eyes filled with concern and relief. "With your current strength, as long as you don't encounter a Foundation Establishment old monster, you should be able to protect yourself. The martial world is treacherous, and people's hearts are unpredictable; it's far simpler than the Mortuary. You must remember, if Dao techniques are used for good, they benefit all living beings; if used for evil, one falls into the Demonic Dao. Think thrice before acting, and never act recklessly."

"This disciple remembers Master's teachings!" Mo Yuan bowed respectfully.

"Go," Uncle Nine said, taking out an ancient jade pendant from his robe and handing it to Mo Yuan. "This is a 'Thousand-Mile Communication Talisman' I used in my early years. If you encounter an emergency, crush it, and I will be able to sense your location. Also, if you pass through towns where fellow disciples from Mount Mao are stationed, you can present this as a token and perhaps receive some assistance."

"Thank you, Master!" Mo Yuan solemnly accepted the jade pendant, feeling the warm spiritual energy contained within, and was deeply moved.

After bidding farewell to Uncle Nine, and the reluctant Wen Cai and Qiu Sheng, Mo Yuan, clad in a blue Daoist robe, with the Soul Cleansing Banner carefully wrapped in a cloth bag on his back and a lightning-struck wood sword blank hanging from his waist, stepped out of the Mortuary's gate. His first destination was the abandoned ancient town of Blackwater Town, a hundred miles away, which Uncle Nine had mentioned as a place where the Black Fiend Sect had shown signs of activity.

Along the way, he circulated the Divine Dragon Body Refining Art, his pace swift and his steps steady. His Blood Essence subtly formed a weak force field around him, deterring ordinary venomous insects and snakes. At night, while meditating, he took out the Soul Cleansing Banner, attempting to sense any wandering spirits or ghosts in the vicinity.

That night, Mo Yuan stayed in a dilapidated mountain god temple. In the dead of night, he lit a bonfire and sat cross-legged, the Soul Cleansing Banner beside him, its clear radiance enveloping him, making him impervious to evil. He released his spiritual sense and carefully sensed his surroundings.

As expected, just after midnight, an eerie wind began to blow outside the temple, accompanied by faint weeping sounds. Several blurry white phantoms hovered outside the temple gate. They were lonely spirits and wild ghosts who had lingered in the human world for various reasons, attracted by the living's yang energy, but they feared the aura of the Soul Cleansing Banner and dared not approach.

Mo Yuan's mind stirred, and he activated the Soul Cleansing Banner. The banner's surface shimmered with clear light, generating a gentle suction force while emitting a soothing intent. The wandering spirits were initially terrified, but sensing no malice in the clear light, and instead feeling a warmth and peace akin to returning to a mother's embrace, they hesitated. After a moment, the weakest spirit was the first to be drawn into the banner.

Inside the Soul Cleansing Banner, the spirit found itself in a space filled with the spiritual essence of pure bamboo. The resentment and obsessions on its body were slowly purified, and its blurred consciousness gradually became clear and calm. Mo Yuan could sense its state through the magic artifact; it was a sense of liberation and peace.

"Dust to dust, earth to earth. Your obsessions have vanished, so enter the cycle of reincarnation," Mo Yuan communicated with the space within the banner using his mental energy, reciting a simple soul-pacifying mantra. The purified spirit conveyed a trace of gratitude to him before its soul gradually faded, following the laws of heaven and earth, and dissipated into reincarnation.

"Success!" Mo Yuan rejoiced. The Soul Cleansing Banner could not only store souls but also truly guide them. This confirmed that his refining concept was correct. In one night, he had guided seven or eight wandering spirits, and his use of the Soul Cleansing Banner had become more proficient.

"System, sign in outside Blackwater Town!" As he neared his destination, Mo Yuan immediately signed in.

[Ding! Sign-in successful! Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Medium-Grade Spirit Stone x10, Evil Breaking Talisman (Enhanced) x5, Ghost Shadow Footwork x1, Residual Aura of the Primordial World: Mystic Yin Evil Qi (a wisp)!]

[Ghost Shadow Footwork]: An unpredictable movement technique, adept at stealth and surprise attacks in environments with Yin or evil Qi.

[Mystic Yin Evil Qi (a wisp)]: Pure Yin-attribute evil Qi, which can be absorbed and transformed by the Soul Cleansing Banner, or used to cultivate specific Yin-attribute spells (Warning: Refine with caution).

The rewards once again met his needs! Ghost Shadow Footwork perfectly compensated for the shortcomings of his movement techniques in specific environments. As for the Mystic Yin Evil Qi, Mo Yuan thought for a moment and did not absorb it directly. Instead, he attempted to guide it into the Soul Cleansing Banner. The pure bamboo's spiritual essence within the banner fluctuated slightly, and it actually began to slowly and steadily decompose this evil Qi, transforming it into pure Yin-attribute energy, feeding back into the banner's internal space, making it more stable, and even slightly improving its nourishing effect on Yin spirits.

"The Soul Cleansing Banner can even convert evil Qi? It seems its potential is greater than I imagined!" Mo Yuan was quite surprised.

Three days later, Mo Yuan arrived at Blackwater Town. The town was indeed desolate, with broken walls, overgrown weeds, and a faint smell of decay and evil Qi in the air. According to the vague information provided by Uncle Nine, the Black Fiend Sect had established a temporary stronghold here, seemingly conducting some kind of evil ritual related to an ancient tomb.

Mo Yuan circulated the Divine Dragon Body Refining Art, his yang energy contained, and simultaneously employed the newly learned Ghost Shadow Footwork. His movements were like a phantom, silently traversing the ruins. His spiritual sense was highly concentrated, sensing the surrounding energy fluctuations.

Suddenly, outside a half-collapsed ancient mansion, he sensed faint traces of magic power and a familiar evil aura! It was from the same source as the Black Fiend Sect disciples he had fought at the Mortuary!

"Found it!" Mo Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he approached stealthily. Through the broken window lattice, he saw three black-robed figures inside the courtyard surrounding a dry well, arranging something. The well emitted a strong stench of blood and resentment. An evil magic array was etched on the ground, with several objects stained with dark red grime placed at its center.

"Hurry up! The elders are pressing us. We must guide out the 'Earth Yin Vein' here and refine it into an 'Evil Corpse Pill' before the full moon!" a hoarse voice urged.

Mo Yuan's heart tightened. Evil Corpse Pill? It sounded like an extremely wicked item. He couldn't wait any longer! He made a decisive move, kicking open the dilapidated wooden door and charging in like lightning!

"Who goes there?!" The three black-robed figures were startled and immediately turned around.

"To take you down!" Mo Yuan coldly shouted, his movements swift as the wind! He didn't use the ostentatious Geng Metal Sword Qi, but instead poured his spiritual energy into his legs, executing Ghost Shadow Footwork to its extreme. He instantly closed in on one of them, his fist imbued with dragon power smashing towards the opponent's face!

"Bang!" The black-robed figure didn't even have time to react. His protective evil Qi was like paper, and he was sent flying with a single punch, crashing into the wall, his fate unknown.

"You're seeking death!" The other two were shocked and enraged. One swung a poisoned dagger, while the other quickly chanted, summoning two ferocious ghosts with bared fangs and claws to pounce at Mo Yuan.

"Soul Cleansing Banner, appear!" Mo Yuan's mind moved, the cloth bag on his back burst open, and the shimmering Soul Cleansing Banner appeared in his hand. He swung the banner, its clear light sweeping across. The two ferocious ghosts let out mournful cries as if they had encountered their nemesis, their forms twisting as they were forcibly pulled into the banner by its suction force!

"What? Soul Refining Banner?!" The black-robed figure wielding the dagger was terrified, his movements momentarily halted. Mo Yuan seized the opportunity, thrusting the banner pole like a spear, striking the man's chest. The gentle power of the soul-nourishing wood instantly invaded, but it carried an irresistible immense force, sending him spitting blood and flying backward.

The last sorcerer, seeing the situation was dire, turned to jump into the well and escape.

"Where do you think you're going!" Mo Yuan thrust the Soul Cleansing Banner into the ground, its clear light stabilizing the surroundings and preventing his escape. At the same time, he formed hand seals and shouted, "Heaven and Earth are boundless, spirits borrow the law! Restrain!" A simple immobilization spell, amplified by his pure spiritual energy and powerful mental strength, had a significant effect. The sorcerer's body stiffened, his movements slowing for a moment.

In that instant, Mo Yuan had already caught up, his fingers like a sword, pointing at the vital acupoint on his back, sealing his evil cultivation. In the blink of an eye, two of the three Black Fiend Sect members were dead, and one was captured!

Mo Yuan quickly searched the scene, finding some letters, evil magic materials, and a token carved with a ferocious ghost head from the captured sorcerer and near the dry well. The contents of the letters were fragmented, mentioning words like "main altar," "Holy Maiden," and "Awaken the Ancient Tomb Corpse King," which weighed heavily on Mo Yuan's heart. The Black Fiend Sect's schemes seemed to be far greater than he had imagined.

He handled the scene according to procedure before interrogating the captured spellcaster. Under the purifying light of the Soul Cleansing Banner and Mo Yuan's methods, the spellcaster's spirit broke down.

Intermittently, he revealed some information: the Black Fiend Sect's main altar was hidden, seemingly within a cluster of ancient tombs in the southwestern mountains. Their mission this time was indeed to guide the Earth Yin Vein, in preparation for refining the Evil Corpse Pill. The Evil Corpse Pill was a crucial resource for the "Holy Maiden" to cultivate some secret technique or awaken an ancient existence.

After obtaining the key information, Mo Yuan fulfilled his duty as a righteous cultivator, crippled the spellcaster's evil arts, and handed him over to the local authorities who arrived shortly after being contacted via Uncle Nine's token with a peripheral Mount Mao force.

Standing outside Blackwater Town, Mo Yuan looked towards the southwest, his gaze profound. The Black Fiend Sect's main altar, the Holy Maiden, the Ancient Tomb Corpse King... the path ahead seemed more dangerous, but also clearer.

"Southwestern ancient tomb cluster... next stop, I'll go take a look. Before that, I need to further improve my strength." Mo Yuan touched the lightning-struck wood sword blank at his waist and felt the energy converted within the Soul Cleansing Banner. "Perhaps I can try combining the Soul Cleansing Banner with the sword blank, or... find better materials to forge a true 'Dragon Fiend Sword'?"