By the time Mo Yuan returned to Ren Family Town, dusk had already fallen. The town remained as peaceful as ever, but he keenly sensed a faint, almost imperceptible tension lingering in the air. Without alerting anyone, he quietly returned to the funeral home.
Inside the funeral home, Uncle Nine was carefully wiping his Peach Wood Sword beneath an oil lamp, his brows slightly furrowed. Wen Cai and Qiu Sheng were listlessly sorting talisman papers nearby, and the atmosphere felt somewhat heavy.
"Master, I'm back." Mo Yuan pushed open the courtyard gate, his voice calm.
All three looked up at once. Seeing Mo Yuan return safely, delight flashed through their eyes.
"Junior Brother! You're finally back!" Qiu Sheng was the first to leap to his feet. "You were gone for over a month. Master talked about you every day!"
Wen Cai also came over and sized Mo Yuan up and down. Clicking his tongue, he said, "Junior Brother, your... aura feels different again. It's deeper now."
Uncle Nine set down the Peach Wood Sword. His gaze was sharp as lightning as it swept across Mo Yuan, and a barely perceptible trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.
He could sense that Mo Yuan's cultivation had not only stabilized at the sixth level of Qi Refining, with his aura perfectly rounded and restrained, but also faintly carried an indescribable presence of majesty and serenity. Such a bearing could only be found in someone who had weathered great battles and possessed merit.
"It's good that you're back." Uncle Nine suppressed the turmoil in his heart, his tone as steady as ever. "It seems you gained quite a bit from this journey."
Mo Yuan nodded. Rather than immediately recounting the dangers at the Black Fiend Sect's headquarters, he first took out the Soul Cleansing Banner, its clear radiance flowing across its surface. "Master, please look at this banner."
Uncle Nine accepted the Soul Cleansing Banner. His fingertips brushed the faint golden trim around its surface as he felt the gentle yet powerful cleansing force within, along with that faint trace of merit. His expression finally changed. "A Mid-Grade Magic Item? And it actually contains such pure power of deliverance and yin virtue."
"Where did you get it?" Magic items were easy enough to find, but special magic items like this—ones dedicated to delivering the dead and accumulating merit, especially of such high quality—were truly rare.
Only then did Mo Yuan recount the events of his journey. He omitted the parts involving the system check-in and mainly described how he had followed the Black Fiend Sect's clues, discovered their headquarters, fought the evil cultivators and the Corpse King Protector, destroyed the altar, and rescued the dragon soul. He concealed the details of the Dragon King's gift, saying only that it had been an ancient spirit entity.
He also mentioned how he had delivered wandering souls along the way and accumulated yin virtue, which had allowed the Soul Cleansing Banner to improve in quality.
Uncle Nine's expression shifted as he listened, turning grave at times and gratified at others.
When he heard that Mo Yuan had faced the Red Robe Elder at the peak of Qi Refining and the Corpse King Protector, whose strength rivaled Foundation Establishment, alone, he could not help but break into a cold sweat, even knowing that his disciple stood safely before him now.
At last, he let out a long sigh and patted Mo Yuan on the shoulder. "Good! Good! As expected of Lin Jiu's disciple! Calm in danger, both brave and resourceful. What's even rarer is your compassionate heart—delivering the dead and accumulating yin virtue. This is a great good!"
After pondering for a moment, he continued, "After suffering such a heavy blow, the Black Fiend Sect certainly will not let this go."
"The Holy Maiden who escaped is deeply scheming. We must be doubly vigilant. The records you brought back are extremely important. Your master must study them carefully with several fellow Daoists and discuss a response."
"As for this Soul Cleansing Banner..." Approval appeared in Uncle Nine's eyes. "You were able to raise it to Mid-Grade and link it to your own merit. This is your destined opportunity. Make good use of it in the future. Accumulate yin virtue—it will be of immense benefit to your cultivation."
"Remember this: the power of merit is profound and mysterious. It is an important foundation for attaining the Great Dao. Especially in this age of declining Dharma, it is all the more precious."
"This disciple will remember Master's teachings." Mo Yuan replied respectfully.
In the days that followed, Mo Yuan's life returned to its usual rhythm, though it became far more fulfilling.
Every day, he diligently cultivated the Basic Qi Refining Manual and the Divine Dragon Body Refining Art, consolidating his sixth level of Qi Refining cultivation while beginning to attempt a breakthrough to the seventh level.
With the thread of primordial dragon qi gifted by the Dragon King, he found that his cultivation yielded twice the result with half the effort. His speed of absorbing and refining spiritual qi far surpassed that of cultivators at the same level.
The Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear became the focus of his practice. Every morning, he would practice the Dragon Snake Eight Styles in the courtyard, perfectly combining the spear's basic techniques—thrusting, lifting, sweeping, and smashing—with his body movement and footwork.
More importantly, he continuously nurtured and refined the spear with his spiritual power and divine sense, trying to communicate more deeply with the Thunder Dragon Soul Essence within it.
Under his careful nurturing, the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear's spirituality grew stronger by the day. The lightning patterns on its shaft became increasingly distinct, and wielding it became more and more natural. Though it was still a Low-Grade Magic Item, its power was already close to that of some ordinary Mid-Grade offensive magic items.
He did not stop using the Soul Cleansing Banner either. Although there were no great wars around Ren Family Town, there were always lone ghosts and wandering spirits lingering behind due to accidents, illness, or obsessions. Mo Yuan often went out at night with the Soul Cleansing Banner in hand, patrolling the area and delivering any spirits he encountered.
This process not only continued to accumulate yin virtue and strengthen the Soul Cleansing Banner, but also deepened his understanding of souls, life, death, and reincarnation. His state of mind became increasingly lucid, harmonious, and complete.
That night, beneath an old locust tree outside town, Mo Yuan delivered a female ghost who had hanged herself over an obsessive love and wandered for a hundred years.
When the female ghost finally let go of her obsession and turned into white light that entered the banner, the Soul Cleansing Banner suddenly blazed with clear radiance. The golden trim around its surface brightened several times over, and tiny, profound runes faintly emerged! The space within the banner expanded once more, while the spirituality of the Purity Bamboo nearly became tangible. Its efficiency in autonomously cleansing and transforming spirits greatly increased.
Mo Yuan sensed it in his heart and knew that the Soul Cleansing Banner had advanced from a Mid-Grade Magic Item to a High-Grade Magic Item! A High-Grade Magic Item not only possessed stronger power and abilities, but had also begun to nurture the embryonic form of a unique "magic domain."
Once the Soul Cleansing Banner's "Purity Domain" was unleashed, its suppressive force against sinister spirits would be terrifying. It could even affect reality itself, dispersing filth within a certain range and bringing peace and serenity.
At the instant the Soul Cleansing Banner advanced, a surge of yin virtue several times purer and more abundant than before flowed back into him, merging with his limbs, bones, sea of consciousness, and soul.
He only felt an unprecedented clarity wash over his spiritual platform. The spiritual power within him surged endlessly, and the bottleneck at the sixth level of Qi Refining burst open beneath the impact of that vast righteous energy!
The seventh level of Qi Refining—achieved!
The increase in cultivation came as naturally as water flowing into a channel, without the slightest strain. Moreover, because he had broken through with the aid of yin virtue, his foundation was exceptionally solid, and his spiritual power became increasingly pure and condensed.
Mo Yuan slowly opened his eyes. Divine light gleamed within them, and his aura had grown far more profound than before.
Looking at the Soul Cleansing Banner in his hand, its clear radiance flowing and runes faintly appearing, his heart was filled with gratification. All of this was the result of his steady cultivation and accumulated merit, step by step.
When he returned to the funeral home, Uncle Nine sensed the obvious changes in Mo Yuan and was even more astonished. In such a short time, he had broken through successive barriers and advanced his magic item. Such speed was practically unheard of.
Yet Uncle Nine could also see that Mo Yuan's aura was steady and his foundation solid. This was not the result of forcing growth. He could only marvel once more at how Mo Yuan's opportunities and temperament exceeded those of ordinary people.
"Mo Yuan." Uncle Nine called him into the quiet room and solemnly handed him a letter. "This is news from a friend of your master's in the Provincial City."
"The Black Fiend Sect has been active around the Provincial City lately. They seem to be plotting something even greater."
"Furthermore, they appear to be secretly searching for a young cultivator with dragon qi who uses lightning arts... It seems they have already set their sights on you."
Mo Yuan accepted the letter and quickly read through it, his gaze calm and undisturbed. What was meant to come would come.
"Master, this disciple understands." He folded the letter. "When soldiers come, generals will stop them; when water comes, earth will block it. This disciple will continue to improve his strength and be ready to respond at any time."
Looking at his composed and confident disciple, Uncle Nine felt both pride and a trace of concern.
He knew that Mo Yuan's stage was no longer limited to this little Ren Family Town.
The storms ahead would only grow more turbulent. But he also believed that with Mo Yuan's temperament and ability, he would surely carve out a world of his own in this age of declining Dharma.
"Go. Make your preparations. Before long, we may have to take the initiative and meet this Black Fiend Sect ourselves." Uncle Nine said in a deep voice.
Mo Yuan bowed and left the quiet room. Beneath the moonlight, he tightened his grip around the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear, feeling the surging power within his body and the warm connection from the High-Grade Soul Cleansing Banner in his sea of consciousness.
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