Strong Suppression

As for the malevolent ghost that had been torn to pieces, its essence had long since fused into the Soul Devouring Banner, making it undying and indestructible.

Unless someone of great power directly erased its Mental Imprint in an instant, or the Soul Devouring Banner itself was completely destroyed, simply killing a malevolent ghost was utterly impossible.

Zheng Yi waved the Soul Devouring Banner, and black mist continuously gathered. The malevolent ghost that had been destroyed appeared once more. Other than its somewhat weaker aura, nothing much had changed.

The Red-Clothed Female Ghost blocking the azure ghost's escape was shrouded in black mist, and her body immediately returned to normal.

This was the formidable aspect of refining the Soul Devouring Banner into a Lifebound Artifact. With the Black Fiend Technique as its foundation, the malevolent ghosts it unleashed were undying and indestructible, their strength overwhelming.

Even against a more powerful Hundred-Year Azure Ghost in a special form, it had nothing to fear.

The battle gradually shifted from a standoff into a war of attrition, until the malevolent ghosts of the Soul Devouring Banner finally gained the upper hand.

In truth, this Hundred-Year Azure Ghost already counted as a powerful ghost entity. Its special form gave it unique energy feedback in both strength and speed.

Although it was still far inferior to a Blood Fiend Malevolent Ghost in rank, this Hundred-Year Azure Ghost could already be considered half a step into the Ghost General level. In the Da Yi Immortal Domain, that was equivalent to a sixth-level cultivator.

Unfortunately, these three old ghosts had never cultivated any Ghost Path Secret Technique and could not directly convert their hundred years of cultivation. Otherwise, in the Cultivation World, as long as ghosts with such cultivation kept a low profile, they might well have had the chance to become Ghost Kings ruling their own domains!

Of course, that was assuming they were not casually slain by Righteous Path disciples exterminating demons and devils, or enslaved by devil cultivation sects such as the Soul Devouring Sect.

If Zheng Yi had faced these three Hundred-Year Azure Ghosts alone, he would undoubtedly have been devoured without even scraps left behind.

Yet it was precisely because he held the Soul Devouring Banner, this Lifebound Artifact that was the Heavenly Restraint of all ghost entities and vengeful spirits.

With merely Qi Refining Stage Four cultivation, Zheng Yi had forcibly hemmed in the three Hundred-Year Azure Ghosts, trapping them like turtles in a jar and forcing them into a deadlock.

The battle between ghost entities continued. Though the Hundred-Year Azure Ghosts were stronger, they had never once been able to threaten Zheng Yi, the spellcaster.

Instead, as time passed, under the enhancement of the Soul Devouring Banner, the forty-eight malevolent ghosts led by the Red-Clothed Female Ghost began to gain the advantage.

Relying on the advantage of their formation, the malevolent ghosts within the Soul Devouring Banner firmly controlled the movements of the three azure ghosts.

With every clash, they greatly weakened the strength of the three hundred-year-old ghosts.

Meanwhile, with Zheng Yi, their controller, wielding the Soul Devouring Banner and replenishing them through the Black Fiend Technique, the azure ghosts' advantage was sharply diminished.

From holding the upper hand at the start, to reaching a stalemate, the three azure ghosts finally grew anxious. Though their intelligence was limited, they could clearly sense that they had fallen into a dangerous situation.

"Shriek!"

The Red-Clothed Female Ghost seized the moment. One of the Hundred-Year Azure Ghosts was desperately fending off the Black Fiend Sabers wielded by the many malevolent ghosts of the Soul Devouring Banner, and it finally revealed a gap in its defenses.

A streak of red flashed past. A long crimson ribbon condensed from dense, blood-colored ghost qi smashed viciously into the azure ghost's chest. The blow sent it flying again, while also shaking apart the ghost qi gathered around its body.

As the main soul of the Soul Devouring Banner, the Red-Clothed Female Ghost's intelligence had now greatly opened. How could she let such an opportunity pass?

She directly controlled the dozens of other malevolent ghosts in the Soul Devouring Banner to form an array and swarm forward, their Black Fiend Sabers hacking relentlessly at the Hundred-Year Azure Ghost's ghost body.

Azure ghosts possessed immense strength and hard defensive bodies due to their special form, but under the frenzied assault of so many Soul Devouring Banner malevolent ghosts, their defenses could not remain unbroken. Chunks of its ghost body were hacked away one after another.

No matter how special a ghost entity's form was, it was ultimately still a Spirit Body. Before this old ghost could fuse its severed ghost body back together, Zheng Yi controlled the Soul Devouring Banner and absorbed the remnants.

As one side waned and the other waxed, the Soul Devouring Banner grew ever more imposing.

The Hundred-Year Azure Ghost, on the other hand, had lost large portions of its ghost body. Its form had visibly shrunk, its aura became feeble, and it could no longer maintain its former presence.

This was where the Soul Devouring Banner's power against ghost entities lay. Not only could it control the malevolent ghosts within the banner, it could also contend with other ghosts for control of their essence and energy.

And Zheng Yi was a Rogue Cultivator, now also the master of the Soul Devouring Banner. Fighting at low cost was practically second nature to him—how could he possibly let this chance slip away?

"Shriek! Shriek!"

This Hundred-Year Azure Ghost was like the king of beasts caught in a trap, running itself ragged—but how could it be willing to surrender without a fight?

Its aura had greatly weakened, and its desperate resistance was no more than a stubborn last stand. Yet instinct still drove it to exhaust every means, seeking to escape alive from the dangerous encirclement.

It continuously shook the scant ghost qi remaining around its body, blasting away the Soul Devouring Banner malevolent ghosts surrounding it time and again. But immediately afterward, the Red-Clothed Female Ghost, the main soul of the banner, entangled it, while the other malevolent ghosts that had been blasted away closed in once more.

After several repetitions, this azure ghost's strength was severely depleted, and it could no longer resist. The Red-Clothed Female Ghost lashed out with her long ribbon, and the azure ghost was blown to pieces in an explosion.

Ghost qi gathered, and the azure ghost's form emerged once more.

But this time, its aura was not even half that of its peak. No longer did surging ghost qi coil around it as before. Though its ferocity still soared to the heavens, it was unexpectedly unable to kill even a single malevolent ghost of the Soul Devouring Banner in the short term.

"Capture it!"

The Red-Clothed Female Ghost, as the main soul within the banner, had neither the thought nor the ability to resist Zheng Yi's command. The bloody long ribbon in her hand shot through the air, passed directly through the azure ghost's legs, and bound the ghost entity tight.

Spirit Bodies were formless and incorporeal, beyond the harm of ordinary weapons. But the malevolent ghosts within the Soul Devouring Banner happened to restrain them, leaving it no chance even to disperse its form and flee.

Its legs bound and unable to move, the azure ghost's combat power dropped sharply once more. Before it could react, the many Soul Devouring Banner malevolent ghosts swarmed it and hacked it to death in a storm of blades.

When it manifested again with its aura greatly diminished, it was immediately brought under control. The red ribbon coiled upward, completely binding the azure ghost before sending it into the Soul Devouring Banner.

As a unique artifact for controlling souls and enslaving ghosts, the Soul Devouring Banner was the Heavenly Restraint of ghost entities. It was not only an artifact for refining Vengeful Spirits and malevolent ghosts, but also possessed the ability to trap and suppress ghost entities.

Especially after Zheng Yi had refined this Soul Devouring Banner into a Lifebound Artifact, that property became even more powerful.

With a thought, Zheng Yi opened up a separate space of yin qi within the Soul Devouring Banner and suppressed the captured azure ghost inside it.

With the first azure ghost dealt with, a group of Soul Devouring Banner malevolent ghosts was naturally freed up. Zheng Yi controlled them and sent them to join the siege against the remaining two azure ghosts.

The combat strength of these azure ghosts had already been heavily suppressed by the Soul Devouring Banner's field. Now that even more malevolent ghosts were besieging the two Hundred-Year Azure Ghosts, with the Red-Clothed Female Ghost, the banner's main soul, watching them like a tiger eyeing its prey, their plight only worsened.

Without expending much effort, the remaining Soul Devouring Banner malevolent ghosts swarmed forward and hacked the last two azure ghosts to death in a storm of blades, reducing them to a weakened state.

Zheng Yi collected them into the Soul Devouring Banner one by one and suppressed them.