Demonic Flame

After eliminating the hidden danger in this underground parking garage and obtaining three Hundred-Year Azure Ghosts, Zheng Yi had effectively pocketed a vast amount of Spirit Stone resources, easing his financial crisis. He heaved a relieved sigh, his mood excellent.

After all, although he had been confident beforehand,

facing three Hundred-Year Azure Ghosts roughly equivalent to Qi Refining Stage Six at once still left him somewhat uneasy.

Yet the process had been thrilling but safe, further proving the Soul Devouring Sect's artifacts' suppressive power over ghostly creatures. He had successfully sealed the three Azure Ghosts within the Soul Devouring Banner, and the result was quite perfect.

With a wave of the Soul Devouring Banner, he took the Malevolent Ghosts into it. The Black Fiend Technique within his body automatically circulated, linking with the Soul Devouring Banner as one and nourishing the ghost qi it had lost.

The temperature in the underground parking garage immediately rose considerably, becoming pleasantly cool—warm in winter and cool in summer—instead of the bone-piercing chill from before.

This attack gave Zheng Yi a clear understanding of his current strength.

Although he had spent nearly twenty years in the Profound Sky City Immortal Domain, he had always muddled along among the lowest-ranked Rogue Cultivators and had never received systematic immortal cultivation training.

Now, it seemed that the gap between disciples of orthodox immortal cultivation sects and Rogue Cultivators was indeed difficult to put into words.

Even a minor demonic cultivation sect like the Soul Devouring Sect possessed unique techniques and artifacts passed down to its Outer Sect Disciples.

Of course, Zheng Yi also understood that the main reason his strength had risen so quickly was that this Apocalyptic World was practically a paradise for demonic cultivators.

In such a holy land of cultivation, any demonic cultivator could rapidly increase their strength almost as if cheating, just like him.

However, the confidence brought by his increased strength also made his heart as calm as a windless sea, and his whole person returned to tranquility.

This was the confidence that cultivation strength gave him.

Although the techniques of the Da Yi Immortal Domain far surpassed those of this Apocalyptic World, he had to admit that this world was filled with strange horrors. The simple underground parking garage alone had contained three Hundred-Year Azure Ghosts, which was truly beyond expectation.

He had to admit that even in this Apocalyptic World, he needed to remain vigilant at all times. He could not lower his guard simply because it was filled with cultivation resources.

Zheng Yi found a clean room and moved in.

This Apocalyptic World was filled with crumbling walls and ruins, yet it still retained the fruits of highly developed technological civilization. Towering buildings stood row upon row, but unfortunately, they were now coated in dust and devoid of people, transformed into a dead domain.

In the room's living area, Zheng Yi released the Soul Devouring Banner and ordered the primary soul, the Red-Clothed Female Ghost, to lead a group of ghostly creatures from the Soul Devouring Banner in guarding the room and ensuring its safety.

A dense black mist poured from the Soul Devouring Banner, completely enveloping the room as though it had separated two worlds.

Only then did Zheng Yi sit down cross-legged in peace and begin circulating the Black Fiend Technique he had converted to, restoring the spiritual power he had expended earlier.

Very quickly, black mist covered his body. From outside, only a thick blanket of black fog could be seen; Zheng Yi's figure hidden within was completely invisible.

After roughly half an hour, he had recovered to his peak condition. Zheng Yi did not hurry to leave. Instead, he continued circulating the Black Fiend Technique and shook the Soul Devouring Banner. An Azure Ghost whose entire body was bound in chains condensed from Sha Qi was sent before him.

As though it understood its fate, the Azure Ghost began struggling violently, the chains around its body rattling loudly.

Unfortunately, the earlier battle had consumed most of this ghost's strength. Then, after being suppressed within the Soul Devouring Banner's special yin qi space, it had been unable to absorb ghost qi to recover itself and had instead exhausted its last trace of ghost qi.

This Azure Ghost was now at the end of its tether, like a lamb awaiting slaughter. In Zheng Yi's hands, it no longer possessed the slightest ability to resist.

He did not waste words. He directly circulated the route of the Black Fiend Technique within his body, while extending his right hand and curling his palm into a claw. With one vicious grasp, he clamped down on the Hundred-Year Ghost's crown.

The Azure Profound Fiend, already fifty percent transformed within his body, surged forth, drawing out the source energy within the Azure Ghost's body and merging with it.

Another stream of half-formed Azure Profound Fiend surged out and directly attached itself to the chains formed from Black Fiend. Over the surface of those originally pitch-black, seemingly indestructible chains, a gray flame tinged with eerie azure ignited.

The cold azure-gray flames burned the Hundred-Year Ghost's body, swiftly spreading across its entire ghostly form.

Screech! Screech!

The Azure Ghost rolled and wailed without stop, trying to snuff out the burning flames. Yet the azure-gray flames only burned more fiercely. The ghost qi on the Azure Ghost's body could not extinguish the fire; instead, it was like accelerant poured onto flames, making the blaze even more intense.

In only a few breaths, the Azure Ghost's body turned to ash, leaving behind only a mass of azure viscous substance.

"Is that the legendary Blue Essence Soul?!"

"It seems to contain an extremely pure kind of soul energy. I heard it is a material for forging high-grade artifacts, and it can also be directly refined. It is greatly beneficial to Qi Refining Cultivators..."

Zheng Yi did not dare do as he had at Ghost School, using the Soul Devouring Banner to directly devour Malevolent Ghosts and Vengeful Spirits, and directly devour the Azure Ghost.

After all, the Vengeful Spirits at Ghost School had generally been weak. Aside from the Ghost King, the Red-Clothed Female Ghost, most had only been at Qi Refining First or Second Layer.

Yet an Azure Ghost with a hundred years of cultivation was a ghostly creature equivalent to Qi Refining Stage Six.

Although it could only be considered a Lonely Ghost that had never cultivated true ghost path secret arts—something rapidly catalyzed into existence and inherently flawed—three Azure Ghosts together could contend against a Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivator.

Fortunately, Zheng Yi had exploited his advantage from the start, deliberately using the Soul Devouring Banner to separate the three Azure Ghosts and sever their connection with one another.

If the three Hundred-Year Azure Ghosts had joined forces against an enemy, even a Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivator would have found them difficult to handle.

And the greatest benefit of these Hundred-Year Azure Ghosts was the Blue Essence Soul refined from their ghostly bodies.

Zheng Yi now focused completely on refining it. He directly burned away all impurities on the ghostly body's surface, and the final condensed mass of azure viscous substance was the so-called Blue Essence Soul.

His Black Fiend Technique was currently in the midst of transforming from the Profound Yin Fiend toward the Azure Profound Fiend. This Hundred-Year Azure Ghost was just what he needed to lend him a helping hand.

The cultivation of one Hundred-Year Ghost was equivalent to dozens of Vengeful Spirits and Evil Ghosts. At this moment, Zheng Yi absorbed it into his body.

Boom! Boom!

After swallowing the mass of essence left behind by the burned Azure Ghost in one gulp, the azure-gray Sha Qi rising from Zheng Yi's body gradually shifted toward a deeper azure.

Before devouring the Azure Ghost, after merging and refining nine Vengeful Spirits and Evil Ghosts, the Black Fiend Qi had already undergone one transformation and evolved into the Profound Yin Fiend.

Later, he refined a large number of ghostly creatures at Ghost School, transforming fifty percent of the Profound Yin Fiend into Azure Profound Fiend.

Afterward, on the streets of Luo City, when he had slain zombies and Vengeful Spirits attacked him, after all those twists and turns, over seventy percent of the Azure Profound Fiend within Zheng Yi's body had already been transformed.

And now, after Zheng Yi devoured the essence contained within this Azure Ghost, the azure-gray Sha Qi actually turned into azure flames.

Zheng Yi opened his palm. A mass of azure ghostfire burned there. There was neither the crackling sound of bursting flames nor unbearable scorching heat—only a bone-piercing chill.