Capturing a Spirit Ghost

The Soul Burial Trees were still there.

That meant the Spirit Ghost was still inside.

Lu Li's heart leaped with joy.

But he didn't rush over to chop down the Soul Burial Tree and capture the Spirit Ghost inside.

That would be far too obvious and could easily arouse suspicion.

"Right! The Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art can devour anything. I wonder if it can devour the pure yin energy inside a Soul Burial Tree and help me advance?"

Lu Li suddenly thought of something. He paused and muttered to himself.

With that, he took a step forward. Like a ghostly shadow, he drifted up the nearest hillside and landed in front of a Soul Burial Tree three zhang tall.

Then he punched it.

Bam!

An explosion of force erupted.

The Soul Burial Tree was smashed clean in half and crashed to the ground.

As the great tree snapped and fell, a mass of white, frigid yin energy burst from its trunk and swept in every direction.

This was the pure yin energy the Soul Burial Tree had absorbed over countless years, cold enough to freeze the blood.

"Hah!"

Lu Li hurried over and sucked in a great breath.

All the pure yin energy was swallowed into his belly, then devoured by the Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art.

"Such a huge tree, and it had so little pure yin energy? Could it be that the smaller the Soul Burial Tree, the more pure yin energy it accumulates?"

Lu Li looked dissatisfied and turned to survey the area.

The next moment, his gaze fixed on the Soul Burial Tree where the Spirit Ghost was hiding.

Lu Li sprang down the hillside and shot toward that smaller hill. In just a few bounds, he reached the top.

Standing before the seven-chi-tall Soul Burial Tree, he didn't hesitate for a moment. He reached out and gripped its trunk, which was as thick as a bowl.

Then he wrenched it hard.

Crack!

A sharp snap rang out.

The Soul Burial Tree broke clean in two.

Lu Li tossed the upper half aside, leaned in, and was about to draw in the pure yin energy gushing from the trunk.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, he seemed to notice something and let out a startled sound.

There was no white pure yin energy spilling from the trunk. Instead, a mass of black mist drifted out.

The cloud of mist was about the size of a fist, formed from pure, ink-black ghost energy, and slowly rotated.

Faint flecks of golden light shimmered amid the ghost energy.

Looking more closely, he could make out what seemed to be a plump, pale infant's soul curled up inside the cloud.

This was a Spirit Ghost!

There really was a Spirit Ghost!

Lu Li was overjoyed. Without a word, he pulled out the Ghost Raising Tower, circulated his magical power, and frantically poured it into the tower.

Hum.

A low hum rang out.

The pitch-black Ghost Raising Tower floated into the air and released beams of golden light that coiled around the Spirit Ghost, ready to draw it inside.

Just then, the Spirit Ghost seemed to awaken. Its eyes flew open!

Its pupils were as red as blood!

Screech!

A sudden, invisible wave of sound burst from the cloud of mist and knocked the tower's golden light aside.

This was the Spirit Ghost's innate divine ability!

The cloud of ghost energy wrapped around the infant's soul and shot into the sky.

It was trying to escape!

"Trying to run? You're staying right here! Hah!"

Lu Li was prepared. He opened his mouth wide and let out a mighty roar.

His lion's roar was fierce, like thunder exploding, and it shook the air.

A shock wave rippled visibly outward, like rings spreading at tremendous speed, and struck the cloud soaring through the air.

The cloud of mist shuddered violently and scattered.

It grew incredibly thin.

The infant's soul inside seemed cowed by his thunderous roar and no longer dared to flee.

Lu Li immediately controlled the Ghost Raising Tower. It soared into the air, released a swath of golden light, and wove it into a great net that swept down over the Spirit Ghost.

Whoosh.

Golden light flashed.

The Spirit Ghost vanished.

It had been pulled straight into the space inside the Ghost Raising Tower.

"Haha! What a pleasant surprise! I actually caught a Low-grade Spirit Ghost!"

Lu Li beckoned, retrieved the Ghost Raising Tower, and laughed.

Then his expression turned serious. Without another word, he spun around and ran.

Clearly, he was afraid someone would appear and try to snatch his Spirit Ghost.

"Tsk, tsk. That kid's really lucky. He went out to practice his cultivation and actually found a Spirit Ghost."

Just as Lu Li turned to leave, a red-haired man appeared in the gloomy sky above and shook his head with a sigh.

"Isn't that all the better? I've always liked lucky men."

A bewitching, mature beauty appeared out of thin air beside him. She lightly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said with a charming laugh, "Besides, the way that little fellow ran off looked exactly like the way the Old Devil Wang next door hurriedly jumped out the window when my husband came home back in the day. It brings back such fond memories. Old Devil Wang, husband, don't you agree?"

As she spoke, she suddenly lowered her head and rubbed her belly.

At the sight, the red-haired man's expression changed drastically. As if he'd remembered something terrifying, he vanished in an instant.

He didn't want to be eaten by this Poison Widow and become a vengeful ghost in her belly, doomed to never be reborn.

By then, Lu Li had already returned to the Star Gazing Tower.

He went straight to the top floor.

Bathed in sunlight, Lu Li sat on the enormous jade bed and began circulating the Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture.

He held the Ghost Raising Tower in his hands, carefully sensing what was inside.

In his perception, a cloud of ghost energy, flickering with an exceedingly faint golden light, had appeared in the tower's previously empty first level.

It was the Low-grade Spirit Ghost!

The Spirit Ghost seemed badly frightened. It obediently huddled in a corner of the Ghost Raising Tower without moving.

The ghost energy around it had grown very faint.

It looked as if it might dissipate at any moment.

But then strands of ink-black ghost energy drifted up from the base of the Ghost Raising Tower and flowed into the Spirit Ghost's cloudy form, replenishing and nourishing it.

The mist gradually grew more substantial.

Only then did Lu Li relax.

Fortunately, he had the Ghost Raising Tower, which could help injured souls recover and grow stronger. Otherwise, if the cloud dissipated, the Spirit Ghost inside—having already gained intelligence—would perish under the overwhelming power of the world.

If that happened, the ten thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones would be gone.

Yes, Lu Li had decided to sell this Low-grade Spirit Ghost.

The reason was simple.

First, he was so broke he could hear his pockets rattle. He had neither the time nor the energy or money to raise a Low-grade Spirit Ghost.

Second, he was still broke.

He needed a large number of Low-grade Spirit Stones to rapidly improve his cultivation and strength.

Most importantly, the Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art was a mature child who even knew how to find Spirit Ghosts to help make ends meet. Perhaps next time it would find a Mid-Grade Spirit Ghost!

Or even a High-Grade Spirit Ghost!

Spirit Ghosts had four grades: low, mid, high, and supreme.

A Low-grade Spirit Ghost could cultivate only as far as the Foundation Establishment Realm.

A Mid-Grade Spirit Ghost had a small chance of advancing to the Golden Core Realm.

A High-Grade Spirit Ghost had a good chance of cultivating to the Golden Core Realm, and even a tiny chance of advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm!

As for the legendary Supreme-Grade Spirit Ghost, they were said to be able to cultivate to Spirit Transformation and perhaps even higher realms.

The way to tell a Spirit Ghost's grade was simple: the higher its quality, the brighter the golden light around it.

The moment a legendary Supreme-Grade Spirit Ghost appeared, its golden light was said to shine a hundred li into the distance, shaking heaven and earth!

Naturally, the higher the quality, the rarer the Spirit Ghost.

The Yin Underworld Ghost Sect had stood for over three thousand years, yet had produced only three Supreme-Grade Spirit Ghosts and around twenty High-Grade Spirit Ghosts.

"I hope the Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art finds a Mid-Grade Spirit Ghost the next time it goes out. That would be perfect."

Lu Li wasn't greedy. He silently offered up a prayer.

A Mid-Grade Spirit Ghost was worth about as much as a Golden Core expert's magic treasure.

That would be around ten thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

Converted, that was one million Low-grade Spirit Stones.

If he really found a Mid-Grade Spirit Ghost, he could cultivate to the Golden Core Realm in peace without worrying about Spirit Stones.

"But...who should I sell this Low-grade Spirit Ghost to?"

Lu Li furrowed his brow.

Two figures immediately appeared in his mind.

A young woman in green, Green Lotus.

A young master in white, his Eighth Senior Brother, Bai Jinfei.

Or should he offer it to Ghost Demon True Person and try to win a greater reward?

But the next moment, Lu Li immediately dismissed the idea.

This was the Demon Sect.

The people of the Demon Sect were ruthless and selfish. If Ghost Demon True Person took his Spirit Ghost and didn't reward him, there was nothing Lu Li could do.

He'd simply lose a Spirit Ghost for nothing.

Green Lotus was calculating and scheming, and far too powerful. If he went to her, she could easily take advantage of him.

So he'd sell it to Bai Jinfei instead!

After all, they were fellow disciples.

Besides...Bai Jinfei seemed to have connections. Perhaps he could get a few Buddhist Sect cultivation manuals from him.

After thinking it over, Lu Li settled on a plan. He tucked the Ghost Raising Tower away and left the Star Gazing Tower, heading straight for Bai Jinfei's palace.