Yin Ghost Formation, Complete!

"Yin Ghosts were born from filth and chaos. They delighted in consuming yin substances and hid within the Yin Ghost Banner. If properly nurtured, their strength could grow with each passing day, in turn feeding back into the banner."

This was the information Ji Yuan had obtained from the inheritance back then.

As for the yin substances used to raise Yin Ghosts that he had obtained from Black Mist Island, along with those Rotbone Flowers, he had stored them separately in the Ghost Island Master's Storage Bag.

Just like now, he took out a small bottle of Celestial Kui Blood from the Storage Bag, poured it into a basin he had prepared beforehand, then took out the Yin Ghost Banner.

The two Yin Ghosts inside darted out and immediately pounced into the basin.

The two clumps of black shadow immediately began making endless licking sounds. As they devoured it, the black mist around them grew denser and denser.

Ji Yuan could not help feeling somewhat regretful at the sight.

He had originally had four Yin Ghosts, but he had killed two of them.

But on second thought, if all four had been together, nurturing them would certainly have been slower. Just like the Ghost Island Master before him—after raising them for so long, those four Yin Ghosts had only reached the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement.

If he had focused on nurturing just two, perhaps they would have reached the Fifth Layer of Qi Refinement long ago.

"After another half month of nurturing, these two Yin Ghosts should be able to enter the Fifth Layer of Qi Refinement. But by then, the yin substances left behind by the Ghost Island Master will probably be nearly used up. I'll have to blaze a new trail myself."

Ji Yuan still had to think about where to obtain new yin substances.

Never mind. He would deal with it after breaking through. For now, he first needed to modify this Yin Ghost Formation.

He then slowly closed his eyes and summoned the memories concerning the Yin Ghost Banner from his mind.

After quite some time, Ji Yuan deployed the Yin Ghost Formation within the Dao Comprehension Chamber. He did not make it too large; it only occupied less than half the room.

For that reason, he had even pasted several First-Tier Talismans that isolated aura onto the walls.

Black formation patterns emerged, and Ji Yuan walked through them as he observed.

According to the formation manuals Ji Yuan had read before, ordinary formations all had specially carved Spirit Stone slots.

Once they were needed, Spirit Stones could be placed into those slots, and the formation patterns would activate on their own.

Yet this Yin Ghost Formation had no Spirit Stone slots. Even in those memories, there was no indication of where such slots should be placed.

Otherwise, the Ghost Island Master would not have turned it into its current state.

Since that was the case, he would need to add several Spirit Stone slots inside the Yin Ghost Banner.

But where should he put them?

Ji Yuan rubbed his chin and frowned in thought. At the same time, he kept moving through the Formation, trying to select one node after another.

Yet every time he chose one and traced the formation patterns through it, he found that there was always a route that led nowhere.

If the route did not work, it meant spiritual power could not travel through the formation patterns to every part of the Formation. Problems would arise when it was activated.

After thinking it over carefully, Ji Yuan could not find a solution. He could only stop for the time being, intending to see whether the books contained any relevant records and cultivate for a while as well.

Nowadays, Ji Yuan rarely relied on absorbing the free spiritual qi between heaven and earth for cultivation. Especially now that the [Pigsty] had reached Level 2 and produced ten Spirit Stones every day.

That was even more so after he had become able to draw Intermediate Talismans.

Most of the time, he would first swallow a Spirit-Gathering Pill, then begin cultivating with Spirit Stones.

He still ate the Spirit Eggs as usual, but he had already used the eggshells to feed the Spirit Pigs or Half-Spirit Fish.

Immortal Ji had long passed the age of crunching eggshells.

The next morning.

Wu Yan knocked on Ji Yuan's courtyard gate, personally delivering a generous gift.

Ji Yuan estimated that, if converted into Spirit Stones, it might be worth seventy or eighty of them.

The gift was far too substantial, so Ji Yuan refused it.

Wu Yan kept Wu Wenbin's instructions firmly in mind: showing the proper attitude was enough. Since Ji Yuan would not accept the gift, he did not press the matter. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he left.

Throughout the entire encounter, he did not show the slightest unpleasant expression. Instead, he wore a welcoming smile.

Ji Yuan saw Wu Wenbin's shadow in him.

The exact same smiling tiger.

After closing the door, Ji Yuan continued cultivating. But scarcely a day later, someone knocked on his courtyard gate again. This time, it was Lin Hu.

Judging by the fish basket on his back, he had probably just returned from selling fish at the Fish Pen.

"Brother Ji."

Lin Hu called out, his expression somewhat unsightly.

"What is it?"

Ji Yuan naturally assumed Lin Hu had run into some trouble again and had come to ask for his help. Borrowing Spirit Stones would be easy enough, but if it was some other favor, he would have to weigh it carefully.

"I heard some news while selling fish in Zengtou City. I don't know whether it's true."

"What news?"

"I heard someone say that Uncle Lu was killed. He was killed while out on a boat catching fish."

"Uncle Lu?" Ji Yuan blanked for a moment.

Lin Hu immediately added, "Lu Wan's father, Lu Song."

Before Lu Song's family moved away, they had also lived near the lakeside and had some friendship with Lin Youwei. They simply had not been as close to Ji Yuan's family.

"What?"

The news truly caught Ji Yuan by surprise.

He had thought the Wu Family would not go that far, but unexpectedly, they had done exactly that.

"What about Lu Wan?"

"I don't know."

Lin Hu shook his head.

The news did indeed hit Ji Yuan rather hard, so after Lin Hu finished speaking, he made a special trip to Zengtou City.

Sure enough, he heard many people discussing it. After all, the conflict between Lu Wan and the Wu Family had already become a topic of conversation for quite a few people.

Now that lives had been lost, and the dead man had even been at the Middle Qi Refining Stage—

There were naturally even more onlookers.

Ji Yuan thought for a moment, then made another trip to the Lu Household. He found the gates still tightly shut. Only after asking the neighboring residents did he learn that Lu Wan's family had moved away from there before the New Year.

Ji Yuan did not know where their new home was, so he could only return home.

A few days later, he heard another piece of news.

It was said that the Qin Household had offered Lu Wan protection and publicly declared that the matter with the Wu Family was over. If it continued any further, the Qin Household would intervene.

And so, the hatred that had been entangled for so long was forcibly given a full stop.

Temporarily brought to an end.

The Qin Household and the Wu Family, those two great families of Zengtou City, must have reached some sort of deal behind the scenes... Ji Yuan thought.

Half a month later, Ji Yuan saw Lu Wan come to his door dressed in mourning clothes. She had come to pay him the Blood Essence money.

When he saw her again, the liveliness in her eyes had vanished. They had become like a pool of stagnant water, yet also like a deep well whose depths revealed nothing of her heart.

Ji Yuan declined several times, but seeing how resolute she was, he accepted it.

Yet when he saw that she was about to leave, Ji Yuan hesitated before softly saying, "Sister Lu, the Qin Household... cannot be trusted either."

Only then did Lu Wan's gaze shift slightly.

But it was quickly concealed again.

"I know. Don't worry."

"Mm."

That was all that needed to be said. Ji Yuan did not say anything more.

Since Lu Wan could say that, she must truly have had a plan.

"Ji Yuan, you're planning to join the Water Dragon Sect too, aren't you?"

Ji Yuan smiled. "Who in Zengtou City doesn't want to join the Water Dragon Sect?"

"Good. Then we... we..." Lu Wan took a deep breath, then finally said, "We'll meet again at the Water Dragon Sect."

Though Ji Yuan did not know what she meant, he still nodded and replied:

"Alright."

Two full months passed like this. With the boost of the [Dao Comprehension Chamber], Ji Yuan finally succeeded in improving the incomplete Yin Ghost Formation.

Five Spirit Stone slots, activated by five Spirit Stones.

The Yin Ghost Formation was complete!

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