"This ghost tastes a little salty and sour. It lacks Yin Qi and has a touch too much Sha Qi. I'll leave it for Grandpa to enjoy."
In another ghost city, Jiang Yi casually seized a sticky mass resembling sludge.
It was a water ghost at the seventh level of Qi Refining. He had scattered its body with a single punch, reducing it to pure Yin Qi.
With a few quick motions, he kneaded it down to the size of a longan, put it into a box made of yin pagoda tree wood, then tucked it into his half-worn Sleeve Pouch.
Looking up, he saw that the ghost city's long street was empty. Every last inhabitant had fled.
Jiang Yi walked slowly with Cat Master in his arms. A shop stood up ahead, its butcher's counter displaying severed hands and feet, while the baskets underneath held head after head.
The proprietor had broad shoulders and a thick waist, coarse flesh like a black bear's, and tough hide all over like an iron ox's. Red threads crisscrossed his eyes, his bristling hair resembled an iron brush, and he clutched a butcher's cleaver as large as half a door.
"This ghost is much harder to deal with than the other fierce baleful beasts! You won't scatter its shell and swallow it for refinement so easily. Don't be careless, Little Jiang!"
Profound Mystery True Person offered this warning, then stuck out its tongue and licked its fur.
"It smells rather good, though. It should have a chewy texture!"
Jiang Yi immediately understood. Cat Master was craving a bite.
He did not activate his Dao Embryo or unleash the brute force of his whole body.
Generally speaking, those below the fifth level of Qi Refining were "lesser ghosts," those at the fifth and sixth