Conversion? Buddhism?!
Witness the terrifying power of that pitch-black banner.
The remaining cultivators from the three sects within the Yin Ruins will no longer stand idly by!
The longer the time drags on, the more opportunities the Holy Sect cultivator who rushed into the Earth Temple might gain!
"We can't wait any longer! Let's attack together and destroy this evil banner first!" a disciple from the Yellow Springs Netherworld shouted sternly. His sect was well-versed in the ways of ghosts and had the deepest understanding of this kind of soul banner Law Artifact, so he naturally took the lead.
In an instant, apart from the Azure Sect disciple whose eyes were flickering as if he were weighing something, everyone else was present.
All the other cultivators unleashed their power simultaneously!
Thunder rumbled, ghostly flames flickered, phoenix shadows cried out, and Sword Qi energy howled—all sorts of Law Technique and Law Artifact artifacts, like a storm, bombarded the lone Soul Refining Banner standing before the rift from all directions!
Faced with this overwhelming attack, the proud figure of the Soul Refining Banner seemed to be enraged in an instant!
"Woohoo-!!!"
The banner billowed wildly, and black smoke rose into the sky like smoke from a wolf's beacon!
From within the churning Evil Qi, no longer just a pale ghostly hand emerged, but hundreds of twisted,...
A face contorted with extreme pain and resentment.
These are the very vengeful spirits and resentful souls that Qi Yun has collected and refined over this period of time!
A hundred ghosts howled in unison, their cries shaking the entire wilderness!
They coalesced and took shape, stirring up gusts of soul-corroding black wind, forming a chilling ghost domain around the Soul Refining Banner!
In the realm of ghosts, the eerie wind howls.
Countless ghostly figures darted about, blocking, weakening, or even devouring most of the attacks.
These vengeful spirits may not be the strongest individually.
However, when gathered into an array, relying on the Soul Refining Banner itself and the dense Qi of Earth Sha of this place, it exhibited extremely troublesome characteristics!
The Yin Thunder Talismans and Yellow Springs Evil Method unleashed by the disciples of the Yellow Springs Netherworld fell into the Ghost Realm, their power weakened layer by layer, ultimately only able to shatter a few wisps of black energy.
The phantom of the spirit bird summoned by the Phoenix Helm crashed into it, only to be torn apart by countless ghostly hands and corroded by the resentful aura, its spiritual light quickly dimming.
The magical Law Artifact and Law Technique of other cultivators were like mud oxen sinking into the sea, unable to shake its foundation!
Relying on the formation of hundreds of vengeful spirits, the Soul Refining Banner single-handedly withstood the fierce attacks of more than ten Late Qi Refining cultivators present.
Black mist churned, and ghostly figures loomed large.
They've maintained an undefeated record for now!
"This evil banner is incredibly troublesome!"
"Its core is that flagpole! Attack the flagpole!"
The group quickly realized the key point and began to focus their attacks on the flagpole.
Just as the offensive intensified, the ghost realm's area was compressed, and the illusory images of vengeful spirits began to fade.
The Azure Sect disciple who had been observing coldly, waiting for an opportunity.
It finally moved!
A glint flashed in his eyes, and his fingers pointed like a sword as the ancient longsword on his back was drawn!
The sword has no flashy luster, presenting a simple, unadorned, and unpretentious bluish-gray color.
But as he drew his sword technique, a pure Sword Intent, refined to its extreme and seemingly capable of severing all illusions and annihilating all laws, suddenly locked onto the core of the Soul Refining Banner!
"Break."
He uttered a single word and lightly pointed his sword forward.
The ancient bluish-gray sword moved as if by teleportation, ignoring the churning black mist and the vengeful spirits blocking its way; the space at the tip of the sword seemed to distort slightly.
With an indomitable and unstoppable Sword Intent, it struck the pole of the Soul Refining Banner with perfect precision!
"Snap!!!"
A crisp, yet terrifying, shattering sound rang out!
It wasn't that the flagpole broke.
Instead, the core runes that maintained the Hundred Ghosts and Vengeful Spirits Formation Art were forcibly shattered by this sword strike, which had been condensed to its extreme.
Buzz-!
The eerie ghost domain surrounding the Soul Refining Banner dissipated instantly, like a punctured balloon.
Hundreds of vengeful spirits let out mournful and unwilling howls, turning into wisps of black smoke as they scrambled to retreat back into the banner.
The Movement Method from the jet-black banner instantly dimmed by more than half.
Several fine cracks also appeared on the surface of the banner!
But it did not break down or fall.
The moment the Formation Art was broken, the Soul Refining Banner seemed to come alive, suddenly rising from the ground and transforming into an incredibly swift, dark light.
With a "whoosh," it followed closely behind Qi Yun's trail, disappearing directly into the deep crevice of the Earth Temple behind them!
"Oh no! Don't let it get away!"
The Yellow Springs Netherworld cultivators, who had long coveted the Soul Refining Banner, were now jumping up and down in anxiety.
They wanted to stop it, but were powerless to do so.
The Azure Sect disciple sheathed his ancient sword, his expression remaining calm, but a hint of solemnity flickered in the depths of his eyes.
He glanced at the deep crevice, then without further hesitation, he dashed into it first.
Seeing this, the others, disregarding their own breathing, rushed toward the crack.
After Qi Yun stepped into the crack in the Earth Temple, the scene before him suddenly changed.
This is inside an ancient, dimly lit temple.
The surrounding walls, beams, pillars, and even the stone slabs underfoot all exhibited a uniform, deep, and pure yellowish hue.
The air was filled with a hazy yellow mist, not dust, but a dense, almost tangible Qi of Earth Sha.
It made the circulation of one's True Essence somewhat sluggish.
The entire temple was unusually quiet; there was no sound of wind, no chirping of insects, and even the sound of one's own footsteps was absorbed by the dim yellow ground and walls, leaving only a faint, almost nonexistent echo.
It was a deathly silence.
Beneath this extreme silence, it seemed as if countless eyes were silently watching from the shadows.
After looking around, Qi Yun tried to use the Thousand Cranes Talisman to investigate the layout of the Earth Temple.
But as soon as the talisman left his hand, before its spiritual light could fully unfold, the surrounding yellowish malevolent Sha Qi swarmed in like sharks smelling blood.
There were a few soft hissing sounds.
Those Thousand Cranes Talisman dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The talisman paper was quickly eroded and softened.
Ultimately, it turned into a few wisps of yellow smoke, merging into the surrounding Sha Qi; not even a single talisman crane could be successfully condensed.
"As expected, it didn't work--" Qi Yun's eyes narrowed slightly, not surprised by the result.
The Sha Qi in this [Dao Land] have created a powerful field.
It has a strong repulsive and corrosive effect on Law Technique and artifacts that are not of the Earthly Fiend attribute.
Composing himself, Qi Yun strode deeper into the temple.
As I walked, the feeling of being watched became increasingly clear.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could always see blurry figures flashing by behind the pillars or around the corner, with an inhuman stiffness.
But when he suddenly turned his head or scanned the area with his Divine Sense...
There was nothing there, only dim yellow walls and a frozen silence.
Once, twice—after several times, Qi Yun let out a soft scoff.
You like playing the "blind spot" game, huh?
He remained expressionless, continuing his unhurried exploration, seemingly oblivious to the strange occurrences.
But from his sleeves hanging at his sides, countless fine, dark-colored iron filings were silently scattered on the ground with each step he took.
Just as he turned a seemingly ordinary corner, "Click."
A faint, yet remarkably clear, crackling sound came from behind.
Just where he had passed, a figure was firmly locked in place by countless iron sands that suddenly erupted from the ground, as if they possessed life!
The fine iron filings instantly coalesced into dozens of pitch-black chains, wrapping around the figure's ankles, calves, waist, and even raised arms.
It was fixed in a posture of struggling forward.
It was a figure resembling a monk.
Its entire body is a dull yellow color, matching the Earth Temple itself, and its texture is like fired clay, with a smooth surface.
Yet it possesses a cold, icy quality.
The monk's face was sculpted with extreme compassion, his brows lowered and eyes downcast, and even a faint, serene smile at the corners of his mouth.
At this moment, it was bound by iron sand chains and stood frozen in place.
In the dim light, that compassionate face exuded an indescribable eeriness and sinister aura.
There was no breath, no heartbeat, not even the breath of life, just like a meticulously crafted terracotta figurine.
However, Qi Yun could clearly sense that within the clay shell, a pure and cold earthly evil energy was slowly flowing, driving its previous ghostly movements.
"This... is a Dao weapon formed from the condensed Qi of Earth Sha?"
Qi Yun an eyebrow, about to step forward and examine the bound clay monk more closely.
The clay monk, who had been hanging his head, suddenly raised his head.
His kind and gentle face remained the same, but his eyes were empty and devoid of life.
Immediately afterward, without the clay lips moving, a deep, continuous chanting, seemingly originating from the depths of the earth, arose out of nowhere and echoed through the dim and silent temple.
"Namo humblyma--"
The chanting was not loud, but it possessed a strange penetrating power, ignoring the barriers of space and directly affecting Qi Yun's physical body and Divine Soul.
Upon hearing this, Qi Yun frowned immediately!
He clearly felt that the fifty-three acupoints in his body that had already been opened up trembled uncontrollably the moment the strange chanting sound rang out!
It spontaneously absorbs the dense, almost impenetrable Qi of Earth Sha from its surroundings.
"Whoosh-"
_"
The pure earthly evil energy that he originally needed to actively circulate his cultivation Cultivation Method to slowly absorb was now flowing like a flood bursting its banks.
It was forcibly poured into his acupoints.
The acupoints swell and fill at a rate visible to the naked eye.
The sensation that came through was no longer the comfort of cultivation.
It was more of a feeling of bloating, almost like being torn apart.
As a massive amount of Qi of Earth Sha surged in, his body became extremely heavy, as if his limbs and bones were filled with lead and mercury.
Every tiny movement became incredibly difficult, as if one were stuck in a quagmire.
At the same time, the pervasive chanting grew louder.
It was like thousands of monks chanting in unison in his ears, drilling straight into his Sea of Consciousness.
A strange and inexplicable thought uncontrollably sprouted from the depths of Qi Yun's heart.
Stop struggling.
This place is filled with Sha Qi, making it an ideal place for spiritual cultivation.
Why not sit cross-legged here, listen quietly to the scriptures, and merge into this eternal, dim light?
The thought carried a peaceful and alluring temptation, making it impossible to resist. "Hmm? A method of salvation?!"
"Within this Dao Land, there is the shadow of Buddhism!"
Qi Yun's gaze suddenly sharpened, and a terrifying light flashed in his eyes.
This is not an ordinary sound attack or illusion.
Rather, it is a method of salvation commonly used in Buddhism and Daoism!
It doesn't directly attack the Divine Soul, but rather draws upon your own energy to attack from both inside and outside.
Quan used scriptures to win over Xie Zhi, who then willingly gave up his resistance.
Qi Yun looked stern and attempted to use magic to break free.
But at this moment, the chaotic Qi of Earth Sha within his body not only made his physical body hard, but also made it extremely difficult to mobilize his True Essence, which was completely stagnant.
Just then, a black light streaked towards them from afar.
"Woo-hoo--!"
Sensing the danger to its master, the Soul Refining Banner fluttered violently.
A towering black aura shot into the sky, and the wails of a hundred ghosts instantly drowned out the deep chanting!
With this brief respite, Qi Yun instantly shattered the accumulated Qi of Earth Sha within his body, grabbed the flying Soul Refining Banner, and fled into the distance in an instant!