The Dark Nether Cave-Vista Ten Thousand Ghost Banner

Tang Yuan extended his Divine Sense and confirmed it once more: Su Wei was indeed at the Qi Refinement Third Layer.

Unless a cultivator had a Law Treasure on their person or practiced a special Cultivation Method, a cultivator with higher cultivation could see a lower-level cultivator's cultivation directly.

If Su Wei's cultivation had been higher than his own, Tang Yuan would have been able to sense it too.

Since Su Wei was at the Third Layer of Qi Refinement, how had he so easily neutralized Tang Yuan's mystic light without dodging or blocking?

Just as Tang Yuan frowned, a black square flag appeared before Su Wei and began to grow.

When Su Wei took the flag, now more than half a person's height, in his hand, Tang Yuan finally saw it clearly. It was a soul-summoning banner, black with purple insect-and-bird seal script and a white half-bodied skeleton painted at its center.

This soul-summoning banner is no ordinary thing.

Now that I've seen it, it's mine, Tang Yuan thought to himself, considering his strategy.

"Tang Yuan, I'll ask you one last time.

What did you do to Du Qing?

If she's safe and sound, I'll give you a quick death...

If she isn't..."

"Fuck you!" Tang Yuan cursed. Without waiting for Su Wei to finish, he charged with his saber.

Fifth Layer against Third Layer-Tang Yuan had no fear at all. He just wanted to seize the purple-lettered soul-summoning banner quickly, before a long night brought more dreams.

Even as he attacked Su Wei, however, Tang Yuan kept his eyes on the eerie purple-lettered soul-summoning banner, lest it catch him by surprise.

Believing Tang Yuan was at the Qi Refining Second Layer, Su Wei simply left the purple-lettered soul-summoning banner hovering at his side and traded blows with Tang Yuan using his devil saber.

But after fewer than ten exchanges, Su Wei was covered in wounds and streaming with cold sweat. "Tang Yuan, you hid your cultivation.

You're not at the Qi Refining Second Layer. You're at least at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer!"

"Only just noticed? Your life is mine!" Tang Yuan charged again, saber held across his body.

Fifth Layer against Third Layer was like chopping melons and slicing vegetables. It felt great to trample a rookie!

Su Wei snorted coldly, formed a seal with his fingers, and retreated several dozen feet as his True Qi surged. "Zhao Xiaode, come out and help me finish off your fellow disciple!"

Seeing movement from the purple-lettered soul-summoning banner, Tang Yuan activated his Golden Light Shield as he advanced.

Sure enough, before Tang Yuan could reach Su Wei, a white figure suddenly burst from the purple-lettered soul-summoning banner and slashed down at his head.

Tang Yuan hurriedly raised his saber to block. After several hard-fought exchanges, he feinted with his saber and flew back more than two hundred feet.

The white figure pursued Tang Yuan for a hundred-odd feet, then stopped in midair and came no farther.

That white figure is a soul spirit. There's a limit to the distance over which Su Wei can control it.

But Su Wei clearly learned the Samsara Formless Incantation. How can he control a soul spirit?

Su Wei just said this white-robed soul spirit also came from the Holy Cardamom Sect. Judging by his Cultivation Method, he seems to have learned the Purple Cloud Nine Mysteries Scripture too, but his True Qi is far more powerful, and it even draws a response from the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

The white-robed soul spirit must have learned an upgraded version of the Purple Cloud Nine Mysteries Scripture. Who is he? Tang Yuan wondered, thinking of a way to deal with him.

As a disciple of the devil sect, a soul-summoning banner was surely indispensable.

For disciples like Tang Yuan, however, the soul-summoning banner was merely a container for collecting souls, which they then sold to the sect in exchange for spirit money.

Refining souls into soul spirits to command was a soul cultivator's Law Technique. The soul-summoning banners they used were special as well, and somewhat more expensive.

Soul-Dwelling Peak, one of the Holy Cardamom Sect's six peaks, had both ordinary Devil Cultivator disciples and soul cultivator disciples.

Soul cultivator disciples came from the ranks of ordinary Devil Cultivator disciples. Only after reaching the Middle Stage of Qi Refinement could they additionally learn the soul cultivation method, the Three Hun and Seven Po Unification Scripture.

Not only was Su Wei's soul-summoning banner extraordinary, but so was Su Wei himself: despite only being at Early Qi Refinement, he actually knew a soul cultivation method.

Before Tang Yuan could come up with a countermeasure, Su Wei had already seen that he was no match for the soul spirit. Grasping the purple-lettered soul-summoning banner, Su Wei immediately drove the soul spirit to attack him.

With no other choice, Tang Yuan had to fight.

After battling the white-robed soul spirit for three hundred exchanges, Tang Yuan still gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Tang Yuan could see that, although he was at the Fifth Layer, he had only just reached it, and his True Qi was being depleted quickly.

The white-robed soul spirit was at the Sixth Layer, but because he had no physical body, his True Qi was only slightly stronger than Tang Yuan's.

In a contest of True Qi, Tang Yuan could barely hold his own.

But although the white-robed soul spirit's moves were somewhat similar to Tang Yuan's, every dozen or so moves, he could actually unleash a slash wreathed in raging fire.

Whenever the raging fire appeared, its slashes left Tang Yuan's body and spirit unsteady and him in a sorry state.

Seeing that the white-robed soul spirit would surely hack him to death if he kept this up, Tang Yuan took out a Water-Avoiding Pearl and fled into the sea in disarray.

After diving several hundred feet underwater, Tang Yuan rested briefly and considered his options.

Water naturally obstructed and depleted cultivators' Law Techniques.

Cultivators' Law Techniques naturally included a water-avoidance art, but Su Wei's cultivation was low, and he had no Water-Avoiding Pearl. He didn't dare enter the water rashly, so he stayed above the surface and watched for movement below.

Although Tang Yuan had a Water-Avoiding Pearl and could stay underwater for more than ten double-hours, he was resting there to recover his True Qi.

Likewise, Su Wei and the white-robed soul spirit were also recovering their True Qi, and they were recovering faster.

Although Tang Yuan had a Turtle Transformation Pill that would turn him into a great sea turtle if he took it, he feared Su Wei would discover him if he transformed now.

Strike when your enemy is down and take his life.

Since his own True Qi was now greatly depleted, Su Wei and the white-robed soul spirit likewise had little True Qi left.

Inside his underwater bubble, Tang Yuan reluctantly touched the Mystic Spoon hanging around his neck, then rushed toward the surface.

As he neared the surface, Tang Yuan threw out an Explosive Talisman...

Boom!

A mushroom-shaped surge of water and spray rose from the sea.

Su Wei chuckled and retreated several dozen feet. He knew Tang Yuan was coming out to fight for his life.

Sure enough, before the spray had even settled, Tang Yuan burst from the waves and charged straight at the white soul spirit.

"Zhao Xiaode, quickly use that Divine Ability of yours and take Tang Yuan down at once!" Su Wei's expression was ruthless as he waved the purple-lettered soul-summoning banner.

"Despicable ghost cultivator, I'm already a soul spirit. How am I supposed to use a Divine Ability?" The white-robed soul spirit gave a soft snort and charged at Tang Yuan.

Tang Yuan fought as he retreated, constantly shifting and dodging.

Su Wei also waved the soul-summoning banner with his full attention, continually changing position so he could command the soul spirit at all times.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Bang! Bang!

Tang Yuan threw two smoke talismans, one at the white soul spirit and the other at Su Wei.

"The Guizhou donkey has exhausted its tricks." Su Wei immediately dispersed the smoke around him and looked toward Tang Yuan and the soul spirit in the smoke.

Something's wrong!

It's a trick!

By the time Su Wei sensed danger, someone had already locked him in a tight embrace from behind.

Crackle!

The back of his neck tingled slightly.

The Blood Skeleton Technique Lightning was about to explode.

He twisted his body, but he couldn't break free. The cultivator holding him was at the Qi Refinement Fifth Layer.

Without the slightest hesitation, Su Wei used a soul-shedding technique.

After Su Wei's soul flew ten feet away from his body, soul-summoning banner in hand, he immediately turned to look. Tang Yuan was the one holding his physical body, and the Blood Skeleton Technique Lightning in Tang Yuan's mouth was flashing.

Bang!

The sound was very faint.

The Blood Skeleton Technique Lightning in Tang Yuan's mouth exploded.

Clatter.

Both Tang Yuan's and Su Wei's physical bodies were reduced to shattered bones that fell into the sea.

Su Wei's soul waved the soul-summoning banner, but he failed to summon Tang Yuan's soul from the water.

"How could there be no soul?

The Holy Cardamom Sect's Blood Skeleton Technique Lightning can only corrode the physical body. It doesn't have the power to destroy a soul." Now in soul form, Su Wei turned to look behind him. The white-robed soul spirit was flying toward him, intending to return to the purple-lettered soul-summoning banner.

But behind the white-robed soul spirit came Tang Yuan, holding a soul-summoning banner-a flesh-and-blood Tang Yuan!

What's going on?

Tang Yuan's physical body clearly turned into shattered bones. How does he have another, identical body?!

This is bad. Although Tang Yuan can't command soul spirits, the ordinary soul-summoning banner in his hand can imprison me all the same.

Hmph!

You have the Celestial Master's stratagem; I have my bridge-crossing ladder.

I'll slip into my Dark Nether Cave-Vista Ten Thousand Ghost Banner. Even if you're a Purple Mansion True Person, what could you do to me?! The corners of Su Wei's mouth curled slightly. When Tang Yuan flew within a hundred feet of him, Su Wei stuck out his tongue and slipped into the purple-lettered soul-summoning banner in open provocation.

Only Tang Yuan remained, holding his soul-summoning banner and standing dumbstruck in midair...