โWaiter, bring some tea, and lay out a few plates of good wine and dishes.โ
โRight away! Please have a seat, sir. Iโll prepare everything immediately; the tea will be here soon.โ
Before long, a steaming cup of tea was placed in front of the traveler. Su Bai casually slapped down a silver ingot, lifted the teacup, but did not drink it. Instead, she brought it close to her nose and inhaled its aroma gently.
โWaiter, I want to ask you something. Has there been any recent news about ghosts or spirits around here?โ
โGhosts or spirits? I havenโt heard of any,โ the waiter replied, bowing slightly as he approached Su Bai, eyes fixed on the silver ingot, his face full of flattery. โBut I do know thereโs a place about ten li from here called Black Wind Stronghold. It used to be just a bandit den robbing passing caravans, but lately, for some reason, theyโve started kidnapping people. No one knows why.โ
โOh? The Black Wind Stronghold has become so depraved.โ
โThatโs putting it lightly, sir. You might not know this, but rumor has it the leader of Black Wind Stronghold received secret teachings from an immortal in the heavens. He has to drink three jin of blood daily, and kills people as easily as cutting melonsโhe doesnโt even spare childrenโฆโ
Seeing Su Baiโs growing interest, the waiterโs excitement rose. He poured out everything heโd heard about Black Wind Stronghold without reservation.
After finishing his tale, the waiter was parched and dry-mouthed. He glanced up and saw Su Bai still smelling the tea, not drinking it. When her eyes met his, she smiled mysteriously, as if to say, โKeep talking, Iโm listening.โ
โSir, is the tea in my shop not to your liking?โ Sweat formed on the waiterโs forehead, his Adamโs apple bobbed nervously, and he instinctively took a step back.
โThe tea is mediocre, but I only like to drink something clean.โ
Su Bai said as she flung the tea toward the waiterโs face. Before he could react, she reached into the air and grasped, summoning a black long banner.
โHuman Emperor Banner, capture!โ
With those words, the waiter felt a great force hit him. Before he could even scream, his soul was violently torn from his body.
Helplessly, he watched his body collapse to the ground.
His soul wavered, drifting toward the Human Emperor Banner as if pulled by an irresistible force. Upon touching the banner, the soul began to change shape, becoming a transparent ghost.
The lingering terror in his eyes hadnโt faded before it was sealed within the banner, becoming a faint, wavering light trapped inside.
โWhat a fine treasureโone that even has soul-searching effects.โ
After absorbing the information transmitted by the Human Emperor Banner, Su Bai gently stroked its dark surface, a faint smile curling at the corner of her lips.
Though the Human Emperor Banner was a Golden Core treasure, this was not its limit but constrained by her current cultivation level. If she advanced to Nascent Soul, the banner would evolve into a Nascent Soul spiritual treasure.
In the simulator, the quality of the Human Emperor three-piece set was directly linked to her cultivation. She possessed three such treasuresโimagine how many struggling True Immortals she could crush.
The higher the level, the more resources a cultivator needed, and forging treasures tailored to oneself consumed vast amounts.
In her previous lifeโs simulation, the Zhang Daoist she met, who studied under the Profound Nether Heavenly Venerable, had only one and a half Golden Core treasures. The struggling True Immortals were worse offโthey could only afford one, or none at all. For example, in her last simulated life, she could only respond to enemies with a single Blue Yang Illusory Shadow.
Her jade-like hand reached out toward the fallen body and pulled an invisible thread of blood into her robe.
The next moment, Su Baiโs figure flashed, vanishing like a phantom.
At the same time, a fierce blaze engulfed the entire inn, flames shooting high into the sky.
ใBased on the information from the waiter, you locate Black Wind Stronghold and fly straight to its center, ignoring the noisy bandits below. With a wave of your banner, you activate the Xuanyuan Demon-Slaying Blood Refiningโฆ ahem, Xuanyuan Demon-Slaying Array!ใ
ใYou send the bandits into the Human Emperor Banner but find no contact information for Fang Xiu. Fang Xiu and the bandit leader have always communicated through a single line.ใ
ใYou nod; this fits the nature of demonic cultivators.ใ
ใUndeterred, you take out a large clump of tangled bloodlines from your robe, extracted from the bodies of the bandits. Then, you summon an item.ใ
ใA black mirror body, woven with endless mysterious patterns, its edges surrounded by faint light. The mirrorโs surface is deep like an abyss, seeming to swallow souls.ใ
ใIt is the Heavenly Emperor Divine Mirror!!ใ
ใThe Human Emperor Banner collects and nourishes heroic souls, exterminating countless demons. The Heavenly Emperor Divine Mirror predicts and tracks, ensuring no demons can hide.ใ
โฆ
A hundred li underground in Central Plains lies a blood pit.
Countless lives and blood have been buried here. The stench of blood fills the surroundings, saturating the air with a heavy metallic scent.
Deep inside the blood pit sat a man dressed in blood-red robes. His brows sharp and heroic, his face above average in looks, he was seated cross-legged on a blood pool. His deep, dark eyes seemed to harbor the most complicated abyss of emotions in the world.
โIn another six months, my Defying Heaven Blood Robe will be complete, transforming into a spiritual weapon,โ he murmured, gently caressing the blood-glimmering, ever-flowing crimson robe before him.
โOver the years, I devoured the Fang clan, elevating my aptitude to first class. In just a few years, I achieved Foundation Establishment. Moreover, through the blood sea patriarchโs legacy I obtained, I surpassed the first-class limits and forged myself into an undying blood sea form. The blood will never dry, and I will never die.โ
โAgainst a late Foundation Establishment opponent, I still hold a chance in battle. And at Foundation Establishment perfection, I am confident I can withdraw unscathed.โ
Suddenly, Fang Xiu seemed to recall something. A gleam of blood flickered in his eyes as he produced an object in his hand. It was not paper but a tough, warm material, akin to human skin.
Though the scroll remained unrolled, faintly glowing blood patterns revealed its identityโEight Divisions of Great Fear: Blood Sea Visualization Secret Technique.
โWhy did that so-called White Master True Immortal gift me this, and why did he want to pull me into the Nine Nether Sect?โ Fang Xiu murmured, eyes deep, expression complicated as he stroked the precious Nascent Core secret technique in his hand.
โI wonder how Senior Brother Su with the second-class aptitude is doing now? Maybe I can lure him into the Nine Nether Sect to act as my scoutโฆโ
Before he finished speaking, the blood pitโs rocky walls suddenly trembled violently. Countless stones tumbled into the blood pool as the upper wall split open with a thunderous roar that pierced the eardrums!
Fang Xiu raised his head and saw a figure standing in the breachโฆ
The figure smiled broadly, eyes shining with delight as she gazed at Fang Xiu. Her stunningly familiar yet strange face seemed to greet himโฆ
She appeared to say, โJunior Brother Fang, long time no seeโฆโ
Then, a huge bronze cauldron suddenly fell, enveloping the entire blood pit!
โฆ
โConsider this: Heaven and Earth are the craftsmen, Fate the furnace, Yin and Yang the charcoal, and all things the copper!โ
The Human Emperor Banner collects and nourishes heroic souls, exterminating countless demons. The Heavenly Emperor Divine Mirror predicts and tracks, ensuring demons have no place to hide. Naturally, the Earth Emperor Cauldron refines non-our-kind and replenishes magical energy consumption.