Western side of the Tian Gong Camp.
Within the Demon Elimination Department's camp, rows of bungalows were constructed using the Mud into Stone Technique.
In one of the rooms, Chen Mu wore a leather apron and held a sharp knife, meticulously handling the armored demon beast on the stone platform before him.
"Brother Chen, which sect are you from?" The short and stout Steward Wu curiously asked from the doorway.
"Hai Province's Baihuan Sect, just a small sect," Chen Mu replied with a smile.
"So, Brother Chen is a high disciple of Baihuan Sect. No wonder your demon slaying skills are so refined," Steward Wu praised.
"You've heard of Baihuan Sect?" Now it was Chen Mu's turn to be curious.
Baihuan Sect was ranked at the bottom in Hai Province, with no advanced secret techniques, and wasn't a significant sect. Yet, this steward Wu actually knew of its reputation.
"No, never heard of it," Steward Wu shook his head straightforwardly.
"Judging from Brother Chen's demon slaying techniques, I knew Baihuan Sect must be an extraordinary sect!" He looked genuinely sincere.
That's because I have the Triple Yin Slaying Demon Technique, nothing to do with Baihuan Sect at all.
"Baihuan Sect is just a small sect, and it's already been obliterated by the Qianji Sect," Chen Mu glanced at Steward Wu, speaking calmly.
"Being able to develop such skills in a small sect, Brother Chen, you really have exceptional talent!" Steward Wu said earnestly.
He's just stubbornly praising me, huh?
"Steward Wu, if you want to assign me more tasks, just say it," Chen Mu said unhappily.
"Since it's your own request, Brother Chen!" Steward Wu beamed with joy.
Chen Mu rolled his eyes.
"It's all because of that Green Worm Demon Monarch; our Demon Elimination Department has suffered heavy losses this time, and manpower is indeed insufficient," Steward Wu said with a bitter smile.
Not enough manpower, so you want me to do overtime?
"I have connections in the Heavenly Craft Department and can get clean demon beast meat, how about it..." Steward Wu said mysteriously.
"Deal!" Chen Mu nodded immediately.
With the Inheriting Heaven Gourd, I am not lacking in materials for Replenishing Origin Soup nowadays.
But if I don't eat it myself, it is still good to use it to nourish some ghosts.
Late night, inside the snail shell.
Chen Mu took out the Pestilence Immortal Banner and activated the Plague Immortal Technique to absorb any possible residual pestilence poison in the air.
It had been over two months since the Yellow Millet Plague Poison wreaked havoc, and most of it had already been collected into the Pestilence Immortal Banner.
Chen Mu's actions at the moment were more like adding an extra layer of insurance.
After quite a while, he stopped chanting the curse command.
"No pestilence poison has gathered for five consecutive days; it seems that all the poison has been collected." Chen Mu breathed a slight sigh of relief, looking at the Pestilence Immortal Banner.
Whether it was due to the Jade Cicada Qi or the accumulation of pestilence poison, the originally crimson Pestilence Immortal Banner now had more than half dyed a dark gold color.
As he curiously observed, a flood of complex information abruptly appeared in his mind.
Chen Mu was stunned and immediately summoned the gray wall.
Plague Immortal Technique: 5/10000/Fourth Rank;
"Continuously activating Pestilence Immortal Banner for a month, didn't expect it to jump two levels and push the Plague Immortal Technique to the Fourth Rank, quite a pleasant surprise."
Chen Mu chuckled happily and began to review the insights in his mind.
His curiosity was piqued, and he carefully reviewed the insights one by one.
After a long while, he returned to his senses with a complex expression on his face.
"As I suspected, Lv Yue spread the Yellow Millet Plague not just to refine Black Armored Warriors but for the pestilence poison itself."
"He aimed to use the pestilence poison to massively absorb the spirituality of living beings!" Chen Mu frowned tightly.
The feedback from the Fourth Rank Plague Immortal Technique outlined a method to refine a type of precious medicine called Emperor's Nectar using the Pestilence Immortal Banner to press the pestilence poison.
In this process, the pestilence poison acts as bees, and the Pestilence Immortal Banner as a beehive. The spirituality of living beings is the pollen, and Emperor's Nectar is the honey. Consuming it can greatly replenish divine vitality.
"Feeding on the spirituality of others, killing them—it's a technique even more malevolent than Outer Heaven Demons!" Chen Mu frowned deeply.
Meng Qingchan, Lu Shenjun...
None of them are any good!
They call themselves the Qi Refining Orthodox, but they're even more sinister than evil paths!
Chen Mu couldn't help but think of the early days in Frontier Wilderness Great Beam.
Back then, to leave Da Liang on the Bai Gui Ship of Qianji Sect, anyone other than the celestial talents with innate Taoist bones had to use Thousand Mechanism Tokens as tickets.
The Thousand Mechanism Token is a container storing a large amount of Three Treasures Essence.
Every few decades, various rebellions and insurgencies would be incited within Da Liang. These were to create slaughter, making it easier for the Thousand Mechanism Tokens to control ghosts and absorb the Vital Energy, Qi, and Spirit of ordinary people.
And behind all these, the Qianji Sect was undoubtedly involved.
"One uses ghosts to absorb ordinary people's Three Treasures essence, and the other refines the spirituality of living beings with Yellow Millet Plague Poison."
"This is what they call a rotten top leads to a crooked bottom!"
In Chen Mu's room, a ball of golden liquid the size of a fist floated in mid-air.
A tempting aroma that reached the soul permeated the surroundings.
"The fragrance of Emperor's Nectar is so enticing?" Chen Mu marveled at the saliva continuously secreting in his mouth.
After several days of trying, using the Pestilence Immortal Banner, he easily extracted Emperor's Nectar from Yellow Millet Plague Poison.
Merely smelling the aroma made him feel refreshed and invigorated. The vitality depleted from repeatedly practicing Reversed Primordial Qi during the day was instantly restored to a third.
If he were to consume it directly...
"It's a pity..." Chen Mu shook his head.
"The origin of this thing is from Meng Qingchan. Who knows if there are hidden traps inside."
Years ago, Lv Yue used Meng Qingchan as a pawn to test out the Linglong Golden Chapter. Meng Qingchan accepted it despite knowing there were traps.
It seemed like Lv Yue had the upper hand, but Meng Qingchan was not without backup plans.
One Pestilence Immortal Banner was enough to lure Lv Yue, the Sect Master of Qianji Sect, into the path of devouring others' spirituality.
This showed that Meng Qingchan was not a saint either.
"It's important to be cautious with anything you consume," Chen Mu took a deep breath, suppressing his greed.
Not eating it doesn't mean it can't be used.
With a thought, a gigantic figure reaching the ceiling of the room suddenly appeared behind him.
It wore crimson armor inlaid with golden threads and draped a fiery-red hooded cloak over its shoulders.
Its face had no features, its oval face as smooth as an egg, with only a slowly rotating dark red energy vortex.
"Giant Spirit God..." Chen Mu turned to observe this giant, silently sensing it.
A surging desire emerged in his heart.
Chen Mu raised an eyebrow.
Previously, he had regarded the Giant Spirit God as a technique to amplify strength, but after reaching the Ninth Rank, he noticed a difference.
Originally just a partial divine image illusion, it had now substantiated.
From a simple secret technique, it had transformed into something between a secret technique and a magic artifact.
Now it even displayed an unusual spirituality, able to express a desire for the Emperor's Nectar.
"Amazing!" Chen Mu examined the Giant Spirit God with interest.
With a wave of his right hand, he lifted the lump of Emperor's Nectar into the air, channeling some mana into the Giant Spirit God.
The dark red vortex under the hood slowly rotated, generating an absorbing force that drew the golden Emperor's Nectar into the vortex in an instant.
As if a stream had flowed across the earth, the crimson armor was immediately covered in countless tiny golden lines, quickly forming intricate patterns.
Below the divine image, rows of red lines wove together, completing the lower half of the divine image, which had previously only extended down to the navel.
In a few breaths, the lower half of the skirt armor took shape.
Chen Mu's mind stirred, and he looked at the column on the gray wall.
Giant Spirit God: 743/10000/Ninth Rank;
"One bunch of Emperor's Nectar added over two hundred points of experience?"
"Wow! This technique I've practiced for over ten years is finally about to reach perfection!" Chen Mu beamed.
The Giant Spirit Divine Secret Technique required refining both his essence and magical power simultaneously.
It had been about accumulating incrementally each day, making progress slowly.
After reaching the Ninth Stage, the demand for essence and magical power surged exponentially.
Over the past few months, he had practiced it daily but had only accumulated about five or six hundred experience points.
"Emperor's Nectar truly is extraordinary!"