Yin spirits and fierce ghosts were never easy to deal with. If his Soul-Devouring Demonic Armor Technique had reached perfection, he might have been able to put up a fight.
Unfortunately, it was still far from complete.
He had not learned any targeted countermeasures, and the opponent was a third-layer Foundation Establishment soul transformed into a ghost. Though its realm had dropped by one layer, it was still within the Foundation Establishment range.
In an instant, Wang Yu had already analyzed the situation in his mind.
"I cannot charge in recklessly. If I can lure it back to Blackbone Mountain, perhaps Situ Hong will have a way to deal with it."
Although yin spirits and fierce ghosts were formidable, they also had weaknesses. The inheritance of Five Yin Peak was especially effective against such creatures.
Thus, Wang Yu immediately turned and ran.
The ghostly figure of Deacon Xu floated after him, black smoke billowing from its body. Under direct sunlight, its speed slowed considerably.
Ghosts lacked intelligence and acted purely on instinct.
A first-rank yin spirit could hardly move about during the day.
While luring it away, Wang Yu’s eyes transformed into Taiyin Nether Eyes. Two crescent moon marks appeared in his pupils, and he entered the "Moon Observation" state.
Glancing back, he realized the ghost carried not one but two yin-type auras.
The second was undoubtedly from Liu Jinxian. However, this yin aura appeared strange, like a mosquito, rampaging inside the ghost’s body.
It was being consumed at a speed visible to the naked eye and was on the verge of being extinguished.
"Damn."
Liu Jinxian could not die. Of the more than five hundred people on this Blackbone Mountain mission, only the four of them remained. If she died, her father, True Personage Green Serpent, would surely seek accountability.
He, Situ Hong, and Gu Zhengshun would all be in big trouble.
If she lived, she would draw away much of the Blood Reversal Sect disciples’ attention, given her powerful background.
Thinking quickly, Wang Yu used a fingernail to slice open his wrist. With a light squeeze, thick, dark red-and-black blood, looking somewhat stale, seeped out.
This was the product of the Corpse Demon Secret Technique’s transformation.
Heavenly Yin Blood.
It gave Wang Yu’s body the traits of a yin spirit. Correspondingly, the "Corpse Demon Bones" gave him the traits of a zombie.
This secret art was of extremely high grade. If he had any method to fight a Foundation Establishment ghost, it was only this blood, along with the "Yin Blood Pill" constantly gestating inside his body.
Suppressing the death qi temporarily would not be a big problem.
After all, he could only condense one Yin Blood Pill in his body at a time, and it had always been used to suppress death qi. Thankfully, the Idle Slot had helped him continuously condense it; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
He slowed his pace slightly.
The instant they rushed into the forest, Wang Yu suddenly turned back and flicked a drop of fresh blood from his fingertips. The dense yin spiritual energy upon it instantly attracted the ghost.
Pushing off a tree trunk with his toes, Wang Yu flipped backward, reversing his momentum. His right hand lightly patted his chest, and through skin and flesh, a Yin Blood Pill dissolved into a stream of energy that surged into his mind.
His eyes turned blood-red, and the two fangs in his upper jaw lengthened rapidly.
The traits of the Corpse Demonic Bones were driven to the extreme. Besides their tough bodies, zombies had the ability to devour resentment and feed on yin spirits.
With the secret art activated, fragments of Soul-Devouring Demonic Armor Technique comprehension surfaced in his mind. He bit into the ghost and drew in power.
It was like sucking on jelly.
Like a ventilation fan pulling in smoke, he inhaled the black mist emitted by the ghost along with part of its soul.
Three inches below his navel, the seed of the Demonic Armor Technique began to sprout.
The Black Evil Armor lines spread rapidly across his body, and in the blink of an eye, a set of black, hideous armor appeared on his surface. This was a strange art.
Once understood, it could be instantly formed and yield great power, requiring only that the user bear future side effects to gain immediate combat strength.
One bite was not enough. Encased in the Black Armor, Wang Yu could touch the ghost directly. As the opponent swallowed the Heavenly Yin Blood, he bit again, harder this time.
By now, the ghostly form of Deacon Xu’s soul had become faint. Its realm had fallen from early Foundation Establishment to the Qi Refining stage.
Wang Yu kicked it out of the forest straight into the blazing sunlight. Without the protection of black mist, its realm dropped again, and its soul began to evaporate visibly.
Within three breaths, Liu Jinxian fell out of its body.
Aside from a pale face, her life force was stable. Only the Blood Mosquito Gu standing on her forehead looked weak and half-dead.
After a few more breaths, the ghost was completely erased by sunlight.
Wang Yu let out a sigh of relief. He had not expected it to be so easy to deal with. In truth, all his abilities were highly effective against ghosts—he had simply never thought to use them this way.
After all, who would use fists to beat a yin spirit or fierce ghost?
"False alarm."
He glanced at the neatly lying Liu Jinxian, ignored her, and quickly returned to the first battlefield. Finding Deacon Xu’s corpse, he stored the storage pouch away.
He placed the corpse into a specially marked storage bag before breathing easier.
Any gain meant it was not a loss.
Moreover:
【Idle Slot 4: Soul-Devouring Demonic Armor Technique】
"Soul-Devouring Demonic Armor Technique (61/100): 36 session a day, master in two years."
Just two bites of a Foundation Establishment ghost had saved him three years of cultivation. In two years, it would reach perfection—just in time for the end of the Blackbone Mountain mission.
"So this is a Strange Art… truly wondrous."
However, while it saved him time, he now faced the risk of yin spirit backlash in the future. He could not yet tell if this was a loss or a gain.
Pulling open his robe, he found a fingernail-sized ghost skull mark below his navel. Meeting its gaze, he felt a deep malice.
"A loss."
Wang Yu frowned, slung Liu Jinxian over his shoulder, and headed back to Blackbone Mountain.
Since Deacon Xu was no longer a threat, there was no need to flee to Maple Province City. Better to return and research demonic secret methods to improve his aptitude.
Looking at the high-grade storage pouch tied to Liu Jinxian’s waist, he was tempted. After careful thought, he decided not to touch it.
Deacon Xu’s storage pouch, however, had given him a rude awakening, there was nothing of real value inside. A few second-rank low-grade magic tools, damaged or devalued.
There were only five spirit stones, which was shocking.
The high-grade storage pouch had about the capacity of a basketball court. Many bottles and jars inside were empty.
The only thing that pleased him was the collection of pill formulas.
They almost covered every first-rank category exchangeable in the Blood Reversal Sect, plus three second-rank formulas. An alchemist did not need to master them all, but reading more could help draw connections and even create new recipes.
By coincidence, he also found a mysterious silk scroll inscribed with blood runic script, identical to the one Xu Jiaojiao had. After a brief glance, he used the Idle Slot’s feedback to extract its information.
It was another strange demonic art.
Called the [Ghost Transformation Evil Curse], it was originally a strange technique used on others to mass-produce sinister yin souls and malevolent spirits. Unexpectedly, he used it on himself, aiming for mutual destruction.
It was truly brutal.