Chapter 770: The Land of Ghosts

After the initial excitement faded, Qin Sang calmed down and fell into deep thought.

The Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions was not something that could be refined at will, at least not with his current abilities.

The refinement of this astra required three distinct steps.

First, the black iron columns had to be melted and forged into the banner pole.

This process required the support of an extremely complex spiritual array.

Qin Sang had learned how to arrange this array from Yi Tianye. In addition to all sorts of spiritual materials, there was another extremely demanding condition: The array could only be activated using high-grade or top-grade spirit stones.

He would not dare to hope for top-grade spirit stones, but even high-grade ones were rare treasures. He only had two in his possession, which he had to reserve for using an ancient teleportation array.

He must always ensure that he carried two high-grade spirit stones at all times.

Based on his decades of experience, high-grade spirit stones were even rarer in Canglang Sea than in the Small Cold Domain.

The higher the quality of the spirit stone, the more powerful its effect. No major faction ever had enough.

In the Small Cold Domain, when ancient ruins from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield emerged, the first cultivators who entered might find a few if they were lucky. A small number would make it to the market, and with effort, it was still possible to buy some.

In Canglang Sea, high-grade spirit stones mostly came from spirit stone mines. The few existing mines had long since been occupied by major powers. Any stones excavated were immediately claimed and stored away, with almost none ever reaching the outside world.

The second step was refining the banner itself.

Founder Kuiyin had once searched widely for secret arts and eventually devised a cruel method: imprisoning countless living souls, distilling the purest essence of their souls into threads, and weaving those threads into the banner.

To do this, he had slaughtered an untold number of people.

The Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions that Qin Sang intended to refine would require even more banners than Kuiyin’s version. If he followed the same method, he would truly become a mass murderer in every sense.

Killing countless innocent people without cause, and with most of them being ordinary mortals, was something he could not bring himself to do.

Only after the full Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions was refined could he begin subduing the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells and suppress them within the astra.

The forging of the banner pole was extremely complicated and demanded a great deal from the refiner. Even if he had all the materials now, there was no way he could complete the process here.

The Devilish Flames of Nine Hells hovered right before his eyes.

But the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions remained like flowers in a mirror and the moon reflected in water—visible, yet unreachable.

Even if he managed to acquire high-grade spirit stones and soul thread to forge the astra, he would still have to wait until the next opening of Seven-Kill Hall to return and subdue the flames.

Qin Sang tightened his grip on the black iron column, then stored it into the Thousand-Jin Ring. His expression returned to calm.

Although he could not obtain this immensely powerful banner array right now, at least he had seen a glimmer of hope.

His cultivation was no longer weak by the standards of the immortal cultivation world. After spending a few decades searching for high-grade spirit stones, he refused to believe he would come up empty. Soul thread remained the most troublesome requirement, but perhaps killing was not the only solution.

Qin Sang began considering his next steps. He was certain that he would need to search for an ancient teleportation array and return to the Small Cold Domain. This did not conflict with his plan to refine the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions.

If he had access to an ancient teleportation array, he could travel freely between the two regions.

Returning to the Small Cold Domain might actually make it easier to gather materials.

"This is a top-grade astra, after all." Qin Sang could not help but sigh.

He had been in the Core Formation Realm for decades, and the most powerful astra he had ever seen was only of middle grade. He had never even seen a high-grade astra. It was said that even to Spiritual Infant grandmasters, top-grade astras were priceless treasures.

It was difficult to imagine the kind of terrifying power such an astra possessed and how much it would enhance his strength.

No matter what, this banner array must be refined.

Qin Sang had already placed the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions alongside the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid as a must-obtain item.

He turned his gaze toward the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells.

He was deeply curious about how this devilish flame came to be and why it remained hidden within such a narrow crack in the rock.

Qin Sang noticed that the flames hovered within the canyon. The surrounding cliff walls and the air above were sealed with layers of ancient barriers. A single glance was enough to see that they were formidable.These ancient barriers might be what had imprisoned the devilish flames.

Back when Founder Kuiyin had discovered the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, he had also found a black iron column broken in two.

Qin Sang searched carefully, but saw no such treasure here.

However, one anomaly caught his attention.

Pressing close to one side of the cliff, he discovered that behind the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells lay a vast open space. Strangely, this space was not filled with Purple Mist, but instead with a grayish-white mist that exuded a chilling and sinister air.

"This kind of mist..." Qin Sang narrowed his eyes slightly, his face showing a hint of surprise.

Then, he tentatively stepped forward, actually attempting to pass through the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells and enter the space beyond.

The Devilish Flames of Nine Hells hovered in mid-air, and its core did not occupy the entire canyon. It seemed to leave just enough room to squeeze through. However, those areas were filled with the flame’s aura and were extremely dangerous.

The Devilish Flames of Nine Hells could assault one’s soul. Anyone approaching it would expose their primordial spirit to a direct onslaught. Even Spiritual Infant grandmasters dared not enter recklessly. If the flames were provoked into a frenzy, the intruder would be annihilated without a trace.

Qin Sang stood before the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, examining it repeatedly.

His soul was shielded by the Jade Buddha, remaining steady and undisturbed.

Most importantly, he too possessed a form of the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells. Though it was only a superficial version, it still shared the same origin. He could activate the flame to shield his body and conceal his aura.

After a long silence, Qin Sang judged that he had a good chance of making it through and decided to take the risk.

The reason he was so determined to explore the space beyond was because the gray-white mist within it looked familiar. It strongly resembled the ghostly mist he had encountered when passing through the Immortal Tomb in Ziwei Palace years ago.

However, the mist here was noticeably thinner than that in the Immortal Tomb.

Where ghostly mist gathered, one would often find resentful spirits, evil ghosts, and other ghostly creatures. Refining such beings could produce Soul Threads, the key component for crafting the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions. If true, the greatest obstacle in the banner’s creation would be resolved.

These ghostly creatures had likely been trapped here for countless years. Their minds would have long since decayed, their spiritual essence completely eroded.

The amount of Soul Threads required for the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions was immense. In the outside world, it was almost impossible to find such a dense gathering of ghostly creatures.

The formation of such a ghost-infested place must have been due to some special cause.

Pressing close to the stone wall, Qin Sang observed for a long time. He noticed that the space behind the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells remained calm, with the gray-white mist flowing slowly. Only by entering could he confirm whether ghostly creatures were truly present inside.

He did not charge in recklessly. Instead, he first summoned the flying yaksha, intending to have it scout the way.

The Devilish Flames of Nine Hells did not appear to be a seal, but Qin Sang still chose caution. He worried that a place like this might house something as dangerous as a ghost king.

The flying yaksha was a refined corpse and of the same kind as ghostly creatures, making it the perfect candidate for the task.

During an earlier battle, the flying yaksha had been struck by the Purple Nether Orb, leaving several large holes in its body and inflicting serious injuries.

Qin Sang ordered the yaksha to absorb Earth Malevolent Qi to recover on its own. However, due to the constant upheaval lately, he had not found the time to assist it properly.

Now that he had summoned it, Qin Sang sat cross-legged on the ground, took out the Lesser Yin Magnetic Bottles, and channeled true essence into the yaksha’s body to help it heal more rapidly.

There was no way it could make a full recovery in such a short time.

Once the yaksha’s injuries had recovered to about sixty or seventy percent, Qin Sang stopped.

The wounds on its physical body had become almost invisible, and the corpse qi within it flowed freely once more. It was now enough to handle most situations.