Chapter Twenty: Destroying the Soul-Devouring Banner
A Grand March Toward Death
The black-clad soldiers wore grim expressions, their eyes somber. Frostbrand raised his arm, his crimson gaze blazing with resolve. “Defeat the giant ape, defend our homeland!”
The black soldiers struggled to their feet, echoing his words: “Defeat the giant ape, defend our homeland!”
They knew full well there was no path to survival ahead, but still they charged valiantly forward.
Jiang Wangshu’s heart surged with emotion, a fleeting, indistinct image flashing through her mind—one she could not quite grasp.
Fixing her gaze on the massive ape, she forced every ounce of spiritual energy from her body into her bow and arrow. The Underworld Bow, once ostentatious, now subdued its glow entirely, lifeless as a withered tree.
Thrum!
The bowstring released, vibrating softly in the air. Suddenly, streams of light appeared and converged, cascading like emerald water.
Before the gigantic monkey could fully emerge from its pit, the emerald light rained down, battering it back below.
A resentful roar lingered in the air as the gaping pit closed, imprisoning the beast once more.
Elsewhere, Little Black, utterly drained of spiritual energy, gnawed listlessly on a soul to replenish himself.
What sin had he committed to end up saddled with such a bottomless pit? Not even at the Qi Refining stage, yet she could exhaust the spiritual energy of a Nascent Soul realm with ease—what kind of extraordinary creature was this?
He wanted to kill someone!
Frostbrand watched as the giant ape, his adversary for centuries, vanished back into the pit. A surge of satisfaction mingled with a sudden sense of loss within him.
He approached Jiang Wangshu. “Many thanks for your assistance, my lady!”
Before Jiang Wangshu could reply, a black tome floated between them, opening to the first page of its own accord:
You have gained the recognition of Ghost General Frostbrand. Would you like to accept this ghost general into your service?
Jiang Wangshu looked up at Frostbrand, hesitating.
Frostbrand’s expression was earnest. “You have helped me fulfill a longstanding wish, my lady. I am willing to follow your commands!”
Two black lines extended from the book, entwining both parties and forging a contract.
Jiang Wangshu had suddenly acquired a formidable ally. Excited yet incredulous, she stammered, “I hope this isn’t too much of a grievance for you…”
“My lord is clearly a person of great virtue,” replied Frostbrand with a formal bow. “However, I do consume rather much spiritual energy. Please be prepared for this.”
“Allow me to rest for now. Summon me as needed, my lord!”
He transformed into a streak of black light and was absorbed into the book.
Frostbrand’s portrait appeared at the bottom of the first page.
Character: Ghost General Frostbrand.
Skill: Battlefield Domain
Maintenance: Thirty thousand superior spirit stones per day.
Jiang Wangshu tossed the last of her spirit stones from her storage pouch into “Eighteen Domains.”
---
She shook her perfectly clean storage pouch and gazed up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.
Cheap old father, I miss you!
The couplets! A sudden flash of inspiration—there was something she’d forgotten to pick up!
Following her intuition, she moved forward.
Three steps left, two steps back, four steps right…
Twisting and turning, Jiang Wangshu arrived at the array’s core, where the Soul-Devouring Banner was anchored.
Five radiant crystals were embedded in the formation.
The Pay-to-Win System squealed, “Host, these are Worldstone Spirit Crystals! We’ve struck it rich…”
“Worldstone Spirit Crystals are condensed spiritual energy formed when a world’s foundation is shattered—an extremely rare treasure.”
“Of course, they can’t compare to the Worldstone fragment you found earlier.”
Jiang Wangshu clapped her hands and swiftly snatched them up. As she reached out, she felt some resistance, but a bit more force and the prize was in her grasp.
“System, appraise them.”
The Pay-to-Win System wiped imaginary drool from its lips. “A total value of ninety-nine million, six hundred and forty thousand units of energy.”
“Convert all of it to spirit stones!”
“Ah!” The system trembled. “Host, are you sure you don’t want to buy something?”
“Ten thousand as a tip for you. The rest, all in superior spirit stones.”
The Pay-to-Win System patted its round belly, grinning. “Alright! Converting immediately for you, Host!”
Indeed, this host was as generous as it had hoped.
Crack!
A fissure split the black world, allowing a faint glimmer of light to seep in.
Jiang Wangshu turned her head and spotted Little Black not far away.
So she’d never truly gone far—she’d been within the formation all along.
When Little Black saw the true culprit appear before him, he suppressed his rage again and again—until finally, unable to hold back, he lunged.
Jiang Wangshu stuffed a freshly minted superior spirit stone into his gaping mouth and wrapped her arms around him. “Let’s go together.”
Little Black chewed noisily, the pure spiritual energy soothing his agitation.
“More,” he demanded.
A flash of light, and the two of them appeared in a vast underground cavern.
Beneath their feet was a stone platform just large enough for a palm. Jiang Wangshu quickly clung to his arm.
Below them, a blood pool churned, the occasional bone or half-decayed flesh surfacing—so revolting it nearly made her retch.
Blood mist swirled around them, while tiny banners were placed atop the stone platforms.
---
The stone platforms drew in blood, flesh, and souls to nourish the banners.
She could clearly see writhing silhouettes struggling within the banners, their agonized screams etching dread straight into her mind.
They were producing Soul-Devouring Banners in bulk! How many lives had this atrocity claimed?
The Soul-Devouring Banner was the prized tool of evil cultivators and a primary reason why so many righteous cultivators opposed them. In this world, if a child cried, just a threat of the Soul-Devouring Banner would silence them instantly—everyone feared being captured and tormented by evil cultivators to refine their souls into banners.
With a sigh of resignation, she shook her head. “System, will you take these things?”
The Pay-to-Win System waved its hands rapidly. “Absolutely not! These worthless things are a pain to purify—far more trouble than they’re worth.”
She looked up and saw rows of ice coffins, each containing a corpse in various garb from different eras.
One ice coffin fell, drifting to her feet on the blood pool’s current. She looked closer—it was Frostbrand’s uniform.
With quick reflexes, she stowed it away.
Little Black, annoyed at being ignored, pinched her cheek and tugged hard. “Food.”
Jiang Wangshu knew all her boundless spiritual energy came from leeching off Little Black. To upgrade her portable battery’s endurance, she bore no grudges. She patted a storage pouch. “There are thirty thousand spirit stones inside—eat them. If you behave, you’ll get more, understand?”
Little Black immediately let go, seizing the pouch. He opened the mouth, sniffed, and his face melted into bliss as his eyes narrowed in delight.
He’d never encountered such rich, pure spiritual energy before. It was even better than the essence he got from devouring monster cores or souls—no refinement needed.
His anger instantly dissipated, and he munched away like someone snacking on spicy chips.
With his right hand, he hoisted Jiang Wangshu upward to keep her from slipping.
She steadied herself on his head, drew her Underworld Bow, and loosed arrows.
Emerald arrows shot through the sky, piercing ten banners and scattering the souls within.
The black tome flew out, gathering the righteous souls.
Ten stone platforms shattered with a thunderous crash. A tiger of blood mist roared and lunged, only to be obliterated by “Eighteen Domains” before it could draw near.
A surge of spiritual energy rippled through the air. Jiang Wangshu snapped her fingers. “System, buy me a Void Burrowing Talisman.”
“Right away!”
A group of black-robed figures rushed in, only to find the cavern empty, their furious shrieks echoing.
“Who did this?!”
On a bustling city street, Jiang Wangshu and Little Black suddenly materialized.
A patrolling officer hurried over. “Using teleportation talismans within city limits violates traffic laws—a fine of one hundred spirit stones, please.”