Cultivation starts from devouring the Dao fruits

The White Ghost Emperor, undeterred, breached into the area covered by the Evil-Suppressing Talisman's cleansing light. His body instantly emitted countless plumes of pitch-black smoke as if set ablaze. In an instant, he appeared before the middle-aged cultivator, ripping out the cultivator's head along with his spine with one claw.

That Evil-Suppressing Talisman also burned up instantly, transforming into ashes that scattered with the wind.

The Evil Ghost transformed by Fang Yu shrank back into the Blood Ghost Banner, becoming a face contorted with pain.

After Zhao Yu collected the middle-aged cultivator's storage pouch, the White Ghost Emperor devoured the cultivator's soul whole, acquiring his memories.

The middle-aged cultivator was a Loose Cultivator who had discovered an ancient cultivator's cave mansion in the Canglong Mountain Range while searching for Spiritual Objects. Inside, he had obtained the refining method for the Blood Ghost Banner, a prototype of the Blood Ghost Banner, and a demonic cultivation technique called "Blood Technique."

Using various malevolent methods, this Loose Cultivator hunted down many innocent cultivators, turning them into part of the Blood Ghost Banner, allowing the banner to transform from a Magic Artifact to a Low-Grade Spiritual Tool. With the banner, he killed many cultivators and seized a Foundation Establishment Pill, successfully achieving Foundation Establishment.

The Loose Cultivator's target this time was Huo Canghai, the leader of the Market in Xiaoyuan Mountain. If he could refine Huo Canghai, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, into the banner, the Blood Ghost Banner would undergo another transformation, becoming a Middle-Grade Spiritual Artifact, its power greatly increasing once more.

Zhao Yu pondered for a moment before making a decision, "The Blood Ghost Banner requires the continual refinement of cultivators onto the banner. Although its power is immense, the methods of its refinement are too cruel, definitely demonic, and if revealed, it would render it impossible to maintain a foothold in Beihuang.

It's better to let the White Ghost Emperor devour it and enhance its cultivation level—that's the best strategy!"

The four great sects in Beihuang are all not demonic sects, and each great sect has an exterminate-at-all-costs attitude towards demonic cultivators.

This is because demonic cultivators train quickly, but many demonic cultivation techniques require the use of ordinary people and cultivators as materials, creating numerous heart-wrenching atrocities.

For example, some great demonic sects, in order to sever mundane ties, would even kill the entire families of their disciples. The hundred ghosts on the Blood Ghost Banner were either cultivators or those with heavy grudges from various atrocities, making it necessary to commit over a hundred such cases to refine just one Blood Ghost Banner.

These demonic cultivators are naturally hunted down by all major powers.

Demonic cultivation techniques might have unstable foundations, but their cultivation speed far surpasses that of righteous techniques. If the four great sects did nothing, countless cultivators practicing demonic techniques would emerge within their territories.

Then, order would collapse, countless ordinary people would be used as materials by demonic cultivators, shaking the very foundation of the four great sects. Hence, the extermination of demonic cultivators by the four great sects was inevitable.

The White Ghost Emperor opened its mouth and swallowed the Blood Ghost Banner whole.

Zhao Yu activated the power of the Dao Fruit of Devouring to aid the White Ghost Emperor in refining the Blood Ghost Banner.

The main material of the Blood Ghost Banner was a Third-Order Evil Ghost Relic. Even with the assistance of Zhao Yu's Dao Fruit of Devouring, the White Ghost Emperor spent an entire ten days to refine the banner completely, and both its quality and cultivation level showed significant potential for improvement.

"Xiaoyuan Mountain Market is located near the Canglong Mountain Range, home to many powerful demon beasts. The immediate priority is to enhance the White Ghost Emperor's battle prowess—that's the best strategy."

After weighing his options, Zhao Yu decisively chose to enhance the cultivation level of the White Ghost Emperor.

A stream of immensely refreshing energy flowed from Zhao Yu's body through the mysterious channels of the Human-Ghost Pact into the White Ghost Emperor. Instantly, the White Ghost Emperor's body trembled, its face twisted fearsomely, revealing a mad smile as the pitch-black ghostly aura coiled around its body, continuously strengthening its Ghostly Body.

Three days later, the White Ghost Emperor completed its evolution, its aura becoming even more terrifying.

"White Ghost Emperor: Quality Low-grade (180/1000)."

"Cultivation Level: Second-Order High-grade (1600/3000)."

Excitement flashed in Zhao Yu's eyes, "If it could devour another Crimson Blood Hundred Ghosts Banner, the White Ghost Emperor could evolve into a third-order spirit ghost, with combat power comparable to a Golden Core Cultivator! What a pity! The Crimson Blood Hundred Ghosts Banner is refined from a third-order evil ghost relic, a rare treasure with the potential to evolve into a magical treasure.

Such treasures are extremely difficult to find!"

After evolving into a second-order high-grade spirit ghost, the White Ghost Emperor's combat power could match that of a late Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Zhao Yu felt a bit safer.

"This guy is a pauper!!"

With a sweep of his divine sense, Zhao Yu found that the middle-aged cultivator's storage bag only contained fifty-odd medium-grade spirit stones along with some low-grade spirit stones, a few detoxification pills, Qi-returning pills, some common spirit talismans, and a jade slip recording the Crimson Blood Technique.

All of the middle-aged cultivator's savings had gone into refining that Crimson Blood Hundred Ghosts Banner.

"That ancient cultivator's cave mansion is located on a third-order medium-grade Spirit Vein, but it's deep inside Canglong Mountain and is too dangerous!"

Zhao Yu carefully read the memories of the middle-aged cultivator and found that the cave mansion was the most valuable. However, Canglong Mountain was fraught with dangers, including second-order demon beasts. After the middle-aged cultivator had desperately obtained the treasures from the cave mansion, he fled immediately.

Zhao Yu thought to himself, "I have the White Ghost Emperor to protect me, so I might have some chances of success if I force my way into the cave mansion. But that would be too risky, especially since the cave is deep in the Canglong Mountains, surrounded by second-order demon beasts. If that attracts a group of them, I may not be able to withstand their attack!"

After the White Ghost Emperor advanced to a second-order high-grade spirit ghost, its combat power surged, and ordinary demon beasts were no match for it. However, with the massive number of demon beasts in Canglong Mountain, if a dozen second-order demon beasts attacked, the White Ghost Emperor might not be able to protect Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu made another round in Market, eradicated the few ghost nurturing sites of the middle-aged cultivator, and used all the obtained nether items to enhance the cultivation level of White Ghost Emperor before riding his magical treasure, transforming it into an escape light, and returning to the Market of Xiao Yuan Mountain.

"Elder Fang has been killed, and the team that accompanied him has all been killed as well! Make sure to handle their affairs properly!"

Upon seeing Zongcheng, Zhao Yu immediately relayed the information to him.

"Yes! Uncle Master Zhao!"

Zongcheng replied with a bitter face, respectfully answering.

In the Market of Xiao Yuan Mountain, there weren't too many cultivators from the Dan Ling Sect. With Fang Yu's death, various responsibilities weighed down on Zongcheng, the vice captain. Until the sect sent new cultivators, he was bound to be incredibly busy, losing much of his cultivation time.

Zhao Yu directly returned to his cave mansion and chose to consume the soul power of the middle-aged Foundation Establishment Cultivator to greatly enhance his magic talent.

With the enhancement of his magic talent, Zhao Yu found the practice of the Soaring Cloud Technique much simpler and easier. Likewise, when cultivating various same-level spells, he no longer felt the overwhelming difficulty and lack of clarity he previously experienced.