The First Immortal of Destiny

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: The System of the Soul Refining Flag Body_1

Shen Mo had a hunch. If he could turn the tide and save Tianshun Country from becoming a ghostly area, he would gain unimaginable opportunities and benefits! However, he was only a minor cultivator at Qi Gathering Realm, Layer II. Among the Senior cultivators, there had to be masters of the Golden Core Realm, or even the legendary Heavenly Monarchs of the Divine Bridge Realm. Even they could not achieve such a feat. How could Shen Mo, with his limited abilities, reverse such dramatic changes to this world? He should merely aim to kill as many ghosts as possible to meet the requirements to escape from the Death Jaw Dungeon. Of course, if he could gain the opportunities bestowed by the Death Jaw, that would be good too.

With Shen Mo’s help, Zhang Taian had managed to remedy the dangerous situations efficiently at the beginning.

HISS!

HISS! HISS!

A large number of the Hungry Ghosts near the city gate were torn to shreds by the Soul Generals Shen Mo had summoned. The evil ghost rampaging in the Grand Tutor’s mansion turned out to be a Possession Ghost. Shen Mo had spent a lot of effort, summoning not only the Ghost Bride and Master Hong Jue but also the Soul Generals of more than ten Qi Gathering Realm cultivators he had killed. He also condensed hundreds of minor Heavenly Demon Soul Generals to chase and attack them relentlessly. Only then was he finally able to detain its soul, refining it into the Soul Refining Flag. Hundreds of ghosts, including Hungry Ghosts and Hanged Ghosts, surged towards the Capital. Among them, two high-quality ghosts also became Soul Generals for the Soul Refining Flag, while the rest were torn apart by the numerous Soul Generals already on the flag.

Shen Mo used the Soul Refining Flag because, among all his methods, it was best suited for group fights. Furthermore, its Mana consumption was relatively low! If he were to use the Dragon Sparrow Sword to execute the ”Supreme Clarity Sword Technique” to slay ghosts, the Mana consumption would be tenfold. However, the Soul Refining Flag, when dealing with the same number of ghosts, only consumed one-third of that Mana. Setting up the ”Big Dipper Seven Star Sword Formation,” on the other hand, consumed about fifteenfold Mana. Of course, if he encountered extremely powerful opponents like Master Hong Jue, whose strength was beyond the Soul Generals’ capacity, then the Soul Refining Flag would be useless. If a Soul General was formed and immediately killed, it would return to the Soul Refining Flag, only consuming Shen Mo’s internal Mana in vain. Consuming twentyfold or thirtyfold Mana, or even more, in such a futile way wouldn’t be as effective as directly setting up a brilliant Sword Array!

The enhancement of the Soul Refining Flag was slightly different from ordinary magic artifacts. Its power depended entirely on the Soul Generals on the flag. If Shen Mo had the strength to slay a master of the Golden Core Realm, the Soul Refining Flag’s power would correspondingly increase, elevating it to a level where it could confront the Golden Core Realm! However, even with luck, Shen Mo couldn’t possibly find a Golden Core Realm soul. That was wishful thinking!

Since entering the Ghost Nation Ruins, he had always been picky. His goal was to refine more high-grade Soul Generals to continuously elevate the Soul Refining Flag’s quality, attempting to counter stronger enemies with the least Mana consumption.

Take the Ghost Bride, for instance. Ignoring her peculiar Glare Skill, summoning the Ghost Bride once cost the same Mana as summoning three early-stage Class II Soul Generals. The Ghost Bride, on her own, could easily obliterate ten early-stage Class II Soul Generals. The cost-effectiveness was extremely high! Therefore, Shen Mo intentionally chose Soul Generals of superior quality.

Otherwise, in the Ghost Nation Ruins, there were millions of ghosts. In no time, he could refine thousands of peak Class I Hungry Ghosts or Hanged Ghosts. Summoning tens of thousands of Soul Generals to form a terrifying Ghost Tide might seem viable, but it wasn’t realistic. Not to mention the Mana consumed in the refining process, with his current cultivation, the amount of spiritual Qi in his Purple Knack could only condense three hundred peak Class I Soul Generals at most! After that, his Mana would be depleted. Three hundred peak Class I Soul Generals trying to besiege powerhouses like Master Hong Jue was nothing more than a pipe dream. Every sweep of the Poisonous Water Pilian... would kill as many as it encountered!

Ultimately, it was still techniques like the ”Big Dipper Seven Star Sword Formation,” the ”Dragon Elephant Blood Fiend Body,” and the ”Supreme Clarity Sword Technique” that had achieved great successes. However, when it came to his own Soul Generals, if they were of the caliber of the Ghost Bride or Master Hong Jue, Shen Mo could summon fifty or sixty such high-level Soul Generals in one breath. Even though Master Hong Jue (as a Soul General) no longer had his water-like magic artifact and his strength was greatly reduced, his ”Poison into Water” technique and cultivation realm were still there. Four such Soul Generals could slay an enemy of equivalent strength.

This meant that if Shen Mo could refine fifty late-stage Class II Soul Generals, he could contend with ten late-stage Qi Gathering Realm cultivators using only his Soul Refining Flag. And he could hold his own, one against ten, without being at a disadvantage!

”Throughout the transformation of Tianshun Country into a ghostly area, there will definitely be no lack of late-stage Class II, peak, and even Class III ghosts!” Shen Mo mused. ”Forget about Class III ghosts. With my current strength, I have absolutely no means to suppress or refine them.”

The Class III of demonic beasts, Heavenly Demons, Soul Ghosts, and other creatures was equivalent to the Spirit Sea Realm of human cultivators. Shen Mo admitted to himself that he was no match.

”Slaying and refining more late-stage Class II ghosts makes this endeavor worthwhile,” he thought. ”However, with the increasing number and growing strength of ghosts, I fear even I might not be able to hold out much longer.”

These past few days, Shen Mo had remained on the city walls, aiding Zhang Taian in exterminating ghosts. As the ghostly qi grew increasingly rampant, the strength of all ghosts, big and small, had also greatly increased. At present, Shen Mo was managing to cope quite smoothly. However, the entire country was about to transform into a ghostly area. It was predictable that among the tens of millions of creatures, countless powerful Soul Ghosts would surely be born. There would be more and more Class II ghosts, and even Class III ghosts would appear.

Wasn’t the ”Ghost General” from the Ghost Nation Ruins of the future a late-stage Class III vicious ghost?

”Imperial Soul, out!” Shen Mo commanded.

He shook the Soul Refining Flag, causing bloody light to gush from its surface as it fluttered in the wind.

WHOOSH!

WHOOSH!

The Ghost Bride, Master Hong Jue, the Possession Ghost, along with ten of the most powerful Soul Generals, condensed out of the bloody curtain. The ghostly figures were eerie, and the bloody light churned. Once they emerged from the Soul Refining Flag, they immediately began their assault on a Green-skinned Fierce Ghost.

The strength of this Green-skinned Ghost was slightly inferior to the one Shen Mo, Chen Mengze, and the disciples of the Heaven Sword Sect had jointly slain. But it had still reached the late-stage Class II caliber. Under the suppression of formidable Soul Generals like the Ghost Bride, Shen Mo attempted to refine this fierce ghost with his Soul Refining Flag. It was precisely because this Green-skinned Ghost’s strength was slightly inferior that, amidst the siege of the Soul Generals, it could not break free from the flag’s bloody light. The multitude of Soul Generals, having received Shen Mo’s orders, dared not act rashly and tear it completely apart.

After a moment, this fierce ghost, body and soul, was pulled into the Soul Refining Flag.

Looking at the newly added imprint of a Green-skinned Ghost on the Soul Refining Flag, Shen Mo nodded in satisfaction.

”The Soul Refining Flag system has finally taken shape!” he thought. ”For offense, there are numerous Class II Soul Generals, plus the Ghost Bride’s strange Glare Skill. For defense, there’s the tough, resilient Green-skinned Ghost. For poison techniques, there’s Master Hong Jue’s ”Poison into Water”. And for reconnaissance, there’s the elusive Possession Ghost, Horse Groom Lv.”

The Possession Ghost that had wreaked havoc in the Grand Tutor’s mansion was indeed the ghost of his horse groom. There had been barely enough food for the people in the mansion, let alone for livestock like cattle and horses. When all the horses were eventually eaten, Horse Groom Lv was left without a livelihood. He was driven out of the Grand Tutor’s mansion to fend for himself and ultimately died by suicide. After his death, he transformed into a Possession Ghost and tormented many people in the Grand Tutor’s mansion to death, until Shen Mo refined him.

”It’s about time to make a trip to the Defense Division’s Treasure Hall!” Shen Mo thought.

He swept his senses across the Token, which had already recorded a significant amount of information about the ghosts he had slain.