Chapter 98: Refining Ghosts, The Honor Guard

Immediately, a series of talismans flew out like a rain of swords.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the blink of an eye, over a dozen talismans were unleashed, instantly eroding more than half of the malevolent spirit's blood-red aura.

However, at that very moment, Chen Yushu felt his vision blur. In a trance, he found himself standing at the doorway of a house, where his mother, Zhao Hehua, was standing. She smiled and beckoned to him, "Yushu, why have you returned? Quickly, come inside..."

"Alright!" Chen Yushu replied, stepping forward.

The next moment, he pressed his palm down, placing it directly upon her. Under the eruption of a special force, her appearance changed in a flash, transforming into a middle-aged male ghost wreathed in red light. As Chen Yushu continued his movements, these wisps of red light dissipated rapidly.

The Transforming Spirit Technique!

For Chen Yushu, who had reached the "Great Concentration" stage of meditation, minor illusions could not affect him in the slightest. Great Concentration meant a heart as steady as a mountain; even if Mount Tai were to collapse before him, his expression would not change, and he would not be easily swayed by external phenomena. The creature before him was merely a fierce ghost; with its rudimentary hallucinatory tricks, it could never influence his mind.

"Ah..." The fierce ghost roared, its body retreating rapidly.

But the next moment, Chen Yushu quickly formed a seal and executed the Subduing Shadow Technique! Immediately, the retreating ghost was pressed to the ground, unable to move. Chen Yushu then utilized his "Eight Steps to Chase the Cicada" footwork, rushing to the ghost’s side in a blink and striking hard with his Soul-Breaking Ruler!

*Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...*

The ghost shrieked, its spectral form fading rapidly. Chen Yushu did not hesitate, swinging the Soul-Breaking Ruler again.

*Poof!*

A moment later, he felt his hand swing through empty air; the fierce ghost had dissipated. It was dead!

Only then did Chen Yushu heave a slight sigh of relief and scan his surroundings. He knew many wandering phantoms remained, but as his gaze swept over them, they seemed to sense his terrifying power and scattered in a frantic escape. He did not pursue them, instead turning his attention to the clearing.

On the ground lay a black bead. A Soul Bead!

He had obtained one before, and now, with the death of this fierce ghost, he had gained another. Satisfied, Chen Yushu quickly collected it.

This "walking into the underworld" trip had been somewhat risky, but fortunately, he had used his Qi-Observation Technique to confirm that only this one fierce ghost was nearby—indeed, he had known all along it was a fierce ghost. His proficient-level Qi-Observation Technique allowed him to spot fierce ghosts hidden in extremely yin locations and discern the strength of their auras. Since the creature's aura was clearly far stronger than that of a common malevolent ghost, he had naturally been on guard. However, since the entity wanted to act, he had played along.

That was why he had dared to enter the underworld. He had already determined that this ghost was the only source of danger in the vicinity. Thus, the trip was not truly perilous. The entity had noticed him long ago and had even lured him here on purpose. Being able to extract some information about this "Extremely Yin Location" from it was an unexpected and delightful surprise. As for its talk of revenge... it might be true, or it might be false; ghosts hold onto obsessions, but they are also known for their deceitful words.

Chen Yushu glanced at two skeletons nearby. Judging by their shapes, they were a man and a woman, both of whom had suffered endless torture before death.

"Yushu! Are you alright?" Qian Qian walked over at that moment.

"I'm fine," Chen Yushu said, glancing at the ghost-tree he had split in two. "Master Qian’s blade technique is truly impressive. This ghost-tree is incredibly tough because it gathers souls and gains sentience; an ordinary person’s blade would barely scratch it, yet it couldn't withstand even one strike from you."

"This style is called the Gale Blade Technique, and its strength lies in its speed. With such speed, the power is naturally amplified. This ghost-tree may be tough, but it couldn't block my gale-force strike," Qian Qian smiled proudly. He thought for a moment and added, "If you are interested in this blade technique, I can teach you later."

"Then many thanks, Master Qian." Chen Yushu did not refuse. Having more martial skills meant more means of self-defense; he didn't mind having an extra trick up his sleeve.

Immediately after, Chen Yushu planted a small flag. Qian Qian began searching for medicinal herbs nearby and soon cried out in surprise: "A precious ginseng root! This one is at least three hundred years old. And there are seven or eight other great medicinal herbs nearby!"

Chen Yushu went over to look; it was indeed a precious ginseng. Besides the mountain ginseng, other varieties were scattered around. While most didn't qualify as precious herbs, they were certainly potent medicines. He quickly helped dig them up. By the end, they had collected one precious ginseng, nine great medicinal herbs, and several others that were relatively common but still worth a fair amount of silver—a true bumper harvest.

With that, Chen Yushu continued planting flags. After circling the central area, he soon reunited with Lu Yizhi and the others. At this point, everyone had gathered, and those skilled in cooking had started a fire to boil meat—meat from the black bear spirit, of course.

Liu Qingyan had already instructed everyone to eat their fill, intending to head into the forest immediately while everyone’s vitality was high. The collective life force of so many warriors would act as a powerful suppressant against the ghosts, facilitating their mission.

"The formation is almost complete. Although I couldn't extend it inside for fear of alerting the things in this extremely yin location, it is enough. Once the local earth energy is tapped, it can also slay evil," Lu Yizhi said, standing on a rock, his eyes flashing with divine light as he observed the flow of the terrain.

"I just inquired; the one inside is known as Chunfeng, the Ghost Bride Chunfeng. She has four sedan-chair bearers, all at the fierce ghost level, and over twenty members in her honor guard, likely all at the level of malevolent ghosts. Oh, and of those four bearers, one is highly likely already dead," Chen Yushu said, summarizing his recent encounter. Combined with the fact that he had only seen three fierce ghosts in the extremely yin area earlier, the one he had eliminated must have been the last bearer.

"Good! With that, my confidence has grown," a smile appeared on Lu Yizhi's face.

"However, I feel that if our goal is only to gather herbs, we don't necessarily have to confront them. We just need to gather the herbs successfully, don't we?" Chen Yushu asked after a moment of silence.

"Regarding this, I do have some selfish motives," Lu Yizhi admitted after some thought. "Whether it is a ghost-walker or a geomancer, once one reaches the 'Three Sticks of Incense' level, breaking through to the Dao-Entry stage requires a process. This process is commonly known as 'Refining Ghosts.' Only by successfully refining a ghost and obtaining sufficient evil spirit essence can we be assisted in reaching the next realm and officially entering the Dao. But it’s not that just any ghost can be refined; it must be of the 'Evil' level. So, besides seeking precious herbs for the Third Young Lady, I also hope to use her influence to gather enough resources to set up a formation to slay evil and refine ghosts. If that fails, I will have to give up on this Ghost Bride and set my sights on the injured 'Evil' entity I mentioned before—the one that wiped out the Li family."

"Refining ghosts? Evil spirit essence?" Chen Yushu was stunned. This was the first time he had heard such a theory. His own inheritance was incomplete, and the Li family was not a major clan of ghost-walkers, so he was unaware of how to proceed after the "Three Sticks of Incense" level. He could not judge whether Lu Yizhi was correct, so he silently committed the information to memory, deciding to ask Sister Qiao'er when he saw her next.

Soon, the group finished their meal. The flesh and blood of the black bear spirit contained terrifying energy, leaving everyone feeling invigorated and their blood surging.

"Let's go!"

The group then moved rapidly toward the extremely yin location. Chen Yushu walked among them, silently vigilant, prepared to retreat immediately if the situation turned sour. With his current strength, a fierce ghost posed little threat, and based on his two previous kills, he had a clear assessment of his own capabilities. But an "Evil" entity? Chen Yushu shook his head. He could not imagine the strength of such a creature, but it was undoubtedly infinitely more formidable than a fierce ghost.

"Fortunately, I have enough talismans on me. That should hold them off for a while," Chen Yushu muttered to himself. Before leaving, he had brought all the talismans he had drawn during this period. Dealing with the previous fierce ghost had been merely a warm-up, and he had only used relatively common talismans like House-Guarding or Anti-Evil charms. He had yet to use his Ghost-Slaying or Thunder-Summoning talismans.

As he pondered, the group reached the outskirts of the forest. The dense, yin energy was so thick it had condensed into a fog, making it difficult for the naked eye to see what lay within. As they drew closer, despite their surging vitality, they felt a chill—as if they had suddenly plunged into an ice cellar in the middle of a sweltering summer—and they couldn't help but shiver. However, gathered together, their collective vitality acted like a furnace, blocking the surging yin energy from entering their circle.

"Enter!"

Following the command, the group stepped into the forest. Perhaps intimidated by their collective life force, they proceeded smoothly without encountering a single ghost. Not even a malevolent ghost, let alone an ordinary phantom, was to be seen. Under the gaze of his Qi-Observation Technique, Chen Yushu could only sense ghost shadows flickering deep within, quickly converging with the few fierce ghosts and the "Evil" entity at the center.

Suddenly, Chen Yushu's expression changed. He noticed the aura in the distance shifting, and faintly, he could hear the sound of trumpets and suonas. In the distance, he saw a group of ghost shadows stepping through the air, carrying a large red sedan chair, marching toward them while playing their instruments.