Chapter 188

Even Old Demon Fang hadn’t anticipated Chen Luo’s ruthless approach—launching a lethal attack upon first encounter without any idle chatter. Despite swiftly transforming his shape and donning the tortoise shell for protection, he failed to completely evade the banesouls’ self-destruction.

Ten consecutive explosions shattered even the turtle carapace. The corpse puppet that had been carrying him earlier was reduced to dust from the waist up; only two legs remained standing in place.

Just as Fang managed to dodge this onslaught, preparing to shed the turtle shell and resume his true form, another wave of banesouls rushed towards him before he could fully stand.

“Soul banner? You’re a soul-refining cultivator!” Old Demon Fang’s expression drastically changed. His Shape-Shifting Magic wasn’t permanent, requiring periodic returns to his original form. Such rapid attacks left him utterly defenseless.

Blood threads seeped out from beneath the broken turtle shell.

It’s all or nothing now.

After barely surviving the second wave, malice flashed in Old Demon Fang’s eyes. He sprang into action, morphing into a jet-black roc—a massive bird-like creature—and prepared to fight for his life. Sharp talons gathered wind energy, ready to strike with deadly force.

The third main soul charged forth, accompanied by nine auxiliary souls, employing the same strategy as before: no complex maneuvers, just straightforward self-destruction.

The strategy was simple: relentless waves of attacks.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Gray energy exploded in concentric circles, blasting even Old Demon Fang’s newly transformed feathers off mid-flight. He plummeted from the sky, trailing black smoke.

“Let’s see how many banesouls you have left,” Chen Luo taunted. “When they’re all gone…”

Old Demon Fang popped a medicinal pill into his mouth, his eyes gleaming with barely contained malice.

But before he could finish, another wave of banesouls charged forth. Even more dishearteningly, the previously self-detonated banesouls had somehow regenerated.

Once again, a dense swarm of banesouls surged forward.

A fifth wave followed, then a sixth…

Until finally, an eleventh wave struck.

The destructive energy cleared away the pervasive black mist that had shrouded the courtyard. The nearby rock garden was reduced to rubble, its once tranquil pond now completely drained.

Chen Luo stood steadfast, his green robe billowing wildly in the tempestuous winds.

Old Demon Fang was blasted away once more. His transformed tortoise shell, now cracked and incomplete, left him utterly wretched. Gone was the aura of a formidable late Foundation Establishment cultivator.

“A soul banner of this caliber couldn’t possibly be crafted by someone as inexperienced as you, young man,” Old Demon Fang grumbled. “Has the Demonic Heart Ghost returned?”

The Old Demon Fang struggled to rise, his wounds slowly mending under his control. Foundation Establishment cultivators proved even more resilient than Chen Luo had anticipated; this adversary was exceptionally powerful, bolstered by his mastery of Transformation Magic, which greatly enhanced his survival capabilities.

Yet Chen Luo remained unperturbed. His spiritual energy reserves were abundant—having replenished them earlier with a large stockpile from the front courtyard, he now boasted at least two hundred souls within his Soul Nourishing Pouch. Such ample resources ensured that he could exhaust his opponent through sheer attrition.

As he observed the battered Old Demon Fang, Chen Luo’s thoughts flowed with clarity.

“Once you become the primary soul in my banner, all will be revealed,” a cold smile curled the corners of Chen Luo’s mouth.

In the third wave, the soul banner surged forward once again.

Over a hundred banesouls swirled around the yard, leaving no escape for the Old Demon Fang. No matter where he tried to hide, there was no avoiding the banesouls’ self-destruction.

Boom!

Cornered, the Old Demon Fang made a desperate decision, hurling his golden bell into the fray. The bell hung momentarily in mid-air before bursting forth with radiant light, transforming into an enormous ring-shaped explosion.

All nearby banesouls were swept up by this surge of power.

The shockwave hurtled towards Chen Luo, its scorching energy mixed with divine soul force causing him to halt completely.

Only when the golden energy had completely faded did Chen Luo finally see what lay before him.

Everything in the courtyard had vanished, leaving behind only a massive crater.

A divine soul attack? A hint of doubt flashed through Chen Luo’s eyes.

The Core Formation brain suddenly sent a notification. In that instant, Chen Luo felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were being stared at by a venomous snake. The next second, an enormous crocodile with blood-soaked fangs lunged towards him, jaws wide open.

“Die!”

Chen Luo spun around, spreading his arms apart to block the giant crocodile’s mouth. The stench of foul blood assailed his nostrils. He even saw the malevolent glint in Old Demon Fang’s eyes, now transformed into this monstrous beast.

This ancient demon, with its vast experience in battle, would seize any opportunity to fight for its life.

A translucent face materialized from Chen Luo’s chest—it was Lin Feng’s master, the old man whose soul had been refined into a Soul Banner. With a ferocious expression, he charged directly into Old Demon Fang’s maw. Then, in a flash of light—

Kaboom!

Grayish-white energy exploded within the giant crocodile’s mouth. Chen Luo, standing so close, bore the brunt of the blast. The massive shockwave hurled him across the yard, slamming him against the rear wall. His green robe was shredded to pieces.

“Ugh…”

Compared to Chen Luo, Old Demon Fang suffered far worse.

The banesouls exploded within his mouth, blasting away all his teeth and severing half of his tongue. The shockwaves spiraled down his throat, wreaking havoc on his internal organs. His spiritual energy was thrown into chaos as blood gushed uncontrollably from his mouth.

“You actually managed to destroy my magic bell,” Chen Luo observed, standing up and tearing off the tattered remains of his robes. Having cultivated the Iron Body Art, his body was incredibly resilient; he had emerged unscathed. He approached the battered Old Demon Fang, who looked like a wreck. With a wave of his hand, another first-rank magical sword materialized.

Earlier, I practiced by crafting a whole arsenal of these first-rank magical swords, perfect for chopping heads.

“My magic bell?” Old Demon Fang spat out blood in fury. “That was mine!”

Struggling to rise, he realized too late that Chen Luo’s soul banner was once again swarming with banesouls—the elderly banesoul responsible for his earlier devastation had been revived.

As he gazed upon that aged face, Old Demon Fang felt a twinge of fear in his gut.

“Only Core Formation cultivators can create soul banners of this caliber!” he snarled. “Daring to collude with the Demonic Heart Ghost? If word gets out, Patriarch Blackstone will come knocking immediately. Brace yourself for pursuit by a Core Formation cultivator.”

Even at this dire moment, Old Demon Fang clung to one last hope—to drag Chen Luo down with him.

A short blade appeared in his hand.

The blade was blood-red, with twisting souls of vengeance visible on its surface. As a cultivator who had lived for hundreds of years and reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, he certainly didn’t lack magical artifacts.

Clang!

With a flash of light, Chen Luo’s sword strike was once again blocked by Old Demon Fang. This caused Chen Luo to frown slightly; he had originally planned to take down Old Demon Fang without injury. However, this fellow’s transformation technique caught his eye from the start—he’d been aiming for it all along.

“I’ll have to make some sacrifices.”

Chen Luo unfurled his Soul Banner once more, taking care to fill it with banesouls as he did so.

Roar!

At that moment, a roar echoed out from deep within the corpse house for the third time. This time, the malevolent qi managed to evade the influence of the talismans and spread outward.

Seizing the opportunity, Old Demon Fang swung his bloody dagger through the air.

In an instant, his body twisted into a black crow, flying away into the depths of the corpse house.

Chen Luo extended his hand, catching the blood dagger before tucking it into his storage pouch. With a flicker of movement, he followed after, banner in tow.

A horde of translucent banesouls surged forward like a tide at his heels.

Both figures moved swiftly, escaping the courtyard in the blink of an eye. Despite his grievous wounds, Old Demon Fang couldn’t match Chen Luo’s speed, and soon found himself closing in rapidly.

Without wasting another word, Chen Luo waved his Soul Banner once more.

Lin Feng’s master charged forward first.

Boom!

Another explosion sent shockwaves that blasted Old Demon Fang from his crow disguise in mid-air. His body slammed into the wooden roof of a building on the eastern side of the corpse house, sending splinters flying. He crashed through the roof and plummeted further, shattering the floor tiles below.

The violent impact restored Old Demon Fang to his original form as he coughed up another mouthful of blood, his aura instantly weakening.

“Who dares to ruin my plans?!” A furious voice roared.

The coffin-carrying old man bellowed angrily, holding a young girl captive. But as soon as he turned around, he saw Old Demon Fang sprawled on the ground like a dead dog. This sight immediately extinguished all his rage.

In mid-air, Chen Luo descended through the hole he’d created.

“Old Ghost Fang?”

As Chen Luo landed, a flicker of surprise flashed across the coffin-carrying old man’s eyes. He hadn’t expected such depth from this early Foundation Establishment youngster who could take down even Old Demon Fang. His thoughts raced upon seeing the defeated demon.

Eliminating Old Demon Fang must’ve taken quite some effort, huh?

His gaze shifted, and suddenly, a dark shadow darted out from the shadows.

Before Chen Luo could react to his sudden descent, he felt a foul-smelling corpse puppet bearing down on him from behind. The creature slammed into his back, its hands clawing at his neck like sharp knives. Had it connected, Chen Luo would undoubtedly have been infected by the corpse poison.

Twist, reverse Iron Body Art.

The solution flashed through Chen Luo’s mind in an instant, and his body reacted with equal speed.

Crunch!

A grating sound pierced the air.

As the corpse puppet’s hands penetrated Chen Luo’s chest, they sparked, black nails bending under the force.

Witnessing this, the coffin-carrying old man’s expression shifted dramatically. He swiftly grabbed the little girl, turned, and smashed through the window, fleeing into the night.

Having failed in his initial strike, he now faced certain retribution from Chen Luo.

One who had slain Old Demon Fang was not someone the coffin-carrying old man wished to provoke further.

Chen Luo extended both arms, one hand pressing down on the corpse puppet’s head while his foot snapped the puppet’s leg at the knee. With the kneeling puppet pinned firmly to the ground by his palm, only its head remained exposed above the surface.

Retrieve!

Without hesitation, Chen Luo chose to access the information. However, his hopes were quickly dashed. It made sense now why the mummified old ghost had warned him about the lack of legitimate corpse-refining sects in the realm of evil cultivation.

The corpse carried by the coffin-carrying old man was a yin-type refined corpse.

The original owner of this refined corpse wasn’t a cultivator. In life, he had been an elderly gentleman named Ren who served as an official in a small country, leaving behind a faint aura of authority.

After learning of his unique birthdate, the coffin-carrying old man used a method called “fiendish energy infusion” to kill Old Mister Ren. Subsequently, he controlled this jiangshi to consume the blood of all one hundred and twenty members of the Ren family. Through refinement with fiendish energy, the resulting jiangshi was even impervious to lightning techniques.

However, ordinary people remained just that—ordinary. The brain Chen Luo accessed possessed only average human strength, falling short compared to even martial artists.

Jiangshi don’t rely on brains for sustenance; physical prowess is all they need.

Discarding the jiangshi in his hand, Chen Luo turned and approached the unconscious Old Demon Fang. With a swift motion, his blood blade severed the old demon’s head from his neck.

Death ensures absolute safety.

This Blood Blade, wrested from Old Demon Fang, proved far more effective at beheading than Chen Luo’s own first-rank magical sword.

Retrieve!

The degradation level was slightly high, but considering the numerous banesoul self-detonations Chen Luo had endured, he couldn’t have held back. The fact that any information remained was already a pleasant surprise.

Energy flowed through his arm into his body.