rì zhī hòu ， yī dào qīng sè de líng guāng zài mǒu chù huāng shān jiàng luò xià lái ， lín xuān T3\V wàng zhe yuǎn chù de jǐng wù ， méi yǔ zhī jiān fú xiàn chū dàn dàn de wú nài zhī sè 。
日之后，一道青色的灵光在某处荒山降落下来，林轩T3\V望着远处的景物，眉宇之间浮现出淡淡的无奈之色。
After a day, a streak of green spiritual light descended onto a desolate mountain. Lin Xuan gazed at the distant scenery with a faint hint of helplessness in his brows.
lí kāi zhāo yáng mén yǐ jīng bàn yuè yǒu yú ， kě zì jǐ yī rán méi yǒu xún mì dào shén me yǒu yòng de dōng xī ， qǐ chū ， lín xuān shì gēn jù luó tiān rén suǒ gěi de dì tú ， yī yī tàn xún nà xiē líng mài bǎo dì 。
离开朝阳门已经半月有余，可自己依然没有寻觅到什么有用的东西，起初，林轩是根据罗天仁所给的地图，一一探寻那些灵脉宝地。
Lin Xuan had been away from the Dawnlight Sect for over half a month, but he still hadn't found anything useful. Initially, he followed the map given by Luo Tianren to explore those precious spirit veins and resources.
zhè xiē zī yuán ， xī rì zì rán shǔ yú gè dà zōng mén shì lì ， rú jīn zé bèi yīn hún men guā fēn zhàn lǐng ， rán ér yóu yú bǐ cǐ xiū liàn tǐ xì de chā yì ， qí zhōng jué dà bù fèn ， yīn hún què shì yòng bù shàng de 。
这些资源，昔日自然属于各大宗门势力，如今则被阴魂们瓜分占领，然而由于彼此修炼体系的差异，其中绝大部分，阴魂却是用不上的。
These resources used to belong to various major sects, but now they were occupied by the Phantom Souls. However, due to differences in their cultivation systems, most of these resources were not usable for the Phantom Souls.
yú shì líng mài de quán yǎn bèi pò huài ， jīng shí kuàng yě bèi dǎo huǐ 。
于是灵脉的泉眼被破坏，晶石矿也被捣毁。
Thus, the spirit veins' sources were destroyed, and the crystal mines were demolished.
kě jí biàn rú cǐ ， yī rán liú xià le bù shǎo yǒu yòng de dōng xī ， zhè shí jǐ tiān ， lín xuān bù néng shuō yī wú suǒ huò ， xiāng fǎn jīng shí dǎo shì shōu guā le shù qiān zhī duō ， rán ér tā xiàn zài jǐn quē de bú shì zhè ge ， ér shì yī xiē tiān cái dì bǎo 。
可即便如此，依然留下了不少有用的东西，这十几天，林轩不能说一无所获，相反晶石倒是收刮了数千之多，然而他现在紧缺的不是这个，而是一些天材地宝。
Despite this, there was still a lot left that could be useful. In these past few days, Lin Xuan hadn't been entirely fruitless; he had gathered thousands of crystal stones. However, what he lacked now wasn’t those stones but some rare medicinal materials.
luó tiān rén kǒu zhōng suǒ shuō de zhēn xī cái liào yī yàng yě méi yǒu jiàn dào 。
罗天仁口中所说的珍稀材料一样也没有见到。
None of the precious materials Luo Tianren mentioned were found.
lín xuān tàn le kǒu qì ， jiāng shī luò de xīn qíng píng fù xià qù ， xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fǔ ， zì jǐ yīng gāi nài xīn yī xiē 。
林轩叹了口气，将失落的心情平复下去，心急吃不了热豆腐，自己应该耐心一些。
Lin Xuan sighed and calmed his mood. Patience was key. This area was indeed dangerous. Not long ago, Lin Xuan encountered a group of Phantom Souls. Since they weren't from his own kind, there was no point in talking. Both sides used their abilities to engage in battle.
ér zhè lún xiàn qū yě dí què wēi xiǎn ， jiù zài bù jiǔ zhī qián ， lín xuān hái yǔ yī duì yīn hún xiāng yù ， fēi wǒ zú lèi ， zì rán méi yǒu shén me hǎo shuō de ， shuāng fāng gè shī shén tōng ， dà zhàn le yī cháng 。
而这沦陷区也的确危险，就在不久之前，林轩还与一队阴魂相遇，非我族类，自然没有什么好说的，双方各施神通，大战了一场。
The opponents were not weak; apart from several筑基期厉鬼, there was even a ghost king-level expert who could easily kill a condensation core cultivator. Lin Xuan couldn’t afford to be complacent and immediately unleashed his array of powerful techniques, even calling out Yue'er as an assistant.
nà xiē jiā huo shí lì bù ruò ， chú le jǐ tóu zhù jī qī lì guǐ yǐ wài ， jū rán hái yǒu yī guǐ wáng jí bié de gāo shǒu ， zǎi yī wèi níng dān qī xiū shì chuò chuò yǒu yú le ， kě xī lín xuān qǐ néng yòng cháng lǐ chuài dù ， dāng jí fǎ bǎo qí chū ， shī zhǎn chū shù zhǒng wēi lì qiáng dà de shén tōng ， shèn zhì hái jiāng yuè ér jiào chū lái zuò bāng shǒu 。
那些家伙实力不弱，除了几头筑基期厉鬼以外，居然还有一鬼王级别的高手，宰一位凝丹期修士绰绰有余了，可惜林轩岂能用常理踹度，当即法宝齐出，施展出数种威力强大的神通，甚至还将玥儿叫出来做帮手。
Lin Xuan had put in all his effort because this was someone else's territory. If he couldn't end the battle quickly, other Phantom Souls might join in, causing trouble for him.
lín xuān zhī suǒ yǐ quán lì yǐ fù ， shì yīn wèi zhè lǐ shì bié rén de dì pán ， ruò shì bù néng duǎn shí jiān nèi jié shù zhàn dòu ， yǐn lái qí tā de lì guǐ wéi gōng ， zì jǐ kě jiù yǒu xiē má fán le 。
林轩之所以全力以赴，是因为这里是别人的地盘，若是不能短时间内结束战斗，引来其他的厉鬼围攻，自己可就有些麻烦了。
Together with Yue'er, they overpowered their opponents. To Lin Xuan’s delight, he even gained unexpected benefits from this encounter.
zhǔ pú liǎng rén lián shǒu ， suǒ xiàng pì nì ， ér ràng lín xuān xīn xǐ de shì ， zhè yī zhàn tā jū rán hái yǒu yì wài shōu huò 。
主仆两人联手，所向睥睨，而让林轩欣喜的是，这一战他居然还有意外收获。
"Yue'er, how is the situation with the beast soul banners? Can we refine those Phantom Soul remnants?"
“ yuè ér 。 shòu hún fān qíng kuàng rú hé 。 nà xiē lì guǐ dì jīng hún cán pò 。 kě yǐ liàn huà me ？”
“玥儿。兽魂幡情况如何。那些厉鬼地精魂残魄。可以炼化么？”
"Don't worry, Lord. Yue'er is handling it; there shouldn’t be any issues," a soft voice replied in his mind. Lin Xuan nodded and showed signs of joy on his face.
“ shào yé fàng xīn 。 yuè ér zhèng zài zuò 。 yīng gāi shì méi yǒu shén me wèn tí dì 。” nǎo zhōng chuán lái yī jiāo róu mián ruǎn dì shēng yīn 。 lín xuān diǎn le diǎn tóu 。 liǎn shàng lù chū yī sī xǐ sè 。
“少爷放心。玥儿正在做。应该是没有什么问题地。”脑中传来一娇柔绵软地声音。林轩点了点头。脸上露出一丝喜色。
It was just luck that Lin Xuan discovered many beast souls left after the extermination of high-level Phantom Souls. To avoid leaving clues, he had Moon absorb these remnants with the Beast Soul Banner.
lái yě shì còu qiǎo 。 lín xuān xiàn 。 zhù jī qī yǐ shàng dì lì guǐ bèi miè shā hòu 。 yī rán yǒu bù shǎo hún pò cán cún xià lái 。 wèi le bù liú xià xiàn suǒ 。 lín xuān gān cuì ràng yuè ér cuī dòng shòu hún fān jiāng tā men xī jìn qù le 。
来也是凑巧。林轩现。筑基期以上地厉鬼被灭杀后。依然有不少魂魄残存下来。为了不留下线索。林轩干脆让月儿催动兽魂幡将牠们吸进去了。
Originally, it was to clean up the battlefield and destroy traces, but unexpectedly, the magic banner started making a sound as if upgrading.
běn yì shì dǎ sǎo zhàn chǎng 。 huǐ miè hén jì 。 nǎ zhī dào wú xīn chā liǔ 。 xī shōu le dà liàng lì guǐ cán hún dì mó fān jìng rán wū wū míng xiǎng 。 yǐn rán yǒu shēng jí dì zhèng zhuàng 。
本意是打扫战场。毁灭痕迹。哪知道无心插柳。吸收了大量厉鬼残魂地魔幡竟然呜呜鸣响。隐然有升级地症状。
Lin Xuan was overjoyed.
lín xuān zì rán shì jīng xǐ jiāo jiā 。
林轩自然是惊喜交加。
The Beast Soul Banner was one of the two top-grade magical artifacts recorded in The True Scripture of Profound Evil. Its power rivaled that of the Ghostheart Saber.
zhè shòu hún fān fǎ bǎo 。 nǎi shì 《 xuán mó zhēn jīng 》 zhōng jì zǎi dì liǎng jiàn dǐng jiān fǎ bǎo zhī yī 。 qí wēi lì zhī dà 。 bù zài yōu míng suì xīn jiàn zhī xià 。
这兽魂幡法宝。乃是《玄魔真经》中记载地两件顶尖法宝之一。其威力之大。不在幽冥碎心剑之下。
However, Lin Xuan had made some modifications during its creation. Although he wasn’t a soft-hearted person, he wouldn’t sacrifice innocent lives to refine a magical artifact like Sovereign Demon Tyrant did with tens of thousands of souls.
zhǐ bù guò lín xuān zài liàn zhì de shí hòu ， shāo shāo zuò le yī xiē gǎi dòng ， zhè yě shì méi yǒu bàn fǎ ， tā suī rán bú shì xīn cí shǒu ruǎn zhī rén ， dàn yě jué fēi làn shā wú gū zhī bèi ， yào xiàng jí è mó zūn yī yàng ， yòng shù shí wàn rén de shēng hún jì liàn fǎ bǎo ， zhè zhǒng shì qíng ， lín xuān wú lùn rú hé yě zuò bù chū lái de 。
只不过林轩在炼制的时候，稍稍做了一些改动，这也是没有办法，他虽然不是心慈手软之人，但也绝非滥杀无辜之辈，要像极恶魔尊一样，用数十万人的生魂祭炼法宝，这种事情，林轩无论如何也做不出来的。
During his journey through the ancient spirit mines on Qingye Mountain, Lin Xuan inadvertently captured numerous beast souls and decided to use them as substitutes for human souls to create this magical artifact.
ér qīng yè shān shàng gǔ xiān kuàng zhī lǚ ， lín xuān wú yì jiān fú huò le dà liàng de shòu hún ， tū qí xiǎng ， gān cuì yòng qí dài tì shēng rén hún pò ， liàn zhì chū le zhè yī jiàn fǎ bǎo lái 。
而青叶山上古仙矿之旅，林轩无意间俘获了大量的兽魂，突奇想，干脆用其代替生人魂魄，炼制出了这一件法宝来。
To be honest, the energy from beast souls far exceeded that of ordinary humans, even those of cultivators.
píng xīn ér lùn ， yāo shòu de jīng hún néng yuán ， yuǎn yuǎn shèng guò pǔ tōng de cháng rén ， shèn zhì yǔ xiū shì xiāng bǐ ， yě bù chěng duō ràng 。
平心而论，妖兽的精魂能源，远远胜过普通的常人，甚至与修士相比，也不逞多让。
Thus, the Beast Soul Banner was a formidable tool. However, it also had many issues and potential hazards.
gù ér zhè jiàn shòu hún fān fǎ bǎo ， wēi lì zhe shí bù xiǎo ， rán ér wèn tí yǔ yǐn huàn yě jí duō 。
故而这件兽魂幡法宝，威力着实不小，然而问题与隐患也极多。
The key issue was how to upgrade it. Unlike regular magical artifacts, the magic banner was an extremely special type of treasure.
zhòng yào yì diǎn ， jiù shì rú hé ràng qí shēng jí 。
重要一点，就是如何让其升级。
Generally, once a magical artifact is refined successfully, its power remains fixed. The only way to make it stronger was by nurturing it in one's spirit essence.
yǔ pǔ tōng de fǎ bǎo bù tóng ， mó fān suàn shì jí qí tè shū de yī zhǒng bǎo wù 。
与普通的法宝不同，魔幡算是极其特殊的一种宝物。
However, for the magic banner, apart from nurturing through the spirit essence, there was another faster and more effective method: absorbing soul remnants. Sovereign Demon Tyrant did exactly that.
yì bān shuō lái ， yī jiàn fǎ bǎo zhǐ yào liàn zhì chéng gōng ， qí wēi lì rú hé ， jī běn shàng yě jiù yǒu gù dìng le ， ràng tā biàn dé gèng qiáng de wéi yī fāng fǎ ， jiù shì zài yuán shén zhōng bù duàn péi yǎng 。
一般说来，一件法宝只要炼制成功，其威力如何，基本上也就有固定了，让牠变得更强的唯一方法，就是在元神中不断培养。
Since he didn’t consider human lives valuable, he simply went out to massacre cities and kill. That’s why his Ten Thousand Soul Banner was so powerful, causing fear among the righteous sects.
rán ér mó fān bù tóng ， zuò wèi běn mìng fǎ bǎo ， tā gù rán yě kě yǐ tōng guò yuán shén zī yǎng de fāng fǎ lái tí gāo ， dàn chú cǐ yǐ wài ， hái yǒu yī tiáo tú jìng gèng kuài ， gèng yǒu xiào 。
然而魔幡不同，做为本命法宝，牠固然也可以通过元神滋养的方法来提高，但除此以外，还有一条途径更快，更有效。
Lin Xuan's Beast Soul Banner worked on a similar principle, but where would he find enough beast soul remnants? Hence, although it should be a top-grade magical artifact, its power didn’t necessarily exceed that of ordinary condensation core cultivators' treasures.
nà jiù shì xī shōu hún pò ， ér jí è mó zūn zhèng shì zhè yàng zuò de 。
那就是吸收魂魄，而极恶魔尊正是这样做的。
Moon was also frustrated. She and Lin Xuan couldn't think of any good solutions either.
fǎn zhèng duì tā lái shuō ， rén mìng gēn běn jiù bù suàn shén me ， xiǎng yào ， zhí jiē qù tú chéng shā lù jiù xíng le 。
反正对他来说，人命根本就不算什么，想要，直接去屠城杀戮就行了。
However, this accidental action had significantly boosted the Beast Soul Banner, hinting at an upgrade. The master and servant were overjoyed.
suǒ yǐ tā de wàn hún fān cái rú cǐ wēi lì fēi fán ， lìng zhèng dào zhōng rén tán zhī sè biàn 。
所以他的万魂幡才如此威力非凡，令正道中人谈之色变。
The enhanced power of the Beast Soul Banner was a good thing, but its deeper significance lay in knowing that it could be upgraded by absorbing Phantom Souls. The calamity might last for a long time, and during this period, Lin Xuan had ample opportunities to refine the banner into a true top-grade magical artifact.
lín xuān de shòu hún fān yuán lǐ yě shì xiāng tóng ， rán ér tā nǎ lǐ qù zhǎo nà me duō yāo shòu hún pò ， gù ér míng míng yīng gāi shì yī jiàn dǐng jiān de fǎ bǎo ， wēi lì què yě bú jiàn de bǐ yì bān níng dān qī xiū shì shǒu zhōng de bǎo wù qiáng duō shǎo 。
林轩的兽魂幡原理也是相同，然而他哪里去找那么多妖兽魂魄，故而明明应该是一件顶尖的法宝，威力却也不见得比一般凝丹期修士手中的宝物强多少。
It was indeed a two-for-one deal.
yuè ér yě hěn kǔ nǎo ， kě tā yǔ lín xuān yī yàng ， yě xiǎng bù chū hǎo de jiě jué zhī dào 。
月儿也很苦恼，可她与林轩一样，也想不出好的解决之道。
Of course, these were just theories. Whether they would work depended on whether the Beast Soul Banner could truly upgrade successfully.
kě jīn tiān zhè wú yì de jǔ dòng ， què ràng shòu hún fān jìn bǔ le bù shǎo ， shèn zhì yǐn yǐn yǒu jìn jí de zhēng zhào ， zhǔ pú liǎng rén zì rán shì dà xǐ guò wàng 。
可今天这无意的举动，却让兽魂幡进补了不少，甚至隐隐有晋级的征兆，主仆两人自然是大喜过望。
That’s why after exterminating those Phantom Souls, Lin Xuan immediately retreated hundreds of miles away using his spiritual light.
shòu hún fān wēi lì gèng qiáng gù rán shì hǎo shì ， ér yì yì gèng jiā shēn yuǎn de shì zhī dào le cǐ fān hái kě yǐ zhè yàng jìn jí ， xī shōu lì guǐ jīng hún ， zhè yī cháng hào jié ， hái bù zhī dào yào mián yán duō zhǎng shí jiān ， zì jǐ zài miè shā dí rén de tóng shí ， yě dà yǒu jī huì jiāng cǐ fān mó liàn chéng yī jiàn zhēn zhèng de dǐng jiē fǎ bǎo 。
兽魂幡威力更强固然是好事，而意义更加深远的是知道了此幡还可以这样晋级，吸收厉鬼精魂，这一场浩劫，还不知道要绵延多长时间，自己在灭杀敌人的同时，也大有机会将此幡磨练成一件真正的顶阶法宝。
This desolate mountain might be an excellent hiding spot.
kě wèi yī jiàn shuāng diāo 。
可谓一箭双雕。
Lin Xuan planned to rest here for a few days and refine the magic banner. He first released his divine sense to search; within dozens of miles, there was no trace of any living creatures. This place seemed like a dead zone.
dāng rán ， zhè xiē jǐn jǐn shì shè xiǎng ， néng fǒu kě xíng hái yào kàn zhè yī cì shòu hún fān shì fǒu zhēn de kě yǐ jìn jí chéng gōng 。
当然，这些仅仅是设想，能否可行还要看这一次兽魂幡是否真的可以晋级成功。
This new scenario only emerged after the Phantom Soul invasion.
zhè yě shì wèi shén me lín xuān miè le nà xiē yīn hún yǐ hòu ， lì kè háo bù tíng liú ， dùn guāng dào shù bǎi lǐ wài 。
这也是为什么林轩灭了那些阴魂以后，立刻毫不停留，遁光到数百里外。
They used a special technique to trigger underground阴气, which, once dispersed, wouldn’t kill but made it unsuitable for life. Birds, beasts, and insects would migrate.
cǐ kè jiǎo xià zhè huāng shān ， yīng gāi shì yī bù cuò de qián cáng dì diǎn 。
此刻脚下这荒山，应该是一不错的潜藏地点。
Fortunately, not every area had this 阴气; otherwise, the occupied zone might turn into another realm of the netherworld.
lín xuān dǎ suàn zài zhè ér xiē xī shù rì ， jì liàn mó fān 。
林轩打算在这儿歇息数日，祭炼魔幡。
Although this place was a dead zone, the 阴气 wasn’t too thick. Generally, there wouldn’t be any ghost or monster cultivators here, nor would there be crystal treasures left behind by remaining cultivators. With no disturbances, it was an ideal place for cultivation.
xiān fàng chū shén shí ， sōu suǒ le yī xià ， fāng yuán shù shí lǐ nèi ， méi yǒu sī háo shēng wù de qì xī ， zhè ér jìng shì yī kuài sǐ dì 。
先放出神识，搜索了一下，方圆数十里内，没有丝毫生物的气息，这儿竟是一块死地。
Lin Xuan activated the Floating Snow Sword and carved out a temporary cave. From his pocket, he took out several talismans containing illusions and concealment spells.
zhè yě shì yīn hún rù qīn hòu cái chū xiàn de xīn qíng jǐng 。
这也是阴魂入侵后才出现的新情景。
However, looking at them, Lin Xuan sighed. Compared to his current cultivation level, these array talismans were somewhat outdated. The restrictions they contained were of lower quality; they could fool low-level Phantom Souls but might fail against ghost kings.
tā men huì shǐ yòng yī zhǒng tè shū de shén tōng ， yǐn bào dì dǐ de yīn qì ， yīn qì yí dàn mí sàn kāi lái ， suī rán bú huì xiàng guǐ wù nà yàng zhì rén sǐ mìng ， dàn yě bú shì hé shēng wù shēng cún ， niǎo shòu chóng yú dū huì jìng xiāng bān qiān 。
牠们会使用一种特殊的神通，引爆地底的阴气，阴气一旦弥散开来，虽然不会像鬼雾那样致人死命，但也不适合生物生存，鸟兽虫鱼都会竞相搬迁。
Lin Xuan didn’t like this feeling. When he had the time, he would calm down and study the璇玑心得, creating different attribute-based array tools, which would surely have great utility.
hǎo zài yīn qì bìng fēi měi yī chù dì dǐ dōu yǒu ， fǒu zé lún xiàn qū zhēn de huì bèi gǎi zào chéng lìng wài yí gè yīn sī zhī jiè 。
好在阴气并非每一处地底都有，否则沦陷区真的会被改造成另外一个阴司之界。
Shaking his head, these were matters for the future. Lin Xuan transformed into a streak of spiritual light and entered the cave. A spell was cast to hide the entrance effectively.
After a day, a streak of green spiritual light descended onto a desolate mountain. Lin Xuan gazed at the distant scenery with a faint hint of helplessness in his brows.
Lin Xuan had been away from the Dawnlight Sect for over half a month, but he still hadn't found anything useful. Initially, he followed the map given by Luo Tianren to explore those precious spirit veins and resources.
These resources used to belong to various major sects, but now they were occupied by the Phantom Souls. However, due to differences in their cultivation systems, most of these resources were not usable for the Phantom Souls.
Thus, the spirit veins' sources were destroyed, and the crystal mines were demolished.
Despite this, there was still a lot left that could be useful. In these past few days, Lin Xuan hadn't been entirely fruitless; he had gathered thousands of crystal stones. However, what he lacked now wasn’t those stones but some rare medicinal materials.
None of the precious materials Luo Tianren mentioned were found.
Lin Xuan sighed and calmed his mood. Patience was key. This area was indeed dangerous. Not long ago, Lin Xuan encountered a group of Phantom Souls. Since they weren't from his own kind, there was no point in talking. Both sides used their abilities to engage in battle.
The opponents were not weak; apart from several筑基期厉鬼, there was even a ghost king-level expert who could easily kill a condensation core cultivator. Lin Xuan couldn’t afford to be complacent and immediately unleashed his array of powerful techniques, even calling out Yue'er as an assistant.
Lin Xuan had put in all his effort because this was someone else's territory. If he couldn't end the battle quickly, other Phantom Souls might join in, causing trouble for him.
Together with Yue'er, they overpowered their opponents. To Lin Xuan’s delight, he even gained unexpected benefits from this encounter.
"Yue'er, how is the situation with the beast soul banners? Can we refine those Phantom Soul remnants?"
"Don't worry, Lord. Yue'er is handling it; there shouldn’t be any issues," a soft voice replied in his mind. Lin Xuan nodded and showed signs of joy on his face.
It was just luck that Lin Xuan discovered many beast souls left after the extermination of high-level Phantom Souls. To avoid leaving clues, he had Moon absorb these remnants with the Beast Soul Banner.
Originally, it was to clean up the battlefield and destroy traces, but unexpectedly, the magic banner started making a sound as if upgrading.
Lin Xuan was overjoyed.
The Beast Soul Banner was one of the two top-grade magical artifacts recorded in The True Scripture of Profound Evil. Its power rivaled that of the Ghostheart Saber.
However, Lin Xuan had made some modifications during its creation. Although he wasn’t a soft-hearted person, he wouldn’t sacrifice innocent lives to refine a magical artifact like Sovereign Demon Tyrant did with tens of thousands of souls.
During his journey through the ancient spirit mines on Qingye Mountain, Lin Xuan inadvertently captured numerous beast souls and decided to use them as substitutes for human souls to create this magical artifact.
To be honest, the energy from beast souls far exceeded that of ordinary humans, even those of cultivators.
Thus, the Beast Soul Banner was a formidable tool. However, it also had many issues and potential hazards.
The key issue was how to upgrade it. Unlike regular magical artifacts, the magic banner was an extremely special type of treasure.
Generally, once a magical artifact is refined successfully, its power remains fixed. The only way to make it stronger was by nurturing it in one's spirit essence.
However, for the magic banner, apart from nurturing through the spirit essence, there was another faster and more effective method: absorbing soul remnants. Sovereign Demon Tyrant did exactly that.
Since he didn’t consider human lives valuable, he simply went out to massacre cities and kill. That’s why his Ten Thousand Soul Banner was so powerful, causing fear among the righteous sects.
Lin Xuan's Beast Soul Banner worked on a similar principle, but where would he find enough beast soul remnants? Hence, although it should be a top-grade magical artifact, its power didn’t necessarily exceed that of ordinary condensation core cultivators' treasures.
Moon was also frustrated. She and Lin Xuan couldn't think of any good solutions either.
However, this accidental action had significantly boosted the Beast Soul Banner, hinting at an upgrade. The master and servant were overjoyed.
The enhanced power of the Beast Soul Banner was a good thing, but its deeper significance lay in knowing that it could be upgraded by absorbing Phantom Souls. The calamity might last for a long time, and during this period, Lin Xuan had ample opportunities to refine the banner into a true top-grade magical artifact.
It was indeed a two-for-one deal.
Of course, these were just theories. Whether they would work depended on whether the Beast Soul Banner could truly upgrade successfully.
That’s why after exterminating those Phantom Souls, Lin Xuan immediately retreated hundreds of miles away using his spiritual light.
This desolate mountain might be an excellent hiding spot.
Lin Xuan planned to rest here for a few days and refine the magic banner. He first released his divine sense to search; within dozens of miles, there was no trace of any living creatures. This place seemed like a dead zone.
This new scenario only emerged after the Phantom Soul invasion.
They used a special technique to trigger underground阴气, which, once dispersed, wouldn’t kill but made it unsuitable for life. Birds, beasts, and insects would migrate.
Fortunately, not every area had this 阴气; otherwise, the occupied zone might turn into another realm of the netherworld.
Although this place was a dead zone, the 阴气 wasn’t too thick. Generally, there wouldn’t be any ghost or monster cultivators here, nor would there be crystal treasures left behind by remaining cultivators. With no disturbances, it was an ideal place for cultivation.
Lin Xuan activated the Floating Snow Sword and carved out a temporary cave. From his pocket, he took out several talismans containing illusions and concealment spells.
However, looking at them, Lin Xuan sighed. Compared to his current cultivation level, these array talismans were somewhat outdated. The restrictions they contained were of lower quality; they could fool low-level Phantom Souls but might fail against ghost kings.
Lin Xuan didn’t like this feeling. When he had the time, he would calm down and study the璇玑心得, creating different attribute-based array tools, which would surely have great utility.
Shaking his head, these were matters for the future. Lin Xuan transformed into a streak of spiritual light and entered the cave. A spell was cast to hide the entrance effectively.