Chapter 11: Refining the Soul Banner

“W-Who are you people?!”

Gongyang Xuanying’s voice stuttered with fear, his face twisted in terror.

Though he was ruthless and held no regard for human life, that only applied within the realm of mortals. He had never seen anything like the horror before him now.

Twenty-plus years of worldly knowledge told him this had to be an illusion—but the corpses on the floor, the chilling aura that crept through the air, all served as undeniable proof of reality.

Forcing down his fear, Gongyang Xuanying tried to plead with the ghostly figures before him.

“If… if you want money, don’t hurt me! I have plenty—more than you could imagine!

My father is a powerful and influential figure in Myan. Whatever you want, just say the word, I can give it to you!”

The three ghostly silhouettes remained silent, merely drifting closer and closer to him.

“Oh? You can give me anything?”

A mocking voice echoed through the room, carrying an almost playful malice.

Startled, Gongyang Xuanying instinctively looked toward the sound—but there was no one there.

“Yes! Anything you want, just say it!”

“Very well.”

A chill like a phantom glided through the air. The voice sank into his bones, as though whispering straight into his soul.

“I want… your life.”

Terror surged through Gongyang Xuanying’s mind. He tried to scream, but no matter how he opened his mouth, no sound emerged.

From the floor, a dagger rose into the air and pierced straight into his heart.

His body slumped lifelessly to the floor. Blood gushed out of his chest, but rather than pooling randomly, it began to flow in specific directions, slowly forming intricate patterns under the guidance of a mysterious power.

In front of Gongyang Xuanying’s corpse, Lu Yan stood silently, his left hand holding a copy of the Secret Records of Demonic Artifacts, his right hand channeling spiritual power to guide the blood flow.

Floating beside him was a glowing talisman.

First-Rank Low-Grade Talisman – Invisibility Talisman.

As early as when the three vengeful spirits began their slaughter, Lu Yan had already used the Invisibility Talisman to sneak into the top floor of the hotel, cutting the power and disabling all surveillance.

Truthfully, if his goal had been merely to kill Gongyang Xuanying, he wouldn’t have needed to come in person at all.

But after discovering the number of bodyguards at Gongyang Xuanying’s disposal, another thought surfaced in Lu Yan’s mind—

He could use their souls to complete the unfinished Demonic Soul Banner.

The original refinement of the banner was missing a final cultivator—Lu Yan himself had been chosen by Gongyang Xuanying and Shopkeeper Chu as the final offering.

But Lu Yan had turned the tables, killed them, and brought the Soul Banner into the urban version, thus disrupting the original ritual.

To fill this final gap, he could either sacrifice another cultivator or use a large quantity of souls to substitute for quality.

And now, with Gongyang Xuanying and his subordinates dead, the materials were ready-made.

Moreover, Lu Yan had obtained the Secret Records of Demonic Artifacts from Shopkeeper Chu. Naturally, he wouldn’t let these souls go to waste.

Beyond that, Lu Yan also harbored a touch of curiosity.

In the Xianxia version, Gongyang Xuanying and the butler-like middle-aged man were certainly powerful cultivators.

But here in the urban version, they were just ordinary humans. So—when they died, did their souls remain weak like normal people? Or would infusing them into the banner cause it to gain new power after the version update?

These seemingly minor details were key to figuring out how to leverage version updates for his benefit.

Thoughts swirled in his mind as he followed the diagrams in the Secret Records of Demonic Artifacts, guiding the blood with spiritual power to form the sacrificial array.

However, because Gongyang Xuanying’s body was no longer that of a cultivator, there was no spiritual energy within his blood.

Lu Yan pulled a spirit stone from his pouch, crushed it, and mixed it into the blood pattern, giving it a faint aura of spiritual resonance.

After some time, the Soul Refinement Array was complete, and the Soul Banner floated into its center.

Lu Yan formed a hand seal and tugged with his right hand—Gongyang Xuanying’s soul was forcibly ripped from his flesh.

The spiritual energy in the urban version was far too sparse to allow souls to linger, let alone transform into vengeful spirits.

As his soul was drawn out, Gongyang Xuanying’s face was still frozen in an expression of disbelief and terror.

Only when the three vengeful spirits drifted in front of him did he start to recover from the deathly fear.

Lu Yan glanced at the soul and sighed with mild disappointment.

Just as expected—it was ordinary.

No trace of a cultivator’s strength remained. Gongyang Xuanying’s soul was weak, and brought no significant gain to the Soul Banner.

Had Lu Yan not confirmed Gongyang Xuanying’s identity as the one behind Shopkeeper Chu, there would’ve been nothing connecting this cowardly figure to a high-ranking demonic cultivator.

But even losses brought gains.

Through this, Lu Yan had confirmed something important—different versions were truly independent of each other.

To Lu Yan, that was actually good news.

At least he didn’t need to worry that killing some monstrous old cultivator would leave him open to revenge by a soul far more powerful than its physical body.

Gongyang Xuanying, now fully aware, looked at the three vengeful spirits surrounding him.

Their pale, twisted faces bore grotesque expressions—like abominations stitched together from multiple souls.

Without the protection of a physical body, Gongyang Xuanying could now fully sense the aura of terror radiating from them—power equivalent to a cultivator at the Early Qi Refining stage.

His soul was already beginning to freeze under their ghostly chill.

The corpses on the ground, the sacrificial blood array—everything was driving his soul into panic.

He stared wildly around him and shouted, “What do you want?!”

Lu Yan gave no response.

Although he had come in person to complete the ritual, he had to avoid leaving any traceable information—lest it affect the version mapping.

Inside the room, only that ghost-like voice echoed once more.

“Look carefully. This man is the true cause of your deaths.

“That so-called Shopkeeper Chu? Merely a tool under his control.”

At those words, the three vengeful spirits suddenly contorted—their faces split and stretched, revealing dozens of tiny, twisted faces writhing in agony.

These were the remnants of souls absorbed during earlier sacrifices, now shrieking and struggling to escape the spirit bodies.

Vengeful spirits were beings formed from resentment. Even if they had lost all intelligence, the hatred in their hearts never changed.

Gongyang Xuanying’s eyes trembled violently. He recognized those tiny faces—they were the “specimens” selected by Chu Hao.

So ghosts really do exist…?

But no one answered his question.

“Devour him.”

A soft, cold voice passed judgment.

The three ravenous spirits lunged forward, tearing Gongyang Xuanying’s soul apart with six ghostly claws.

Dozens of distorted faces bit into the fragments, gnawing with feverish rage, as if venting their pent-up hatred.

The blood array beneath them emitted a faint glow. Crimson light spread out and blanketed the entire Presidential Suite.

From each fallen body, faint souls slowly emerged—drifting toward the array and converging on the Soul Banner at its center.

(End of Chapter)