Chapter 25: Xuanhuang Merit Flame

Although Lu Yan had never seen what the Red Lotus Karma Flame looked like, he was certain that the righteous, majestic flame in his hand was definitely not the legendary Red Lotus Karma Flame.

On the contrary, it was far more similar to the Xuanhuang Merit Flame described in the Secret Manual of Demonic Artifacts.

The Xuanhuang Merit Flame was a divine fire born from great merit, refined by those who had accumulated immense virtue—a genuine Golden Core-level divine ability.

Though what Lu Yan held couldn’t be called a complete Xuanhuang Merit Flame, it at least contained a trace of its divine essence—a fledgling form.

It had to be said, divine abilities were something only Golden Core True Persons could wield. While some powerful sects did possess a few that could be practiced at lower realms, they typically came with incredibly harsh prerequisites.

These included rare physiques or priceless treasures of heaven and earth. Fewer than one in a hundred cultivators met the qualifications.

To cultivate a sliver of divine fire at the Third Layer of Qi Refining was more than astonishing—it was unheard of.

Lu Yan reached out to touch the golden flame. He didn’t feel the slightest pain or burning.

Instead, the inner anxieties and doubts that had plagued him recently—the seeds of his heart demons—were instantly dispelled, replaced by a serene and tranquil mind.

In the Secret Manual of Demonic Artifacts, records on the Xuanhuang Merit Flame were scarce.

Yet it was considered an extremely unique type of divine ability. Unlike most fire-based divine abilities, it wasn’t focused on offense. Instead, the Xuanhuang Merit Flame excelled at protection—warding off heart demons and repelling all unclean arts.

But when it came to confronting evil and demonic forces, the flame’s power would far surpass spells of the same tier.

No matter the type of demonic magic or artifact, none could withstand its purifying fire—not even Thousand-Soul Banners, which rivaled Golden Core-level treasures.

It was precisely this unmatched restraint against demonic artifacts that had earned it mention in the Secret Manual of Demonic Artifacts—even though that book wasn’t even a proper spell compendium.

With that in mind, Lu Yan slowly moved his right hand—still holding the flame—toward the now-quiet Soul Banner beside him.

The golden flame reflected onto the banner’s surface. The righteous aura within it suddenly surged, as though stimulated by something, aiming to purge all the filthy aura from the banner.

Even before the flame physically touched the banner, Lu Yan could already see the terrified faces of the ninety-some vengeful spirits.

Their previously ferocious expressions had vanished, replaced by absolute terror.

Shrill wails rang out from the banner as the spirits slammed themselves against its confines, trying desperately to escape—but they couldn’t break free of the Soul Banner’s bindings.

“As expected… it really is the Xuanhuang Merit Flame!”

If it weren’t a divine flame innately countering demonic techniques, these spirits would never show such fear.

In terms of suppressing vengeful spirits, the Xuanhuang Merit Flame was far superior to the Red Lotus Karma Flame.

The Karma Flame needed karma as fuel to intimidate spirits. But the Xuanhuang Merit Flame had yet to even burn anything, and already it had these ghosts cowering in fear.

Naturally, Lu Yan was overjoyed.

This meant his goal of suppressing the spirits and reclaiming control of the Soul Banner had been fully achieved.

The only downside was the piercing wails—the cries of the spirits reverberated straight into his soul, giving him a headache.

“Shut up!”

With a single shout, the hundred ghosts fell silent, not daring to make a sound.

Feeling the fear radiating from the trembling spirits, Lu Yan dismissed the flame and reached out to touch the banner again.

Without the flame’s pressure, the ghosts seemed a little restless. But still cowed by Lu Yan’s earlier display, they didn’t resist.

Lu Yan easily lifted the Soul Banner, a magical artifact nearing Peak-Grade quality.

“So light?”

His eyes widened in disbelief.

He couldn’t be blamed for his shock. The riots of these vengeful spirits had tormented him for so long, yet now, without the flame even being fully activated, they had been completely cowed. It felt surreal.

Raising the Soul Banner, his spiritual energy surged—and ninety-eight vengeful spirits, plus the main soul, poured out into the abandoned high-rise.

Ghostly mist filled the building, transforming it into a realm of the dead in the blink of an eye.

The spirits roamed freely through the upper floors, their grotesque, twisted faces filled with hatred as they stared at Lu Yan.

Since the banner had reached a quality close to Peak-Grade, its capabilities had drastically improved: wider mist coverage, longer range of control—it had all grown.

The moment the Soul Banner had been upgraded to High-Grade, all the spirits inside had reached the Second Layer of Qi Refining, on par with Lu Yan’s own cultivation at the time.

This was why suppressing them had been so difficult.

Now, as he released them, the ghosts stirred restlessly. Only the main soul, Lishi, remained kneeling respectfully.

Thanks to Lu Yan’s previous suppression, the dull-witted Lishi had been completely subdued and tamed.

These past weeks, it was only with Lishi’s help that Lu Yan had managed to keep the spirits contained, avoiding a full-blown disaster.

Now that Lu Yan had released them himself, it naturally caused unease among the spirits—many instinctively tried to resist.

But a moment later, a divine presence descended.

The Xuanhuang Merit Flame rose once more from Lu Yan’s left palm.

The light of the flame caused the surrounding ghostly mist to melt like snow, even receding across the entire building.

Within the room, the spirits’ hatred dissolved into raw fear. One by one, they trembled and prostrated, mimicking Lishi as they bowed low to Lu Yan.

Their agitation, their hatred, their unrest—all vanished.

Even the Soul Banner itself, sensing danger, instinctively suppressed its own aura, transforming into something like a mere mortal object.

Gazing down at the ninety-some vengeful spirits at the Second Layer of Qi Refining, Lu Yan knew—

He had completely mastered this Soul Banner that was approaching Peak-Grade.

The Xuanhuang Merit Flame’s suppressive effect on demonic spirits far surpassed his expectations.

With this divine fire in hand, Lu Yan no longer needed to worry about controlling the banner. He could now unleash these spirits at will to hunt more zombies, creating even stronger vengeful spirits for the banner.

So long as no spirit could escape the flame’s restraint, Lu Yan would be able to fully utilize the Soul Banner.

At that point, even hunting late-stage Qi Refining zombies would no longer be difficult.

In fact, if the number of spirits reached several hundred, Lu Yan was confident that—even at the Qi Refining stage—he could kill a Foundation Establishment Corpse King!

(End of Chapter)