Chapter 28: Top-Grade Artifact — Hundred Soul Banner

Thick ghostly mist rolled forth, the vast momentum drawing the attention of the zombies lurking within the residential complex.

But the sun had not yet fully set, and thus the zombies did not move immediately.

Lu Yan’s expression remained calm as he walked step by step toward the center of the complex.

As the first building entered the range of the ghost mist, the number of vengeful spirits released had already reached seventy.

A flood of vengeful spirits rushed into the building in an instant, and within mere seconds, over two hundred ordinary zombies were completely slaughtered.

A mid-stage Qi Refining extraordinary zombie let out a furious roar, but from within the misty void, dozens of ghost claws shot forth, piercing into its body.

The extraordinary power that shielded its soul shattered in an instant. Against dozens of Second Layer Qi Refining vengeful spirits, a mere mid-stage zombie was nothing.

Its soul was instantly ripped out and drawn into the swirling ghost mist for refining.

The entire process lasted less than ten seconds. Every zombie was cleared away, leaving behind only scattered bones and soul remnants awaiting refinement.

Lu Yan didn’t even pause his steps. He continued walking toward Building Seven at the center.

Like a grim reaper shrouded in mist, each step he took reaped the lives of countless zombies, leaving only lost souls behind to be fed to the Soul Banner.

Inside Building Seven, Bloodbeard, a peak-stage Qi Refining extraordinary zombie, hadn’t even reacted before every zombie in the complex was wiped out—leaving only his building outside the ghost mist’s reach.

“ROAR!!!”

Bloodbeard erupted with rage, the mass death of his subordinates bringing to mind what had occurred previously in the complex.

“That thief!”

Furious beyond reason, Bloodbeard charged straight into the ghost mist, his fleshy tentacles writhing behind him as he ignored the burning sunlight overhead.

Lu Yan saw only a blur, and the moment Bloodbeard entered the mist, shimmering streams of light—resembling moonlight—rose around him.

Dozens of vengeful spirits lunged at Bloodbeard, but the extraordinary power shielding his body knocked them away with ease. Within seconds, he was already upon Lu Yan.

The stench of rot wafted toward him, along with the twisted mass of tentacles extending from Bloodbeard’s grotesque body. Yet Lu Yan’s face remained utterly indifferent.

BOOM!!!

A thunderous collision erupted less than thirty meters away from Lu Yan, shaking the ground as the tiles were blasted apart, leaving a massive crater.

Standing in Bloodbeard’s path was a towering figure like a wall of iron—a colossus clad in black armor:

The Soul Banner’s Main Soul—Lishi!

Thanks to Lishi’s unwavering loyalty and role in subduing rebellious spirits, Lu Yan had invested significant effort in nurturing him. Many zombie souls that hadn’t been refined in time were instead devoured by Lishi.

Now, Lishi’s body had grown to over four meters tall, clad in pitch-black armor like a divine guardian general. His cultivation had reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, just one step from late-stage.

Within the Soul Banner’s domain, the main soul received the artifact’s enhancement. With the Ghost Armor Technique bolstering his defense, Lishi was able to withstand Bloodbeard’s furious assault.

With Bloodbeard blocked, dozens more vengeful spirits flew out from the Soul Banner. Lu Yan clutched a spiritual stone, pouring its power into his body to sustain the expenditure of controlling them all.

In an instant, a storm of ghostly spirits swarmed over Bloodbeard. Hundreds of ghost claws pierced into his body every second, and the extraordinary force shielding his soul visibly dimmed.

The phrase “ants can kill an elephant” was no longer a metaphor—it became reality. And these vengeful spirits, while not as powerful as Bloodbeard individually, were far from insignificant.

For the first time, Bloodbeard knew fear.

A massive explosion of power burst from his body, flinging the spirits away as he turned and fled toward Building Seven.

With a shriek, Bloodbeard summoned the last few hundred zombies left in the building. As they burst forth, his grotesque tentacles stabbed into their bodies.

One corpse after another was skewered and fused together, forming a colossal zombie beast over twenty meters tall.

“What kind of extraordinary ability is this?”

Lu Yan’s pupils contracted—the first time his expression showed genuine shock.

He could feel it clearly—the moment that behemoth formed, Bloodbeard’s Qi Refining peak aura surged violently, teetering on the verge of Foundation Establishment.

“I absolutely can’t let him break through!”

Lu Yan’s gaze turned sharp. Over two hundred vengeful spirits surged from the banner, and the ghost mist billowed to engulf the towering monster.

At the front, Lishi’s face twisted with a wicked grin, his armor gleaming with murderous light. In the next moment, phantom armor appeared on every vengeful spirit—

Innate Spell: Ghost Armor Technique!

Empowered by this technique, the army of spirits charged at the monstrous undead.

The giant beast raised its massive hand, the extraordinary power surrounding it becoming nearly tangible as it slammed downward, crushing nearby buildings into rubble.

Then came a soul-shattering wail—two hundred spirits howling in unison.

One spirit’s wail might frighten a mortal.

But two hundred?

That was enough to shatter the soul of even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

Even the gargantuan zombie froze mid-motion.

In a flash, the spirits clung to its body, clawing madly at the protective power surrounding Bloodbeard’s soul.

But at that moment, a sinister smile curled across Bloodbeard’s face.

A massive burst of power exploded from the tentacles behind him, vaporizing the two closest spirits.

The rest were flung back once again.

If not for the armor from the Ghost Armor Technique, that strike alone would have killed dozens of them.

Lu Yan’s gaze sharpened. Then, he gave a new order:

“Stop attacking the extraordinary zombie. Separate the souls from the ordinary ones!”

At his command, countless spirits disengaged from the monster’s limbs and dived into its body like a plague of locusts.

Ghost claws reached into corpse after corpse, tearing out the remaining souls and turning the flesh into piles of bones.

Bloodbeard tried to stop them—but there were simply too many.

And they ignored his physical attacks.

The extraordinary power he could control alone was nowhere near enough to prevent the onslaught.

As more and more zombies were reduced to skeletons, the giant zombie construct collapsed like a tower of blocks.

Deprived of external support, two hundred ghost claws pierced straight into Bloodbeard’s body.

His rotten flesh fell away, and a ghastly soul was violently extracted.

Lu Yan discarded a second, drained spiritual stone and waved to retract most of the vengeful spirits.

Only Lishi remained, holding Bloodbeard’s soul with both hands as he respectfully presented it to Lu Yan.

The ghost mist slowly closed in, swallowing the soul completely.

The ritual to refine a new main soul had begun.

As the sky dimmed and the moon began to rise, the Soul Banner in Lu Yan’s hands started its final transformation.

The banner’s surface looked like it was woven from night itself, with golden threads tracing out a scene of a hundred ghosts marching in the dark.

On either side of the banner, two miniature demon effigies hung like ornaments.

One bore a green face, sharp fangs, and a massive physique—like a divine guardian.

The other was cloaked in blood-red robes, shadowed by countless ghostly visages—like the embodiment of a thousand spirits.

Both demon statues had their eyes closed, seemingly in deep slumber.

From the night sky, a beam of lunar essence descended, bathing the artifact in silver light.

As the two demonic statues opened their eyes, a glimmer of true spirit was born within them.

Top-Grade Artifact—Hundred Soul Banner, complete!

(End of Chapter)