Chapter 8: The Standard Kit of a Demonic Powerhouse

Lu Yan shook his head, dispelling the chaotic thoughts in his mind, and refocused his attention on spells.

“Now that I think about it, I did kill Shopkeeper Chu two months ago. Maybe I’ve already accumulated some karmic energy?”

With that thought in mind, he followed the instructions in the spell description, formed the Crimson Lotus Seal with his hand, and attempted to cast the Crimson Lotus Karma Fire.

However, no matter how he circulated his cultivation method, he couldn’t sense even a trace of karmic energy—let alone ignite the crimson flames.

After trying for quite some time, Lu Yan finally gave up.

“Shopkeeper Chu killed so many innocent assistants and behaved like a textbook capitalist who deserved to be strung up. Killing him was practically doing society a favor.”

He couldn’t help but mutter a sarcastic comment.

Even though he failed to learn the spell, Lu Yan wasn’t too disappointed. The Crimson Lotus Karma Scripture was his only viable cultivation path anyway. Whether it had exclusive spells or not, he still had to cultivate it.

As for actual spellcasting, he still had a far more practical solution—Spirit Talismans.

Including those he had taken from the Talisman Shop and the ones already in his storage pouch, he had over a hundred Spirit Talismans—more than enough for the time being.

Once the demonic cultivator was dealt with, he could return to the Xianxia Version to gather some proper spellbooks.

Besides that, Lu Yan also had something even more useful than spells.

With a thought, a jade-like flying sword the size of a hairpin and a long black banner about the length of his arm appeared in his hands.

Lu Yan picked up the flying sword and began pouring his newly refined spiritual power into it—but the moment it entered, it disappeared without a trace, like a pebble vanishing into the sea.

His brow furrowed. He increased the flow of spiritual power, and only after pouring in nearly half of his total reserves did the thumb-sized sword slowly rise into the air, wobbling as it did.

Lu Yan’s expression shifted slightly.

After all, he was cultivating a High-Grade Demonic Cultivation Method, and his spiritual power was far purer than that of an ordinary First Layer Qi Refining cultivator.

Even so, it took nearly half his power just to barely lift the sword—this could only mean one thing: the flying sword was at least a Mid-Grade Magical Artifact.

“Qi Refining First Layer simply doesn’t have enough spiritual power. Even if I force it to fly, it won’t be any use in combat. I’ll have to shelve it for now.”

Lu Yan reluctantly stowed the flying sword and turned his attention to the Soul Banner.

He grasped the black banner and poured spiritual power into it. After lying dormant for two months, the artifact finally responded.

Suddenly, three vengeful spirits burst from the banner. Their faces were twisted, their forms ghostly and shifting. They let out piercing wails that seemed to claw at the very soul as they darted about the room.

If an ordinary person were exposed to those wails for too long, their soul would begin to weaken.

While holding the Soul Banner, Lu Yan could also sense a fourth vengeful spirit—still incomplete and slumbering inside the banner.

“Over twenty cultivator souls were used to refine this, yet only three vengeful spirits were formed.”

“As for the last one that’s still not fully formed… I must’ve interrupted the refinement process when I took the banner prematurely. That’s why it only managed to become a Low-Grade Magical Artifact.”

“But in a way, that might be for the best. A fully refined Soul Banner might’ve been too difficult for me to control at this stage. In its current form, the burden is manageable.”

Lu Yan raised the Soul Banner and gave it a shake.

“Silence.”

The three wailing spirits instantly went quiet, obediently drifting before him.

He then began the foundational refining process, channeling his spiritual power into the artifact to enhance his control over it.

An hour later, Lu Yan opened his eyes, having grasped the banner’s capabilities.

First and foremost, the banner allowed him to command vengeful spirits. Each spirit had combat strength equivalent to the early Qi Refining stage and was immune to physical attacks.

In the Xianxia Version, this trait wasn’t particularly remarkable—just about any spell could harm ghosts. But in the Urban Version, where there were no supernatural abilities, this trait made them nearly invincible. Unless one used large-scale weaponry or flamethrowers capable of incineration, conventional firearms would be completely ineffective.

What’s more, the spirits were formless and intangible. Only those with exceptionally strong souls could perceive their existence. Normal people wouldn’t detect them at all.

The vengeful spirits could directly attack and devour souls. The consumed souls would be used to strengthen them, and particularly powerful souls could be sealed directly within the banner.

The concealment, immunity to physical damage, and soul-devouring capabilities of the Soul Banner made Lu Yan realize just how much stronger it was than most spells—at least in this version.

After refining it, the banner shrank and was absorbed into his palm.

“High-Grade Demonic Cultivation Method, a spell that requires karmic buildup, and now this ever-strengthening Soul Banner… This really is starting to feel like the standard kit of a demonic overlord.”

Lu Yan muttered with growing unease.

He glanced out the window. The sky had already turned dark—the perfect time to act.

He changed into a plain black outfit and quickly left the house.

Half an hour later, he arrived at a small hotel.

Standing by the window of his room, Lu Yan gazed at a building several hundred meters away. On the façade were the unmistakable characters: Luocheng Police Department.

Ever since returning home from the underground factory, Lu Yan had been keeping an eye on follow-up reports.

He had set the fire back then to erase his traces, but the flames—though mixed with spiritual energy—were not true Spirit Fire. They burned hotter than normal but couldn’t completely destroy the bodies in the freezer. Once the fire died down, investigators would undoubtedly find the corpses.

In a modern world like this one, organ trafficking was a major crime. If the police followed the trail, they might eventually uncover the one behind Shopkeeper Chu.

According to how version updates typically worked, the person backing Chu in the Urban Version was very likely the demonic cultivator from the Xianxia Version.

But to Lu Yan’s surprise, the incident ended without a ripple. No news of discovered corpses. No progress on any organ trafficking case.

It was as if the underground factory—and the bodies within—never existed.

That made things far more complicated.

Lu Yan had originally planned to leverage the police to track down the demonic cultivator. But now, it seemed likely that someone inside the police department was cooperating with the demonic faction.

It felt exactly like the situation back in Bamboo Grove Market—when he feared the demonic cultivator had infiltrated the upper levels of the sect.

Someone in the police department had helped erase the evidence. But wasn’t that, in itself, a lead?

“Go.”

Lu Yan whispered the command.

A ghostly figure silently floated through the window and drifted toward the police department.

Back inside the hotel room, Lu Yan formed a hand seal, and his eyes lit up with a dark, ethereal glow. Before him, an image began to form—the world as seen through the vengeful spirit’s eyes.

The police department had already closed for the day, with only a few officers left on night shift, chatting aimlessly.

None of them noticed the ghost gliding through the building.

After a while, the spirit stopped before a particular door.

Three characters were written clearly across it:

Records Room.

(End of Chapter)