Back in the cave mansion, Lu Yan activated the restriction to seal the entrance.
In a way, the sudden appearance of He Luyuan was actually a blessing.
This mysterious storage bag had always been a hidden danger, and He Luyuan’s appearance served as an early warning, giving him enough time to prepare for the crisis behind it.
"A suspected Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Red Lotus Demon Sect? It’s perfect because I need the continuation of the ’Red Lotus Karma Fire Scripture’, saving me a lot of trouble by coming to my door."
"However, with my current strength, facing a Foundation Establishment demon cultivator poses some risks, so I must enhance my power just to be safe."
Lu Yan took out the Jade Spirit Pill he purchased from Jade Mountain Marketplace from his storage bag.
In fact, what He Luyuan mentioned was not just an excuse. Lu Yan bought so many spirit pills to break through the early stage of Qi Cultivation in one go.
To He Luyuan and those behind him, Lu Yan being at either the early or middle stage of Qi Cultivation was of no concern.
But for Lu Yan, ascending to the middle stage of Qi Cultivation would bring a qualitative leap in his power.
After consuming a Jade Spirit Pill, Lu Yan began today’s cultivation.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and with enough Spiritual Qi and pill supply, Lu Yan reached the middle stage of Qi Cultivation without any obstacles.
The smooth cultivation was a pleasant surprise to Lu Yan, who had prepared the Realm-Breaking Elixir in advance.
His aptitude was only average, and he had been cultivating for less than a year. Such rapid advancement could easily lead to bottlenecks.
However, Lu Yan encountered no bottlenecks during his cultivation.
After his breakthrough, Lu Yan carefully examined himself and realized the key to not meeting any bottlenecks was his exceptionally pure magical power, as if it had never been tempered by pills and was slowly cultivated step by step.
This realization immediately made Lu Yan think of the Great Sun Spiritual Qi absorbed during the apocalypse version.
Compared to the Moonlight Spiritual Qi gathered every night, Lu Yan had less time for daytime cultivation, usually practicing after slaughtering an area and letting the Soul Banner refine ghosts.
Due to the scarce presence of Great Sun Spiritual Qi in the ruined city, which fully integrated into sunlight, Lu Yan could barely sense its presence and didn’t notice anything unusual after three months of cultivation.
Reflecting now, his exceptionally pure magical power should be credited to the Great Sun Spiritual Qi.
With this thought, Lu Yan took out three Sunstones from his storage bag and examined them closely.
"These three Sunstones contain the purest Taiyang Spiritual Qi. Refining them should purify magical power, making them invaluable treasures in the cultivation version.
The purity of magical power greatly relates to a solid foundation and breakthrough in stage, and selling them to major sect disciples could yield significant benefits."
"But for now, I am just a small mid-stage Qi Cultivator, lacking the means for such a transaction."
With some regret, Lu Yan put the Sunstones back into his storage bag.
His foundation was stable now, not needing the Sunstones to purify his magical power further.
A month had barely passed when Lu Yan completed his cultivation breakthrough, but this was just the beginning for him.
Opening the storage bag, Lu Yan took out an Array Plate and began setting it up inside his cave mansion.
This Spirit Concealment Array was obtained from those plundering cultivators and was one of the few items Lu Yan kept.
The Spirit Concealment Array wasn’t a profound formation, but its effect was greatly valued by Lu Yan, as it could hide Spiritual Qi fluctuations and block external detection.
The purpose of setting up the Spirit Concealment Array in the cave mansion was only one: to refine the Soul Banner again!
With the activation of the array, Lu Yan took out the stored Soul Banner from the storage bag, instantly enveloping the whole cave mansion in ghostly mist, transforming it into a ghostly realm.
Hundreds of wraiths gathered inside the cave mansion, and at the forefront, two main souls at the peak of Qi Cultivation knelt with their heads lowered.
If not for the Spirit Concealment Array’s cover, the activation of the Soul Banner’s disturbance would have been enough to alarm the entire Cave Mansion District.
Lu Yan’s gaze swept over the numerous wraiths present, raising the Soul Banner high and fully mobilizing the magical power within his body.
Endless black mist began contracting, actively merging into the wraiths’ bodies, and in the next instant, 800 wraiths began to transform.
Their vicious, resentful faces on their bodies retracted within them, and their ethereal soul bodies began to solidify, releasing fierce auras from these ghostly figures.
Normally, after three months, Lu Yan killed over a hundred thousand zombies, and the refined wraiths should far exceed 800 in number, yet Lu Yan did not do so.
Eight hundred was already the limit his current cultivation could manage; more might be suppressed with the Profound Yellow Merit Fire but would affect battles.
Therefore, Lu Yan only refined 800 wraiths, with the excess zombie wandering souls stored within the Soul Banner as ghost mist reserves.
Once Lu Yan ascends to the fourth layer of Qi Cultivation, he can meld this ghost mist into the wraiths’ bodies as they ascend together.
The aura of mid-stage Qi Cultivation emanated from the wraiths, and their pale faces brimmed with vicious, fierce intentions. These emotions seemed woven into their souls, even making the Ghost Qi aggressive, as if to tear living creatures asunder.
At this moment, they were no longer wraiths, but vengeful spirits at the mid-stage Qi Cultivation level. Though it was just crossing a minor boundary, their power nearly doubled.
With the completion of the ascension of 800 vengeful spirits, their cultivation caught up with Lu Yan once more. Their increased power made the vengeful spirits restless, their eyes full of an eager challenge when looking at Lu Yan.
In the face of such a scene, Lu Yan didn’t even bother to lift an eyelid.
The next second, torch-like brilliance erupted from Lu Yan, as the Profound Yellow Merit Fire ignited from the void.
An ocean of merit from neutralizing the apocalypse disaster coursed around Lu Yan, and where the light shone, the chanting of celestial beings seemed to manifest, easily suppressing the ghostly realm before him.
Under the glow of the Profound Yellow Merit Fire, the vengeful spirits let out harrowing wails, their consolidating soul bodies melting like snow.
During this process, only the two main souls at the very front remained unaffected.
Moments later, the brilliance of the Profound Yellow Merit Fire receded, and the vengeful spirits, seizing a breath of respite, knelt trembling to the ground, not daring any form of defiance.
With a placid gaze sweeping over the 800 vengeful spirits, Lu Yan knew this was merely an appetizer.
Swishing the Soul Banner in his hand, a massive soul bound by ghost mist appeared within the cave mansion, precisely the Corpse King’s Soul from the final hunt of the apocalypse version.
Previously constrained by his weak cultivation, Lu Yan had kept the Corpse King’s Soul suppressed within the Soul Banner.
Now, breaking through to the mid-stage Qi Cultivation and the wraiths’ ascension to vengeful spirits, it was finally time to add another main soul to the Soul Banner.