Chapter 370: Chapter 140: Night-Roaming Cloud Dragon, Soul Banner Devours Bandits, The True Purpose of Yue Mankong’s Mission

Chu Fan’s attention was ultimately drawn to two techniques: the *Netherworld Soul Refining Technique* and the *Celestial Capital Black Flame Technique*.

These two were the true pinnacle of Demon Techniques.

Paired with the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, the *Netherworld Soul Refining Technique* could gather, refine, control, and devour souls. Its power was bizarre and unpredictable, potent enough to challenge those in higher realms.

Had Lingkong Yu’s cultivation reached Great Success, and had she not just recently finished forging the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, the outcome of her battle with Yue Mankong might have been very different.

Yue Mankong had once said that High-Grade Ancient Treasures were rare, even among Demon Suppression Envoys.

But what made the Ten Thousand Souls Banner even more special was its potential for growth... The more numerous and powerful the souls sealed within, the more terrifying its power became.

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner in Chu Fan’s hands was completely empty. For now, it was more like a vessel with immense potential. In a fight, it was probably less effective than simply smashing an enemy with his High-Grade Profound Weapon, the Five Elements Cauldron.

But if it could one day absorb thousands upon thousands of souls, its might would be enough to suppress the vast majority of High-Grade Ancient Treasures!

And the *Netherworld Soul Refining Technique* was the definitive method for unleashing the Ten Thousand Souls Banner’s power.

Even without the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, the Demon Technique itself was enough to make Righteous Cultivators turn pale at its very name.

At that moment, Chu Fan found himself somewhat admiring Yue Mankong.

He had been resentful before, feeling that the great Demon Suppression Envoy’s Paperman avatar had just watched from the sidelines, doing nothing, while he—a mere Spirit Awakening Realm cultivator—fought for his life...

But now, it seemed that man’s greatest talent was probably "scheming."

From the day Yue Mankong sealed the Resentful Shadow Avatar, it seemed the great Demon Suppression Envoy had foreseen every subsequent step.

He even used the Nine Nether Spirit Locking Array that Zhang Yunpeng had activated to draw power for himself!

And as for Yue Mankong sending him to wipe out the Heaven-Flipping Sabers, Chu Fan now saw a hidden meaning...

It was all for the Ten Thousand Souls Banner!

Yue Mankong had likely guessed—even before Chu Fan laid a hand on the Ten Thousand Souls Banner—that the Magical Treasure capable of sealing the Resentful Spirit would be this kind of soul-suppressing and Soul Refining artifact.

Sending Chu Fan to wipe out the Heaven-Flipping Sabers seemed like a minor task, but in reality, it was a gift of hundreds of evil souls!

Yue Mankong hadn’t said a single word about any of this.

He had simply assigned a task.

But now, by connecting the dots, Chu Fan had figured out a great deal.

Thinking of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner inside him, Chu Fan opened his eyes, a glint of cruelty flashing within them.

The act of Soul Refining was, by its very nature, exceptionally cruel.

But when it came to refining scum like them, he saw nothing wrong with a bit of cruelty.

He was even starting to enjoy this cruelty!

This trip had been more than worth it!

As for the *Celestial Capital Black Flame Technique*...

According to the information gleaned from refining Lingkong Yu’s memories, this technique was comprehended by the ancient Evil Cultivator "Old Demon Tiandu" in the ultimate land of Extreme Yin—the Nine Nether Corpse Sea.

It used one’s own soul as a catalyst to fuse with thousands of corpse fiends, refining the "Celestial Capital Black Flame" that could incinerate all things. The technique was vicious and tyrannical to the extreme.

For this very reason, it had been banned by the righteous sects, with only fragmented versions surviving to this day.

Chu Fan slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of conflict in their depths.

Ever since obtaining the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, he had been conflicted for days.

When Cultivators in this world absorbed the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism, it was inevitable that they would be tainted by some "pollution."

But the Pollution from Demon Cultivation Techniques, especially fast-acting and immensely powerful Evil Techniques like these, was far greater than that from Righteous Daoist Techniques.

Lingkong Yu was a prime example...

After he completed the Refinement of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, he obtained the woman’s memories of her cultivation, as well as a few from her daily life.

From those memories, Chu Fan could clearly see that Lingkong Yu had long ago been driven mad and dangerously unpredictable by her cultivation.

Even her own subordinates and her disciple, Ghost Moon, had been deathly afraid of her, terrified she might suddenly turn on them and kill them...

Chu Fan subconsciously glanced at his own status.

[Pollution Level: 10/100]

Exactly one-tenth.

Chu Fan didn’t know what other people’s Pollution Levels were, so he had no way of judging whether 10 points was a lot or a little.

But the maximum was only 100. The number hung over him like a dark cloud, weighing down his heart.

He had only been on the Cultivation Path for five months...

’At this rate, will I even last five years?’

A voice in his mind urged him on, telling him to try cultivating those two tyrannical Demon Techniques.

’The *Celestial Capital Black Flame Technique* is one thing, but no matter how strong it is, how could it possibly be stronger than my *Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture*?’

’But while I have the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, it’ll be difficult to unleash its power without the *Netherworld Soul Refining Technique* to activate it.’

"Haaaah—"

Chu Fan let out a long breath, forcefully suppressing the restlessness and greed in his heart.

Even if he were to cultivate the *Netherworld Soul Refining Technique*, now was not the time.

He immediately refocused his mind, sat down cross-legged, and centered himself, resolved to continue cultivating the *Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture*.

’This is my foundation!’

The power of the *Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture* was far beyond what those other Demon Techniques could offer.

He had only practiced it for seven days, and he hadn’t even opened a single one of the eighty-one Dragon Acupoints required for the second step of the first level.

Yet the fledgling "Spirit Array Map" alone had already granted him a complete Rebirth.

Activating the Spirit Array Map was like entering a mystical "Combat Stance" that caused his perception and speed to skyrocket severalfold!

The only drawback was that it consumed Primordial Qi too quickly. At present, he could only sustain it for fifteen breaths at most.

But fifteen breaths was more than enough to turn defeat into victory!

Chu Fan cleared away his distracting thoughts and carefully guided the pure Primordial Qi from his Qi Sea. Following the intricate pathways of the *Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture’s* first level, he traced the "Spirit Array Map"—a diagram that held immense power—over and over again.

His mind was completely focused, tracing the fine pathways stroke by stroke, connecting the illusory array’s nodes one by one.

The process was exceedingly tedious and mentally exhausting.

Thread by thread, the Primordial Qi flowed along the profound pathways within his body, attempting to make the illusory Array Map more substantial.

Every attempt at its construction was like performing a delicate carving inside his own body.

[*Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture* Experience Points +1]

As the Spirit Array Map was about to take shape, Chu Fan mustered his concentration and held it for fifteen breaths.