An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 256 The Ghost Legion Returns to Its Peak
The skill 【Bone Binding Technique】 has not been upgraded for a long time because I didn't have enough karma points.

However, its powerful effects are undeniable.

Even the [Bone Binding Technique] at the beginner level is enough to control a powerful god like Garuda with a massive army of ghosts.

"There are too many places where the Golden Embryo Essence needs to be consumed. With this skill, its use can be greatly reduced, and as the ghost army rapidly grows in this world, its power will also increase at a rocket speed."

"The same applies to the Spirit-Slaying Demon Finger."

He originally intended to save some energy, but he now realizes that the Hundred Ghosts Furnace world is far more dangerous than he imagined, so it's best to push his strength to its limit as soon as possible.

Once he made up his mind, Chu Xiu didn't hesitate and started adding points like crazy again!
Massive amounts of causal points burned rapidly as if they were free, and the levels of the two skills also increased accordingly!
[Consuming 37762 Karma Points, the Soul Binding Technique has been mastered to perfection!]

[Consuming 65202 Karma Points, the Soul-Slaying Demon Finger technique has reached perfection!]

Unlocking and mastering these two inheritances cost Chu Xiu over 200,000, which is an astronomical figure for an ordinary awakened person, but in reality, the two combined cost far less than the Golden Embryo Forging God.

Not to mention the Golden Embryo Forging God, even the Golden Muscle and Nether Bone have consumed more energy than these!
This is the difference between powerful supernatural abilities and basic inherited skills.

In fact, basic supernatural abilities like Golden Embryo Forging God are not something that practitioners can master at this stage. In the past, in the demonic sects, those who could cultivate to the fourth level before reaching the Golden Core stage were already geniuses among geniuses.

Without the causal link in the abyss, Chu Xiu might never have reached perfection in his cultivation, even until he died of old age!

It can only be said that the compatibility between the Abyss and demonic cultivators is too high. If the Abyss had existed earlier, Chu Xiu would not believe that the demonic sects would be defeated by the righteous sects.

Of course, there is another important reason why these two inheritances cost so little: their power is greatly dependent on the scale of the ghost army and is not limited to themselves. Therefore, the consumption of the [Spirit-Slaying Demon Finger] of the general-level inheritance is not as high as that of the [Burning Blood Golden Eye] of the ferocious-level inheritance.

"This means that improving proficiency is far from enough; what's truly important is the ghost army!"

Chu Xiu opened his eyes and waved the Thousand Soul Banner. Instantly, the sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling rang out beside him, and countless roaring wronged souls rushed out from it!
Sensing the situation, Jiang Miaoyin opened her eyes and was immediately shocked by what she saw.

Countless powerful ghosts surrounded Chu Xiu, weaving back and forth, as if adding a suit of armor forged from the souls of the dead to Chu Xiu.

During this time, Chu Xiu focused on cultivation, but he did not stop refining the Soul Banner. Multitasking was an easy thing for him now.

After absorbing all the energy of the dead souls in the hall, just as he had predicted, countless ghosts were revived and reborn, and the size of the ghost army was restored to two-thirds of its original size.

But that's far from over. Don't forget, he had previously released a quarter of his recovered ghost to devour other ghosts in the city.

The ghosts in this city are full of life, but they are not good at fighting, making them perfect food!

These past ten days have become a hunting ground for Chu Xiu's ghosts, and the power of those ghosts is increasing wildly!

Now, the ghosts in the city have been almost completely wiped out, and the overall strength of the ghost army is even stronger than it was at its peak!
But Chu Xiu was still not satisfied!

He opened his eyes and looked at Jiang Miaoyin.

The latter immediately understood and handed over a small black ball: "Senior, most of the soul power of those holy spirits is here."

Chu Xiu checked it and found that it was roughly equivalent to the soul bodies of six King-level Soul-type creatures.

The losses were significant, but understandable.

He reached out and squeezed, and the black ball immediately exploded. The enormous soul power surged outwards like a tide. But as countless excited shrieks rang out, tens of thousands of ghosts swirled around Chu Xiu, forming layers of gray-black storms. These storms devoured all the soul power, leaving not a single bit behind.

And in this continuous process of devouring, the size of the ghost army expanded rapidly! Countless ghosts were born and transformed at all times!
Suddenly, a powerful aura rose from it.

The second high-ranking ghost general has been born.

Chu Xiu was not surprised at all by this.

He slew seven gods during the trials of the past, and the souls of these seven gods were all of the highest quality.

In particular, the celestial soul is a strong candidate for him to challenge the Ghost King.

Tianlong and Garuda are strong enough, and even if the other four are slightly inferior, they are almost certain to become high-level ghost generals.

The only thing lacking is the soul power for evolution!
With such a large influx of soul power, it was like a long-accumulated force finally bursting forth!
As another powerful aura rose, a third high-level ghost general appeared! And that wasn't all; just as the soul power was almost completely absorbed, yet another aura rose!
The souls of the celestial beings, dragons, and garudas all successfully advanced to high-ranking ghost generals!

Their souls are already incredibly powerful, and the soul power they need to advance is far less than that of others.

Jiang Miaoyin, watching all this from afar, was once again shocked. In the blink of an eye, three powerful King-level creatures were born, joining the countless ghost army.
"This is the power of a Heroic Spirit!" Envy flashed in her eyes.

Chu Xiu could hardly hide his smile.

The ghost army has not only recovered to its peak, but has also gained three more king-level ghosts!

He was extremely curious about just how powerful the [Bone Binding Technique] and [Soul Slaughtering Demon Finger] would be now!
Thinking of this, Chu Xiu looked at Jiang Miaoyin: "It's time to continue exploring the interior of the Soul Palace."

Chu Xiu's voice brought Jiang Miaoyin back to her senses. A smug smile appeared on her face as she leaned closer and said, "Senior, I had already thought of that for you!"

"While you were in seclusion, my daughter organized Setsunagi to explore the Soul Palace inside and out."

"Look!"

With a flick of her wrist, a map composed of emerald green light appeared before Chu Xiu's eyes.

The map was as big as a wall, clearly showing the structure of the Soul Palace. Some places had special markings such as [treasure chests] and [skulls]. However, at the end of the route leading to the deepest part of the Soul Palace, there was a fog, indicating that Jiang Miaoyin had not yet ventured in.

"Senior, I've already marked all the valuable locations for you! I've even had Setsunagi pave the way. All you have to do is go and collect these resources."

"How about that? Aren't I thoughtful? Don't you think it was the right decision to work with me before?"

Looking at the map in front of him, Chu Xiu smiled and understood why Jiang Miaoyin had said earlier that she was qualified to assist heroic spirits.

Although Setsuna's reconnaissance accuracy was a bit lacking, his efficiency was extremely high, even surpassing that of his divine sense.

With her exploring all the resource points in advance, Chu Xiu only needed to clean up the designated areas, which was indeed very convenient.

However, he ignored Jiang Miaoyin's attempt to take credit and simply said, "Let's go."

Jiang Miaoyin pursed her lips, but still deftly made a hand seal, instantly creating a large number of magical attacks that pierced through the wall, constructing a passage to the outside world.

Chu Xiu stepped out, and as he walked, a large number of ghosts rushed out from the soul banner. Led by various ghost generals, they headed to devour the soul-type creatures marked by Jiang Miaoyin inside the Soul Palace.

Chu Xiu himself led Jiang Miaoyin toward the deepest part of the Soul Palace.

"I heard that the Soul Palace is divided into three parts: the sacrificial altar, the main body of the Soul Palace, and the hidden altar."

"The sacrificial altar is open to the outside world and is a place for ordinary residents to worship. It is also responsible for receiving energy from the supply point." "The main body of the Soul Hall is the place where the Soul Hall cultivators live. Some of the main living facilities and food storage are also located here. The place we are in now is the main body of the Soul Hall. The place where the guardian spirits were before was the sacrificial altar."

"As for the final hidden altar, that is the core of the Soul Palace. Only high-level Soul Palace exorcists are qualified to enter. It contains the most advanced technology and cutting-edge research of the entire [Exorcist Civilization]."

"Is it something like a cutting-edge scientific research institute combined with a gathering place for high-ranking religious figures?"

As they walked, Jiang Miaoyin explained things to Chu Xiu.

This knowledge, which even the government had not collected, was the latest discovery made by the four major families during their ten-day exploration.

It has to be said that this girl did indeed provide Chu Xiu with a lot of help.

With his information, Chu Xiu had a general idea in his mind: the sacrificial altar should be the first line of defense against the invaders. After the guardian spirits were destroyed, the Soul Hall personnel, who left behind a large number of corpses, retreated back to the main body of the Soul Hall and used the terrain advantage and various defensive facilities to carry out guerrilla warfare.

But clearly, the battle was ultimately lost, and the survivors must have all taken refuge in the hidden shrine.

The soul cores of those guardian spirits should also be inside. Destroying the soul cores is equivalent to destroying the guardian spirits' bodies, which will yield a large amount of experience and dropped items, a real fortune.

At the same time, the most elite and highest-quality souls in the entire Soul Palace should also be gathered there.

"It wouldn't be surprising if a king-level leader-level ghost evolved from it."

Of course, forget about Heroic Spirits; that's definitely impossible. The gap between Heroic Spirits and Kings isn't so easy to bridge. Otherwise, the [Exorcist Civilization] wouldn't have developed for so long before finally giving birth to a Heroic Spirit at the last moment.

As the two were talking, the passage leading to the deepest part of the Soul Palace appeared before them.

This is a giant passage over a kilometer long, as if it were built for the gods. Even though there are many collapses and cracks left by battles, it does not prevent Chu Xiu from imagining its former magnificence.

Within the passage, some ghosts clad in ancient armor wandered about, and at the end of the passage stood a colossal bronze gate.

"There seems to be some powerful being behind that door. My Setsunagi was devoured as soon as I went in, which is why I didn't scout ahead," Jiang Miaoyin explained.

Chu Xiu nodded and took a step forward, but after a few steps he suddenly raised an eyebrow and a knowing smile appeared in his eyes.

His divine sense caught sight of a blurry figure at the end of the passage.

The figure was entirely gray-black, lying quietly on a broken stone pillar closest to the bronze gate, almost completely blending into its surroundings.

Murderer.

He knew this guy had suffered such a great loss and wouldn't let it go easily; sure enough, he came back like a persistent ghost.

This time, however, Chu Xiu spotted the other party when they were about 800 meters apart!
This guy was clever. Knowing he couldn't find Chu Xiu's trail, he simply lay in ambush in the passage leading to the deepest part of the Soul Palace.

In order to ambush Chu Xiu, he didn't even bother to clear out any of the monsters on the road.

If Chu Xiu hadn't cultivated the Golden Embryo Forging God, he might have actually been assassinated!

After a moment's thought, Chu Xiu pretended not to see it and released the ghosts to clear away the wandering spirits on the road.

These wraiths are all transformed from elite warriors, the weakest of whom are at least of the fierce rank. Moreover, these creatures are considered abyssal beings, and some loot will drop after they are killed.

Meanwhile, the ghost generals who went to the locations marked by Jiang Miaoyin to kill monsters also returned one after another. In almost every team led by a ghost general, a new fierce ghost was born, and the level of the ghost general's body also increased by an average of 1 to 2 levels.

It can be said that the overall strength of the Ghost Legion has been significantly enhanced.

After clearing away all the ghosts in the passage, they were less than three hundred meters away from the bronze gate.

At this distance, Chu Xiu's divine sense had already enveloped the entire body of the murderer. Every breath he took, every slightly excited smile that curled at the corner of his mouth, was captured by Chu Xiu, while the murderer himself was completely unaware of it.

A strange smile appeared on Chu Xiu's face. He suddenly stopped and said, "Don't you think this is a very good location?"

"Huh?" Jiang Miaoyin was taken aback.

Chu Xiu said, "If I were a murderer, I would definitely choose this place to ambush. The rocks here are jagged, which makes it easy to hide, and it is also a necessary route for our Soul Palace to explore."

"Hmm," Jiang Miaoyin tilted her head and thought for a moment before nodding, "It seems that's indeed the case."

He then laughed and said, "But he didn't do that. I suppose he's not as clever as you, senior."

Chu Xiu shook his head with amusement. Why was this genius from the Jiang family acting like a sycophant? Was it a habit he developed from spending so much time with heroic spirits?

He suggested, "How can you be sure the killer isn't here? It would be better to investigate more thoroughly, just to be safe."

Chu Xiu didn't want to reveal his trump card of leaping reconnaissance ability too early, because he had already realized that the murderer lying in ambush in the distance was still just a spirit puppet, and even if he killed it, he couldn't eradicate this scourge.

He's holding back a trump card now; this information gap could give him an advantage in the future.

After hearing Chu Xiu's words, Jiang Miaoyin glanced at him, a thoughtful expression on her face. She didn't refuse again, but simply raised her hand and sent a massive amount of Instant Qi surging forward.

Unfortunately, despite their large numbers, Setsuna no one reacted to the hidden killer.

One of them even passed right through his body without anyone noticing anything unusual.

Although Jiang Miaoyin gained nothing, she did not seem to give up. After thinking for a while, her hand seals changed rapidly, and the four strange Buddha statues that Chu Xiu had seen in the secret room appeared around her.

She gave a soft shout and sent a beam of spiritual light into the Buddha statue with a weeping smile on its face and its hands covering its eyes. As the spiritual light continued to flow in, the Buddha statue made a "crackling" sound, and its hands covering its eyes gradually fell down.

Only then did Chu Xiu realize that the Buddha statue had a pair of bloodshot, violent eyes, like those of a demon!
Those eyes darted forward, then suddenly snapped to a sharp angle, pinpointing the killer's location with pinpoint accuracy! An invisible wave emanated from the area, instantly dispelling the killer's concealment!
The killer reacted quickly, dodging and running away, but Chu Xiu simply raised his hand and pointed lightly, a beam of emerald light shooting out. The moment it hit the killer, his flesh and blood instantly dissolved into a puddle of mud. He didn't even utter a sound before his bones melted into the foul-smelling blood.

At the same time, streams of pure life energy were absorbed by Chu Xiu and integrated into his spiritual flesh storage pouch, nourishing the damaged body of his Blood Demon avatar.

This terrifying scene made Jiang Miaoyin's eyelids twitch involuntarily.

The eerie green light was incredibly fast. Before she could react, the killer was struck, and its domineering ability to dissolve the target made her gasp in horror.

She quickly considered in her mind how she would deal with this supernatural power if she were facing it herself.

The result of her thought made her look quite unpleasant, but she quickly put on a smile and complimented, "Senior's skills are truly impressive!"

"You flatter me," Chu Xiu replied casually, then fixed his gaze on the four Buddha statues beside her, saying meaningfully, "Your cursed spirit is also quite good, able to see through the murderer's disguise."

"But if you have such powerful methods, why didn't you use them before?"

(End of this chapter)