Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 420 Cooperation Options
Late at night, Song Xian lay on his back in bed, staring blankly at the stone wall above him, still pondering the origin of the Blood Soul Banner.

As I was thinking, a sudden inspiration struck me.

Since he can communicate with the ghost generals inside the Blood Soul Banner, I wonder if he can communicate with the ghosts on that alien ghost island?
If possible, could we do business instead of resorting to violence to achieve our respective goals?

He had originally planned to wait until his cultivation level was higher before venturing into that alien realm to collect ghost crystal cores.

But the ghost generals who advanced within the Blood Soul Banner changed his mind. If he could communicate with the ghosts within the Blood Soul Banner, why couldn't he cooperate with the ghosts on the alien ghost island?

There are also many items in the cultivation world that are beneficial to the cultivation of ghost generals, such as Yin Soul Pearls, which can be used to store Yin energy and help ghosts cultivate. He had obtained many Yin Soul Pearls in the cave where he obtained the Xuan Tian Fusion Fire Technique.

That alien island was not a monolithic entity; it was divided into several factions that fought against each other.

He could cultivate an agent to acquire ghost cores through transactions.

Even if he cannot communicate directly with the ghosts of the alien island, he can cooperate with them through the ghost generals within the Blood Soul Banner.

He didn't even need to show himself; he could simply order the ghost generals to talk to them. This way, he wouldn't have to worry about them having malicious intentions because of his different status.

If the cooperation goes smoothly, that otherworld will become his base for obtaining ghost crystal cores in the future.

.........

The next morning, as soon as Song Xian stepped out of the inner courtyard, a disciple came up to him and reported that Huang Ye had arrived early and was waiting to see him.

He then went to the waiting room, where Huang Ye saw him arrive, stood up and bowed, then handed him a file containing information about Xu An's contact with Wan Yuesheng, a confidant of Wan Huaming.

Xu An had been on this mission for several years, and had also been in contact with Wan Yuesheng for several years. He would contact Huang Ye every three months to report on the specific situation.

Over the years, he grew closer and closer to Wan Yuesheng without arousing Wan Yuesheng's suspicion in the slightest.

This is because Song Xian never assigned him any tasks, neither asking him to inquire about any information about Wan Huaming through Wan Yuesheng, nor asking him to try to contact Wan Huaming through Wan Yuesheng.

He simply ate, drank, and had fun with Wan Yuesheng, and they worked together to sell talismans to earn spirit stones, which naturally did not arouse Wan Yuesheng's suspicion.

With Song Xian's secret support, his talisman business has been thriving in recent years, growing bigger and bigger.

"Sect Leader, shouldn't we close the net? Judging from the current situation, Xu An has basically gained Wan Yuesheng's trust, and we can proceed to the next step."

"No rush, let's wait a bit longer." Song Xian waved his hand. To deal with Wan Huaming, they had to wait for the right time, place, and people, and make sure everything went perfectly. Any slight mistake would not only bring him great trouble but also harm the entire sect. Therefore, he was very cautious.

Even though Xu An had become very close to Wan Yuesheng, he wasn't in a hurry to make a move, since Wan Huaming couldn't escape anyway.

He was in the open, while Wan Huaming was in the shadows. He had to make sure everything was in place. Right now, he wasn't 100% confident that he could deal with Wan Huaming.

Therefore, I would rather endure it than make a mistake that will haunt me forever.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing I need you to do."

"Master, please give your instructions."

"Pay attention to items related to Yin-attribute cultivation, such as Yin Soul Beads and Soul-Severing Crystals, which are helpful for ghosts to cultivate."

"Yes." Although Huang Ye was curious, he did not press for details.

Song Xian admired this trait in him: he would never ask a question he shouldn't: "This matter should be kept as secret as possible."

“I understand,” Huang Ye replied solemnly. Although he didn’t know what Song Xian wanted these things for, he guessed that they might be related to Yin Yuan Island.

Song Xian nodded, flipped his hand, and took out an exquisite golden pill bottle: "I promised you before that I would give you a Foundation Establishment Pill after I dealt with Wan Huaming's matter. Now that you have reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, you can take this Foundation Establishment Pill!"

Huang Ye's eyes lit up, but he quickly concealed his emotions: "Wan Huaming's matter has not yet been resolved, so I dare not accept this item."

"Take it! You've done a lot for me over the years, this is what you deserve. Don't let this delay your time to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Thank you, Sect Leader." Huang Ye accepted the Foundation Establishment Pill without further hesitation.

"Go ahead!" Song Xian waved his hand.

The reason he asked Huang Ye to keep an eye out, instead of having Feng Yan, who was in charge of external affairs, look for him, was because Huang Ye knew the inside story of Yinyuan Island and would act cautiously.

Although searching for cultivation items with yin attributes is unlikely to arouse suspicion from the investigators on Yin Yuan Island, it is still best to proceed with caution.

After all, items related to Yin cultivation are easy to associate with ghosts and spirits.

After Huang Ye left, he summoned Jiang Zichen, gave him instructions on sect affairs, and then left the mountain gate.

.........

The sun shone brightly, the sky was a clear, deep blue, the sea was calm and still, and a gentle breeze rippled the water like folds in silk, stretching silently to the horizon.

In mid-air, a streak of light flashed by, stopped on the deserted sea surface, cautiously surveyed its surroundings, and then plunged into the seabed.

The visitor was Song Xian. That night, he devised a way to make money from the foreign ghosts and get what he wanted from them. The next day, he left the mountain gate and headed to the South China Sea of ​​the Muhe Grassland.

First, he needs to find a partner willing to cooperate on that alien island, and then collect the necessary items for the transaction.

His purpose this time was not to obtain the Ghost Crystal, but to find an agent. Therefore, he did not wait to collect enough Yin-attribute cultivation items before going. Besides, he already had quite a few Yin Soul Beads in his storage bag.

Song Xian descended deeper and deeper, fully extending his divine sense to observe every movement around him. He arrived at the low mountain range where the volcano had erupted on the seabed and quickly found the black rock that could serve as a teleportation portal.

After confirming that no one was watching, he flipped his hand and took out a talisman. He poured spiritual power into it, forming a shield around himself that isolated him from the water. Then he placed his bleeding arm on the stone wall.

As the blood flowed down, it soaked the entire stone wall, giving it a faint glow.

Then, his spiritual energy surged into the stone wall, and the light on the stone wall grew brighter and brighter until the image flowing on the stone wall froze.

He slipped into the inner room, and instantly felt as if he had fallen into an endless abyss, surrounded by complete darkness.

After a dizzying moment, his vision quickly cleared. Although he was still underwater, with the low mountains formed by the volcano behind him, he could sense that he had arrived in that unfamiliar sea area.

.........

A dark red blood moon hung high in the sky, a light drizzle fell from the sky, and a howling wind rustled the branches and leaves of the trees, making them creak as if wild beasts were howling.

With a soft 'thud,' a ghostly figure shrouded in black mist was dropped from the sky and landed in the dense forest. Song Xian's spiritual power enveloped it, rendering it unable to move.

This was the first squad of ghosts he had accidentally encountered in the wilderness after landing on the island. He didn't know if they were on a mission or on patrol. After discovering them, Song Xian killed the other ghosts, leaving only this one alive. He brought it to this desolate wilderness, intending to interrogate it carefully and hoping to get more information about the island from it.

The ghostly figure was suppressed by his immense spiritual power and struggled incessantly. Red light flashed between its empty eyes, but it could not receive any information in its mind.

He tried to communicate with the ghost general in the Blood Soul Banner by asking him questions through his mind via the Niwan Palace of his divine consciousness.

However, like a stone thrown into the sea, no sound came to mind.

As expected, I couldn't communicate directly with the ghosts.

This result was not unexpected for him, because he had been to this alien realm once before, and at that time he was also unable to communicate with the ghosts.

Compared to then, he has not changed in any way except that his cultivation has improved and he has broken through to the seventh level of Foundation Establishment.

Having neither obtained any special treasures nor encountered any extraordinary events, there's no reason why someone who was originally at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment could communicate with it after breaking through to the seventh level.

The reason he was able to communicate with the Blood Banner Soul Ghost General was most likely due to the trickery of the master mentioned by that ghost general.

Although we don't know who the ghost general's master is, nor how it did it, we can now be certain that it is definitely related to it.

Seeing that he could not communicate with the ghost, Song Xian flipped his hand and took out the Ghost Banner. With a thought, the banner flashed with light, and the ghost general emerged from within.

Upon seeing the ghost emerge from the black banner, its eyes flashed red, indicating that it was very agitated.

"What did it say? Do you know?" Song Xian immediately asked the ghost general through his divine consciousness in the Niwan Palace.

"I know. He wants to live and begs for your forgiveness." A deep voice echoed in his mind, and Song Xian was overjoyed. Since the ghost general inside the Blood Soul Banner could communicate with these ghosts, he could negotiate with them through him.

"Ask it what the island is called, how many factions are on the island, and who is the most powerful cultivator there."

The ghost general's eyes flashed red, and he repeated his words. Strangely, this time Song Xian could not hear the ghost general's voice in his mind.

He immediately raised another question, but the ghost general, bewildered, couldn't explain the details. It only said that communicating with the messenger was a gift from its master. After Song Xian repeatedly asked it questions, it finally gave a vague answer.

It turns out that after it was promoted to Ghost General, a black mist-like gas appeared in its body, and the two communicated through this black mist-like gas.

The way to communicate with this ghostly creature is through the crystal core inside the body.

It's like different channel receivers; the black, misty gas is one channel, allowing communication with Song Xian.

The crystal core inside his body was on a different channel, and Song Xian couldn't receive the signal from that channel.

Having understood this, Song Xian stopped asking questions, knowing that no matter how many more he asked, he wouldn't get an answer. Even the ghost himself was confused and couldn't explain it clearly; this was just a conclusion he had drawn from speculation.

Through continuous communication with the ghost within the Blood Soul Banner, he finally figured out the basic situation on the island.

The island is called 'Haji Island', and there are two major forces on the island, one of which is the dog tribe.

These were the Netherworld Hounds that Song Xian encountered when he first arrived. Their territory was in the southeast of the island, and their leader was named Erhan. His cultivation level was at the third level of Ghost General, which Song Xian estimated to be equivalent to the late Foundation Establishment stage of a cultivator. Their base was in Quanrong City.

Another force on the island is the Bull Clan, the one with a human body and a bull's head. Their territory is in the central and northwestern parts of the island. Their leader is named 'Hill', whose cultivation level is at the fourth level of Ghost General, only one step away from Ghost King. Song Xian speculates that this is equivalent to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment in humans. Their base is in Bull City.

Clearly, the Ghost Bull Clan is stronger than the Ghost Dog Clan. Although they have been fighting for many years, neither has been able to completely eliminate the other.

The two sides have now reconciled and intend to divide the country along the river, each governing their own territory. Anyone who is discovered stepping into the other's territory will be eliminated.

The scene that Song Xian witnessed earlier, where the ghosts fought the ghost dogs, was because the ghost dog clan had stepped into the territory of the ghost bull clan.

Although the Ghost Dog and the Ghost Ox come from different races, they arrive at the same destination: their advanced form is the Ghost General.

This is somewhat similar to the cultivation methods of demonic beasts. Whether they are canine, bull, or horse-type demonic beasts, they all eventually have to undergo a transformation tribulation and develop into human form.

Therefore, in essence, there is no difference between the Ghost Dog Clan and the Ghost Ox Clan; their cultivation methods are the same.

And from the ghostly figure, we learn that this 'Haji Island' is actually just the tip of the iceberg of this world.

Beyond this sea lies another world, in which, besides the Ghost Dog Clan and the Ghost Bull Clan, there are other races.

This ghostly figure asked the Blood Soul Banner Ghost General if it was from overseas, and also asked Song Xian which clan he belonged to.

It is clear that it mistook the two people for uninvited guests from outside the island.

Perhaps due to its limited knowledge and lack of experience with the ghost race outside the island, it found Song Xian's appearance strange, but did not think he was fundamentally different from them.

It's possible that the ghost general's presence gave it a false impression, leading it to mistakenly believe that Song Xian was also from some tribe outside the island.

After learning about the island's basic situation from the ghost, Song Xian took out an exquisite black bottle, poured out a small cup of spiritual milk, and made it drink.

Under his pressure, the ghost dared not disobey and sucked the spiritual milk clean in one gulp.

He then instructed the ghost general to lie, saying that the spiritual milk was brought from outside the island and would help with cultivation, and asked it how it felt after drinking it.
Soon, he received a reply from the ghost, who surprisingly felt that this thing was no different from water.

This further confirmed Song Xian's previous judgment: the spiritual milk was actually of no help to the cultivation of ghosts. Logically speaking, spiritual milk is a substance formed from the condensation of spiritual energy, and it can only be effective for those who cultivate by relying on spiritual energy.

These ghostly beings cultivate by absorbing yin energy, so how could spiritual milk possibly benefit their cultivation?

Previously, the ghosts and monsters inside the Blood Soul Banner seemed to be drooling over this spiritual milk.

There are two possibilities for why this would happen.

Firstly, the ghosts of the Blood Soul Banner do not rely on Yin energy for cultivation, but rather need spiritual energy like cultivators. Therefore, spiritual milk would be beneficial to them, but this possibility is extremely slim, because Song Xian has never seen them cultivate by absorbing and refining spiritual energy.

That leaves only the second possibility: the spiritual milk they absorbed did not directly benefit themselves, but was instead fed back to their master, the consciousness within the Blood Soul Banner.

Whether it's absorbing the flesh and blood of demonic beasts or cultivators, or spiritual milk, it's all beneficial to their masters. The master uses this method to enhance their power and then uses special methods to give them even stronger cultivation.

In this way, all the anomalies can be explained.

After learning the basic situation of the island, Song Xian killed the ghost without hesitation. He then used a concealment talisman to hide his figure, but instead of taking the ghost general back into the Blood Soul Banner, he let it go openly to the Ghost Bull Clan's training settlement, while he quietly followed behind it.

(End of this chapter)