BXBX NOVEL Chapter 155 - 112: Yin Altar_1
As the saying goes, “With money, one can make even ghosts grind the mill!”
Once one’s power grew and spirit stones became abundant, every task at hand would simplify considerably.
In just a brief span of ten days, Xu Yang visited all the ghost markets within the boundaries of Liang Country.
He threw out heaps of spirit stones to purchase evil ghosts and fierce souls, as well as some special materials for constructing the Yin Altar, the yield was indeed fulfilling.
Ultimately, he filled all nineteen of his Hundred Ghosts Banners with evil ghosts, including the underworld souls of two Foundation Establishment cultivators, the result of his last act of hiding his cultivation and baiting them while posing as a Qi Cultivation practitioner, both of whom were Ghost Path Cultivators.
Together with the Demon Cultivator he had slain earlier at White Dragon Lake, Xu Yang now possessed three Foundation Establishment cultivators’ underworld souls in his hands.
In combination with the thousands of evil ghosts within the nineteen Hundred Ghosts Banners, it was sufficient for him to refine the Increase and Decrease Two Generals.
Of course, such frenzied spending had nearly emptied his coffers, or else he wouldn’t have resorted to hiding his cultivation and baiting others in the end.
He simply had no spirit stones left.
Luckily, the fishing method was very effective, having directly caught two Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivators, his newfound wealth was quite substantial. Not only did it replenish his spirit stones, but it also provided him with two Foundation Establishment underworld souls and many materials that couldn’t be bought in the ghost markets, perfect for constructing the Yin Altar Soldier Tomb.
Had he not been worried about causing too much commotion, inciting panic, and inviting trouble, Xu Yang would have liked to fish a few more times.
Upon returning to Dongting Lake, the eyes of various powers still lingered, though none reached out to probe any further.
Clearly, Bai Yunzi had reported the matter of “Dongting’s Spirit Land” to the Sect, making it known to all parties.
Once the others received the news and learned that a mid-stage Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator was hidden within, they naturally would not send their subordinates to their deaths.
Some with insufficient strength even gave up altogether.
Only a few formidable competitors remained, watching intently, waiting for the competition for the Spirit Land to begin after three months.
Xu Yang did not strike against them again; instead, he returned to the island, activated the formation, and began setting up the Yin Altar.
To control and train underworld ghosts, it was best to construct a Yin Altar first, as it could effectively enhance the effect.
During this period, Xu Yang had accumulated quite a bit of material through financial purchases and counter-killing while fishing, especially the contributions from the possessions of those two Foundation Establishment Ghost Cultivators, which provided enough for him to build a Yin Altar on the level of a “Taoist True Man.”
A Taoist True Man corresponds to Foundation Establishment, and according to the classification of this world, that would be a second tier Yin Altar, comparable to spiritual artifacts.
However, constructing a Mana Altar was far simpler than refining spiritual artifacts; if one had sufficient materials and the appropriate cultivation level, there was almost no chance of failure.
Xu Yang went to the midst of the herb field, to a small plot of unplanted empty space.
He didn’t need to activate any formation mechanisms, only needing a thought to prompt the Earth Deities Divine Seal.
In an instant, the earth flowed like water, spontaneously opening up, revealing a staircase.
Xu Yang stepped on the staircase, descending underground, arriving in a secret chamber.
The chamber was not large, with walls on all sides, and the ceiling and ground were covered in dense yellow talismans.
There were Soul Calming Talismans, Soul Nurturing Talismans, Yin Gathering Talismans, Gathering Spirit Talismans, Soul Hooking Talismans, Soul Stealing Talismans, Troop Dispatching Talismans, Commanding Talismans, Fire Sparking Talismans, Life Chasing Talismans…
Thousands of them, all controlling ghosts talismans, on yellow paper with cinnabar as ink, the vivid red characters outlined and depicted, within this dark chamber, they carried a hint of strange and sinister implication.
Moreover, with Xu Yang in his guise as “Yin Mountain Taoist,” clad in a black robe sternly, his countenance grave, he appeared even more like a sinister and evil practitioner.
But Xu Yang didn’t care. First, he took a talisman pen, dipped in cinnabar ink, and began to draw Yin talisman scripts on the ground as the foundation for the Yin Altar.
As he drew the talismans, spiritual energy from the void began to gather, gradually transforming into Yin primal energy.
This was not just the work of the talismans, but also the application of the Earth Deity Mystical Skills.
The Mana Altar is a combination of “vessel,” “magic,” and “formation”!
The vessel need not be mentioned; that is the Mana Altar itself.
The magic is the offerings of incense, accumulation of Taoist practices.
The formation is then the connection of the Mana Altar with heaven and earth, forming a strategic arrangement.
Xu Yang activated his divine seal, utilized Earth Deity’s power, coupled with constructing the Yin Altar, and aligning with the earth’s formation.
In this way, his work was not only twice as effective, but it also significantly enhanced the power of the Mana Altar.
Without any surprises, Xu Yang’s Yin Altar and Thunder Altar would both be established upon this Earth Deity Spirit Land.
With the Earth Deity Law, formation boosting aid, and Talisman craft flowing like clouds in the stream.
In just a little while, the Yin Altar’s talismanic foundation was drawn.
Xu Yang then turned around and with vigorous strokes, he filled in the blank spaces on the four surrounding walls, until the entire chamber was covered.
It was then that he put away the talisman pen and cinnabar, took out the nineteen Hundred Ghosts Banners, along with the nine previously made Yin Command Flags, making twenty-eight in total, which he placed around the perimeter to construct the foundation of the formation for the Yin Altar.
After that, he turned and moved to the center of the chamber, taking out jujube wood, pagoda tree wood, yellow earth, and black mud from his storage bag, to begin building the main body of the Yin Altar.
As the old saying goes, “Without Yin alone can’t be formed; without Yang alone can’t flourish!”
Even for a Yin Altar, one can’t solely use materials of pure Yin and methods of pure Yin to construct it.
Such extreme practices are forbidden and wicked; though they may be formidable for a time, they leave no leeway for either enemy or the practitioner. The chances of uncontrollable Yin ghosts causing harmful backlash, resulting in the destruction of both the altar and the practitioner, are significantly increased, leading invariably to a bad end.
Let alone oneself meeting a bitter fate, it could potentially become a disaster in the mortal realm, truly the vilest among wicked techniques.
Xu Yang would not resort to such methods.
He sought to harmonize Yin and Yang, to combine hardness and softness, constructing a Righteous Skills Yin Altar.
Jujube wood is Yang, pagoda tree wood is Yin.
Yellow earth is hard, black mud is soft.
Yin and Yang united, hardness and softness combined.
Only then does it constitute the righteous way!
He had truly invested a great deal, using materials that were all spiritual in nature.
The jujube wood was from a thousand-year-old yang jujube tree, and the pagoda tree wood was from a thousand-year-old yin scholartree.
The yellow earth was collected from the surface of a Spirit Land, and the black mud, from the belly of a Spirit Land.
Both were imbued with Spiritual Energy and transformation, further emphasizing their attributes of Yin and Yang.
Such a construction formed an eight-cornered Dharma Seal, divided into the five cardinal directions.
Xu Yang stood before the Mana Altar and then took out five Underworld Soldier command flags, hanging them in the respective directions of east, west, south, north, and center.
After that, he placed a table made from the same jujube wood and pagoda tree atop it, covered it with Yellow Talismans, set up a sacrificial furnace and incense sticks, and then arranged the offerings of three animals and four rituals. With this, the embryonic form of a Righteous Skills Yin Altar was established.
The reason why it was said to be embryonic was that it lacked the final step—inaugurating the altar and commencing the ritual!
Xu Yang cast away a bunch of Spirit Talismans, holding a sword in one hand and making seals with the other, walking through the Big Dipper’s steps as he performed the incantation.
It was…
“Heaven pure, Earth spiritual, I now call upon the Underworld Soldier Five Ghosts to obey the charm order. With divine skills that span myriad miles, capture all who defy righteousness under the heavens and slay every unjust god among mortals. With the left hand holding the seal that commands Celestial Soldiers and the right hand wielding the flag that directs Celestial Generals, summon forth Celestial Soldiers and Generals to my command. Should any malevolent spirits or evil demons refuse to submit, let the Five Ghosts ignite flames to burn these demons, to eradicate all evil spirits and eliminate fiends… As a disciple, I devoutly request, Five Directions Five Ghosts, heed my charm order, in the name of my Yin Mountain Old Ancestor’s divine army, may this order be executed promptly as law!!!”
It was the Five Ghosts Underworld Soldier method recorded in “Xuanming True Person’s Ghost Controlling Method,” also known as the Five Chaotic Generals and Soldiers, first documented in the “Yin Mountain Mana Scrolls,” later included in the “Ghost Enslaving Skills” by the Xuanming True Person.
This method was also considered a Taoist Gate Righteous Skill, capable of commanding the Five Ghosts Underworld Soldiers and the Five Chaotic Generals and Soldiers to act on command.
Although this world was primarily focused on Cultivation and may not have the entire system of spirits and deities of Daoism, even if the spirits and gods were absent, the Dao still existed. When charms and incantations were invoked, heaven and earth responded, and their mighty power still manifested.
“Whoosh!!!”
Amidst the chanting, a Yin wind howled, and Yellow Talismans scattered chaotically.
Xu Yang’s expression remained unchanged as he intensified his Mana, summoning Underworld Soldiers and ghostly steeds from the five directions. The nineteen Hundred Ghosts Banners and nine Yin Command Flags erected around resonated in response, with countless Evil Ghosts and Underworld Souls flying out and circling the Mana Altar, screeching incessantly…
The scene was truly reminiscent of Evil Skills!
Fierce Evil Ghosts and resentful Underworld Souls even rushed towards Xu Yang, intending to devour the Taoist practitioner of Ghost Skills.
“Hmph!”
Xu Yang let out a cold snort, and suddenly, thunderbolts burst forth around him, causing the host of Evil Ghosts and Underworld Souls to retreat in terrified screams.
Unconcerned, Xu Yang directed the sword to draw upon the thunder and lightning and pointed a finger out.
“Roar!”
In that moment, thunder roared and lightning surged, transforming into a pure Yang essence that struck the righteous Yin Altar.
“Whoosh!!!”
Suddenly, the Yin wind dissipated, the hundreds of ghosts returned to the banner, leaving behind only the Yin-Yang integrated altar standing solemnly within the secret chamber, shining brightly without a trace of sinister aura, emanating a sense of sacredness and dignity.
The Righteous Skills Yin Altar was officially completed.
“Ha!”
Seeing this, Xu Yang also felt elated and laughed heartily.
Then, he put away the sword, sat in front of the altar, and called over a Hundred Ghosts Banner.
With a flick of the long banner, hundreds of Evil Ghosts and Underworld Souls whistled out.
Among them, two Foundation Establishment Underworld Souls stood out with their substantial forms and fearsome might.
“It’s going to be you two.”
Xu Yang stimulated his Mana power, and with lightning flashing, he turned it into two Taoist charms, merging them with the thunderbolt creation and pure Yang essence, striking the two Foundation Establishment Underworld Souls and imprinting the divine seals into their foreheads.
He was indeed selecting them as the primary bodies for the Underworld Ghosts to start refining “Increase Life and Damage Fate Two Generals!”
“Roar! Roar!”
With the influence of the thunderbolt creation, pure Yang entering their fate, the “Increase Life and Damage Fate Two Generals” roared with excitement and pounced on the surrounding Evil Ghosts, opening their huge, gaping mouths and feasting heartily.
Over these ten days, apart from purchasing from the Ghost Market, Xu Yang had been cultivating in his dreams, even letting the Golden Eagle act as a substitute driver on the road.
After such ten days, with the accumulation in the World of Dao and Law, he was finally able to transfer a skill trait back with him.
Xu Yang chose “Increase Life and Damage Fate!”
It wasn’t that he didn’t want “Thunder Lightning Mana King,” but the tier level of Thunder Lightning Mana King was clearly higher than that of Increase Life and Damage Fate. The Divine Soul strength accumulated in the World of Dao and Law was still not enough to transfer this skill trait back.
Therefore, he had to settle for the next best thing and take Increase Life and Damage Fate first, and aim to acquire Thunder Lightning Mana King later.
With his current mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, coupled with the might of Thunder Series and the help of skill traits, there was no need to fear losing control of the Underworld Ghosts and them backfiring on their master. He could boldly refine the two Foundation Establishment Underworld Souls into the Increase Life and Damage Fate Two Generals.
Originally just Foundation Establishment Underworld Souls, now with Taoist refinement, skill trait enhancement, and having devoured the thousands of Evil Ghosts from the nineteen Hundred Ghosts Banners, what kind of strength and power would the newly refined Increase and Decrease Two Generals possess?
It’s likely that they could contend and vie even with late Foundation Establishment phases!
This was the power of Ghost Enslaving Skills.
Living beings focus on gradual progress in cultivation and must not rush lest they risk deviation. Except for those who are the descendants of great gods, saints, immortals, and powerful beings, no one can expect to advance a thousand miles in a single day.
Ghosts are different. They are Yin spirits, not living beings, and can swallow Underworld Souls and Yin Qi to grow rapidly and escalate their power quickly.
Especially the Increase and Decrease Two Generals, such as Underworld Ghosts; as long as there is sufficient nourishment, they can indeed leap forward a thousand miles a day, making rapid strides in strength.
With over two months left, relying on the Righteous Skills Yin Altar, thunderbolt pure Yang, Ghost Enslaving Skills, and skill traits, Xu Yang could certainly refine these unconventional Increase and Decrease Two Generals to an extraordinary level before the conflict for the Spirit Land, thus gaining another powerful means.
When the time comes, unless the Golden Core ancestors of Green Jade Sect personally appear, no one will pose a substantial threat to him.
Not even a Perfect Foundation Building Practitioner can do so!
Absolute confidence!