"Patriarch Kuiyin's famous magic treasure was called the Ten Directions Yanluo Array. Formed by laying out ten Ten Directions Yanluo Banners, it possessed unfathomable might that once struck terror into the hearts of orthodox cultivators, such that even Nascent Soul stage cultivators dared not contend with him lightly.
"Later, when Patriarch Kuiyin sought to undergo tribulation, five of the banners were destroyed in succession by a minor heavenly tribulation. Before he passed away, he distributed the remaining five Ten Directions Yanluo Banners among his disciples and passed down a refining method capable of producing magic tools resembling the Ten Directions Yanluo Banners, usable even by cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage.
"Refining this magic tool requires selecting an immortal cultivator whose cultivation does not exceed the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement stage. Before their origin soul and physical body undergo their second metamorphosis, they are tricked into switching to a specific cultivation method and cultivating with a Yanluo Banner. Soul Pills can help a cultivator absorb spiritual power rapidly, making breakthroughs past bottlenecks remarkably easy. Not many possess Junior Brother Qin's disposition to resist such temptation.
"Because refining Yanluo Banners requires numerous precious spiritual materials, and the refining techniques are extremely exacting, the Kuiyin Sect possesses only a limited number of Yanluo Banners. Thus, under the pretext of accepting disciples, they lure cultivators of superior aptitude to the Yin Baleful Abyss to supply sufficient yin baleful qi.
"Those cultivators think they will be accepted as disciples of the Kuiyin Sect, but in truth, they are destined to become sacrificial offerings for refining artifacts.
"By cultivating with the aid of Soul Pills, during the process of rapid advancement, one's origin soul will slowly and imperceptibly be assimilated by the Yanluo Banner and the Yanwang. The higher the cultivation realm, the fiercer the Yanwang's backlash becomes. As the bond between origin soul and Yanwang deepens, resisting it becomes increasingly difficult. Only those with exceptional talent and ironclad willpower can suppress the Yanwang.
"However, upon breaking through to the tenth layer of the Qi Refinement stage, even a will forged of iron and stone is useless; resistance becomes impossible. The origin soul will be utterly assimilated by the Yanwang, the two merging into one to become the Yanluo Banner's main soul.
"Once the Yanluo Banner gains a main soul, one such Ten Directions Yanluo Banner magic tool is successfully refined. Very few can continually suppress the Yanwang without being devoured. Thus, even now, hardly any Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Kuiyin Sect have assembled all ten Ten Directions Yanluo Banners. Fortunately, six Ten Directions Yanluo Banners can barely suffice to set up a Ten Directions Yanluo Array.
"Thereafter, by allowing the Ten Directions Yanluo Banners to absorb enough living souls and blood food, their might will gradually increase until they all become top-grade magic tools, at which point the power of the Ten Directions Yanluo Array will reach a terrifying level.
"As for how to turn the Ten Directions Yanluo Banners into magic treasures, that I do not know..."
Hearing Sun De explain the origins and details of the Yanluo Banners so thoroughly, Qin Sang froze on the spot, a chill sinking from his heart all the way to the soles of his feet.
He had once deeply envied Senior Sister Shi Hong for catching Martial Uncle Yue's eye and being chosen as a disciple, spared from having to serve as a spy.
Only now did he realize the reason Yue Wu had favored Shi Hong was simply that her aptitude was high enough to offer a great probability of helping him refine a Ten Directions Yanluo Banner.
Back then in Martial Uncle Yue's cave dwelling, what those martial uncles had fought over was not a disciple at all, but a Ten Directions Yanluo Banner!
With Senior Sister Shi Hong's talent, even as a rogue cultivator without a Foundation Establishment Pill, she would have stood a decent chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Yet she had muddled into such a tragic fate.
And the Tan brothers, along with those fellow disciples remaining in the Yin Baleful Abyss—even if they were fortunate enough to escape the Kuiyin Sect's clutches during this upheaval, they still could not escape the doom of becoming sacrifices.
Becoming the main soul of a demonic banner, denied reincarnation for all eternity... The mere thought of such an existence made Qin Sang shudder in horror. It was far worse than being slain outright by the Yanluo's backlash.
If not for the jade Buddha's protection, he would already have become an artifact spirit in Sun De's hands. No, in truth, he would have been devoured and killed by the Yanwang back at Qingyang Temple.
"Is there any way to cultivate using Soul Pills without being assimilated by the Yanwang?" Qin Sang asked Sun De.
Sun De replied, "None that I know of. Not a single direct disciple of the Kuiyin Sect dares to cultivate using a Yanluo Banner; otherwise, Patriarch Kuiyin would have led the Kuiyin Sect to dominate the Lesser Cold Domain long ago."
"If someone has already begun cultivating with a Yanluo Banner, how can they prevent being assimilated by the Yanluo?"
Sun De pondered for a moment and said, "Unless they cripple their entire cultivation base and start over from scratch."
At those words, Qin Sang gave an inward bitter smile. How laughable that he had once thought of using the mysterious orchid to claim credit upon returning! How hopelessly naive. Returning would have been walking straight into a trap.
He had initially felt that the Yuanzhao Sect luring rogue cultivators to maintain the restrictions of the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Ground was the conduct of demonic sects. Only now did he understand that compared to the methods of a true demonic sect, that was merely child's play.
The Kuiyin Sect had stood for hundreds of years, refining demonic tools with its disciples. How many souls had perished in the Yin Baleful Abyss? How many souls were imprisoned within Yanluo Banners, denied reincarnation for all eternity?
It took a good while for Qin Sang to calm the turmoil in his heart. In a flat voice, he asked, "Since Senior Brother Sun knows so many secrets, your identity must be anything but ordinary. I wonder what purpose you had in lurking here at Shaohua Mountain?"
An awkward expression appeared on the face Sun De had manifested. "Junior Brother Qin, do not misunderstand. I am just like you, only seeking a refuge on Shaohua Mountain to cultivate in peace.
"My father's master was Patriarch Kuiyin's youngest disciple, though he failed to break through to the Core Formation stage. My father was his only direct disciple, so our standing in the Kuiyin Sect was by no means low.
"Twenty-odd years ago, Old Ghost Yi seemed to lose his mind, suddenly ordering that no one was allowed to compete for disciples from the Yin Baleful Abyss, bent on scheming against the Yuanzhao Sect.
"My father sensed trouble brewing back then. I was still young at the time, and my father happened to obtain a Sword Intent decree from Shaohua Mountain, so he secretly sent me here. Looking back now, my father indeed possessed foresight. The Kuiyin Sect's very foundation has been completely ruined at Old Demon Yi's hands..."
Qin Sang stared at Sun De. "Cultivating in peace? I'm afraid there is much falsehood in Senior Brother Sun's words. Fellow Daoist Hong, who died in Dichen Cave a year ago—did he really just use yin baleful qi to refine a magic tool?"
Sun De let out a dry laugh. "Junior Brother Qin has sharp eyes indeed. Before sending me here, my father left me several Yanluo Banners. I did harbor a few minor ambitions, but unfortunately, these rogue cultivators either had wretched aptitude or clung to mortal desires; their temperaments simply weren't up to it. Right under the nose of Shaohua Mountain, I didn't dare act too blatantly, so even now I haven't managed to lure more than a handful of people into taking the bait. I haven't been able to refine a single Ten Directions Yanluo Banner. As for that scoundrel Hong Shan last time, I had warned them long ago to endure for a few years and come back after you left Dichen Cave, but he dared defy my orders, so I had no choice but to..."
Qin Sang sneered. "You wanted to wait until I became the Yanluo Banner's main soul, didn't you? My apologies for disappointing Senior Brother Sun."
Sun De smiled sheepishly, not daring to reply.
Qin Sang's gaze sharpened. "Senior Brother Sun has yet to tell me how to get rid of the Heart-Devouring Insect."
He had questioned Sun De thoroughly just now: so long as a member of the Kuiyin Sect had learned the venomous gu technique created by Patriarch Kuiyin, the moment anyone afflicted by a Heart-Devouring Insect stepped within range of their spiritual sense, they would detect it immediately.
At his current realm, his spiritual sense could only reach a few zhang around him, but the sensory range of Foundation Establishment and even Core Formation stage cultivators was truly formidable. If he were unlucky enough to cross paths with remnants of the Kuiyin Sect, he would have nowhere to run—an undeniable, enormous danger.
Chapter 110