Although the three old ghosts were powerful and formidable, their obvious lack of wisdom quickly led them into the vast sea of a tactical battle of attrition.
The three Evil Ghosts thought the ghosts within the Soul-Catching Banner were as easy to deal with as before.
But time had changed—after being refined into a Lifebound Spiritual Artifact by Zheng Yi.
The Soul-Catching Banner became one with the Cultivator's mind and blood, causing the ghosts within to seemingly possess an Undying Body, greatly increasing their power.
This agitated the three old ghosts to emit piercing howls, but they couldn't break free from the black mist of the Soul-Catching Banner for the time being.
Zheng Yi clearly saw that the level of these three Evil Ghosts was still too high.
Even though they were trapped in the ghost array of the Soul-Catching Banner, they attacked fiercely and swiftly, making it impossible for the many Fierce Ghosts to encircle them.
"The Cyan-Faced Ghost, said to be able to advance to a Strong Ghost King, is known for its immense strength and swift actions, but its limbs are advanced while its mind is simple."
"Indeed, it seems so; even with a hundred years of Dao Practice, it's no more than a turtle in a jar."
"Let's just wear them out. Let's see who has more endurance between us and you three little ghosts. I'm no pushover, not even King Yama himself!"
With years of experience as a Loose Cultivator, Zheng Yi quickly grasped the essence of the problem.
On his side, he possessed the advantages of time, location, and support.
With the Soul-Catching Banner as the base.
As long as they held out for a time, even if these three old ghosts were more powerful and seasoned in Dao Practice, they were still no more than turtles in a jar.
So he intensified his efforts to activate the Soul-Catching Banner, continuously providing Spiritual Power support.
...
In the underground parking garage, led by the Main Soul Red-clothed Female Ghost of the Soul-Catching Banner, dozens of Fierce Ghosts were encircling and killing the three Hundred-Year-Old Cyan Ghosts.
Dense black mist enveloped, forming a massive sealing barrier; with the battle formation of the forty-nine Fierce Ghosts from the Soul-Catching Banner remaining unbroken, this blockade couldn't be lifted.
The three Hundred-Year-Old Cyan Ghosts emitted sharp and harsh screeches, yet had no way to approach around Zheng Yi.
These three Hundred-Year-Old Cyan Ghosts appeared to have taken this place as their lair.
Ghosts of this sort generally have dim-witted wisdom, are bloodthirsty and cruel, and have a very strong sense of territory, much like many wild beasts.
Any living beings passing through here would immediately send the Fierce Ghosts into a frenzy due to the presence of Yang Qi on them, hence the notion of this being a "forbidden area for the living".
These three Cyan Ghosts, with a hundred years of Dao Practice, haunted a desolate underground parking lot full of chilling bones; who knows how many living people evaded zombies only to ultimately perish here, becoming a feast for the Cyan Ghosts.
Sucking blood, consuming souls, flaying skin, and refining bones.
Fierce Ghosts also require Yang Qi; the Living Soul of a person is a great tonic for them, ensuring any prey in their hands has no good outcome.
Originally, if Zheng Yi were just an ordinary Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivator, even with a bit more strength, falling into the hands of these three Cyan Ghosts would lead to a grim fate.
But Zheng Yi chose to join the Soul-Catching Sect. From the name of this Demon Dao Sect alone, it's clear that they constantly deal with souls and Fierce Ghosts, with the Soul-Catching Banner being a natural bane of various ghosts.
Moreover, after Zheng Yi refined the Soul-Catching Banner into a Lifebound Spiritual Artifact, forming a force of forty-nine Fierce Ghosts within, and with a Main Soul already present, Zheng Yi had effectively established his power.
Now the situation had been reversed, the roles of hunter and prey had fully switched.
After all, those three Cyan Ghosts had ambushed Zheng Yi before, yet failed to capture him.
Zheng Yi merely deployed the Fierce Ghosts from the Soul-Catching Banner to fend off the Cyan Ghosts' attacks while he calmly escaped.
Now, after refining his Lifebound Magical Artifact and with his level increased, such a situation was even less likely to occur.
With his strengthened power, Zheng Yi unhesitatingly pursued trouble with the three Hundred-Year-Old Cyan Ghosts, easily trapping them upon arrival.
He only had to eradicate these three Cyan Ghosts to safely leave this underground parking garage, otherwise, the next time he traversed through, he'd confront these three Fierce Ghosts again—nobody wants to be perpetually on guard against ghost attacks.
It's foolish to guard against attacks every day instead of preventing the occasion for them to occur in the first place.
Moreover, the body of a Hundred-Year-Old Cyan Ghost often contains the "Cyan Essence", regarded as rare treasures within the Soul Catching Sect, always dealing with souls and Fierce Ghosts, and commanding a high price.
After staying at the inn of Blood Mist Abyss City and bribing the stationed Deacon Elder of the Soul Catching Sect with a considerable sum of Spirit Stones, he finally secured the identity of Outer Disciple for this Demon Cultivation Sect, adding in daily cultivation and purchasing Soul-Attracting Arrays...
Though his strength improved rapidly, the expenses were enormous every day.
After a while, even selling the residential rights in Profound Void City's Immortal City for 1,300 Low-Grade Spirit Stones wasn't enough to cover the costs, leading ultimately to a fiscal exhaustion.
So Zheng Yi had to find other means to increase his income, given his planned undertakings required Spirit Stones to pave the way.
Sects that practice Demon Cultivation seldom follow rules, especially small sects like the Soul Catching Sect. If one could bribe those in power, strategizing for the future became much easier.
These three Hundred-Year-Old Cyan Ghosts happened to run right into the barrel of the cannon.
'Bang!'
The Cyan Ghosts are a special type of ghost mainly distinguished by immense strength and lightning-fast speed.
These three old ghosts regarded the underground parking garage as a lair, devouring living humans and ghost souls, attaining a hundred years of Dao Practice, indeed, quite potent.
The Fierce Ghosts within Zheng Yi's Soul-Catching Banner all emerged through the brutal process of Gu Cultivation, each belonging to the elite of the elite, enhanced through Blood Sacrifice, boosting their strength significantly, yet still couldn't withstand the ongoing attacks of the Cyan Ghosts.
However, the Soul-Catching Banner is now extraordinary; with a Main Soul, it's as if there's a central command at play.
Under the command of the Main Soul Red-clothed Female Ghost, the other Fierce Ghosts from the Soul-Catching Banner formed a formation, thoroughly isolating the three Hundred-Year-Old Cyan Ghosts.
The three couldn't communicate, nor could they coordinate, which significantly minimized their chances of breaking out together.
Yet a single Cyan Ghost ripped apart a Fierce Ghost from the Soul-Catching Banner in just two minutes, a testament to its formidable strength, living up to its 'Hundred-Year Dao Practice' name.
Though this so-called Hundred-Year Dao Practice was somewhat deceptive.
These three Cyan Ghosts simply devoured too many Resentful Spirits and living beings' Essence Qi to appear strong, lacking the substance, not being the kind of Centennial Ghosts tempered through ages, nor possessing enough foundation to actualize all their Dao Practice.
At most, they could only be regarded as beasts with exceptional power.
This was a reason for Zheng Yi's audacity in provoking them.
Leveraging its strength, the Cyan Ghost went berserk, shredding the Fierce Ghost blocking its path and catching sight of a clearing in the encirclement for a moment.
Just as it attempted to move out, a flash of red appeared, with blood-red ghost qi solidifying into a scarlet Long Silk, clashing with the old ghost's claws.
The Main Soul Red-clothed Female Ghost from the Soul-Catching Banner seemed struck hard, her figure flying backward.
However, the momentum of the Hundred-Year-Old Cyan Ghost was also halted, and when it attempted to advance again, another Fierce Ghost obstructed it.