Chapter 296 - 256-257: Demon Banner Spirit, Tianzhi Headquarters

Chapter 296: Chapter 256-257: Demon Banner Spirit, Tianzhi Headquarters

After crushing Jin Tianbo’s Nascent Soul, Xu Chang’an wasted no time.

He collected Jin Tianbo’s Storage Bag and quickly scanned the area. Then, he unleashed a surge of Demon Power to completely obliterate the corpse.

Without Magical Power to sustain it, the Blood Demon Banner, once thousands of feet tall, had reverted to the appearance of an ordinary Command Flag.

WHOOSH!

Xu Chang’an flickered to the Blood Demon Banner’s side and collected it.

Once he was finished, Xu Chang’an transformed into a streak of light and shot into the sky.

The area was remote, but his battle with Jin Tianbo had caused a massive, astonishing commotion.

Clearly, it wouldn’t escape the notice of nearby Cultivators.

Despite having used several Talent Divine Techniques in a row, Xu Chang’an was still in good condition.

He wouldn’t be afraid even if another Nascent Soul True Monarch were to appear.

However, since he was currently in human territory, it was best to leave as soon as possible.

After flying several hundred miles away from the battle scene at top speed, Xu Chang’an activated his Concealment and Breath Control, slowing to the pace of a Core Formation Stage cultivator.

Flying at full power created a huge disturbance and would easily attract unwanted attention from other Cultivators.

...

「One month later.」

Amidst a cluster of barren mountains, Xu Chang’an sat cross-legged.

He had long since set up a Concealment Isolation Array around himself—a Tier Four Array that even an ordinary Nascent Soul True Monarch would be unable to detect.

The resources in Jin Tianbo’s Storage Bag weren’t as plentiful as Xu Chang’an had imagined.

However, considering the man had just broken through to the mid-stage Nascent Soul Realm, it was understandable.

He was a Great Cultivator of the mid-stage Nascent Soul Realm, after all; there was certainly no shortage of items like Spirit Stone Essence, Array Flags, Elixirs, Cultivation Techniques, and Secret Techniques.

Among them were three Top-Grade Magical Treasures: two for Attack and one for Defense.

The Black-Scaled Flood Dragon Spear, the Yin Yang Tai Chi Disc, and a Magical Treasure that resembled a stalk of green bamboo.

But the greatest prize from this battle was undoubtedly the Spiritual Treasure: the Blood Demon Banner!

Magical Artifacts, Magical Treasures, Spiritual Treasures!

Generally speaking, Magical Artifacts corresponded to the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment Realms.

Magical Treasures corresponded to the Core Formation and Nascent Soul Realms.

And Spiritual Treasures...

They corresponded to the top-tier Cultivators of the Divinity Transformation Realm!

The Divinity Transformation Realm already represented the peak of this world!

Only the peak Cultivators of this world could possess a Spiritual Treasure, which just went to show how precious they were!

"I never thought Jin Tianbo’s fortune ran so deep! I’m the one who reaps the rewards now!"

Having avenged the great enemy from his past life, Xu Chang’an was in an excellent mood.

The surface of the Blood Demon Banner was black, covered with irregular blood-red patterns.

If not for the terrifying, thousands-of-feet-tall form it had taken earlier, one would mistake it for a mere Magical Treasure by appearance alone.

The moment he took out the Blood Demon Banner, his panel began to fluctuate violently.

Just like when he’d discovered the Broken Sword!

’It must be because of the Spiritual Treasure’s Artifact Spirit!’

Xu Chang’an stroked the Blood Demon Banner, sending his Demon Sense probing inside to carefully examine it.

As his Demon Sense entered the Blood Demon Banner, he felt as if he’d been plunged into a vast ocean of blood. Overwhelming Evil Qi surged forth, threatening to rip his Demon Sense to shreds.

However, with the current strength of his Demon Sense, he was in no danger of it being easily torn apart.

’Hm?’

Soon, Xu Chang’an noticed something was amiss.

’The Artifact Spirit of this Blood Demon Banner is dormant!’

Spiritual Treasures possessed Artifact Spirits, and these spirits had a certain degree of Spiritual Wisdom.

The level of this Spiritual Wisdom depended on the power of the Spiritual Treasure.

The Artifact Spirits of some extremely high-grade Spiritual Treasures were so intelligent they could converse with their masters as if they were ordinary people.

With a surge of his Demon Sense, Xu Chang’an soon located the Blood Demon Banner’s Artifact Spirit tucked away in a corner.

The Blood Demon Banner’s Artifact Spirit looked like a miniature version of the banner itself, radiating an extremely dense Spirituality.

The instant his Demon Sense made contact with the Artifact Spirit, the panel began to fluctuate with an unprecedented intensity!

More intensely than ever before!

At that moment, a thought surfaced in Xu Chang’an’s mind.

’The panel can’t absorb the souls of flesh-and-blood beings to convert into Energy. But what about the Artifact Spirit of a Spiritual Treasure!?’

Once the thought took root, it was impossible to extinguish.

In an instant, Xu Chang’an made his decision.

His Demon Sense instantly enveloped the Artifact Spirit, just as he had previously absorbed the Energy that Peacock King Chu Xianyi had left clinging to it.

Following the same procedure, Xu Chang’an began to absorb it.

HUMMM—

The Demon Banner Spirit trembled slightly.

Then, an incredibly dense wave of Spirituality surged along his Demon Sense and rushed into Xu Chang’an.

’It actually works!’

A flicker of joy crossed Xu Chang’an’s face.

As the Spirituality entered his body, it was instantly converted into Energy and absorbed by the panel.

The numbers on the panel began to climb!

The Spirituality of the Spiritual Treasure was far denser than Xu Chang’an had imagined.

A ceaseless stream of Spirituality poured in, and his Energy reserves continued to grow.

Three hundred thousand!

Four hundred thousand!

Five hundred thousand!

...

Even after the absorbed Energy surpassed the amount required by the panel for Breaking Realm, it continued to accumulate.

After a long while, Xu Chang’an retracted his Demon Sense.

The panel had absorbed every last trace of Spirituality from the Blood Demon Banner’s Artifact Spirit. While still dormant, the spirit was utterly annihilated.

Looking at the number displayed by the panel floating in the air before him, Xu Chang’an’s face was filled with joy.

’What a pleasant surprise!’

He never expected to make such a gain while in the process of avenging his great enemy from a past life. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Not only had he accumulated Energy for the panel, but it had also given him a new idea.

The Spirituality of a Spiritual Treasure’s Artifact Spirit could be converted into Energy for the panel’s use!

’The only pity is...’

Xu Chang’an glanced at the Blood Demon Banner before him.

Having lost its Artifact Spirit, the Grade of this Spiritual Treasure had plummeted.

Although its materials made it stronger than an ordinary Top-Grade Magical Treasure, it no longer qualified as a Spiritual Treasure.

It couldn’t even be considered a Quasi-Spiritual Treasure.

’Accumulating Energy this way is effective, but it sure burns through Spiritual Treasures!’

However, as he looked at the terrifying amount of Energy accumulated on the panel, he felt the loss of a single Spiritual Treasure was a small price to pay.