"Dragon souls?"
Wu Tong froze. When he had moved things yesterday, he hadn't actually checked whether the dragon souls of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings still existed.
At this thought, Wu Tong's mood instantly soured. It wasn't that he feared something might have happened to the two dragon souls.
Rather, he feared they might pull some reckless stunt and damage this precious land.
After all, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was a natural treasure that could grow alongside the world's ascension. It couldn't be allowed to be destroyed by two idiots.
'It seems using dragon corpses as the core of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well isn't ideal. I'll need to replace them with dragon veins later—that would be safer and might even upgrade the well.'
While pondering this, Wu Tong's hands moved swiftly.
With a thought, nine spirit rings materialized behind him.
As they appeared, the second ring floated before him at his will.
In a flash of light, the spirit ring transformed into a human figure—a chibi-style ancient-robed little girl.
The Banner of the Human Sovereign's spirit—Nether Soul.
"Master."
Upon appearing, Nether Soul performed a solemn Taoist salute with utmost seriousness.
Her demeanor resembled Fu Hua's—disciplined, ritualistic, and rigidly proper.
Yet for some reason, two strikingly vivid dark circles hung beneath her eyes.
"Nether Soul, check whether the two dragon corpses beneath the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well still contain their dragon souls."
Observing the dark circles, amusement flickered in Wu Tong's eyes. For all her rigid stoicism, she was still quite adorable—a little panda-eyed loli.
But he quickly refocused and gave his orders.
"As you command, Master."
Nether Soul's small face tensed. With a wave of her tiny hand, a miniature version of the Banner of the Human Sovereign appeared in her grip.
A gentle swing.
Thick black mist began coalescing around her.
"Has Nether Soul grown stronger? This mist seems denser than before."
Wu Tong eyed the mist with brief puzzlement.
The thought vanished as quickly as it came. Perhaps it was because the Banner's "family" kept expanding.
Besides, why overthink it? Nether Soul's growth was a good thing—she'd never betray him.
Dismissing the thought, Wu Tong silently observed her actions.
——
Within the Banner of the Human Sovereign
Swirling black mist filled the air. Eerie chills and tormented wails ran rampant through this pocket realm designed solely to house vengeful spirits.
The AI Core manipulated Jizo Mitama and the Corrosion Authority, channeling erosion energy into the Highschool of the Dead world—fully preparing for Wu Tong's plans.
Of that world's inhabitants, only the Yanhuang people had been relocated to an island in the Douluo World. The rest had become... talent incubators for the Banner.
Thus, countless souls continuously poured into the Banner, transforming it into a peerless demonic artifact containing an entire world's population.
Unbeknownst to Wu Tong, the number of vengeful spirits within the Banner wasn't increasing—it was decreasing.
The space echoed with bloodcurdling screams, frenzied slaughter, and the nauseating sounds of souls devouring one another.
Everywhere one looked, spirits fought indiscriminately, tearing and consuming their neighbors in desperate bids to grow stronger and survive this elimination. Failure meant true death.
This was Nether Soul's doing. Originally, these souls should have become mindless spectral soldiers for Wu Tong's use. But after yesterday's battles, Nether Soul realized numbers meant nothing against true powerhouses in supernatural worlds.
Thus, upon returning to the Banner, she immediately initiated this Gu-style training—forcing souls to cannibalize each other to nurture a genuine Ghost God.
The method benefited her too.
The endless battles produced residual soul fragments, all absorbed by the Banner through Nether Soul's control, causing subtle evolution.
This was why Wu Tong sensed her growing stronger.
——
Nether Soul remained unaware of Wu Tong's thoughts. Had she known, she would have explained everything—her entire existence served him without concealment.
Yet misunderstandings thrive on coincidence. Unaware of his assumptions, she saw no need to report her actions.
Perhaps Wu Tong wouldn't discover the changes until next wielding the Banner.
But that's another story.
After summoning the black mist, Nether Soul condensed tendrils of it into spectral chains.
Surveying the chains coiling around her, she frowned and tightened her grip on the Banner.
A violet glow flashed across its surface as countless arcane runes materialized on the chains. Wu Tong recognized most at a glance:
Soul Gathering, Soul Binding, Soul Control, Soul Anchoring, Soul Shackling...
Damn, are you trying to capture Death itself?
Wu Tong clicked his tongue inwardly.
Oblivious to his thoughts, Nether Soul observed the runes with rare satisfaction breaking through her stoic expression.
With a surge of power, the chains plunged into the earth, streaking toward the dragon corpses.
Strangely, the ground showed no disturbance—not even a blade of grass trembled.
Di Tian watched in awe: "Is this... a spiritual attack? To leave no physical trace—remarkable."
Soon, two serpentine spirits—one crimson, one azure—were dragged from the depths, bound in chains. Only then did Wu Tong exhale in relief.
Crisis averted.
With the dragon souls secured in his palm, Wu Tong recalled Nether Soul and turned to Di Tian.
The Beast God had shed all composure, his eyes burning with fervor at the struggling spirits in Wu Tong's grasp. He seemed torn between speech and silence, reduced to anxious staring.
...
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(End of Chapter)