Chapter 358: Chapter 138: A Great Bargain: The Superior-Grade Ancient Treasure, the Ten Thousand Souls Banner! Beginning Arduous Cultivation of the "Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture

"But this thing... it’s far more sinister than the Five Elements Cauldron, and much stronger too."

"Just having it float in front of me makes my skin crawl. It feels like some foul creature has its eyes on me."

"Obviously!" Yue Mankong’s Paperman retorted irritably. "The Five Elements Cauldron is merely a High-Grade Profound Weapon, but this Ten Thousand Souls Banner is a genuine High-Grade Ancient Treasure!"

"Magical Treasures have distinct ranks. After Magical Artifacts, Spirit Soldiers, and Profound Weapons come Ancient Treasures. Each rank is then divided into high, middle, and low grades."

"How could the power of an Ancient Treasure possibly compare to that of a Profound Weapon?"

Chu Fan’s eyes lit up. "It’s that powerful?"

"You’d do well to remember this," Yue Mankong warned. "Even with the Five Elements Cauldron, you can only use it as a heavy ’brick’ to smash people right now. A single strike would completely deplete your Primordial Qi."

"This Ten Thousand Souls Banner is far more terrifying than the Five Elements Cauldron. If you try to force its activation, a single slip-up could get you sucked dry!"

A tremor ran through Chu Fan’s hand.

After killing Zhang Yunpeng, the Ten Thousand Souls Banner was undoubtedly his greatest prize.

But after the initial ecstasy, all that remained was the helplessness of his situation and a heart-pounding fear.

"The Ten Thousand Souls Banner... why is it called that?" Chu Fan asked curiously. "I’ve looked inside, and it’s completely empty. There isn’t a single soul in it."

"Hmph..." Yue Mankong snorted. "This banner previously sealed a Resentful Spirit. That vicious creature feeds on souls and resentment to survive. Even if the banner had originally contained living souls, they would’ve been devoured completely long ago."

"A while back on Dragon Ridge Mountain, Lingkong Jade used this banner and the Resentful Spirit to tie me up for quite some time."

"I never expected she’d be so arrogant as to just hand the banner over to Ghost Moon to bring to Cyan Yang Ancient City... which let a kid like you reap a heavenly windfall!"

Chu Fan chuckled, his spirits soaring.

The pressure that had been building for days and his frayed nerves finally settled.

On top of the unexpectedly refined Ten Thousand Souls Banner and the Five Elements Cauldron he used as a "brick," Demon Suppression Envoy Yue Mankong had also promised him another benefit...

He had initially felt some resentment toward Yue Mankong for watching the entire spectacle from the sidelines and scheming in the shadows.

But in the face of such tangible benefits, that bit of resentment had long since vanished, and he even felt a little sheepish.

His mind was now at ease, and he couldn’t be bothered to deal with the outside world’s commotions.

For the past two days, the major families and factions of Cyan Yang City had been sending a constant stream of invitations and messengers, all hoping to win over the young man who had appeared out of nowhere and was capable of slaying a Divine Power Realm expert.

However, he had Master Cao and the others politely decline every one of them.

He was never one for social niceties to begin with, and moreover, he had already decided to leave Cyan Yang Ancient City soon for the much larger prefectural city of Qing Province.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

A knock came at the door.

With a thought from Chu Fan, the hovering Ten Thousand Souls Banner transformed into a streak of black light that shot into his sleeve and vanished.

He called out in response, and Cao Feng, Li Qingxue, and Cao Yan pushed the door open and entered.

A hint of hesitation on his face, Cao Feng began, "Fan, now that the disaster with the Moon Worship Sect is over, Cyan Yang City seems peaceful. Do we... still need to move the entire gang to the prefectural city of Qing Province?"

His tone held a barely perceptible nostalgia.

After being based here for decades, it would be a lie to say he felt no attachment to the place.

Cao Feng glanced at Li Qingxue and added, "Qingxue is strongly advocating for the move to Qing Province."

Li Qingxue blushed slightly and argued, "I’m thinking about the well-being of the Cao and Li Families! If we stay in Cyan Yang Ancient City, there’s no one who can protect us. If the Moon Worship Sect decides to retaliate, our families could be wiped out in the blink of an eye!"

Cao Feng nodded. "I know. I was just making a casual remark. You don’t have to explain."

Li Qingxue was both embarrassed and annoyed.

Before Chu Fan could speak, Yue Mankong’s steady voice emanated from the Paperman on the table. "Go."

"Gang Leader Cao, I understand your attachment to this place. But hear me out. While the Demon Suppression Bureau stands aloof and does not directly interfere in local governance, it still possesses its own authority and resources within the Great Yan Dynasty..."

"This time, your Seven Stars Gang assisted the Demon Suppression Bureau in quelling the chaos in Cyan Yang, rendering a service to the imperial court. I will use my authority to allocate a territory for the Seven Stars Gang within the prefectural city of Qing Province, a place for you to recuperate and plan for future growth."

Cao Feng and Cao Yan exchanged an ecstatic look, overjoyed beyond their wildest expectations.

Yue Mankong continued, "Furthermore, the Moon Worship Sect has suffered a great loss and been utterly humiliated. They may lay low for a time, but their thirst for revenge will never disappear."

"The new County Magistrate, even if he were willing to help, would be completely powerless to protect you from the Moon Worship Sect’s clandestine schemes."

"If the Seven Stars Gang remains here, you will be nothing more than fish on a chopping block, liable to be annihilated at any moment."

Cao Feng nodded.

In truth, he already knew all of this.

Neither the new County Magistrate nor the garrison stationed outside the city was strong enough to contend with the Moon Worship Sect.

During yesterday’s Blood Sacrifice, the leader of the city’s garrison—a Thousand Commander at the Divine Power Realm—had been lured away by Zhang Yunpeng on the pretext of dealing with the bandit "Heaven-Flipping Saber." He didn’t show up until long after the dust had settled. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

But in a situation like yesterday’s, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference whether the Thousand Commander had been there or not.

On that kind of battlefield, his presence would have made little to no impact.

’Rely on the County Magistrate’s Office and a Thousand Commander in the Early Stage of the Divine Power Realm for protection?’

’Hah, they probably couldn’t even protect themselves.’

The prefectural city of Qing Province, on the other hand, was heavily garrisoned by imperial troops and watched over by experts from the Demon Suppression Bureau and the Six Gates. Order there was strictly maintained.

The ghouls and goblins of the Moon Worship Sect would never dare to run rampant there.

Cao Feng and the others were now completely resolved.

With a powerful backer like the Demon Suppression Bureau, moving to the safety of the prefectural city of Qing Province was now the best and only choice for the Seven Stars Gang.

Just then, more footsteps sounded from outside the door. Ding Jian, Shi Hao, and Lin Yue arrived together.

After fighting alongside them yesterday, Chu Fan had become much more familiar with them.

Ding Jian remained as taciturn as ever, merely giving Chu Fan a slight nod, but his eyes held a clear look of approval.

Though Chu Fan didn’t know him well, he could tell from the previous day’s battle that Ding Jian was the type of person who was all action and no talk.

Shi Hao had a bit of a roguish air about him, but he was genuine and didn’t put on any of the airs of a senior.