Cave Refuge

As Zachary's speed in Sword Flight continually increased, the distance between him and Pengcheng gradually shortened.

Although Sword Flight was rapid, Zachary still managed to spare some attention for the conditions on the ground during the journey.

Perhaps because the journey was excessively monotonous, Zachary wondered when he could, like the protagonists in novels and TV dramas, invariably encounter a variety of scenarios that would allow him to show off and slap faces whenever he stepped out.

Unfortunately, during this particular journey, not only did he fail to encounter any classic hero-saving-beauty situations, but he did find several markers intentionally left by someone. However, since they were not conveniently on his path, Zachary could only abandon his curiosity and continue traveling toward the area where Pengcheng originally stood.

As Zachary looked at the Sky-Reaching Giant Tree piercing the clouds in the distance, he felt an inexplicable sense of relaxation. Just as he thought it was the psychological effect of returning home, he felt a chill, and suddenly, a pair of arms embraced him from behind as a voice carrying a chilly breath whispered in his ear,

"You shouldn't have come here."

Upon hearing the cold voice behind him, Zachary smiled and said, "Here I am, little brother!" Immediately, the Hundred Ghosts Banner, which had been gently nurtured in his dantian, appeared in his hands. As the banner unfurled, a breeze blew from behind Zachary, and the ghostly figure that had suddenly appeared was sucked into the Hundred Ghosts Banner in an instant.

Only when the banner closed did Zachary speak with disdain, "What's all this, then?"

Although his expression showed contempt, Zachary's vigilance heightened within his heart.

Divine Sense might not be able to directly inspect the function and usage of those technological creations, but it had extraordinary capabilities in detecting ghost creatures.

After easily dealing with the ghost that had suddenly appeared behind him, Zachary first used his Divine Sense to investigate the distant Sky-Reaching Giant Tree.

To his surprise, just as Divine Sense made contact with the tree, he discovered that the Sky-Reaching Giant Tree was in an odd state of limbo between life and death.

It was that sort of phenomenon where the living saw it full of vitality, while to the dead, it appeared as a spectral place overflowing with the aura of decay.

Just from a single encounter, Zachary could tell that among the ghost creatures living within the tree, there were not only those resembling humans but also those with bizarre and varied appearances.

With just a cursory scan of his Divine Sense, Zachary found that inside the body of the giant tree, there were tens of thousands of ghost creatures. Some lived aimlessly, experiencing the blissful lives of pigs and cattle, while those who had awakened Spiritual Wisdom after becoming ghost creatures were mostly focused on their cultivation.

Confronted with this situation, the Hundred Ghosts Banner in his hand slightly rustled; it seemed today was the perfect moment to upgrade the Hundred Ghosts Banner. With a forceful throw from Zachary, the banner speared towards the trunk of the Sky-Reaching Giant Tree with an unstoppable force, embedding itself firmly.

Once the Hundred Ghosts Banner was fixed upon the tree, its fabric naturally unfurled downward, fluttering freely in the wind as it fully opened.

An invisible suction began to draw the ghost creatures through the base of the banner pole, swiftly transporting them into the body of the Hundred Ghosts Banner.

At this moment, due to the faintness of the suction force, only the unstable souls and the dim-witted ghosts without consciousness in front of him could be absorbed into the banner.

As the Hundred Ghosts Banner's suction for the ghosts continued to strengthen, those inhabitants inside the Sky-Reaching Giant Tree gradually noticed this eerie situation.

The ghosts residing within the trunk of the Sky-Reaching Giant Tree were enduring a ceaseless suction force. This persistent and increasingly strengthening force caused problems in their once-stable bodies. Although it lasted only a moment, as the suction of the Hundred Ghosts Banner grew stronger, more and more ghosts became aware of the situation.

Some of the more intelligent ghosts tried to escape from the Sky-Reaching Tree, but just as they were preparing to leave, no matter where they were located within the Sky-Reaching Giant Tree, they suddenly found that one of their limbs must be in direct contact with the branches of the ancient tree, or they couldn't move at all.

When some ghosts with great difficulty reached the edge of the trunk, ready to jump down, they suddenly discovered that their normal means of ingress and egress through the trunk now acted as iron walls, barring the desires of those trapped within the trunk wanting to depart.

When those ghosts living inside the trunk realized they couldn't escape, their faces instantly showed an expression of utter hopelessness.

It was a pity that before they could shed tears of pain, a powerful suction force, ignoring the suction within the trunk, locked onto their bodies. Then, a rope as if used for lassoing horses flew towards them from the direction of the source of suction.

At that moment, the ghosts that were struggling to resist the suction couldn't dodge the noose that emerged from the void. Just like lassoing a horse, the rope wrapped around the neck of the ghost, and with a gentle tug, those ghosts, who had been resisting the suction, were effortlessly dragged away by the rope that bound them.

As time passed, those ghosts imprisoned within the trunk were either naturally absorbed into the Hundred Ghosts Banner due to its irresistible suction, or they were caught by the ropes that appeared from the void, latching onto the necks of their fate, and were then directly pulled into the Hundred Ghosts Banner.

As the number of residual ghosts within the Sky-Reaching Giant Tree dwindled, the Hundred Ghosts Banner's momentum only increased after absorbing the multitude of ghosts.

Some of the ghosts with weaker soul strength, upon entering the Hundred Ghosts Banner, were immediately dispersed by the netherworldly aura, turning into soul essence that nourished the entirety of the Banner Space.

Meanwhile, those with stronger soul strength, upon entry into the Hundred Ghosts Banner, were immediately branded with a Soul Mark, ensuring that as long as their souls existed, they would eternally be under the control of the owner of the Hundred Ghosts Banner.

Even so, because Dong Tianyu had not upgraded the Hundred Ghosts Banner to the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, although the Hundred Ghosts Banner could absorb and accommodate the tens of thousands of ghosts within the trunk, this was certainly not a sustainable plan.

After much contemplation, Dong Tianyu ultimately decided to employ Gu Refining methods, forcing all the ghosts within the Hundred Ghosts Banner to fight each other, keeping only a few hundred of the strongest ghosts in the end.

Regardless, the battles of the ghosts within the Hundred Ghosts Banner ensured that whether it was the victorious ghosts consuming the defeated to enhance their own strength or the dissipating soul power of the fallen being absorbed by the Banner Space, nothing would be wasted.

When the Hundred Ghosts Banner caught every ghost creature within the Sky-Reaching Giant Tree in its net, and when Dong Tianyu pulled down the banner from the trunk, the ghosts within the Banner Space quickly entered a frenzied state. This included both the dim-witted bottom-tier spirits lacking any Spiritual Wisdom and the evolved Resentful Spirits who had awakened their intellect.

Every ghost within the banner had no choice but to join the battle. The Gu-refining-style combat was terrifying; all visible kin became foes, even though they were already dead and had become ghosts.

However, when those spirits awakened their Spiritual Wisdom, it was as if they transformed back into human brethren. Some of the ghosts with awakened intellect, even though they understood the nature of their forced combat, sought to distance themselves from the battle zone to preserve their strength.

Even though the ghosts demonstrated this type of courage and strategy, this situation was not particularly advantageous for Dong Tianyu. It's like everyone knows how intelligent Border Collies are, learning anything quickly.

But precisely because Border Collies are so smart, they are not just working dogs but also combat dogs. People generally wouldn't choose a Border Collie, after all, no one wants a subordinate who, right after you issue an order, promptly raises questions.