Chapter Twenty-Two: Refining the Demonic Gourd

After reflecting, Ge Qian gained a whole new understanding of spiritual talismans. This time, he was able to kill Hu Ye of the fourth level not by his own strength, but by overwhelming him with a large sum of spirit stones.

Five fireball talismans cost a hundred low-grade spirit stones, yet Ge Qian felt not a hint of pain at the expenditure—what point is there in cultivating the Dao if one's life is forfeit? He thought to himself that with spirit stones, pills, talismans, and magical instruments, there would be nothing to hinder his pursuit of the Great Dao.

He searched Hu Ye’s body and found a storage pouch, which he placed in his own. At that moment, a pale blue soul flickered and darted straight toward the gourd not far away.

Suddenly, a gust of wind was tightly grasped by Ge Qian; Hu Ye’s soul let out a sharp scream. Ge Qian, watching the struggling soul in his hand, said, "Hu Ye, you wanted to enter that gourd? Luckily I was prepared. Although I don’t know what would happen if you did, I won’t give you the chance."

Hu Ye’s soul was filled with regret. His misjudgment—underestimating a supposed good-for-nothing—had led to his demise. Seeing Ge Qian’s decisive killing, there was nothing of the uselessness he had imagined. He hurriedly pleaded, "Brother Ge, please spare me. I was momentarily possessed by evil thoughts. For the sake of our shared sect, please show mercy."

Ge Qian smiled faintly. "Letting you go isn’t a problem, but what benefit is there for me?"

"Everything I possess is yours," Hu Ye replied.

"Nonsense, it's already mine," Ge Qian said, tightening his grip.

"Ah, spare me! I can tell you how to refine the Yin Demon Ghost Gourd. With this treasure, you can cultivate the Yin Demon Ghost Scripture, and your advancement will be swift—there will be nothing to hinder your path to the Dao. All I ask is that you find me a body to possess," Hu Ye finally confessed his secret.

Ge Qian felt no interest in the demonic arts; his main cultivation methods, the Mountain Moving Formula and the Threefold Foundation Technique, already consumed most of his energy. As the saying goes, one who bites off more than he can chew will accomplish nothing. He had no desire to end up with nothing to show for his efforts.

However, he was strongly interested in the demonic artifact. The Mountain Moving Formula required demonic energy, and with the gourd, he would no longer need to venture into the Demon Suppressing Cave.

He asked, "I'm not interested in demonic cultivation. Just tell me how to control the formation and refine the gourd."

"Alright, I'll be honest. This formation cost me almost all my savings. Unfortunately, it's a defective product and can't be operated freely. Once the spirit power from the spirit stones is depleted, one can leave—about a day's time. As for the demonic gourd, simply drip blood to recognize it as your own," Hu Ye explained.

Ge Qian nodded, grabbed Hu Ye’s soul, and slapped it onto his forehead, casting it into his own sea of consciousness.

Hu Ye thought to himself, this so-called good-for-nothing is meticulous and ruthless, leaving nothing to chance, yet he has his foolish moments. The sea of consciousness is the most vulnerable part of a cultivator, and he throws me into his own—what a fool, courting death. Once I possess him, even a useless body is better than none.

At this thought, Hu Ye was thrilled. Upon entering the sea of consciousness, Sanskrit sounds echoed, and his soul involuntarily calmed. Passages of scripture entered his soul; his mood ins