Chapter 50: Human Emperor Banner, Earth Emperor Cauldron, Heaven Emperor Mirror

“Waiter, bring some tea, and lay out a few plates of good wine and dishes.”

“Right away! Please have a seat, sir. I’ll prepare everything immediately; the tea will be here soon.”

Before long, a steaming cup of tea was placed in front of the traveler. Su Bai casually slapped down a silver ingot, lifted the teacup, but did not drink it. Instead, she brought it close to her nose and inhaled its aroma gently.

“Waiter, I want to ask you something. Has there been any recent news about ghosts or spirits around here?”

“Ghosts or spirits? I haven’t heard of any,” the waiter replied, bowing slightly as he approached Su Bai, eyes fixed on the silver ingot, his face full of flattery. “But I do know there’s a place about ten li from here called Black Wind Stronghold. It used to be just a bandit den robbing passing caravans, but lately, for some reason, they’ve started kidnapping people. No one knows why.”

“Oh? The Black Wind Stronghold has become so depraved.”

“That’s putting it lightly, sir. You might not know this, but rumor has it the leader of Black Wind Stronghold received secret teachings from an immortal in the heavens. He has to drink three jin of blood daily, and kills people as easily as cutting melons—he doesn’t even spare children…”

Seeing Su Bai’s growing interest, the waiter’s excitement rose. He poured out everything he’d heard about Black Wind Stronghold without reservation.

After finishing his tale, the waiter was parched and dry-mouthed. He glanced up and saw Su Bai still smelling the tea, not drinking it. When her eyes met his, she smiled mysteriously, as if to say, “Keep talking, I’m listening.”

“Sir, is the tea in my shop not to your liking?” Sweat formed on the waiter’s forehead, his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously, and he instinctively took a step back.

“The tea is mediocre, but I only like to drink something clean.”

Su Bai said as she flung the tea toward the waiter’s face. Before he could react, she reached into the air and grasped, summoning a black long banner.

“Human Emperor Banner, capture!”

With those words, the waiter felt a great force hit him. Before he could even scream, his soul was violently torn from his body.

Helplessly, he watched his body collapse to the ground.

His soul wavered, drifting toward the Human Emperor Banner as if pulled by an irresistible force. Upon touching the banner, the soul began to change shape, becoming a transparent ghost.

The lingering terror in his eyes hadn’t faded before it was sealed within the banner, becoming a faint, wavering light trapped inside.

“What a fine treasure—one that even has soul-searching effects.”

After absorbing the information transmitted by the Human Emperor Banner, Su Bai gently stroked its dark surface, a faint smile curling at the corner of her lips.

Though the Human Emperor Banner was a Golden Core treasure, this was not its limit but constrained by her current cultivation level. If she advanced to Nascent Soul, the banner would evolve into a Nascent Soul spiritual treasure.

In the simulator, the quality of the Human Emperor three-piece set was directly linked to her cultivation. She possessed three such treasures—imagine how many struggling True Immortals she could crush.

The higher the level, the more resources a cultivator needed, and forging treasures tailored to oneself consumed vast amounts.

In her previous life’s simulation, the Zhang Daoist she met, who studied under the Profound Nether Heavenly Venerable, had only one and a half Golden Core treasures. The struggling True Immortals were worse off—they could only afford one, or none at all. For example, in her last simulated life, she could only respond to enemies with a single Blue Yang Illusory Shadow.

Her jade-like hand reached out toward the fallen body and pulled an invisible thread of blood into her robe.

The next moment, Su Bai’s figure flashed, vanishing like a phantom.

At the same time, a fierce blaze engulfed the entire inn, flames shooting high into the sky.

【Based on the information from the waiter, you locate Black Wind Stronghold and fly straight to its center, ignoring the noisy bandits below. With a wave of your banner, you activate the Xuanyuan Demon-Slaying Blood Refining… ahem, Xuanyuan Demon-Slaying Array!】

【You send the bandits into the Human Emperor Banner but find no contact information for Fang Xiu. Fang Xiu and the bandit leader have always communicated through a single line.】

【You nod; this fits the nature of demonic cultivators.】

【Undeterred, you take out a large clump of tangled bloodlines from your robe, extracted from the bodies of the bandits. Then, you summon an item.】

【A black mirror body, woven with endless mysterious patterns, its edges surrounded by faint light. The mirror’s surface is deep like an abyss, seeming to swallow souls.】

【It is the Heavenly Emperor Divine Mirror!!】

【The Human Emperor Banner collects and nourishes heroic souls, exterminating countless demons. The Heavenly Emperor Divine Mirror predicts and tracks, ensuring no demons can hide.】

…

A hundred li underground in Central Plains lies a blood pit.

Countless lives and blood have been buried here. The stench of blood fills the surroundings, saturating the air with a heavy metallic scent.

Deep inside the blood pit sat a man dressed in blood-red robes. His brows sharp and heroic, his face above average in looks, he was seated cross-legged on a blood pool. His deep, dark eyes seemed to harbor the most complicated abyss of emotions in the world.

“In another six months, my Defying Heaven Blood Robe will be complete, transforming into a spiritual weapon,” he murmured, gently caressing the blood-glimmering, ever-flowing crimson robe before him.

“Over the years, I devoured the Fang clan, elevating my aptitude to first class. In just a few years, I achieved Foundation Establishment. Moreover, through the blood sea patriarch’s legacy I obtained, I surpassed the first-class limits and forged myself into an undying blood sea form. The blood will never dry, and I will never die.”

“Against a late Foundation Establishment opponent, I still hold a chance in battle. And at Foundation Establishment perfection, I am confident I can withdraw unscathed.”

Suddenly, Fang Xiu seemed to recall something. A gleam of blood flickered in his eyes as he produced an object in his hand. It was not paper but a tough, warm material, akin to human skin.

Though the scroll remained unrolled, faintly glowing blood patterns revealed its identity— Eight Divisions of Great Fear: Blood Sea Visualization Secret Technique .

“Why did that so-called White Master True Immortal gift me this, and why did he want to pull me into the Nine Nether Sect?” Fang Xiu murmured, eyes deep, expression complicated as he stroked the precious Nascent Core secret technique in his hand.

“I wonder how Senior Brother Su with the second-class aptitude is doing now? Maybe I can lure him into the Nine Nether Sect to act as my scout…”

Before he finished speaking, the blood pit’s rocky walls suddenly trembled violently. Countless stones tumbled into the blood pool as the upper wall split open with a thunderous roar that pierced the eardrums!

Fang Xiu raised his head and saw a figure standing in the breach…

The figure smiled broadly, eyes shining with delight as she gazed at Fang Xiu. Her stunningly familiar yet strange face seemed to greet him…

She appeared to say, “Junior Brother Fang, long time no see…”

Then, a huge bronze cauldron suddenly fell, enveloping the entire blood pit!

…

“Consider this: Heaven and Earth are the craftsmen, Fate the furnace, Yin and Yang the charcoal, and all things the copper!”

The Human Emperor Banner collects and nourishes heroic souls, exterminating countless demons. The Heavenly Emperor Divine Mirror predicts and tracks, ensuring demons have no place to hide. Naturally, the Earth Emperor Cauldron refines non-our-kind and replenishes magical energy consumption.