Swing the sword at the future female devil

Chapter 343 Refining the Emperor's Banner!
Since disagreements are bound to happen sooner or later, it's always good to make plans early. Duan Huaige hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should also drag the Prison Master into his schemes. That way, even if the court wanted to take action against him and Xiao Jiang, they would have to think twice.

However, after thinking for a moment, Duan Huaige finally gave up the idea. Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. Once he was bound to the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain, it would mean that he would have more confidence to negotiate, but it would also mean that he would have a weakness. In the future, the cause and effect of the entire Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain would be related to him.

Although he became a nominal Celestial Master, he never intended to lead a force; he only wanted to exchange it for some cultivation resources.

Hmm? So, when the Prison Master came to me just now saying he was going into seclusion, did he foresee that there was a conflict between me and the imperial court that would eventually erupt, so he preemptively shut me down?

Old Deng is so cunning!

Duan Huaige inwardly grumbled, then quietly asked, "Old Celestial Master, we're colleagues and comrades fighting side-by-side against the female demon, so please tell me some things... In this cultivation world after the spiritual energy revival, which forces are at odds with the imperial court?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Of course, we should prepare in advance to sweep away these conservative old-fashioned factions for the court in the future!" Duan Huaige said righteously.

Although I don't intend to lead the Celestial Master's Mansion in rebellion against the imperial court, finding future allies in advance is a good option.

"..."

The old celestial master seemed to see through his intentions, sighed, and said earnestly, "Young friend Huaige, in this world, everything boils down to compromise. The old saying 'a wise man submits to circumstances' is always true. Why are you so stubborn?"

Duan Huaige feigned ignorance: "What compromise? I don't know what you're talking about, Celestial Master. Aren't we talking about going through fire and water for the imperial court?"

"Then go ahead and face the dangers, I, the Celestial Master, will not accompany you!" The old Celestial Master waved his sleeves and left gracefully. Duan Huaige was about to stop him when he suddenly heard the old Celestial Master's spiritual whispers in his ear.

"If anything unexpected happens, try to flee south... and remember to avoid contact with the Wu family of Jiangnan..."

This old man… even sharing information has to be done in secret… Duan Huaige was speechless, but he quickly memorized what the old master had said about the relationship between the imperial court and the local situation. If things really came to the point where they were being hunted down by the imperial court, he and Xiao Jiang would have an escape route.

As for the old master's saying that those who understand the times are wise... Duan Huaige hadn't even considered such a thing. Regardless, he had to keep his promise to Xiao Jiang:
Even if the whole world betrays you one day, I will never betray you!

……

After returning to his residence, Duan Huaige took a moment to calm himself down. Although he was almost blown to pieces in the battle with the demoness, fortunately, his Red Lotus Body Tempering Technique was effective enough. As long as there was a sufficient supply of spiritual energy, his recovery ability could be described as quite abnormal.

Of course, the battle that touched him the most was the battle between the two female demons over the Soul Banner. It truly made Duan Huaige realize that you have to have power to survive in this world. What good is just being good at fighting?
If it weren't for the Heavenly Demon Emperor's Soul Banner, it would have been impossible for Taiqing alone to stir up such a huge storm and cause such chaos in Longhu Mountain. And Xiao Jiang's Human Emperor Banner is also quite formidable. This stimulation made Duan Huaige want to hurry up and refine the Human Emperor Banner.

You'll regret not having enough banners when you need them. If the imperial pagoda opens up in the future, the ancient battlefield spirits within the imperial banners will come in handy!
Without further ado, Duan Huaige summoned the Mountain and River Map, bringing all the materials inside. This battle with Taiqing wasn't entirely fruitless; at least after experiencing the battle between Xiao Jiang and Taiqing's soul banner, his spiritual strength had increased significantly, and the Azure Lotus Dharma Image within his sea of ​​consciousness had become increasingly robust. This was now the perfect opportunity to refine the banner!
Duan Huaige summoned the Soul Refining Cauldron, which hung upside down in the void. The Nine Netherworld Soul Flames condensed into the shape of a blue lotus on the belly of the cauldron, and each flame reflected the distorted face of the dead.

The moment the Heavenly Demon Banner unfurled, the faint cries of a million people echoed within the Mountain and River Map. The seven demon heads embedded in the banner's ribs simultaneously opened their blood-red eyes, spewing forth a foul aura that corroded starlight. The Mountain and River Seal at Duan Huaige's waist suddenly lit up, and the Emperor's Purple Qi transformed into nine chains that bound the banner's surface, engaging in a tug-of-war with the surging demonic patterns.

"Ten Thousand Souls Forbidden Technique - Reversing Heaven and Earth!"

The Nine Netherworld Lotus within the cauldron bloomed in response, its twelve dark jade petals swirling in formation. Following the description in the Ten Thousand Souls Forbidden Technique, Duan Huaige used his fingers to cut open his chest cavity, his heart's blood falling into the lotus's heart, and his soul flames instantly surged into a towering pillar of fire.

The Nine Netherworld Flames suddenly split into 360 fire lines, scorching the new banner along the trajectory of the stars. Blood seeped from Duan Huaige's seven orifices as the backlash from forcibly activating the Soul Refining Cauldron followed.

In the past, he had always failed at this step because he lacked soul power and was unable to control the Soul Refining Cauldron. This time, Duan Huaige had the Qingxuan Lotus Seed in his mouth, ready to bite it to replenish his soul power at any time.

The soul flame steadily burned the Emperor's Banner, gradually scorching auspicious cloud patterns onto its surface. At the same time, the petals of the Nine Nether Soul Lotus transformed into streaks of black ink, converging towards the demon head on the Heavenly Demon Banner and refining it into the Emperor's Banner's unique imperial necklace.

However, an unexpected change occurred at this moment. The Nine Nether Soul Flame went completely out of control, and the blue-green sea of ​​fire engulfed the Soul Refining Cauldron. Duan Huaige was shocked when he saw this and quickly withdrew his soul power to prevent all the materials from being ruined.

Once again, various unexpected events occurred halfway through the refining process... Duan Huaige looked at the half-finished product in front of him and felt a headache coming on. He wondered if he, as the protagonist of the righteous path, really couldn't possess such a cool magic weapon as the Human Emperor Banner?

Duan Huaige decided to take a break for a while, step out of the Landscape Painting to get some fresh air, and think about where the problem might be.

If the witch Xiao Jiang were still here... I could ask her about A Tong, and she could also teach me how to refine the Human Emperor Banner.

A thought suddenly popped into Duan Huaige's mind, but he quickly spat it out a few times, thinking to himself that it was best not to say such unlucky things so late at night...

If the witch Xiao Jiang really comes, he'll be dead along with that lunatic in no time... The key issue is that the witch Xiao Jiang has the Undying Red Lotus Demon Body, making her immortal, while his Undying Red Lotus Saint Body hasn't been successfully cultivated yet!

Duan Huaige shook his head, trying to shake off the strange thoughts in his mind, but then a soft knock came from the door, which sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet night.

Who's launching another night raid so late?

Duan Huaige was slightly taken aback. The first thing that came to mind was Miss Yan Wang's incredible abilities, but considering that she had been chased around by Qin Shuangjiang during the day, she probably wouldn't dare to launch a night attack now... Could it be...?
"Xiao Jiang? What brings you here?"

(End of this chapter)