In a remote location, deep within a dark and humid cavern, a Soul Cultivator sat in hiding,with green skin and red hair. Beside him rested his primary artifact: the Ten-Thousand Soul Banner, a sinister flag capable of imprisoning ten thousand human spirits. The silence of the cave was suddenly shattered when his young disciple rushed in, his mind and spirit in total disarray. Clutching a Thousand-Soul Banner, the boy cried out, "Master, the flag... it’s reacting so strangely!"

  The Evil Cultivator of the Ten-Thousand Soul Banner (Golden Core - Rank A) replied calmly, "What is so strange? We are evil practitioners; it is only natural for the flag to emit a bit of black smoke. Calm yourself, my young disciple."

  The disciple, named Xiao Wa Tou (Foundation Establishment - Rank B), stammered and activated his flag. Instead of black smoke, the artifact turned a brilliant, blinding gold—the color of Great Perfected Merit.

  "M-Master... what does this mean?"

  The Evil Cultivator bolted upright in shock. "Great Perfected Merit?! What on earth did you do?"

  Terrified that he had committed a grave mistake, the disciple trembled. "I only did as you commanded, Master! I went out, killed a few people, and harvested their souls into this flag."

  "Who, specifically, did you kill?" the Master demanded.

  "The Great Bandit Chief of the Northwest Mountains and his entire syndicate... over a hundred men in total."

  The Evil Cultivator erupted into a savage, manic laughter. Xiao Wa Tou was frightened out of his wits; he immediately fell to his knees and pleaded, "I was wrong! Please, Master, do not punish me... or at least, please punish me lightly!"

  "Hahaha! You did nothing wrong!" the Master laughed. "I simply never expected this. If one can accumulate such immense merit by killing people, why would I even bother being an 'Evil Cultivator' anymore? Hahaha!"

  Xiao Wa Tou sighed inwardly. Master stays hidden in these deep valleys all day... he really knows nothing at all...

  The Master’s laughter stopped instantly, his face turning dead serious. "Speak at once! What is it that I 'know nothing' about?"

  Xiao Wa Tou jumped in surprise. I didn't say that out loud, how did he know?

  The Master frowned. "I have mastered the Mind-Reading Spell. Now, tell me: what has happened recently? Tell me everything, in clear and vivid detail."

  The disciple began to recount all the information he knew regarding the treaty of the seven great races. Among them, the treaty involving the Asura Race made a profound impression on the Master. He muttered to himself, "To repay evil with evil... interesting, very interesting."

  A moment later, the Master declared, "My disciple, from now on, we shall turn from evil and follow the righteous path. Go and summon all your senior brothers and sisters back here—quickly, before they are hunted down by the righteous sects."

  "On your way, seek out knowledge regarding the Asura Path and the Buddhist Path. We must repent. We shall use the Buddhist Path for protection and to cleanse our demonic aura, and then we will submit to the Asura Path. From that point forward, we shall be free to kill without fear!"

  He mobilized his ten disciples to relentlessly eliminate four major bandit gangs, harvesting thousands of souls. Their merit skyrocketed, offsetting the "karmic debt" they owed, and the black miasma surrounding the Master began to fade.

  Later, he changed his name to the Vagabond of the Ten-Thousand Soul Banner and appeared openly before Doanh Thuong Quan.

  "In the past, this Taoist was foolish," he said. "Now, having repented, I come to reveal a secret to you. I know of a cruel organization of Blood Cultivators that specializes in human sacrifice and cannibalism. They are called the Blood-Refining Demon Gate. They are more like demons than men. If you wish, I will act as your mole and help you eliminate this threat."

  Doanh Thuong Quan was conflicted and worried. He consulted his Emperor Star System (a system activated by Noe when he was a child, which had recently finished its boot-up sequence upon his appointment as Prince Regent).

  The System replied: "This is a situation with all benefits and no harm. If he fails, he dies and you lose nothing. If he succeeds, your reputation will spread far and wide, which is highly beneficial for your future claim to the throne. However, you must ask clearly what he wants in return. An unfair reward will damage your reputation, talent will stop seeking you out, and your chance to become King will be delayed by several years."

  Doanh Thuong Quan responded to the cultivator, "Very well, I like your idea. But I do not trust you. How can an evil cultivator repent so easily? Prove it to me."

  The Vagabond did not answer with words. Instead, he and his students began to chant the Golden Light Incantation. A golden energy shield enveloped them. This spell required no mana; instead, it consumed their Merit. This was a "Pure Yang" magic of the Immortal Race, specifically used to exorcise demons—a power that ghost and demonic cultivators find agonizing.

  "Is this enough to prove we follow the righteous path?" he asked.

  Doanh Thuong Quan nodded. "Fine. But I want to know what you require if we are victorious."

  "It's simple," the Vagabond replied. "I only need the souls of these demonic and ghost practitioners. I shall perform 'rituals of salvation' for them day and night."

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  Doanh Thuong Quan sighed, thinking to himself: You just want to capture them as ghost soldiers for yourself; don't act like you're being kind. Aloud, he said, "That is not enough. You are risking your life, so I shall also reward you with a portion of the treasures we seize as a token of my thanks. What do you think?"

  The Vagabond laughed. "I completely agree! That is wonderful, even better than I expected."

  Some time later, a grand banquet was held by the Blood-Refining Demon Gate. In an isolated underground area, the disciples—mostly wealthy and powerful individuals of high social status—engaged in debauchery. Everyone wore masks; if a mask fell off, that person was considered prey to be hunted. Human flesh and blood were the primary food and drink. Sickening, depraved games were played to the deafening sound of music mixed with the screams of victims. Over half of the sect's high-ranking leadership was gathered here.

  At the center of the party was a massive chamber painted with a giant formation—a bridge to the Eerie World, allowing ghost energy to flood into this realm. At the heart of the formation was the Demon Gate. Piles of flesh were heaped upon it. When the sorcerers called, Demons from the other world stepped through the gate, possessing the piles of meat to take form—becoming Red-Skinned Devils. Some devils even possessed low-level disciples to enjoy carnal pleasures.

  Ly Nuong and Xiao Wa Tou, disciples of the Vagabond, were also at this party. Previously, they would have found this normal or even exciting, but now they felt only intense nausea.

  "Sister," Xiao Wa Tou whispered behind his mask, "why do I feel so disgusted? I didn't feel this way before."

  "Keep your voice down," Ly Nuong replied quietly. "Before, we allowed our minds to be open to the demons; we felt like they did. But Master has cast a protective spell on our minds. No demon can enter us now."

  "Oh! So we are different from them. What if the demons report us to the commanders? We'll be dead for sure!"

  Ly Nuong thought for a moment. "True, but Master has a plan. Just trust him. Is your weapon ready?"

  "Yes," the boy nodded.

  Midway through the feast, an Elder of the Blood-Refining Demon Gate appeared. He ordered the party to stop and everyone to gather at the center near the Demon Gate.

  "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen," the Elder said. "I apologize for stopping the fun. But in exchange, we have a special program: hunting traitors! Recently, many of our outposts in the Little Imperial Kingdom have been destroyed. After an investigation, we have found the culprits. We have invited them here as 'guests'... and they are standing right among you!"

  The crowd panicked, shouting, "It’s not me! It’s not me!"

  "Calm yourselves," the Elder sneered. "We already know who they are."

  Suddenly, beams of light shone directly onto the Vagabond and his disciples. They were fully clothed in black cloaks, while everyone else was nearly naked or draped in mere scraps of cloth.

  The Vagabond laughed loudly and threw off his cloak. In his left hand was the Ten-Thousand Soul Banner, and in his right was a Silver Blade. He was clad in full armor. His disciples followed suit, holding Thousand-Soul Banners and either Redwood or Silver Blades—treasures of the Immortal Race specialized for slaying demons.

  "Detected so early? A bit later would have been better," the Vagabond remarked.

  The Elder laughed. "A mantis trying to stop a carriage! There are thousands of us here, not counting the ghosts and devil soldiers. We will be 'merciful' and leave your body intact if you tell us who the mastermind is."

  "Mercy? You people know the meaning of mercy?" the Vagabond spat. "You killed my sister, and you speak of mercy?"

  "Everyone here does that," the Elder chuckled. "If you fail, you get punished. Being hacked to pieces is normal. Don't worry, I'll make sure you feel the pain in every layer of skin and muscle. I won't let you die quickly."

  Immediately, guards rushed in from the outside, many carrying Soul-Summoning Banners.

  "You talk too much," the Vagabond said. He looked at his flag. "Sister, it's time for revenge."

  His flag glowed with a pale golden light of merit. The soul of a girl in red flew out, covered in a golden halo. He planted the flag into the ground and chanted, "O wronged souls who died here, I come to liberate you! Those with grudges, seek your revenge! Do not let a single one escape!"

  The entire building shook. Screams erupted from every brick soaked in innocent blood. The spirits flowed into the Ten-Thousand Soul Banner, were empowered by merit, and flew out to attack those who had harmed them. The disciples formed hand seals, chanting the Golden Light Incantation to maintain their defense while protecting the flags.

  At first, the enemies scattered in confusion, but they soon regained their footing, summoning ghost creatures, Soul-Binding Chains, and Soul-Gathering Jars. The Vagabond and his disciples were surrounded; several disciples lay unconscious on the ground.

  "Stay calm! Maintain the formation! Reinforcements are coming!" the Vagabond shouted, though he thought: What is taking the Prince Regent so long? Hurry up!

  The cultists laughed. "Reinforcements? Do you know where we are? A thousand meters underground! Die!"

  Suddenly, the cavern trembled violently. Silver Beard (Golden Core - Rank A), the guardian of Doanh Thuong Quan, appeared. He looked around and nodded. "Ah, I made it in time."

  He slammed his hands into the ground: [Great Earthquake]!

  The cave shook violently; rocks and debris fell upon the Blood-Refining Demon Gate members. In the chaos, Silver Beard used Earth Tunneling to bring in General Kieu Anh Phong (Golden Core - Rank A).

  "Looks like a lively party!" the General laughed. "Let me heat things up!"

  He transformed into a ten-meter-tall giant, activated his Phoenix Mark, and unleashed the [Phoenix Fire Fist]. Flaming wings appeared on his arms, incinerating everyone nearby. The cultists rushed to the Demon Gate and summoned a swarm of imps and a ten-meter-tall Demon Minor King (Rank A).

  The General’s strength was equal to the Demon King, but he lacked its regenerative power provided by the Demon Gate. He shifted his stance to the [Black Ice Tortoise Technique], creating a shield of ice spikes to buy time as a second Demon King began to emerge.

  "The Demons grow weaker the further they are from the gate!" the Vagabond yelled.

  "I see! Witness my [Raging Dragon Kick]!" The General’s legs, covered in ice scales, shifted into dragon-like talons. He delivered a full-force kick that sent the Demon King flying far away from the gate. He followed up with a barrage of strikes until the creature was unconscious.

  Silver Beard continued to teleport in groups of soldiers. Over 300 elite warriors, including Han Thuong and Trung Hau, appeared. Then, two large holes opened in the ceiling as the Gold Dragon (Rank A) and the Green Dragon (Rank A)—friends of Doanh Thuong Quan—dived in.

  Finally, the army of the Little Imperial Kingdom descended—thousands of elite troops. Doanh Thuong Quan appeared, radiating a powerful Emperor Star aura that bolstered his men and suppressed the fear of the Demons.

  After this sudden war, the Little Imperial Kingdom gained a massive hoard of resources. The leaders of the Blood-Refining Demon Gate were either killed or forced to flee to the Western Lang Kingdom.

  The Vagabond refused his reward, asking only to build a Buddhist temple and an Asura shrine. Doanh Thuong Quan agreed, and thus, these two religions first appeared in the Little Imperial Kingdom.