Chapter Thirty-Six: The Ritual Forging of the Life-Bound Ghost Artifact

After making all the necessary preparations, Zhou Bai closed his eyes and rested for a long while, adjusting his body to its optimal condition. Then, he lit a stick of sandalwood incense in his room, and gentle smoke began to diffuse through the air.

He had casually taken this incense from Daoist Hou, who kept it carefully stored. Although Zhou Bai was unsure of its true purpose, the scent was fresh and seemed to steady the mind. In fact, Daoist Hou rarely used this incense, called Dao Birth Fragrance. Though not particularly rare, its production was extremely intricate, and over the years, only three or four sticks remained, reserved for cultivation sessions.

Once his mind was completely stabilized, Zhou Bai waited for dusk, when the world was half-shrouded in shadow, and officially began his practice of the “Relying on Objects Formula.” The contents of the formula had long been engraved in his mind by the system, so there was no need for review.

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Bai retrieved the small box containing the Yinwood seed. As he opened it, a chill immediately spread out, mingling with the twilight. According to Wang Zhen, this was the best time to refine a personal ghost artifact.

Zhou Bai used a prepared knife to cut his index finger, then gently smeared the blood onto the Yinwood seed. If the object he intended to refine were larger—say, a weapon like a butcher’s blade—it would have required much more blood.

The next step was the most crucial. Zhou Bai closed his eyes, focusing his mind to communicate with the strands of yin energy in his Yin-Yang Eyes.

Several days had passed, and these strands had grown significantly, though without deliberate guidance, they were scattered and chaotic. Zhou Bai patiently sorted through the yin energy, gradually gaining control over it.

The yin energy was mischievous, constantly weaving through the blood vessels around his eyes. It took considerable effort for him to succeed.

He directed the yin energy to his fingertips, so that the blood flowing out carried a trace of it.

The Yinwood seed quickly absorbed every drop of blood, not leaving a single trace behind.

Yinwood mainly grows in Youzhou, concentrated in sunless valleys where a faint chill lingers year-round. This spiritual plant feeds upon such energy.

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This plant is not picky; besides absorbing yin energy, animals lost in the forest often go mad under its influence, dying within, their bones becoming nourishment for the Yinwood.

The Yinwood seed is inherently a spiritual plant; stimulated by blood, it regained some vitality. When Zhou Bai touched the seed again, the blood tinged with yin energy was its ideal tonic.

The seed acted like a hungry infant, continuously sucking his blood. Once sated, its color shifted from pale to a pattern streaked with crimson.

A mysterious connection appeared in Zhou Bai’s mind. In mere seconds, he experienced the entire lifecycle of the Yinwood: blossoming, bearing fruit, ripening, and falling to become a seed.

The smoothness of refining his personal ghost artifact astonished Zhou Bai. The seed now possessed the most basic qualities of such an artifact—it could serve as a vessel for yin energy. However, its small size meant even a few strands nearly filled it.

Moreover, Zhou Bai’s artifact retained the vitality of a spiritual plant, able to slowly absorb yin energy and grow.

By Zhou Bai’s estimate, it would take five to ten years for the seed to sprout and reveal part of its true power.

He had no patience for that. The choice of Yinwood as his artifact was not for some distant, world-saving purpose.

Now came the advancement of the “Relying on Objects Formula.” According to records, the technique had five levels; the third was rarely reached, and the last two were suspected by Wang Zhen to be mere conjecture.

Zhou Bai summoned the system panel. After refining his artifact, the formula’s progress jumped to 10%. It seemed fast, but from here on, it would be a painstaking grind—and Zhou Bai lacked the time.

Seeing the prompt required four points, Zhou Bai felt a pang of regret but made his choice without hesitation.

Once the formula hit 100%, the seed expressed an intense thirst for blood and yin energy.

He pressed his wounded finger to it again, and the seed absorbed the blood infused with yin energy much faster than before, causing a stinging sensation.

This continued for over ten minutes. The seed swelled considerably, its blood-like patterns growing more intricate.

Zhou Bai sensed that his artifact could now hold several times more yin energy, though it would absorb a bit each day for its own growth.

After resting briefly, Zhou Bai glanced at the pitch-black night. The speed at which he replenished yin energy suddenly accelerated.

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With a personal ghost artifact, Zhou Bai now had a channel to the outside world, naturally able to absorb ambient yin energy.

After more than an hour, once his yin energy was fully restored, Zhou Bai opened the system interface. The formula now required five points for the next advancement.

He hadn’t expected the jump from the first to second layer to cost nine points. The price would only rise, forcing him to hunt monsters and demons.

With a resigned sigh, he made the decision to advance. This time, the effect was dramatic.

The room’s temperature dropped, and wisps of mist seeped in through the door cracks.

He quickly realized this was dense yin energy.

The chill moved toward the Yinwood seed, and when it touched Zhou Bai’s skin, a soul-deep cold spread through his whole body.

His blood flow slowed noticeably, but Zhou Bai could not discard his artifact and had to keep it close.

Most of the yin energy was absorbed by the artifact, though his two deadly blades—the butcher’s knife and Tang saber—also tried to compete.

The Tang saber was more ferocious and could have absorbed more, but the brewing blade technique dispersed the surrounding yin energy, leaving the butcher’s knife to benefit.

Soon, the Yinwood seed in his palm began to sprout. A tender leaf broke through its hard shell.

The leaf was gray, with blood-red veins—unlike the usual black-gray of Yinwood.

The seedling showed a dominant nature upon birth, instantly sweeping the room clear of yin energy. Fortunately, the butcher’s knife had already absorbed enough to be saturated.

Zhou Bai looked down at the seedling in his palm. It was like his own extension—when he thought of shaking its leaf, it responded in kind.

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