After crossing over, he has no taboos among the zombies.

The space inside the Black Demon Banner was as dark as an eternal night.

Countless golden and black runes flowed in the void, weaving a dense net that firmly wrapped the golden soul shadow of Master Ziyang in the center.

With each flash of those runes, tiny fragments of true demonic energy seeped into his soul, locking his soul power flow like iron chains, preventing even the most basic soul thought fluctuations from escaping.

Master Ziyang was so shocked that his soul trembled. He tried to use his soul power to break through the restriction, but as soon as a wisp of golden light appeared on his fingertips, he was backfired by the runes. Tiny cracks instantly appeared on the surface of his soul, and excruciating pain drilled straight into his soul core.

"No...it's impossible!" he roared, his voice filled with despair.

Even his soul power was restricted, which meant he was completely at the mercy of others, and even dispersing his soul on his own became a pipe dream.

Just then, a pale golden soul figure slowly floated out from under the banner, surrounded by a faint watery divine light; it was none other than Long Qingyun.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on Master Ziyang, a hint of amusement in his coldness.

Upon recognizing the newcomer, Master Ziyang's soul froze for a moment, then erupted in boundless rage: "Long Qingyun, you dog thief, what are you doing here?"

His soul shadow trembled violently, and the golden soul light surged. If it weren't for the runes binding him, he probably would have pounced on the attack and fought to the death.

龙青云嗤笑一声，缓步上前，指尖弹出一缕魂力，轻轻拍在紫阳上人的魂体上：“几百年过去了，怎么还这么暴躁，看来当年那顿揍没把你打醒。”

"If it weren't for you, how could I have ended up in this state?" Master Ziyang gritted his teeth. "You bastard, I will haunt you even as a ghost."

"You should take a look at your current situation before you speak. I have never claimed to be a kind man or woman, but I would never stoop to associating with a dog like you. If I had wiped you out back then, none of this would have happened. Humph!" Long Qingyun's eyes flashed with cold light.

Outside the banner, Qin He's divine sense took in everything. He raised his hand and stroked the body of the Black Demon Banner, his fingertips trembling with the golden and black laws.

There are thousands of local deities in the land, yet Long Qingyun made him choose Master Ziyang. What a coincidence! This old fellow is using me as a pawn.

But Qin He did not stop it.

He wanted to see what Long Qingyun planned to do, and he also wanted to know the details of how Master Ziyang controlled the shrine, as well as his purpose in scavenging fire-attribute spiritual objects.

Inside the banner, the smile on Long Qingyun's face gradually faded, and his soul power suddenly surged. The runes inside the Black Demon Banner flowed with his will, transforming into jet-black spikes that pressed against the soul of Master Ziyang.

"Enough with the nonsense." Long Qingyun's voice was as cold as ice. "Who is in charge of the shrines in the thirty-six cities of Changyang Prefecture? What are the rules for the Divine Court's inspections?"

"Dream on!" Venerable Ziyang roared, his neck stiff. "I am the registered Earth God of the Divine Court. How could I possibly compromise with a dog like you? Even if you torture me, I will not utter a single word!"

He was certain that Long Qingyun wouldn't dare kill him, since his Earth God Mark was still connected to the Divine Court, and once his soul was destroyed, the Divine Court would definitely notice something amiss.

Long Qingyun seemed to see through his thoughts, and a cruel smile appeared on his lips: "Kill you? That's too easy for you."

He turned to the outside of the banner and cupped his hands in greeting: "Young friend Qin, may I borrow the true demonic energy within this banner?"

Qin He paused slightly with his fingertips, and then imprinted a mark into the Black Demon Banner.

In an instant, all the runes inside the banner lit up, and the black spikes were surrounded by the power of laws interwoven with gold and black, radiating a terrifying pressure.

Long Qingyun raised his hand and waved it, and the sharp spikes instantly pierced into the soul of Master Ziyang.

"what!"

A mournful howl echoed within the banner, and Master Ziyang's soul twisted violently.

"I said! I said!"

Master Ziyang was stubborn, but he could only hold out for less than three breaths before wailing and begging for mercy, "The shrine is jointly managed by the city and government offices, and the inspections are only once every three years, which is just a formality!"

A cold glint flashed in Long Qingyun's eyes, and the sharp edge recoiled slightly: "Who is the Inspector? Have you heard any news about him recently?"

"This...how would I know?"

You must know!

"..."

"Ah! I'll talk! I'll talk!"

……

While observing Long Qingyun's interrogation, Qin He's divine sense also glanced towards the palace of Master Ziyang.

In the center of the palace stood a three-legged cauldron, its body engraved with fire-elemental runes, radiating a scorching aura.

Beside the cauldron were piles of fire-attribute spiritual objects, ranging from low-grade flame grass to rare fire crystals, and even a few eggs of fire-attribute divine beast laws.

The array patterns beneath the cauldron were faintly flowing, revealing it to be a fire-gathering array. It was drawing the fire attribute power from the spiritual object and channeling it into the cauldron, condensing it into a crimson flame the size of a fist.

"What is this?" Qin He's heart skipped a beat.

Judging from this scene, Master Ziyang was not collecting these spiritual items for cultivation resources, but rather to use the Fire Gathering Array to refine this flame.

Qin He observed for a long time, then exclaimed in surprise: "A spark?"