I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

The chilling aura was extremely faint; had Lu Zhao not possessed divine attributes far exceeding those of ordinary people and been familiar with the energy characteristics of the Soul-Eating Puppet, it would have been almost impossible to detect. It wasn't concentrated in one place, but rather spread slowly into the valley from the narrow entrance, like a thin mist.

Lu Zhao's heart skipped a beat. He immediately stood up and silently made his way towards the valley entrance. He activated the [Turtle Breath Technique], reducing his life force to a minimum, becoming like a stone blending into the night.

As he approached the valley entrance, in the dim moonlight, he saw the true form of the "mist"—it was not a solid object, but seven or eight translucent, pale gray phantoms with distorted faces, emitting silent wails! They floated in the air about a foot above the ground, wandering aimlessly, and wherever they passed, the grass and trees seemed to be covered with a layer of frost.

[Wandering remnant soul, Level: 0 (No threat)]

[Health Points: 1/1 (Illusory State, immune to most physical attacks)]

[Status: Unconscious, attracted by Yin energy]

Remnant Soul? Level 0? Physical Immune?

Lu Zhao frowned deeply. These remnant souls themselves didn't seem to have much offensive power, but their very existence was a signal—they were attracted by the Yin energy! This meant that the valley of "Wang Anju," or the vicinity, might have a source of Yin energy, or... they were "brought" here by something?

He observed carefully and discovered that the direction in which these wandering souls were vaguely pointing towards the rock face where the stream flowed from the depths of the valley.

"We can't let them in!" Lu Zhao made the decision instantly. Although these remnant souls were currently harmless, no one knew whether they would mutate if they gathered together or came into contact with a specific environment (such as the source of Yin Sha). The safety of the entire camp could not be risked.

If physical attacks aren't very effective, then... what about mental power?

Lu Zhao recalled that the description of the [Refining Spirit Technique] included "enhancing mental perception and resilience," as well as a slight restraint against evil spirits. He immediately tried to activate the [Refining Spirit Technique], condensing a pure stream of spiritual energy into an invisible spike, which he shot towards the nearest remnant soul!

"Tch~"

Like a red-hot iron bar plunged into ice water, the pale gray phantom emitted a silent shriek, instantly distorting and fading before vanishing without a trace like wisps of smoke.

[Successfully purified 'Wandering Remnant Soul' x1!]

[Gained a small amount of experience points!]

[The Spirit Refining Technique has additional effects on Yin-type targets!]

[Refining Spirit Technique (Beginner) Experience +3!]

It works! And the effects are remarkable!

Lu Zhao's spirits lifted. He followed the same method, condensing his spiritual power into invisible needles, which he precisely aimed at the wandering remnant souls.

"Hiss~" "Hiss~"...

Like autumn winds sweeping away fallen leaves, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Lu Zhao had cleared away the seven or eight lingering souls wandering near the valley entrance. Each purification granted him a few points of experience and proficiency in the [Refining Spirit Technique]. Although the individual gains were small, they added up to a considerable amount.

[Refining Spirit Technique (Beginner) experience reached Lv1 (89/100)!]

The experience bar is almost full! Lu Zhao was filled with anticipation, wondering what changes would occur after leveling up.

After clearing away the remnant souls, Lu Zhao remained vigilant. He followed the direction from which the remnant souls had drifted, heading deeper into the valley, towards the source of the stream. He needed to figure out why these remnant souls had appeared.

The stream originates from a cave beneath a rock wall on one side of the valley. The cave entrance is small, allowing only one person to bend down and enter. Normally, spring water gurgles out from the cave. It is now late at night, and the cave is pitch black, emanating a chill that is even stronger than the outside air.

Lu Zhao stood at the cave entrance, concentrating his senses. There was indeed a faint trace of Yin energy remaining inside the cave, but it didn't seem to be the source. It was more like... something carrying Yin energy had once stayed here?

He hesitated for a moment, deciding not to venture into the unknown cave rashly. Exploring a cave at night was too dangerous. He decided to retreat to camp and make further plans after daybreak.

Back at the camp, Lu Zhao told the young men on night watch about discovering the remnant soul and how he had dealt with it. He instructed them to be vigilant and to immediately notify him if they spotted any similar phantoms again, and not to approach or attack them without permission. Seeing his solemn expression, everyone nodded seriously.

Nothing happened in the latter half of the night.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Lu Zhao, carrying a torch, returned to the spring cave. Master Zhao, still worried, followed with two brave young men.

"Young friend Lu, was it here that caused the anomaly last night?" Master Zhao looked at the deep cave entrance with a solemn expression.

"Hmm, those remnant souls seem to have been attracted by something inside the cave." Lu Zhao nodded and bent down to crawl inside first.

The cave was initially narrow and damp, but after walking about ten steps, the space suddenly opened up, revealing a naturally formed cave, about half the size of a room. Light filtered through a crack in the ceiling, allowing for a meager view. Spring water seeped from a crevice in the cave wall, forming a small pool before flowing outside.

The air inside the cave was cold and damp, but Lu Zhao sensed it carefully and found that the malevolent energy was much weaker than the night before, almost imperceptible.

"It seems...nothing special?" A young man who had followed them held up a torch and looked around.

Lu Zhao didn't relax; his gaze fell on a corner by the pool. There, several stones showed signs of having been recently moved. He walked over and carefully moved the stones.

Beneath the stone was a shallow pit, at the bottom of which remained some black, ash-like substance, emitting an extremely faint, almost completely dissipated, malevolent aura.

"This is..." Master Zhao leaned closer for a look, his expression changing slightly. "It looks like... the embers of a burned talisman? Moreover, judging from its color, it's definitely not something used by the righteous path!"

Talismans? A thought struck Lu Zhao. Could it be that someone deliberately burned some kind of evil talisman to attract souls, thus summoning those remnant spirits?

Who could it be? Zhang Kui's gang of surviving hooligans? Or... some other ill-intentioned person?

He recalled that yesterday during the day, there seemed to be several unfamiliar refugees peeking around near the valley entrance. He hadn't paid much attention at the time, but now that he thought about it, it seemed quite suspicious.

"Master, it seems someone did this intentionally," Lu Zhao said in a deep voice. "The purpose is unclear, but it's definitely not benevolent. We need to strengthen the defenses of the camp."

Master Zhao nodded gravely: "Human hearts are unpredictable... I'll arrange for men to patrol day and night, especially this water source area, which must be heavily guarded!"

After cleaning up the traces inside the cave and confirming that there were no further abnormalities, the group left the cave.

Back at camp, Lu Zhao immediately threw himself into the intense preparations for defense. He led the able-bodied men to cut down trees and set up makeshift chevaux-de-frise and traps at the narrow valley entrance. Though crude, they at least served as a warning and a deterrent.

After a busy day, the defensive fortifications at the valley entrance were beginning to take shape. Night fell again, and the atmosphere in the camp was much more tense than the night before, with the number of patrolmen doubling.

Lu Zhao sat in his hut near the valley entrance, not sleeping, but fully activating the [Refining Spirit Technique]. After accumulating knowledge during the day and practicing just now, he felt that the bottleneck in the [Refining Spirit Technique] had loosened.

Finally, at midnight, a soft "pop" sound seemed to come from my mind, and a more powerful and condensed spiritual force arose from my sea of ​​consciousness!

[Refining Spirit Technique (Beginner) upgraded to Lv2!]

[Enhanced Effect: Expands the range of mental perception, accelerates mental energy recovery, and slightly improves the effectiveness against evil and malevolent entities.]

[The Divine attribute gains a slight bonus to growth potential.]

Upgraded! Lu Zhao happily felt the change in his spiritual power, his perception range expanded to nearly seventy feet, and his spirit became more vigorous.

However, just as he was preparing to consolidate his new realm, a chilling aura, far stronger than the previous night and clearly carrying malice, suddenly surged from the direction of the valley entrance like a tidal wave!

This time, it's no longer a wandering, unconscious remnant soul!

Lu Zhao suddenly opened his eyes, a fierce glint flashing in them.

What's been waiting for has finally arrived!