Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 143 Supernatural Powers and Faith (A long chapter of 7000 words)
The stages of spiritual practice are clearly defined.

The Awakening Realm is the ability to sense spiritual energy; the Qi Sea Realm is the ability to absorb spiritual energy; the Gang Sha Realm is the ability to have tough flesh and blood that is impervious to swords and spears; the Tong Xuan Realm is the ability to comprehend supernatural powers... Each realm has its corresponding cultivation method and its own characteristics.

Perhaps some people have a series of extraordinary encounters, and their cultivation speed is much faster than that of ordinary people.

The Venerable One has lived for many years and has witnessed many extraordinary talents, not to mention that Zhang Qi, the most talented sword immortal in the world, is still alive. No one can be more legendary than him.

However, the Venerable One can confirm that Zhang Qi does not have eighteen Qi Seas.

Everything follows a basic logic; how can there be such an illogical situation?
Not to mention that the Lord had never seen him, he had never even heard of him.

Even more outrageous than this is Chen Ye's transformation of Qi Sea.

The Venerable One explained, “The transformation of the Qi Sea is normal. As long as one opens the gate to the mysteries of heaven and earth and comprehends the principles of heaven and earth, one can comprehend supernatural powers. These supernatural powers often cause the Qi Sea to transform as well. But you haven’t even completed your Gang Sha Body Refinement yet, so how could you comprehend supernatural powers? Moreover, you don’t look like you’ve comprehended any supernatural powers. If you sensed that gate to the mysteries, you should have some understanding in your heart…”

The more they talked, the more something seemed amiss, and the Venerable One couldn't help but ask, "You brat, are you perhaps a person born with supernatural powers?"

"Born with magical powers?"

Chen Ye remembered hearing this saying before: Mo Suixin possessed innate supernatural powers, capable of performing three divinations daily. No matter how high one's cultivation level or how strong one's divination skills, no one could escape them. And Mo Suixin was only at the level of Gang Sha Body Refinement. This was an innate supernatural power, a powerful technique that one naturally mastered without needing to cultivate diligently.

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "That's unlikely. I've never had anything to do with snakes. It's just that I've had nightmares every day since I was bitten by your red-banded snake."

"It has nothing to do with me; it's trouble you caused by your own haphazard cultivation." The Venerable One was unwilling to bear the blame, so he asked, "What's the use of these fire snakes? Is there anything wrong with the circulation of your Qi Sea?"

After carefully sensing the energy, Chen Ye described, "The Qi Sea seems to be fine, and it can still absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. As for the fire snakes, I haven't tested them yet, but when I summon these fire snakes, they don't seem to be real objects."

"Indeed, it is entirely formed from spiritual energy, but this is the first time I have ever seen such an exquisite and lifelike creation. Come, let me test the power of this divine ability."

The Lord was somewhat eager to try his hand at it and actually wanted to spar with Chen Ye.

Chen Ye asked curiously, "Master, you can now fight with others? Aren't you afraid of being discovered by the four major sects?"

The Venerable One said smugly, "It's alright. The formation in Fengdu City is already taking shape and can conceal my secrets. As long as it doesn't cause too much trouble, it won't attract the attention of the four major sects. I don't need to take dealing with you too seriously..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Lord suddenly reached out and grabbed a fire snake that flew out of the void. He was just a hair's breadth away from being bitten on the neck by the fire snake.

The Venerable One laughed and said, "Hehe, naive boy, you think a sneak attack will work? You underestimate the Void Returning Realm. The so-called Void Returning Realm means being outside of this time and outside of this world. Even if I stand still, you can't touch the hem of my clothes."

Chen Ye frowned. This old devil was indeed powerful, but it was precisely because he was powerful enough that he could unleash his full power without any scruples.

The sound of countless venomous snakes flicking their tongues could be heard, and then flames engulfed the area around the lord.

Streams of fire snakes attacked him from all directions, as dense as a rain of arrows fired by a thousand troops.

Chen Ye thus confirmed one thing: the fire serpent seemed to be able to be summoned from any location he could sense, anywhere visible. Even from unseen locations, such as behind the Lord, Chen Ye could still summon the fire serpent with a fairly accurate calculation of the direction in his mind.

The lord instantly transformed into a ball of fire, but even amidst the flames, he mocked, "You brat, you have absolutely no talent in this area. I'll teach you what true combat is!"

As soon as the Lord finished speaking, Chen Ye felt a pain in his throat. A red snake had jumped onto his neck without him noticing, and bit into it with its venomous fangs.

Whether it was because the snake's fangs were bad or because Chen Ye had mastered body tempering, the bite only caused him pain, and the venomous fangs did not pierce his flesh.

Chen Ye grabbed the first red-banded snake and flung it away, but a second red-banded snake bit his palm, causing only pain but no serious injury. Chen Ye flung away the snake again, and immediately became wary.

The Lord's voice also came at this moment: "Don't overexert yourself, and don't exhaust your spells. No matter how powerful your supernatural abilities are, if you use them all at once and fail to kill your opponent, they will become wary. Even if you can summon thousands of fire snakes in an instant, do it one by one slowly, and don't let your opponent guess your limit."

As soon as the Lord finished speaking, two red snakes flew towards Chen Ye from two directions. Chen Ye was startled. Wasn't it agreed that they would take it one by one?
In that moment of hesitation, Chen Ye was bitten twice more with teeth marks.

The Venerable One laughed and said, "You believe everything others say? If you were to actually fight someone to the death, you would be the one to die!"

Chen Ye was speechless; these old devils really couldn't be trusted at all.

But the Lord didn't give Chen Ye any chance to think. Chen Ye only felt a pain in his chest as a red snake as thick as a bowl lashed his body with its tail, making him grimace in pain.

One after another, crimson snakes leaped out of the void, just like Chen Ye's supernatural power. Instead of biting, they slammed into him like fists, knocking him off balance.

The Lord shouted, "Use your supernatural powers to deal with this, and hurry up, or I'll have to use more force."

Chen Ye had no time to think and could only instinctively use the supernatural power he had just mastered.

Crimson flame snakes appeared in the void, colliding and tearing at the crimson snakes summoned by the Lord.

Chen Ye was initially completely suppressed, taking blows almost every moment, and his body was soon covered in bruises. But pressure can also be a driving force.

Cultivators are naturally sharp-witted and have far more acute senses than ordinary people, and the Venerable One has also intentionally held back his strength. As long as Chen Ye calms down, he will soon be able to discover the pattern.

Before long, the Crimson Flame Serpent summoned by Chen Ye was able to block the Lord's Crimson Serpent.

But just as Chen Ye was getting the hang of it, the Venerable One said to him, "Fool, can't you apply what you've learned to other situations? Your supernatural power can summon fire serpents out of thin air, so why summon them in mid-air?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ye felt an itch in his chest. Looking down, he saw a huge snake head emerge from his arms and bite his face.

Chen Ye was hit so hard he saw stars again.

But he also understood what the Lord meant. The summoning of the Crimson Flame Serpent seemed to have no restrictions. Since it was all about sneak attacks, why bother sending the serpent out to launch a sneak attack? Wouldn't it be simpler to just let it crawl out of a person's body?
With a thought, fire snakes began to emerge continuously from the Lord's body.

However, no matter how hard these fire serpents tried, they could only bite into the air, as if the Lord's appearance was just an illusion.

Chen Ye couldn't help but say, "This is too much!"

The Venerable One laughed and said, "Learn slowly. Your supernatural power is indeed amazing. You can actually summon fire snakes out of thin air, and it seems that the fangs of these things have other wonderful uses. The same spell can be performed by different people in completely different ways. Think about it carefully."

With a wave of his hand, the Lord's injuries vanished completely. Only then did Chen Ye realize that he had been under an illusion all along, and that being surrounded by the Crimson Serpents was just a hallucination.

As expected of a senior in the Returning to Void Realm, I am indeed far inferior.

Chen Ye said respectfully, "I have learned a lot from you."

The Venerable One nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly warned, "Before you fully understand this supernatural power, you'd better study it thoroughly first and not continue cultivating it for the time being. I'll also go back and look for ancient books; perhaps I can find relevant records."

The Venerable One was afraid that Chen Ye might develop problems during practice, which would mean the Yellow Springs Sect would be stillborn.

"Will we have to wait again?"

Chen Ye smiled wryly. His cultivation was truly fraught with difficulties. How could others go into seclusion for decades at a time, while he had only cultivated for a few months at most?

The Venerable One retorted, "You're still not satisfied? Are you even twenty this year? At twenty, you've already mastered the Qi Refining Body and comprehended a divine innate ability. This speed of cultivation is unprecedented. I advise you not to be greedy and reckless. This transformation of your Qi Sea into a sea of ​​snakes might be a warning from heaven. You should take some time to settle down."

"Go refine magic weapons and pills when you have nothing else to do. It's not too late to start cultivating after you figure out what this fire serpent is for. You can live for several hundred years now, so a few more years won't make a difference."

Chen Ye was helpless, but he knew that this matter was a matter of life and death, so it was safer to listen to the Lord's advice.

Just as they were about to leave, the Lord said, "It's just right. The construction of Fengdu has already attracted the attention of those barbarians. There are quite a few barbarian spies wandering around the area recently. I didn't want to deal with them, but since you have time, you can go and take care of them."

Chen Ye nodded. If Fengdu City wanted to establish itself in the northern frontier, it would inevitably have to deal with the barbarians.

It seems that Chief Bile has finally appeased his tribe and has freed up the time and resources to annex the territory that originally belonged to Suha.

Chen Ye bid farewell to his master, and with a thought, summoned a fire snake that coiled around his palm. In the blink of an eye, the fire snake vanished, and another fire snake appeared on the ground a hundred feet away.

This supernatural power is indeed formidable. The appearance of the fire serpent was completely without warning; it arrived at the slightest thought. Moreover, when Chen Ye carefully sensed it, he seemed to be able to communicate with the fire serpent and observe his surroundings through it.

Moreover, the fire on the fire serpent was not an illusion. It had no effect on the Venerable Lord before because the old demon was too powerful. Chen Ye controlled the fire serpent to crawl over a piece of dead wood and immediately set it on fire.

Besides, this fire snake should have many other wonderful uses, but Chen Ye hasn't had time to figure them all out yet.

Playing with the fire snake in his hand, Chen Ye walked deeper into Fengdu City.

After passing through those bustling areas, Chen Ye soon arrived at a simple palace. This was the core of Fengdu City, which Chen Ye named the Yellow Springs Palace. The Crimson Serpent Buddha, the Venerable One, was enshrined here, constantly absorbing the wishes of all living beings and regulating the spiritual energy of the earth's veins. It was the true core of the formation.

The exterior of the Huangquan Dao Palace looks somewhat simple, but it is seven stories high and is the largest building in the city.

With some external repairs, it can become the main hall of the Yellow Springs Sect.

After entering the gate, walking along the bluestone-paved ground, one finds a statue standing in the center of the empty hall. Although its face is somewhat blurry, the large snake coiled around its body is incredibly lifelike. Upon closer inspection, one can see that the snake's eyes are extremely expressive, as if it can meet one's gaze.

This is where the Red Serpent Buddha resides, but to avoid being too obvious, the statue of this large serpent does not have the characteristic of a Red Serpent with exposed bones.

Chen Ye walked around the Buddha statue and went straight to the second floor, which was temporarily used to deal with various miscellaneous items. However, for the time being, only the Venerable Lord and Chen Ye were in charge of Fengdu City.

The Venerable One was busy overseeing the construction, and Chen Ye was busy cultivating, so the place was deserted, with not a single person in sight.

However, when Chen Ye arrived, several ghosts soon appeared.

These ghostly spirits prostrated themselves before Chen Ye, kneeling devoutly and saying in unison, "Greetings, Sect Master."

"Get up, all of you. There's no need for these formalities."

Chen Ye didn't really like this kneeling ceremony, but the ghosts in front of him were all barbarians from the Northern Frontier, and were originally priests of their tribes. They worshipped Chen Ye as a god, and it would be difficult to change their habits in a short time.

Chen Ye cut to the chase: "I heard that Biler has sent spies to investigate. Do you have any news to report?"

The oldest-looking ghost raised its head and said to Chen Ye, "Reporting to the sect master, Bi Le did indeed send out their falcons, but seeing that we have already built high walls, they did not send troops to attack directly, but instead shot a letter in. Sect master, you are busy cultivating, and we dare not disturb you, so this letter was sent three days ago."

Chen Ye didn't blame them. He took the arrow with the sheepskin strap and took it apart to look at it.

Unfortunately, the text was entirely in barbarian script, which he couldn't understand at all, so he had to ask these spirits to help translate it.

"Sect Leader, this is an invitation letter. Bile invites you to meet at Geluchi to discuss the ownership of this grassland."

Chen Ye asked, "What kind of place is this Deer-Cutting Pool?"

"Reporting to the Sect Master, that is our sacred land in the Northern Frontier. Spring is approaching, and when the snow melts, the chieftains of the grasslands will gather at the Deer Hunting Pool for the Deer Hunting Festival. It's both a banquet and a arena for resolving disputes among the various tribes. We will send our strongest warriors and wisest sages to participate. If one can win the Deer Hunting Festival, not only will they gain glory, but other tribes will also make concessions on issues such as territorial disputes. Bile's invitation to the Sect Master to the Deer Hunting Pool is likely to invite you to participate in this year's Deer Hunting Festival."

Chen Ye understood. It really was a matter of currying favor and setting up a stage. Only if you performed well enough would others recognize your ability to establish yourself in the Northern Frontier.

This saves trouble, preventing the situation from being resolved on one side by Bi Le, only to have another leader, Le Bi, cause trouble for Huang Quan Zong.

Chen Ye asked, "How long is the deer hunt going to last?"

The old man replied, "It's estimated to be within the next month. If the sect leader wants to participate, he'll need to bring at least a hundred people."

Chen Ye asked, "One hundred people? Can't one hundred ghosts do it?"

"This..." The old man was speechless. He had witnessed many deer hunts, but he had never seen a ghost involved.

Chen Ye knew that this was not a proper thing to do, so he asked, "How many people from the northern frontier have come to join us these days?"

Although most of the tribes in the vicinity were destroyed, a few lucky ones escaped and came to Fengdu one after another, with many planning to settle in the city.

The old man quickly said, "Most of them are young and middle-aged, but there are too few of them, less than thirty in total."

Not every barbarian is willing to associate with ghosts; only a few barbarians who have found their relatives are willing to join Fengdu City.

Chen Ye then asked, "Is there a minimum number of participants for this deer hunting event?"

"No, but the deer hunting competition usually consists of three events. The first one is the hunt itself. If there are too few people, we probably won't be able to get past that one."

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter. I'm not doing this for the sake of winning. Go and tell them to select twenty people to come with me to this deer hunting event."

The old man immediately knelt down and said loudly, "Yes, sir."

Chen Ye thought for a moment and then asked, "How is the collection of sheep and other livestock going?"

Living on the vast grasslands always involves raising livestock. Originally, each tribe had a large flock of sheep, but they were all killed during the Nirvana Sect's blood sacrifice. Chen Ye longed to raise sheep again, since he had mastered the method of refining beast blood pills. If he had enough sheep, the disciples of the Yellow Spring Sect wouldn't need to search the world for Xuanji Dew anymore.

"Reporting to the sect leader, there has been no harvest so far. The only thing we have is a few young men who came to seek refuge, along with a few horses and a few sheep. It will probably take many years to raise the sheep again. Alternatively, the sect leader could trade with other tribes at the deer hunt, which might allow us to raise our sheep much faster."

Another trouble.

This Nirvana Sect is truly a menace; a single sacrifice destroyed all living beings, leaving not even a few tents behind.

It seems we have to participate in this deer hunting event, otherwise it will take many years for Fengdu City to develop. We can't expect 100,000 ghosts to have children.

The Yellow Springs Sect is not one of those secluded immortal sects. Most of what Chen Ye learned required a lot of manpower and resources to assist him, especially the Blood Pill.

It cannot do without animal husbandry, nor can it do without a large population.

Even if there is a treasure like the ginseng fruit, you can't just take any disciple and send them into the underground palace to suck it up. Only a disciple who has been tested and gained Chen Ye's trust can receive this treatment.

The Yellow Spring Sect was extremely poor, and apart from ginseng fruit, they could only use beast blood pills for daily consumption.

Besides, although Fengdu City is based on the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) layout, its core is still the Crimson Serpent Buddha, the Venerable Lord. This evil Buddha only feeds on resentment and hatred. Chen Ye cannot harm people everywhere, so he can only develop the population in large numbers.

With more people, there will always be conflicts, and with conflicts come resentment and unwillingness to accept defeat.

The saying goes, "People hate the rich and despise the poor." As long as there are enough people in Fengdu City, there will naturally be an endless stream of resentment and hatred, without Chen Ye needing to actively harm anyone.

No matter how you put it, even though Fengdu City has hundreds of thousands of ghosts, it actually lacks everything, and all of them require Chen Ye, the sect leader, to deal with.

Chen Ye immediately felt troubled; it would be better to hide in the underground palace and cultivate properly.

Chen Ye couldn't help but think, "Should I take on a disciple? Only when I have a disciple to handle things can I truly be a leader of a sect?"

However, taking on apprentices is a matter of fate; it's something you can't force.

Chen Ye then dealt with some miscellaneous tasks and ordered the spirits to prioritize the construction of the Looking-Home Terrace.

This Wangxiang Terrace is unique to Fengdu City; the living cannot coexist with the spirits for long. The underground level, dedicated to the spirits, is already under excavation, and most of the spirits will rest here.

The living, on the other hand, live on the surface of Fengdu City, and the two are isolated from each other and are not allowed to move around freely.

But nowadays, the barbarians who come to seek refuge are often people whose relatives and friends have died in the sacrifice and have become ghosts. We can't let them never see each other again.

The Looking-Home Terrace is a high platform designed by Chen Ye. Living people can come here and call out to their relatives and friends who have turned into ghosts, and then meet on the Looking-Home Terrace.

There are no specific time or frequency restrictions yet, since there aren't many living people in the city, and they can see each other whenever they want, so there's no need to set time limits for now.

However, once the population of Fengdu City increases, it may require queuing to see relatives.

There was nothing that could be done about it; humans and ghosts are different, and until Chen Ye had established the Six Paths of Reincarnation, this was the only option.

Besides that, there was the issue of the barbarians' beliefs.

The spirits are currently busy building Fengdu City, but they will have some free time in a while, and the old custom of worshipping ancestral spirits will naturally be restored.

Chen Ye inquired carefully and learned the general outline from the elderly people.

Although there were many tribes among the barbarians, their ancestral spirit beliefs were generally divided into two types: those of humans and those of beasts.

Those who worship ancestral spirits often do so by venerating tribal heroes. Through embellishment and retelling of legends about these heroes, the ancestral spirits are believed to acquire various divine powers. The tribe's warriors, through their devout worship, may then learn some of these powers.

Tribes that worship beast spirits are rather diverse, believing in almost anything. Cattle, horses, wolves, sheep, flowers, birds, insects, fish... as long as it's a living creature, and as long as a story can be made up, that tribe will worship it. In the past, the Nirvana Sect left behind many incomplete spells. The priests in the tribes learned a thing or two and would then attribute them to these wild beasts. Over time, this would give the ancestral spirits beast spirits.

Tribes that worship beast spirits are often able to transform into the corresponding beasts and obtain their power.

The barbarian warriors Chen Ye had met before believed in beast souls with exceptional strength, which could transform them into tigers and leopards to enhance their own power.

In general, whether one believes in humans or wild animals, it is a way of utilizing the power of incense and prayer.

But Chen Ye couldn't let these tens of thousands of yin spirits create thousands of different ancestral spirits. Who knew if these ancestral spirits that had received incense offerings would fight with the Crimson Serpent Buddha?
Integrating faiths is necessary, but this should not be rushed.

Those who could work for Chen Ye in the Yellow Springs Palace were priests from various tribes. They were essentially representatives of the ancestral spirits. Only by persuading them to change their beliefs could other barbarians be persuaded to do the same.

Upon hearing Chen Ye mention this, the elderly people in front of him became somewhat excited, but also a little nervous.

They were the people closest to the ancestral spirits in the tribe, but they were not necessarily the most devout believers. After all, many legends were passed down orally by priests, with each generation adding their own embellishments.

No one understands better than them how "unreliable" these legends are.

But the power of ancestral spirits is real, and it is because people believe in them that miracles occur.

Hearing that Chen Ye wanted to convert the barbarians to a different faith, the priests became somewhat apprehensive. Those living on the grasslands knew very well that the easiest way to change someone's faith was to kill them.

Kill the adult barbarians, seize their women and children, and subtly convert them to a different faith over a few years.

Now most of the barbarians have become ghosts. How can we kill them?
They had witnessed Chen Ye's methods; even as ghosts, he could still be killed by the young sect leader before them. Thinking of this, some hurriedly knelt down, trembling as they pleaded, "Please, sect leader, have mercy! Forcibly altering the ancestral spirit will surely result in rivers of blood."

Chen Ye looked at the man and reassured him, "Don't panic, I'm not planning to use force. You just said that your tribe's original ancestral spirit was the eagle, right?"

The old man quickly replied, "Reporting to the sect leader, although our Black Feather tribe is small in number, we have worshipped the Eagle Spirit for generations. Many of the tribe's youths can transform into eagles, making them excellent spies who will certainly be of use to the sect leader."

Chen Ye laughed and said, "If your Black Feather Tribe can worship eagles, can't you worship crows?"

"crow?"

The old man was stunned. He had only heard of a kind of "ground crow" on the grassland, and he didn't know if the two were the same thing.

Chen Ye explained, "It's a bird that's entirely black and builds its nest in trees..."

After listening to Chen Ye's description, the old man immediately understood that this was a "ground crow," except that the "ground crows" on the grasslands do not build nests in trees and feed on carrion.

The old man quickly said, "Sect Leader, our Black Feather Tribe worships the Eagle Spirit because the eagle is majestic and the king of the sky. If it were replaced by a weak crow, it would be difficult for the tribe to accept it."

Chen Ye laughed and said, "That's because you haven't seen a magnificent crow."

Chen Ye made a hand gesture, and soon a plump crow flew into the Yellow Springs Palace and landed steadily on Chen Ye's shoulder.

After not seeing it for many days, the black whirlwind has grown twice as big; even when it's shrunk, it's almost bigger than an eagle.

Upon seeing such a huge crow, the priests of the Black Feather tribe were dumbfounded. This bird really looked even fiercer than an eagle, with its fleshy face resembling the most savage warrior in the tribe.

"Sect Master, if some people were to worship this divine bird, they might be willing, but ultimately, a crow is not as good as an eagle..."

The priest of the Black Feather tribe had only spoken halfway when Black Whirlwind turned his head and glared at him fiercely.

With a flap of its wings, the black whirlwind rapidly grew larger, transforming in the blink of an eye into a colossal creature with a wingspan of ten zhang.

The claw, thicker than a human waist, was raised gently, its sharp hooks slicing through the air with a whooshing sound, leaving the several ghostly figures dumbfounded.

Black Whirlwind let out a cackle, as if to say, "Can an eagle compare to me?"

Upon seeing this, the priest of the Black Feather tribe immediately prostrated himself before the Black Whirlwind and respectfully proclaimed, "Noble and fierce spirit of the Black Feather, you are the true king of the sky. The Black Feather tribe will worship you as our ancestral spirit and offer our souls and blood before you."

Black Whirlwind then withdrew its claws in satisfaction.

Chen Ye was also quite satisfied. Faith, in essence, is about seeking divine protection. Their ancestral spirits might indeed possess some supernatural abilities, but how could they compare to real spirit beasts?

Black Whirlwind can unite all faiths that worship birds, and other tribes can do the same, as long as Chen Ye can find a substitute and keep it firmly in the hands of the Yellow Spring Sect.

(End of this chapter)