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

Chapter 149 Within the Holy City
Chen Ye descended halfway down the mountain and picked up the twenty men he had brought.

It must be said that the people of Northern Xinjiang are physically strong. They rode horses for several days, covering thousands of miles over mountains and valleys, and not a single one of them fell behind.

Although everyone was exhausted, at least the men and horses were still alive.

Chen Ye took out a bottle of blood pills from his storage bag and distributed them to everyone.

Although the sheep flock in the city hadn't been established yet, Black Whirlwind still maintained his daily hunting habit, occasionally bringing back some wild cattle and sheep. Refining beast blood pills wasn't difficult, so Chen Ye took some time to refine some.

The people of the Northern Frontier do not understand cultivation, nor can they use Beast Blood Pills to condense their Qi Sea. However, this stuff is also a great tonic, and it is very useful in restoring strength and relieving fatigue.

Everyone was exhausted and about to collapse, but after taking two Beast Blood Pills, they immediately felt energetic and vigorous, and they all shouted that the sect leader was wise.

This is the only Central Plains dialect they have learned.

Chen Ye led the group into this so-called holy city, through the damaged but still magnificent gate, and onto the pristine white avenue.

Chen Ye couldn't help but frown.

Perhaps because he often dealt with spirits, Chen Ye was more sensitive to deathly aura and resentment, and he felt uncomfortable as soon as he entered the Holy City.

Even after a thousand years, he could still hear the wails of those who had died tragically, their lingering souls seemingly cast into the walls of this holy city.

Chen Ye couldn't help but sigh, "I wonder how many people died when this city was built."

Qiqi Gesang was somewhat surprised when he heard Chen Ye's words.

She had visited the Holy City many times, but each time, those around her only marveled at its grandeur. The former leader of Suhe had even dreamed of one day conquering all the tribes of the Northern Frontier, becoming its king once more, and turning the Holy City into his palace.

The warriors of other tribes felt the same way, wishing they could travel back a thousand years and become one of the original inhabitants of the holy city.

Only Chen Yehui could utter such sentiments after seeing this holy city.

According to the oral traditions passed down in the northern frontier, in order to build this holy city, the celestial beings summoned a million slaves. After the holy city was completed, these slaves disappeared without a trace, leaving only this snow-white holy city standing among the mountains, like a pure snow lotus on a snow-capped mountain.

Every time Qiqigesang comes to the holy city, he feels particularly cold and gloomy, and sometimes he can see strange double images.

According to the tribal priests, cows' eyes can sometimes see unusual things, and Qiqigesang, having transformed into a cow many times, may have acquired some supernatural abilities.

But Qiqigesang would rather not have this kind of supernatural power. Every time he sees it, he feels a tightness in his chest, which is very uncomfortable.

This matter cannot be told to others, otherwise it will only invite ridicule from others.

How could the warriors of the northern frontier fear the vengeful spirits of slaves, especially slaves from a thousand years ago?

Now, hearing Chen Ye's words of sentiment, Qiqi Gesang suddenly felt that he had chosen the right person to follow. Only this benevolent sect leader would accept hundreds of thousands of vengeful spirits and be willing to build a resting place for the dead.

Qiqigesang, being an experienced guide, led the group forward.

Chen Ye and his group climbed the wide steps. The white stones under their feet had been polished smooth as a mirror by the years. On both sides of the steps stood broken animal-shaped stone carvings, some with only half a body left, and others with their heads rolled to the side. It was unclear whether they were eroded by the years or damaged in battle when the Nirvana Sect was defeated.

Climbing the hill-like steps, you arrive at an extremely spacious square, and further ahead lies a magnificent palace.

Qiqigesang said, "Sect Leader, that is the Ancestral Spirit Hall. Tonight, the High Priest will light the sacrificial fire in the Ancestral Spirit Hall, and the first gladiatorial contest will be held in this square."

At this moment, a dozen or so animal skin tents are scattered like mushrooms. Each of these tents is as big as a house, with colorful yak tails and bronze bells hanging from them, adorned with colorful gemstones, and golden tops.

This is the golden tent of the tribal chief, each tent representing a powerful tribe.

Judging from the location of the tent, there seems to be quite a bit of significance to it. The closer it is to the ancestral temple, the more decorations the golden tent has and the larger its size.

When Chen Ye arrived, he saw that the Bile tribe had set up their golden tent. The neighbor gave Chen Ye a deep look, then silently went into the tent.

Qiqigesang then pointed to the center of the square, where a pillar made of white bones stood, several feet tall and incredibly thick, with a pile of dried heads hanging from its top, including those of cows, horses, sheep, and wolves. Chen Ye even seemed to see a few human heads.

These strange-looking white bone pillars are quite frightening.

But the warriors from the northern frontier in the square were not afraid at all, and many of them brought cattle and sheep to the white bone pillar to slaughter them on the spot.

Blood flowed onto the ground, slowly staining the white bones red.

After the internal organs and succulent meat were cut off, the animal skeletons would be hung on the bone pillars, adding to the gruesome scene.

After finishing these tasks, the people of northern Xinjiang set up a bonfire under the white bone pillar to barbecue on the spot. The grease dripped into the fire and made a sizzling sound, and the square was soon filled with the aroma of meat.

Chen Ye asked curiously, "What is that white bone pillar?"

Qiqigesang explained, "That's the Ancestral Spirit Pillar. The ancestral spirit worshipped by the High Priest's tribe was the Bone God. However, this tribe has been extinct for a long time, and now only a small number of people still believe in this Bone Ancestral Spirit. Legend has it that by offering sacrifices of the bones and blood of prey, one can obtain the blessing of the Bone Ancestral Spirit, making warriors invincible. The gladiatorial combat will begin tonight, and many people will bring offerings to the Bone Ancestral Spirit, hoping to win in the Deer Hunt."

Chen Ye then asked, "But I saw human heads and bones on that pillar. Did they still use living people for sacrifice?"

"Those are the remains of defeated warriors. Only those who excelled in gladiatorial combat but ultimately lost are entitled to have their bones hung on them as a kind of honor."

Chen Ye watched with great interest. Although the people of the Northern Frontier were a race enslaved by the Nirvana Sect, their beliefs were distorted by these demons, resulting in many messy legends.

But over the millennia, they have developed their own culture, which, though seemingly barbaric and primitive, is a source of immense pride for them. Chen Ye asked questions as he walked, gaining a deeper understanding of the culture of northern Xinjiang.

But after walking halfway around, he suddenly realized a problem: "Where are we going to stay tonight?"

Qiqigesang said somewhat awkwardly, "Sect Leader, Chief Suhe's golden tent has long been destroyed. We can only find an empty house nearby to live in."

The holy city once housed hundreds of thousands of monks, so there was no shortage of housing. Warriors from other tribes also lived scattered throughout the city, and only tribal leaders would set up golden tents in the square.

But this would make the Yellow Springs Sect look bad.

Chen Ye came here to make a name for the Yellow Springs Sect. If he slunk away and cowered to the side, how could he gain the respect of the people of the Northern Frontier, how could he engage in equal trade with them, and how could he obtain everything he wanted?
Chen Ye looked around and pointed to the empty space near the white bone pillar, saying, "Why is that place empty?"

The open space was very close to the ancestral temple and looked like a perfect spot for pitching tents, but for some reason, all the tribes avoided that location.

Qiqigesang glanced at it and explained, "That was Suhe's original position. After all, he was the leader of the largest tribe in the Northern Frontier. Although he is dead now, no one can occupy this best position until a new victor is chosen."

Chen Ye quickly replied, "That's perfect, this territory is reserved for me."

Qiqigesang quickly said, "Sect Leader, we do not have a golden tent."

Chen Ye asked, "Is a golden tent absolutely necessary? Can't anything else work?"

"Well, there's no such rule, but it can't be too shabby. You can't just throw on a few pieces of cloth, or people will laugh at you."

Even a poorly decorated golden tent would be ridiculed by other tribes, let alone a tent made of just a couple of pieces of cloth. If that were done, Chen Ye's group would be driven out before the gladiatorial combat even began, and they would be disqualified from participating.

"So, as long as it doesn't look shabby, that's fine? That's easy."

Chen Ye led Qiqi Gesang to the open space. Amidst the whispers of the other people from Northern Xinjiang, Chen Ye took out a gourd.

This was the Five Elements Gourd that the Venerable Lord gave to Chen Ye to build the city. Ninety percent of the materials inside had already been used, barely enough to build the prototype of Fengdu City.

The five elements materials in the gourd are almost gone, but it's more than enough to build a temporary dwelling.

Chen Ye opened the treasure gourd, and countless green lights flew out, landing on the white stone floor where they began to take root and sprout, quickly growing into the frame of a tent.

Such a strange phenomenon left the other people in the northern frontier dumbfounded.

But this was just the beginning. Chen Ye's gourd produced many more golden threads, which wrapped around the skeleton layer by layer, creating a golden outer shell.

Others might have gold thread embroidered on the top of their tents, making them appear as gold tents. Chen Ye, however, wove the shape of a tent directly with gold thread, its dazzling color blinding onlookers.

Then countless bricks, stones, wood, and metal poured out like a torrent, arranging themselves in mid-air to adorn the "tent".

In a short while, a magnificent three-story "golden tent" was completed. From the outside, its upturned eaves and carved beams looked somewhat strange. It was simply because the Venerable One had crafted this gourd according to his own preferences, and Chen Ye had little room for adjustment when combining the materials.

Looking at the strangely styled "golden tent" in front of him, Qiqigesang said, "We'll all stay here tonight. If we squeeze in, twenty people will be enough."

Qiqi Gesang exclaimed excitedly, "This...this is simply a miracle! The sect leader's power is boundless; the sect leader is a true god descended to earth!"

The warriors who came with Chen Ye followed suit, repeating Qiqigesang's words in a very non-standard Central Plains dialect.

Chen Ye looked at the excited Niu Tou Danu. He had thought she was a pretty honest person before, but he didn't expect her to learn how to flatter so quickly.

Chen Ye led everyone into the three-tiered golden tent. Such a grand gesture naturally attracted the attention of all the barbarian leaders. Before long, the name Fengdu Huangquan should spread to everyone's ears.

Outside the square, Pang Wen found an open space and released the treasure ship.

It wasn't that Pang Wen and the others respected the traditions of the people of the Northern Frontier and wouldn't place the "Golden Tent" in the square unless it was a traditional tent; rather, most of them couldn't stand the noisy smell and preferred to find another place to stay.

However, seeing Chen Ye use his magic to build a three-story building in a short time, Pang Wen frowned even more deeply.

He's clearly a rogue cultivator, so how come he has all sorts of magical treasures?
Could it be that this person is actually the illegitimate son of the Qinghe Sword Sect's leader? If not, how could he be wealthier than the direct disciples of prestigious sects?
Pang couldn't figure it out, and it felt increasingly complicated.

After some conversation, Pang Wen realized that Chen Ye was difficult to get information out of, and it was impossible to get any clues about the treasure indirectly.

Then we'll have to resort to some less-than-polite methods.

Pang Wen thought for a moment, then gathered the cultivators on the ship and said to them with a heavy expression, "Just now, you all saw that Fellow Daoist Chen fighting with the barbarians. The fire serpent magic used by the woman under his command looked somewhat familiar. The appearance of that fire serpent is extremely similar to the Crimson Serpent that appeared in Hundred Seas Valley not long ago. Don't blame me for being suspicious; the Crimson Serpent is a unique spirit beast of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect. I wonder where Fellow Daoist Chen found it?"

As soon as these words were spoken, someone immediately chimed in, "I heard that Chen Ye thwarted the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect's conspiracy in Hundred Seas Valley and gained a lot of benefits. How does he know the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect's magic? Did he seize it from those demons?"

Then someone else spoke up: "Hehe, maybe he was originally a demon lord of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect. These days, how many demon lords disguise themselves as rogue cultivators to deceive people and gain their trust?"

……

The monks on the ship immediately began to discuss it excitedly.

Pang Wen's lips curled up slightly, unable to suppress his smile. He thought to himself, "Fellow Daoist Chen, I'm sorry, you'll have to keep wearing the hat of the Crimson Serpent Demonic Sect."

(End of this chapter)