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

Chapter 154 Arrest them first

This was also the first time Chen Ye had used the venom of the red-banded snake to enter a dream.

Not very skilled, the conjured Crimson Serpent wasn't as refined as the Lord's, but with the added effect of swirling flames, it was still pretty close.

Pang Wen was not a man of strong will. Feeling that he was about to die of old age, he confessed after being threatened by the red serpent.

"Spare me! It's the Incense Burning Sect! The Incense Burning Sect wants to know the truth about the Nirvana Sect's blood sacrifice in the Northern Frontier. They suspect that Chen Ye is involved in this matter, so they sent me to gather information."

Upon hearing this answer, Chen Ye's face darkened.

The Incense Burning Sect is one of the five major sects. Aren't they ashamed to do something like this?
However, since things had come to this point, Chen Ye could only deal with whatever came his way.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Ye controlled the Crimson Serpent and asked, "Is your supernatural power truly an art of ice and snow?"

Pang Wen quickly replied, "No, my supernatural powers have nothing to do with ice and snow. That's why I have to lie. If I waste my magic power, I will be at a disadvantage."

Chen Ye sneered; this man was truly insidious.

"What kind of supernatural power have you comprehended?"

"My supernatural powers can bewitch others. I mainly obtain their hair or blood, and after performing rituals for seven days, I can control their minds."

Chen Ye was shocked. This supernatural power was too outrageous. If he accidentally let this person take even half a hair from him, wouldn't his life and death be in this person's hands?

Are there any limitations to this body?

"The higher the cultivation level, the shorter the duration of the charm. For a mortal, one spell can last for half a year, while for someone with the same cultivation level as me, it will last for a maximum of one day. If the cultivation level is higher than mine, then it will be ineffective."

Chen Ye is at most half a step into the Profound Realm now. If he were to control someone, even for just one day, it would be fatal.

The Crimson Serpent disappeared, but Chen Ye did not resolve Pang Wen's nightmare, allowing him to continue falling into the abyss.

The battle ended without any suspense.

Pang Wen fell into a coma under the corrosive effects of the Red Serpent's venom, his body collapsing to the ground like a rotten rag, no longer posing any threat.

Chen Ye made the Crimson Flame Python release its tail, then walked back to the crowd, his cold gaze sweeping over the arena.

The once bustling battlefield was now completely silent, and the valiant northern frontier warriors were so frightened by Chen Ye's gaze that they took a half step back.

“If you all do not surrender, then I will no longer be able to show mercy.”

Qiqigesang quickly translated these words and relayed them to every soldier in the northern frontier.

The few people who had been severely injured by the giant python were still lying on the ground, their fates unknown. The scene of Chen Ye summoning several fire snakes was still vivid in their minds.

Add to that the terrifying giant python in front of them, and this man from the Central Plains could probably kill everyone with ease, and their resistance would be meaningless, not even able to scrape off a single scale from the giant snake.

Finally, one of the burly warriors dropped his battle axe and knelt on one knee.

Seeing this, the other soldiers also laid down their weapons and bowed their heads in submission. Chen Ye glanced at the crowd and saw that many of them were injured. He took out a bottle of blood pills and said to Qi Qigesang, "Give them some. Save the ones who are about to die first."

Chen Ye came to establish his authority and also to integrate into the northern frontier.

Now that power has been established, it is time to show mercy.

Knowing the purpose of the blood pills, Qiqigesang quickly took them and distributed them to the wounded warriors of the northern frontier.

Especially those reckless individuals who transformed into giant bears, countless bones in their bodies were broken. Even taking the Blood Pill only saved their lives; they would need to recuperate for a long time afterward.

Other wounded soldiers from the northern frontier were also given blood pills.

Looking at the bright red pill, many people had doubts, but Qiqi Gesang sneered, "Afraid it's poisonous? Do I need to use poison to kill you?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked ashamed and quickly swallowed the blood pill.

The pill melted instantly upon entering the mouth, its medicinal power rapidly circulating throughout the body, gradually healing the burned skin, and even quickly replenishing the depleted physical strength.

Such miraculous medicinal effects filled the soldiers in northern Xinjiang with both gratitude and shame.

Chen Ye didn't say much, but simply said, "Since everyone has admitted defeat, then I'll consider this match a victory for me."

Bells and horns rang out in the Ancestral Spirit Hall, and the aged high priest walked out of the hall and announced in the Northern Frontier language: "The ancestral spirits of all tribes bear witness that the victor is the Sect Master of the Yellow Springs Sect."

As the high priest announced the results, the tribal leaders, their faces grim, led their warriors away.

Everyone knew that, given Chen Ye's demonstrated abilities, he was likely to win the third hunting battle as well. That left only the second battle as a possibility for him to defeat this man from the Central Plains.

The people from the Northern Frontier dispersed, but Chen Ye walked to the side of the unconscious Pang Wen and confronted the Central Plains cultivators who had come to rescue him.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you won that battle just now. We need to take Senior Brother Pang back to heal his injuries. You won't refuse to let him go, will you?"

The person who spoke was also a disciple of the Burning Lamp Sect, just like Pang Wen. He was about to help Pang Wen when he saw him fall, but he was frightened away by the fire snakes on Pang Wen's body as soon as he got close.

At this moment, he was even more anxious. He did not expect that Chen Ye would stop him from saving people even after winning. Did he really want to take Pang Wen's life?

That wasn't the initial plan. Pang Wen originally just wanted to put some pressure on Chen Ye and prevent him from winning. He also wanted to spread some rumors to force Chen Ye to come and negotiate in person, so that he could have the upper hand during the negotiations.

But who would have thought that Pang Wen, a mere Transcendent Realm cultivator, was powerless to fight back and was defeated by Chen Ye in a matter of moments.

I heard that Chen Ye has only been cultivating for a few years. Even if he has high talent, mastering profound spells takes time. Without years of practice, how can one cast those profound spells in an instant? Pang Wen has been cultivating for hundreds of years, and even he needs to chant incantations and make finger gestures for a while before he can summon ice and snow.

This fire serpent is elusive, appearing and disappearing without any warning, and can even crawl directly out of a person's body.

So terrifying, who could withstand it?

Facing Chen Ye, the disciples of the Burning Lamp Sect didn't dare to breathe loudly, fearing that fire snakes would burst from their bodies.

Chen Ye looked at the group of Ran Deng Sect disciples and laughed, "What, don't you guys even know the rules of a gladiatorial contest? This is a fight to the death. I can accept surrender or not. Since Pang Wen participated in the contest, and now that he has lost, I can kill him if I want." The Ran Deng Sect disciple hurriedly said, "We are all cultivators from the Central Plains. How can you be so cruel? We came here to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path. How could you use such a vicious method? We will definitely go to the five major sects to seek justice!"

Chen Ye's smile remained unchanged as he asked the man, "May I ask who you are?"

"Kang Tianyi of the Burning Lamp School".

Chen Ye asked, "Is it Kang Tianyi, the one who spread rumors and caused trouble, and then said he would send the Qinghe Sword Sect to find you if he was not satisfied?"

Kang Tianyi's face immediately turned pale, and then he glared at Feng Huaiyu next to Chen Ye, thinking that this person had complained.

Chen Ye didn't give Kang Tianyi a chance to accuse him, and continued, "You all secretly accused me of being a demon, but now that you've seen the real person, you don't dare to speak. Let's quickly settle this charge so I can kill you to silence you. Don't you all agree?"

As soon as Chen Ye said this, the group of cultivators in front of him quickly dispersed, and the rogue cultivators hurriedly moved away from the people from the Burning Lamp Sect, for fear of being implicated by them.

They weren't confident they could stop Chen Ye's fiery serpents.

Kang Tianyi said in a deep voice, "If you kill Senior Brother Pang, you will be a true demon, and the Qinghe Sword Sect will not be able to protect you!"

"That's right, if the Qinghe Sword Sect can't protect me, then can the Fenxiang Sect protect you?"

As soon as Chen Ye finished speaking, two fiery snakes appeared on Kang Tianyi's neck, their fangs imprinted on his throat, ready to bite him at any moment.

Kang Tianyi was taken aback. He had been extremely cautious, but he still hadn't been able to detect how the two fire snakes had appeared.

Flames burned his skin, and venomous fangs were about to pierce his throat; his life and death were in Chen Ye's hands.

The other disciples of the Burning Lamp Sect were startled and were about to make a move when Kang Tianyi shouted, "Stop! Don't be impulsive!"

If they make a move, they'll be the ones who die.

Things have gone beyond expectations. No one expected Chen Ye to be so ruthless. They are all cultivators from the five major sects, and on the surface, they should maintain a harmonious relationship and not easily resort to violence.

Isn't this person afraid of being labeled a demon for his eccentric behavior?
Previously, the Burning Lamp Sect had used the name of the Incense Burning Sect to gain favor wherever they went, but past experience seemed to be of no use to Chen Ye.

Pang Wen was originally the one who was good at dealing with this kind of thing, but now that Pang Wen is poisoned and unconscious, Kang Tianyi is helpless.

Chen Ye looked at the group of Burning Lamp Sect cultivators in front of him and said, "Since you say I am a demon, I have no way to defend myself and can only choose to fall into demonic ways. Today, I will kill you all. Anyway, the Incense Burning Sect is going to kill me, so killing a few more will be enough."

Under such threats, Kang Tianyi hurriedly said, "No, it's all a misunderstanding, everything is a misunderstanding. Senior Brother Pang only suspects that you are related to the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect. This matter still needs to be discussed, everything can be discussed!"

"I see. Then I'll discuss this with Fellow Daoist Pang. You shouldn't have any objections, right?"

Kang Tianyi quickly replied, "No objection, absolutely no objection!"

Chen Ye chuckled, retracted the fire snake from Pang Wen's neck, ordered Qiqi Gesang to capture Pang Wen, and then turned and left.

The other disciples of the Burning Lamp Sect asked, "Senior Brother Kang, are we really just going to watch him take Senior Brother Pang away like this?"

Kang Tianyi touched his neck, the burn marks causing him a sharp pain.

I was so close to dying just now.

Kang Tianyi said with lingering fear, "This man is a desperate criminal. There's no need to fight him. Let's go back first, report this matter, and someone will naturally handle it."

Everyone seeks immortality. Although Pang Wen's life is important, it's not enough to warrant them taking such a risk.

Moreover, the plan to frame Chen Ye was originally Pang Wen's idea. Now that things have gone wrong, he should bear the greatest responsibility. Why should others risk their lives for this?

The disciples of the Burning Lamp Sect withdrew, and the remaining rogue cultivators, seeing that the situation was not good, also turned around and left in different directions.

Originally, I was hoping to get some benefits and perhaps establish a connection with the Incense Burning Sect, but now that things have come to this, I'd better protect myself first.

Chen Ye brought Pang Wen back to his "golden tent." As soon as he threw Pang Wen down, Feng Huaiyu couldn't help but ask, "Brother Chen, what use is he to you?"

Feng Huaiyu naturally knew that Chen Ye was not a demon, and he couldn't kill someone just for a verbal dispute. However, he couldn't understand why Chen Ye would bring the person along after winning. Wasn't he afraid of attracting the attention of the Fenxiang Sect cultivators?
Chen Ye explained, "This person is still very useful, but it's not too late to talk about it after he wakes up."

Feng Huaiyu remained silent for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "Brother Chen, you just intimidated them with your swift and decisive actions. Why didn't you take the opportunity to explain things to them instead of resorting to threats? If you do that, they'll go back and exaggerate their complaints, which will likely have a greater impact on your reputation."

This group was already planning to frame him, and Chen Ye even claimed that he was going to fall into demonic ways. Wasn't that just handing over all the evidence to others?

Feng Huaiyu couldn't understand it and was afraid that Chen Ye's reputation would be ruined because of it.

Chen Ye explained, “Fellow Daoist Feng, you are unaware of this. They did not come to eliminate demons in the first place. The Burning Lamp Sect’s initial target was me. You and the other rogue cultivators were merely pawns they used as cover. Whether I try to appease them or argue based on reason, the result will be the same. They don’t want evidence, much less the truth, so debating is meaningless.”

Feng Huaiyu asked in confusion, "Did you come specifically for you?"

Chen Ye nodded and said, "This is a long story. I will explain it to you in detail when Pang Wen wakes up, but for now, the important matter is more important. I will let Pang Wen lie down for a few days and deal with him after the deer hunt is over."

Everything must be prioritized. No matter how ruthless the Incense Burning Sect's methods are, they must wait until Chen Ye finishes this deer hunt before dealing with them.

Now that he has intimidated the leaders of all the tribes, he should be able to pass the third test easily.

The question is the second hurdle: what exactly is being tested in this decryption?
Just as he was about to ask Qiqi Gesang for details, he saw Qiqi Gesang rushing over. She reported in a flustered manner, "Sect Master, someone requests an audience."

Seeing her unusual expression, Chen Ye quickly asked, "Who is it that requests an audience? And why are they scaring you like this?"

Qiqigesang composed himself and then said, "Sect Leader, the one who has come to see you is Toya Lier."

Toya Lier?

Chen Ye seemed to have heard of this name before. Qiqigesang had mentioned that the Suhe tribe always won because the second round of the puzzles was solved by Toya Lier, and they won every time.

But wasn't this person sacrificed by the Nirvana Sect along with Su He? Even if he wasn't completely annihilated, he should have stayed in Fengdu City to lay bricks and plaster. How could he appear in this holy city?

(End of this chapter)