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

Chapter 165 Live a Few More Years for Me
Fengdu City, one level underground.

Although it was a completely enclosed underground space, it was only somewhat dim, not pitch black.

This is because Chen Ye's Ten Thousand Souls Banner is hung high on this floor.

After merging with the brow bone of the Demon Lord Wujiu, this Myriad Soul Banner is no longer an ordinary magic weapon, constantly radiating a warm light like the sun.

Even the spirits can enjoy this warmth without being burned.

Chen Ye descended from Wangxiangtai and arrived at this dwelling place of wandering spirits.

Compared to Fengdu City above, the underground space is just as spacious.

Since the spirits do not need food, clothing, shelter, or transportation, and houses seem to be of little use, after the city was no longer needed, the spirits wandered around here, looking utterly bored.

Although I had already decided to have them work as ghost messengers for me, they couldn't just do the work; I also needed to come up with some entertainment for them.

"I burned paper money and candles for the dead in my past life. I don't know if they'll be able to use them. I'll think about it later. If they are useful, I'll burn a few mahjong parlors and card rooms for them."

Chen Ye continued on his way, talking to himself. The ghosts along the way all bowed respectfully to him.

Chen Ye nodded in agreement. When they arrived near the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, Yang Chongguang, whom they hadn't seen for a long time, greeted them with a big smile.

"My benefactor has arrived! It has been many days since I last saw you. Your cultivation has improved considerably, and you are on the verge of becoming an immortal."

Chen Ye hadn't seen Yang Chongguang for a long time, and upon seeing him today, he felt that he was somewhat different. He smiled and said, "Old Yang, you're still as good at talking as ever. How have you been lately? I see that your outfit is completely different from before."

Back then, Yang Chongguang was dressed in plain clothes. Although he was a veteran general and extremely fierce in battle, he looked like an old farmer working in the fields. Now, however, he was different. He seemed to have grown a few inches taller and was wearing a heavy suit of armor, looking like someone from an ordinary army.

Most spirits retain the appearance they had before death, simply because their souls are ethereal and formless, and they can only remember the most profound version of themselves.

Changing clothes is impossible unless something unexpected happens.

Yang Chongguang scratched his head, somewhat puzzled, and said, "I don't know why either, but the secret technique you taught me, after practicing it for a long time, has become like this. Don't look at this ordinary armor, it's not just for show."

Yang Chongguang tapped his armor, producing a metallic sound that seemed very real.

Chen Ye knew that the Divine Soul Secret Technique was actually a condensation of the laws of the entire underworld, making it particularly easy for Yin Souls to cultivate. It seemed that Yang Chongguang had trained himself into a true ghost messenger.

After chatting with Yang Chongguang for a while, Chen Ye learned that the hundreds of Yin spirits who had followed him the earliest were all diligently practicing secret techniques and had all become quite skilled.

This is a good thing; Chen Yezheng needs to have his own people to manage this group of ghosts.

The tens of thousands of people were all from the northern frontier, and their customs were certainly different from those of the Central Plains. Yang Chongguang and others were more in line with Chen Ye's wishes. Perhaps Yang Chongguang should be the leader of the ghost messengers.

After chatting for a long time, Chen Ye finally asked about Mo Ci.

Yang Chongguang sighed, "Mr. Mo hides in the Ten Thousand Souls Banner all day long, neither speaking nor moving. We haven't seen him for a long time. I think he's just overthinking things. Even now, he's still wondering if he killed the wrong person. If you ask me, so what if he killed the wrong person? When I was in the army, I killed many wrong people. Can you even count them all?"

"The emperor's word can kill tens of thousands of people, and the general's order is for us to go to the battlefield and fight to the death. When the spear thrusts, who knows whose son will be killed? If I don't kill, I'll be the one who dies. Only those who live well bring trouble upon themselves; I can just lie down and sleep and forget about it."

Yang Chongguang had also been tormented by those four secret techniques of restraint, interrogation, and torture, but despite the pain, he was indifferent. He had done wrong, and that was enough. He would endure any torture, but he believed that it was better to live a miserable life than to die. As long as he could survive, that was enough.

With each training session and each instance of torture, Yang Chongguang no longer felt much pain; it was as if his sins were diminishing with each torture.

However, not everyone can be as insightful as Yang Chongguang.

Chen Ye shook his head and bid farewell to Yang Chongguang. He then came to the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and softly called out, "Master."

After a long while, Mo Ci's voice came from the Myriad Souls Banner: "Oh, your cultivation has improved again?"

Chen Ye nodded and said, "Disciple has already cultivated to the Profound Realm."

Upon hearing this, Mo Ci within the Ten Thousand Souls Banner fell silent again, only responding after a long, long time: "That's right."

Chen Ye smiled wryly and said, "Master, I've caught up with your cultivation level, and you've only said one wrong word?"

Mo Ci retorted, "Otherwise what? Do you expect me to write an article praising you?"

"Hahaha, Master, do you want to know how I cultivated? I'll tell you, I went to the holy city in the Northern Frontier..."

Chen Ye then recounted his recent experiences little by little beside the Ten Thousand Souls Banner. He described how he participated in the Deer Hunting Gathering, how he intimidated the heroes, how he defeated the cultivators of the Burning Lamp Sect, and how he recovered the ancestral spirit and became the King of the Northern Frontier.

Chen Ye spoke in great detail, especially when he talked about Toya Lier. He vividly described how seductive the woman was and how he remained calm in the face of danger.

Mo Ci listened to this, occasionally muttering "shameless."

After Chen Ye finished recounting the recent events, Mo Ci asked, "You've said so much today, it's like you're giving your last words. Are you preparing to send your master away?"

Chen Ye sighed, "I would like to stay. I have already sold myself to the Lord in order to find a way out for you, Master. Now that the way has been found, but are you willing to do so, Master?"

Mo Ci remained silent. For Mo Ci, who had now lost his physical body, all that remained were a few memories.

The more I recall, the more unforgettable it becomes. Even though I have no heart for it anymore, I can still feel my heart aching like it's being pricked by needles.

Even though he had been willingly subjected to torture, it never made him relax for a moment; the images of those who had died at his hands still flashed before his eyes. Seven hundred and seventy-three—how many of them truly deserved to die?

Mo Ci couldn't tell the difference, but he couldn't let it go either.

As Chen Ye said, he wasn't ruthless enough when he was a bad guy, and he wasn't tolerant enough when he was a good guy.

Being caught in the middle and tormented repeatedly made him not want to live anymore, so he thought it would be better to take this opportunity to get rid of himself.

Mo Ci said helplessly, "Disciple, I'm tired."

Hearing these words that sounded like farewells, Chen Ye laughed and said, "Master, if you really wanted to die, you would have left the Ten Thousand Souls Banner long ago and vanished into thin air. You wouldn't have had to wait for your disciple to come back. Actually, you still want to live, but you just don't know how to live."

Mo Ci roared, "Who doesn't want to live?!"

"Then what are you agonizing over? If it's just about what happened back then, do you think lying here waiting to die will solve anything? You want to die but aren't ruthless enough, you want to make amends but don't do anything. Master, you're really useless. Your disciple is starting to look down on you."

Chen Ye's words were not meant to provoke him; he genuinely looked down on Mo Ci's half-dead appearance. Why should an old demon who had lived for hundreds of years be so pretentious?

Mo Ci wasn't angry, but sighed, "I don't know how many years have passed, those people's souls have already dissipated."

"Who told you that it's over when the soul is scattered? My disciple is working on reincarnation, which can allow the soul to be reborn as a human. Even if the soul is scattered, I can find a way to bring it back."

Mo Ci sneered, "You're just bragging. After all these years of cultivation, do you think I don't know what happens when your soul is scattered?"

Mo Ci believed that spirits could be reincarnated; wasn't that just like possession? But there must be other ways.

But if the soul is scattered, then there is truly nothing left.

Chen Ye said seriously, "This is precisely the problem that I must solve. I must ensure that the souls of all living beings in the world do not perish. Although there are hundreds of thousands of spirits in Fengdu City at my disposal, how vast is the world, and how many people are there? If I want to bring all the people in the world into the cycle of reincarnation, I can't just send a ghost messenger to bring the soul back to Fengdu every time someone dies. Even if there were a hundred times more spirits in Fengdu, I still wouldn't be able to handle it."

"The cycle of reincarnation that my disciple seeks to create is one in which the souls of all people will fall into reincarnation on their own after death. This includes those whose souls are scattered due to accidents; the power of this cycle of reincarnation is to reshape their souls."

Mo Ci was surprised to hear this. It was so arrogant, only someone who had lost their mind would say such a thing.

However, the fact that Chen Ye reached the Tongxuan Realm in just over a year of cultivation, built Fengdu Yellow Springs, and had hundreds of thousands of Yin Souls under his command makes his words somewhat believable.

Mo Ci asked, "Is it really feasible?"

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "I don't know, but I am working hard for it. Master, you also know about the Heavenly Book Secret Techniques, which are said to record all the rules of the creation of the world. The gathering and dispersal of the soul should also be one of the rules. If I can collect all the Heavenly Book Secret Techniques, I might really be able to recreate the universe and create this cycle of reincarnation. At that time, reversing time and space should not be a difficult task."

"Reversing time and space is easier said than done."

Chen Ye said solemnly, "Disciple will not think about what will happen if I fail. You only know if you can succeed by doing it. Just like when I became your disciple, did you ever think that I could cultivate to the Profound Realm in a year?"

Cultivation level is the greatest persuasive power.

If Chen Ye were still an inexperienced ant just beginning his cultivation, Mo Ci would have simply slapped him to stop daydreaming.

But now Chen Ye's cultivation has surpassed Mo Ci's, and he has also made acquaintances with figures like Zhang Qi of the Qinghe Sword Sect and the Crimson Serpent Demon Lord. These words are not unrealistic but rather show that he has lofty aspirations.

Mo Ci was always an ordinary person, and upon hearing these words, he was somewhat tempted.

Mo Ci couldn't help but ask, "Just how many volumes of that Heavenly Book of Secrets are there?"

Chen Ye smiled and said, "I don't know, but I think the Incense Burning Sect must know very well."

"The Incense Burning Sect?"

Chen Ye sighed and explained, "That's right, the Incense Burning Sect is the sect in the world that possesses the most secret techniques of the Heavenly Book. Sooner or later, I will completely turn against them. If I win, all the secret techniques of the Heavenly Book will be in my hands; if I lose, then everything will be over. Master, don't you want to know the result?"

This is no exaggeration at all; Chen Ye's grudge against the Incense Burning Sect is too great.

The Crimson Serpent Demon Lord had a grudge against the Wujiu Demon Lord back then, and the Wujiu Demon Lord's body was buried in Green Coffin Mountain and suppressed by the Incense Burning Sect. The Yellow Spring Sect is hiding the Ginseng Fruit. This matter can be kept secret for a while, but not forever. Sooner or later, the Incense Burning Sect will find out.

Given the way the Incense Burning Sect is doing things now, the Yellow Springs Sect and the Incense Burning Sect will inevitably clash sooner or later.

The Venerable One alone cannot hold the line. Chen Ye needs to continue to strengthen the Yellow Springs Sect's power, and ideally, he should be able to cultivate to the Dao Integration Realm before Zhang Qi ascends to immortality.

With the Venerable Lord's methods at that time, the two Dao Integration Realm cultivators from the Yellow Springs Sect will no longer be afraid of Lu Xingzhou from the Incense Burning Sect.

However, this matter is easier said than done, and it's unknown how many years it will take.

Thinking of this, Chen Ye said again, "Master, I have too few people around me who can be of use, and even fewer people I can trust. I just want to ask you to make some sacrifices and live a few more years for me."

(End of this chapter)