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

Chapter 172 One cannot be the only one to lose face.
Early spring is the time when all flowers are in full bloom.

In front of the cave dwelling of Fu Lu Shou, the flower garden that had once been trampled into a mess has once again become full of flowers.

Chang Shou held a small, bright green stick, poking and tapping here and there, causing the weeds on the ground to wither and making the bamboo stick in his hand even more lush and green.

When Chen Ye descended from the sky, he saw him poking around with a bamboo cane and laughed, "Brother Chang, you're growing these flowers better and better."

Upon seeing Chen Ye, Chang Shou was overjoyed and threw down his bamboo cane. He hurriedly went to Chen Ye, took his hand, and said, "Good brother, it's been a long time. Let's drink until we drop today!"

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "Brother Chang knows that I don't drink alcohol."

Hearing Chen Ye refuse, Chang Shou was not annoyed and said with a smile, "Tea is fine too. I just brewed some honey, I'll go get it."

Chang Shou pressed Chen Ye down onto the chair in the flower garden and hurriedly ran into the cave.

A moment later, she came out with a large jar and tea set, laid out a pile of cups and bowls, and carefully brewed a cup of flower tea for Chen Ye.

The aroma of tea filled the air. Chen Ye took a sip and couldn't help but praise, "This is fine tea. It's the best tea I've ever tasted in my life."

The floral fragrance is light yet lingering, the tea has a slightly bitter taste but a sweet aftertaste that quickly follows, and it also has a rich spiritual quality that makes one feel refreshed and relaxed after drinking it. It is truly a divine beverage.

Chang Shou said with great pride, "Of course, I put a lot of effort into collecting honey from a hundred flowers, and I also specially bought some tea trees grown from spiritual seeds. Every tea leaf was personally selected by me, and they are absolutely top-quality."

Chen Ye laughed and said, "It seems that Brother Chang has been having a rather leisurely time lately, even having time to spend on brewing tea?"

Chang Shou laughed and said, "After refining my body with the Qi and Sha, I gained more than a hundred years of lifespan. As for the Tongxuan Realm, it depends on comprehension and luck. I know that my talent is mediocre, and no matter how hard I cultivate, it will be useless. I might as well grow flowers and trees and live a leisurely life. Maybe one day I will have a breakthrough and suddenly open the gate to the mysteries of heaven and earth and comprehend supernatural powers?"

Chang Shou spoke with an open mind, but Chen Ye could still detect a hint of regret in his voice.

The Vajra Powder, which he had risked his life to obtain, allowed him to survive the Gang Sha Body Refinement stage, but he was now stuck before reaching the Tong Xuan Realm.

That's how it is for independent cultivators; each stage is harder than the last, and every breakthrough is a matter of luck.

Chen Ye chatted with Chang Shou for a few more minutes, then asked, "Where are Brother Hou and Brother Lü? Did they go to the Dharma Assembly to join in the fun?"

Chang Shou nodded and said, "That's right, it's lively over there. Even if we don't earn any rewards, it's not a loss to see other people's exquisite spells. I'm just a bit lazy and would rather stay in my cave for some peace and quiet."

Chen Ye pondered for a moment and said to Chang Shou, "Brother Chang, I am planning to establish a sect in the Northern Frontier. I would like to invite you and your two brothers to join my Yellow Springs Sect as guest elders. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Chang Shou hadn't even reacted yet, and hurriedly asked, "Founded your own sect? Brother Chen, what kind of master did you meet and become their disciple?"

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "No, I am the Sect Master of the Yellow Springs Sect."

"This..." Chang Shou was stunned for a long time, then nodded and said, "Joining the Yellow Springs Sect is naturally no problem. Brother Chen, if you need anything, just let me know. However, why did you suddenly think of starting your own sect?"

Chen Ye asked doubtfully, "Brother Chang, haven't you heard about the major events that happened in the Northern Frontier? The Nirvana Sect sacrificed hundreds of thousands of people in the Northern Frontier, and then was severely injured by Master Zhang of the Qinghe Sword Sect with a single sword strike, resulting in the deaths of countless demons..."

Chen Ye briefly recounted the events in the Northern Frontier, but Chang Shou said, "I seem to have heard about this, but I haven't paid much attention to it. Neither the Nirvana Sect nor the Qinghe Sword Sect are too far removed from a rogue cultivator like myself. I've been focusing on cultivating my mind and character here lately, completely ignoring everything else. However, does this have anything to do with your Yellow Springs Sect, Brother Chen?"

Chen Ye had no choice but to tell Chang Shou about his experiences of "accidentally" getting involved in the blood sacrifice and "accidentally" unifying the northern frontier.

The two-hundred-year-old man's eyes and mouth widened as he listened.

Chang Shou couldn't help but wave his hand, interrupting Chen Ye, and then asked, "Brother Chen, wait a moment. I'm afraid I didn't hear you clearly. What realm did you say you are at now?"

"Profound Realm".

Chen Ye spoke calmly, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

With a loud crack, Changshou crushed the teacup in his hand.

Ignoring the tea stains all over his clothes, Chang Shou exclaimed in shock, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Brother Chen, how long have you been cultivating? You were only just entering the Qi Sea when you first arrived at Hundred Seas Valley! How could you... how could you have already reached the Profound Realm?!"

Chen Ye smiled wryly and said, "It was just a lucky encounter."

Chang Shou, panting heavily, said, "Can this still be called a fortuitous encounter? Brother Chen, tell me honestly, is Master Zhang of the Qinghe Sword Sect your biological father?"

Chen Ye laughed and said, "I wouldn't even dare to do that in my daydreams. Not only do I have no relation to Master Zhang, but Master Zhang also said that I have no talent for swordsmanship. Otherwise, I would have already joined the Qinghe Sword Sect." Being told by Zhang Qi that he had no talent would truly kill Chen Ye's desire to learn swordsmanship.

Cultivating immortality without practicing swordsmanship is Chen Ye's biggest regret.

"Master Zhang even personally commented on your talent?!"

Chang Shou felt he couldn't listen any longer. They were all rogue cultivators from Baihai Valley, so how could there be such a big difference between them?

Chen Ye comforted him, "Brother Chang, don't worry too much about these material things. The most important thing for us cultivators is longevity. A thousand comments from Master Zhang are not as good as advancing one realm. Don't you agree?"

Chang Shou waved his hand and said, "Alright, stop comforting me. I'll go and get Hou Lu and Lü Fusheng back right now."

Chang Shou was about to take Chen Ye to find the other two brothers when Chen Ye grabbed him and asked hurriedly, "Brother Chang, you haven't said whether you want to join my Yellow Springs Sect yet."

“Didn’t I say, do I need to ask? If you, Chen Ye, have any orders, I, Chang Shou, will go through fire and water to agree. Even if your Huangquan Sect has already unified the Northern Frontier, even if you just hang a sign in Baihai Valley, I will definitely join.” Chang Shou thought for a moment, then said to Chen Ye, “Don’t go into too much detail with them later. I need to scare them both. I can’t be the only one who loses face.”

Chen Ye laughed loudly and said, "Okay, I'll help you. Let's scare them properly."

Chang Shou retrieved the discarded bamboo staff from the flowerbed, casually tossed it into the air, and the staff transformed into a thick pillar, hanging in front of the two of them.

Chang Shou said, "Let's go, let's go and see what's going on at that Dharma assembly."

Chen Ye asked curiously, "I've never seen you use this magic weapon before. When did you change it?"

Chang Shou said proudly, "I got this from the Dharma Assembly. I never thought that the soil cultivation technique I developed while planting flowers would catch the eye of the Yunlu Immortal Sect. They exchanged this magic treasure for my magic. This treasure is really good. It can absorb the spiritual energy of the green wood to regulate my body. If I use it regularly, I can live for more than ten years."

Chen Ye exclaimed in surprise, "It can extend lifespan? That's truly a remarkable treasure!"

For cultivators, the pursuit is longevity, and anything that can prolong life is extremely precious.

The Yunlu Immortal Sect truly lives up to its reputation as a prestigious sect; they are incredibly generous.

Chen Ye thought to himself that he should also go and see what was going on. The Yellow Spring Sect was penniless, not to mention having disciples, they didn't even have many decent magic treasures. He could take this opportunity to collect some.

It's not necessarily about winning it back from the Yunlu Immortal Sect. The Venerable Master is wealthy and generous, and has given Chen Ye a lot of Azure Pearls, which is more than enough to purchase magic treasures.

The two rode on the green bamboo staff and flew towards the venue of the Dharma Assembly. Before long, they saw a magnificent array of seven colors.

Chen Ye glanced at it from afar and exclaimed in surprise, "What an amazing formation! It actually draws on the earth's vein power to maintain itself."

Hundred Seas Valley was originally shrouded in an array, and the earth's veins here had long been strictly controlled.

But this formation in front of us seems to be able to draw spiritual energy from the earth's veins as well. How can we ensure that these formations within each other do not interfere with each other?

Chen Ye had only learned a little bit about the protective formation for Fengdu City when he set it up. Looking at the seven-colored formation in front of him, he felt that it looked somewhat familiar, and it seemed that many parts could be corroborated.

Chang Shou explained, "This seven-colored maze is the work of the Yunlu Immortal Sect. To enter the Dharma Assembly, you either need to land on the ground and have a disciple of the Yunlu Immortal Sect guide you in, or you can fly in directly from the sky. If you can decipher the maze, you can also enter and receive a reward from the Yunlu Immortal Sect. How about it, Brother Chen, are you interested in giving it a try?"

Chang Shou knew that Chen Ye was particularly skilled in formations. In the previous arena competition, he had defeated the disciples of the Mirage Sect by setting up a formation in advance, which was not something that an ordinary cultivator could do.

Chen Ye was also eager to try, but still cautiously asked, "If I fail to break the formation, will there be any punishment?"

"No, that's not the case, but it would be a bit embarrassing to shout that you've lost and have the disciples of the Yunlu Immortal Sect come and take you away. Oh, I forgot, brother, you are now the sect leader of the Huangquan Sect. Even if it's a side sect, it's not appropriate for you to force your way in. If you really can't get through, shouting like that would ruin the reputation of the Huangquan Sect."

"It was my fault for being so talkative. Let's walk on the ground instead."

Chang Shou didn't want to see Chen Ye make a fool of himself; he just hadn't gotten used to Chen Ye's new identity. As a rogue cultivator, he could try anything, and losing wouldn't matter.

But the leader of a sect can't do that; he has to consider the sect's reputation.

However, Chen Ye said, "So this is the result? What does it matter? Losing is losing. The Yellow Spring Sect Master was defeated by the Cloud Peak Immortal Sect's formation. Is this something shameful? Brother Chang, you go in first. I'll try out this maze."

After saying this, Chen Ye jumped off the green bamboo staff, and the black whirlwind carried him into the colorful maze.

(End of this chapter)