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

Chapter 180 Even a lion will go all out when pouncing on a rabbit.
Chen Ye walked out of the noisy venue side by side with a group of rogue cultivators surrounded by golden flames, attracting the attention of passersby.

This golden flame has become a legend in Hundred Seas Valley, and the more it is talked about, the more mysterious it becomes. Some say that only when a rogue cultivator suffers a great injustice and is determined to fight to the death for justice will this golden flame, symbolizing indomitable spirit, ignite fiercely.

Chen Ye never expected that the supernatural powers bestowed upon him by the Crimson Serpent Buddha would still be usable now.

Strictly speaking, these rogue cultivators are all disciples of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect.

The Lord is truly shrewd. If the original plan had succeeded, these rogue cultivators who were poisoned by snakes and attacked the five major sects' strongholds would have had no choice but to become disciples of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect.

A conspiracy and a supernatural power allowed the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect to gather everything it needed.

However, it was too late to say anything now. Chen Ye advised everyone, "Thank you all for speaking up for justice, but this is a conflict between the Yellow Spring Sect and the Mirage Sect, and I cannot involve you all."

“Brother Chen, you’re being too polite!” Chang Shou immediately retorted, his voice booming. “Back then, you cleared our names, single-handedly stormed the Burning Incense Sect’s territory, and captured the mastermind, Wei Changsheng. What did that have to do with you? You could have stayed out of it, but you stepped forward for us, risking your life! How can today’s events be considered an implicator?”

“Brother Chang is absolutely right! Fellow Daoist Chen saved our lives!”

"Your kindness is as vast as the sea; today is the time to repay it!"

"The Mirage Sect has gone too far; how can we stand idly by!"

……

The heartfelt responses warmed Chen Ye's heart.

Although there is no concept of reincarnation and karmic retribution in this world, justice resides in the hearts of the people.

Chang Shou then asked, "Brother Chen, what do you plan to do? We can spread the word about what the Mirage Sect has done, so that everyone can see the true colors of these five righteous sects, just like Wei Changsheng did back then, and make him repent for his sins in public."

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "Yu Xing is just arrogant and annoying. As for his crimes, they don't compare to Wei Changsheng's."

If Yu Xingzhen were truly guilty of grave sins, he wouldn't have been so relaxed while trapped in the bronze bell; he probably hadn't committed any heinous acts like murder or arson.

Ultimately, it was just that the Mirage Party looked down on others too much, and Chen Ye, as the sect leader of the Yellow Springs Sect, could not allow his sect to be bullied before it was even established.

In the end, what happened today can only be considered a dispute over personal feelings.

Chen Ye proposed resolving the issue on the fighting stage because he didn't want the matter to become a deadlock.

The Mirage Sect will not back down, so let's settle this on the arena.

It seems the Mirage Faction's challenge will arrive soon.

And take this opportunity to make the Yellow Springs Sect famous, which will make it easier to recruit disciples later.

With the plan finalized, Chen Ye, seeing everyone in high spirits, decided to treat them to a drink at a market. The atmosphere was lively with clinking glasses, and before the banquet had even ended, the Mirage Sect's challenge arrived.

Moreover, the messenger was an old acquaintance.

Lu Shichang, who was in charge of managing the fighting arena, personally found Chen Ye and presented him with the challenge from the Mirage Sect.

Chen Ye took the scroll and unfolded it. He saw that the brushstrokes were sharp and the only words were a single line of concise yet domineering characters: "All grudges and debts will be settled in the arena. See you at noon the day after tomorrow." The signature was the mark of the Mirage Sect.

The challenge letter didn't include a single word about the cause and effect, which suggests that the Mirage Faction shares the same attitude: what's the point of reasoning? Let's fight first and then talk about it.

Chen Ye carefully put away the challenge letter and politely said to Lu Shichang, "Thank you for your trouble, fellow Daoist."

Lu Shichang quickly said, "It's nothing, it's just my job. But Brother Chen, why make enemies with the Mirage Sect? This time, they're probably going to send that Lingguang Immortal into battle."

"Lingguang Immortal?"

This name is rather strange. They are all cultivators, and even cultivators at the Dao Integration Realm wouldn't dare to presume to call themselves immortals. This person has quite the audacity.

Lu Shichang explained, "You should have heard that Su Chunyi of the Qinghe Sword Sect was once the number one in the Tongxuan Realm. He won that title on the fighting arena several years ago. And this Lingguang Immortal was ranked second. He lost to that Su Sword Immortal by a single move."

Chen Ye asked, "I wonder what kind of skills this person possesses?"

Lu Shichang shook his head and said, "If you ask someone else, I might be able to tell you a thing or two. That competition was unprecedented in its scale, and I watched the whole thing without missing a single detail. But this Lingguang Immortal... is truly mysterious and unpredictable. He appeared on stage more than ten times, and each time his appearance, techniques, and even aura were completely different. No one could see his true face."

"Back then, during his duel with Su Chunyi, he was able to transform into Su Chunyi's appearance and even imitated the exquisite swordsmanship of the Qinghe Sword Sect perfectly. In the end, he was defeated by only one move! Such unpredictable and bizarre methods are beyond my ability to describe in detail."

Chen Ye was shocked to hear that Su Chunyi could not only transform into her appearance but also imitate her swordsmanship.

If the swordsmanship of the Qinghe Sword Sect could be so easily imitated, how could it be considered the best in the world?

Chen Ye frowned and asked, "Such a powerful Spirit Light Immortal, how come I've never heard of him before?"

Lu Shichang explained, "No one has ever seen his true face. If the last magical contest had not been jointly hosted by the five major sects, and his identity had not been verified before each person went on stage, no one would have known whether the person on stage was really Lingguang Xian. After the contest, this person disappeared without a trace and never appeared as 'Lingguang Xian' again. Perhaps he has already changed his appearance and is hiding somewhere else."

Chen Ye frowned. This Spiritual Light Fruit was truly mysterious; it was probably a young disciple that the Mirage Sect was focusing on cultivating.

However, Chen Ye wasn't too worried. His initial target was Master Ziyan.

He wanted to see the skills of a Nascent Soul cultivator on the arena; winning or losing was not important.

Chen Ye believed that the Mirage Sect would not take his life, but as long as he stepped onto the arena, the name of the Yellow Springs Sect would be heard by everyone.

The five major sects will also understand that the Yellow Springs Sect is not so easy to bully. Even if it is a Nascent Soul cultivator, Chen Ye dares to fight it.

Even if Lingguang Xian is powerful, he is only at the Tongxuan Realm, which is much better than Chen Ye originally expected.

But when it comes to magical duels, one must be fully prepared, especially since Lingguang Xian is such an extremely strange opponent.

After a moment's thought, Chen Ye bid farewell to everyone.

Everyone understood that Chen Ye was under immense pressure and did not try to persuade him to stay. Only Fu Lu Shou invited Chen Ye back to his cave to discuss the matter.

Chen Ye did not refuse, and returned to the flower-filled place with Fu Lu Shou.

As soon as he sat down, the impatient Lü Fusheng couldn't help but ask, "Brother Chen... oh no, Sect Master! How do you plan to deal with this? From what Fellow Daoist Lu said, that Lingguang Immortal is really not easy to deal with!"

Chen Ye smiled calmly: "How to deal with it? We'll meet force with force and water with water, and go all out. In a duel, there are winners and losers."

Changshou was still somewhat worried: "But... what if we lose?"

“If I lose, I lose.” Chen Ye’s tone was calm, but it revealed a tenacity: “One thing at a time. If I lose, it only means that I am not as skilled as others and have no right to force Yu Xing to pay the price. But that does not mean that my previous reasoning was wrong. It just means that I am powerless to punish the madman for the time being. However, I think I can win.”

Hou Lu, being the most optimistic person, lit up with curiosity upon hearing Chen Ye's words and asked, "Sect Master, could it be that you have crafted some earth-shattering magic weapon in the Northern Frontier?"

"Speaking of magical treasures..." Chen Ye's eyes flickered slightly as he thought of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, which exuded a murderous aura.

If this treasure were used, dealing with a mere Transcendent Realm cultivator would be a piece of cake.

It's a bit too much of a bullying tactic, but on second thought, it's the Mirage Faction that's going too far.

Moreover, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.

Chen Ye quickly said to the three of them, "I need to go back to the Yellow Springs Sect to get some magic treasures to deal with this battle. I'll have to trouble you three if I need anything."

Chang Shou quickly said, "The three of us have long been members of the Yellow Springs Sect. Sect Master, please feel free to give us your orders."

Hou Lu and Lü Fusheng nodded repeatedly. Now that they had joined the Yellow Springs Sect, some forms of address needed to be changed. While feelings could be kept in their hearts, outward etiquette was still quite important.

"Alright, then please keep an eye out for Li Fan, this rogue cultivator. He was on duty at the entrance of Hundred Seas Valley today. I think he has extraordinary talent and seems to be of good character. Please help me find out more about him, and if he is suitable, please invite him to join the Yellow Springs Sect. The sect is currently short of members, so please also help me find some suitable disciples to recruit."

After saying this, Chen Ye summoned Black Whirlwind, fitted him with a new saddle, and then flew towards the northern frontier.

This new saddle is really good. The workmanship of the cover is very fine. No matter how Black Whirlwind moves, it will not affect its stability. Moreover, the streamlined shape will reduce the drag when Black Whirlwind flies.

The return journey was even faster than the journey there.

Upon noticing Chen Ye's return to the Yellow Springs Sect, the Venerable Master immediately came to his door and asked, "Back so quickly? Did you get into trouble?!"

Chen Ye couldn't help but say, "My Lord, you understand me more and more."

"hehe."

The lord chuckled coldly and asked, "Given your personality, you wouldn't go looking for trouble. Tell me, who have you offended?"

Chen Ye had no choice but to recount the whole story. After listening, the sect leader laughed loudly and said, "Good! This is the true sect leader of my Yellow Springs Sect. So what if his cultivation is a little weaker? How can the leader of a sect allow others to bully him like this? Well done! We should show that Mirage Sect what we're made of. Don't worry, even if the Mirage Sect attacks us with the whole sect, our Yellow Springs Sect can hold them off."

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "The Mirage Sect wouldn't go to war with the Yellow Springs Sect over such a trivial matter. It's just that our opponent this time is a bit special. This Lingguang Immortal sounds mysterious and unpredictable, so I need to bring the Myriad Soul Banner with me."

The Venerable One frowned and said, "Is it really necessary? Isn't this going a bit too far?"

The Myriad Souls Banner beneath the Yellow Springs Sect is no ordinary magic weapon. It incorporates the brow bone of the Demon Lord Wujiu, and the Myriad Souls Banner, which alternates between Yin and Yang, is unique throughout history. It is enough to suppress the fortune of an entire sect.

The Lord felt that Chen Ye was making a mountain out of a molehill by using such a magical weapon in a tournament.

Chen Ye said, "Since this battle is a test of the Yellow Springs Sect's prestige, we should go all out. If we can win decisively, recruiting disciples should be easier. Besides, the matter of the Yin spirits will eventually be made public. We might as well take advantage of the presence of people from the Qinghe Sword Sect and clarify things sooner rather than later, to avoid various rumors spreading later."

After thinking about it, the Lord realized that there was some truth to it.

The Venerable One said to Chen Ye, "Since that's the case, take this magic weapon with you. Anyway, these spirits have nothing to do. But remember not to release too many spirits during the battle. Without the suppression of the formation, the death energy will pollute the earth and turn the blessed land into a dead land. Then the five major sects will probably find fault with you."

Chen Ye nodded, thinking that dealing with a mere Lingguang Immortal wouldn't require the release of 100,000 Yin Souls.

(End of this chapter)