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

Chapter 198 The Spiritual Light Immortal Arrives

By the time Zhou Lang realized something was wrong, the real Lingguang Immortal had already abandoned his physical body.

When Zhou Lang broke the seal, all he saw was a giant mirage that had already lost its life force.

"They actually abandoned their own physical bodies?!"

This was something Zhou Lang never expected; how was it any different from suicide?

The Mirage Sect trusted Lingguang Xian because of the physical body being sealed, never imagining that there would actually be beings in the world who would choose suicide for freedom.

"Nirvana Sect!"

Zhou Lang wished he could dig out those demons and eat their flesh raw.

But when exactly did Lingguang Xian make contact with the Nirvana Sect? Previously, Lingguang Xian had always lived a secluded life and shouldn't have met with the demons of the Nirvana Sect. In recent days, the only contact she could be considered as interacting with outsiders was...

"Could it be that Chen Ye has some connection with the Nirvana Sect?"

Although Zhou Lang had no evidence, it seemed that only Chen Ye was a suspect. Chen Ye had already taken the spirit of that mirage pearl, and Lingguang Xian, being a spirit herself, had taken other mirage pearls with spirits with her; she must have gone to join Chen Ye.

But the Qinghe Sword Sect couldn't possibly be mixed up with the remnants of the Nirvana Sect. How could Chen Ye possibly evade Zhang Qi's sword heart perception? Unless he really is Zhang Qi's illegitimate son!
Regardless of whether it's true or not, besides searching for that Lingguang Immortal, we must deal with Chen Ye.

Whether it's the spirit in his weapon or his humiliation of the Mirage Sect, there must be an explanation.

Otherwise, how could Zhou Lang have become the leader of the Mirage Sect?

After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Lang made a decision.

The founding day of the Yellow Springs Sect is fast approaching, and he imagines other sects will at most send a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator to attend the ceremony. Since that's the case, he'll go himself. No matter how many schemes Chen Ye may have, he's ultimately just a Profound Realm cultivator, easily manipulated by him.

However, this time we must act legitimately, lest the Qinghe Sword Sect members jump out to obstruct us again.

The matter of the artifact spirit alone is not enough; we must find evidence that it is related to Lingguang Xian's escape.

Zhou Lang summoned the other elders of the Mirage Sect and began issuing orders to them one by one. This was the most important matter for the Mirage Sect, and it required the concerted efforts of everyone involved.

At this very moment, Lingguang Xian had already fled a hundred miles away.

A blurry, ethereal white light floated on the turbulent sea, its presence gradually fading under the sunlight.

Forcibly killing one's own physical body and escaping with one's soul sounds simple, but it is extremely dangerous to do.

Even though the mirage demon possessed extraordinary talent, when her physical body completely perished, Lingguang Xian's soul suffered unimaginable damage. Being able to escape a hundred miles with her last remaining strength was already her limit.

At this moment, her soul was like a candle flickering in the wind, on the verge of completely dissipating.

Just as her consciousness was about to fade, a blazing golden flame appeared out of thin air, hovering steadily before her. Within the flame, the majestic phantom of the Crimson Dragon Buddha slowly emerged. The Dragon Buddha opened its massive maw, spitting out a ball of pure golden light that flew out and merged into Lingguang Xian's divine soul.

The pure incense energy flowed into Lingguangxian's soul like sweet rain, quickly stabilizing her soul body which was on the verge of collapse.

The Venerable One looked at the blurry white figure in front of him and said in a deep voice, "Now that your physical body is dead, it can only be maintained temporarily. Only by joining my Yellow Springs Sect can you survive."

"Have you thought this through? If you join my Yellow Springs Sect and receive the sect's offerings, then you will be a ghost of the Yellow Springs Sect, and you must not betray it in this life. Otherwise, I will exterminate your entire Mirage Demon clan. If you are unwilling, this offering can help you survive for three to five years, which will not be considered me breaking my promise."

Strike while the iron is hot; when negotiating terms, one should do so when others are desperate. In this respect, the Lord is far more ruthless than Chen Ye.

Lingguang Xian did not intend to back out, but she still said to the Venerable Master, "I am willing to join the Yellow Springs Sect and serve the Yellow Springs Sect for the rest of my life. I will never betray it. But you must also promise me one condition: if the Ruins of Return reopen, help me save my people and do not let the Mirage Demons be slaughtered by the Mirage Sect again."

The Venerable Lord laughed and said, "Of course, I wish I could dig a lake in the Northern Frontier and raise these mirage demons. I don't even need mirage demons to refine magic weapons. As long as you are willing to exhale some mirage energy to create an illusion array for my Fengdu City, that will suffice."

Upon hearing this, Lingguang Xian's light and shadow became noticeably calmer: "Very well, as long as the Huangquan Sect keeps its promise and protects my clan, my Mirage Demon clan will guard Fengdu City for generations to come, without any disloyalty."

"Very good!" The Lord nodded in satisfaction. "Then, come back with me."

With a flick of his finger, a twisted and broken door appeared out of thin air in the sea ahead. The Lord beckoned to the radiant figure of the Spirit Radiance Immortal, signaling her to follow, and then stepped into it first.

Lingguangxian followed closely behind, and the moment she passed through the door, the scene before her eyes suddenly changed.

She found herself in a solemn and majestic hall filled with the smoke of incense. Rows of statues of gods, each with a different form and an aura of authority, occupied most of the space.

This is the City God Pavilion within the Yellow Springs Palace.

Shattering the void and shifting heaven and earth—such instantaneous teleportation across thousands of miles should be a supreme technique reserved for those at the Dao Integration Realm. Reaching the Dao Integration Realm should mean shattering the void and ascending to the Immortal Realm. Although the Venerable Lord's realm has not yet reached the Dao Integration Realm, he can still barely unleash a similar technique thanks to the power of the Crimson Serpent Dragon Buddha. However, this method consumes a great deal of energy, and he will not use it lightly unless absolutely necessary.

The Venerable One pointed to the City Gods being worshipped and said to Lingguang Xian, "Find a spot that suits your taste first. I will explain the situation to the Sect Master later and have a new statue made just for you to receive the incense offerings."

Lingguang Xian asked, "Your cultivation is extremely high, much stronger than the Yellow Springs Sect Master. Why do you still need to report to him? Isn't the Yellow Springs Sect ruled by those with higher cultivation?"

Others might have thought this was an attempt to sow discord, but Lingguangxian, seemingly oblivious to social niceties, simply asked directly.

The Venerable One knew that this demon's thoughts were different from ordinary people, without so many hidden agendas, so he explained, "There are always different levels of cultivation. If everything is just about the strong being respected, what is the meaning of a mortal's life? The rules of the Yellow Spring Sect are different from those of other major sects in the world. You will get used to it gradually. By the way, let me remind you, the more outstanding a goddess's appearance, the easier it is to attract worshippers. This is based on experience."

Lingguang Xian has never cared about gender, and the mirage demons have no distinction between male and female. However, if one really wants to become a god through incense offerings, then listening to this Venerable Lord's opinion is not a bad idea.

Lingguang Xian thought for a moment, and her white mist gathered and dispersed, transforming into a woman in a pale yellow robe.

Upon seeing this, the Venerable One laughed and said, "How did you end up looking like Su Chunyi of the Qinghe Sword Sect?"

Lingguangxian said, "In my opinion, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

The Venerable One shook his head and said, "That's because you're inexperienced. Also, Su Chunyi has a very close relationship with the Sect Master, so you'd better not provoke him."

Lingguangxian thought for a moment and then changed her appearance again.

The Venerable One frowned even more upon seeing this: "Why did you transform into Yin Xiaoshuang of the Mirage Sect? That old woman can at most be described as having regular features, but she's a far cry from being 'outstanding'! Can't you have a normal sense of aesthetics?"

Lingguangxian said helplessly, "I have never seen many women."

The aesthetics of the mirage demons are different from those of humans, and Lingguangxian has difficulty evolving a new appearance based on imagination, except by imitating others.

Seeing her troubled expression, the Lord could only sigh helplessly.

He gathered a golden light at his fingertips, as if trying to outline the peerless face of a woman in the air. With just a few strokes, he captured her essence perfectly, clearly showing that he was extremely familiar with her.

But he stopped abruptly halfway through his painting, erased the light and shadow, shook his head and said, "Never mind, appearance is ultimately a trivial matter. You can figure it out yourself."

Lingguangxian was confused and began to transform into various forms. However, she really didn't have much imagination, and the appearance she created was somewhat strange. Her features looked fine, but looking at them for a long time would make people feel scared.

The Lord was too lazy to bother with such a trivial matter. He told Lingguang Xian to stay here and stabilize her soul, and then turned and left the City God Pavilion.

He now had more important things to do; he needed to find Chen Ye to discuss how to deal with the Mirage Sect's upcoming retaliation.

Although the rescue of Lingguang Xian went relatively smoothly, he deliberately shifted the blame onto Nirvana Sect in an attempt to mislead the public, and even intentionally left some traces of the Seven Treasures Umbrella magic weapon at the scene.

If the Mirage Sect investigates carefully, they will surely find traces of this treasure of the Nirvana Sect. The Seven Treasures Umbrella has been passed down for thousands of years, has a unique aura, and is extremely difficult to forge.

But evidence is evidence, and those old foxes from the Mirage Sect aren't stupid. Considering the previous incident where Chen Ye took away the spirit of the Mirage Pearl, they will definitely still focus their suspicions on the Yellow Spring Sect.

Therefore, this matter must be discussed with Chen Ye as soon as possible, and preparations should be made early.

With a flash, the Venerable One appeared on the thirty-third level of the outer heaven, the top floor of the Yellow Springs Palace.

Chen Ye was sitting cross-legged on a futon, his eyes slightly closed, as if he had just entered a meditative state.

Hearing the noise, Chen Ye slowly opened his eyes and saw the Venerable Master who had returned. He asked with a face full of doubt, "Grandmaster, you came back too quickly this time."

Only a few hours had passed since then. Chen Ye had just finished entertaining the monk Bu Mei and let him stay in the guest room for the time being, and he was also prepared that the Venerable One would not be back for several days.

It wasn't even dark yet.

The Venerable Master laughed and said, "You underestimate the abilities of your grandmaster. It's just a mere Mirage Sect."

Chen Ye thought the Venerable One was bragging. If he really had such ability, the Yellow Springs Sect would be one of the six major sects. Why would they need to be so cautious and not even dare to reveal the news of the ginseng fruit?

However, as a grand-disciple, one should not talk back to one's master. Chen Ye echoed a couple of times and then asked, "Has the soul of the Spirit Light Immortal been successfully brought back?"

The Venerable One nodded and said, "It's already arranged for her to be in the City God Pavilion. We'll erect a City God statue for her later. The soul of the Mirage Demon isn't much different from that of a human. However, one of the Mirage Pearls in her hand is damaged. We need to hold an incense offering and deification ceremony for her as soon as possible, otherwise the spirit of that Mirage Pearl won't be able to hold on. At that time, that Lingguang Immortal will turn against us."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye nodded and said, "That's perfect. Before Master becomes a god through incense offerings, he should practice a bit first."

(End of this chapter)