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

Chapter 2 What is the difference between humans and beasts?
Chen Ye spent several days hastily refining his master's remains and storing them in his storage bag.

The method of creating zombies is just a common practice for the demonic sects. There are many different schools of thought, and the selection of materials is also quite sophisticated.

But Chen Ye had no room for fuss.

Mo Ci was not a body-cultivating cultivator in his lifetime, and his birth date and time were not auspicious. Moreover, there was no special feng shui burial site available for him to be transformed into a zombie. Fortunately, Mo Ci still had cultivation before his death, and his body retained some spiritual power, but it was ultimately not a top-quality material.

Chen Ye wasn't picky; compared to when he first came to this world, his current situation was much better.
When he first transmigrated, Chen Ye truly had nothing but this body.

He was naked and had no special abilities to help him; he was almost mistaken for a womanizer and castrated.

He barely survived for two months by petty theft and almost starved to death on the streets.

Fortunately, he met his master, Mo Ci, at this time.

Chen Ye saw that the old beggar was fast asleep and originally intended to steal a few copper coins to exchange for a steamed bun to fill his stomach, but little did he know that he would provoke a cultivator.

He was almost captured by Mo Ci to refine his soul, but luckily he was quick-witted and immediately bowed down, shamelessly begging to become Mo Ci's disciple.

Mo Ci found him amusing and treated him to a meal, but it consisted of raw, bloody meat that nearly made Chen Ye vomit. Chen Ye was ruthless; he was starving and had no other choice. He didn't care what it was and forced the bloody chunks of meat into his mouth until he was full.

Mo Ci saw that this kid was ruthless, thick-skinned, and had potential, and considering that his own time was coming to an end, he took him in as his disciple.

He stumbled and struggled his way into cultivating immortality, but unexpectedly, his master died just as he entered the sect.

Having taken in his master's soul and refined his master's bones, he now had to walk the path of cultivation on his own.

Just as I stepped outside, I heard my master's voice: "Disciple, where are you going?"

Oh, I remember now, Master isn't quite dead yet.

After the Ten Thousand Souls Banner absorbed Mo Ci's soul, it could no longer be put into the storage bag. After all, both items were cheap, and their magical powers would interfere with and conflict with each other, so they would be damaged in no time.

Chen Ye had no choice but to wrap the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in burlap and write a few words on it to cover it up. However, this cheap item also had its advantages. As long as Mo Ci did not reveal himself, even if the Ten Thousand Souls Banner was placed in front of righteous cultivators, they would have to think for a long time before they could tell whether it was a magic weapon or just a piece of junk.

Upon hearing Mo Ci speak, Chen Ye said, "Now that I have awakened my spiritual power, I naturally need to find a way to condense my Qi Sea. Since you, Master, do not have any Qi Condensation Pills, I can only seek other methods."

The so-called "spiritual awakening" refers to the practitioner's ability to perceive the flow of spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is everywhere, but ordinary people can hardly perceive it. If one can tame one's restless mind and enter a meditative state, one will most likely be able to sense something; however, when the mind is scattered, this sense will disappear.

The realm of spiritual awakening is where one can constantly sense the flow of spiritual energy even without meditating.

Chen Ye awakened his spiritual power on the third day of his cultivation, which is truly remarkable.

After awakening the spirit, one needs to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to strengthen the body and soul. However, this requires concentrating and meditating to actively absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Only by opening up the dantian and creating a vortex of spiritual energy within the body can one absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth at all times, thus greatly accelerating the pace of cultivation.

Whether it's the Awakening of Spirit or the Qi Sea Realm, it's all about transforming from active to automatic, from doing to doing nothing—this is the path of immortality.

There's no real barrier to entry for the Qi Sea Realm. If one dedicates themselves to diligent cultivation, meditating day and night, those with good aptitude can achieve it in forty or fifty years. Disciples of prestigious sects, after consuming Qi Gathering Pills and practicing for a short time, can condense their Qi Sea in just a few hours.

The resource gap is so stark; Chen Ye doesn't have that background, so he has to rely on himself.

Mo Ci pondered and said, "The Qi Condensation Pill is not too difficult to refine. The other medicinal materials can be bought at the pharmacy, but it will cost some gold and silver. However, the main ingredient is Xuanji Dew, which can only be found in a hundred-year-old stalactite. If we go into the mountains to collect herbs, we might be lucky and find it in three to five years. If we are unlucky, it may take more than ten years to find it. That would take too long."

Cultivators often live for hundreds of years, so why do most people still complain that their lifespan is not long enough? It's because of a lack of resources, causing them to waste their years.

Chen Ye shook his head and said to Mo Ci, "Master, don't worry. Although I am still young, I have no intention of spending more than ten years refining a Qi Gathering Pill." Upon hearing this, Mo Ci pondered and said, "You want to use the Blood Refining Method? If you kill too many people, their resentment will inevitably rise to the sky. Aren't you afraid of attracting righteous cultivators?"

The righteous path has its own methods, and the demonic path has its own means.

The reason why the Demonic Sect is considered an evil sect by the righteous path is actually related to its methods of cultivating immortality.

The orthodox path of cultivating immortality mostly emphasizes purifying the mind and concentrating the spirit, abstaining from desires and observing precepts. In the early stages, it relies on consciously restraining desires and is supplemented by the cultivation of elixirs.

They usually choose to set up their practice centers deep in the mountains and forests to avoid being disturbed by ordinary people. Many of these practices have numerous taboos, and if one is not careful and breaks the rules, all previous efforts can be wasted. However, the advantage is that as long as one follows the steps, there are relatively few bottlenecks in the cultivation process, and the risk of breaking through at each stage is also low.

The Demonic Sect is quite different. Their philosophy is: if I don't have it, I'll take it. Nine out of ten demonic cultivators indulge in all sorts of vices, from eating and drinking to gambling and whoring. Cultivation is difficult? Then refine the souls and blood essence of others to replenish your own—it's much more enjoyable than meditation and qi cultivation!

How can one cultivate on their own as quickly as by robbing? Having tasted such sweetness, few cultivators can resist such temptation.

Condensing Qi in the Sea of ​​Qi is not difficult. Isn't the Qi Gathering Pill just a way to save countless years of cultivation by using rare and precious materials? Refining the essence, blood, and soul of one or two thousand people and swallowing it will have almost the same effect. At most, the accumulated poison will be more than that of the Qi Gathering Pill.

But killing someone is much easier than gathering herbs.

This is the reason why demonic cultivators are universally hated.

Slaughtering countless people for personal gain is something even members of the Demonic Sect sometimes find hard to bear.

Mo Ci wasn't concerned about whether this massacre was morally right or wrong; what he was concerned about was that continuing to kill like this would easily attract the attention of righteous cultivators.

The massacre of thousands of people would create a surge of resentment, making cultivators who have awakened their spiritual energy particularly sensitive to changes in spiritual energy, and thus easily attracting attention.

Once targeted by righteous cultivators, given Chen Ye's current cultivation level, it would be a death sentence; there would be no other possibility.

For righteous cultivators who have spent most of their lives in abstinence and restraint, finding a way to release their desires without side effects is difficult, and slaying demons is the best option. It's like giving someone a day off after years of arduous cultivation. Just as demonic cultivators find it hard to resist the thrill of plunder, few righteous cultivators can resist the temptation of slaying demons and eliminating evil.

Chen Ye smiled and said, "Blood refining is good, but I don't intend to slaughter civilians."

Mo Ci asked in confusion, "How can you perform blood refinement without killing people?"

"Master, what is the difference between humans and beasts?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Ci exclaimed in surprise, "You want to use the flesh and blood of beasts to practice your skills? How foolish! When I taught you the Blood Refinement Method, I told you that the blood of wild beasts is unusable. It will damage your soul and turn you into something neither human nor ghost. Before you can even condense your Qi Sea, you will become a mindless madman, no different from a wild beast!"

Why does the Demonic Sect insist on killing people?
It wasn't that they were truly cruel and wicked; rather, refining otherworldly beings produced numerous severe side effects, far more potent than the poison accumulated from consuming elixirs. Cannibalism was the most effective method with the fewest side effects, which is why demonic cultivators chose to kill. Otherwise, wouldn't they have a constant supply of blood and goat food if they simply ranched their own ranches?

Chen Ye said, "That's why I have to ask, what is the difference between humans and beasts? Slaughtering a thousand people will cause resentment to fill the sky, but a butcher can slaughter thousands of sheep and cattle without consequence. Why is that? Does Heaven truly favor one over the other?"

Mo Ci remained silent for a long time, realizing that he was unable to answer this seemingly simple question.

“Master, the book only records the taboos of blood refining, but does not explain why. I want to understand what exactly is in the blood of beasts that can drive a cultivator into madness? If we can find the root of the problem, perhaps we can solve this problem.”

Mo Ci said helplessly, "This is a problem that no one has been able to solve for thousands of years. What makes you think you can unlock this secret?"

Chen Ye replied, “How could Master know that this is an unsolvable problem? Perhaps someone has already found a solution, but is simply keeping it hidden. Hasn’t Master often held back some secrets from his disciples? Besides, if I only follow the old paths of those who came before, how can I ever become an immortal?”

Mo Ci remained silent, and Chen Ye quickly said, "Master, don't misunderstand. I didn't mean you were holding back. Although we've only known each other for a few months, I believe you've already taught me everything you know."

Mo Ci: ...

That sounds... like an insult.

(End of this chapter)