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

Chapter 20 Divine Soul Secret Technique
In his previous life, Chen Ye chose an extremely unpopular major—archaeology—in order to more easily enter university.

Archaeology majors from non-prestigious universities have lower score requirements, and since graduates will likely return to their hometowns to take civil service exams anyway, it doesn't really matter what major they choose.

Unexpectedly, Chen Ye really got into it. He read ancient books that were difficult for ordinary people to understand with great interest. He originally planned to just coast through his studies, but ended up ranking first in his major. His advisor even wanted to help him get a guaranteed admission to graduate school.

However, this knowledge was completely useless in my later work. Instead, I had to rely on reading people's expressions and flattering others to get by.

But life is unpredictable, and who would have thought that these useless things would become the foundation of one's life after traveling through time?

Those once-disregarded knowledge skills allowed him to grasp the methods of cultivation extremely quickly, making him appear to others as a born cultivator. This is probably what is meant by "losing something on one front but gaining something on another."

That being said, although the two worlds have some similarities, they are ultimately very different.

Take the Eight Trigrams, which are known to all those who cultivate themselves, for example. There is no "Book of Changes" in this world. Only fragments of the "Book of Changes" have been passed down, and they have been mixed with many interpretations and modifications by later generations. Each version has its own advantages and disadvantages.

As for Buddhist scriptures, they are even rarer. In this world, Buddhists don't even know the name of the Buddha, let alone Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. The few Buddhist scriptures that occasionally circulate are often dubious and far removed from the Buddhist classics of their previous lives.

But at this moment, the few lines of shimmering gold characters before my eyes are the same as the original text of the Ksitigarbha Sutra, and the name of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva also appears.

This is quite unusual.

Who exactly left behind the text of the Ksitigarbha Sutra? And who has read this sutra?

A surge of excitement welled up in Chen Ye's heart, and he hurriedly flipped through the contents.

The golden characters floated and constantly changed, forming new content. But after reading a few pages, Chen Ye couldn't help but frown.

Apart from the first few sentences, the rest of the text is no longer the original text of the Ksitigarbha Sutra, but rather a profound and unfathomable magic.

Upon closer examination, it seems the author had read the Ksitigarbha Sutra and used this opening passage as the title, with the rest being the author's own insights.

Chen Ye couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed. If this scripture were the complete Ksitigarbha Sutra, then he would be certain that the scripture he read in his previous life had a special connection with this world.

If we can find the author of this book, we might be able to figure out why we traveled through time.

But now there are only a few opening sentences, just like the Book of Changes was dismantled and recompiled. Those who wrote the book probably didn't even know the source of the original work.

However, Chen Ye's disappointment was fleeting, and he was quickly captivated by what followed.

The book records an extremely profound set of spells, divided into four volumes: restraint, locking, interrogation, and torture, all of which affect the soul.

Previously, Chen Ye had devoted himself to the study of the Dao of the Soul in order to preserve Mo Ci's soul. Now, reading the records in this book again, he gained a great deal by comparing and contrasting them.

However, the more Chen Ye studied it, the more unfathomable this technique seemed. It was a pity that these secret techniques were all used to damage the mind and soul. If there were a profound secret technique for nourishing and protecting the soul, perhaps his master could be saved.

"Sigh, there's no such thing as a free lunch. You have to figure it out yourself."

As Chen Ye was pondering this, he felt someone pat his shoulder forcefully.

Turning around, I saw Mo Ci's face appear on the white banner, anxiously saying something.

He ruptured his eardrums in his attempt to save himself, and now he can't hear a single word.

Helpless, Chen Ye could only hand Bai Fan a tree branch.

Mo Ci angrily rolled up a branch and quickly wrote on the ground: "Before the Qinghe Sword Sect members return, quickly hide this evil cursed spirit child." Chen Ye asked doubtfully, "Master, what's the use of hiding it if it's not my bloodline sealed inside?"

Mo Ci quickly wrote again: "Even without blood ties, the cursed spirit child is still a superior physical body, much better than just having someone else possess it! I have taught you how to break the curse. Quickly break the original seal and connect this cursed spirit child with your soul. In this way, you will have an extra life!"

Chen Ye laughed and said, "My disciple's cultivation is too weak. It's hard to say whether I can break the connection between the evil cursed spirit child's soul and my own. Even if I could, it wouldn't be something that can be resolved in three to five days. With that Miss Su's abilities, she would have killed that demon long ago. The evil cursed spirit child's possession only takes a moment, so there's no time for that."

Mo Ci continued, "How will you know it's too late if you don't try? Cursed prodigies are a rare find!"

Chen Ye shook his head firmly.

"Master, I am destined to ascend to immortality in three years. Why bother preparing for possession?"

Mo Ci glared at Chen Ye, but in the end just sighed and stopped trying to persuade him.

The so-called ascension in three years is nothing but an excuse this wicked disciple made out of womanly compassion. However, Mo Ci also knew that Chen Ye would not waver once he made up his mind, so she could only remind him: "In that case, you should destroy this evil cursed spirit child as soon as possible. Once that demon possesses you, he will probably just reach out and refine you with a single move."

Chen Ye nodded, agreeing that it was wise to prepare early.

However, Chen Ye was not prepared to destroy the evil cursed spirit child so easily.

After pondering for a moment, Chen Ye said to Mo Ci, "Master, we who cultivate demonic arts cannot just suffer losses. I will not touch this evil cursed spirit child, but we can lay an ambush on the demon's soul."

Mo Ci, however, did not think so.

“That demon’s cultivation is at least at the Transcendent Realm. Even if he only has his primordial spirit left, killing you would still be a piece of cake.”

Chen Ye naturally knew how powerful the other party was; that evil Buddha alone had almost taken his life.

But there's still one sword talisman left. If we're prepared to catch someone off guard, we should have a chance to deal with a soul in the Profound Realm.

Moreover, the manual that Chen Ye just obtained is specifically designed to target the soul.

Although it was risky, obtaining a soul at the Profound Realm would bring extraordinary benefits. After careful consideration, Chen Ye decided it was worth the risk, but he needed to act quickly and make thorough preparations.

After a moment's thought, Chen Ye said to Mo Ci, "Master, you have extensive experience in possession. If we set up an array outside this evil cursed spirit child to prevent the demon from possessing your soul, how long can it hold out?"

Mo Ci felt something was off when he heard this. What did he mean by "experienced in possession"? This kid was secretly betraying his master and ancestors again!

However, now is not the time to argue with him. Mo Ci pondered and wrote: "With your cultivation level, even with the assistance of an array, it would be difficult to withstand a spell casually cast by a Tongxuan Realm cultivator. But if you can block one attack, then there is still some chance. After all, once the soul leaves the body, it is like a tree without roots. The more spells cast, the faster it dissipates. Even a Tongxuan Realm cultivator cannot withstand it many times."

"The premise is that you can sever the connection between this evil cursed spirit child and its master, then find a way to trap the demon's soul, and then stall for time. The longer you stall, the higher the chance of success."

Chen Ye looked at the text and nodded, saying, "It's pretty much what I guessed. However, setting up the formation will take time. If that demon tries to possess me beforehand... Oh well, there's no cultivation without taking risks."

Having said that, Chen Ye picked up the long, black banner. This was the authentic Ten Thousand Souls Banner of the Demonic Sect, a hundred times better than the cheap imitations he had made himself. Success or failure hinged on this magical artifact.

Chen Ye and Mo Ci were only thinking about how to deal with the possessing demon, and seemed to have assumed that Su Chunyi would definitely be able to kill it, without even considering the possibility of something going wrong.

After all, the Qinghe Sword Sect is the best in the world.

(End of this chapter)