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

Chapter 207 The Only Solution

When Chen Ye left Jian Ge, he was somewhat lost and dejected.

Seeing Su Chunyi waiting outside the door, Chen Ye could hardly manage a smile.

To his utter surprise, Zhang Qi decided not to ascend.

Su Chunyi, who had been waiting outside the door for half a day, walked quickly towards Chen Ye. Seeing his expression, she hurriedly asked, "Why are you looking so worried, sir? Has the sect leader given you some difficult problem?"

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "It's not a difficult problem, but... Miss Su, do you know what Master Zhang is planning?"

Su Chun asked, "Are you saying that the sect leader is determined not to ascend but to his death?"

"So you already knew. The entire Qinghe Sword Sect should know about this decision, right?"

Su Chunyi nodded slightly, her tone remaining calm. "When our master made this decision, he did not deliberately hide it from the disciples. It's just that this matter is of great importance, so it was not publicized to outsiders."

As he spoke, Su Chunyi smiled and said, "Since the sect leader has told you about this plan, it means that you are one of our own from the Qinghe Sword Sect."

Seeing Su Chunyi's calm demeanor, Chen Ye couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you worried?"

Su Chun said to Chen Ye, "The light of a sword will eventually fade. This is what my master told me on my first day of learning swordsmanship. Everyone in the Qinghe Sword Sect understands this principle. No matter how good a flying sword is, it will eventually break if honed day and night. The sect leader has endured this torment until now. Letting go would be a relief for him."

Chen Ye exclaimed, "Now I understand why the Qinghe Sword Sect is the best in the world."

I originally wanted to ask Qinghe Sword Sect about their plans, but once Zhang Qi leaves, and with so few disciples left, can they still hold on?
Now it seems I was worrying unnecessarily.

This is a group of true sword immortals. Their sharpness will not be diminished by Zhang Qi's departure. What we should really fear are those demons who think they can gain an advantage.

However, Chen Ye couldn't pretend nothing had happened, so he asked Su Chunyi, "Given Zhang Zhenren's personality, he won't just sit here until he's exhausted. Miss Su, do you know what his plans are?"

"The sect leader didn't mention it." Su Chun thought for a moment, then said, "But the sect leader has spent his life eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path. If he has settled all the affairs of the sect, he should take up his sword and go out to wipe out the demons one last time."

This is quite in line with Zhang Qi's personality.

Chen Ye said to Su Chunyi, "If Master Zhang leaves the Qinghe Sword Sect, Miss Su, please inform me immediately."

"Sir, do you... have a way to save the sect leader?"

If it were anyone else, Su Chunyi would naturally not have thought of this, but Chen Ye was the smartest person she had ever met, and perhaps he really had a way to turn the tide?
"Not yet, but there are still two or three months left. How can we give up until the very last moment?"

Chen Ye knew nothing about ascension, but the Venerable Lord was at the Returning Void Realm, having already touched the threshold of Dao Integration. Moreover, he knew a great deal about ancient secrets, so perhaps he had a way?

Zhang Qi had no worries, but Chen Ye didn't want him to leave like this; it would be such a pity.

Whether it succeeds or not, you should at least try.

"Miss Su, please wait a moment."

After Chen Ye finished speaking, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. The next moment, he met the Venerable Lord in his dream.

Before the Venerable One could speak, Chen Ye explained Zhang Qi's reluctance to ascend, and then anxiously asked, "Grandmaster, quickly use your profound mind to think of a way to save True Person Zhang?"

The Venerable One looked bewildered and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Zhang Qi has lived longer than me, and his knowledge is far broader than mine. If he didn't think of this, what can I do?"

Chen Ye said anxiously, "Anyway, there are only two or three months left, we have to do something."

"Should we choose an auspicious burial site for him in Fengdu City?"

“If I dare to bury Master Zhang in Fengdu, the Qinghe Sword Sect will chop me into mincemeat while I’m still alive.”

The lord said irritably, "What can I do? Do you really think I'm a god?!"

Chen Ye sighed, "Alas, no wonder stories always say that bad guys are ten times stronger, while prodigal sons become three times weaker. After you stopped being a demon, you are far from having the strategic skills you once had."

The Venerable One scoffed, "Young man, trying to provoke this old devil won't work."

But as soon as he finished speaking, the Venerable One added, "Actually, it's not that there's no way at all. It's just that Zhang Qi must have already thought of this method, but he didn't do it because it's unusable."

Chen Ye really wanted to say, "Who says reverse psychology doesn't work?"
However, what came out of his mouth was: "Grandmaster is indeed knowledgeable and can solve any problem. May I ask what your method is?"

The Venerable Master scolded, "You brat, you're not even this filial to your grandmaster. Zhang Qi is dead, so what does it have to do with you, you little devil?" Chen Ye quickly replied, "It has a lot to do with us. Our Yellow Springs Sect still needs this towering tree."

The Lord felt that Chen Ye's words made some sense. Although the Yellow Springs Sect was relatively stable at present, its foundation was still not solid compared with the other four major sects. If Zhang Qi could live a few more years, that would be a good thing.

"Alas, Zhang Qi himself probably knows this. The reason he couldn't hold on was that his physical body had been severely damaged. Although I have never attained Dao, I know the fate of those Demon Lords."

"After merging with the Dao, the great power of heaven and earth acted simultaneously to expel you, so his flesh and bone marrow were being cut away bit by bit, like being slowly sliced ​​apart. Without the support of a physical body, his soul naturally couldn't hold on either. Zhang Qi has now exhausted all his strength. The only way to prolong his life is to find him a new physical body."

Chen Ye asked doubtfully, "It's that simple? Isn't that just the Demonic Sect's possession technique?"

The Venerable One laughed and said, "Simple? What are you thinking? What kind of physical body can withstand the soul of a Dao Integration Realm cultivator? You should know that Zhang Qi is currently being crushed by Mount Tai at all times. Even if I were willing to give this physical body to Zhang Qi to possess, it would only last for half a day at most, and then it would shatter into dust with a snap."

"Only a physical body at the Dao Integration Realm can support the soul of a Dao Integration Realm cultivator. The two complement each other to resist the immense power of heaven and earth. How many Dao Integration Realm cultivators are left in the world today? Are you asking Lu Xingzhou to commit suicide and offer his body to Zhang Qi to possess?"

Chen Ye subconsciously added, "Isn't the Wujiu Demon Lord of the Burning Incense Sect still alive in his physical body? What if Master Zhang were to possess that Demon Lord's body..."

"Then the Incense Burning Sect will go crazy." The Venerable said decisively, "Zhang Qi and Lu Xingzhou are comrades who have shared life and death, but Zhang Qi has not mentioned it yet. Can you guess why?"
"The Incense Burning Sect finally waited until Zhang Qi was about to die, hoping to go from being number two for a thousand years to number one. You want them to take their greatest treasure to prolong Zhang Qi's life? What are you thinking?"

"Lu Xingzhou not attacking Zhang Qi is already a testament to their deep friendship."

Chen Ye couldn't help but say, "What a filthy world of cultivation!"

The Venerable Lord sneered, "This is nothing. The righteous path is the righteous path after all. The demonic sect back then was truly ruthless."

Just as Chen Ye was about to sigh, he suddenly asked, "Isn't the Demon Lord Wujiu supposed to be able to be reborn from a drop of blood? He can regrow his physical body with just a drop of blood. Don't we have the Demon Lord Wujiu's brow bone? Can't we grow a new physical body from it?"

The Venerable One shook his head and said, "Bones are not flesh. If it were that simple, why would I only have one bone in my hand? This bone was refined by the Crimson Serpent Demon Lord back then, and it has long lost its vitality. If you want blood, you can only ask the Incense Burning Sect."

"Putting aside the fact that the Incense Burning Sect hates you to the bone, how could they possibly give you such a treasure? Even if you were to obtain the blood of the Demon Lord Wujiu, do you know how long it would take to re-cultivate the Demon Lord's body? There simply wouldn't be enough time."

Chen Ye then said, "We have ginseng fruit, which can help Master Zhang prolong his life, right?"

The Venerable One shook his head again and said, "Zhang Qi's exhaustion is not the end of his lifespan, but rather the attrition of his physical body by the Heavenly Dao. Ginseng fruit is fertilizer, which can make the plant grow stronger, more luxuriant, and more vibrant. But Zhang Qi's physical body has rotten roots, and it was already beyond saving. Even if you give him ginseng fruit, it will only make his physical body deteriorate faster, and he may ascend to heaven on the very next day."

Chen Ye listened, but showed no intention of giving up.

Even if it's just a sliver of hope, we should still try our best.

But he couldn't think of a solution for the time being. After repeatedly asking the Lord several times, the Lord's only reply was "There's no way." Chen Ye had no choice but to leave the dream for the time being.

Su Chunyi was still waiting by his side. When Chen Ye opened his eyes, he met her gaze, as if Su Chunyi had been looking at his face the whole time.

Su Chunyi asked, "Sir, have you gained anything?"

Chen Ye said helplessly, "It's not that there isn't one, but we haven't found a way to prolong Master Zhang's life yet."

Su Chunyi comforted him, "The entire Qinghe Sword Sect has been thinking about this for many years, but hasn't found a solution. There's no need for you to blame yourself. Now that you're here, let me show you around the Qinghe Sword Sect. It'll help you relax."

Chen Ye never expected that he would be comforted by Su Chunyi instead.

"In that case, I'll have to trouble Miss Su."

Chen Ye followed Su Chunyi on a tour of the Qinghe Sword Sect, gaining a great deal of knowledge, especially the various sword techniques recorded on the sword wall. Although Chen Ye couldn't learn them, he benefited greatly from Su Chunyi's explanations.

After walking for a day, Chen Ye's mood improved slightly, and his eyes stopped looking at the scenery and started looking at the people around him.

If only these leisurely days could last forever, it would be wonderful. It's a pity that with Master Zhang gone, this world will likely find it difficult to maintain peace.

Just as Chen Ye was imagining the wonderful scene after Zhang Qi possessed the body of the Demon Lord Wujiu, a terrible conjecture suddenly occurred to him.

Wasn't there a rumor that the Demon Lord Wujiu was about to be resurrected?

But Wujiu Demon Lord is just a corpse, how could he be resurrected? Chen Ye even wondered if, over time, his physical body would grow back his soul.

But after hearing so many secrets today, Chen Ye suddenly had a frightening guess.

If someone in the Dao Integration Realm doesn't want to ascend, their physical body will be constantly damaged, so Lu Xingzhou must be suffering the same way.

Is it possible that the so-called resurrection of the Demon Lord Wujiu is not the rebirth of the demon's soul, but rather that Lu Xingzhou is preparing to possess this body?
(End of this chapter)