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

Chapter 212 The Truth Behind One Person's Account

The underground cinnabar mine was real, but Chen Ye was far from happy.

These devils are getting so brazen, they're openly causing trouble. Do they really think Zhang Qi's days are numbered?
Chen Ye wasn't flustered. The emergence of the demon had been brewing for so long that he was mentally prepared.

Finding a quiet spot in the imperial city, Chen Ye had Lan Yu hold the Myriad Soul Banner to protect him, and then he sank into a dream to discuss the matter with the Venerable Lord.

Upon hearing Chen Ye mention the Blood Hand spell of that underground demon, the Venerable Lord's expression changed.

Chen Ye asked in confusion, "Is this also one of the legacies of the eighteen demon lords from back then?"

"Of course, but I wouldn't care so much about other Demon Lords' lineages." The Lord asked Chen Ye mysteriously, "Guess which Demon Lord's signature move this is?"

Chen Ye thought for a moment and replied, "If it were those Demon Lords I didn't know, Grandmaster, you certainly wouldn't ask this question. I've only had karmic connections with two Demon Lords. I already knew about the Chi Lian Demon Lord's legacy. If there's no such spell, then this Blood Hand move must be the signature move of the Wu Jiu Demon Lord, right?"

The Lord said happily, "Wise! You are indeed my grand-disciple."

"The legacy of the Demon Lord Wujiu..."

Although Chen Ye guessed correctly, he was not happy at all; instead, he became even more worried.

"Grandmaster, now that things have come to this, you should reveal some of the truth about the internal strife within the Demonic Sect."

The Venerable One sighed and said, "Actually, I only have a superficial understanding myself. After all, I wasn't even born when the great war happened. Everything I know comes from the Crimson Serpent Holy Sect's heritage site, and it's all based on the sect's records from back then. Whether it's one-sided or just one person's opinion, I can't tell."

"It's precisely because I didn't know if it was true or not that I've been too lazy to tell you, lest it influence your judgment as the sect leader. However, now that the legacy of the Demon Lord Wujiu has appeared, it seems that keeping it a secret is no longer a solution. But this story begins a long time ago, when I was just a little orphan whose family had been destroyed..."

Chen Ye was speechless. Was it a standard starting point for every demonic cultivator—the destruction of their family and the loss of their loved ones?

But as a person who respects his teachers, Chen Ye did not interrupt, nor did he show the slightest impatience, and listened to the Venerable Master tell the story of the past.

The Lord's tragic past is rather ordinary, just the kind of tragic story that everyone else experiences.

He was originally from a wealthy family, but he suffered a terrible tragedy, his family members were killed, and the Lord vowed to take revenge.

After several years, he had killed most of his enemies, but while chasing the last few murderers, he accidentally came across a secret realm. This was the legacy left behind by the remnants of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect after its destruction, hoping that future generations could inherit the mantle of the Crimson Serpent Demon Lord.

The trials in the secret realm are also meant to find those whose talents and temperaments are compatible.

The Lord was burdened with a deep-seated blood feud and had an unwavering will to avenge himself, which led to his selection as the successor of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect.

This secret realm contains not only various secret techniques, elixirs, and magical treasures of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect, but also many jade pendants left behind by those demons to record past events.

"At that time, I didn't know about the so-called war between good and evil, nor had I ever heard of the Eighteen Demon Lords. I just listened to it as a story. Although the eighteen Demon Lords each had their own thoughts, they all understood Zhang Qi's power. Anyone who fought him one-on-one would be committing suicide. Even if seven or eight Demon Lords joined forces, they might not be able to win."

"Therefore, even though they didn't trust each other, the Demon Lords still thought of joining forces to suppress Zhang Qi first, and then dealing with other matters later."

The devils aren't fools. Even if they can't be completely open with others, they can still figure out simple interests.

Chen Ye also couldn't understand why, after the death of Demon Lord Wujiu, the Demon Sect fell into internal strife, and no one suggested calming things down.
After all, the seventeen demon lords held an absolute advantage, and losing even one would be a loss.

But then, the Lord answered Chen Ye's questions.

"However, at this crucial moment, news of the death of Demon Lord Wujiu spread, attracting the other Demon Lords to come and investigate. It turned out that Demon Lord Wujiu had clearly faked his death, using himself as bait to ambush Demon Lord Chilian in alliance with the righteous path. Not only that, the former sect leader of Nirvana Sect was also ambushed. During that great battle, Demon Lord Chilian was seriously injured, and Demon Lord Wujiu, with his immortality, blocked the counterattack of Chilian Demon Sect. Then Zhang Qi made his move, severely injuring Demon Lord Chilian with a single sword strike, and at the same time killing the sect leader of Nirvana Sect."

Chen Ye asked in surprise, "Master Zhang is also here? Wasn't it said that the five major sects were hiding to the side to prove that they weren't here?"

The Venerable One shook his head and said, "I've already said that this is just one person's opinion, and how can one distinguish between truth and falsehood? But there is indeed a brow bone of the Demon Lord Wujiu left in that secret realm, so it's probably true that the Demon Lord Wujiu had his skull opened. And if it wasn't a life-or-death battle, how could it have been so brutal?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye felt that the internal strife within the Demonic Sect made sense.

If Demon Lord Wujiu died under mysterious circumstances, rumors of infighting among the Demon Lords wouldn't matter. Everyone's smart enough to compare their testimonies; any suspicions could be suppressed for the time being. After all, their interests are aligned, and mere suspicion is unlikely to break this alliance. But what they saw with their own eyes is different. Demon Lord Wujiu directly betrayed them, fighting until his brains were spilling out—what kind of rumor is that?

Faced with irrefutable evidence, no alliance can withstand the pressure and will naturally crumble.

Chen Ye asked, "But why did Demon Lord Wujiu suddenly stand on the side of righteousness? Does a dignified Demon Lord really think he can turn over a new leaf? With Zhang Qi's personality, even if he wins in the end, can he tolerate Demon Lord Wujiu continuing to live?"

"Who knows? Let me repeat myself, this is just one account recorded by the Crimson Serpent Holy Sect. It naturally says that Demon Lord Wujiu is ruthless and vicious, and that Demon Lord Crimson Serpent was innocently murdered. No matter how grateful I am for the legacy of the Crimson Serpent Holy Sect, the truth is always clear: they are demons after all, and it's hard to say how credible the words of demons are."

Chen Ye was surprised by what the Venerable Master said, and asked, "But Grandmaster, aren't you determined to revive the Crimson Serpent... Holy Sect?"

"These are two different things. I never witnessed the atrocities committed by the Crimson Serpent Holy Sect, which devoured an entire valley of people. If I hadn't received this inheritance, I would have died a violent death long ago, let alone avenged my family. I owe my survival to this inheritance and to my current status as a person of high standing. The only thing I can do is to ensure that the Holy Sect does not lose its lineage."

"Let others say what is right and wrong. I only seek to act with a clear conscience. My greatest wish is to transform the Holy Sect into a heretical sect. Now that wish is almost fulfilled, I can't be bothered with the private affairs of the Demon Lords back then. I wasn't even born then, so what business is it of mine?"

Chen Ye could only say, "As expected of my grandmaster, he has a profound understanding of life."

The lord replied, "Stop flattering me. What are you planning to do now?"

Chen Ye replied, "What else can we do? We can only report it to the Qinghe Sword Sect. Exorcising demons is the task of the five major sects. What does it have to do with a small, unorthodox sect like mine?"

The Venerable Lord sneered, "If only it were that simple. The death of Demon Lord Wujiu was suspicious in every way. When he set a trap to ambush Demon Lord Chilian, he was only injured. With his abilities, such an injury could not have been fatal. How he died and how he was sealed in the Incense Burning Sect are all huge secrets."

"You've met Zhang Qi too. Since this old man is unwilling to talk about it, he's probably closely related to Lu Xingzhou of the Burning Incense Sect. And now that the successor of the Demon Lord Wujiu has appeared, the Burning Incense Sect is likely involved."

"Furthermore, I have another guess. The Demon Lord Wujiu is sealed deep within Green Coffin Mountain, hidden underground. Nowadays, demons are also appearing underground in the Central Plains Imperial City. Do you think all the demons that have been hiding for thousands of years are hiding underground? The area above and below ground is about the same size. If the demonic sect has been multiplying and passing down underground for thousands of years, how many people do you think they have now?"

Chen Ye listened, but didn't show much excitement; he had already anticipated this.

But even if that's true, it's too late to say anything now.

Seeing a cockroach underground means they've already bred a huge nest. Chen Ye seeing a demon today means the Demonic Sect is really about to resurface.

Perhaps, they were waiting for the day Zhang Qi would leave.

Chen Ye said to the Venerable Master, "Unless the Incense Burning Sect is well prepared and raises the banner of the Demonic Sect when Master Zhang leaves, directly joining the Demonic Path, no matter how troublesome it is, Lu Xingzhou will be the first to bear the brunt. With Master Zhang gone, he will be the only Dao Integration Realm cultivator in the righteous path, and if the Demonic Sect wants to retaliate, he will be the first to be dealt with."

"The Incense Burning Sect is large and powerful, and they are not worried. Why should we worry unnecessarily? We might as well use this time to accumulate some resources and strengthen the Yellow Springs Sect."

The Venerable One clapped his hands and laughed, saying to Chen Ye, "Excellent, you are my good grand-disciple. You remain calm in the face of great events; this is how you achieve great things. Do not delay any longer regarding the cinnabar mine; begin mining immediately. As long as Zhang Qi is alive, the demons will not dare to truly show themselves. Now that you have driven away the demons in the cinnabar mine, they will probably not dare to return anytime soon."

“Start mining immediately and send the cinnabar ore back to the Yellow Springs Sect. The mechanical arm that your two good brothers figured out is very useful. I was thinking that teaching those Yin spirits to draw talismans would be very troublesome, but now I only need to teach them how to maintain the mechanical arm and how to disassemble and install it, which will be ten times simpler.”

"If the Yellow Springs Sect builds more of these mechanical arms and adds a large amount of cinnabar mines, it will not lack talisman paper. This thing is useless to powerful cultivators, but it is an extremely important resource for a sect."

Chen Ye nodded. He had the same idea. Since the battle between the righteous and the demonic forces was imminent, there was no need to be so particular. They had to take the risk and seize this cinnabar mine.

Chen Ye said, "I will arrange the mining as soon as possible, and transportation will not be a problem. The gourd that you gave me before, Master, will come in handy now."

When Fengdu City was being built, the Lord gave Chen Ye a Five Elements Gourd, which contained all the materials needed to build the entire city. Now that the gourd is empty, it's perfect for storing cinnabar ore. Transporting a gourd is simple; just have the Black Whirlwind fly through it a few times, and thousands of tons of cinnabar can be easily delivered to Fengdu.

This is the magic of immortals, something mortals can't even imagine.

After discussing these matters, the Venerable Lord suddenly asked, "Aren't you having an ambiguous relationship with a female disciple of the Incense Burning Sect? Try whispering in her ear and inquiring about the Demon Lord Wujiu. It's always good to be prepared."

Chen Ye rolled his eyes and said, "Why would I go to the Incense Burning Sect to die? They'd love to wipe me out."

The Venerable One said, "Have you forgotten? That female disciple of the Incense Burning Sect was bitten by my Crimson Serpent. If you really want to find her, just enter her dream."

(End of this chapter)