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

Chapter 216 The Demonic Sect Always Loves to Take Shortcuts
Chen Ye listened carefully to the man's explanation and then compared it with what he already knew.

A few years ago, a daring demon took control of the court in the palace. It's likely that the dead were all taken away to practice his skills, so it's understandable that they weren't thrown into the underground palace.

According to Huaiyue, they have been lurking underground for hundreds of years, as if most of the demons had been hiding underground since the Great War between the Good and the Demons.

It wasn't just the Wujiu Sect; many other major and minor demons were the same.

Chen Ye inquired further and learned that the underground passages were not connected as a whole, but were dug out little by little over the years by a kind of Gu worm called the Earth-Eating Yin Worm that digested the sand.

The cinnabar mine area beneath the underground palace was only excavated in the last thirty years. In addition to the discovery of the cinnabar mine, the abandoned corpse pits accumulated over the years were also discovered.

To ensure that the corpses wouldn't break too badly when they fell, the demon lord of Wujiu Sect created a pool of water and set up an array that automatically refined the corpses. As long as a corpse fell, it would automatically turn into a zombie in about three to five days, and then follow the pre-set path to fall into the hands of Wujiu Sect.

That's a clever idea. It turns out that automation and assembly lines aren't just his ideas; it's just a matter of how well each person can implement them.

In addition, Chen Ye also heard some rumors, the veracity of which was unknown.

The underground demonic sects are numerous, and their number of cultivators far exceeds that of those on the surface.

Huaiyue said this with great conviction, but it sounded very unreasonable.

How can something that has become a rat in the gutter possibly develop faster than the righteous path?
Cultivation is very resource-intensive, and demonic cultivators are even more inseparable from the resource of "people".

Where would you find so many people underground to feed on for your cultivation? If it were a large-scale plundering of people, the righteous path would have discovered it long ago, and it's impossible that you've been hiding until now.

But after some subtle questioning, Chen Ye discovered that Huai Yue himself didn't know the answer either. In any case, everything he needed for cultivation was provided by the sect. All he needed to do was refine the corpses into various magical treasures and materials needed by the demonic sect; he didn't care where they came from.

Chen Ye tried to obtain a lot of other information, but in the end he didn't get much. He could only speculate from some clues that Wujiu Sect would make a big move after Zhang Qi's ascension.

But this is no secret. Zhang Qi's departure will not only trigger major moves by the Demonic Sect, but will also turn the world upside down.

“I know that your Crimson Serpent Holy Sect and my Wujiu Sect have some old grudges, but now the righteous path is powerful, and we are both disciples of the demonic sect. Why don’t we put aside these past grievances and cooperate with each other? My Wujiu Sect has twelve Nascent Soul cultivators and many other disciples. If the Crimson Serpent Holy Sect is willing to cooperate, then there is hope for the revival of the demonic sect.”

Huai Yue was doing her best to make empty promises, but she didn't dare to mention the Soulfire Little Man's plan to counterattack the Incense Burning Sect. She only hoped to use these vague words to make Chen Ye believe that the two factions could cooperate.

As long as I can escape back, everything will be fine.

The mud is almost up to my chest now; my priority is to survive.

Chen Ye seemed to hesitate for a long time before saying to Huai Yue, "Alright, then please put down the storage bag and give me a message to Wujiu Sect, saying that the Crimson Serpent Holy Sect wants to discuss cooperation with you all. After all, we also want the Demonic Sect to be revived."

"Alright, I promise you, fellow Daoist."

Huaiyue groped around in the mud for a while, then quickly took off her storage bag and presented it with both hands.

Although it hurts a little, it's just material possessions. As long as I'm alive, I can earn it all back.

Chen Ye smiled and accepted the storage bag, then snapped his fingers, causing Huai Yue to rise from the mud.

Regaining her freedom, Huaiyue couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and then tentatively said to Chen Ye, "I will take your message back with me now. Please wait for my good news."

As he spoke, he slowly backed away, making sure Chen Ye wasn't chasing him, before quickening his pace to escape, thinking that once he recovered, he would definitely come back and skin Chen Ye alive.

"Hmph, I am ultimately favored by fate; having survived such a calamity, I am sure to be blessed with good fortune!"

Huaiyue comforted herself in this way and continued to walk faster.

This time, however, he didn't realize that he was walking slower and slower, and his steps were becoming heavier and heavier.

He didn't know when, but he was stuck in that clump of mud again, and the further he walked, the faster he sank.

But he was completely unaware, still dreaming of living forever and surpassing all living beings, until he was completely sunk into the mud.

From the very beginning, he had never left the Illusory Hell; from the very beginning, he had already become entangled in it.

Chen Ye never intended to let him go back; to eradicate evil completely, he wanted him to be condemned to eternal damnation.

In the illusory hell, the demon's physical body was rapidly dissolving, but he felt nothing until his flesh and blood were stripped away and his soul was completely exposed, at which point he sensed the changes around him.

"You damned Crimson Serpent Demon Sect! You dare to lie to me?!"

Huaiyue cursed loudly, her soul still struggling to break free from hell.

But at this moment, it was impossible to distinguish up, down, left, or right, and no matter how hard the soul tried, it could not escape this illusory hell.

Chen Ye carefully sensed everything happening in hell. This Nascent Soul realm soul was indeed resilient, managing to struggle a few times. However, immediately, crimson fire serpents appeared around this soul, constantly tearing at it with their venomous fangs.

The venom of the Crimson Fire Serpent is merely a sedative for the living, but to the soul it is like scalding lava, causing Huai Yue's soul to writhe in agony. Could there truly be such a terrifying thing in the world?
He wanted to use his remaining spiritual energy to cast a spell, but this vast hell was completely under Chen Ye's control. Just as he gathered a little spiritual energy, a deafening roar came, making him dizzy.

The bronze bell tolls, calling you back; if you do not turn back, you will be condemned to eternal hell.

Unfortunately, Huaiyue had no chance of turning back and could only continue to wail and scream in the tortures of hell. At most, she would last for a few more days before completely dissipating.

Chen Ye withdrew his spiritual energy, and the surroundings returned to normal. Lan Yu then came to his side and asked, "Benefactor, has that bald man been dealt with?"

Chen Ye nodded and said, "More or less. His soul hasn't been destroyed, but he's probably doomed to eternal damnation. He can only hold on for a few more days at most."

"What amazing supernatural power! That demon seemed to be at the Nascent Soul stage, yet you killed him without him putting up any resistance."

Chen Ye said, "Although he is at the Nascent Soul stage, I feel that this demon is a bit strange. He is much weaker than the Nascent Soul stage cultivators I have ever seen."

Despite his short cultivation period, Chen Ye has more experience than most cultivators in the world.

The Nascent Soul Realm cultivators from Hundred Seas Valley, Wang Yichen from the Qinghe Sword Sect, and Ziyan Zhenren from the Mirage Sect, among others, all possessed astonishing abilities.

It wouldn't be surprising if he caused some kind of natural disaster, but Huai Yue only has one move, the Devouring Demon Hand, that can be considered powerful.

Another point is that Huaiyue has very little spiritual energy. Chen Ye used the Five Yin Spirit Devouring Array to extract his spiritual energy. He originally thought it would take a day or two to drain it completely, but Huaiyue's spiritual energy was exhausted in less than two hours.

How could someone who has cultivated normally to the Nascent Soul stage be this weak?

The spiritual energy within a cultivator's body is fundamental; if it's been depleted so quickly, how small must his Qi Sea be?
This doesn't conform to the rule of filling the Qi Sea with Qi before refining the body with Qi and Qi; it's probably because some shortcut was taken.

Based on what Huai Yue said, the number of demonic cultivators underground is enormous, even more than the number of cultivators on the surface. This must be because they forcibly increased their cultivation level using some kind of secret technique. They may have reached a higher realm, but their foundation in other aspects is far inferior to that of the righteous path.

That makes sense. Can a demonic sect that doesn't take shortcuts still be considered a demonic sect?

Unfortunately, these things are basically impossible to get out of him. Chen Ye can only wait until his soul perishes and see if he can find the answers from his memories.

Lan Yu asked, "My benefactor, now that you've killed this demon, won't it cause them to retaliate in full force?" Chen Ye shook his head and said, "It shouldn't be. Huai Yue was the fourth among my fellow disciples. According to the rules of the Demonic Sect, seniority is earned through skill, and there aren't many who are more capable than him. Huai Yue died silently at my hands. By the time they discovered it, several days would have passed. By the time they've figured out how to deal with me, the Qinghe Sword Sect will probably have already sent people to eliminate the demon."

Timeliness is crucial; even a difference of a few days can lead to completely different results.

In Chen Ye's view, as long as that Soulfire Lord wasn't a fool, he would choose to temporarily avoid confrontation after sensing that Huaiyue's divine soul had completely dissipated.

With Zhang Qi still around, how dare those petty scoundrels show their faces?
Safety wasn't an issue, but the information he received made Chen Ye very uneasy.

The situation of the underground demonic sect is too complicated and needs to be communicated to the five major sects as soon as possible.

"Alas, it's a pity that my relationship with the five major sects isn't very good."

The Mirage Sect and the Incense Burning Sect, these two major sects wished they could devour Chen Yesheng, and even if they received his letter, they didn't know how they would handle it.

If the five major sects cannot work together, I really don't know if they can survive this calamity.

However, when the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. Lu Xingzhou of the Burning Incense Sect is the last one to reach the Dao Integration Realm. We'll see how he handles things then.

At worst, Chen Ye could return to the Yellow Springs Sect, activate the sect's grand formation, and ignore the chaos outside.

Chen Ye said to Lan Yu, "Alright, let's not think about anything else. Before Black Whirlwind comes back, let's wander around the capital. I promised your master I'd take you out to relax, but we've run into so much trouble. I can't let you go back crying every day."

Lan Yu said excitedly, "I didn't cry at all! I've never cried once in the Qinghe Sword Sect!"

Chen Ye asked, "Then why did your eyes turn red when you saw me?"

Lan Yu stomped her foot in anger, but couldn't refute it.

Chen Ye laughed and said, "Let's go. What do you want to eat? It's my treat. We've come all this way, so let's try the cooking of this top chef from the capital."

Taking on apprentices is indeed a good choice; even when I'm in a bad mood, teasing my apprentices can cheer me up.

Lan Yu led the way in a huff, and soon they arrived at a restaurant that looked expensive. As soon as they sat down, she recited dozens of dish names, leaving the waiter stunned.

Lan Yu looked like she was going to eat Chen Ye out of house and home, but Chen Ye didn't care at all. He casually tossed out a few heavy silver coins and ordered the food to be served.

The head of a sect is not short of money.

He hadn't experienced the warmth and joy of everyday life in a long time.

The meal lasted for a whole day and night, until Lan Yu's belly was round and she could eat no more. Only then did Chen Ye take the little girl away amidst the shocked gazes of everyone.

While the two were enjoying a delicious meal in the imperial city, Black Whirlwind had already flown thousands of miles away and was not far from the eight-hundred-mile-long Green Coffin Mountain.

Just as it approached the mountain gate formation of the Incense Burning Sect, Black Whirlwind made a sharp turn and changed direction.

The black whirlwind, slowing down, flapped its wings and hovered in mid-air, ceasing its advance for a long time, as if it had sensed some danger.

After hesitating for a long time, Black Whirlwind spread its wings and flew into the sky. At the highest point, it placed Chen Ye's paper crane and then left Green Coffin Mountain without looking back.

The paper crane flapped its wings and fell from the sky, drifting towards the Green Coffin Mountain.

These paper cranes, no bigger than a fingertip, are barely visible high in the sky. They drift down and disappear in a gust of wind.

Although Black Whirlwind was extremely irresponsible, throwing the paper crane out in this way just happened to save him from disaster.

Not long after Black Whirlwind turned and left, two cultivators dressed as members of the Incense Burning Sect appeared in the sky and grabbed the paper crane in their hands.

The two cultivators looked at the small black dot in the distance and said, "This hairy beast is so clever; it almost fell into the trap we set."

"Forget about this beast, let's just guard our positions. The sect leader said that not even an ant is allowed to enter or leave the Burning Incense Sect for the next few months."

"What should we do with this paper crane? It looks like a letter... wait, it's a letter for the chief of the Seven Star Hall."

"Seven Star Hall? What does that have to do with our Longevity Hall? Tear it up."

……

The relationship between Changshengtang and Qixingtang was exceptionally bad, so they naturally ignored any letters.

But just as the two cultivators were about to make their move, a cold voice came from behind them: "Are you going to tear up my letter? Do you think the Seven Star Hall is easy to bully?"

The two disciples of the Longevity Hall had just turned around when they saw Mo Suixin appear in front of them, not knowing when she had arrived.

This place is clearly far from the mountain gate, and Mo Suixin is usually in seclusion. How did he happen to appear here today? It's as if he timed his appearance perfectly and caught the two of them red-handed.

Mo Suixin was too lazy to argue with these two petty people and ordered, "Give me back the letter, then get out!"

Mo Suixin was, after all, the chief, and his status was much higher than the other two. They could only present the paper cranes and then slink away.

Mo Suixin unfolded the paper crane, carefully read the contents, and then burned the letter to ashes.

She murmured to herself, "It seems I was right. Of the three divinations I've performed each day, two have come true so far. I've finally made it through the Profound Realm."

As a born supernatural being, unlike others who can clearly know whether they have broken through after reaching the Gang Sha Body Refinement stage, having comprehended supernatural abilities is a completely different matter from not having comprehended them.

Mo Suixin, however, first comprehended the supernatural power and then cultivated it. When he reached this stage, he was different from others, which is why he wasted so much time.

Recently, Mo Suixin had a premonition that one of the three hexagrams he divined each day was true, but now two of them were true instead.

This is proof of her breakthrough in realm, indicating that she has finally reached the Profound Realm.

But recently, the results of divination all seem to be related to Chen Ye.

Today is no different. I foresaw that Chen Ye would send a letter, and I also foresaw that the people of Changsheng Hall would secretly cause trouble, which is why Mo Suixin took down the paper crane here.

Receiving a letter from Chen Ye is always a good thing, but after reading the contents, don't let yourself get worried.

"What is the sect leader thinking? Why did he suddenly seal off the sect for months? Could it really be related to the resurrection of Demon Lord Wujiu?"

Mo Suixin thought for a moment and prepared to use the last divination of the day to predict the future of the Demon Lord Wujiu.

But before she could begin her calculations, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from the distant Green Coffin Mountain, the sound echoing for miles around and startling countless birds into flight.

At the same time, Lu Xingzhou's voice echoed in all directions: "All disciples of the Incense Burning Sect, guard the gates tightly. Chief disciples of the Three Mountains and Five Halls, come to the Demon Suppression Palace."

(End of this chapter)