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

Chapter 220 The Great Emperor of Fengdu in the Northern Underworld
Incense Burning Gate, deep beneath the Demon Suppression Palace.

Dozens of Soul-Cleansing Flowers with dark red blood-like patterns wriggled as if they were alive, breaking free from the flesh wall. Their roots transformed into tentacles, crawling towards the golden talisman in the center.

The chief disciples of the Incense Burning Sect stood back-to-back around the talisman, their faces pale and drenched in sweat. Qin Wanjun, the chief disciple of Xuantian Mountain, wielded a heavy sword covered in thick frost, each swing freezing dozens of Soul Cleansing Flowers, but his spiritual power was nearly exhausted.

Ren Yaosheng of the Longevity Hall had long lost his previous arrogance; the bottle of pills in his hand was now empty, and he could only barely hold on with the help of talismans. The mechanical puppet controlled by the chief disciple of the Hundred Crafts Hall had been completely corroded, leaving only a few broken shells blocking the way.

Mo Suixin sat cross-legged at the core of the formation, her face deathly pale and blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Her compass spun wildly, trying to keep the formation running, but the whispers of the Soul Cleansing Flower continued to erode her mind, and the scene before her began to distort.

Thanks to the support of the formation, everyone's spiritual energy replenishment was barely able to keep up, and they were also able to keep those annoying illusions out.

But now, everyone is almost at their breaking point.

"We're all going to die here..."

Ren Yaosheng let out a desperate growl.

Qin Wanjun couldn't help but roar, plunging his heavy sword into the ground. Countless frost flowers bloomed, transforming into layers of ice walls that protected several Burning Incense Sect disciples in the center, like a maze.

Many Soul Cleansing Flowers were frozen in the solid ice and unable to move, but more Soul Cleansing Flowers on the outside were constantly moving their tentacle-like roots closer.

As soon as they get close to the ice wall, these roots freeze and then crumble into dust.

The damage caused these mutated flowers to emit shrill cries, and then they unleashed spells at the ice wall.

There were wind blades, stone bullets, and many strange insects shrouded in blood... The Five Elements spells and the methods of the Demonic Sect came in an endless stream, but most of them were unable to break through the protection of the ice wall.

Qin Wanjun breathed a slight sigh of relief, but the current situation was not optimistic.

This was his trump card; once the spiritual energy in the magic weapon was exhausted, the ice wall could no longer be maintained.

According to his calculations, he could only gain a few hours at most, but that was far from enough.

Among the disciples present, Qin Wanjun had the highest cultivation level, having already reached the Nascent Soul realm. He was also the only one most familiar with the Soul Cleansing Flower, so he was always at the forefront during battles. He had several scars on his body, one of which almost disfigured him.

If it weren't for the abundance and high quality of the pills from the Incense Burning Sect, he would have been exhausted long ago during the continuous fierce battles.

Even though Qin Wanjun had fought with all his might, there were simply too many of these Soul Cleansing Flowers.

Thousands of Soul-Cleansing Flowers fell from the wall in waves, launching attacks relentlessly.

The chief of the Spirit Beast Hall was unlucky; he encountered a Soul Cleansing Flower that knew secret techniques. When the Demon Lord Wujiu unleashed his Devouring Demon Hand, he and the spirit beasts were crushed into a ball and instantly refined into pus. No one else even had a chance to rescue him.

However, at the crucial moment, a beam of light shot out from the golden talisman, enveloping his soul and drawing it into the talisman, thus preventing him from completely dying.

However, everyone understands the consequences of destroying the physical body; a non-Nascent Soul cultivator undergoing possession and rebirth will suffer a severe blow to their foundation.

One person died and most of the others were seriously injured.

The remaining people were almost completely exhausted; this was the result of their three days and three nights of vigil.

If this continues, everyone will die.

The golden talisman is still there; their efforts to protect it resulted in it remaining unharmed, but it is now truly unable to hold on any longer.

Ren Yaosheng couldn't help but say to Qin Wanjun, "Senior Brother Qin, we really can't hold on much longer. If you don't have any other ideas, why don't we retreat?"

Everyone looked at Qin Wanjun.

They had all witnessed the deaths of their fellow disciples, and now they were all wounded and had already given their all; they couldn't possibly die here.

They are the chief disciples of the Incense Burning Sect, the future of the Three Mountains and Five Halls. If they all lose their physical bodies, then the Incense Burning Sect will have no future.

Qin Wanjun sneered, "From the very beginning, it was you who were most afraid of death. The Longevity Hall is truly becoming more and more useless. So what if we die? The sect leader ordered us to protect this golden talisman. Who dares to back down?"

Ren Yaosheng blushed immediately after Qin Wanjun said that, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "Senior Brother Qin, the Longevity Hall is not good at fighting. I am afraid of death, but I have persisted until now, haven't I? We have done our best. Continuing to persist would only be a pointless sacrifice."

"No matter how important this golden talisman is, we can't all be buried with it. If we all die, the talisman will still be destroyed anyway, so it's better to escape."

Many people were intrigued by these words.

Especially the two chiefs of the Hundred Crafts Hall and the Melting Gold Hall, they are not good at fighting. They have used up all their magic weapons and mechanisms, and even consumed all their pills. They are now truly in a desperate situation. Continuing to persist will only lead to their deaths.

Qin Wanjun did not refute, but only looked at his two junior brothers from Xingxuan Mountain and Fenxin Mountain.

Like Xuantian Mountain, Xingxuan Mountain is a place specifically for training cultivators for combat. Although Qin Wanjun has the highest cultivation level, his two junior brothers killed just as many enemies as he had in the previous day and night.

Especially Fang Hao, the junior brother from Burning Heart Mountain. He is a disciple of the sect leader Lu Xingzhou, and in terms of seniority, he is actually higher than them. However, according to the rules of Burning Incense Sect, those who entered the sect at about the same time are considered to be of the same generation, so he is considered Qin Wanjun's junior brother.

Fang Hao was a man of few words, but with his wind-summoning magic, he managed to blow over a hundred Soul-Cleansing Flowers to ashes.

Seeing Qin Wanjun looking over, Fang Hao sighed: "Senior Brother Qin, although deserting in the face of battle is shameful, our junior brothers are indeed not good at fighting. They have already done their best. Staying here would only be suicide."

"The Incense Burning Sect needs alchemists, weapon refiners, craftsmen to create mechanical puppets, and diviners. Let these few leave first. We disciples of the Three Mountains are born for combat; the three of us are enough."

Upon hearing that Fang Hao, the sect leader's personal disciple, was on his side, Ren Yaosheng said happily, "Senior Brother Fang is absolutely right. If we stay here, we'll only be throwing our lives away. It would be better if we left the underground palace and immediately went back to retrieve the magic treasures and pills, and then asked other fellow disciples to come and help us. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Wanjun sighed, "Since that's the case, then you should leave. But I'm powerless to clear a path for you. The outside is full of Soul Cleansing Flowers; you'll have to fight your way out yourselves." As soon as Qin Wanjun finished speaking, Ren Yaosheng excitedly called out to his fellow disciples and then took the lead, rushing out of the ice wall maze.

This appearance doesn't suggest that the spiritual energy has been exhausted; it clearly indicates that there is still energy left to spare.

As soon as he stepped out of the ice wall's protective range, Ren Yaosheng cast a spell to conceal his figure.

The other two were stunned. Ren Yaosheng had disappeared. What were they going to do? They had both exhausted their spiritual energy. Wasn't this clearly a way to use them as bait?

Shocked, the two could only turn tail and run towards the entrance of the underground palace.

Fortunately, they had both passed the level of Qi Refining Body, so the two of them ran incredibly fast, bursting out of the flower bushes and easily running into the entrance of the underground palace.

But it wasn't just good luck; all the Soul Cleansing Flowers were attracted to the golden talisman. As long as they didn't hinder their attack on the golden talisman, these Soul Cleansing Flowers wouldn't be powerful.

After the three of them successfully left the underground palace, Qin Wanjun glanced at Fang Hao and said, "A bunch of idiots. Did they really think the sect leader and the elders would send us to our deaths?"

The golden talisman was clearly the last line of defense set up by their elders, ensuring that even if they died in battle, their souls would remain intact.

Besides, there are many disciples in the sect. Why should only a few chief disciples come here to guard this place? Having more help would save effort. Even if the secret of the Demon Suppression Palace is important, it can't be more important than the lives of these chief disciples. If it really comes down to a fight to the death, the Incense Burning Sect will definitely be better prepared.

These past few days of fierce fighting, rather than being an ordeal, were more of a test. It must be that the higher-ups of the Incense Burning Sect wanted to take this opportunity to see how these chief disciples performed.

Qin Wanjun is at the Nascent Soul stage, so he is not afraid of changing his physical body. If he doesn't fight for his sect now, when will he?

However, Qin Wanjun was also a little confused about how long this test would last.

Although the three who ran away were cowardly and afraid of death, they had done their best in the previous fierce battle. However, these Soul Cleansing Flowers were too powerful, and the continuous bombardment of spells was something that ordinary people could not withstand.

As Qin Wanjun pondered how this ordeal would end, he realized that Mo Suixin hadn't left with the other three.

Qin Wanjun laughed and said, "Junior Sister Mo is indeed a heroine among women. I didn't expect her to be willing to stay with us until the end."

Qin Wanjun truly admired this Junior Sister Mo. Although she seemed cold and unapproachable, just as rumored, Mo Suixin's formation had been a great help in the past few days.

It gathers spiritual energy, heals injuries, resists illusions, confuses directions, and provides protection for everyone. If Mo Suixin hadn't been here, they would have given up a day ago.

Mo Suixin seemed to ignore him, keeping her eyes tightly closed as if she was making the most of her time to meditate and recover her spiritual energy.

Seeing this, everyone stopped wasting time chatting.

Qin Wanjun's magic weapon can only buy him a few hours, so he should take this opportunity to recover quickly.

While everyone else was meditating to restore their spiritual energy, Mo Suixin was asleep.

Just as her spiritual energy was about to run out, Mo Suixin felt a wave of fatigue wash over her.

Having not slept for several days, and with her mind and spiritual energy severely depleted, Mo Suixin was utterly exhausted.

As soon as she sat down, she couldn't resist the drowsiness and fell into a deep sleep.

She only wanted to rest for a while, but this sleep plunged her into an abyss.

This feeling of weightlessness seemed somewhat familiar, as if I had experienced it before.

Just as Mo Suixin was struggling to break free from this dream, she suddenly felt herself being lifted up by something.

In the darkness, a magnificently dressed giant appeared, wearing a nine-tasseled crown, his face indistinct. Mo Suixin was held in his palm as if she were an ant.

Before Mo Suixin could ask, the crowned giant spoke first: "In the past, the people were simple and honest, without evil intentions. They lived out their natural lifespans without premature death or harm from ghosts. But now, the times are corrupt, people's hearts are corrupted, and they doubt one another. They are mutually deceitful, do not believe in the true law, and only engage in evil deeds..."

As the crowned giant chanted, Mo Suixin felt a surge of pure energy rush to his head, and a thought entered his mind: "I am the Great Emperor of the Northern Yin Fengdu Xuantian, chant my true words to protect your life and dispel calamities!"

Mo Suixin felt that the giant in front of her was extremely majestic, as if a god from the heavens had lowered his gaze.

She was originally determined and should not have been so easily influenced, but the mental and physical exertion of the past few days had left her completely exhausted, and she was now so fragile that she could not muster the slightest strength to resist.

Moreover, the deity before them was majestic and dignified, exuding righteousness, showing no sign of evil, and even seemed somewhat familiar.

Mo Suixin subconsciously lowered her guard and unconsciously chanted the mantra: "May the Heavenly Emperor bless you, and may Fengdu suppress calamities. May evil spirits be banished, and may calamities turn to dust. The Nine Netherworlds command you to protect your life and grant you longevity. With your heart upholding the righteous law, you will be impervious to all demons..."

As Mo Suixin slept, she recited this mantra in her heart, and spiritual energy surged from the void, pouring into her body.

A moment later, Mo Suixin opened her eyes, all her fatigue gone, and deep within her eyes seemed to be churning with energy.

With a loud clang, the bronze bell with the beast's mouth fell from the sky and landed among the Soul-Cleansing Flowers outside.

The heavy bronze bell fell, smashing several Soul Cleansing Flowers to pieces. The sound of the bell echoed in all directions, causing the Soul Cleansing Flowers, which contained the remnants of the Demon Lord's soul, to convulse and wail in agony.

The Bronze Bell Hell is derived from the secret techniques of the Ksitigarbha Sutra, specifically designed to subdue all wandering spirits and ghosts.

The incomplete and fragmented souls of the Soul Cleansing Flowers were even more severely affected. With each toll of the bell, the cries of the Soul Cleansing Flowers grew increasingly mournful, and they even began to kill each other.

(End of this chapter)