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

Chapter 223 You'll suffer a terrible death!
With the help of the divine power of the Bronze Bell Hell, Mo Suixin and his fellow disciples finally survived the most difficult moment.

The three who had previously escaped also returned to the underground palace one after another.

Baigongtang brought more mechanical puppets, as well as props that could assist in setting up defensive formations.

The Melting Gold Hall brought a large number of one-time use magical artifacts that can be automatically released without consuming spiritual energy, and can also provide assistance to those who are out of supplies.

Ren Yaosheng, the chief disciple of the Longevity Hall, also returned. However, by the time he returned to the underground palace, the Soul Cleansing Flowers had already been mostly cleared away, and he no longer needed to help them.

When Qin Wanjun saw Ren Yaosheng return, he sneered, "Junior Brother Ren, this trip back really took quite a while. Did you start a new batch of pills?"

Ren Yaosheng, however, was thick-skinned and didn't care about Qin Wanjun's sarcasm. He simply smiled and distributed the pills to everyone.

Qin Wanjun hadn't expected this person to be so shameless, but since the pills were offered to him, he had no choice but to accept them.

Everyone was exhausted, and these pills were a timely help.

Mo Suixin did not take the pills brought by Ren Yaosheng. She borrowed magic power from Chen Ye, and the subsequent consumption was not great, so her current condition is quite good.

Seeing that Mo Suixin didn't want his pills, Ren Yaosheng couldn't help but ask, "Senior Sister Mo, are you worried that there's something wrong with my pills?"

Mo Suixin glanced at the man and then said, "Yes, don't your disciples of the Longevity Hall have a tradition of poisoning their own people?"

Upon hearing this, the other chief disciples paused for a moment.

Although I don't think Ren Yaosheng would actually dare to poison someone, Wei Changsheng from Changsheng Hall really did poison his own people and was executed. Coupled with Ren Yaosheng's previous behavior that could be described as cowardly, everyone must have some reservations.

Qin Wanjun spat out the pill he had already put in his mouth, then casually put the medicine bottle aside.

The meaning behind this action is quite clear.

Apart from the Spirit Beast Hall disciple who had already lost his physical body, everyone else in the Three Mountains and Five Halls subconsciously put the pills aside.

It's not that they think the pills are actually poisonous; it's a way of taking sides.

Qin Wanjun and Mo Suixin can be considered the core figures in this test. With their outstanding performance, they will naturally receive many benefits when it comes time to reward them.

Both of them have stated their positions, so naturally the others have to follow suit.

We can't possibly support our comrades who have shared life and death, and instead choose someone who is clearly afraid of death.

Ren Yaosheng's expression changed; he never expected Mo Suixin to be so blunt.

Even if there were any grudges between the two halls, he had come to deliver the pills out of kindness. It would be one thing if he didn't appreciate it, but why did he act as if he wanted to completely turn against him?

The Mo Suixin of the past wasn't like this.

As everyone knows, the Seven Star Hall has an awkward position within the sect. Not only are there few disciples, but it also suffers from various rumors and slanders all year round.

But both Pang Duoduo and Mo Suixin kept to themselves, ignoring all criticism. To outsiders, the Seven Star Hall was a place where they neither retaliated verbally nor physically.

Over time, everyone in the sect came to think that the Seven Star Hall was the easiest target to bully.

In particular, the death of the chief disciple of Changsheng Hall caused Mo Suixin to be unjustly burdened with the stigma of being a "jinx" and an "ominous person".

The disciples of Changsheng Hall constantly mocked and ridiculed the master and disciple behind their backs. Ren Yaosheng himself had grown accustomed to Mo Suixin's submissive attitude.

But this time, Mo Suixin was a completely different person during this life-or-death test.

Not only has his attitude towards people become much tougher and more decisive, but his words have also become so sharp and merciless.

Even someone as straightforward as Qin Wanjun, when he mocked Ren Yaosheng earlier, still considered the reputation of Changsheng Hall to some extent. But Mo Suixin dared to expose Changsheng Hall's wounds in public, showing no intention of considering the bonds between fellow disciples.

Ren Yaosheng felt a surge of anger rush to his head, and was about to speak up and defend himself.

The spatial rift reappeared, and Lu Xingzhou appeared with the elders and hall masters of the Burning Incense Sect.

Upon seeing this, Mo Suixin and the other disciples quickly bowed and shouted in unison, "Disciples greet the Sect Leader! Greetings to all Elders and Hall Masters!"

Lu Xingzhou said, looking slightly tired, "You all remained calm in the face of danger and fought bravely against the enemy; you deserve credit for this."

A hint of joy appeared on the faces of all the disciples, and they thanked the sect leader in unison once again: "Thank you, sect leader!"

In particular, the three who deserted in the face of battle, including Ren Yaosheng, were originally thought to be punished by the sect leader, but unexpectedly, they were forgiven and it was even considered their merit.

If Lu Xingzhou personally recorded the merits, it certainly wasn't just polite talk; he would definitely reward those who had contributed.

Lu Xingzhou turned his gaze to the somber-looking head of the Spirit Beast Hall and said, "Head of the Spirit Beast Hall, your disciple has unfortunately lost his physical body. I will personally take action to rebuild it for him." Upon hearing this, the head of the Spirit Beast Hall was immediately filled with gratitude and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Sect Leader. It is that wretched disciple's good fortune to have the Sect Leader personally rebuild his body!"

Lu Xingzhou extended a finger and casually pointed it into the air. Instantly, blood seeped out from all parts of the underground palace.

The blood of the Demon Lord Wujiu was drawn by an invisible force, gathering in front of Lu Xingzhou and transforming into a blood sphere the size of a washbasin.

A surge of powerful spiritual energy flowed from Lu Xingzhou's fingertips and poured into the blood sphere.

In the blink of an eye, the blood began to grow bones and flesh, and in a short while, the blood sphere had transformed into an embryo with a rudimentary human form.

Lu Xingzhou then waved his hand and took out the soul of the chief disciple of the Spirit Beast Hall from the golden talisman, put it into the flesh embryo, and then handed it to the hall master.

Lu Xingzhou said calmly, "Nurture it well, and it will be able to hatch into a human again in ten days. Its aptitude and potential should be several times better than before."

The head of the Spirit Beast Hall held the flesh and blood embryo in his hands and thanked him again, saying, "Thank you for your life-saving grace, Sect Leader."

Lu Xingzhou said nonchalantly, "Everyone, disperse. Today, the Incense Burning Sect has survived a calamity, but we must not let our guard down. The body of the Demon Lord Wujiu is immortal and indestructible. Suppressing this demon is the heavy responsibility of every generation of Incense Burning Sect disciples."

Everyone agreed in unison and then left the underground palace of flesh and blood.

The once somewhat crowded underground space now only has Lu Xingzhou left.

He stood quietly in the center of the devastated battlefield, his gaze sweeping over the mangled remains of the mutated Soul Cleansing Flower scattered on the ground, and then looking at the still writhing flesh.

Lu Xingzhou remained silent, feigning nonchalance, and slowly raised his hand, his five fingers slightly spread.

He circulated his spiritual energy, drawing the scattered fallen flowers into his palm and kneading them into a ball of constantly flashing green light.

When he clenched his fist, he molded thousands of withered flowers into a seed covered in blood-red patterns.

The seed had just taken shape when it began to emit an aura of resentment and hatred, with countless wails and shrieks faintly emanating from within it.

Lu Xingzhou held the strange seed expressionlessly, his eyes deep and devoid of any emotion, simply waiting quietly for the wails to subside.

Then, a hoarse, deep voice came from within the seed: "Junior Brother Lu, we meet again. How many years has it been?"

The voice sounded calm, but it contained a deep-seated resentment and venom. The words caused the flesh and blood of the entire underground palace to tremble, as if even the newly reinforced seal was about to break.

Lu Xingzhou simply pinched the seed with two fingers and said, "Calm down, Senior Brother Wujiu. You should know that if you can't break the seal, you'll only suffer."

As Lu Xingzhou applied pressure with his fingertips, the seed deformed slightly, and the mysterious voice let out a mournful cry, as if it were being tortured. The flesh and blood of the underground palace stopped trembling and became stable.

"Good, Lu Xingzhou, you are still as decisive as ever. Even though you know in your heart that the Incense Burning Sect wronged me, even though you know that I went to infiltrate the Demonic Sect on Master's orders, you still didn't hesitate at all when Master ordered me to be sealed away. Lu Xingzhou, do you remember that I personally guided you into the sect, that I taught you Qi cultivation and meditation, and that I personally helped you resolve your doubts and overcome difficulties when you encountered problems in your cultivation..."

Lu Xingzhou listened quietly until the sound emanating from the seed grew weaker and weaker until it was almost inaudible.

Lu Xingzhou then spoke, "Senior brother, it seems that even after a thousand years, you still deeply hate my Burning Incense Sect. In that case, I have no choice but to destroy your soul once again."

An angry roar came from the seed: "How can I not hate?! The Incense Burning Sect has betrayed me!"

“My master sent me to infiltrate the Demonic Sect, and I went. My master sent me to steal the Demonic Sect’s secret techniques, and I stole them! My master sent me to climb higher, to control the Demonic Sect’s power to eliminate demons for the Incense Burning Sect, and I killed more demons than anyone else! Even Zhang Qi couldn’t compare to me! But because I became the Demon Lord, you used me and then severed my soul, sealing me here forever!”

"I wish I could burn the Incense Burning Sect to ashes. I want you to suffer all three thousand seven hundred cruel tortures of the Demonic Sect. I want you all to wail and beg me for a quick death, otherwise I will not be able to quell the hatred in my heart!"

Lu Xingzhou sighed, "That's right, Senior Brother, you're absolutely right. It was the Incense Burning Sect that let you down. I never agreed with Master's plan from the beginning, but the Demonic Sect was powerful at the time, and Master had no choice but to do it. But you, Senior Brother, actually became the Demon Lord. Do you even remember how many people you killed?"

"How many people have I killed? Hahaha, Lu Xingzhou, you are in the Incense Burning Sect, protected by your sect. But I am in the Demonic Sect. How can I practice without killing? If I don't kill, I will be the one who gets killed. With a single order from my master, all the foundation I painstakingly built was destroyed, just to repay his kindness in teaching me. And this is the result I got!"

"Lu Xingzhou, how dare you ask me how many people I've killed?! You'll die a horrible death! Lu Xingzhou, you'll definitely die a horrible death!"

Lu Xingzhou listened quietly as the spirit of Wujiu Demon Lord finished speaking, until the seed in his hand gradually withered.

Lu Xingzhou crushed the seed into powder, and the remnant soul inside vanished into nothingness. The venomous curse of the Demon Lord Wujiu also disappeared without a trace.

Only after confirming that these remnant souls had been completely destroyed did Lu Xingzhou let out a long sigh.

“Senior brother, Master was wrong back then, and I tried to argue for you. But unfortunately, I wasn’t the leader of the Burning Incense Sect then. Now that I am the leader, I can’t stand by and watch you destroy the Burning Incense Sect.”

"I often laugh at Zhang Qi, who was burdened by the words 'exorcising demons and protecting the righteous path' his whole life. I am the same; the words 'Fenxiang Sect' are heavier than a mountain, making me unable to lift my head and afraid to face the mistakes of the past."

“You’re right, I, Lu Xingzhou, will surely die a horrible death, but before I die, I will take you with me.”

(End of this chapter)