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

Chapter 23 finally broke through my defenses.

When the monk Ku'e chanted Amitabha Buddha's name, it was because he wanted to debate the scriptures with Chen Ye.

As long as he has the golden body protecting him, he can withstand the power of the Myriad Soul Banner. Even if it's just for a little longer, there might be a chance for a turn of events.

Regardless of whether they follow the righteous path or the demonic path, cultivators seek immortality and will never give it up easily.

Although Chen Ye had taken the elixir, his eardrums had not fully healed, and he only vaguely heard the phrase "Amitabha." He thought to himself that this demon was still a man of principle, chanting Amitabha even on his deathbed. He suspected that the "Ksitigarbha Sutra" was related to him.

In truth, it's all thanks to this treasure.

Knowing that this scripture couldn't even harm Su Chunyi's sword talisman in the slightest, Chen Ye knew it was definitely a top-quality treasure, but he wondered why the monk Ku'e couldn't use it.

Just now, Chen Ye used the technique of moving the scripture to block the vajra, thus activating its power in advance, which allowed him to successfully withstand the desperate struggle of the monk Ku'e.

We don't know where the scriptures were blown up to now, but there's no rush. We can find them later after we deal with this demon.

Chen Ye did not respond, but the monk in misery gained another layer of golden light, which surprised Chen Ye. This demon actually had a backup plan.

At this moment, Mo Ci patted Chen Ye on the shoulder, pinched a piece of charcoal and wrote on the rock: "This monk is practicing the Nirvana Sect's speaking Zen supernatural power."

Chen Ye glanced at it and asked in confusion, "Open-mouth Zen? I've only ever heard of closed-mouth Zen."

Mo Ci was stunned for a moment. What kind of supernatural power was this "silent meditation"? He had never heard of it before.
However, this was not the time for idle chatter. Mo Ci reminded him, "This 'Opening Zen' is mysterious and unpredictable. It is said that as long as one speaks, one's golden body will be indestructible and impervious to all magic."

Chen Ye laughed and said, "If that were true, how could Miss Su have destroyed his physical body?"

Mo Ci wanted to roll his eyes. He said that he was immune to all magic, but could the swordsmanship of the Qinghe Sword Sect be generalized?
The master and disciple secretly communicated, and the monk Ku'e, with his golden light shining, actually managed to stabilize his body and hold his own against the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

Chen Ye asked doubtfully, "Is this 'open-mouthed Zen' something that can be gilded by simply reciting it to thin air?"

Mo Ci shook his head and wrote four words: "I don't understand either."

Chen Ye was helpless; his teacher was indeed of mediocre ability and limited knowledge.

Although the monk Ku'e had a temporary respite, this stalemate was not a solution. No matter how powerful and minimally energy-consuming the "Opening Zen" supernatural power was, it still required spiritual energy.

His soul is now weakening, and his spiritual energy is dwindling with each use. However, the Myriad Soul Banner is a magical artifact, and with the assistance of an array, its spiritual energy is inexhaustible.

If this continues, I will surely die.

We must find a way to eliminate the person who set the trap. While we still have the strength, we should lure that person out.

Since this person dares not meet me, his cultivation level must be far inferior to mine. I must force him out. If I can get closer, I can muster my last bit of strength to kill him with magic.

The monk Ku'e's eyes darted around, and after a moment's thought, he spoke again: "Benefactor, since you want to kill me, why don't you dare to come out and meet me? If you also know that this matter cannot be brought to light, you might as well turn back before it's too late and remove the formation."

Chen Ye looked at Mo Ci, his ears were still ringing, so he could only ask Mo Ci to relay the message.

Left with no other choice, Mo Ci could only write down what the monk Ku'e had said on the stone.

After reading it, Chen Ye was full of doubt. Was this monk unable to see the situation clearly, or was there something wrong with his head? He was making it sound like he was the victim.

The pit was filled with corpses, countless vengeful spirits were in the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, and there were extremely vicious evil cursed spirits. After committing such atrocities, how could he have the nerve to ask others to turn back to the right path?

"Master, are all the people of the Nirvana Sect so shameless?"

Mo Ci replied matter-of-factly, "How can you be a demon if you have any shame?"

Chen Ye understood. Since the other party was truly shameless, Chen Ye wouldn't be polite to him. Hiding behind the rock, he loudly replied, "Amitabha, Master, you misunderstand. I don't want to harm you, but rather to ask you to ascend to the Pure Land as soon as possible. This world is a sea of ​​suffering, and the sea of ​​suffering is boundless. Turning back is the shore. How to turn back? Of course, it is to die. I have good intentions. Please don't misunderstand, Master. Please enter my Ten Thousand Souls Banner as soon as possible."

Master Ku'e's eyes widened upon hearing this; these were all his words!

However, being someone who had practiced Zen meditation for many years, Master Ku'e continued, "Then why don't you meet with me? You want to guide me, yet you dare not see me?"

After a while, Chen Ye replied again: "Amitabha, I do not seek any reward, and I do not need the master to remember my appearance to repay the favor. In order to ease your worries, it is better if I do not come out."

The monk Ku'e quickly added, "Your actions are damaging to the reputation of the Qinghe Sword Sect. If your elders find out, can you pass the test of the heart? Now that I am a remnant soul, even if your cultivation is weaker, we are evenly matched. Why not release your restraints and let me witness the Qinghe Sword Technique, the best in the world!"

In the eyes of the monk Ku'e, the one hiding to the side setting the trap must be in cahoots with the woman in yellow from the Qinghe Sword Sect. One was chasing him, and the other was setting the trap to kill him here.

Moral blackmail and provocation are particularly effective against righteous people. Even if this kid seems cunning, he'll still have to be wary once he brings up the rules of the Qinghe Sword Sect.

As expected, Chen Ye's exasperated voice soon followed from behind the bluestone: "My dear senior sister, we agreed not to reveal our identities! You're more trouble than you're worth. Fine, now that you know my background, I can't tarnish the reputation of the Qinghe Sword Sect..."

Upon hearing Chen Ye's words, the monk Ku'e was immediately delighted.

As expected of a junior from a prestigious sect, he's only a little bit clever; a few words from him made him lose his temper and become blinded by arrogance.

However, being able to conceal one's identity and set a trap is already quite impressive; at least it shows some cleverness. It seems their cultivation is far inferior to that of the woman in the yellow robe, yet they still wanted to achieve great things, hence resorting to such underhanded methods. Now that they've been exposed, they can only act according to proper etiquette.

Heh, so-called righteous path is nothing more than this.

The monk Ku'e secretly channeled his spiritual power, preparing to kill Chen Ye as soon as he appeared.

But then Chen Ye said, "To be fair, I will release the shackles of the Myriad Souls Banner and fight you fairly. This battle concerns the reputation of my Qinghe Sword Sect, so you may do your best. If I lose, it is because I am not as skilled as you, and you do not need to worry about my elders causing you trouble."

Upon hearing this, the monk Ku'e was both amused and exasperated.

Is this kid really that stupid?
I thought that was enough to lure him out, but I didn't expect him to take the initiative to remove the trap. Is he really afraid of being held accountable by the elders of the Qinghe Sword Sect?

However, the monk Ku'e naturally wouldn't refuse such a benefit, and immediately praised, "Not bad, you have such a sense of responsibility at such a young age, you are indeed a worthy disciple of a prestigious sect. If you can untie the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, I will give you three moves."

"Alright, you wait here, I will untie the Ten Thousand Souls Banner now."

Chen Ye chanted an incantation, and a surge of black energy rose from the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, slowly drawing the vengeful spirits that had been spreading out into it.

The monk Ku'e was also prepared. As soon as the shackles on his body were removed, he flew directly behind the blue stone and killed Chen Ye.

However, after waiting and listening to Chen Ye chant incantations for a long time, the chains on his body remained, and only the vengeful spirits were somewhat subdued.

The monk Ku'e urged hastily, "Quickly remove this Ten Thousand Souls Banner!"

Chen Ye replied, "Don't be impatient. As a disciple of a prestigious sect, controlling the Myriad Soul Banner is not so easy. I am currently working hard to cast the spell."

This statement seemed to make some sense, but the monk Ku'e immediately realized something was wrong.

This kid stole my magic weapon, how could he not know how to control the Myriad Soul Banner? He must be an expert in this art.

"Oh no! This kid's cheating!"

As the monk Ku'e struggled, he suddenly felt the chains binding him tighten, and an even stronger force surged through him, almost dragging him directly into the Ten Thousand Soul Banner. Fortunately, his Zen powers were still intact, and his golden body protected him, allowing the monk Ku'e to regain his footing.

However, this pulling also weakened the golden light considerably.

Chen Ye said regretfully, "Tsk, we've been found out."

The monk Ku'e immediately burst into curses: "Shameless beast! Your mouth is full of lies, may you be banished to the hell of tongue-pulling right now..."

The monk Ku'e cursed loudly, and Chen Ye only heard a buzzing sound. He asked Mo Ci, "Master, what is this demon saying now?"

Looking at the large blue stone already covered with writing, Mo Ci couldn't find any space to write a long essay, so he simply wrote three words: "He's anxious."

Chen Ye laughed heartily, then said, "Let him worry. The sun is about to rise, and I don't believe this ghost can withstand the direct sunlight."

The master and disciple had already devised a plan when discussing how to deal with this demon, mainly focusing on "delaying." As long as Chen Ye could prevent the demon from possessing another's body and withstand its dying counterattack, they only needed to wait patiently. A soul without a physical body is like a rootless duckweed, ultimately unable to sustain itself for long.

The demon appeared in the early hours of the morning, and after a long commotion, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

Once the sun comes out and shines brightly on him, even a cultivator at the Profound Realm will suffer a severe blow to their vital energy.

Thinking this, Chen Ye simply ignored the monk's cries and quietly moved to another place with Mo Ci, in order to prevent the demon from launching a last-ditch attack and trying to take them both down with him.

However, Chen Ye was overly cautious. Just as the monk Ku'e was cursing loudly, the golden light on his body suddenly shattered without warning. He could no longer withstand the pull of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, and his soul was absorbed into it.

The supernatural power of this open-mouthed Zen emphasizes self-justification, the reasoning must be on one's own side, and the mind must be at peace, so as to remain unmoved by the eight winds and sit firmly on the golden lotus throne.

But once your mental defenses crumble, your inner strength is shattered.

(End of this chapter)