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

Chapter 239 A facade of harmony masking underlying discord (I have a fever, 4,000 words today)

The lotus flower turned upside down, and the sword energy, like a rainbow, all converged on Qin Wanjun.

The power of this sword strike was almost the same as the one Wang Yichen unleashed in Baihai Valley, at least in terms of momentum.

Despite the sword strike aimed at him, Qin Wanjun showed no fear whatsoever and even shouted out loud.

Chen Ye couldn't hear what he was shouting, but he saw the icy aura around him condense into a giant sword, which clashed head-on with the Azure Lotus Sword Qi.

Just as the two sword energies were about to collide, Chen Ye summoned several giant fire snakes that coiled around Qin Wanjun.

The blood-red plate lunged at Qin Wanjun, tearing at him with its massive jaws, while the scorching flames counteracted the freezing aura emanating from him.

Qin Wanjun hadn't expected Chen Ye's supernatural abilities to be so strange. Even though he was protected by freezing air, how did these red snakes manage to rush up to him?

Qin Wanjun was somewhat flustered. He had thought Chen Ye was just an insignificant opponent and was just about to focus on dealing with Su Chunyi, but he ended up getting himself into such big trouble.

In a battle of wits, a slight misstep could mean the difference between life and death.

Chen Ye's Crimson Fire Serpent distracted Qin Wanjun, so he knew he was doomed to lose without even needing to fight.

Qin Wanjun simply turned his sword around, ignoring the Qinghe sword energy, and slashed all the ice blades at Chen Ye.

If I can't withstand this sword-qi lotus myself, then I'll attack where the enemy must defend.

Chen Ye didn't expect Qin Wanjun to change targets in the blink of an eye, and he didn't even have time to react when the ice blades shot towards him.

Su Chunyi's sword energy was faster than Qin Wanjun's, and the Azure Lotus Sword Energy also quickly changed direction, swallowing up the ice blades that were slashing towards Chen Ye.

When the lotus closed up, all the frost exploded, and a heavy snow fell on the entire Pearl Harbor.

Cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage already possess the ability to alter the heavens and earth, easily influencing the weather of an entire city. The two exchanged a move, seemingly neither gaining the upper hand, but Qin Wanjun was somewhat disheveled, after all, he still had several Crimson Serpents attached to him. Although his injuries were only superficial, he was still wounded and not as composed as Chen Ye.

Qin Wanjun circulated his spiritual energy, and a cloud of freezing vapor encased Chen Ye's Crimson Serpent in ice, which then shattered into fragments with a gentle tremor.

Qin Wanjun clapped his hands and said something to Chen Ye, looking like he wanted to fight again.

Chen Ye frowned deeply. This person was definitely the most powerful opponent he had ever encountered since he began cultivating. He didn't have any tricks up his sleeve; he just wielded a Xuanbing Heavy Sword, which could freeze everything with a mere gesture.

He truly deserves to be called a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.

However, Chen Ye was not afraid. With the protection of the Golden Body of Merit, he was not afraid of Qin Wanjun's magic. If Su Chunyi had ignored him and directly used the Azure Lotus Sword Qi to suppress him, he might have cracked Qin Wanjun's head open.

Now that this person wants to fight again, then let him try again. Chen Ye, the Great Emperor of Fengdu, has not yet tested the disciples of the Incense Burning Sect.

At this very moment, Su Chunyi, who was in the sky, had also arrived beside Chen Ye, dressed in a pale yellow robe, just like when they first met.

However, the sword energy surrounding her seemed somewhat ethereal, and Chen Ye sensed something was amiss.

"Miss Su, why are you out of your mind?!"

Su Chunyi did not turn around, but stared at Qin Wanjun. Several sword energies condensed into words in front of Chen Ye: "I sensed that you were in danger. I was still half a day away, so I left my body to come here. Fortunately, I made it in time."

Chen Ye was moved. In fact, he was not afraid of the Nascent Soul Realm expert from the Incense Burning Sect. He could just be a little shameless and use his Golden Body of Merit to exhaust Qin Wanjun's spiritual energy, and then deal with him slowly after he was exhausted.

As long as the other disciples of the Incense Burning Sect don't interfere, Chen Ye feels he can still win.

Chen Ye looked at Qin Wanjun with a sharp look in his eyes.

Qin Wanjun, who had just been full of fighting spirit, only glanced at Su Chunyi before frowning, then listlessly sheathed his sword and turned to leave.

Her seemingly fearless demeanor, completely unafraid of Chen Ye's sneak attack, left Chen Ye somewhat puzzled.

Are all the disciples of the Incense Burning Sect this crazy? They fight whenever they want and leave whenever they want. Their arrogant attitude is not much different from that of a demon.

However, since Qin Wanjun had left, Chen Ye didn't want to chase after him.

The main problem was that Su Chunyi's soul was currently outside her body. Even for a Nascent Soul cultivator, it wasn't good for their soul to be exposed for a long time. Chen Ye quickly said to Su Chunyi, "Miss Su, you should go back now. Don't worry about me."

As they spoke, Chen Ye immediately lifted Su Chunyi's silence, allowing her to speak.

Su Chun said, "Sir, there's no need to worry. With my master protecting my body, nothing will happen. My soul can leave my body very quickly; it will return in the blink of an eye."

"Regardless of safety, you must not take any more risks next time. Don't underestimate me either; I am now the number one person in the Profound Realm, and the dignified Sect Master of the Yellow Springs Sect. I naturally have ways to protect myself."

Chen Ye had heard many stories of unexpected events that occurred after the soul left the body; the famous Tieguai Li was one such person who became lame.

Despite his reluctance, Chen Ye could only urge Su Chunyi to go back quickly.

Su Chunyi said, "I know that your cultivation has improved again. Perhaps next time you will sense that I am in danger, and you will rush to save me without hesitation. Am I right?"

Looking into Su Chunyi's pure and innocent eyes, Chen Ye nodded repeatedly: "That goes without saying, not even mountains of knives or seas of fire could stop me."

Su Chunyi gave Chen Ye a smile, then transformed into a sword light and disappeared.

It was indeed as fast as lightning; Chen Ye didn't even blink and couldn't see clearly how Su Chunyi left.

After the farce, things finally calmed down a bit. Chen Ye inspected the city and, after confirming that the silencing formation had not been damaged by the previous battle, returned to the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion.

The fierce battle between Master Yue Song and the Kui Niu by the sea was coming to an end. The last waterspout flew out, piercing through the lifelike Kui Niu and tearing it into pure spiritual energy.

Master Yue Song breathed a sigh of relief. The magic weapon of the Mirage Sect was truly troublesome. He had to ensure that the Kui Niu would not break into the Pearl Harbor and wreak havoc, and also ensure that it would not cause too much damage. Master Yue Song was exhausted.

Having dealt with these two troublesome individuals, Master Yue Song looked at the unconscious Yu Xing of the Mirage Sect in his hand and couldn't help but slap him across the face. Since he was unconscious, he figured he might as well take advantage of him.

Master Yue Song cursed viciously, "This fool almost caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people. This matter cannot be left unresolved. The Mirage Sect must give me an explanation!"

As Yue Song Zhenren carried Yu Xing back, he immediately saw the huge silencing array. Just as he was marveling at how ingenious the array was, his disciple Fang Zhixuan arrived and reported everything to Yue Song Zhenren in detail.

By the time Master Yuesong understood the whole story, it was already dawn.

The formation shrouded the area overnight, and the cultivators of Tianxin Island had completely stabilized the morale of the people in Zhuguang Port. They had also smashed all the visible conch shells, and the crisis was finally successfully averted.

After listening to Fang Zhixuan's words, Master Yuesong couldn't help but praise, "This Chen Ye was able to see through the demon's methods, which is truly remarkable. He was also able to set up a silencing formation in a targeted manner. He and Yu Shenxing can both be considered brave and resourceful talents. My disciple, this time you have been outdone."

Fang Zhixuan said without the slightest jealousy, "Master, who cares about who's stronger now? This time, I was almost stunned. I never expected the demon's methods to be so bizarre. I racked my brains but couldn't figure out that the conch shell was the problem."

Today's younger generation has lived in peaceful times for too long and has never experienced the scenario where you could encounter hundreds of demons setting traps just by walking a few miles.

Master Yuesong was quite satisfied with Fang Zhixuan. Seeing his expression, he comforted him, saying, "I can't blame you. You handled it quite well."

"Master, now that the matter is settled and the Demonic Sect's scheme has been exposed, how should we handle the aftermath?"

Although it was the demon who stirred up trouble, it would be unreasonable to completely ignore the many problems that the Mirage Sect and the Incense Burning Sect had caused in Pearl Harbor.

Yu Xing alone almost destroyed this port. If Tianxin Island doesn't investigate, how can it explain it to the local people?

"I originally wanted you young people to get to know each other better, since you'll be in control of the five major sects in the future. I didn't expect things to turn out like this. I'll detain Yu Xing for now and have Zi Yan from the Mirage Sect come and pick him up personally. As for the Incense Burning Sect, Qin Wanjun acted recklessly and aggressively during the crisis, almost ruining the grand plan to save Pearl Harbor. Tell them my message: the Incense Burning Sect needs to give me an explanation, or I'll kick them out."

Master Yue Song's attitude was undeniably tough, but he knew in his heart that the matter would probably just fizzle out.

The five major sects appear to be united on the surface, but in reality, they have become estranged over the years, each pursuing their own selfish interests.

It's probably impossible to join forces and fight against the Demonic Sect like we did back then.

This incident involving the conch shell was merely a test by the Demonic Sect. They were already overwhelmed with problems because they couldn't even capture the person. Once Zhang Qi left and the Demonic Sect fully recovered, they would have no choice but to pay the price with human lives.

Master Yuesong sighed, "I only hope that this time the five sects can join forces and re-establish an alliance."

While the Pearl Pavilion was busy with the aftermath and holding the Mirage Sect and Incense Burning Sect accountable, Qin Wanjun, who had previously acted so ruthlessly, was leisurely drinking with his fellow disciples, as if he hadn't taken the previous events to heart at all.

Fang Hao, the disciple of the Burning Incense Sect leader, was not in the same situation. He said to Qin Wanjun with a worried look, "Senior Brother Qin acted somewhat recklessly before. Now we will probably be punished by the sect."

Qin Wanjun said nonchalantly, "It's nothing."

After the fierce battle at the Demon Suppression Palace, Qin Wanjun has been receiving focused training from the Incense Burning Sect and is practically a shoo-in for the next Xuan Tian Mountain Master. Even though he slashed Chen Ye twice before, he didn't actually cause any serious injury, so the Incense Burning Sect is unlikely to punish him for it; at most, he'll just get a scolding from his master.

"It's a pity. I wanted to spar with Su Chunyi, but Chen Ye interfered, and Su Chunyi even left his body to come. These two are too close. Is the Yellow Springs Sect really not a vassal sect of the Qinghe Sword Sect?"

Qin Wanjun had been waiting for an opportunity to test his skills against Su Chun.

When Su Chunyi became the number one in the Profound Realm, he was already at the Nascent Soul Realm, so it wasn't appropriate for him to bully him. Several years have passed, and Su Chunyi has also reached the Nascent Soul Realm. Both are swordsmen, and he wants to see if the Qinghe Sword Technique is truly unparalleled.

The azure lotus sword energy truly surprised him; he had been anticipating a grand battle, only to discover that Su Chunyi's soul had left her body. To possess such power without even bringing her physical form—how formidable would Su Chunyi's sword energy be if she unleashed her full power?

It's such a pity. Qin Wanjun really wished he could go and tie up Chen Ye right now, forcing Su Chunyi to fight him with all her might.

Fang Hao, however, did not think so. As the disciple of the sect leader, Fang Hao was qualified to become the sect leader of the Burning Incense Sect. He could not be as carefree as Qin Wanjun, who would start a fight without caring about anything else.

Fang Hao was more concerned about the relationship between the five sects. What if he became the leader of the Incense Burning Sect and found that the five sects were fighting each other, and then the demons came out in droves? Wouldn't that cause a big problem?
"Senior Brother Qin, I think Tianxin Island will definitely continue to pursue this matter. We need to be more sincere and not let this small matter ruin the relationship between the two factions." After persuading Qin Wanjun, Fang Hao turned to Mo Suixin, who had been silent, and said, "Junior Sister Mo, I heard that you have a good relationship with Chen Ye. Chen Ye is now considered a great contributor to Tianxin Island. If he mediates, he should be able to turn this big problem into a small one."

Mo Suixin glanced at the two of them and laughed, "How can I, a mere woman, show my face in public after the trouble caused by Senior Brother Qin? Aren't you afraid of disgracing the Burning Incense Sect?"

Fang Hao quickly said, "Junior Sister Mo, you're being too serious. Since you and Chen Ye are good friends, what's wrong with catching up when you meet in a different place? As for Senior Brother Qin, just have him prepare a generous gift and send it over. It's common for cultivators to spar and exchange techniques. Since that Sect Master Chen wasn't injured in the slightest, he must be a magnanimous person."

Mo Suixin neither refuted nor responded, acting as if it had nothing to do with her.

Helpless, Fang Hao could only whisper, "Junior Sister Mo, if you keep acting so coy, Sect Master Chen will really end up with Su Chun from the Qinghe Sword Sect. Don't tell me this has nothing to do with you."

Mo Suixin's eyes narrowed, and she stared intently at Fang Hao.

It wasn't until Fang Hao sensed something was amiss that Mo Suixin said, "Senior Brother Fang is truly becoming more and more like a sect leader, with all sorts of calculations of interests on his mind."

Fang Hao's expression changed and he said, "Junior Sister Mo, you can't just say things like that."

Mo Suixin sneered, "I am a diviner, and I never speak carelessly. However, you and I both know what this conference means. Once Master Zhang ascends to immortality, we will face the counterattack of the Demonic Sect head-on. If Senior Brother Fang also schemes in this way, will the other four major sects still be able to join forces with us against the enemy?"
"If it weren't for the predecessors who could entrust their lives to each other a thousand years ago, the Demonic Sect would have unified the world long ago. When they return, how much can you calculate in terms of gains and losses, Senior Brother Fang?"

Fang Hao looked at Mo Suixin in silence for a long time before bowing and saying, "Junior Sister Mo is right. I haven't thought about these things for too long. Since you're unwilling, then I'll go myself. You're right, the Demonic Sect is about to revive. It's time to put aside our prejudices and cooperate again."

(End of this chapter)