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

Chapter 246 Internal Troubles of the Incense Burning Sect
When Chen Ye walked out of the light gate, he arrived at a messy quiet room.

At first, he thought that the Incense Burning Sect had fallen and been searched by the demon, which was why it looked like this.

But upon closer inspection, something seemed off; the room was just messy, but there were no signs of damage.

Books were scattered on the floor, bedding was rolled up in a ball on the bed, and plates with food scraps were placed next to the pillow.

This is just the room of an unkempt person; it wasn't broken into by a thief.

Seeing this, and recalling Pang Duoduo's disheveled appearance, Chen Ye knew whose room this was.

Chen Ye glanced at the books on the ground, then decisively put them away.

Don't worry about what it's about for now. I haven't read it before, judging from the title. I'll study it slowly when I have time.

This was said by Pang Duoduo, who allowed him to move freely, so she probably didn't mind if he picked up something along the way.

I walked around the room, collected a few old books, but didn't find anything else.

This Seven Star Hall Master doesn't seem to care much about the quality of life. There aren't any special magical treasures in the room, only an automatic teapot, which Chen Ye has stuffed into his storage bag.

Then Chen Ye took out the Myriad Souls Banner and asked Chen Guang to help him cast an illusion, turning himself into another person.

Having made a proper cover-up, Chen Ye then left the quiet room.

Chen Ye had no idea what the current situation was like at the Incense Burning Sect. He just wanted to hurry up and visit the Incense Burning Sect's library to see if he could find any more good stuff.

As Chen Ye walked out of the building and around the corner, he saw a disciple of the Incense Burning Sect. The disciple looked very young, barely reaching Chen Ye's waist.

When the little girl saw Chen Ye walking towards her, she stared in surprise.

Although startled, she still bravely questioned, "Who are you? How dare you barge into the Seven Star Hall?!"

Chen Ye took out the jade pendant that Pang Duoduo had given him and waved it in front of the little girl.

The young girl looked at it and immediately showed a puzzled expression: "A disciple's badge from the headmaster? I've never seen you before?"

Without batting an eye, Chen Ye lied and said, "I just became your apprentice."

"Just became an apprentice? But the sect leader isn't here right now..."

"That's right, I just became a disciple at Lietian Mountain. I was originally a rogue cultivator, but my master saw that I had extraordinary bones and talents, so she took me as her disciple and asked me to go back to Fenxiang Sect to register my name."

The young girl looked at Chen Ye with a puzzled expression, but after confirming that the jade pendant was genuine, she politely said to Chen Ye, "Greetings, Senior Brother. It was Lingxi's rudeness."

Chen Ye naturally wouldn't care about such a trivial matter, and casually asked, "Junior Sister Lingxi, I'm new here and don't know where the library of the Burning Incense Sect is. My master told me to go and study on my own. Could you please show me the way?"

"The library? Senior brother, you're really diligent. Come with me then."

Lingxi, this little girl, truly believed Chen Ye's identity.

It's just that Pang Duoduo is a very casual person, and nothing she does is surprising.

For something like accepting a disciple, other hall masters might have held a grand banquet and announced it to the entire sect. But when Pang Duoduo accepted Mo Suixin, she just casually brought him back. More than half a year passed, and the Burning Incense Sect didn't even notice that they had an extra "chief disciple".

The jade plaque cannot be faked, and the fact that it could enter the Seven Star Hall so quietly means it couldn't have been an outsider.

In the eyes of Lingxi, a disciple who has lived in the Incense Burning Sect since childhood, the Incense Burning Sect is the safest place in the world.

On the way to the library with Lingxi, Chen Ye carefully observed his surroundings.

The Incense Burning Gate was large, but not as luxurious as Chen Ye had imagined.

The interior of Qixing Hall is predominantly constructed of bluish-gray stone, with upturned eaves and simple, ancient carvings, revealing the marks of time everywhere. The so-called "eight hundred li of green coffin mountain" is no exaggeration. Through the eaves and pavilions, one can see many pavilions and towers built against the mountainside, scattered among the misty mountains.

With just a few casual glances, Chen Ye could tell that these buildings were all part of a formation.

In the distance, several towering bronze towers stand atop the mountain, their bodies covered with intricate runes, faintly shimmering with spiritual light.

Seeing all this made Chen Ye feel like an ant.

As an outsider, if you make any unusual moves, you will be suppressed by the entire Burning Incense Sect. No matter what methods you have, you probably won't be able to use them.

With such a powerful formation, Chen Ye didn't think it was possible to break through from the outside.

Pang Duoduo said that Wujiu Demon Lord would definitely be resurrected and Lu Xingzhou would definitely lose his life. How will this result come true?
Chen Ye couldn't figure it out. While he was pondering, he walked through several miles of pavilions and towers and finally arrived in front of a tall building made of bronze.

Lingxi pointed to the tall building and said, "Senior brother, we've arrived at the library. Show your jade token and you can borrow books. However... be careful, the hall master and the elders of the library don't get along very well."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye asked in confusion, "Why is that?"

Lingxi explained somewhat awkwardly, "Hall Master... she usually forgets to return the books she borrows, so Elder Shang is very strict with the disciples of the Seven Star Hall."

Chen Ye: ...

Thankfully, this Pang Duoduo isn't my master.

Chen Ye thanked Lingxi, and Lingxi said with a smile, "I'll wait here for you to come back, Senior Brother. Since you're new here, I'll show you around the Incense Burning Sect."

This girl is nice, and quite friendly.

During their casual conversation on the road, Chen Ye learned about Lingxi's identity: a disciple who barely managed to gain entry into the Seven Star Hall, whose cultivation level was only at the Qi Sea Realm.

She wasn't particularly talented, but after the Incense Burning Sect expanded its recruitment, she begged for many years to become a disciple, but she was only a servant who swept floors and did odd jobs.

Because the Seven Star Hall was short of people, Pang Duoduo casually pointed and brought Lingxi to the Seven Star Hall, where she became a nominal disciple.

Actually, she didn't learn any special skills from her. It's just that Lingxi felt that Pang Duoduo had been kind to her, so she extended that kindness to Chen Ye and was very enthusiastic about helping him integrate into the Fenxiang Sect.

However, the visit is out of the question. Lu Xingzhou is nowhere to be found, and the Incense Burning Sect might already be in turmoil. It's best to grab your things and run away quickly.

Chen Ye said, "Junior sister is very kind, but Master is urging me to seize the time to cultivate diligently. After borrowing the book, I will go into seclusion to study hard, so I'm afraid I won't have time to stroll around."

Lingxi sighed slightly, but quickly smiled and said, "Then I'll prepare some incense to refresh and calm my senior brother. The hall master also likes to use incense when he reads."

Chen Ye quickly thanked her again. This girl was so thoughtful; Chen Ye even wanted to take her as his apprentice.

After the chat, Chen Ye headed towards the library.

As Chen Ye approached the entrance to the library, a beam of light swept over him, reflecting off the jade pendant on his body.

With the main gate wide open, Chen Ye entered the library.

Chen Ye had expected to see many tall bookshelves filled with cultivation books he had never read before, but upon entering, he found only an empty hall with small drawers on the walls, making it look more like a pharmacy than a library.

In the very center is an old man reclining in a chair, smoking a pipe.

Upon seeing Chen Ye appear, the old man sneered, "A disciple of the Seven Star Hall? Pang Duoduo has taken on another disciple?"

Chen Ye nodded and repeated his earlier explanation: "This disciple was originally a rogue cultivator. I met my master by chance on Mount Lietian. She said I had extraordinary talent, so she took me as her disciple. Today, my master asked me to borrow some books. I wonder if I could borrow some scriptures related to celestial secret techniques?" The old man glanced at Chen Ye and asked doubtfully, "celestial secret techniques? Didn't Pang Duoduo despise so-called celestial secret techniques the most?"

Ah this...

Chen Ye began to wonder if Pang Duoduo was digging a hole for him; the thing he wanted most was always causing him all sorts of trouble.

However, Chen Ye still braced himself and said, "The Heavenly Book and Secret Techniques of the Incense Burning Sect are renowned. I wanted to borrow them myself, not because my master asked me to."

The old man sneered, "Hmph, you've only just entered the sect and have no merit whatsoever. It's impossible for you to borrow it; you can only look at it here. Moreover, your sect leader, Pang Duoduo, still owes me the books 'Lingshan Kao·Part 1' and 'Taiyi Shenshu Jian'. These are still on the Seven Stars Hall's account. With your jade token, you can access the secret manuals of the first three levels. Go find them yourself."

After saying this, the old man didn't bother to look at Chen Ye again.

Chen Ye originally thought it would be difficult to obtain the inheritance of the Heavenly Book Secret Technique, but he didn't expect that they would only not allow him to take it away. The Incense Burning Sect was really generous.

Chen Ye didn't stand on ceremony and quickly headed towards the densely packed drawers.

As soon as he approached, text would automatically appear on these small drawers, telling Chen Ye what kind of books were inside, categorized in great detail and order.

On just one wall, at least 70% of the books were ones Chen Ye had never heard of before. They were probably secret teachings from within the Incense Burning Sect, likely insights and experiences gained by senior masters during their cultivation.

This is the true essence of a major sect.

Just like the sword wall of the Qinghe Sword Sect, which records all the profound sword techniques, as long as the sword wall exists, even if the student cannot surpass the master, the Qinghe sword techniques will at least not be lost.

Chen Ye scanned the area carefully and quickly found what he wanted.

The Shangqing Dadong Zhenjing is one of the classics of the Daoist Canon. Chen Ye took it out and looked at it. Sure enough, like other scriptures, the main text was incomplete, with only the opening paragraphs remaining.

Chen Ye roughly knew the contents of the previous section, glanced at it casually, and then turned to the section on secret techniques.

Each book of celestial arts has a corresponding secret technique, which is a practical method that directly addresses the essence of things.

The secret techniques and talisman-drawing techniques recorded at the back of this book, "Shangqing Dadong Zhenjing," were not studied carefully by Chen Ye, but instead he devoted himself to memorizing the original text.

After memorizing it briefly, Chen Ye realized that this secret technique was not very useful.

Drawing talismans is one of the most basic skills for cultivators. The talisman-drawing techniques recorded in this scripture are not special, or rather, they are quite ancient. However, they are comprehensive, with records of all types of talismans.

Perhaps all talismans and spells in this world originated from this scripture, so Chen Ye didn't see anything special about it.

It is probably because this secret technique has spread throughout the world that it is allowed to be borrowed at will.

Chen Ye didn't stand on ceremony and decided to memorize it first.

Besides the "Shangqing Dadong Zhenjing", there are also scriptures such as the "Huahu Jing" and the "Taiqing Jindan".

Drawing talismans, controlling beasts, refining elixirs... these are all essential parts of cultivation. It seems that the secret techniques recorded later have become commonplace, but Chen Ye still gained a lot from memorizing them in a hasty manner.

After all, no cultivator can truly be an all-rounder.

Chen Ye knows how to draw talismans, but he is a complete novice when it comes to beast taming and alchemy. The related secret techniques recorded in this book, although seemingly ordinary, are still rare and valuable things that a rogue cultivator like Chen Ye can only dream of.

Chen Ye had been engrossed in watching for half a day, almost forgetting his original purpose, until a piercing shriek came from behind him.

It was like a whistling arrow piercing the sky, sharp and piercing.

Chen Ye was startled, thinking his identity had been exposed. But when he looked at the elder guarding the library, he saw that the man was also full of surprise.

Chen Ye quickly asked, "Elder, what happened?"

The old man said doubtfully, "This is the sect's alarm, there's an invasion by foreign enemies... no, it's not foreign enemies..."

Before the old man could finish speaking, several more loud bangs rang out, shaking the entire library.

Chen Ye knew in his heart that what was bound to happen was finally coming.

Just as he was about to take advantage of the chaos to retrieve some scriptures, the library seemed to have triggered some kind of array warning, directly teleporting Chen Ye outside, giving him no chance to secretly hide the books.

As soon as Chen Ye left the library, he discovered that the Incense Burning Sect had undergone a dramatic change.

Above the sky, dozens of streaks of light collided fiercely, and various spells transformed into lightning and flames, continuously bombarding the earth.

Chaos reigned inside the Incense Burning Sect, with shouts and curses echoing everywhere.

Upon closer inspection, Chen Ye noticed that among the people flying in the sky were disciples of the Incense Burning Sect, as well as many strangely dressed cultivators. The latter were clearly demonic cultivators, and almost everyone carried a Myriad Soul Banner.

The Myriad Soul Banner is the most cost-effective magic weapon in the Demonic Sect, and is most suitable for low-level cultivators.

Evil spirits swarmed through the sky, chasing after all living beings.

"The demons have already stormed in? Why didn't the Incense Burning Sect's formation work? And where did Lu Xingzhou go?"

Chen Ye couldn't understand it; something seemed off about the situation.

Even if most of the Fenxiang Sect's elites are at Lietian Mountain, there must be some experts within the sect. It seems that only half of the hall masters of the Three Mountains and Five Halls have left. Where are the remaining ones? Why don't they come out to take charge?

Just as Chen Ye was filled with doubt, Lingxi's voice came from afar.

"Senior brother, come over here quickly!"

Lingxi waved to Chen Ye from ten feet away, while a group of disciples from the Burning Incense Sect stood behind her.

Judging from their attire and the spirit pets they carry, they seem to be disciples of the Spirit Beast Hall.

It seems that the Incense Burning Sect has also begun to organize a counterattack.

Chen Ye thought for a moment and then walked towards Lingxi. Since he was still a disciple of the Seven Star Hall, he should naturally stick with the Incense Burning Sect.

First, figure out why the demon suddenly broke into the Incense Burning Sect, and then slowly consider how to escape.

He quickly walked to Lingxi's side, but before he could even greet her, a disciple from the Spirit Beast Hall asked Chen Ye, "Are there any disciples from the Seven Star Hall nearby?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye had a vague feeling that something was amiss.

Why only ask about Seven Star Hall? Shouldn't the more people, the better?
Before Chen Ye could answer, Lingxi said, "Senior brother, there are only a few people in our Seven Star Hall to begin with. Most of them went to Rift Sky Mountain with the hall master and haven't returned yet. Apart from Senior Brother Chen and me, there are only a few servants left in the Seven Star Hall."

The disciple from the Spirit Beast Hall nodded and said, "That's good."

Is this a good thing? There are clearly not enough people... Before Chen Ye could figure out where this sense of incongruity came from, he saw the disciple of the Spirit Beast Hall reach out and pat the strange beast next to him.

The ferocious beast, which looked like a giant bear, opened its mouth and bit down on Lingxi's head.

Blood gushed out, and Lingxi, who had just been thankful to have found someone to rely on, was completely powerless to resist as her head was bitten off.

The other disciples of the Spirit Beast Hall did not hesitate at all, urging their spirit beasts to charge towards Chen Ye.

(End of this chapter)