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

Chapter 247 The Green Coffin Opens, Incense Burns Out

The betrayal of the Beast Hall was unexpected by Chen Ye.

One or two traitors would be one thing, but these three disciples of the Spirit Beast Hall actually turned on their own people without hesitation.

Chen Ye didn't think that he had only encountered three traitors in the entire Burning Incense Sect.

When you see one cockroach, it means the whole house is infested with them.

What exactly went wrong with the Incense Burning Sect, and how did such a large-scale rebellion occur?
These three traitors gave Chen Ye no time to think. After killing Lingxi, the spirit beast pounced on Chen Ye.

Giant bears, fierce tigers, falcons... they may seem like ordinary wild beasts, but they all possess supernatural qualities.

The giant bear had a vertical eye between its eyebrows, the tiger had a pair of short, fleshy wings on its back, and the falcon had three claws.

Clearly, these are all carefully raised spirit beasts with different bloodlines, and cannot be treated as ordinary wild animals.

If it were any other Transcendent Realm cultivator, being attacked at close range by these three spirit beasts would truly cause them to panic and become flustered. However, Chen Ye is the undisputed number one Transcendent Realm cultivator.

With a thought, a huge crimson fire serpent burst forth from the ground, its head alone overflowing the corridor.

With a gaping maw, the Crimson Fire Serpent swallowed the three spirit beasts huddled together whole.

No matter what kind of alien species or bloodline, they are all meaningless in front of the Crimson Fire Serpent, which can kill them all with a single bite.

It wasn't just because Chen Ye's Eighteen Levels of Hell Divine Power was powerful enough, but also because Chen Ye's cultivation level was high, and the spiritual energy within his body was dozens of times higher than the combined spiritual energy of the three of them.

This was a complete and utter defeat, leaving the three of them with absolutely no strength to fight back.

After swallowing three spirit beasts whole, the giant python twisted its body and tightly bound the three disciples of the Spirit Beast Hall.

With a gentle force, the three men coughed up blood, most of their bones shattered, and their internal organs were squeezed out of their mouths.

Chen Ye took out the Myriad Souls Banner and waved it, taking in the souls of Lingxi and the three of them.

The Yin soldiers within the Ten Thousand Souls Banner had already received Chen Ye's orders. After protecting Lingxi's soul, they began to torture the three disciples of the Spirit Beast Hall.

Chen Ye, his face grim, ordered, "Make them spill everything they know!"

The ghostly soldiers responded in unison, and various instruments of torture were used on the three disciples of the Spirit Beast Hall.

After a series of howls and wails, Chen Ye gleaned important information from the three men.

It's not just the Spirit Beast Hall that's rebelled.

Half of the members of this large Incense Burning Sect have rebelled.

Instead of going to Rift Sky Mountain, the head of the Spirit Beast Hall began an internal purge right after Zhang Qi's ascension, in this Green Coffin Mountain.

The first to be eliminated were the disciples within the Spirit Beast Hall who were loyal to the Incense Burning Sect.

Besides these, there were also the Hundred Crafts Hall and the Melting Gold Hall, both of which were led by their respective hall masters in rebellion. Their methods were the same: first, they would gather the disciples of each hall and purge them, and then the remaining members would create chaos in various places.

There are also coded phrases; those that match are considered "one of us," while those that don't are killed first.

Since the Seven Star Hall was not within the scope of the alliance, these disciples from the Spirit Beast Hall immediately killed Lingxi and also tried to silence Chen Ye.

It seems that Lu Xingzhou's hasty return was due to sensing the betrayal of these three hall masters.

Lu Xingzhou simply doesn't have time to deal with this right now. Because of the betrayal of the three hall masters, the seal on Green Coffin Mountain has loosened, and there has been an invasion by external enemies. Currently, the Demon Lord Wujiu in the underground palace has awakened halfway.

Lu Xingzhou was trapped in the underground palace, trying to stop the Demon Lord's resurrection and also to stop the invasion of external demons. He had no time to care about anything else.

Chen Ye looked into the distance and saw that the entire Incense Burning Sect was in chaos.

Most people didn't even have time to react before they died at the hands of their own people, rendering the mountain-protecting formation meaningless in this situation.

Moreover, since most of the elites had gone to Lietian Mountain, only traitors and some insignificant figures remained within the Fenxiang Sect.

A servant like Lingxi, who does odd jobs, has no way of dealing with those who betray them.

Three out of the Three Mountains and Five Halls betrayed them, and judging from Lu Xingzhou's arrangements, it seems he wasn't entirely unprepared. The traitors were all left inside the Incense Burning Sect, as if they were just waiting for them to rebel.

According to Pang Duoduo, she had foreseen this calamity for the Burning Incense Sect many years ago and wanted Lu Xingzhou to make a decision in advance. If he had been ruthless enough to make a painful sacrifice back then, perhaps things wouldn't be like this today.

Lu Xingzhou was acting strangely. Since he left these traitors in Fenliang, he should have had a plan in place. Why did things turn out like this?

"Pang Duoduo had long foreseen that the Incense Burning Sect would face such a calamity. So why did she send me to the Incense Burning Sect?"

Chen Ye alone cannot turn the tide for the Burning Incense Sect, unless...

Chen Ye sighed, "Grandmaster, you always boasted that you were the best diviner in the world. This time, you have also fallen into someone else's trap."

As soon as Chen Ye finished speaking, a sound of space shattering came from behind him.

Chen Ye turned his head and saw Qu Heng walk out of the shattered space, smiling as he said to Chen Ye, "Grand-disciple, how did you know I was the one who was tricked?"

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "Stop pretending, Grandmaster. If you had known that such a big thing would happen to the Incense Burning Sect, you would have discussed with me how to take advantage of the situation long ago. You wouldn't have waited until now to come."

Qu Heng's expression changed, and he awkwardly touched his nose, saying, "Pang Duoduo won a round against me, but I wasn't completely unprepared for her scheme. When I let you meet Mo Suixin in your dream, it was because I had a premonition. It's just that you're too shy and dragged it out for too long, causing your grandmaster to miss the best opportunity, which is why you lost a move."

Chen Ye didn't want to dwell on who was the best diviner in the world, so he quickly asked Qu Heng, "So, what exactly is the Incense Burning Sect doing? What is Lu Xingzhou plotting? Grandmaster, can you enlighten me?"

Qu Heng nodded and said, "Of course, now everything is clear. Actually, Lu Xingzhou only had two things on his mind."

"First, the Demon Lord Wujiu is bound to be resurrected; this is the will of Heaven. The only thing he can control is when and how he will be resurrected. Besides that, there is the question of how to deal with the internal and external troubles of the Incense Burning Sect. Pang Duoduo naturally figured out who the traitors would be long ago, but when Pang Duoduo figured it out, the hall masters of the Spirit Beast Hall and the like were not yet traitors; they had no intention of rebelling at all."

Chen Ye said in confusion, "I don't understand what you're saying."

Qu Heng explained, "What's there to not understand? Haven't you heard of the saying 'a rebellious nature'? It means that this person's face suggests they're a traitor, but they haven't shown any signs of betrayal yet. The art of divination is about preventing problems before they arise." Chen Ye understood now.

No wonder Pang Duoduo said Lu Xingzhou was unwilling to cut off his own flesh.

This piece of meat hasn't rotted or smelled bad yet, how could you do that?

Hundreds of years ago, the Incense Burning Sect was an unbreakable unit, with everyone loyal to the core. If they were to kill their own people first because of Pang Duoduo's divination, then even those who were not going to rebel would be forced to rebel.

This is probably why Lu Xingzhou has been hesitant to make a move.

"Lu Xingzhou knew these people were traitors, but he had no evidence and pretended nothing was wrong. But everyone isn't stupid; who wouldn't see whether the sect leader was treating them differently? I suspect that even those who didn't originally intend to rebel harbored some resentment towards Lu Xingzhou. Putting aside the distant past, with all the trouble the Longevity Hall caused, the Longevity Hall Master even suggested expanding recruitment and increasing the harvesting of Soul Cleansing Flowers. It wasn't just Pang Duoduo who thought this was inappropriate."

“The Three Mountains and Five Halls have made themselves seem like they’re the only ones who can dominate the sect over the years. Not only do they take in the most disciples, but they also have unlimited supplies of materials for alchemy from the entire sect. How could the other hall masters not have objections? But in Lu Xingzhou’s eyes, it’s a precautionary measure, because the Longevity Hall really hasn’t betrayed us.”

Chen Ye exclaimed in surprise, "Grandmaster, you can even calculate this?"

Qu Heng shook his head and said, "It's not something I calculated. Before, when I was preparing to deal with the five major sects, I naturally investigated each one. The Incense Burning Sect's methods couldn't be kept secret; I could easily find out by asking around. It's just that at the time I didn't understand why Lu Xingzhou was so biased. Now it seems that it's because the Longevity Hall is loyal enough. Look over there."

Qu Heng pointed, and Chen Ye looked in the direction he was pointing and saw several streaks of light in the sky.

Chen Ye was not familiar with the clothing of the Incense Burning Sect disciples and could not distinguish which branch they belonged to based on their attire alone. However, he remembered the Longevity Hall very clearly, especially since each of them carried a huge incense burner, which was the most obvious feature.

The disciples of the Longevity Hall are currently engaged in a fierce battle with several invading demonic cultivators in the sky. Although they are at a disadvantage, they are still trying their best to resist.

Not only that, Chen Ye also met Ren Hongchuan, the head of the Longevity Hall, who was currently controlling a huge alchemy furnace, spreading out layers of clouds that covered several mountain peaks.

Chen Ye immediately realized that Ren Hongchuan was setting up an array with the alchemy furnace as the array's core.

The protective formation of the Incense Burning Sect is no longer useful. The sect is in chaos. He can only set up a formation first, giving each member a place to breathe and integrating all forces before he can deal with those traitors and invading demons.

Ren Hongchuan's cultivation level is not bad; he should be at the Returning to the Void Realm.

With him in charge, he really did suppress a lot of demons, giving many panicked disciples of the Incense Burning Sect a place to turn to.

However, Qu Heng quickly said, "It's a pity that this person doesn't know that Lu Xingzhou left him here with the intention of killing him. Loyalty alone is useless in Changsheng Hall. They have gone too far in their actions over the years, and now they are just being used up. The true pillars of Fenxiang Sect have all been sent to Lietian Mountain. Those left here are all just expendable pawns."

No sooner had Qu Heng finished speaking than Ren Hongchuan, who was some distance away, suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

All around him, countless poisonous insects appeared, crawling onto his body at some unknown time, leaving his flesh riddled with holes.

Chen Ye didn't know whose method this was, but if it wasn't the head of the Spirit Beast Hall, it should be the head of the Hundred Crafts Hall.

Only these two sects are particularly skilled at raising spirit beasts and cultivating Gu worms.

Ren Hongchuan was ambushed and injured, but he slammed the alchemy furnace, and flames shot into the sky, burning most of the poisonous insects to ashes.

When the flames died down, his body had fully regenerated, no one knew what kind of miraculous medicine he had taken.

However, the attackers no longer concealed themselves. Three streaks of light flashed by, and the three hall masters who had betrayed the Incense Burning Sect arrived with their loyal disciples. Without saying a word, they engaged Ren Hongchuan's Longevity Hall in a fierce battle.

A cultivator at the Returning Void Realm cannot be killed so easily. Even in a three-on-one situation, Ren Hongchuan's alchemy furnace combines offense and defense, spewing out flames and alchemical energy to protect himself, allowing him to hold out for the time being.

Although Ren Hongchuan is destined to lose, he may not necessarily die here. Perhaps at a crucial moment, he can produce a treasure similar to Pang Duoduo's and teleport directly to another place.

Chen Ye asked, "Grandmaster, what should we do now?"

Qu Heng said, "Is there any need to ask? Of course, it's about reaping the benefits. We'll split into two groups. I'll go to the Demon Suppression Palace and see what's going on with Lu Xingzhou."

"Demon Suppression Palace?"

Qu Heng said excitedly, "Of course, what is the greatest treasure of the Incense Burning Sect? It is the corpse of the Demon Lord Wujiu! Pang Duoduo has schemed and plotted to get you involved and to lure me in, just because we are greedy and definitely want a share of the Demon Lord Wujiu's corpse."

"Now, we can only stand with Lu Xingzhou. We must not allow Demon Lord Wujiu to be resurrected intact. Go! The rise of our Yellow Springs Sect begins today! I will tear Demon Lord Wujiu to pieces and take as much as I can!"

"And what about me?" Chen Ye asked.

"Is there even a need to ask? Besides the Demon Lord Wujiu, what other treasures does the Incense Burning Sect have? Books, pills, magic weapons, all sorts of rare and precious materials. Take as much as you can! Also, the Incense Burning Sect disciples all possess cultivation, and their souls won't dissipate anytime soon. Take them all into your Myriad Soul Banner now. Our Yellow Springs Sect is lacking in everything right now—treasures and people!"

After Qu Heng finished speaking, a golden light shone behind him, and the Crimson Dragon Buddha appeared and attached itself to him.

Immediately afterwards, Qu Heng flew towards the horizon. As he passed by Ren Hongchuan, he casually unleashed two golden flames, burning the Spirit Beast Hall Master, who was wielding poisonous gu, until he screamed in agony.

Ren Hongchuan seized the opportunity and smashed the alchemy furnace, causing the man to vomit blood, thus turning the tide of the battle.

Qu Heng, having successfully launched a sneak attack, did not linger and flew directly towards the Demon Suppression Palace. He was as familiar with the Incense Burning Sect as if it were his own home, and it was unknown how much effort he had spent over the years inquiring about the sect's whereabouts.

Chen Ye shook his head helplessly. Qu Heng spoke so easily, but he was used to being a demon and was skilled at robbing and plundering. Chen Ye really had no experience at all.

However, having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. Just because Chen Ye lacks experience doesn't mean others don't.

Chen Ye waved the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, and Mo Ci appeared with a group of Yin soldiers.

Chen Ye said to Mo Ci, "Master, you heard what Grandmaster said. You know better than me how to make a profit, so we'll leave it to you. As for me, your disciple, I'll be in charge of collecting the souls of the Burning Incense Sect disciples."

Mo Ci smiled smugly and said to Chen Ye, "You finally remembered your master. Don't worry, not only am I familiar with this matter, but your Yin soldiers are also experts at robbing and pillaging."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye looked at the tall and ferocious ghost general beside him. The old soldier Yang Chongguang had completely changed his appearance, but when he saw Chen Ye's gaze, he still said respectfully, "Don't worry, benefactor. Soldiers and bandits are one family. When we fought our way out of the country, I also plundered a lot of grain from other countries."

Chen Ye was speechless. It turned out that he was surrounded by bad people.

But that's even better; let the professionals handle the looting.

Chen Ye reminded him, "Go, and remember, the secret code of the traitor of the Incense Burning Sect is 'When the green coffin is opened, the incense burns out.' Attack the traitor without hesitation, but do not harm the ordinary disciples of the Incense Burning Sect. If you are forced to or accidentally injure them, bring their souls back."

(End of this chapter)