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

Chapter 26: Preparations for the Battle

A day and a night passed, and hundreds of new graves appeared in the desolate mountains.

Su Chunyi used the light of his sword to cut down the mountain rocks and erect a monument for the new grave, on which more than a dozen names were written.

Within the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls, only a dozen or so vengeful spirits could still remember their names; the others had long since lost their minds due to years of torment.

According to the monk Ku'e's confession, the earliest batch had been in the Ten Thousand Souls Banner for nearly twenty years.

Besides proving that the monk Ku'e was extremely wicked, it also serves as evidence that he was unrelated to the forced conscription of boys and girls in Cui County. Twenty years ago, Princess Hongyu hadn't even been born yet, and Cui County was still a dilapidated little town.

If everything was a conspiracy by the monk Kua'e, why dig a pit in the wilderness? It would be better to hide it directly in the city, such as under a prison or near an execution ground, where the death aura would be used to cover up the death aura, making it less likely to be discovered.

According to the monk's own confession, he did not come to Cui County often. He usually killed people elsewhere to practice his skills. The evil demon naturally wanted to stay away from his place of rebirth to avoid being wiped out. He would only come once a year to fill the corpses and nourish the evil cursed spirit child.

Who would have thought that Su Chunyi and Chen Ye would happen to find this mass grave, and that Su Chunyi would be able to pinpoint the location of the monk Ku'e from three hundred miles away.

It can only be said that good and evil will eventually be rewarded, and Heaven certainly did not forgive him.

After the new grave was erected, Su Chunyi also had the last line of her name engraved on it.

Looking at the tombstone, Su Chunyi sighed, "Perhaps someone will find this place, see this tombstone, and know what happened. If they are relatives of the victim, they will know that the enemy has been brought to justice, and perhaps they can let go of their hatred."

Chen Ye nodded; this was indeed his suggestion.

Often, cause and effect are determined by a single thought. Perhaps one day in the future, this tombstone can resolve someone else's karmic entanglements, which would be considered a meritorious deed.

After finishing this matter, Su Chunyi bid farewell to Chen Ye.

"I will take the cursed spirit child back to the Qinghe Sword Sect and beg my master to save his life. I entrust the matter of Cui County to you, sir."

This girl is truly decisive; she's just returned and is already leaving again.

However, she can fly on a sword, and a round trip will take at most half a month. Chen Ye can take this opportunity to investigate the truth, and he thinks that when they meet again, everything will be clear.

As Chen Ye watched Su Chunyi fly into the sky, he was about to turn and leave when he saw a phantom of a blue lotus blooming somewhere beside him.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the sword box that Su Chunyi had given him before, along with a jade tablet.

Chen Ye was knowledgeable and recognized that this was a communication jade tablet that could record information.

When spiritual energy is infused into it, patches of light and shadow are projected out, which are exactly the appearance of Su Chunyi.

The phantom said to Chen Ye, "Sir, you are righteous and willing to find a way out for the innocent victims, but not all righteous cultivators accept the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, so it is best to use it sparingly."

"The sword box is a gift to you, sir. The jade tablet belongs to the Qinghe Sword Sect. If you encounter any trouble from cultivators of other sects, just show the jade tablet to explain. Most righteous sects will give the Qinghe Sword Sect face and save you a lot of trouble."

"Please take good care of yourself, sir. We'll meet again someday. I wish us both further progress in our cultivation."

The light and shadow dissipated and returned to the jade tablet.

Chen Ye stared at the sword box and jade tablet left behind by Su Chunyi in silence for a long time, until Mo Ci's voice came: "Don't think too much, you little devil. The deeper you get entangled, the faster you'll die when your identity is exposed."

Chen Ye gave an awkward smile, but said to Mo Ci, "Master, how come you couldn't see your disciple's good intentions?"

Mo Ci: ...

Judging from his tone, it seems this wicked disciple is about to spout some fallacies again.

Ignoring Mo Ci's thoughts, Chen Ye continued, "My relationship with Miss Su is now quite good. Not only can I get her help to heal this cursed child, but even the Myriad Soul Banner in my possession has been certified by the Qinghe Sword Sect."

Because this secret technique might save those vengeful spirits who have lost their minds, although they might not be able to be resurrected, they might be able to barely survive. Chen Ye then said that perhaps one day someone will really create a method of reincarnation, so that these innocent people will not be completely destroyed and will have a chance to be reborn.

Most people wouldn't believe this explanation; they would simply think Chen Ye didn't want to destroy the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and was a complete little devil. But Su Chun believed it. She also felt that it was already pitiful that innocent people were being harmed by a devil, and now to have to destroy them with her own hands was indeed too cruel. So she agreed with Chen Ye to temporarily preserve these vengeful spirits.

Chen Ye then said to Mo Ci, "The vengeful spirits in my hands have already been cleansed. You can take them directly to the Qinghe Sword Sect leader and ask him for help. Miss Su has no idea of ​​your existence, Master. If I told her that you were originally a vengeful spirit from the Ten Thousand Souls Banner..." Upon hearing this, Mo Ci trembled and said, "I... I can also be saved by the Qinghe Sword Sect?!"

Despite Mo Ci's nonchalant demeanor when he lost his power, he was overwhelmed with excitement upon hearing that he could still be saved.

Chen Ye comforted him, "Don't worry too much, Master. My relationship with Miss Su isn't good enough for the Qinghe Sword Sect leader to help you restore your soul. Besides, it's hard to say what that leader is thinking. What if he disagrees? But at least it's a way, and it seems hopeful for now."

Mo Ci quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, you did a great job. I'll teach you some more tricks for dealing with women. You must win this girl over."

Chen Ye's expression stiffened, and he refused, "Master, let's skip this."

When it came to his own life, Mo Ci became agitated.

"You wicked disciple, do you think I don't know? You are a pure yang body, yet you've never even touched a woman. How would you know how to please a woman? You think being good-looking is enough? In the eyes of mortals, perhaps you could have women flocking to you with a flick of your finger, but in the eyes of cultivators, physical appearance is unimportant. What matters is the methods!"

Chen Ye: ...

That old devil is truly disrespectful for his age.

Listening to Mo Ci's rambling, Chen Ye just let it go in one ear and out the other. How could he use the tricks to deceive women on Su Chunyi? He'd rather slit his own throat than die.

Moreover, while he might be clinging to someone's powerful backer, Chen Ye was, after all, a demonic cultivator, so he could only rub against him lightly and wouldn't dare to truly hold on tightly.

Ultimately, cultivating immortality still depends on oneself. Relying on others is merely having another way out.

Chen Ye pretended to listen, then took down the white banner that contained Mo Ci and hung it together with the pitch-black Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

Mo Ci shouted angrily, "You unfilial disciple, what are you doing? Are you trying to refine your master?"

Chen Ye explained, “I can’t exactly carry two long banners. I’ve worked so hard to build up my reputation as a reclusive master in Cui County. Shouldn’t I be careful about my appearance? Don’t worry, Master, my Ten Thousand Soul Banner won’t harm your noble body.”

Mo Ci pondered for a moment and said, "Are you really going to investigate this matter of the virgin boy and girl?"

Hearing that his master's tone was off, Chen Ye quickly asked, "Master, what's troubling you? Didn't we agree to cling tightly to the Qinghe Sword Sect?"

Mo Ci's earlier excitement had faded, and he pondered, "This matter is strange in every way."

Chen Ye said, "I know there's something strange about this, but I've been entrusted with this task, and I have to be loyal to my duty. I've already taken the Qi Condensation Pill, saving me from more than ten years of hardship, so I can't just spit it out again. Besides, the Qinghe Sword Sect might even give me a return gift, so it would be a loss if I didn't go."

For a ruthless old devil like Mo Ci, you can't persuade him with morality and rules; you have to talk about interests. An investigation is definitely necessary, but Chen Ye also understands the importance of self-preservation. He'll go back to Cui County first to assess the situation. If there's a crisis he can't handle, he'll just talk to Su Chun later.

This Miss Su deserves Chen Ye's open and honest advice; if he tries to fabricate things, it will only ruin their friendship.

Hearing Chen Ye say this, Mo Ci no longer objected.

The benefits from the Qinghe Sword Sect are indeed hard to come by, but if you do manage to get them, you'll definitely make a fortune.

"Alright, you're smarter than me, so figure out how to handle it yourself. I need to take a break, but there are three things you need to listen to me about."

Hearing the change in Mo Ci's tone, Chen Ye quickly asked, "What are your instructions, Master?"

"First, before getting involved in this mess, refine the sword box. The little girl has already left the refining method on the sword box, so it shouldn't take much time. Second, you should also choose a spell to study diligently in preparation for combat."

Chen Ye nodded; his master was concerned for his safety.

Combat is the most dangerous tribulation in cultivation. This time, he was able to defeat the monk Ku'e, and luck was only half on his part. He could be considered lucky. In the future, if he encounters other cultivators and a fight breaks out, Chen Ye will need to have a way to protect himself.

“Okay, I agree. What’s the third thing?” Chen Ye asked.

"Thirdly, remember to wear a mask. Your current appearance will only cause you a lot of unnecessary trouble if you go to Cui County again."

Chen Ye: ? ? ?
(End of this chapter)