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

Chapter 37 Extremely Cruel
Chen Ye arrived very early, long before the lamp wick had even burned to ashes.

Princess Hongyu was still analyzing for Lan Shi why she was convinced that Chen Ye was a demon, and Lan Shi was sweating profusely as she listened.

The princess, kept hidden deep in the palace, guessed too accurately; she was exposed simply because she took away those corpses.

After waiting and listening all night, Chen Ye only became more confused, so he decided to show himself.

After going around in circles for so many days, Chen Ye finally found the person behind the strange events in Cui County. Not wanting to waste any more time, he decided to find out the truth tonight.

Seeing that Princess Hongyu was trembling with fear, Chen Ye felt that it was just right, saving him the trouble of interrogating her.

Chen Ye said to Princess Hongyu, "It is my fault for disturbing you so late at night. However, I still need the Princess's help to resolve this matter concerning Cui County, so please do not refuse."

"I wonder what the elder wants to know?"

Princess Hongyu dared not move, and even spoke in a low voice, for fear of waking Lanshi, as if as long as the little girl did not wake up, she could escape a disaster.

Chen Ye cut to the chase: "I want to know everything. Who exactly are you? Why is the princess in the palace involved with cultivators? Was the forced conscription of young boys and girls in Cui County on your orders? And for whom are so many children being collected?"

Princess Hongyu did not answer. Instead, she asked resolutely, "I can tell you everything, but first tell me, what did you do to Xiaoshitou? She couldn't possibly betray me. How do you know she's one of my people?"

Chen Ye hadn't expected the princess to care about this, and explained, "Don't worry, I didn't do anything to this girl. I was just guessing. Princess Hongyu, Little Thief Lanshi... I originally guessed that this girl was the princess in disguise, but now it seems I was overthinking it. After all, it's not that old-fashioned story. A woman of noble birth wouldn't show her face in public so easily."

Princess Hongyu hadn't expected this reason.

However, when she named Lan Shi, she did have this idea in mind. She hoped that Lan Shi would live a life completely different from her own. So, since she herself was Hong Yu, she would be called Lan Shi.

This may be the cause and effect.

Chen Ye couldn't help but smile when he saw Princess Hongyu's resigned expression.

The claim that he associated the names with the princess was just something he made up on the spot. There are so many names in the world, it's really far-fetched to connect the thief with the princess based solely on this one name.

In fact, Chen Ye tampered with Lan Shi.

The vengeful spirits within the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls cannot stray too far and cannot possess Lan Shi, but the yin spirits can leave behind enough yin energy on her.

A cultivator at the Qi Awakening Realm can see the flow of spiritual energy. Chen Ye was able to find Princess Hongyu by following the traces of the remaining Yin energy, which is why Chen Ye readily released her back then.

Cultivators have too many ways to bully mortals, so no matter how clever this little girl is, it's useless.

Of course, there's no need to tell the princess about this method; we might need it next time.

Chen Ye reminded her, "Princess, it's almost dawn. Now that I've answered your question, you should answer mine too."

"That's right. It was indeed my order to forcibly conscript boys and girls in Cui County. I forged an imperial document and ordered Cui County to collect three thousand boys and girls. This is because someone wants to use these three thousand boys and girls as sacrifices to set up a soul-cleansing array for infant spirits."

"Infant Spirit Cleansing Array?"

There are countless formations in the world, and even the Ten Thousand Soul Banner has countless versions, so it's not surprising that Chen Ye had never heard of this formation before.

However, the methods of the demonic path are mostly cruel and bloody sacrifices, and it is likely that none of these three thousand boys and girls will survive.

Princess Hongyu seemed to have resigned herself to her fate, and confessed: "I became a disciple of Elder Tianwu. He cultivates demonic arts and needs three thousand boys and girls as sacrifices. I happened to have this Cui County as my fiefdom, so I ordered him to collect boys and girls for him..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye interrupted, saying, "Princess, there's no need for this. I arrived earlier and overheard your conversation with Miss Lan Shi. You deliberately lured the Qinghe Sword Sect here; you didn't willingly work for that fiend. Since things have come to this, you might as well be frank. Perhaps there's still a chance for things to turn around."

Hearing Chen Ye say this, Princess Hongyu showed no joy whatsoever, only sneered: "Why do you talk like you're going to save me? Aren't you a demon too? People of the demonic path are selfish and self-serving. What do the lives of young boys and girls, my life and death, have to do with you? You're saying such soft words because you want to know the secret of this magic array, right? All demons are like this, greedy, selfish, cruel... You might as well just kill me and search my soul."

Chen Ye was slightly embarrassed. His identity as a demonic cultivator was real, but he really didn't think much of the Infant Spirit Cleansing Array. He would rather die than use such bloody and cruel methods.

However, how could this princess not see the situation clearly at this moment?

Life and death are in the hands of others; it is not wise to provoke them with words.

As if sensing something, Chen Ye chanted a spell and ran his fingers across his eyes, turning his pupils golden.

Looking at Princess Hongyu again, one could indeed see countless traces of spiritual energy on her body, forming various runes.

Chen Ye sighed, "The runes are slightly different, but they're roughly the same. Princess, so you're also a cursed spirit child. If I kill you, I'm afraid Old Man Wu will sense it. You want me and that demon to both die, right? Wait, no... how come Miss Lan is also a cursed spirit child!"

As soon as Chen Ye finished speaking, Princess Hongyu threw a hidden weapon at him.

With a soft thud, Princess Hongyu threw out a powder packet that exploded on its own.

Smoke filled the room, making it pitch black.

Princess Hongyu was prepared; she grabbed Lanshi and threw it towards the door. The princess was clearly skilled in martial arts, and Lanshi was petite, so she easily caught it. But just as she was about to exert force, Princess Hongyu felt something touch her shoulder.

The next moment, Princess Hongyu's whole body stiffened, and she couldn't even move her fingers.

"Princess, what's wrong..."

When Lan Shi woke up, the dust had already settled in the room.

The little girl only saw Chen Ye sitting by the bed, while Princess Hongyu lay stiffly on the bed.

Lan Shi wanted to save people without thinking, but unfortunately he soon followed in the footsteps of Princess Hongyu and became stiff all over when Chen Ye touched him lightly.

Chen Ye patted the dust off his body. This stuff seemed to be somewhat toxic, but fortunately it didn't have much of an effect on cultivators.

Having eavesdropped for most of the night, Chen Ye wasn't idle; he spent a lot of time practicing his spells and finally managed to draw a freezing spell on the palms of both hands, one for each of them.

Seeing the two terrified girls, Chen Ye spoke again, "Princess, you made such a big fuss just to save Miss Lan Shi? You are of noble birth, yet you were willing to sacrifice yourself. It seems you truly have your reasons. I know you don't trust me, but since you're not even afraid of death, why not take a chance and trust me this once?"

As Chen Ye spoke, he removed the immobilization spell from the two of them.

The young girl quickly shielded Princess Hongyu behind her, and a small knife appeared in her hand without her noticing.

These two men, one sacrificing himself to send Lan Shi away, and the other loyally protecting his master as soon as he gained his freedom, truly earned Chen Ye's admiration.

Chen Ye had no choice but to say to Lan Shi, "Miss Lan, you should know that I don't need to go to such lengths to kill people. If you want the princess to live, then persuade her. I sincerely want to save people. Not just those three thousand innocent children, but also you and your servant."

Although Lan Shi was still unclear about what had happened, she was somewhat inclined to believe Chen Ye's words.

Having witnessed Chen Ye's mysterious ability to subdue a large group of martial arts practitioners in an instant, Lan Shi knew he was no match for him.

If there's really a glimmer of hope, then we might as well listen to him and give it a try.

Lan Shi put down his dagger and whispered in Princess Hongyu's ear, "Princess, why don't we give it a try? We can't resist anyway."

Princess Hongyu sighed. Mortals are ultimately no match for cultivators. If this person truly harbors any ill intentions, they are powerless to resist. Since that's the case, they might as well take a gamble.

Princess Hongyu straightened her clothes and said to Chen Ye, "Daoist Master, you are magnanimous and don't hold my offense against you, so I won't hide anything from you. But what exactly do you want to know?"

Chen Ye breathed a sigh of relief, finally managing to get her to talk. He then asked, "Princess, are you and this Miss Lan not actually mistress and servant, but blood sisters?"

Lan Shi stared in surprise, but Princess Hongyu seemed to have known all along, and said in a sorrowful tone, "That's right, Lan Shi is my sister, the youngest of all my siblings, and the only one who survived. That old devil prepared many bodies for possession, and since I can remember, he has brought one or two sisters or brothers almost every year."

“I know they are all my blood relatives, and I can feel their blood connection to me. That old demon didn't hide it from me; instead, he forced me to personally draw runes on them, turning them into puppets like me. However, not everyone can withstand this ritual. Over the years, only Blue Stone has survived.”

"The others... all died at my hands, I killed them with my own hands."

Princess Hongyu seemed to recall that tragic past, her body trembling uncontrollably, her fingernails digging deep into her palms, blood staining her dress.

Chen Ye couldn't help but sigh. The methods of the Demonic Sect were truly cruel, forcing teenage girls to kill their own brothers and sisters. They were truly inhuman.

Chen Ye asked, "So, you deliberately lured the Qinghe Sword Sect here, hoping that righteous cultivators could save you from your suffering. Your forced conscription of young boys and girls was to escalate the situation, right?"

Princess Hongyu nodded, saying helplessly, "That's true. It's a pity that it only attracted the Daoist priest. I think you're not actually a cultivator from the Qinghe Sword Sect, but just a fake, right?"

"You guessed right, I am indeed not a righteous cultivator."

Chen Ye's words filled Princess Hongyu with despair, shattering her last hope. In a few days, Old Man Wu would emerge from seclusion, where he would either forcibly abduct young boys and girls or immediately possess their bodies.

Regardless of which one it was, the sisters were ultimately doomed to die.

Chen Ye didn't find it amusing to appreciate the girl's despairing expression, so he said to Princess Hongyu, "However, I do know some cultivators from the Qinghe Sword Sect. They hate evil and will definitely be able to save you from this predicament."

Princess Hongyu looked at Chen Ye in disbelief and asked excitedly, "Really?"

“Of course it’s true, and I have no reason to lie to you. However, she won’t be back for a few more days. Before that, please tell me all the information about that demon, Princess, so I can make preparations. What is his cultivation level now?”

Princess Hongyu didn't bother to ask whether it was true or not, and hurriedly said, "I don't know much about cultivation, but I heard him say that he has already reached the Tongxuan realm, and this time he hopes to undergo a transformation of his soul and break through to the Huashen realm."

Chen Ye laughed and said, "It's just the Profound Realm? Then it's simple."

Su Chunyi is also at the Tongxuan Realm, but the Qinghe Sword Sect is the best in the world.

(End of this chapter)