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

Chapter 38 Are there really good people in the world?

The journey of mortals to immortality is fraught with countless difficulties, but in essence, it consists of only seven challenges.

If one passes through these seven stages—Qi Hai, Gang Sha, Tong Xuan, Hua Shen, Fan Xu, and He Dao—one can ascend to immortality.

The first level, Spirit Awakening, is the most difficult, yet also the easiest.

Some people sit atop snow-capped mountains for a hundred years, exhausting their entire lives without ever seeing a trace of spiritual energy, while others, upon opening their door one morning, suddenly see fluorescent lights flowing like a river of stars across the mountains.

It requires no rare or precious materials, no famous teacher's guidance, and no logic whatsoever.

It is likely that the earliest cultivators of immortality stumbled upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, thus embarking on the path of cultivation.

The second stage, the Qi Sea, is precisely where Chen Ye has reached his current level. The hardships involved are known only to those who are lucky. With a single pill, one can save decades of hard work; with bad luck, one might waste their entire life here.

The third stage is the Gang Sha. The human body has its limits. When the Qi Sea expands to its limit and the meridians and acupoints of the human body are filled with spiritual energy, then it is necessary to change one's constitution and merge with heaven and earth.

This hurdle is a matter of life and death.

There are countless kinds of spiritual energy in the world, most of which are harmless and beneficial, but a few are fatal upon contact, known as "罡煞" (gangsha). These can be extremely poisonous, violent, or bitterly cold, each with its own unique danger. Only such extreme substances can refine the physical body and extend lifespan; otherwise, one will be buried in the earth after only two or three hundred years.

Chen Ye had seen records in ancient texts describing the gruesome deaths of those who underwent the Gang Sha Body Refinement; few were even left with intact corpses. Mo Ci had also said that when he was refining his body, it was like being plunged into purgatory, and he almost didn't survive.

The fourth level, Tongxuan, is the most powerful realm Chen Ye has ever seen.

Mo Ci is at the Tongxuan realm, but unfortunately, he has possessed too many bodies, leaving him weak and feeble, making it difficult to discern his true abilities. However, someone as powerful as Su Chunyi at the Tongxuan realm would seem almost indistinguishable from an immortal.

I've heard Mo Ci mention that every cultivator at the Profound Realm possesses a unique skill, not a magic technique, but rather a personal insight. These supernatural abilities cannot be taught; they rely entirely on self-realization, and their effectiveness depends entirely on the individual. Mo Ci felt that the supernatural abilities he had comprehended were utterly useless, which is why he was in such a miserable state.

As for the later stages of Nascent Soul, Return to Emptiness, and Dao Integration, Chen Ye didn't know much about them, and Mo Ci himself didn't understand them either. He never learned how to advance to the Nascent Soul realm in his entire life.

According to Princess Hongyu, this old man Tianwu wants to use three thousand boys and girls to cleanse their souls and break through to the next realm.

This is truly a typical demonic tactic.

Demonic cultivators are known for their directness, but what if they are slow at cultivation and lack elixirs?
eat human!

Humans are also a treasure of nature.

What if you lack the materials to craft magical artifacts?
kill!
Humans are also good materials for refining weapons.

What should I do if I encounter a bottleneck in my cultivation and can't break through it?
Kill people, eat people, don't worry about whether it works or not, just try it first, maybe a powerful brick will do the trick!
So, when demons harm people, their habit of killing first regardless of right or wrong is truly unbearable even to their own people. Who knows if they might be refined by another demon?

Even more outrageous is that some people actually managed to ascend to immortality by eating other people.

With readily available examples before them, many cultivators could not resist the temptation. This old man Tianwu went even further; he secretly manipulated the mortal court and profited from the wealth and power of the officials.

This kind of thing happens once or twice every few hundred years.

It's not fair to blame the righteous cultivators for not working; after all, they can meditate for a hundred years at a time, while this mortal dynasty seems to be only thirty or forty years old. Cultivators always prioritize longevity and can't be constantly watching over each other.

But ordinary demons wouldn't dare to make such a big show of it, since it's a mortal court, which is always more likely to attract attention.

Chen Ye guessed that this old man Tianwu was also desperate and had no choice but to resort to this method.

When faced with imminent death, even the most unscrupulous demonic cultivators are capable of anything.

Although he despised such methods, Chen Ye knew he was no match for Old Man Wu that day. All he could do now was stall for time and wait for Su Chunyi to return.

Only this sword immortal's methods can deal with this kind of treacherous fiend who has stolen the country.

"Princess, can you confirm when Elder Wu emerged from seclusion that day?"

Princess Hongyu shook her head and said, "I don't know. That demon is like a ghost, appearing and disappearing without a trace. I have no idea when he will return or where he is in seclusion. He only instructed me to collect young boys and girls for him. Once it's done, Jiang Shiyue will notify the old demon to come out of seclusion." Chen Ye pondered and said, "It's him again."

After all the twists and turns, this young master Jiang is still the most important.

Chen Ye then asked, "And what level of cultivation does he possess?"

"At the Qi Sea Realm, he once asked me to help him find the Qi and Sha that cleanse his physical body. In order to collect these, many lives were lost. But who would have thought that when the treasure containing the Qi and Sha was brought back, he would become afraid."

Princess Hongyu's tone was full of sarcasm. She didn't know how painful it was to refine one's body with Qi, but she remembered that Jiang Shiyue reached out and grabbed a jade stone that was stained with Qi, and screamed in agony, quickly throwing the jade stone away.

From then on, the box of jade, which had been obtained at the cost of countless lives, was locked in a secret room, and Jiang Shiyue never asked about it again.

Although she didn't know much about the details of cultivation, Princess Hongyu knew that Jiang Shiyue was afraid and didn't dare to break through his cultivation level.

Chen Ye was also quite surprised. He had thought that this usurper had the help of the entire dynasty and must be much more powerful than him. He had even made preparations for this.

Is this the result?

However, it makes sense. Those who choose the demonic path are either not in control of their own destiny or are determined to take shortcuts. The latter are mostly weak-willed, so it's not surprising that they retreat when faced with difficulties.

Princess Hongyu asked, "Does the Taoist priest intend to deal with Jiang Shiyue?"

Princess Hongyu looked at Chen Ye with anticipation, but her heart was filled with vigilance.

No matter how sweetly the young Taoist priest spoke, the thorn in her heart still ached. He was a demon who killed and refined corpses; how could he be any better than others?

He may seem easy to talk to now, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's a genuinely good person. Perhaps once he gets everything he wants, he'll reveal his true colors.

Princess Hongyu grew up in the deep palace, where, besides being haunted by the treacherous Elder Tianwu, she also witnessed the intrigues and ruthlessness of palace intrigues. To exaggerate a bit, Princess Hongyu had hardly ever met a good person in her life.

No one can be trusted, no one can be relied upon; one must use the most malicious intent to judge others, otherwise one cannot survive.

No matter how handsome or pleasant-speaking this young Taoist priest may be, he must have ulterior motives.

But how can I resist when he reveals his true nature?

If these demons could be made to kill each other, there might still be a glimmer of hope.

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "Jiang Shiyue is insignificant, and killing Jiang Shiyue would probably alert that old devil immediately."

Chen Ye's answer disappointed Princess Hongyu. As expected, these demons were selfish and afraid of death. How could they risk their lives so easily?

However, Chen Ye's next sentence stunned Princess Hongyu.

“Princess, although I was entrusted to save those young boys and girls, the children are not in danger of death. However, you and Miss Lan have been cursed. If it is not resolved in time, your lives will be in danger at any time.”

Princess Hongyu remained silent; for the first time in her life, someone cared about her life or death.

However, it's unclear whether he meant it sincerely.

Although still filled with doubt, seeing Chen Ye's sincere expression, Princess Hongyu gritted her teeth and said, "If the Taoist priest can truly save my sisters from this suffering, I am willing..."

Chen Ye quickly interrupted, "Don't talk nonsense. I don't ask for anything in return, just don't spread this and ruin my reputation."

If word gets out that he's using this favor to get something in return, how will Chen Ye ever be able to hold his head high in front of Su Chunyi again? He can't let go of the person he's finally managed to latch onto now.

Princess Hongyu looked at Chen Ye with a face full of doubt. Could it be that she had misunderstood and he really didn't want any reward?

Are there really good people in this world?
(End of this chapter)