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

Chapter 39 Are You Willing to Enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls?
The bright moon was setting in the west, and dawn was not far away.

A bulky, dark figure darted through the night, stepping over rooftops and skimming the treetops, disappearing from the city in the blink of an eye.

This is Chen Ye carrying two little girls as he runs.

Princess Hongyu had just chosen to believe Chen Ye when the young Taoist priest uttered "Excuse me," then pulled back the quilt, wrapping himself and Lan Shi inside.

Before either of them could react, Chen Ye carried them on his back and sped out of the magnificent princess's mansion like lightning.

When the cold wind hit her face, Princess Hongyu realized that she had been kidnapped.

Didn't we agree to lift the curse on them? Why are they looking like flower thieves?
"Please forgive me, ladies, but the curse cannot be lifted at the Princess's residence. Time is of the essence, so it would be better if I took you with me to save some time."

Chen Ye's words reached their ears on the wind, and neither Princess Hongyu nor Lan Shi dared to struggle.

Princess Hongyu felt her heart pounding. Although she had learned martial arts, she had never been able to leap across rooftops like this before. Confined to the palace since childhood, her life and death were beyond her control. She had thought of escaping, but the palace gates were like the gates of hell. If she dared to cross them, she would surely be caught and brought back, and the punishments would be unbearable.

As she grew older, a curse that allowed her to possess another's body was placed upon her, and Princess Hongyu was able to come and go freely.

But at this moment, she no longer had the will to escape.

The world is vast, and there's nowhere for me to go. As long as that old devil is alive, I'll always be a lamb to the slaughter, and it won't make a difference where I go.

But tonight seems a little different.

Princess Hongyu couldn't help but quietly ask, "Little Stone, do you usually scale walls and roofs like this?"

Lan Shi replied softly, "That's about right, but his lightness skill is much better than mine. He can run so fast while carrying two people on his back."

“Silly girl, this isn’t martial arts; it must be some kind of magic.” Princess Hongyu exclaimed, “Cultivators are truly powerful; mortals can never compare.”

Lan Shi couldn't help but ask again, "Princess, can we also cultivate? This young man seems quite approachable; perhaps we could become his disciples?"

Princess Hongyu rolled her eyes at Lanshi. This silly girl, even if the voice was very soft, he could hear it at such a close distance.

But I couldn't help but feel a little hopeful.

If this Taoist priest is truly a good person, and if he can really break the curse that caused the possession, then perhaps...

However, before Princess Hongyu could even begin to dream about the future, Chen Ye had already stopped in his tracks.

Chen Ye put the two girls down and pointed in a direction.

"It's just ahead."

Princess Hongyu and Lanshi then realized that they had left the city. However, the city gate was not far behind them. They had just left the city gate and arrived at a dense forest beside the official road.

Confused, the two had no choice but to follow Chen Ye. They hadn't gone far when they heard the howling of a cold wind, and they felt that the surroundings had become much colder.

Lan Shi exclaimed in surprise, "Princess, I've heard that voice before."

After walking several dozen more steps, one could see bursts of will-o'-the-wisps and phosphorescent light ahead, with countless vengeful spirits flying through the forest, carrying dismembered corpses in their hands, the stench of blood so strong it was nauseating.

Princess Hongyu and Lanshi stopped in their tracks in fright. What was this "Hundred Ghosts Parade" all about?
Could it be that all our trust was misplaced, and this young Taoist priest was no different from any other demon?!
Seeing that the two girls were too scared to move, Chen Ye felt a little embarrassed.

This scene is a bit scary.

After leaving Hengdao Inn, Chen Ye did not immediately begin tracking Lan Shi. Instead, he first came to this place and put down the corpse and the Ten Thousand Soul Banner from his storage bag.

Then, under Mo Ci's guidance, he ordered the other vengeful spirits to set up an array here to process the corpses of those martial arts practitioners so that they could be re-refined into suitable physical bodies.

The Myriad Soul Banner truly lives up to its reputation as an essential magical artifact for demonic cultivators. It is indeed the most practical and convenient artifact, allowing one to simply drop it and go about other things without delaying important matters.

However, it was only because Chen Ye was bold enough to allow the vengeful spirits within the Ten Thousand Souls Banner to roam freely. Ordinary demons usually subdue vicious and wicked ghosts, who are utterly devoid of reason. If they dared to let them roam freely, they would be the first to suffer.

This is a move that ordinary demonic cultivators really can't learn.

Upon seeing Chen Ye return, the white banner that Mo Ci was possessing also floated over and asked in confusion, "Why did you bring these two girls here? We already have enough flesh and blood, there's no need to add more. Besides, these two girls are not very fleshy and are not of much use."

In the eerily dark and blood-stained grove, the white banner with its ghostly face spoke, instantly terrifying Lan Shi into screaming, "No, don't eat me, I...I..."

Princess Hongyu quickly shielded her behind her and said to Chen Ye, "Daoist Master, is this the method of saving people you spoke of?" Chen Ye understood Princess Hongyu's unspoken meaning—you still say you're not a demon?!

The scene was indeed strange, and Chen Ye couldn't explain it. He could only say helplessly, "Master, please don't scare the little girl. These two are my guests."

Mo Ci scoffed, "Hmph, I told you to wear a mask but you wouldn't listen, and now you've got so many romantic entanglements. If that Miss Su sees this, let's see how you explain yourself."

Chen Ye laughed in exasperation and couldn't help but say, "Master, can you please stop making wild guesses? Fine, I'm too lazy to explain. You go about your business, I'll handle things here myself."

Upon hearing this, Mo Ci floated back to the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts and continued his work on dismembering and refining his body.

Looking at the two trembling figures, Chen Ye could only explain, "This scene is indeed easy to misunderstand. If you two are unwilling to believe me, I will not force you to stay, and you may leave on your own. But if you are willing to believe me, then come with me, and let me try to lift the curse on you."

Seeing that Chen Ye didn't seem inclined to stop him, Lan Shi spoke first: "I'm willing to believe the Taoist priest. If you truly harbored ill intentions, there's no need for such trouble. Princess, don't you agree?"

Princess Hongyu wanted to say that Lanshi was too naive, as demons have endless tricks up their sleeves, and it's not so easy to tell the difference.

It's almost dawn now. Going back now would expose their whereabouts and quickly attract Jiang Shiyue's attention. Once their meeting with Chen Ye is exposed, their lives would be in immediate danger.

Now that things have come to this, they have no other choice.

"In that case, we will trouble you, Daoist Master."

Chen Ye led the two girls away from the bloody and cruel formation to another open space, where he took out the Ksitigarbha Sutra. Last time, he had successfully extracted the soul of the monk Ku'e using the secret techniques recorded in this sutra, thus preventing him from possessing the monk's body.

But today is different. We can't let the two little girls wait here until the day Old Man Wu dies.

What Chen Ye needs to do is prepare a substitute for the two women and transfer the possession curse from them to them.

This way, they might be able to break the curse on the two of them without alerting the old demon.

However, there is one problem.

The key to the evil cursed spirit child lies in bloodline. Princess Hongyu and Lanshi are clearly descendants of that old demon who used various methods to create their bloodline. To transfer the evil curse of the evil cursed spirit child, it is also necessary to have descendants of that old demon's bloodline; otherwise, the evil curse cannot take effect.

Chen Ye briefly explained the principle to the two girls, and then said, "I will take your blood and have my master help me create two substitutes, which may be able to transfer the evil curse."

“However, a fabricated substitute is ultimately of impure blood. I cannot guarantee a 100% success rate, and it is possible that the old devil will discover it soon. You two can consider it for a few more days. Now, let me modify the evil curse on you. After the substitute is completed, I will transfer the evil curse to you. Princess, please go first.”

Just as Chen Ye was about to make his move, Princess Hongyu suddenly said to Lan Shi, "Little Stone, go and keep watch so that no one will disturb us."

Lan Shi didn't understand, but he still obeyed the order and quickly disappeared into the forest, as if he really was going to keep watch.

As Chen Ye looked on in confusion, Princess Hongyu whispered, "According to what the Taoist priest just said, if they are sisters who are truly connected by blood, the chances of success are much greater?"

Chen Ye nodded, but then shook his head: "Princess, please don't overthink it. Even if you two are siblings, I would never risk someone else's life. Killing one to save another is an evil deed."

Princess Hongyu said, "No, what I want to ask is whether it would be more reliable to transfer the evil curse on Little Stone to me."

"Huh?" Chen Ye never expected that Princess Hongyu would make this request.

Upon closer reflection, it doesn't seem impossible. Although it would be a waste to plant the evil curse of the Cursed Spirit Child twice on the same person, Chen Ye's understanding of this vicious spell seems to suggest that it is merely a waste and would not conflict with it.

At least, the success rate is much higher than transferring it to a flesh substitute, making it worth the risk.

"It's not that it's impossible, but if that happens, Princess, you'll be..."

Princess Hongyu said firmly, "It's alright. Under that old devil's control, I have committed many evil deeds and no longer wish to live. But Little Stone has done nothing wrong. Please, Daoist, do not let her know."

Chen Ye met the princess's gaze and saw the resolute look in her eyes; she probably really didn't want to live anymore.

Chen Ye wanted to persuade her again, but suddenly thought of another way and said to Princess Hongyu, "If the princess really wants to sacrifice herself, then I have another way."

Princess Hongyu quickly said, "Please speak, Taoist priest. I am willing to do anything to save Xiaoshitou."

Chen Ye pointed to the Hundred Ghosts Parade in the distance and said, "That is my magic weapon. If the princess is willing to enter my Ten Thousand Souls Banner, there may still be a glimmer of hope."

(End of this chapter)