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

Chapter 43 Setting a Grand Vision
The sun was setting in the west, and the appointed time was drawing ever closer.

Chen Ye, who had prepared an escape route long ago, was somewhat anxious, while Princess Hongyu looked calm, as if she didn't care about her life or death at all.

Chen Ye was quite surprised by this appearance.

He had seen many people on their deathbeds, and he had even killed someone with his own hands in his life.

But it's rare to see someone as open and honest as her.

"The princess truly doesn't care about her own life or death at all," Chen Ye remarked.

Princess Hongyu said, "My life has been meaningless. If it weren't for Little Stone surviving, I would have ended my own life years ago. I suppose that demon saw through me and deliberately spared Little Stone's life, making me unable to resist raising her and wanting to save her. So I didn't want to die."

Chen Ye comforted you, saying, "Why be so pessimistic? You were controlled by evil people before, and you had no choice in the matter."

Princess Hongyu smiled bitterly: "Even if I killed my own siblings with my own hands, watched them being refined into pills, and had to eat them myself? Besides those siblings, I also harmed many people in the palace in order to escape."

"If it weren't for myself, why would I drag those children into this? Ultimately, it's because I don't want to die. Even so, am I not in control of my own destiny? Since I can't be resolute to the death, how can I deceive myself into believing I have a clear conscience?"

Chen Ye was speechless.

He has never experienced that kind of torment, so he cannot casually comment on right and wrong.

Entangled cause and effect is a sin, and perhaps in her view, only her own death could perfectly end this karmic entanglement.

Princess Hongyu smiled as she looked at Lanshi, who was still searching for birds' nests in the distance, completely bewildered.

"Although my life is short, at least I made Little Stone live happily. All the sins are on my body. When I die, she can live on in place of me and my other brothers and sisters."

Chen Ye finally understood that from the very beginning, she had no intention of surviving.

For Princess Hongyu, those past sins were like torture, constantly tormenting her, and she only endured it like a walking corpse because she could not see any hope.

Now that I can see a glimmer of hope, I'm actually looking forward to getting out of this mess as soon as possible.

As the sun was about to set completely and the last rays of sunlight faded, Princess Hongyu was enveloped in a burst of light, her face contorted in pain. In the distance, Lanshi, who was raiding a bird's nest, let out a scream and nearly fell to the ground.

That old devil had no intention of letting either of them go; even if he could only possess one of them, he would kill both sisters.

Chen Ye sighed. In the end, he didn't get to see Su Chunyi's sword light. Instead, he was possessed by the old demon.

Princess Hongyu said without hesitation, "Let's do it."

Seeing the determination in her eyes, Chen Ye handed her a talisman, then grabbed the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and shook it forcefully.

A chilling wind arose, accompanied by the wailing of ghosts and howling of wolves.

The array that had taken several days to set up was activated. Lan Shi, unaware of what was happening, had already fallen unconscious. The evil curse runes on his body peeled off like butterflies and flew towards Princess Hongyu.

Chen Ye's calculations were flawless; he broke the spell and transferred the items in one smooth motion.

As the curse on Lan Shi was lifted, half of Princess Hongyu's face changed expression, glaring at Chen Ye with a ferocious look, and letting out a low roar: "Who are you, you brat?! How dare you ruin my plans! I'll skin you alive..."

According to the plan, Chen Ye should now activate his secret technique to pull Tianwu Elder's soul out of his body.

If we can pull out this old demon's soul and imprison it just like the monk Kuayi, then Princess Hongyu can live.

She should still be able to maintain herself now; she just needs to hold on for a little while, just a moment, and everything will turn around.

Unfortunately, a ball of black flames ignited from her palm, instantly charring her skin and flesh. The vicious flames, fueled by blood and flesh, devoured her entire body in an instant.

The Blood Burning Curse Talisman is a talisman that Chen Ye obtained from the monk Kua'e.

It wasn't anything special, far inferior to Su Chunyi's sword talisman, but it could still burn a mortal's body in an instant.

Originally, this talisman was meant as a last resort, a means of mutual destruction, and it was clearly agreed that it should not be used until the very last moment.

But Princess Hongyu didn't wait until the very end; perhaps she couldn't wait any longer.

The black flames turned flesh and blood to ashes, and Old Man Wu's soul was left adrift and lost, becoming a wandering ghost.

Judging from his appearance, he was so thin that he looked like a skeleton. Sure enough, his lifespan was coming to an end, and it seemed that his spiritual power was not even as strong as that of the monk Ku'e.

The attempt to possess the body failed, and the physical body he had prepared for so long was burned to ashes. The old man Tianwu let out a venomous roar.

He raised his hand to cast a spell.

Even as a wandering ghost, a cultivator at the Profound Realm still has the power to fight, and even a single move could take Chen Ye's life.

But Chen Ye was faster than Tianwu the Elder.

As Princess Hongyu activated the spirit talisman, Chen Ye had already activated the last sword talisman.

The sword light shone brightly, piercing into the old demon's soul and instantly cleaving it in two, the gap shattering like glass. The formless soul was reduced to fragments by the sword light, rendering it unable to cast spells.

Chen Ye did not stop. Seven sword beams shot out from the sword box behind him, piercing through the remaining debris without reservation. Even so, these debris were still writhing, as if trying to heal themselves.

Without a second thought, Chen Ye shook the Ten Thousand Souls Banner again, and a fleshy ball flew out, turning into ghost fire, which collided with the remnant soul of Old Man Wu that day, bursting into flames that filled the sky.

Amidst the piercing wails, the monk of Bitter Calamity cried out in a frenzy: "Die! Die with me!"

Chen Ye ultimately used the common effects of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, torturing a soul until it became delirious. When released, the soul mistakenly believed that Elder Tianwu was its enemy, and naturally it would fight to the death with the enemy.

As for that ball of flesh, it was a temporary body that Mo Ci had spent several days refining. It wasn't very useful, but it was enough for Monk Ku'e to use as fuel to burn himself and Old Man Tianwu together.

The two wicked demons were entangled together, flames burning their flesh and souls, until they finally shattered completely.

Chen Ye shook the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, and countless vengeful spirits rushed out, completely devouring his remnants, leaving him with no possibility of rebirth.

After completely dealing with Elder Tianwu, Chen Ye looked elsewhere and saw Princess Hongyu's soul floating above her now-ash-out body.

Chen Ye said, "If you enter my Ten Thousand Souls Banner, there is still a glimmer of hope."

Princess Hongyu glanced at the sleeping Lanshi, then shook her head and said to Chen Ye, "Thank you for your mercy, Daoist Master, but I should go and keep my brothers and sisters company."

A gust of wind blew, and the ashes of the physical body scattered, along with Princess Hongyu's soul, which also dissipated in the wind.

Chen Ye remained silent for a long time until Mo Ci's voice reached his ears: "You unfilial disciple, how long are you going to stay so depressed?"

Chen Ye suddenly came to his senses and shook his head, saying, "Master, there's no need to worry. I'm just feeling a little emotional."

Mo Ci retorted, "What are you feeling? She's just a girl I've known for a few days, and we haven't even slept together. What does it have to do with you? There are plenty of people in this world who are worse off than her. If she doesn't want to live anymore, no one can save her."

Chen Ye shook his head again and said, "Master misunderstands. Since she is determined to die, I will naturally not blame myself."

Mo Ci asked doubtfully, "Really? Then why are you spacing out?"

"I was just thinking, what if someone in the future is also full of sins but doesn't want to die? Should we just pretend nothing happened, or help them settle their karma?"

"You unfilial disciple, are you implying something about your master?!"

Mo Ci felt that Chen Ye was cursing him, that he was full of sins but didn't want to die, and that he was the only one left now.

I thought Chen Ye would make excuses as usual, but this time, Chen Ye nodded and admitted: "Master has indeed committed many sins, but I'm not just referring to you. There are so many sinners in the world. If two starving beggars fight over a bun, and the winner lives, does that count as murder?"

"This princess was controlled by a demon since childhood. She killed people just because she didn't want to die. Does that mean she committed a heinous crime? Master, you also became a demon because your entire family was slaughtered.

"Just like me back then, if I hadn't been afraid that you would kill me to practice your skills, I wouldn't have readily become a little devil. Fortunately, you didn't force me to kill anyone, so I can face Miss Su with a clear conscience. What if you really forced me to kill someone? If I killed an innocent person to save my own life, would I only have the option of atonement with my death?"
"Then I'm afraid I can't agree to that."

Mo Ci pondered for a moment and asked, "What exactly is this wicked disciple of yours saying?"

Chen Ye said, "Survival is an instinct, but survival cannot be used as an excuse to harm the innocent. Shouldn't there be a way to measure right and wrong, so that those burdened with sins can atone for their sins?"

This is the first time Chen Ye has pondered such a profound question since his time travel.

Those whose crimes do not warrant death should receive other punishments, not just simple death. Mortals have laws, but laws are not always perfect, and mortal laws do not apply to monks.

Even reputable sects have their own rules, and their standards for right and wrong differ.

But there must be a standard; we can't just leave it unresolved because it's difficult to define.

Innocent victims should also have a chance to start over, or even a chance to take revenge themselves, instead of just being swept away by the wind.

Chen Ye couldn't help but think of the "Ksitigarbha Sutra" in his hand. Perhaps the establishment of the Six Realms of Reincarnation was precisely to give all sentient beings a chance to start over. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's vow not to become a Buddha until hell is emptied was probably also intended to give these vengeful spirits a chance to repent and start anew.

Mo Ci merely sneered, "What's it to you? You're just a minor cultivator in the Qi Sea Realm, an ant among ants. Is this something you should be thinking about?"

Chen Ye retorted, "Master, isn't it normal for young people to have lofty aspirations? Perhaps my spirit will be worn down when I waste hundreds of years and face death, but what's wrong with letting me think about it now? If I don't make this grand vow, how will people know that I aspire to immortality? Not only do I aspire to immortality, but I also want to draw a path for this world, so that all mortal cultivators will follow my rules in the future."

He's a transmigrator after all; he can't possibly cultivate to become an immortal and still find the world unchanged, untouched by his presence. The mere addition of a name to the list of immortals and demons would be far too boring.

The cultivator in the Sea of ​​Talent only wanted to become an immortal, and becoming an immortal wasn't enough; he also wanted all cultivators in the world to be subject to his control.

Chen Ye is now like someone holding an unhatched egg and fantasizing about becoming the richest man in the world. He knows it's unrealistic, but he can't help but think about it.

Mo Ci roared, "Arrogant and ignorant! And you, you wicked disciple, are betraying your master and ancestors again! Do you think I can't tell!"

Chen Ye laughed and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Master, let's pack our things and go."

Mo Ci wasn't really angry. He'd gotten used to this wicked disciple's repeated acts of betrayal and disloyalty. Seeing that he was no longer dejected, he asked, "Where are you going? Aren't you waiting for your Miss Su?"

"She will find me; whether I wait here or not is irrelevant. Although Princess Hongyu perished together with that demon, isn't there still a little devil roaming freely? Everyone else is dead, so why is he still alive?"

"I'm in a bad mood, and I'm determined to eradicate evil completely!"

Let's finish this section in one go. What follows is the story between the cultivators.

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(End of this chapter)