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

Chapter 44 Different ways do not work together

In the current cultivation world, it is a time when the Tao flourishes and demons vanish.

The five major righteous sects suppressed all demons. While it cannot be said that all demonic cultivators in the world have been eliminated, it can be said that they are largely accurate.

Therefore, apart from the Qinghe Sword Sect, few other sects are enthusiastic about eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path.

After all, the purpose of cultivation is to achieve longevity; there's no need to put the cart before the horse like that Qinghe Sect Leader did.

There's no such thing as expending one's lifespan to stubbornly resist ascending to immortality.

Other sects find it difficult to understand the rules of the Qinghe Sword Sect. Therefore, in the eyes of outsiders, the disciples of the Qinghe Sword Sect are as aloof as swords and somewhat unapproachable.

But upon seeing him today, Wei Changsheng felt that the rumors were a bit off. This Qinghe Sword Sect disciple was clearly gentle and generous, not arrogant or cold at all; he was just too naive.

On the great river, Wei Changsheng and Su Chunyi each piloted their magical artifacts and flew towards Cui County.

Wei Changsheng was a disciple of the Incense Burning Sect. He was ordered by the sect leader, Lu Xingzhou, to find that rogue cultivator and exchange secret techniques.

However, Wei Changsheng had no idea where Chen Ye was, so he could only ask Su Chunyi to lead the way.

The Incense Burning Sect and the Qinghe Sword Sect have always been on good terms. Su Chunyi was also quite polite to this Senior Brother Wei. In addition, Su Chunyi's outstanding appearance made Wei Changsheng develop a lot of goodwill towards her.

Although the two were close in age, their cultivation levels differed considerably.

Su Chunyi is already at the Tongxuan Realm, while Wei Changsheng is only at the Gangsha Realm.

Wei Changsheng was quite proud of himself. It was rare to see a cultivator his age who could endure the pain of the Qi Refining Body. But then he turned around and saw Su Chunyi. This girl was a few years younger than him. He really didn't know how she had endured the pain of the Qi Refining Body.

The more he thought about it, the more he admired Su Chunyi, and he couldn't help but want to say a few more words to her.

The conversation shifted from cultivation to experience. Wei Changsheng asked with a hint of flattery, "I've heard that disciples of the Qinghe Sword Sect often go out to train. Junior Sister, you must have already slain quite a few demons. That's truly admirable."

Su Chunyi said, "Senior brother misunderstands. This is my first time going out for training. As for eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path, I... did encounter a demon, but unfortunately I didn't succeed. He still managed to escape, and I almost implicated others."

Su Chun recalled how he had killed the physical body of the monk Ku'e, but his soul had left.

If Chen Ye hadn't acted cautiously and used his skills cleverly, he might have been implicated and harmed innocently.

Whenever Su Chunyi thought of this, she felt guilty and wished she could return to Chen Ye's side immediately, determined to protect him this time.

Wei Changsheng, unaware of the inside story, spoke with the air of someone who had been through it all: "Junior sister, there's no need to blame yourself. Demons are cunning, and it's normal for you to make mistakes due to your lack of experience. When I was out training, I also encountered a demon. At that time, I had just entered the Gang Sha Realm and had only condensed one layer of Sha Qi, while the other party was already at the ninth level of Gang Sha, almost reaching the Tong Xuan Realm."

"However, I am, after all, a disciple of a prestigious sect. That demon only had the Ten Thousand Souls Banner on him. Even though his cultivation was higher than mine, I could hold on. After fighting him for half a day, the demon even had disciples come to his aid. He was just a minor demon at the Qi Sea Realm. I smashed the Five Immortal Furnace into him and broke his protective spell. Just as I was about to kill him, the old demon rushed over like a madman."

"I then seized upon that demon's weakness, specifically targeting the little demon at the Qi Sea Realm and throwing magic weapons at him. The old demon was confused by his concern, and I finally found an opening, capturing him and the little demon together in the Five Immortals Furnace and refining them into ashes."

Upon hearing this, Su Chun frowned and asked in confusion, "Senior brother, have you investigated what heinous things these two demons have done?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Changsheng said nonchalantly, "What else could it be? Most likely, it's some kind of demonic practice involving killing to cultivate. A demon wielding the Myriad Soul Banner must be burdened with sins. If you see one, just kill it; you won't go wrong. If you're worried about the power of the Myriad Soul Banner, Junior Sister, I can teach you a couple of spells to conceal your presence. I'm particularly skilled at these spells."

Su Chunyi didn't know how to respond.

She felt that Wei Changsheng's reckless actions were inappropriate, but her elders had reminded her that the rules of the Qinghe Sword Sect were not universally applicable. When traveling, one must remember that the sect rules only restrict one's own people. Unless absolutely necessary, one should not compete with others, especially other righteous sects, lest one incite infighting among fellow practitioners and give the evil forces an opportunity to take advantage.

Su Chunyi dared not disobey. Although she felt that Wei Changsheng was inappropriate, she still maintained a polite smile.

Wei Changsheng took Su Chunyi's smile as approval and boasted even more enthusiastically about his "experience".

Su Chun felt her face stiffen; why did this senior brother talk so much? She could hardly laugh anymore.

I must not have been serious enough when I was practicing my body-refining technique, otherwise my smile would have frozen after a while.

Having finally realized that Su Chunyi's smile was just a formality, Wei Changsheng finally changed the subject from his demon-slaying achievements to Chen Ye.

"Junior Sister Su, I heard that the rogue cultivator was only at the Qi Sea Realm. How did he obtain this Heavenly Book Secret Technique?"

"He killed a demon at the Tongxuan realm."

Wei Changsheng nodded. So it was also spoils of war seized from the demon. This little rogue cultivator was quite lucky... Wait, something seems off.

Wei Changsheng asked in surprise, "Didn't that rogue cultivator just condense his Qi Sea? How could he kill a demon in the Tongxuan Realm? Even with the help of a magic weapon, it's impossible."

The gap in skill levels is not so easily bridged.

Even though most of those demons were rogue cultivators whose magical treasures and techniques were inferior to those of disciples from famous sects, it was still unheard of for someone at the Qi Sea Realm to kill someone at the Profound Realm.

If there truly are such geniuses in the world, then what's the point of others cultivating themselves?
Wei Changsheng didn't believe it, so he couldn't help but ask, "Junior Sister Su, have you misunderstood? Perhaps this rogue cultivator just got the Heavenly Book Secret Technique by chance, and it's unlikely that he obtained it after killing a demon in the Tongxuan Realm. Junior Sister, this is your first time going out to train, so you may not know the character of those rogue cultivators. In order to build good relations with us disciples from prestigious sects, they will dare to make up any lie."

Su Chun wanted to explain things clearly, but seeing Wei Changsheng's arrogant demeanor, she immediately lost the will to do so.

Different road non-phase plan.

Even though they are both among the five major righteous sects, the atmosphere of the Incense Burning Sect is quite different from that of the Qinghe Sword Sect.

Su Chunyi couldn't help but recall the scene of discussing philosophy with Chen Ye in the teahouse. Even though it was their first meeting, they felt a deep connection.

Listening to Wei Changsheng's incessant reminders to be wary of the wickedness of people, Su Chunyi said helplessly, "Senior Brother Wei, the journey to Cui County is long, we need to speed up."

Wei Changsheng nodded and said, "Junior Sister Su is right."

Upon hearing this, Su Chun smiled politely and then disappeared from Wei Changsheng's sight.

Wei Changsheng was stunned for a moment, only to see a white line sweeping through the clouds in the sky.

"How could her sword light be so fast?!"

Wei Changsheng hurriedly activated the Five Immortal Furnace beneath his seat, but this magic weapon used for alchemy could not keep up with the sword light and lost it completely after flying a short distance.

Losing track was embarrassing, but Wei Changsheng discovered an even more serious problem—he didn't know where Cui County was.

(End of this chapter)