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

Chapter 53 Never give up
Chen Ye asked in confusion, "Master, what just happened?"

Mo Ci spoke to Chen Ye in an extremely serious tone: "I don't know the specific reason either, but I have seen similar situations. If the method of divination is used to calculate the fate of someone whose cultivation is far superior to one's own, even if one is only slightly involved in the cause and effect, one will suffer a backlash."

Chen Ye asked in confusion, "Backlash... someone whose cultivation is far superior to mine... Miss Su is at the Profound Realm, while Wei Changsheng is only at the Divine Fiend Realm, isn't he? Could it be that Wei Changsheng is with some powerful expert, which is why the divination backlash occurred?"

Mo Ci hurriedly said, "I don't know the details either, but you'd better throw this girl away and run away immediately. Whether it's the righteous path or the demonic sect, cultivators hate being schemed against the most, even if it's just by accident, it's a deep-seated hatred. The other party must have already sensed it and may come knocking on your door soon. Su Chunyi was powerless to fight back, if you encounter her, you will surely die."

Chen Ye said in disbelief, "Master, you want me to abandon Miss Su and run for my life?"

"What else? This young girl is a disciple of the Qinghe Sword Sect. With that status, she might still be able to survive. You're just an ant on the roadside, easily crushed. If you abandon her, you might be able to escape, and she might survive. You can also go to the Qinghe Sword Sect to report the news, and perhaps there's still a chance to get reinforcements."

Mo Ci spoke anxiously, saying that a master who could easily break Su Chun's sword technique might be right in front of him in the blink of an eye, and even a moment's hesitation could be fatal.

Seeing that Chen Ye remained unmoved, Mo Ci said excitedly, "You unfilial disciple, now is not the time for womanly compassion. Your petty cleverness is meaningless. You should think about me too!"

In Mo Ci's view, there was no point in Chen Ye staying here to die. No matter how talented he was, he was ultimately just a minor cultivator at the Qi Sea Realm. If the other party didn't care about Su Chunyi's status as a disciple of the Qinghe Sword Sect, Chen Ye, this rogue cultivator, would only be another one to die if he stayed here.

If the other party has reservations and doesn't dare to kill Su Chunyi, then Chen Ye staying here will only make him a target for their anger, and he will also surely die.

This apprentice is usually very clever; he should be able to understand this principle.

Unexpectedly, Chen Ye grinned and said to Mo Ci, "Master, please forgive your unworthy disciple. Everyone inside the banner, please protect my master and run as far away as possible."

Before Mo Ci could say anything more, Chen Ye released the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.

"The villain!"

"Benefactor!"

Regardless of the calls from the sky, Chen Ye had already carried Su Chunyi down into the dense forest below.

Chen Ye had already disappeared, so Yang Chongguang, the main soul of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, could only ask Mo Ci, "Daoist, should we... chase after them?"

Mo Ci roared angrily, "Chase! Chase my ass! If we catch up, we'll all die together! Run!"

Although Yang Chongguang was somewhat disdainful of Mo Ci's desertion, Chen Ye had ordered him to take Mo Ci and escape, and he could not disobey his benefactor's orders, so he could only ask, "Then, where do we run to?"

Mo Ci gritted his teeth and said, "Head south, to Qinghe! Even if there's only a slim chance, go and get reinforcements!"

……

After Chen Ye released the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, he plummeted into the dense forest.

Despite the branches whipping at him, he held the unconscious Su Chunyi tightly, ignoring the pain and reaching out with hook-like hands to absorb the force of the branches. Even with his palms cut and bleeding, he did not let go.

As they were about to hit the ground, Chen Ye threw out all the remaining "Wind Summoning" talismans, and the strong wind that followed reduced their falling speed once again.

The Soul-Worshiping Banner, the treetops, and the talismans slowed them down three times, finally allowing the two to land safely.

Several startled owls fluttered overhead. Chen Ye staggered and gently placed Su Chunyi on the moss-covered rock. He took out the Precious Life Pill, fed it to Su Chunyi, and then tried to channel spiritual energy into Su Chunyi's body.

No matter what kind of injury one suffers, spiritual energy is fundamental for cultivators. As long as one can continue to absorb spiritual energy, one should recover.

As expected, Su Chunyi opened her eyes soon after.

Chen Ye hurriedly asked, "Miss Su, how are you feeling?" Su Chunyi weakly replied, "The sword energy backlash damaged my meridians and dantian, but I am not in any danger to my life."

"So, that means we can no longer fly on swords?"

Su Chun lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry, I've dragged you into this."

Chen Ye was about to offer some comfort when he suddenly sensed something was wrong and asked, "Miss Su... did you hear everything?"

Su Chun nodded.

“Just now, I was only unable to circulate my spiritual energy, not completely unconscious. I could hear everything your master and you said.”

Chen Ye smiled awkwardly and said helplessly, "I've kept it a secret for so long, but the truth will eventually come out. Miss Su, please don't be offended. My master was refined into the Ten Thousand Soul Banner by me, but he begged to go in. It's not that I betrayed my master."

Su Chunyi couldn't help but smile, her face slightly flushed, and said, "Sir, you still have the mood to joke at this time. When have I ever doubted you?"

Chen Ye was amazed by her charming smile, but now was not a good time. Chen Ye said to Su Chunyi, "Since Miss Su has also listened to my master's words, do you have a way to contact the Qinghe Sword Sect?"

Su Chun shook his head and said, "Flying sword to send messages is not as fast as flying on my own sword. Moreover, this spell requires a lot of spiritual energy to support it, and I can't use this spell right now."

Chen Ye could only say, "Then let's hurry up and leave. Although we don't know when that so-called expert will come knocking, staying here is definitely not a solution."

Looking at Chen Ye's torn and bleeding hands, Su Chunyi couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you listen to your master and leave me here? It was indeed the best way. I am a disciple of the Qinghe Sword Sect, and ordinary cultivators wouldn't dare to do anything to me."

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "You underestimate the ruthlessness of the devil."

Few people would fall into the demonic path unless forced to. From the moment they begin cultivating demonic arts, most demons live a life of constant danger.

Death alone is not a great threat. Righteous people do not have any means of skinning and soul refining, so they are even less concerned about dying quickly.

Before they die, they want to have one last good time and do whatever they want – that's what most demons are thinking.

The threat from the Qinghe Sword Sect is too great to be of immediate help.

"Even if there were a real danger to your life, you would only be implicated by me here. The elders of the sect warned me that this training would inevitably be dangerous. Before I left, the sect leader also told me that fortune and misfortune are intertwined. The matter in Cui County was resolved so perfectly, so the calamity will surely come as expected."

Chen Ye smiled and said, "Miss Su, when the sword energy backfired just now, you protected me behind you, so I will not abandon you. My only regret in this life is that I hid the existence of my master from you. Now I am truly clear-headed and have a rare pure Dao heart, so how could I abandon you and add to my inner demons?"

Su Chunyi looked into Chen Ye's eyes and saw that his gaze was calm and without any ulterior motives.

On the contrary, Su Chunyi, for some reason, couldn't bear to look at those clear eyes. She lowered her head shyly and said softly, "I need three days to restore my spiritual energy circulation. What do you think we should do now, sir?"

Chen Ye pondered for a moment, then said to Su Chunyi, "I don't know who this powerful figure we've offended is, but since we've attracted this person by divining Wei Changsheng's whereabouts, either he's a senior from the Burning Incense Sect, in which case Miss Su should be safe, or we've provoked a powerful demon, in which case Wei Changsheng is probably already in trouble."

"If a disciple of your prestigious sect were to die, it should be noticed by your elders, right?"

Su Chun nodded. Righteous disciples are already rare, so they are naturally highly valued. It is common practice for a soul lamp to burn within the sect. When a person dies, the lamp goes out, and the sect elders will know immediately.

“In that case, the Incense Burning Sect probably already knows the cause of Wei Changsheng’s death and will definitely send a master from their sect to investigate. Miss Su, let’s go to the Incense Burning Sect; perhaps we can get help on the way.”

(End of this chapter)