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

Chapter 76 The Trouble of the Incense Burning Sect
Baihai Valley, the headquarters of the Incense Burning Sect.

As the chief disciple of the Seven Star Hall, Mo Suixin is able to own a separate small building here.

Although small, it has all the vital organs; this small building may not look big, but it has a world of wonders inside.

Not only are there quiet rooms where spiritual energy gathers, but there are also dedicated rooms for alchemy, talisman drawing, and weapon crafting.

In comparison, Chen Ye's simple dwelling was just a hole he dug in the mountainside.

Mo Suixin knelt on the bluestone slab, where star patterns floated on the ground, and seven bronze lamps, three inches off the ground, danced in mid-air.

As each talisman burned out, spiritual light emanated from the bronze lamp, converging in mid-air to form a blurry human figure.

Upon seeing this, Mo Suixin's expression immediately became respectful. He quickly bowed down and respectfully called out, "Master."

A faint voice, indistinguishable in gender, age, or even physiognomy, emanated from the phantom: "Why are you calling me in such a hurry? If it's important, just come back to the Seven Star Hall to find me. Why go through all this trouble?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Suixin quickly took out the Heavenly Book Secret Techniques handwritten by Chen Ye from his bosom and carefully presented it in front of the illusion.

"A secret technique from the Heavenly Book?! Didn't I order you to assist Wei Changsheng in obtaining this technique? What's going on here?"

Within the illusion, the voice carried a hint of doubt and surprise.

Retrieving the Heavenly Book Secret Technique is a great achievement for the Burning Incense Sect. Originally, it was agreed that Wei Changsheng would lead the matter and receive the credit, but now Mo Suixin has presented the secret technique instead. The Seven Star Hall Master knows his disciple's character very well and would not do anything to steal credit.

Since Mo Suixin presented the Heavenly Book Secret Technique, something must have happened.

"Master, Wei Changsheng has concealed the truth..."

Mo Suixin repeated what Chen Ye had said, but omitted the part about being "teased".

Mo Suixin's master seemed not to have noticed that his disciple was hiding something. After learning the truth, he snorted coldly: "The disciples of the Longevity Hall are becoming more and more outrageous. If this continues, my Incense Burning Sect will sooner or later become a heretical sect."

Mo Suixin said, "Master, should we report this matter to the sect leader?"

The Seven Star Hall Master sighed, "Reporting to the Sect Leader is certainly the right thing to do, but the Longevity Hall Master is extremely protective of his own. In addition, you foresaw his disciple's calamity before, and he still holds a grudge about it. Right now, the Sect Leader is busy suppressing the Demon Lord and is unable to spare any time. Even if we report it, I'm afraid this matter will ultimately come to nothing."

Mo Suixin asked in surprise, "Is there something wrong with the corpse of Demon Lord Wujiu again?"

The assassination of Demon Lord Wujiu by the righteous path back then caused suspicion among the demonic sects, successfully reversing the situation. The Incense Burning Sect suppressed him in Green Coffin Mountain, where he has been guarding him for a thousand years.

However, the Demon Lord Wujiu was not dead but still alive. His corpse had been absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for many years, trying to come back to life.

The Seven Star Hall Master said helplessly, "Too many Soul Cleansing Flowers have been picked. The Incense Burning Sect has tripled its harvest in the last fifty years. These flowers are meant to extract the vital energy from corpses. With each flower missing, the seal weakens a little."

"In the past, the amount used was small, so the effects were not obvious. But in recent years, the harvesting has been unrestrained, and problems have arisen. Many wild animals in Qingguan Mountain have been corrupted by demonic energy and have shown signs of turning into demons."

"It's all that old man from Changsheng Hall's fault. If he hadn't suggested increasing the amount of material collected, we wouldn't have run into so much trouble."

In recent years, in order to expand itself, the Incense Burning Sect has relaxed its standards for recruiting disciples and has even selected talents from its side disciples.

This made the Incense Burning Sect appear to be thriving and much larger on the surface. But with so many people, problems arose.

The Incense Burning Sect has always been known for its alchemy skills. For its disciples, advancing from the Spirit Awakening Realm to the Profound Realm is not difficult as long as they have enough pills to assist them.

Over time, the number of disciples in the Profound Realm within the sect increased significantly.

However, advancing to the Nascent Soul stage is not so simple.

The Nascent Soul Realm is known as the Lesser Immortality Realm. Once one breaks through it, their soul can be possessed without harm, which is already a feat of seizing the creation of heaven and earth.

There are only two relatively safe ways to break through this level.

Firstly, they summoned a hundred cultivators at the Tongxuan Realm to work together and provide full assistance; secondly, they utilized the miraculous effects of the Soul Cleansing Flower.

The former is time-consuming and laborious; not only is it difficult to gather enough people, but it is even more difficult to get the cultivators to work together.

These days are not like the past when everyone was in danger. There are no powerful enemies outside, and people's hearts are divided, so it is naturally much more difficult to unite as one.

But with the Soul-Cleansing Flower right under their noses, who wouldn't be tempted?

Lu Xingzhou, the head of the Incense Burning Sect, tacitly approved the matter, and the harvesting of Soul Cleansing Flowers doubled, which led to all these troubles.

Mo Suixin only knew the general idea, and upon hearing his master's explanation, he couldn't help but ask, "Why did the sect leader tacitly approve? Our Burning Incense Sect doesn't intend to dominate, so why recruit so many disciples?" The Seven Star Hall Master explained, "It can't be blamed on the sect leader. The cycle of Heaven turns, demons rise and righteousness falls, righteousness grows and demons fall, it always repeats itself. Now the righteous path has flourished for a thousand years, and the time for change is probably approaching. The resurgence of the Demon Lord Wujiu is just a sign; even greater trouble lies ahead."

"The Incense Burning Sect has been at peace for a long time. What means do our disciples have to deal with demons? If the demonic sect makes a comeback, we may not be able to stop it."

Mo Suixin asked in surprise, "Why is Master so pessimistic? The sect leader is at the Dao Integration Realm, and the five major sects are closely connected. If the demons attack, we can ask other sects for help."

When the eighteen demon lords were on equal footing, the righteous path was still able to hold out. Now that most of the demons have disappeared, how could things be worse than before?

The leader of the Seven Star Hall laughed and said, "Hehe, among the so-called five major sects, apart from that sword immortal of the Qinghe Sword Sect, who else takes it upon themselves to eliminate demons? Even if Zhang Qi can dominate for a thousand years, his days are numbered. Once Zhang Qi ascends or his lifespan ends, the old demon who was once so frightened by him that he had to hide in fear will definitely start to make his move."

"The Incense Burning Sect is too distracted by other studies, and its disciples lack combat experience. If it were to be invaded by a demon, it would surely suffer heavy losses. The sect leader is taking precautions to strengthen the Incense Burning Sect as soon as possible. It's just a pity that he's been a bit too hasty."

In truth, the old fogies of the cultivation world can see the general trend of the world clearly; they don't need divination to sense the impending storm. It's just that times have changed, and people's hearts are no longer what they used to be. The five major righteous sects have almost forgotten the tradition of sitting together and discussing the Dao. If the demonic sect were to make a comeback, how many cultivators would be willing to entrust their lives to others?

Mo Suixin felt a little flustered and hurriedly asked, "Master, what should we do?"

The Seven Star Hall Master said, "What should we do? Of course, we should eat and drink well and cultivate diligently. You should break through to the Profound Realm soon. You should stay in Hundred Seas Valley for the time being. The evil practices within the sect need to be rectified."

Mo Suixin quickly replied, "Yes, sir."

The Seven Star Hall Master then asked, "By the way, from what you said before, you quite admire that rogue cultivator."

Mo Suixin said without hesitation, "Master, he is a genius in cultivation. He solved the Qimen Iron Ball you gave me in just a short time. When I taught him the finger techniques, he learned them all in one go. If he can join the Seven Star Hall, Master, you will have another outstanding disciple."

The Seven Star Hall Master laughed and said, "It's truly rare to receive such praise from you. However, recommending him to join us won't be so easy. You're not the only one who thinks he's a genius in cultivation."

Mo Suixin asked in confusion, "Why do you say that, Master?"

"You should have heard of Su Chunyi from the Qinghe Sword Sect, right?"

Mo Suixin nodded. Su Chunyi of Qinghe was the number one person in the Tongxuan Realm. His name was well-known and could be heard by everyone in the five major sects.

You can say that the Qinghe Sword Sect is old-fashioned and conservative, or that they are stubborn and prejudiced, but you must admit that the Qinghe Sword Technique is the best in the world.

This Su Chunyi is one of the best young talents of the Qinghe Sword Sect. He won dozens of matches in previous sect sparring sessions, which earned him the title of the number one person in the Tongxuan Realm.

The head of the Seven Stars Hall explained, "My old friend from the Qinghe Sword Sect wrote to me mentioning that Su Chunyi also greatly admires this young man named Chen Ye and has recommended him to join the Qinghe Sword Sect on several occasions."

Upon hearing this, Mo Suixin felt somewhat uncomfortable. If the Qinghe Sword Sect was also trying to snatch someone, then things were going to get complicated.

However, Mo Suixin immediately heard her master say, "Don't worry, Chen Ye refused. Not everyone can abide by the rules of the Qinghe Sword Sect."

"Looking at the world, among all living beings, how many people can truly abandon the desire for immortality and dedicate themselves solely to vanquishing demons and monsters?"
"The disciples recruited by the Qinghe Sword Sect are either trained from a young age or have deep-seated hatred. Chen Ye, a rogue cultivator, is incompatible with them and may not even pass the entrance test."

With the talent Chen Ye has shown, he is qualified to join one of the other four major sects and find a good master.

But the Qinghe Sword Sect is different. If your heart is not pure enough and your will is not firm enough, you will be turned away.

Otherwise, how could the sect, which is considered the best in the world, have so few disciples?

Mo Suixin was relieved; it seemed there was still a chance to get Chen Ye to join the Incense Burning Sect.

The succession of righteous sects is fraught with difficulties, and recommending talented individuals is the duty of every disciple. If a recommendation is successful, one will even receive a reward.

The Seven Star Hall Master didn't mind taking on another disciple, but they needed to meet first. So he reminded Mo Suixin, "Disciple, the Hundred Seas Valley Gathering is about to begin. I will report to the Sect Leader, and you will be in charge this time. Su Chunyi from the Qinghe Sword Sect will also be there. Get closer to her; if you can become friends, you will benefit from it for life."

It's difficult to be a gentleman, but everyone wants to be friends with a gentleman.

Don't just nod and agree.

I thought that was all the advice my master had given me, but then the Seven Star Hall Master suddenly said, "Disciple, when you are in Hundred Seas Valley, pay close attention to the snakes in the valley."

"Snake? Which kind is Master referring to?"

Hundred Seas Valley is full of life, with all kinds of birds and beasts, and snakes are naturally plentiful as well.

The Seven Star Hall Master solemnly instructed, "Be extra careful no matter what kind of snake you encounter. In your daily life, try to inquire about snakes from the local cultivators who have lived there for a long time. Also, if you see a red-banded snake with exposed bones, be sure to report it to me immediately without any delay."

Mo Suixin quickly replied, "Disciple understands."

(End of this chapter)