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

Chapter 8 Embracing the Galaxy in Dreams

The night was clear and the Milky Way filled the sky. Chen Ye quietly climbed the hillside and looked up at the dazzling and vast Milky Way.

"Master, I need to go to Cui County."

Chen Ye's sudden words were like a thunderclap, startling Mo Ci so much that he couldn't help but curse, "You wicked disciple, have you gone mad?"

In Cui County, there are now madmen posing as cultivators of the Qinghe Sword Sect, searching everywhere for young boys and girls. Anyone with discerning eyes can see that this is a treacherous tactic of the demonic path. A demon who can use young boys and girls for cultivation must have a cultivation level far superior to Chen Ye's, unfathomable and profound.

Moreover, the Qinghe sword light that flashed across the sky a few days ago was clearly heading towards Cui County. Currently, Cui County is a convergence point of both righteous and demonic forces. Although a full-blown war hasn't broken out yet, it's already a cauldron of boiling water, extremely dangerous.

If Chen Ye, a newcomer to the business, were to rashly intrude, he would probably only be adding a little "seasoning" to this pot of soup.

Chen Ye explained calmly, "Master, although the problem of the Beast Blood Pill causing madness has been solved, the efficacy of the Beast Blood Pill has been greatly reduced, by more than half. The number of Beast Blood Pills required has also increased several times. Even if we slaughter all the wild beasts on these nearby mountains, it may still be difficult to gather enough."

Beast Blood Pills are inherently less effective, far inferior to pills made with human blood. Now, as the remnant soul dissipates, it also takes away most of the spiritual energy from the pill, rendering it practically useless, with almost no efficacy.

Chen Ye now fully understood why this seemingly unsolvable problem had never been studied by anyone in the Demonic Sect. Now he realized that even if some senior experts had figured out the same method, they probably found it too inefficient and too time-consuming and laborious compared to killing people to obtain blood for cultivation, so it was naturally not recorded in the Demonic Sect's scriptures.

Whatever the reason, hunting in these mountains and forests alone is definitely not enough to meet their needs.

Mo Ci snorted coldly and pressed, "Then what does this have to do with your trip to Cui County?"

Chen Ye tilted his head slightly, gazing into the distance, and slowly said, "Although Cui County is just a county town, it is the most prosperous city in the vicinity, and a crucial point where three major rivers converge. Trade is thriving here, the population is dense, and livestock are naturally plentiful. I inquired with Zhao Hezhou, and many of the large landowners in Cui County are wealthy merchants who deal in furs, with herds of cattle and sheep at their homes. Master, I urgently need a large amount of animal blood to refine pills, and looking around, only Cui County can provide it."

Mo Ci was speechless for a moment after hearing this. The path of cultivation is inherently fraught with thorns and countless difficulties and obstacles, and the scarcity of resources has always been one of the most common hurdles.

But Mo Ci still worriedly reminded him, "If you encounter cultivators from the Qinghe Sword Sect and your identity is even slightly exposed, you will surely die."

Chen Ye smiled confidently and said, "Master, don't worry. I'm only at the Qi Awakening Realm. As long as I don't expose the demonic techniques I've learned and I've never done anything immoral, even if the cultivators of the Qinghe Sword Sect see me, they won't immediately release their flying swords to cut off my head."

Most righteous people advocate living in seclusion, purifying their minds and reducing their desires, and focusing on spiritual cultivation. Although the various sects have different styles of doing things, there is always a bottom line of justice that must be strictly adhered to, the most basic of which is that innocent people must not be killed indiscriminately.

If someone arbitrarily labels someone as a demon and kills them, they will truly be eliminated as a demon if they are later exposed and caught.

You must understand that ordinary people may be easy to fool, but how can the art of questioning the heart of a righteous master be so easily deceived?

Leaving aside unorthodox practices, even the most renowned righteous sects now require their disciples to regularly undergo a self-examination ceremony to confirm that they have not strayed onto the demonic path.

In ordinary times, any wrongdoing will not be concealed. Therefore, righteous cultivators from prestigious sects rarely commit crimes out of momentary impulse.

Upon hearing this, Mo Ci let out another cold snort and said to Chen Ye, "If you take me with you, this Ten Thousand Souls Banner will be irrefutable proof of your demonic cultivator identity. With your paltry disguise skills, you might not be able to fool the Qinghe Sword Sect's sword heart perception. At that time, you wouldn't really plan to throw me out as a pledge of loyalty, would you?"

"Master, look at what you're saying. I was just joking. Please don't hold a grudge," Chen Ye replied with a grin.

"Hmph, so what exactly are your plans?"

Mo Ci knew in his heart that his disciple was clever and intelligent and would not go to his death for no reason. However, he racked his brains but could not figure out how Chen Ye could deceive the sword cultivators of Qinghe Sword Sect.

The Qinghe Sword Sect is the number one sword sect in the world today. Back then, Mo Ci tried every means to hide his figure and hid very well, but he was still sensed by the opponent's sword intent from a distance. Then a sharp sword light came down and almost sent him to his death.

Such extraordinary skill, capable of breaking through all laws with a single sword strike, is truly domineering and unreasonable, inspiring fear.

But Mo Ci never expected that Chen Ye's next answer would surprise him even more than before.

“Master, I know I don’t have the ability to hide the Myriad Soul Banner perfectly, so it seems we will have to part ways for a while.” Upon hearing this, Mo Ci was immediately shocked and hurriedly asked loudly, “You unfilial disciple, what did you say? Are you going to throw your master away?!”

Mo Ci is currently hiding within the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, nominally free to come and go without much restraint. However, his soul is far too fragile; it is no exaggeration to say that it would dissipate with a mere gust of wind. Once he leaves the protection of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, his soul will vanish without a trace in an instant.

If Chen Ye didn't take him to Cui County, was he going to just abandon him in this desolate temple? How was that any different from taking his life? Had this wicked disciple finally revealed the cold-blooded nature of a demonic sect disciple?
Chen Ye looked at the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and said sincerely, "Master, your disciple would never be so heartless as to abandon you in this desolate wilderness. You know the Zhao Hezhou family of three; they are all honest, kind, and honest people. I intend to entrust you to them. The Zhao Hezhou family can't live like wild men in the mountains forever. I will persuade them to settle in a county town in the south and have them take good care of you."

"Master, although you are very weak now, it should not be difficult for you to protect this family of three and help them live a peaceful life again. When I have completed my cultivation, I will definitely come to find you."

Upon hearing this, Mo Ci initially intended to refuse outright, but the words caught in his throat. Instead, he changed his tone and said, "Are you really going to take the risk? There are other places in the world where you can find a large number of livestock, not just Cui County. We, master and disciple, can go further afield. My disciple, you are still young. It's nothing to delay for three to five years."

Chen Ye did not answer immediately, but gazed silently at the starry sky. After a long while, he slowly shook his head, his tone firm: "Master, if we delay for three to five years this time, we might have to delay for another seven or eight years next time. I may look young, but how much lifespan do I have to squander?"

"I want to knock on the gates of immortality, to embrace the Milky Way in my dreams, and to roam freely between heaven and earth. I will not stop my cultivation for anyone, not even my own mentor."

“Master, I will definitely condense my dantian and qi sea in the shortest time, and then step by step, reach the highest point on the path of cultivation. I must go to Cui County.”

Mo Ci remained silent for a long time, as if accepting this parting.

Chen Ye was about to say a few words of comfort when he heard Mo Ci say, "You're just a fledgling little devil; you haven't reached the point of mastering your craft yet."

As soon as he finished speaking, countless black wisps of energy surged out from the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, only to be swept away by the mountain wind in an instant.

Chen Ye exclaimed in shock, "Master! How could you have lost all your cultivation!"

"Now that I have completely dispersed my demonic powers, with a little concealment, it will appear as if the magic weapon itself possesses spiritual energy, rather than being a reincarnation of a demon. Unless someone searches my soul, even the head of the Qinghe Sword Sect wouldn't be able to detect anything amiss."

Mo Ci's tone was very smug, but his voice was extremely weak.

"But if that happens, Master, you..."

"Well, in that case, the Ten Thousand Souls Banner will at most allow me to live for another three years."

Chen Ye couldn't help but shout angrily, "Master, are you tired of living? What's the use of me going through all that trouble to refine the Myriad Soul Banner for you?!"

Mo Ci scoffed, "I was going to die anyway, so it doesn't matter sooner or later. Didn't you say you wanted to become an immortal? If you can reach the Dao Integration Realm in three years, then your master can still save you."

Chen Ye shook his head helplessly: "You might as well let me become an immortal in three years."

The Dao Integration stage is the final hurdle to achieving immortality. Once passed, ascension to immortality is just around the corner. Three years to achieve the Dao Integration stage is no different from three years to become an immortal.

Mo Ci sneered, "What, where did your ambition go? If you're so easily discouraged, what are you doing cultivating immortality?"

Chen Ye knew this was a provocation, but he couldn't help but agree: "I may not be able to become an immortal in three years, but I will definitely find a way to save you within three years."

"Ignorant brat, focus on building up your Qi Sea before you start bragging. I'm going to take a nap now. Unless you're about to die, don't bother me."

Mo Ci's voice fell silent, and the Myriad Souls Banner was like a tattered rag, no longer showing any of its divine power.

Chen Ye looked up at the brilliant starry sky and said nothing more.

(End of this chapter)