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

Chapter 87 The Red-Striped Serpent Disaster

Having finally found a quiet place, Chen Ye devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation.

External disturbances were irrelevant to him, nor did he care about the chaos caused by the Red Serpent; cultivation was the only fundamental thing for him.

However, while he focused on his own cultivation, he did not forget to remind Su Chunyi. Chen Ye told Su Chunyi about his discovery that the Red Serpent's venom could control people's minds, and repeatedly urged her to be careful.

As an outstanding disciple of the Qinghe Sword Sect, Su Chunyi was protected by a sharp sword aura and was also proficient in the art of flying on a sword, so he was naturally not afraid of any red snake.

But the rogue cultivators in Hundred Seas Valley don't have that ability.

The five major sects have formed patrol teams as Chen Ye suggested. One team is responsible for tracking the location of the Crimson Serpent, and the other team is responsible for gathering the cultivators bitten by the Crimson Serpent.

It went fairly well at first.

The patrol team quickly located the red-banded snakes and, over the next few days, killed more than a dozen of them, a considerable success.

Despite some unrest in Hundred Seas Valley, everyone trusted the five major sects. Many cultivators bitten by the Crimson Serpent also went to the aid stations set up by the five major sects for help.

But after a few days, the independent cultivators began to realize that something was wrong.

After being bitten by a red-banded snake, you will indeed feel weak for a period of time, your face will turn black, and you will look like you are dying from poisoning.

Regardless of whether or not an antidote is taken, the poison will disappear on its own after a while.

Apart from two extra wounds on their bodies, the monks were otherwise unharmed, and none of them appeared to have lost their minds.

Therefore, many people felt that the red-banded snake was nothing special and wanted to apply to leave the quarantine zone. They were all cultivators seeking longevity, and there was no reason for them to waste time here.

However, the five major sects refused, insisting that all the bitten cultivators must remain in isolation until the effects of the Red Serpent's venom could be confirmed.

This is a minor matter; for practitioners, going into seclusion for several years is not a problem.

Just bear with it, it will be resolved in time.

With the five major sects joining forces, how could they fail to catch the mastermind behind the scenes?
But surprisingly, they really couldn't catch it.

As time went by, the number of cultivators in the quarantine zone increased from a dozen to several dozen, and now it has exceeded one hundred.

But none of the masterminds controlling the Red Serpent were caught.

The red-banded snakes seem endless; no matter how many you kill, new victims will be sent to the quarantine area in a couple of days.

The quarantine zone is starting to get crowded. When the array was built, no one expected so many people to be bitten, so now the only option is to expand it.

But this would cause quite a stir.

Many independent cultivators who hadn't paid much attention before sensed that something was wrong.

Why is the quarantine zone still being expanded? When will this go on? The most important gathering in Baihai Valley has already been postponed repeatedly. When will this end?

Hundred Seas Valley is a loose alliance, but it is not without its experts.

A Nascent Soul cultivator, who held immense prestige among the rogue cultivators, could no longer bear to see the current chaotic situation. He stepped forward and approached the five major sects, hoping they could provide a reasonable explanation for everyone.

"Doesn't the Incense Burning Sect have a chief of the Seven Star Hall? Couldn't she figure out where these madmen are?"

"Didn't the Yunlu Immortal Sect already send an elder? Isn't their Yunlu Heart Method the best at detoxifying and breaking curses? Why can't they find out the harm of this snake venom yet?"

"The Water Mirror Technique of Tianxin Island is said to illuminate thousands of miles, so how come they can't even find the snake manipulator?"

"And the Mirage Sect, aren't you the best at detecting evil intentions? You've been searching Hundred Seas Valley for days, how come you can't find any clues about the mastermind behind it all? You've only arrested a bunch of rogue cultivators doing business on the black market?"

"As for the Qinghe Sword Sect... well... there's not much to say about the Qinghe Sword Sect."

……

These are the words spoken by this senior to the leaders of the five major sects.

Apart from the Qinghe Sword Sect, the other four major sects were speechless.

The Qinghe Sword Sect is different; most of the Crimson Serpents they've found these past few days were dealt with by Su Chunyi.

But such results are not very meaningful, because these snakes are impossible to kill completely and will always suddenly appear in various places.

The five major sects also understood that they were now facing a group of unpredictable, undetectable, and elusive masterminds.

Those in charge of this matter were all young members of the five major sects, while the older generation seemed to tacitly treat it as a training exercise. Su Chun and the other young members grew up in an era where Taoism prevailed and demons diminished, and had never witnessed the cunning and cruelty of the previous generation of demons. This time, they would be given a good taste of it.

Those sent to handle this matter were all outstanding disciples from the five major sects, and they were all eager to perform well.

But who would have thought that even the remnants of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect would be so troublesome? They used all their usual methods, but still couldn't catch them.

The only saving grace is that no one has died from the venom of the red-banded snake so far.

But such a result is far from satisfactory.

The senior cultivator at the Nascent Soul Realm only received a perfunctory reply, saying that the black market in Hundred Seas Valley had developed continuously over the years, leaving the entire underground area riddled with holes and a complex network of passages, resembling a giant maze.

Those Crimson Serpents use these underground passages to appear and disappear unpredictably, and the remnants of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect are probably hiding deep underground as well.

The five major sects also stated that they are prepared to organize personnel to conduct in-depth investigations and believe that they will soon be able to wipe out those hidden demons.

Although he was not satisfied with the vague answer, the old man had no choice but to believe it for the time being and prepared to go back to appease the restless rogue cultivators.

Another day of fruitless patrolling.

In the dead of night, Su Chunyi returned to the Qinghe Sword Sect's headquarters, looking slightly tired.

These past few days, she had been patrolling the Hundred Seas Valley, and she had killed the most Crimson Serpents, single-handedly doing the work of half a patrol team. Only then did the world realize that the title of the number one in the Profound Realm was truly well-deserved.

However, Su Chunyi ultimately failed to attain immortality, and today he finally couldn't hold on any longer, so he prepared to return and rest.

As I passed by Chen Ye's room, I heard ghostly wails and howls coming from inside, along with a dense aura of spiritual energy. Clearly, Chen Ye was still cultivating.

Su Chun went to find Wang Yichen and asked, "Senior brother, it seems he has been in seclusion all this time."

Wang Yichen nodded approvingly and said, "That's right. Apart from occasionally stopping to eat, your friend spends all his time cultivating. I've never seen such a diligent person before."

The word "spiritual practice" encompasses everything, but the most boring thing is sitting meditation and practicing breathing exercises.

Many people would rather practice swordsmanship ten thousand times than sit idly for a single day.

But Chen Ye had been practicing day and night for many days without showing any signs of slackness; such focus was truly rare.

Only then did Wang Yichen believe what Chen Ye had said; he was indeed single-mindedly focused on cultivation and had no other thoughts.

However, this commotion was quite large, and no one knew what secret technique he was practicing. The amount of spiritual energy he was using was astonishing, definitely not an ordinary method of cultivating the Qi Sea.

Su Chunyi felt a little regretful. The investigation into the real culprit had encountered trouble and there had been no progress for many days. She wanted to ask Chen Ye for advice.

Wang Yichen saw through Su Chunyi's thoughts and said to her, "Go if you want to. I think he should stop soon."

Su Chun asked in confusion, "Why do you say that, Senior Brother?"

Wang Yichen explained, "When he first arrived, there was still a lingering spiritual light on his face, indicating that he had only recently entered the Qi Sea and his spiritual energy cleansing was not yet complete. It's fine for ordinary people to cultivate slowly, but their cultivation progress certainly can't keep up with the progress of the cleansing. However, his cultivation method is too strange. If he continues to cultivate like this, his physical body will not undergo any transformation, and his cultivation will improve too quickly, which may backfire."

As the two were talking, they suddenly heard the faint ghostly wailing stop.

Su Chun's figure vanished, and he flew towards the side room.

Wang Yichen shook his head. This junior sister has indeed grown up. He only hoped that she wouldn't be hurt by love.

Chen Ye pushed open the door to the side room, stretched vigorously, and his joints cracked all over his body.

Just as Wang Yichen said, he had reached a bottleneck in his cultivation.

In fact, he felt yesterday that his internal energy center could no longer expand, and he received the same answer after consulting Mo Ci.

The marrow cleansing was not yet complete, and the physical body could no longer contain more spiritual energy. However, Chen Ye was curious about the feeling of overflowing spiritual energy, so he forcibly cultivated for another day.

He finally felt unwell and stopped.

Unexpectedly, Su Chunyi appeared in front of me as soon as I stepped out, as if she had been waiting for me all along.

"Miss Su, are you alright?" Chen Ye asked.

Although Su Chunyi looked no different, her eyes were full of fatigue, indicating that she had been extremely busy these days.

Su Chun shook her head and said, "I'm just a little tired, but I can still manage. However, there's something I'd like to ask you, sir."

Chen Ye gestured for her to sit down in the side room.

Chen Ye poured Su Chunyi a cup of tea and asked, "Has the Red Serpent Rebellion not been resolved yet?"

Su Chun nodded and recounted the troubles she had encountered in recent days. Then she looked at Chen Ye with anticipation, as if she believed that Chen Ye would surely come up with a solution.

Chen Ye listened carefully, then fell into deep thought.

These demons are so powerful, it's truly unexpected that they could evade the searches of the five major sects.

Chen Ye suddenly asked, "Has Miss Mo told you about the results of the divination these past few days?"

"She did mention it, but she said that the divination she's been doing these past few days has only yielded trivial matters. Occasionally, she'll get the location of a few red-banded snakes right, but she always gets the real mastermind wrong."

Chen Ye frowned and said to Su Chunyi, "Something's not right. Has Miss Mo ever gone out alone?"

Su Chun shook his head and said, "Her cultivation level isn't high, so to ensure her safety, she's always stayed at the Burning Incense Sect's base and has never taken any risks. Sir, why are you suddenly asking about this?"

Chen Ye said in a serious tone, "I suspect that Miss Mo has been bitten by a red snake and her mind has been manipulated."

It should be noted that even those at the Dao Integration Realm cannot escape Mo Suixin's divination; at most, it's just a matter of whether it's accurate or not.

Three divinations a day, one of which is true. After so many days, even if you're just guessing, you should be right by now, right?
I've never been able to figure it out. Unless I'm really unlucky, the only explanation is that Mo Suixin has been controlled by someone all along.

"But she has always been at the sect's headquarters."

Chen Ye's expression grew even more grim, and he said in a deep voice, "If I'm not mistaken, that's the worst-case scenario. It's not just Miss Mo who's being manipulated by the Incense Burning Sect; they may have already completely fallen."

Thinking of this, Chen Ye quickly changed the posture of his right hand.

He wanted to personally perform a divination.

In the past, his spiritual energy was insufficient to support him in divination, but after many days of arduous cultivation, the spiritual energy within him had increased many times over, which should be enough to support one divination.

However, he was not calculating Mo Suixin, nor the entire Fenxiang Sect. Calculating such a behemoth would easily cause a backlash.

Divining the future is extremely difficult, and calculating the present also takes a lot of effort; only calculating the past is relatively easy.

Because the past is gone and cannot be changed.

Chen Ye wanted to find out whether the Crimson Serpent had ever appeared in the Incense Burning Sect.

(End of this chapter)