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

Chapter 88 In any great battle, the diviner is killed first.

As Sun Tzu's Art of War states: "He who wins a battle before it is fought has many calculations in his favor; he who loses a battle before it is fought has few calculations in his favor. Many calculations lead to victory, few calculations to defeat, and what about those who have no calculations at all? By this I can see the outcome of the battle."

Before going to war, what ordinary person doesn't send out spies?

Even ordinary people know that when fighting a war, they must first obtain intelligence and do their best to eliminate the enemy's spies. How could cultivators not understand this principle when fighting a war?

The members of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect were at a disadvantage and dared not show their faces.

In this situation, Mo Suixin had to eliminate them in advance; otherwise, if she had even calculated it correctly just once, the entire Crimson Serpent Demon Sect would have been wiped out.

Now that the righteous path has been unable to achieve anything for so long, why hasn't anyone suspected that Mo Suixin is being controlled?
To verify this, Chen Ye had no choice but to risk divination once.

The spiritual energy in his body was rapidly depleted, just like before, causing Chen Ye to feel a dull ache all over his body. However, this arduous cultivation was still fruitful. Before the spiritual energy in his body was completely exhausted, Chen Ye finally achieved the result he wanted.

Chen Ye said to Su Chunyi, "Red-banded snakes have been to the Burning Incense Sect's base, but they were all dead."

After being reminded by Chen Ye, Su Chunyi remembered many things.

"It seems there was such a thing. Junior Sister Mo said that divination was needed, so I sent the slain Crimson Serpents to the Burning Incense Sect's headquarters. I'm sure these Crimson Serpents were all completely dead."

Su Chunyi was very confident in her sword energy; there was no way any Red Serpent could survive against her.

Su Chunyi asked doubtfully, "Can a dead red-banded snake control a person?"

Chen Ye asked, "The Red-banded Serpent manipulates people's hearts with its venom. Does a dead Red-banded Serpent clean up all its venom?"

"No, not at all."

Chen Ye analyzed, "Then that's probably the problem. Maybe the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect took advantage of this and sent the snake venom into the Incense Burning Sect's territory. How they used it is another matter."

Su Chunyi said in surprise, "Does the master believe that there are spies from the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect within the Incense Burning Sect who took advantage of Junior Sister Mo's use of the Crimson Serpent for divination to launch a sneak attack?"

"We don't know the specifics, and they're not important. What we really need to do now is confirm whether Miss Mo has been ambushed."

How can we confirm this?

Chen Ye smiled and said, "Miss Su, we don't need to confirm."

"what?"

Su Chun tilted her head in confusion, just like the black whirlwind.

Chen Ye thought it best not to let Su Chunyi help feed Black Whirlwind, lest she pick up that bad habit.

"We are just juniors, while Miss Mo is the chief of the Seven Star Hall. There are many who are truly worried about her. I don't know what kind of game the Five Righteous Sects are playing to test their juniors, but I don't believe that the mere remnants of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect can deceive the people of the Three Mountains and Five Halls. At most, there will be problems at the Hundred Seas Valley base."

"So, all we need to do is report it to our superiors, and the Incense Burning Sect will naturally handle the matter."

Su Chunyi said worriedly, "But, aren't we afraid that this round trip will cause problems if it drags on too long?"

“You have to do the same even if something goes wrong!” Chen Ye emphasized.

"Please enlighten me, sir."

Chen Ye could only patiently explain, "Because this is the Incense Burning Sect. To put it bluntly, the Incense Burning Sect is currently corrupt and in complete disarray. Even if you, Miss Su, go through all sorts of hardships to rescue Miss Mo, do you think the Incense Burning Sect will be grateful to you, or resentful that you ruined their reputation?"

Su Chunyi said, "Junior Sister Mo is not the kind of person who repays kindness with enmity."

Su Chunyi has been practicing swordsmanship since childhood and has reached the level of "sword mind clarity". Although she does not like to think about complicated problems, she can use sword intent to sense people's good and evil, and she has never made a mistake in this regard.

Chen Ye said helplessly, "Even the sect leader can hardly change a sect. If the sect's reputation is ruined, it will only get worse if the poison is not drastically removed. It doesn't matter what Miss Mo thinks. To outsiders, it seems that the Incense Burning Sect has a problem and has been solved by the Qinghe Sword Sect. This matter will become a thorn in the side of many people, and it will flare up from time to time."

This is also based on Chen Ye's experience.

Being too proactive in your past life has brought you trouble.

I thought that cultivating immortality would allow me to escape these petty schemes, but who knew that human nature is still human nature, and those who cultivate immortality are still human, not yet immortals.

Su Chunyi seemed to understand, but this girl had one advantage: she was quite decisive in her actions.

Now that she had decided to listen to Chen Ye's advice, she didn't need to think about anything else.

Without delay, Su Chunyi immediately took his leave and reported Chen Ye's conjecture to the Qinghe Sword Sect.

After Su Chunyi left, Chen Ye did not feel relieved about solving the problem; instead, he frowned deeply.

Something just didn't seem right. A mere remnant of the Demonic Sect couldn't possibly pose much of a threat to the Five Great Sects. He had thought that if he went into seclusion for a few days, everything would be fine.

As a result, several days passed, and the five righteous sects accomplished nothing.

What are those old guys in the Dao Integration Realm thinking? If this drags on any longer, it will definitely cause chaos in Hundred Seas Valley, and people will surely die. Don't the lives of rogue cultivators matter?
Chen Ye couldn't understand it; the whole thing seemed strange.

After closing the door to the side room, Chen Ye did not continue meditating and practicing his Qi. The marrow cleansing was not yet complete; practicing the Six-Syllable Mantra now would be a waste of time.

Chen Ye hadn't expected that a mere rogue cultivator like himself would encounter the problem of his cultivation level increasing too rapidly. However, he wasn't going to idly wait for news; he'd rather take this opportunity to properly cultivate the spells he used in combat.

Chen Ye shook the Myriad Soul Banner, summoning Yang Chongguang, and asked with a smile, "Old Yang, would you be interested in learning another spell?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Chongguang immediately smiled and said, "Whatever you command, benefactor, we will obey. We are trapped in the Ten Thousand Soul Banner all day long, and there is really nothing to do. It is better to learn something than to sleep all day."

Life inside the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls was incredibly boring. Since the revenge of Yang Chongguang and the other spirits was taken, the endless torment had ceased. The spirits no longer needed to eat, drink, or relieve themselves, and they couldn't roam freely outside, making it truly unbearable.

They could chat occasionally, but after a while, they found that there were no new topics to talk about. They couldn't just get together every day to lament the atrocities committed by the monk Ku'e.

Only when assisting Chen Ye in his cultivation can these spirits come out for some fresh air. It's only when they're assisting Chen Ye in his cultivation that the spirits can get some exercise and have something to do.

Therefore, they did it not only to repay Chen Ye's kindness, but also because they felt they had finally become useful.

Now that Chen Ye has proposed learning magic, Yang Chongguang is naturally overjoyed.

Chen Ye was also very pleased. If they hadn't been willing, he wouldn't have forced them to help. Now that they had reached an agreement, the cooperation should go much more smoothly.

Chen Ye took out the Ksitigarbha Sutra, carefully organized the four secret techniques of restraint, interrogation and torture, and then began to guide Yang Chongguang in his cultivation.

Chen Ye's goal is to teach Yang Chongguang and other spirits these secret arts of the soul. Then, when the Ten Thousand Souls Banner is waved, Chen Ye will have a large group of helpers by his side.

This soul-binding technique has little harmful effect, but it is particularly effective against those who have committed grave sins.

Now that the remnants of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect are causing trouble, Chen Ye needs to make some preparations.

While we're at it, let's also take a look at the improved version of the Qinghe Sword Sect and see if it can heal Mo Ci's soul damage.

Chen Ye was focused on his own business, unaware that a sword aura shot straight into the sky, tearing through the void in an instant and reaching a thousand miles away.

Within the Qinghe Sword Sect, Zhang Qi, who was originally gnawing on a pork knuckle, raised an eyebrow, stretched out his greasy fingers, and pinched the air, thus catching the extremely sharp sword energy.

The sword energy scattered, transforming into countless tiny characters that appeared before the world's number one expert.

After reading the sword manual, Zhang Qi laughed and said, "This little girl Chunyi has really met a benefactor. It's just a pity that this little one is not suitable for our Qinghe Sword Sect. What a pity."

Zhang Qi waved his hand to brush away the words, and with a flick of his finger in the air, four cracks appeared in the empty hall.

Within each rift was a person with an air of otherworldly grace, all displaying expressions of astonishment. When the rifts dissipated, they were transported into the main hall.

The four of them stared at Zhang Qi in shock. One of them was Lu Xingzhou, the leader of the Burning Incense Sect, while the other three were the leaders of the Cloud Peak Immortal Sect, Heavenly Heart Island, and Mirage Sect.

Among them are five of the most powerful spiritual practitioners in the world today.

Among the group, Lu Xingzhou was most familiar with Zhang Qi, so he asked bluntly, "Old man, are you crazy?! Couldn't you have sent a message first? You forcibly pierced through the void and pulled us here, do you want to fight?!"

Zhang Qi snorted coldly and said to Lu Xingzhou, "Back then, you said I owed you a favor from a thousand years ago, and I accepted that. You said I'm old and won't be able to stay any longer, and that the Demonic Sect is about to revive, so you need to train the younger generation, forcing me to stand by and do nothing. Fine, I agreed to that too."

"How are you doing with the affairs of Hundred Seas Valley?"

Lu Xingzhou said with a gloomy face, "It's only been a few days, what's the rush?"

Zhang Qi retorted, "Old Lu, the younger generation of your Burning Incense Sect is almost wiped out, why are you asking me why I'm in such a hurry?"

Lu Xingzhou remained silent. He had initiated this so-called trial, so naturally he had been paying close attention. The performance of the younger generation of the Burning Incense Sect was indeed very disappointing.

The sect leader of Yunlu Immortal Sect sighed, "Alas, in every great battle, the secrets of heaven are obscured first, and the diviners are killed. In the past, countless Yunlu disciples died in assassinations by the demonic sect. Yunlu was clearly the most skilled in divination, but the lineage was cut off by the killings. Now these juniors, who grew up in a peaceful era, don't even understand these most basic things."

It sounds like a sigh, but it's actually a veiled sarcasm.

The Yunlu Immortal Sect and the Fenxiang Sect do not have a good relationship, which is somewhat related to this divination technique.

The Seven Fortune Tellings of the Cloud Book were once incredibly accurate, saving the five righteous sects from many dangers. However, after a great battle, the Cloud Peak Immortal Sect was almost wiped out, and the Seven Fortune Tellings of the Cloud Book were lost forever.

Over the course of a thousand years, the Seven Star Hall of the Incense Burning Sect has become increasingly famous, taking over the original position of the Cloud Peak Immortal Sect.

Lu Xingzhou's face turned even uglier. Just as he was about to retort, he heard Zhang Qi say, "Why bring up old stories? Which of our factions didn't suffer heavy losses in the great battle back then? Why take your anger out on the devil?"

The sect leader of Yunlu Immortal Sect fell silent. Everyone knew Zhang Qi's temper; if the argument continued, he would really dare to hit someone, and none of the people present could stop him.

Zhang Qi said to everyone, "I didn't call you here to argue. I just want to know when you're going to end this farce. If this continues, someone will die. You know my temper; I can't tolerate such disregard for human life."

Lu Xingzhou retorted, "Old man, if anyone's going to suffer now, it'll be my Incense Burning Sect disciples who suffer first. I don't even care. It's precisely because they've never witnessed the power of a demon that they should experience it. How many days do you have left? How many days do I have left? If we don't take this opportunity to make them reflect on their actions, by the time we all ascend, even more of these juniors will die."

"If you are unwilling, the Qinghe Sword Sect can withdraw."

Seeing the atmosphere becoming increasingly tense, the leader of the Mirage Sect spoke up: "Please calm down, everyone. Don't forget, there are disciples of our Mirage Sect lurking among the remnants of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect. We have their every move under control. All the major sects have already made preparations in Hundred Seas Valley and will never let things get out of control."

Zhang Qi glanced at everyone and, seeing that they all shared the same opinion, coldly snorted, "I remind you all, the lives of rogue cultivators are lives too. If you only care about the lives of your own disciples and cause heavy losses to Hundred Seas Valley, don't blame me for being merciless."

(End of this chapter)