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

Chapter 89 The Venerable One Appears
Baihai Valley has been developing for many years, and in the past, everyone came here by digging up skeletons.

Occasionally, they might find some treasures that the five major sects of orthodox cultivation wouldn't even look at, which would be considered a fortune for a rogue cultivator.

However, because it was dug too deep, many gullies and ravines were already left behind.

As Baihai Valley became the territory of independent cultivators, more and more things that were not suitable to be circulated in the open began to appear, so they began to think about making use of these underground tunnels.

The five righteous sects naturally knew, but they turned a blind eye.

Other independent cultivators don't have as many resources as you, but they also want to become immortals. You can't just hoard all the good stuff and not let them find other ways to achieve it.

Back then, the right path was ultimately based on reason.

As long as it's not too outrageous, let them be.

The currency circulating in Baihai Valley, "Azure Pearl," was actually made by polishing the bones from those ancient skeletons and refining them using a secret method; it served as a kind of token of exchange.

Azure Pearls were initially used in the black market, but later gradually became the universal currency of the entire Hundred Seas Valley.

The black market has existed for a long time, and these underground passages have been expanded many times, extending deep underground. Ordinary people will become disoriented and unable to find their way after a short while.

Even if the original creators of the black market came here, they would probably have a hard time figuring out the direction of every passage.

The five righteous sects were right; the remnants of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect were indeed hiding deep underground, where there was also a huge Crimson Serpent hatchery.

No one knows how long they've been operating here, only that there are now so many Red-banded Serpents in Hundred Seas Valley that they can't be killed off.

In the pitch-black underground, Fu Lu Shou and his companions were feeding the red-banded snakes and using magic to maintain the temperature of the snake egg area.

Red-banded snakes require high temperatures to hatch, and the newly hatched snakes do not feed on flesh and blood, but on a poisonous fruit that grows alongside them. This fruit is covered in venomous thorns, and touching it is fatal.

Therefore, the venomous stinger needs to be carefully removed before feeding it to a newborn red-banded snake.

After eating this fruit, the red-banded snake will grow invulnerable bony armor and secrete a deadly venom.

Without this fruit, the red-banded snake would simply be a bit thicker and stronger, with nothing particularly special about it.

The three were busy, but their faces showed no signs of numbness. Instead, they looked quite ordinary, as if they were tending to the flower garden outside the cave.

A dark figure slowly approached and came to stand in front of the three.

The three men, Fu Lu Shou, quickly and respectfully bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

The mysterious lord wearing a straw hat said to the three men, Fu Lu Shou, "No need for formalities. You three have been here for quite some time now, it's time for you to see the light of day again."

"Is this... to let us leave?"

The Venerable One nodded and said, "That's right. Go back to the ground and find the Five Righteous Sects. Tell them you were bitten by the Crimson Serpent, and they will take you to the quarantine zone."

After waiting for a while without hearing the next sentence, Lü Fusheng asked, "May I ask, Your Excellency, what do we need to do after we've infiltrated them?"

The Lord said, "It doesn't matter what you do. You just need to enter it, and then your mission will be complete. From then on, you will have nothing to do with my Crimson Serpent Holy Sect." Fu Lu Shou and the other two didn't understand, but they still obeyed the order, put down their work, and walked towards the ground.

Once the three disappeared at the end of the passage, the lord vanished back into the darkness.

A moment later, he reappeared in the dim light in another part of the underground passage.

This place is no longer the hatching ground for the red-banded snakes, but a prison.

A young monk dressed similarly to the Lord was bound by countless rune chains and firmly locked to the wall.

Upon seeing the Venerable One appear, the young cultivator spat out a mouthful of saliva.

"Demon, if you have the guts, kill me! You're dreaming if you think you can control me with the Crimson Serpent!"

The Venerable One laughed and said, "I know that your Mirage Sect disciples have secret techniques to protect their souls, which is why you let the Crimson Serpent bite you during the initiation ceremony. You think I don't know, but I do know. I deliberately accepted you into the sect."

The captured Mirage Sect disciple seemed undaunted, scoffing, "Hmph, stop playing coy. If you knew, would you have told me all your plans? I would have reported your every move long ago, and your death is imminent."

The Venerable One laughed and said, "This is exactly what I want. Why do you think that only the righteous are unafraid of death?"

These words stunned the Mirage Sect disciple, who was momentarily at a loss for words.

He quickly asked through gritted teeth, "What kind of wicked scheme do you have, you devil?"

"What? You just said you knew the whole plan, and now you're asking me? Fine, since you want to know, I'll tell you. From the beginning, I knew you were a spy sent by the Mirage Sect, because I deliberately leaked the Holy Church's information, intentionally letting the Mirage Sect know."

"Given your Mirage Sect's penchant for playing tricks and deception, you would definitely send disciples to infiltrate. I lit a lamp in the darkness, deliberately exposing myself, just waiting for you, this moth drawn to the flame. Therefore, everything you know is what I wanted you to know."

"You think that my Holy Sect has been revived for many years, that we already have countless disciples, and that I have re-cultivated the Crimson Serpent, but you don't know how many disciples my Holy Sect has hidden away."

"What a terrifying shadow, as if you've touched upon the world's greatest conspiracy. You can't wait to tell everyone that you're ready to be a savior. So when I said I had a grand plan to gather all the Holy Cult disciples to Hundred Seas Valley, you believed me and reported it to the Mirage Sect."

Every word the Venerable One spoke was like a knife piercing the heart of this Mirage disciple. He never expected that he would be used against him all these years, and that all the information he had passed on was false.

"Damn you, you fiend! What are you trying to do?!"

The Venerable One laughed and said, "Don't rush, we'll get to the point soon. It's all thanks to you exaggerating the size of the Holy Sect over the years. We're actually not that powerful. The five righteous sects have managed this world quite well. There aren't that many people willing to turn to the demonic path. But it's good that you've exaggerated a bit, because that's why they're willing to give me this opportunity."

"what chance?"

"A chance for the righteous and demonic paths to re-engage. Don't worry, you won't die; I'll release you now. You can send a message to the five major sects that Hundred Seas Valley will definitely fall under my control, but I will restrain myself and won't cause any deaths. But I guarantee that even if no one dies, you won't be able to clean up this mess."

"At that time, I would like to ask the Qinghe Sword Sect to guarantee that I will have the opportunity to speak with the five major sects. Of course, if you manage to quell this matter, then I will consider it a loss. I can also swear to heaven that all the disciples of the Holy Sect will voluntarily surrender themselves and that no one from the Hundred Seas Valley will be harmed. What do you think?"

Although the Mirage Sect disciple sensed something was amiss, he couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean by 'unmanageable'? Killing you would be as easy as turning one's hand!"

The Lord scoffed, "All you do is fight and kill all day. Am I the demon, or are you? As for what constitutes an unmanageable situation, you'll soon find out. The destruction of Hundred Seas Valley is just a thought away."

(End of this chapter)