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

Chapter 91 The Dream-Eating Serpent

Wei Changsheng shouted, "Where did all these Azure Pearls come from? Confess! Did you receive bribes from the demons? Are you colluding with the demons of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect?!"

Chang Shou's eyes were red with excitement as he shouted, "We did indeed meet the leader of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect, and he did give us these Azure Pearls, but we didn't harm anyone!"

Lu Fusheng inwardly cried out in alarm. Chang Shou seemed to have lost his mind. These words were tantamount to throwing mud at himself.
These Azure Pearls were indeed given to them by the Lord of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect, but this was payment for raising the Crimson Serpents.

But I doubt anyone would believe me if I said that.

Even if one believes this, raising red-banded snakes is probably a mistake in itself.

Lu Fusheng had no choice but to say, "We do know information about the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect, but it's a long story. Could you please release us and give us a chance to explain? We will tell you everything we know."

Wei Changsheng sneered, "Opportunity? Fine, I'll give it to you."

Wei Changsheng turned to the other members of the patrol and said, "Take them back and interrogate them thoroughly. They are definitely colluding with the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect, and... they must have accomplices, who may be hiding among us!"

Chang Shou, his eyes red, roared madly, "No, give me back my Azure Pearl first, it's mine!"

"Still trying to resist?!"

Just as Wei Changsheng was about to teach the three a lesson, a disciple of the Mirage Sect beside him spoke up: "Senior Brother Wei, something is wrong with this person. He seems to have been mentally affected."

Wei Changsheng sneered, "As expected, they were bewitched by the venom of the Red-banded Serpent."

Although he said that, Wei Changsheng restrained himself a little.

If this person is colluding with the demon and resisting to the bitter end, then it's understandable for him to punish him. But if he's been bewitched by the Red Serpent, then he becomes a victim and cannot be dealt with casually.

After all, it's not just the disciples of the Incense Burning Sect who are here; the other three major sects are also watching.

Chang Shou, unaware that he had escaped a calamity, stared intently at the storage bag in Wei Changsheng's hand, his spiritual energy surging wildly around him, as if he wanted to fight him to the death.

It would be troublesome if someone died.

Wei Changsheng asked the disciple of the Mirage Sect, "Is there any way to subdue him first?"

The man laughed and said, "Easy as turning one's hand."

He blew a breath, which turned into blue-white smoke that enveloped Chang Shou's face.

A short while later, he closed his eyes, as if he had fallen asleep.

Wei Changsheng couldn't help but praise, "The illusions of the Mirage Sect are truly amazing."

This spell is far too effective; it can put a madman to sleep in one breath. If someone were to fall victim to it during a battle, they would truly be at the mercy of their opponent.

"Senior Brother Wei, you're too kind. We've had a great day, and everyone's tired. Why don't we head back?"

Wei Changsheng quickly said, "Alright, brothers, go and rest first. I'll handle the interrogation of these three."

Above the sky, more than a dozen beams of light turned into shooting stars and disappeared.

Only the disciples of the Incense Burning Sect led Fu Lu Shou and the other two back to the quarantine area.

In recent days, the number of people bitten by red-banded snakes has been increasing, and the quarantine area has been expanded twice, but it is still overcrowded.

As time went on, the resentment of the rogue cultivators inside grew stronger.

Although they were all bitten by red-banded snakes, they felt no discomfort at all, and no one felt that their minds had been bewitched. What was the difference between being locked up here for a long time and being imprisoned?
What angered them even more was that the disciples of the five major sects became increasingly impolite, as if they were the ones who had been wronged.

Wei Changsheng appeared with Fu Lu Shou and the other two, and from afar he could sense the resentful look in their eyes.

But Wei Changsheng didn't care at all. A mere group of rogue cultivators, the most powerful of whom was only at the Tongxuan Realm, what trouble could they possibly cause?

Moreover, who are they working so hard for? Isn't it all to capture those demons and restore peace to Baihai Valley? They are truly heartless and ungrateful.

Wei Changsheng first imprisoned the sleeping Changshou, and then prepared to interrogate Lü Fusheng and Hou Lu.

Given the situation, the two had no choice but to tell the story of how they were ambushed by the Crimson Serpent and how they were captured by the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect to be raised as snakes.

But Wei Changsheng simply didn't believe it.

Earning tens of thousands of Azure Pearls just by helping to hatch Crimson Serpents? That's a huge sum of money for a disciple of a prestigious sect.

The Crimson Serpent Demon Sect is such a benevolent organization, giving money away to rogue cultivators at will.

There must be some earth-shattering conspiracy, which is why so many Azure Pearls were spent to bribe these three people.

No matter how he questioned them, Lü Fusheng and Hou Lu refused to speak, infuriating Wei Changsheng. He was still planning to have the two implicate each other, dragging Chen Ye down with them and accusing him of colluding with a demon.

But these two were completely unyielding.

Wei Changsheng sneered, "It seems you won't shed tears until you see the coffin. In that case, I'll have no choice but to use torture."

At this moment, Chang Shou's eyelids twitched wildly in his cell, as if he were having a nightmare.

Chang Shou felt as if he were falling into an abyss, his body sinking uncontrollably, and the feeling of powerlessness grew stronger as he fell deeper.

Chang Shou had experienced this feeling before. One day, he suddenly found that his mental state had deteriorated, his physical strength had decreased, and the spiritual energy in his body was not circulating smoothly.

It's not an illness, it's just old age.

After more than 170 years, he finally reached the limits of his body.

The Qi Refining Body technique can solve this problem, but it's extremely painful. And if one cannot circulate spiritual energy to cleanse the physical body during the refining process, then the Qi Refining Body technique becomes pure torture, without any effect.

Chang Shou's already weakened body and soul could not withstand the excruciating pain; he was unable to concentrate to resist this torture. Immortality was too difficult, and death was imminent.

"No, I'm not resigned to this! I've saved enough money; I can buy the Vajra Powder!"

Chang Shou wanted to roar loudly, but his body was still falling.

His skin was dry and his hair had turned white; he felt he was about to collapse.

Just then, a pair of blood-red eyes appeared in front of him.

A pair of vertical pupils, like the eyes of a snake.

The enormous creature snaked out of the shadows, staring at Changshou with indifferent eyes.

"Do you resent it? Are you unwilling to accept it? You could have lived, but they wouldn't let you!"

The voice, seemingly emanating from the deepest hell, entered Chang Shou's ears, igniting his burning rage.

Chang Shou couldn't help but roar, "I want to live! Anyone who tries to stop me from living, I'll kill them!"

The giant snake opened its mouth, sticking out its scarlet tongue, and made a mocking sound: "You can't kill me. You're just a rogue cultivator. You have no cultivation, no magic weapons. You can't do anything. You can only lie here and be slaughtered!"

Chang Shou cried out, "No, I will not be slaughtered! Please grant me strength, I want to live!"

The great serpent laughed, "Give you power? You insignificant ant, what value do you have that I would pity?"

Chang Shou said in a panic, "I...I offer everything to you, Snake God, please grant me the strength to live!"

"Hahahaha! Since that's the case, I'll give you a chance. Recite my true words, and I'll grant you immortality!"

Chang Shou felt his soul tremble, as an indescribable force surged into him, causing him to unconsciously chant a mantra:

"Red scales obscure the sun, poisonous fog swallows the stars."

"Mother of Ten Thousand Scales, Lord of Blood Mist."

"Lie down and listen to the sound of the lamb."

"Winding along with lava as its pillow, perched atop skeletons as its nest."

"Rotting flesh breeds spirits, and resentment takes form."

"Those who shed their old bodies gain new life; those who burn themselves see great light!"

……

As he slept, Changshou opened his mouth and silently recited this mantra.

A hissing vibration emanated from his mouth, spreading like a virus.

It was late at night, and many cultivators in the quarantine area were already asleep. Upon hearing this hissing sound, their eyelids began to twitch wildly.

All those who entered the dream saw the crimson serpent crawling out of the abyss.

Using resentment as fuel and desire as flame, it ignites the unwillingness and anger in the hearts of all the rogue cultivators, turning them all into nourishment for the crimson serpent.

A hundred miles away, atop a solitary peak, a lone figure stands alone, isolated from the world.

The lord removed his straw hat, revealing half of his mutilated face.

His right eye was gone, leaving only a bloody hole with exposed bone, as if half of his face had been peeled off. The remaining half was covered with scabs and scars, as if he had endured countless brutal tortures.

But at this moment, a huge snake phantom appeared behind him, its tail binding the Lord's body tightly, its blood-red maw opening wide to bite his shoulder.

However, what was injected into the fangs was not venom, but a precious elixir.

His mutilated face began to grow flesh and blood, and in a short while, his terrifying appearance was restored to normal, and he became a dull-looking young man.

There was only a red mark between his eyebrows, as if it contained endless light.

The boy opened his eyes, two lines of clear tears sliding down his cheeks. He clasped his hands together and murmured, "Amitabha."

At this moment, a golden light shone in front of the young man, and a deep voice came from within the light: "Congratulations, junior brother, your flesh and blood have been restored, and your chronic illness has been cured. This Crimson Serpent Buddha has finally been successfully condensed. Our Nirvana Sect has gained another Buddha. This is truly a cause for celebration."

The Venerable One shook his head and said, "It's just a prototype; it can't be called a Buddha."

“Buddha has no fixed form and is not categorized by strength or weakness. Now that the Crimson Serpent Buddha has appeared in the world, as long as the resentment and unwillingness never cease, this Serpent Buddha will be eternal. Junior brother, what are you going to do next?”

The Venerable One laughed and said, "I have already won half of this bet. People have grievances in their hearts, so they should naturally repay grievances with grievances. This is the natural cycle of cause and effect in the world."

"How come it's only half?"

"Because the Crimson Serpent Buddha is born from the accumulation of resentment, if someone can resolve this resentment, I will turn the tide of battle."

"Hehe, this is the resentment accumulated by rogue cultivators because they cannot achieve immortality. Let alone others, even if Zhang Qi of the Qinghe Sword Sect came in person, I'm afraid it would be difficult to resolve. Junior brother is too cautious."

The Venerable Lord shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. Just as there is always an antidote where a venomous snake appears, there is always a nemesis when the Snake Buddha is born. I have a feeling that there is still a variable in this Hundred Seas Valley."

"What's the variable?"

"I don't know, but I will find out."

(End of this chapter)