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

Chapter 99: Counting Your Sins
Seeing the doubt in Master Ziyan's eyes, Chen Ye could only suggest, "Master, everything you say is true. If you don't believe me, why not open the passage far away from the Mirage Sect's territory? By the time they leave the maze, they will have already left your sect's territory. What do you think of this arrangement?"

Master Ziyan stared intently at Chen Ye and pressed, "Can you guarantee that after they escape, they won't cause any more trouble or create further disturbances?"

Chen Ye remained calm and unhurriedly replied, "For the Mirage Sect, the key issue is not whether they cause trouble, but rather who should be responsible for their lives, right? If you, Master, simply release the illusion array, I guarantee with my life that they will never fight the Mirage Sect to the death again. Shouldn't that be enough?"

Upon hearing this, Master Ziyan sighed and said, "So be it, this karma is something my Mirage Sect truly cannot bear."

In Master Ziyan's mind, as long as these rogue cultivators were willing to leave, and as long as the Mirage Sect did not acquire the infamy of slaughtering rogue cultivators, everything else could be discussed in the long run.

With a wave of his hand, Master Ziyan slowly transformed the maze, clearing a path away from the Mirage Sect's headquarters.

And just as Chen Ye had said, those independent cultivators did begin to quietly walk towards the exit.

Chen Ye bowed to Master Ziyan and took his leave, saying, "Please see me off, Master. I will live and die with them and will definitely ensure that they will not do anything rash again."

A hint of appreciation flashed in Master Ziyan's eyes, and he nodded, saying, "Good, you're quite responsible."

After saying that, Master Ziyan waved his hand again, and a cloud of pure white mist instantly condensed, steadily lifting Chen Ye and flying towards the gradually receding group of rogue cultivators.

Chen Ye landed in front of Chang Shou once again, and said with a smile, "Everyone, I have fulfilled all my promises."

Chang Shou and the other rogue cultivators focused their attention on Chen Ye, their hearts filled with gratitude.

They had all resigned themselves to certain death, never expecting that Chen Yezhen could find a way to survive for them.

Chang Shou, his voice trembling slightly, said with great emotion, "Brother Chen, I, Chang Shou, will never forget this life-saving grace."

Chen Ye waved his hand and said to Chang Shou, "Don't rush to thank us. We are far from being truly out of danger. Wei Changsheng is still in our hands, and the Incense Burning Sect will definitely send people to interrogate us. Right now, we must decide on a crucial matter as soon as possible."

Chang Shou's heart skipped a beat, and he asked in confusion, "Brother Chen, are you referring to Wei Changsheng's life or death?"

Chen Ye slowly shook his head, his gaze resolute, and said, "His life or death is not important; what matters is ourselves. Brother Chang, let me ask you this: back then, you were burning with rage, thinking only of perishing together with the five righteous sects, but what about now?"

When Chang Shou heard Chen Ye say that Wei Changsheng's life or death was not important, he felt a surge of joy.

For so many years, under the oppression of the righteous sects, rogue cultivators have always been in a lowly position, and no one has ever compared the lives of rogue cultivators with those of disciples of the Incense Burning Sect.

At this moment, Chen Ye placed everyone in a more important position than Wei Changsheng.

Chang Shou felt he had met a kindred spirit, as did the other rogue cultivators, all of whom regarded Chen Ye as a brother.

However, when they carefully considered Chen Ye's question, Chang Shou and the others all looked bewildered.

Previously, they were filled with anger and hatred, and were determined to fight to the death in order to regain some dignity from those high and mighty sect disciples.

But now, if they don't fight desperately, what else can they do but risk Wei Changsheng's life?

As doubts persisted, the golden flames around everyone dimmed.

The Crimson Serpent Buddha relied on the resentment and unwillingness in people's hearts as fuel to ignite the golden flames of anger. Now that everyone's hatred has weakened, the golden flames can no longer be ignited.

The group walked and pondered along the way, and even after they finally emerged from the maze, they were still bewildered and at a loss.

Chang Shou couldn't help but ask, "Brother Chen, you must have already thought it through, right? We only have Wei Changsheng in our hands now, what can we get in return?"

Chen Ye laughed and said, "That depends on what we want. Brother Chang, to be honest, apart from these recent days, have the five righteous sects ever bullied you?"

"This……"

Changshou pondered for a long time, but ultimately could not answer.

They were all cultivators seeking longevity, and the rogue cultivators did not serve as tenant farmers for the five righteous sects. They rarely interacted with each other on a daily basis. At most, they felt that the disciples of the high-ranking sects were arrogant, but they had never heard of them bullying men and women or stealing anyone's treasures.

After all, rogue cultivators are all poor.

Even the entire Hundred Seas Valley was only able to be scavenged by rogue cultivators after the five righteous sects destroyed the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect.

Even though some of the five major sects have questionable practices, they have not yet fallen into demonic ways.

Chen Ye's words caused the golden flames on everyone's bodies to dim even further.

"It seems everyone understands that the righteous disciples have indeed made mistakes, but it's not time for everyone to fight to the death. However, we've already escalated to this point, and backing down would be a waste of our efforts. In that case, let's take this opportunity to establish some rules."

"It was supposed to be to help cultivators injured by the Crimson Serpent, but it turned into persecution simply because they didn't treat us equally. Since that's the case, let's put things out in the open. Wei Changsheng is our breakthrough point. We'll use him to tell the truth about the injustices we've suffered. Let's reveal the truth first, and then we can talk about fairness."

Chang Shou asked, "Brother Chen, what do you mean by that? Why are you making it public?"

"Simple, just make him confess. Among you, who is skilled in the kind of magic that records images, or a method similar to sending messages by flying sword? Or do you have a corresponding magical artifact?"

As soon as Chen Ye finished speaking, several rogue cultivators stepped forward. "I am skilled in the art of image capture."

"My magical artifact is not very useful in combat, but it can record images."

"I can communicate for short periods of time using talismans."

……

Chen Ye was very pleased. He had truly stabilized the situation on the side of the rogue cultivators. Now it was up to the Burning Incense Sect.

But Chen Ye is not going to handle this like the Mirage Faction did; someone has to take responsibility for this farce.

Since Wei Changsheng is a disciple of the Incense Burning Sect, the responsibility should naturally fall on the Incense Burning Sect.

Chen Ye first had someone write down the ins and outs of today's events, demanding that it be clear and without any falsehoods. Then he ordered multiple copies to be made and distributed throughout Baihai Valley.

First, reveal the truth to the public, and then proceed to the second step.

Chen Ye ordered his men to bring Wei Changsheng up. This guy was bound by the Soul-Locking Chains and couldn't move at all, but when he saw Chen Ye, his eyes still revealed fear and anger.

Chen Ye ignored him and simply untied the restraints on his body.

Before Chen Ye could speak, Wei Changsheng shouted, "If you know what's good for you, release me! Otherwise, the Burning Incense Sect will not let you off the hook. Uncle-Master Yun Tao is a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator; one palm strike from him and you will all die!"

Upon hearing this, many rogue cultivators began to emit golden flames again.

Chen Ye shook his head; this person was truly incorrigible.

However, it's not surprising. Wei Changsheng has probably been pampered since childhood, and this small setback is unlikely to shake his worldview of decades or even centuries.

Chen Ye was too lazy to waste words with him, so he shook the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and summoned countless Yin spirits.

"Wei Changsheng, you should have witnessed the power of my magic weapon. If you don't want to suffer, then confess honestly!"

Wei Changsheng shrank back in fear, but still stubbornly said, "Confess? What do I have to confess? You're the ones who colluded with the devil!"

He overheard Chen Ye's conversation with the group of rogue cultivators and knew that Chang Shou and the others no longer wanted to fight to the death. Wei Changsheng was betting that they wouldn't dare to kill him, and that if someone died, the Burning Incense Sect would definitely avenge him.

But this sense of arrogance didn't last long. With a wave of his hand, Chen Ye summoned a swarm of vengeful spirits that surrounded him and then attacked him with various magical artifacts.

Iron trees with leaves as sharp as blades, boiling oil cauldrons, iron hooks that pierce the heart and peel away the skin... all sorts of torture instruments made Wei Changsheng experience a feeling of being worse than dead once again.

When I was captured by the blue-faced demon summoned by Chen Ye, this was the feeling of the iron hooks touching my body.

The excruciating pain affects the soul, and even those with skin of copper and bones of iron cannot withstand it.

As Wei Changsheng let out screams of agony, Chen Ye quickly instructed the rogue cultivators to record the scene. Then he said to Wei Changsheng, "You've already experienced my magic once. If you can truly repent, it might lessen the pain somewhat."

"Your repentance will bring us true justice."

"Wei Changsheng, list your sins."

Chen Ye was worried that the people from the Incense Burning Sect would arrive, but Wei Changsheng was still stubbornly refusing to speak. However, it didn't take long for the man to start crying and repenting.

“I was wrong. I shouldn’t have used my position for personal revenge. I hate you to the core, but I was powerless to do anything about it, so I could only vent my anger on other rogue cultivators. Several times I deliberately provoked them, forcing them to resist, and then I would throw them into cages and torture them to vent my personal grievances…”

Wei Changsheng screamed and began to recount his crimes incessantly, hoping to alleviate some of his suffering.

This man was truly ruthless. Besides using arbitrary pretexts to torture them, he also confiscated their storage bags, taking many benefits from them. Chang Shou's tens of thousands of Azure Pearls were pocketed by him, not to mention other treasures.

Although the rogue cultivators were poor, their sheer number was enough for Wei Changsheng to embezzle.

That wasn't enough; he even attempted to use freedom as leverage to force those beautiful female cultivators to engage in dual cultivation with him.

As soon as he said this, golden flames suddenly burst into light around Chen Ye. Such an outrageous act deserved to die.

However, this is not the point.

With each word Wei Changsheng spoke, he felt the pain lessen slightly. But after confessing to all his recent crimes, his body was still enduring excruciating pain, so he couldn't help but say, "I confess. I wanted to be the chief of Changsheng Hall. I killed the previous chief, Senior Brother Yue Lianxing."

Chen Ye's eyes widened in surprise.

There was an unexpected bonus.

This is far more serious than oppressing rogue cultivators. Wei Chang's life is already decided; Chen Ye doesn't even need to lift a finger.

(End of this chapter)