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

Chapter 256 The Fourth Level of Hell

"We've finally caught you."

When Chen Ye uttered those words to the Ksitigarbha Sutra, the radiance that was gradually fading seemed to freeze, neither increasing nor decreasing, as if waiting for Chen Ye's next words.

Chen Ye clasped his hands together, bowed to the Ksitigarbha Sutra, and then said, "Thank you for your help all this time, senior. Now that we have met, why not be frank with me?"

Chen Ye had long known that there was something wrong with the Ksitigarbha Sutra, but he was only truly certain of its miraculous power after copying the scripture library of the Incense Burning Sect.

Chen Ye had seen the original texts of those celestial books and secret techniques, but none of them were like the Ksitigarbha Sutra. At most, they were made of some precious materials, but they were not indestructible.

No wonder the Incense Burning Sect only wanted the original text of the Heavenly Book Secret Techniques, instead of the scripture in Chen Ye's possession.

In the eyes of the Incense Burning Sect, the important thing about the Heavenly Book Secret Technique is the content recorded on it, while the book itself is nothing special.

So why is this Ksitigarbha Sutra special?
The only explanation is that something else is hidden inside this scripture.

Chen Ye recalled that when he was in seclusion in Hundred Seas Valley, he made a mistake in condensing his Qi Sea. He should have died and perished, but he survived and even had a miraculous encounter.

He was the only one in the cave at the time, and the only thing that could save his life was this magical scripture.

However, Chen Ye was in a daze at the time and could not determine whether it was true or false.

Just now, when Chen Ye was practicing the "Eight-Nine Arcane Arts," he deliberately took a risk and shattered his soul into millions of pieces.

If it were someone else, they might really have died.

But Chen Ye is different. He has lived two lives, and what he has seen and heard is difficult to deduce from the perspective of an ordinary person.

It's just a million selves. What is the true self? What is the id? These are concepts that have been discussed countless times in philosophy.

Chen Ye remained calm and composed, accepting that his consciousness had been divided into millions.

Each one is themselves, each one is real, there is no distinction between them, and there is no such thing as true or false.

There are millions of versions of ourselves, but in reality, we are all one.

Having grasped the principle of the unity of all things, Chen Ye overcame the most perilous hurdle of the "Eight-Nine Arcane Arts." From then on, his soul and body were perfectly integrated, and even a single drop of blood could contain Chen Ye's complete consciousness.

Although Chen Ye has now returned to his original appearance, his flesh, internal organs, and even all his organs have actually been transformed into runes. Now, being stabbed is not even a minor injury to Chen Ye; it will heal in an instant.

Although there is still a long way to go before one can be reborn from the ashes, this is definitely the first step on a long journey. From now on, all I need to do is cultivate step by step.

But these things are nothing. What Chen Ye cares more about is that his test has finally confirmed the changes in the Ksitigarbha Sutra.

There must be something hidden in this scripture; someone has been helping me cultivate myself.

Now that they've been caught red-handed, shouldn't the characters in the book reveal their identities?
Chen Ye was very curious about which powerful figure was hidden in the book and why they treated him differently.

Is it a demon lord who hasn't quite died, an ancient cultivator, or, to be even bolder, the all-powerful "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva"?
Chen Ye was very curious and excited.

The secrets of the Heavenly Book concern the truth of the world. The person in the book must also know this secret, and it's time to unravel the mystery.

However, after Chen Ye devoutly prostrated himself, there was no response from the Ksitigarbha Sutra.

There were no figures suddenly flying out, nor could any sound be heard; only the radiance continued to flow, and the pages of the book turned automatically without any wind.

Seriously? They've already caught them red-handed, why are they still hiding it?

This senior seems to be a bit of a sore loser.

Undeterred, Chen Ye asked, "Senior, is there something you're having trouble saying?"

The scriptures are silent; they simply continue turning the pages.

Chen Ye then asked, "Even if there is something difficult to say, I should still repay the kindness of the senior who saved my life. I suppose the senior has already made arrangements. If there is anything I can do to help, please feel free to speak."

Chen Ye thought to himself, there is no such thing as kindness without a reason in this world. Others must be asking for something in return for all the good they have done.

As long as the senior characters in the book speak up and ask him to do something, you can always deduce some of their thoughts from these requests.

However, Chen Ye miscalculated; the scripture simply said nothing.

The pages of the scripture were turned one by one, and finally closed again.

The radiance subsided, and a faint sigh came from the scriptures: "Why can't hell ever be empty? Why do those who are forever condemned to hell curse all the gods and Buddhas?"

It was that same line again; Chen Ye had heard it before. But he couldn't figure out the answer either.

Assuming this scripture is indeed related to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Ksitigarbha is most famous for his great vow: "I will not become a Buddha until the hells are emptied."

Taking both into account, this sigh might also be a statement made by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

The first half is easy to understand; it means that after guarding hell for too long, one laments that one's overtime work never seems to end.

But what about the second half of the sentence?

Those who are destined for eternal hell curse all the gods and Buddhas.

According to Chen Ye's understanding, those who fall into hell are all sinners who committed many mistakes in their lives, and going to hell is only to atone for their sins.

Is it because these sinners are so stubborn and uneasy that they curse the gods in hell, believing that their suffering is the gods' fault?
This was the only explanation Chen Ye could think of.

But Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva couldn't possibly be unaware of this. How is it hard to understand when evil people shirk responsibility and pin the blame on others?
What exactly is the doubt that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva has?
"Sigh, why do those seniors always like to only say half of what they mean? They make others guess, and that's the root of all misunderstandings."

Chen Ye disliked this kind of secretive feeling the most.

There is nothing that cannot be said to others; what cannot be laid out openly? Truth becomes clearer through debate, doesn't it?

However, he really couldn't do anything about the Ksitigarbha Sutra. Whether it contained a powerful senior or simply a magic artifact that operated according to a program, it was something that Chen Ye couldn't do anything about for the time being.

Since the other party was unwilling to explain, Chen Ye had no choice but to put the scriptures away and continue practicing his skills.

The Eight-Nine Arcane Arts have only just begun; if not now, when will we ever get the chance to practice them?
Chen Ye continued to twist himself into a pretzel shape inside the underground palace, but this time the movements were much more abstract, as if he had truly become a lump of soft clay that could be rolled and flattened at will.

As his cultivation continued, Chen Ye frantically absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the aura of the ginseng fruit into his body, which once again transformed into runes and began to refine his bones.

Chen Ye didn't know how long he stayed in the underground palace. Until there were no more bones left in his body and he turned into a sphere, Chen Ye exploded once again, turning into a shower of golden water.

This time, it wasn't just a simple drizzle; it splashed everywhere, with the golden runes forming liquid that flew all over the place.

After an eerie silence, the splashed gold began to slowly wriggle, and after a considerable amount of time, it recombine into a ball, gradually transforming back into Chen Ye's shape.

Chen Ye opened his eyes, clenched his fists, and then said proudly, "I have mastered the first level of the Eight-Nine Arcane Technique."

At this moment, Chen Ye no longer had ordinary flesh and bones; his body was now entirely composed of runes.

Although he could not be said to be able to gather and disperse at will, ordinary spells could no longer harm him in the slightest.

At worst, it will be destroyed and then reassembled; it's just a waste of spiritual energy.

The first step is to transform the physical body into runes. The next step is to cultivate the method of rebirth, to instantly heal injuries, and to quickly reassemble the scattered runes. Once this step is reached, there will be very few people in the world who can harm Chen Ye.

Once Chen Ye has truly mastered the art of gathering and scattering at will, he will need to learn the art of transformation.

Theoretically, the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts allows Chen Ye to transform into anything, whether it be wild beasts, mountains, or rivers; he can freely transform into anything, and there is no difference between him and the original.

This is the most difficult stage, and Chen Ye doesn't know if he can master it.

Even if he only learned a little bit, it would be of great benefit to Chen Ye.

Chen Ye sighed, "No wonder the Demon Lord Wujiu is said to be eternally immortal. If I continue to cultivate, I will no longer be limited by lifespan and will be able to live forever without ascending."

However, Chen Ye does not intend to continue cultivating the "Eight-Nine Arcane Technique" for the time being. Multiple body splits would also be a burden on his soul. Ultimately, his cultivation level is insufficient to infinitely split his soul without harm.

The Eight-Nine Arcane Arts has no connection with Chen Ye's Eighteen Levels of Hell Divine Power. Continuing to cultivate it will not help Chen Ye break through his realm unless he completely abandons the Eighteen Levels of Hell and switches to cultivating the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts.

Chen Ye was reluctant to give it up. This was a cultivation method he had figured out himself, and it was the most suitable path for him. Giving up halfway now would be a complete mess.

Therefore, Chen Ye needs to figure out how to cultivate in this fourth level of hell.

Fortunately, with this experience, Chen Ye also figured out how to design the fourth level of hell.

People still recognize their physical bodies, while their true spirit is trapped in clay, mistaking vermilion for rosy clouds.

If your soul were to be divided into a thousand pieces, which one would truly be you?

This fourth layer is the true self that everyone finds difficult to attain.

(End of this chapter)