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

Chapter 265 Youluo's Pawn
In the dark depths of the earth, in an endless abyss.

Youluozi hides deep at the bottom of the pool, and has never shown his true face to anyone for many years.

Even this deep pool is merely the hiding place that Youluozi claims to be, and no one knows whether it is true or not.

As one of the eighteen Venerable Masters of the Demonic Sect, Youluozi has always been the most mysterious and unique one.

If Soulfire Little Man, the Soul Master, was discriminated against by the Demonic Sect because of the betrayal of Demon Lord Wujiu, then Youluozi was feared by all his fellow cultivators because his methods were too mysterious.

Do not speak to this venerable one, do not listen to a single word she says, or even your soul will be lured away.

This is no joke; the demons under Youluozi's command were all seduced from other lords.

The other dozen or so lords also had their opinions, but no one knew where Youluozi's true form was. The subordinates you sent to test or retaliate would soon become Youluozi's men again, like adding fuel to the fire.

If Youluozi had been any more aggressive, the entire underground demonic sect might have fallen into his hands. However, this lord seemed to understand the importance of "measures."

The number of demonic cultivators who were bewitched by her was neither too many nor too few, just within the range that other lords could accept.

Over time, everyone tacitly accepted Youluozi's existence.

Over time, Youluozi actually became the lubricant of the Demonic Sect, mediating various conflicts and allowing the Demonic Sect to survive in this resource-scarce underground.

Therefore, only Youluozi can cooperate with the rejected Soulfire Little Man.

Youluozi is mysterious and unpredictable, but she has a lot of influence in the demonic sect. No matter which sect's successor, they all have to give her some face.

Today, Youluozi's voice echoed once again from underground.

It's just deep in the ocean, thousands of miles away.

"Lord Qing, have you eaten today?"

As the sound rang out, a colossal creature opened its eyes in a deep underwater cave.

This is a monster that is half human and half dragon. Although it has a dragon head, its body is mostly human-shaped.

Upon hearing Youluozi's voice, the monster let out a low dragon roar and questioned, "Youluozi, what tricks do you intend to use against me now?"

“Lord Qingzun, you can’t say such things carelessly. When has Youluozi ever used any tricks? I have never told you a single lie.”

The Azure Dragon Lord sneered, pointing to the large burn marks on his body, and said, "I am no match for you in verbal sparring. But these injuries on my body are real, and I will not believe anything you say this time."

During the battle at Rift Mountain, Youluozi sent a bewitched Nirvana Sect monk to the Azure Dragon Lord. Despite his Void Returning Realm cultivation, Youluozi completely controlled his mind.

It was said that it was to be given as a sacrifice to the Azure Dragon Lord, so that he could go to Rift Sky Mountain to test whether Zhang Qi had truly ascended to immortality.

The Azure Dragon Lord should have swallowed the Nirvana Sect monk whole, which would have greatly increased his cultivation. However, the Azure Dragon Lord was wary of Youluozi's abilities. If the monk had tampered with something, swallowing him whole would have meant being ambushed.

People in the Demonic Sect are all wary of each other, but once they've received benefits, they'll inevitably take action. The Azure Dragon Lord also wanted to know whether Zhang Qi had actually ascended to immortality.

Therefore, the Azure Dragon Lord simply used the monk as a magic weapon, severely injuring the two sect leaders of Tianxin Island and Yunlu Immortal Sect in one go, and then fought against Yin Xiaoshuang.

The original plan was to swallow these sect leaders whole, exchanging one for three, which would naturally make a huge profit.

Who would have thought that Yin Xiaoshuang's skills were far beyond expectations? Not only did the Azure Dragon Lord fail to devour the three sect leaders, but he was also burned by the phoenix that Yin Xiaoshuang had transformed into, and had to hide in this deep sea cave to recuperate.

Although strictly speaking, it wasn't Youluozi's fault, demonic cultivators aren't known for their reasoning. Since he was injured, Youluozi had to take responsibility no matter what. Even if he couldn't get compensation, he had to make his stance clear, otherwise Youluozi would definitely push his luck.

This is how the demonic sects interact.

Regardless of Youluozi's motives, it's safe to pin the blame on her first.

Youluozi was quite used to this way of communicating and said without any concern, "Lord Qingzun, please calm down. Youluozi knows that you are injured, so I brought you this message, which may be able to help you heal."

The Azure Dragon Lord listened with curiosity and asked, "Tell me about it?"

Youluozi said, "Has Qingzun ever heard of Guixu?"

The Azure Dragon Lord said, "Of course I've heard of it. Back then, the Azure Dragon Demon Lord was able to become a Demon Lord only after obtaining a dragon pearl that flowed out of the Ruins of Return. Unfortunately, that dragon pearl was destroyed by Zhang Qi with a single sword. Without such a treasure, my cultivation technique has never been able to be perfected."

Youluozi said, "I know where Guixu is."

The Azure Dragon Lord stood up in shock, his powerful body smashing into the sea cave, sending rocks tumbling everywhere.

The Azure Dragon Lord roared, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

Youluozi said aggrievedly, "Lord Qing, please calm down. I only just learned the location of Guixu. We were hiding underground before, and our information was not readily available. How could we have known such a secret? I just got the news and came to inform Lord Qing, but I didn't expect to be blamed by you."

The Azure Dragon Lord naturally knew that Youluozi's words were not entirely true. This witch's methods were astonishing; it seemed that she could capture all the sounds in the world, and no one's secrets could be hidden from her.

The Underground Demonic Sect claims to have eighteen Venerable Lords, but most of them are just there to fill a quota. Many of them have only just reached the Nascent Soul stage, yet they dare to call themselves Venerable Lords. Only five of them are truly capable of supporting the inheritance of a demonic path.

The five lords were Soulfire Man, Youluozi, Azure Dragon, Feilian, and Tiger's Lackey. Among them, Youluozi was the most troublesome. Azure Dragon Lord didn't want to argue with Youluozi and anxiously asked, "Youluozi, what conditions do you want for me to tell you the location of Guixu?!"

"Your Excellency Qingzun is too kind. I have no conditions whatsoever. I will point out the location of the Ruins of Return to you right away."

The water in front of him rippled and formed a transparent sea chart, and the Azure Dragon Lord knew at a glance where the Ruins of Return were located.

"So this is where it is! The place where the eight streams interact. No wonder the Demon Lord was able to find the Flood Dragon Pearl back then. It's not surprising that things flowing out of the Ruins can drift anywhere."

The Azure Dragon Lord could tell at a glance that the sea chart was genuine; it was impossible to forge it so perfectly.

But he immediately realized something was wrong; there's no such thing as a free lunch.

The Azure Dragon Lord asked in a deep voice, "Enough with the nonsense, Youluozi. What are your conditions? Just say them."

"Lord Qingzun is straightforward. According to the rules of the Demonic Sect, no matter what you obtain in the Ruins of Return, you choose the first item, and I'll choose the second. How about that?"

"It's that simple?"

Youluozi said, "That's right. I will only take one of what you have, and you can choose one first. In addition, you must promise me one thing: if you encounter Chen Ye, the sect leader of the Yellow Springs Sect, in the Ruins of Return, do not harm him."

"The Sect Master of the Yellow Springs Sect? Does that mean I have to surrender without a fight?"

Youluozi laughed and said, "Lord Qingzun's cultivation is profound and his magic power is boundless. Chen Ye is only at the Tongxuan Realm. You only need to show some mercy. There is no difficulty at all. It just depends on whether you are willing or not."

The Azure Dragon Lord frowned and said, "What if I'm unwilling?"

Youluozi said sadly, "That little woman is powerless. How could a weak woman like me, who doesn't even dare to leave the house, pose any threat to Lord Qingzun?"

The Azure Dragon Lord felt a chill run through his body. Who would believe that the successor of the Bewitching Demon Lord was a weak woman?

The ability to communicate across thousands of miles at any time is frightening enough.

"Alright, I agree, but if Chen Ye persists in his pursuit, I won't hold back."

"Thank you, Lord Qingzun. I wish you great success and lasting good fortune."

The Azure Dragon Lord snorted coldly, wondering what Youluozi was up to. However, if he could obtain a dragon pearl, he could master his cultivation technique and become a true Azure Dragon Demon Lord.

But how did Youluozi suddenly get involved with that Yellow Springs Sect?
While the Azure Dragon Lord wasn't as well-informed as Youluozi, he was still familiar with the name Chen Ye.

The current number one cultivator in the Profound Realm is said to have progressed from the Enlightenment Realm to the Profound Realm in just over a year, an astonishingly fast cultivation speed.

At first, the Azure Dragon Lord did not believe it, as it was completely illogical.

Most of them are probably young geniuses promoted by so-called righteous paths, but it's just a means of creating gods and playing a game of seeking fame and fortune.

But after hearing more about it, I realized that the Yellow Springs Sect was not right in any way.

If he were a genius promoted by the five major sects, it would be impossible for him to establish his own sect, let alone the fact that his fame came from challenging the Incense Burning Sect and the Mirage Sect, which disgraced both of them.

This isn't how you create a god; you can't use your own reputation as a shield.

Therefore, it can be inferred that Chen Ye must have some real skills.

"However, when did Youluozi start associating with the Yellow Springs Sect? Could it be that the Yellow Springs Sect is Youluozi's pawn?"

The Azure Dragon Lord felt that this guess was very reasonable. Youluozi's methods of bewitching people were extremely amazing. A mere Tongxuan Realm cultivator was captivated by her breath in his ear.

Therefore, it should be that Youluozi first sent Chen Ye to explore the Guixu, but found that there were many troubles inside, and it was difficult for Chen Ye to break through the barrier on his own. So he asked him to help, which made exploring the Guixu much easier.

Therefore, Youluozi did not allow the Azure Dragon Lord to harm Chen Ye, as he was an important pawn in her game.

That's right, everything makes sense now.

The Azure Dragon Lord felt much more at ease after realizing he had figured out Youluozi's plan.

Although it's a bit troublesome, it's all worth it as long as we can get the Flood Dragon Pearl.

The Azure Dragon Lord channeled his magic power, causing water to surge around him, propelling him out of the cave and swimming towards the direction of the Ruins of Return.

Meanwhile, in the Ruins of Return, Chen Ye was carefully analyzing several corpses.

These corpses were all placed under a restriction by Youluozi, causing them to automatically seek out and possess the bodies of dead mirage eggs. When Chen Ye first studied it, he thought it was just an illusion technique that manipulated the soul, but after careful examination, he felt that the spell was extremely intricate and not as simple as just manipulating the soul.

Possessing the body of a non-human race is inherently extremely difficult and causes immense damage to the soul. However, this spell takes a different approach, actually eroding the human nature within the soul and increasing the success rate of possession by sacrificing memories...

Chen Ye muttered to himself, "This looks just like the Meng Po soup."

(End of this chapter)