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

Chapter 323 Who exactly is it?
Chen Ye knew that he hadn't done a perfect job of taking the Mirage Demon away. Even if the Mirage Sect hadn't discovered it at first, a careful investigation would have led them to the Yellow Springs Sect.

However, Chen Ye thought he could delay for a while longer, since it had only been a few months, which was not even enough time for a cultivator to go into seclusion.

Unexpectedly, they were unable to witness the founding ceremony of the Yellow Springs Sect in the end.

Facing Zhou Lang's glaring eyes, Chen Ye shook his head and said, "I have no intention of taking any of the treasures from the Ruins of Return. I advise Sect Leader Zhou to give up on the Ruins of Return. This place is extremely dangerous and is a forbidden area that should never be approached."

It was somewhat shameless for Chen Ye to say this, after all, he had already obtained quite a few treasures in Guixu, and he would definitely go back to Guixu to help the mirage demons migrate.

But Chen Ye genuinely didn't want the Mirage Sect to explore Guixu again; that would be tantamount to suicide.

Deep within the Ruins of Guixu lies a terrifying black shadow, guarded by a monster, suspected to be an ancestor of a dragon clan.

Let alone the Mirage Faction, even Zhang Qi might not be able to escape unscathed if he went there.

But Zhou Lang interpreted Chen Ye's honest words as a desire to take everything for himself.

The Mirage Demon has a unique advantage in the Ruins of Return, making treasure hunting a natural fit.

The Mirage Sect spent so many years cultivating those ignorant and mindless beasts into monsters who could understand human speech. They were about to reap everything in the Ruins of Return, but Chen Ye snatched it away. No one could tolerate that.

Zhou Lang felt he had been very generous by letting Huangquan Sect get a share, and Chen Ye should agree.

As a result, he wanted them all.

Zhou Lang couldn't help but ask again, "Sect Leader Chen, are you sure you want to refuse the goodwill of my Mirage Sect? Lingguang Xian is a disciple of my Mirage Sect. Releasing her back will not cause you any loss."

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Ye firmly replied, "I'm sorry, but I cannot comply."

Having already promised to protect the Mirage Demon Clan, Chen Ye would not go back on his word, even if the Mirage Tower Sect's leader came personally. However, regardless of the circumstances, abducting the Mirage Demon Clan was indeed wrong of the Yellow Springs Sect, so Chen Ye said, "The Yellow Springs Sect can offer some compensation. My Yellow Springs Sect has a considerable amount of elixirs..."

Whether it's the treasures from the Incense Burning Sect or the longevity pills unique to the Yellow Springs Sect, these things should be more than enough to exchange for a few mirage demons. Originally, it was Lingguang Immortal who was suffering greatly and asked Chen Ye to save her from her misery, but in the eyes of the world, demons might not be considered human, but only livestock.

Even if Chen Ye believed he was trying to save someone, it was still against the rules, so compensation was acceptable, but sending the mirage demon back was impossible.

Zhou Lang replied, "The Mirage Sect has no shortage of pills. Compared to the entire Ruins of Return, what are mere pills?"

At this point in the conversation, Zhou Lang lost his patience, feeling that Chen Ye had been feigning politeness and was actually just laughing at him.

"I never expected to be outmaneuvered by a young man like you. You are truly a force to be reckoned with!" Zhou Lang sneered, then said, "But Sect Leader Chen, do you really think the Yellow Springs Sect can compare to the Mirage Sect?"

Chen Ye stopped wasting words and shook his head, saying, "Of course we can't compare, but I, Chen Ye, never break my promises. If the Mirage Sect is unwilling to give up, they might as well try to wipe out my entire Yellow Springs Sect."

Zhou Lang frowned; he hadn't expected Chen Ye to say something so resolute.

In Zhou Lang's plan, they would talk if they could, and if they couldn't, they would just use the pressure from other sects to force Chen Ye to submit. From the beginning, Zhou Lang never intended to destroy the Yellow Spring Sect.

Now that Chen Ye was so resolute, Zhou Lang began to hesitate.

However, if they were to give in now, it's likely that the treasures of Guixu would truly be unattainable, meaning that Zhou Lang would be unable to secure the position of sect leader of the Mirage Sect based on his "merits."

Zhou Lang snorted coldly and said to Chen Ye, "Since that's the case, then the Yellow Springs Sect should prepare to be wiped out."

Leaving behind these last words, Zhou Lang vanished in a wisp of green smoke.

Chen Ye exclaimed in surprise, "The illusions of the Mirage Sect are indeed powerful. Could he have been an illusion from the very beginning?" Just as Chen Ye finished speaking, Qu Heng's figure appeared in the corner.

From the very beginning, Qu Heng had been listening to their conversation. He was the one who had saved those mirage demons, so how could he be absent from this discussion?

Qu Heng said to Chen Ye, "Although Zhou Lang is not very famous, his illusion magic is really powerful, not much worse than Yin Xiaoshuang's. I wanted to keep him here, but I was afraid of making too much of a commotion."

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "Grandmaster, we are in the wrong now. It would be unreasonable for us to make the first move."

"Where are we in the wrong? How are we in the wrong?" Qu Heng said smugly, "The Mirage Sect enslaved the Mirage Demons, and we couldn't stand it, so we stepped in to help. That's how righteous people behave. They are the demons."

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "If you say that, you're just making excuses. I'm afraid the Qinghe Sword Sect won't agree with it."

"Then what are you going to say?" Qu Heng asked.

Chen Ye thought for a moment, then said, "The key question is... whether the mirage demon can be considered human or not."

If Chen Guang and the others were all disciples of the Mirage Sect, and they complained to Chen Ye about the Mirage Sect's enslavement, torture, and even slaughter of them, Chen Ye wouldn't even need to lift a finger; the Qinghe Sword Sect would be the first to come knocking on their door.

There are very few monsters in this world, and there has never been a precedent of treating monsters as humans.

However, it wasn't a big problem. Chen Ye had been thinking about this issue for a long time. Zhou Lang arrived earlier than expected, but as the saying goes, "you have to consider the consequences before you can win." After seeing the zombies from the Mirage Sect in Guixu, Chen Ye had already come up with a way to deal with them.

Chen Ye said confidently, "I will handle matters of principle, but we must be careful that the Mirage Sect does not use other methods. Grandmaster, please keep a close eye on Zhou Lang. The illusions of the Mirage Sect are just like the illusions of Youluozi, which are simply impossible to guard against."

Qu Heng laughed and said, "You don't need to worry about that. You've forgotten, the mirage demon is the most skilled in illusion. As early as when Zhou Lang entered the city, those girls had already been keeping a close eye on him. However, I still need to keep a close watch, because I'm afraid they might not be able to resist killing Zhou Lang."

This is no exaggeration. You should know that Lingguang is already one of the City Gods, and these mirage sisters are several City Gods combined, having already absorbed a large amount of incense offerings.

Within the Yellow Springs Sect, they could also mobilize the power of the mountain-protecting array, making them capable of fighting against those in the Returning Void Realm.

Qu Heng vanished in a shadow, and Chen Ye was about to continue receiving other guests when You Luozi's voice came from behind him: "Sect Master Chen, it seems you've run into trouble. Do you need my help?"

Chen Ye sneered, "I knew it, this matter must be related to you. You were half involved in the Mirage Sect's plan to possess the Mirage Demon, so I suppose you and Zhou Lang have been cooperating for a long time, haven't you?"

Youluozi laughed and said, "Sect Leader Chen is indeed clever, but this can't be called cooperation; it's just mutual exploitation. I am the true ally of Sect Leader Chen; we have been through thick and thin together. If you just say the word now, I can help you solve the Mirage Sect's troubles. What do you say, Sect Leader Chen?"

Chen Ye asked, "Then, what is the price?"

Youluozi tempted, "Sect Leader Chen knows what he's doing. As long as you help me open that door deep within the Ruins of Return, I'll give you whatever you want. Anything that exists in this world, I'll help you get it. Isn't the Yellow Springs Sect going to become the leader of the righteous path? With my help, all the mortals in the world will become believers of the Yellow Springs Sect, providing you with incense and prayers. In just ten years... no, in just five years, the Yellow Springs Sect will be number one in the world."

The seductive music made Chen Ye feel dizzy for a moment, but he eventually came to his senses and said to Youluozi, "Tell me first, who exactly is imprisoned deep in the Ruins of Return?"

"It seems that Sect Leader Chen is unaware of the preparations the Mirage Sect has made for this. It's alright. When you are truly unable to resolve this, just give the call, and I will help you solve the problem at any time. However, I hope you will keep your word."

Youluozi left behind her last words and then disappeared. Chen Ye stroked his chin. It seemed that this witch knew he was very knowledgeable about ancient legends, so she dared not reveal a word of it.

In other words, Youluozi believed that Chen Ye would be even less willing to help if he knew who was inside.

Chen Ye sighed, "How many important figures are actually associated with the Jiaolong? I'm really curious."

(End of this chapter)