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

Chapter 347 Plague
Fang Hao stood in mid-air, his talisman sword blazing with golden light, and countless yellow talismans rained down from the sky.

Those talismans were not ordinary yellow paper; each one was engraved with the secret demon-suppressing runes of the Incense Burning Sect. The demon-suppressing runes drawn with cinnabar shone with a clear spiritual light under the moonlight, and each one could be considered a treasure among talismans.

The moment the demon-suppressing talisman touched the Yin soldiers' armor, it transformed into golden chains, pinning the entire team firmly to the spot.

The ghostly soldiers looked up in astonishment, only to see Fang Hao turn his sword, and dozens of talismans coiled around the two prisoners like golden snakes. The talismans were especially dense around the northerner, almost wrapping him in a golden cocoon.

Suddenly, the prisoner from the northern frontier let out an inhuman roar, and countless writhing lumps bulged under his skin.

"late!"

A sickeningly loud cracking sound suddenly rang out.

The prisoner from the northern frontier had tilted his head back at an angle exceeding human limits, causing a fleshy growth the size of an egg to bulge out on his Adam's apple. Beneath his exposed skin, dozens of walnut-sized protrusions moved about as if alive, each with a distorted facial contour emerging from its surface.

In the blink of an eye, these tumors ruptured, spewing out a thick white mist.

The fog swelled when it encountered the wind, and in the blink of an eye, it covered an area of ​​ten zhang (approximately 33 meters).

A faint, melodious sound drifted through the mist, lulling one into a dream.

Fang Hao was shocked. He had seen this fog before; it was the plague fog that was causing headaches for the Yunlu Immortal Sect.

Fang Hao's pupils shrank sharply, but he did not back down. He formed a hand seal so fast that it left afterimages.

All around, yellow talismans emitted golden light, transforming into countless runes that dyed the white mist gold. Then, Fang Hao pointed his fingers like a sword, slashed forward, and shouted, "Collect!"

A huge vortex appeared on the sword, now only the hilt remained, like a giant funnel, forcibly constricting the poisonous mist that flowed like rivers into the sea.

Unfortunately, Fang Hao was a step too late. The spreading poisonous fog had already covered a large area. Even though Fang Hao had now absorbed the poisonous fog into his magic weapon, the onlookers collapsed on the ground, as if they had all fallen asleep.

The commotion quickly awakened the entire city of Fengdu, and countless ghostly soldiers swarmed in, surrounding Fang Hao.

Just as Fang Hao was about to reveal his identity, the ghost soldiers recognized him.

A ferocious-looking golden-armored general roared, "Master Fang Hao, what are you doing here? What has happened?"

Fang Hao also recognized this golden-armored general. He was Yang Chongguang, the commander of the Soul-Binding Division. It was said that he was a veteran of the battlefield in his previous life, who became the commander of the Yin soldiers in Fengdu City by a twist of fate.

When Fang Hao climbed out of the oil cauldron, he had seen this commander once before, and at that time, Fang Hao felt a fierce and violent aura emanating from him. Yang Chongguang never hid his cruelty and bloodlust, and it was said that he often wanted to jump into hell himself, using torture to suppress his violent nature.

Fang Hao didn't have a very good impression of this person, but it would be much more convenient now that Yang Chongguang recognized him.

"Commander Yang, this was not my doing. Someone infiltrated Fengdu and released the plague..."

Fang Hao could only explain what had happened and show off the poisonous fog he had collected.

Yang Chongguang immediately revealed a murderous aura.

Yang Chongguang slammed his spear into the ground and ordered the ghostly soldiers behind him, "Men, seal off the entire city! Send everyone connected to this traitor to the interrogation hall. Also, capture everyone who has frequented the brothels these past few days. Anyone who resists, kill them on the spot and take their souls into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner!"

A riot led to the first martial law being declared in Fengdu City. When the matter was reported to Chen Ye, he was not in seclusion in the underground palace.

When Fang Hao and Qin Le arrived at the Yellow Springs Palace, Chen Ye did not show any surprise.

Pang Duoduo had already mentioned Fang Hao's arrival to him, and Chen Ye had even considered making him an elder, just like Pang Duoduo.

But Pang Duoduo suggested that Fang Hao complete this trial of hellish torture.

It's probably hard for outsiders to understand why Fang Hao, Lu Xingzhou's disciple and a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator, would come to the Yellow Springs Sect as the lowest-ranking second-generation disciple.

Fang Hao remained silent for a long time, still unsure how to address Chen Ye.

The last time they met was in Pearl Harbor, when Fang Hao was the next leader of the Incense Burning Sect, while Chen Ye was merely the leader of a minor side sect. Now, Fang Hao is nothing but a stray dog, and has even become a second-generation disciple of the Yellow Springs Sect.

In just a few short months, it truly felt like a lifetime had passed.

Qin Le looked on with reverence. He had never met Chen Ye, but had heard countless legends about him.

As a native of the northern frontier, Chen Ye was a true immortal and the true lord of the northern frontier in his heart.

Now that he is qualified to join the Yellow Springs Sect, his tribe held a three-day feast upon learning this, almost eating the entire tribe out of poverty.

Qin Le had completely forgotten about this Senior Brother Fang, and looked at Chen Ye with reverence, listening to every word he said.

Chen Ye didn't want to reminisce at this time, so he got straight to the point.

"Thanks to your timely response, the poisonous fog did not spread, but many people inside and outside the city have still been infected."

This was the most troublesome thing for Chen Ye. The composition of this poisonous fog was too strange. Even the Yunlu Immortal Sect couldn't solve it, and neither could the Huangquan Sect.

Those infected with the plague will be drowsy for a long time. Once they fall asleep, they will fall into a blissful illusion, where countless people urge them to die together and go to that blissful heaven.

Humans have relatively weak willpower, and many people find it difficult to resist this temptation, and soon take their own lives in pursuit of the so-called paradise.

The northerner who was parasitized by the poisonous fog was bewitched by this, and it was he who actively summoned the servant of that nobleman from the Central Plains.

The brothel business was not about making money, but about spreading that strange plague.

Although the Yellow Springs Sect enjoys a very high reputation in the Northern Frontier, not everyone has completely let go of the past and is willing to accept their current life.

Especially those who once held high positions of power.

Chen Ye set new rules for many tribes. Under the supervision of the City God, it would be impossible for those tribal leaders to continue enslaving their tribesmen and abusing the common people.

Naturally, some people will take advantage of the situation.

Moreover, this poisonous fog was truly bizarre; the Yellow Springs Sect's protective array showed no reaction whatsoever. Even after Fang Hao collected the fog and Chen Ye personally inspected it, he found nothing amiss.

It looked like ordinary fog; Chen Ye's spiritual eyes swept over it but couldn't see any special flow of spiritual energy.

Chen Ye asked Fang Hao, "How did you discover that something was wrong?"

"Reporting to the Sect Master, this is my innate supernatural ability. Like Junior Sister Mo, I am a person born with supernatural abilities. My eyes can see through many disguises and illusions."

Fang Hao's answer surprised Chen Ye quite a bit. Innate supernatural abilities are the biggest secret for cultivators, yet Fang Hao actually revealed them directly.

Chen Ye looked at Fang Hao, knowing that this was his pledge of loyalty, since the two hadn't exactly had a friendly relationship before.

Chen Ye didn't offer any words of comfort. Fang Hao had already revealed the secret, so there was no point in saying anything now. It was better to let Fang Hao feel that his pledge of allegiance was useful.

"Thanks to your alertness, otherwise the poisonous fog would have infected even more people. Fang Hao, I will send a force of ghost soldiers to you to command, and you will be in charge of checking how much poisonous fog is still hidden."

Upon hearing this, Fang Hao showed a relieved expression.

Chen Ye entrusting this important task to me shows that he has chosen to put aside past grievances and trust me.

Chen Ye didn't waste time on pleasantries and said to Qin Le, "I heard that you were the first to discover the anomaly. You should also go and assist Fang Hao in the investigation. Although neither of you has formally joined the Yellow Springs Sect yet, let's postpone those superficial skills for now and find out all the hidden dangers first."

The two answered in unison, "Yes, sir!"

(End of this chapter)