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

Chapter 384 The Difficulty of the Right Path

Seven days after the battle in the clouds, the Yunlu Immortal Sect was shrouded in gloom and despair.

Today is the funeral of a fallen disciple of the Yunlu Immortal Sect.

Twenty-three disciples perished, including two at the Profound Realm and the rest at the Qi Sea or Body Refinement Realm.

Facing two Void Return Realm Demon Sect Masters, such a loss could actually be considered a great victory, but it was the most painful loss for the Yunlu Immortal Sect in hundreds of years.

For a thousand years, peace prevailed, to the point that cultivators had forgotten what the great war between good and evil was, and the devastation of nine out of ten cities being deserted.

Even though the Cloud Peak Immortal Sect destroyed Cloud City back then, the new generation of disciples still cannot directly experience the terror of that time.

Above the sea of ​​clouds, the originally ethereal and uncertain clouds and mist were fixed in a white mourning hue, swaying like tears.

Twenty-three coffins, carved from white jade, were neatly arranged beneath the Cloud Sea Altar. On each cold coffin, the name of a disciple of the Cloud Peak Immortal Sect was clearly engraved.

They were once the pride of their teachers, trusted partners among their fellow disciples, and the future hope of the Yunlu Immortal Sect. Now, they have become cold names, lying silently in this small space.

On the altar, the sect leader, Master Wuyun, was dressed in plain clothes, his face solemn, showing no sign of grief.

The Five Elements True Man circulated his spiritual energy, transforming it into a deep, resonant voice, and recited the sacrificial text in his hand.

"...Disciple Lin Wan, having entered the sect for seventy-three years, perished and her cultivation vanished above the sea of ​​clouds...Disciple Zhang Yuan, gifted with exceptional talent, should have had the potential to become a Nascent Soul cultivator, but to protect the sect, he shed his blood across the sky..."

As he recited the eulogy, each name struck like a heavy hammer against everyone's heart.

It is not just a name, but a series of lives that were not yet fully lived, and a series of stories of seeking the truth that came to an abrupt end.

People thought that the Five Elements Master was heartless, sending a group of disciples with such low cultivation levels to face the two Venerable Masters, which led to such huge casualties.

But only the Five Elements True Man knew that during the great war between the righteous and the demonic, when the demons at the Dao Integration Realm attacked the Yunlu Immortal Sect, they didn't care whether your cultivation level was high or low; they would all be reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye.

Now that the Yunlu Immortal Sect is well-prepared, and dares not confront the strongest member of the Demonic Sect even at their own doorstep, the Yunlu Immortal Sect will surely suffer the same fate as before, with its mountain gate shattered and its lineage severed once again.

"Oh, heavens, why are you so jealous of such a talent? May the spirits of these heroes forever protect our immortal sect and witness the restoration of a bright and clear world."

As the last name was recited, the Five Elements Immortal suddenly burned the sacrificial text. The golden flames soared into the sky, transforming into countless talismans that landed on the twenty-three white jade coffins.

The coffin slowly floated up, flew into the depths of the sea of ​​clouds, and disappeared into the void portal.

That was a small world specially created by the Yunlu Immortal Sect for burying disciples who could not achieve immortality and enlightenment, but this was the first time in a thousand years that twenty-three fellow disciples were buried at the same time.

After seeing off these heroic disciples who had sacrificed their lives, True Man Wuyun faced the endless sky beyond the sea of ​​clouds and slowly said, "My Yunlu Immortal Sect hereby swears! From this day forward, we will fight the Demonic Sect to the death! We will kill any demons we see in the world, until there are no more evil spirits in the human world and the bright and clear world is restored!"

As soon as he finished speaking, it seemed as if thunder rumbled across the sky.

All those watching the ceremony clenched their fists silently; this was a formal declaration of war by the righteous path against the demonic sect.

From this day forward, the peaceful days of the past will vanish without a trace.

The ceremony ended, and the crowd slowly dispersed. The festivities at Yunlu Immortal Sect came to an end, and the independent cultivators should now go their separate ways. The Western Territory has just been cleaned up by Yunlu Immortal Sect, and it is now a safe time. Whether to unite or retreat into seclusion, they must make up their minds.

Chen Ye did not leave. He searched in the sea of ​​clouds for a while and soon found his old friend in a corner of the altar.

Yu Shenxing sat alone in a corner, his figure obscured by the mist, as if he didn't want to be seen by anyone. Chen Ye noticed that his eyes were frighteningly red, and his expression was quite dejected; he guessed that he had been trapped in grief for the past few days.

He sat quietly in his wheelchair, gazing into the depths of the sea of ​​clouds, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.

Chen Ye silently walked to his side, without saying anything more, and simply patted his elder brother on the shoulder.

At this moment, Yu Shenxing seemed to wake up from a dream. He slowly turned his head, looked at Chen Ye, his lips moved, but no sound came out.

Finally, two lines of tears fell.

“Brother…” His voice was hoarse, filled with endless pain and confusion, “Junior Sister Lin… just a few days ago she made a promise with me that after this war is over, we will go to the East China Sea to watch the tide together.”

Chen Ye gently patted his shoulder and said in a deep voice, "The deceased is gone, please accept my condolences."

Yu Shenxing shook his head violently. He grabbed Chen Ye's arm with such force that it seemed as if he was afraid Chen Ye would run away. He said in a low, hoarse voice, "Brother, there is something I don't understand. I hope you can help me figure it out."

Chen Ye sensed that Yu Shenxing was acting strangely. Yu Shenxing would never be so out of control on a normal day; it seemed like he was showing signs of going astray.

Chen Ye could only try to reassure him, saying, "Brother, if you have any doubts, please speak freely."

Yu Shenxing gritted his teeth and asked, "That fiend Hu Chang, even with his physical body destroyed, can still escape with his primordial spirit. He can find a new body and enjoy another hundred years of carefree life! Fei Lian, on the other hand, has countless incarnations! Why?! Why can these fiends who indiscriminately kill innocent people have countless opportunities, while the disciples of my Yunlu Immortal Sect truly lose everything when they die!"

Those who follow the righteous path cannot have their bodies taken away; this is considered an unspoken rule.

Because this precedent cannot be set. If today you claim to have possessed a beggar who has just died, tomorrow you will possess a teenager who has "just died of illness".

Everyone knows what kind of excuse this is, which is why the Yunlu Immortal Sect does not allow its disciples to possess another's body.

However, apart from possession, there are few ways to save one's life in the righteous path.

The Incense Burning Sect seemed to have the means to turn people into mechanical puppets, but because it was too cruel, it was ultimately not recognized by the world.

Ultimately, for righteous cultivators, the physical body is the only vessel for their soul before they reach the Nascent Soul stage. Once the physical body is damaged, their path forward will be cut off, and they may even die and their cultivation will be extinguished.

This is the distinction between good and evil. Only the demonic sect can use vicious methods like cursing spirit children. If the righteous sect uses such methods, it is an unforgivable sin.

In the past, Yu Shenxing did not think there was anything wrong with this.

Since they claim to be righteous, they can't have it all. They can't commit inhumane acts while claiming to be on the right path.

But when Yu Shenxing witnessed the deaths of his relatives and friends, he felt despair and helplessness.

The wicked can start over again and again, but the righteous only get one chance. How can that be considered fair?

Yu Shenxing stared at Chen Ye, as if he had grasped at the last straw.

"Brother, I want to ask you for a favor."

"You said."

Yu Shenxing took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and said slowly and deliberately, "I want to go to your Yellow Springs Sect and stay for a while."

Seeing Chen Ye's puzzled expression, he hurriedly explained, "I want to study the Dao of your Yellow Springs Sect. I want to know how the Ten Thousand Souls Banner is made. I want to learn your technique of governing the people by having humans and ghosts live together and establishing the Underworld."

Chen Ye asked in confusion, "Brother, have you mentioned this matter to the elders of our sect?"

Yu Shenxing said, "I told my master that if we could learn the rules of the Yellow Springs Sect, our righteous path would have a second chance. But my master disagreed. He doesn't know how the Yellow Springs Sect separates life and death, and he doesn't dare let the Cloud Peak Immortal Sect set this precedent. I wanted to ask the sect leader for advice, but the sect leader has been busy these past few days and is unwilling to see me at all."

"Moreover, I don't think my master and the sect leader would agree. They believe that there will definitely be sacrifices in the war between good and evil, but I just want the people around me to survive."

Chen Ye remained noncommittal, stating that this was entirely a difference in their views on life and death.

Chen Ye can accept the cycle of reincarnation and karma, and the Qinghe Sword Sect can understand Chen Ye's grand ambition. However, other righteous sects may not agree. At most, they will just assume that Chen Ye is doing well now and has not seen any adverse consequences.

If Chen Ye's Yellow Springs Sect were to descend into chaos or suffer unacceptable consequences, other sects would likely immediately deem this path of humans and ghosts living together taboo, preventing other sects from repeating the same mistake.

Chen Ye understood this concern. The righteous path was not the demonic sect. It was a matter of great importance concerning all people in the world, and it was impossible to make decisions on a whim.

As for Yu Shenxing's request, Chen Ye, seeing his bloodshot eyes, knew that a firm refusal at this moment would easily trigger his inner demons, so he reassured him, "The Yellow Springs Sect welcomes you at any time, brother. I have always intended to promote the Underworld to all parts of the world. If you want to learn these things, I will naturally tell you everything I know. However, now that the Cloud Peak Immortal Sect has officially started a war with the Demonic Sect, can you extricate yourself from this situation?" Yu Shenxing was silent for a moment, then said, "I will persuade Master."

Chen Ye did not try to persuade him further, but instead changed the subject, saying, "I have found the whereabouts of the Tiger Servant Lord. He was struck by my sword energy, and his soul was severely damaged. He is now preparing to possess my body."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shenxing clenched his fists, his face contorted with bulging veins.

This fiend was the murderer who killed his fellow disciples, and Yu Shenxing wished he could tear him to pieces.

Yu Shenxing hurriedly said, "Brother, quickly tell the sect leader! If we don't nip it in the bud now, when will we ever get another chance?!"

Chen Ye sighed, "How could I not know? I have already informed all the major sects, and even the Five Elements Master has proposed to join forces to hunt down Tiger's accomplice. It's just a pity that my senses are not accurate. Moreover, Tiger's accomplice is hiding deep underground, and we cannot be sure how many ambushes we will encounter if we rashly venture underground."

Yu Shenxing frowned and said, "The demonic sect has been suppressed for a thousand years. Are righteous cultivators no match for them?"

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "How much will you suffer when fighting on someone else's turf? Brother, you personally experienced the Battle of the Clouds, don't you know? The Cloud Peak Immortal Sect's formation easily wiped out most of the demonic cultivators, forcing the two Venerable Lords to fight personally. But even these two were powerless against the Cloud Peak Immortal Sect's formation. Did you see Hu Chang using his army of cougars to forcibly attack your mountain-protecting formation?"

Do not try to fight against the power of heaven and earth with human strength, unless you are Zhang Qi.

After the entire Western Region was sealed off by the Great Five Elements Heavenly Punishment Formation, Hu Chang and Fei Lian both knew that they were bound to lose their lives, as the formation's advantage was something that the two of them alone could not compensate for.

The same applies to the underground. Those winding underground passages have been managed by the demonic sect for thousands of years. Who knows if one might stumble into a trap? If the Five Elements True Man or any other sect leader were to perish, the righteous path would suffer a great loss.

Yu Shenxing said excitedly, "We can think of another way, such as digging directly down into the ground. We have supernatural powers and magic, so it won't be difficult to dig to the location of the tiger's accomplices. Wouldn't that allow us to bypass the ambush?"

Seeing his agitated state, Chen Ye could only shake his head and say, "Brother, let's not even talk about how long it would take to dig from the surface to the depths of the earth; the noise alone would be impossible to hide. Tiger's accomplice isn't a stupid, ignorant beast; he can run away. Once he's run dozens of miles underground, we'll have to start digging all over again, and we'll never catch up with him."

Chen Ye hasn't let Hu Chang off the hook these past few days, striking him with lightning every day. Hu Chang has already changed hiding places more than a dozen times, and Chen Ye has no idea how far he's gone. This demon's hiding places seem endless; who knows how many years it took to prepare them.

"We have to try!" After saying this, Yu Shenxing lowered his head and said weakly, "Brother, I misspoke. My mind is in turmoil. Let me calm down."

The battle between good and evil is not child's play, nor is it something you can do just because you have an idea.

Hunting down the Tiger Lord is the right thing to do, but if we are not confident, it will ultimately turn into a bad thing.

Chen Ye sighed and said to Yu Shenxing, "Brother, although we are not yet able to hunt down the tiger's accomplices, I can help you vent your anger."

Yu Shenxing looked up in confusion, not quite understanding what Chen Ye meant.

Chen Ye said to him, "I have a mantra here. If you recite it sincerely, you can use the power of the Fengdu Emperor to see where the tiger's accomplice is, and it will allow you to vent your anger. Brother, don't worry, I'm not asking you to worship my deity, it's just..."

Before Chen Ye could finish explaining, Yu Shenxing said, "Please tell me the truth, my virtuous brother."

Chen Ye sighed, then chanted: "May the Heavenly Emperor bestow blessings, and may Fengdu suppress calamities. May evil spirits be banished, and may calamities be reduced to dust. May the Nine Netherworlds command that life be protected and longevity attained. With a righteous heart, all demons will be unable to invade..."

Yu Shenxing followed Chen Ye and recited the incantation almost without hesitation.

The phantom of the Emperor of Fengdu appeared behind Chen Ye, looking down at Yu Shenxing. Yu Shenxing felt an immense majesty descend upon him, as if it could see right through his heart.

Reciting the mantra of the Great Emperor of Fengdu signifies your faith in this deity and your willingness to offer incense and prayers to him.

However, the Emperor of Fengdu does not accept all wishes. This deity will carefully examine the believer's good and evil according to the rules set by Chen Ye. If he encounters an evil person, he will punish him directly. He will not absorb such polluting wishes that affect his own divine duties.

Yu Shenxing was never a villain. Within the righteous sects, Yu Shenxing's character was considered excellent, so naturally no crimes could be found in his records.

Emperor Fengdu then withdrew his gaze. Under Chen Ye's control, Emperor Fengdu shared the divine powers of the fifth level of Heavenly Punishment Hell with Yu Shenxing. Just as Chen Ye had shared the Hellish divine powers with Mo Suixin, saving her life.

Yu Shenxing was stunned to see countless threads of cause and effect closely connected to him.

Chen Ye could also see Yu Shenxing's karma through the Emperor of Fengdu, but Chen Ye discovered that Yu Shenxing had far fewer karmic threads than himself, they were not even in the same league.

The small number of strands also had its advantages, as Yu Shenxing quickly found the thicker one, which was the causal thread connecting him to the Tiger-Emperor. Without Chen Ye needing to remind him, Yu Shenxing had already understood the usage of the Heavenly Punishment Hell supernatural power from the Great Emperor of Fengdu.

Yu Shenxing looked at the Tiger Lord hiding in the dark underground and couldn't help but roar: "Demon, die!"

Chen Ye could sense that the spiritual energy in his body was being rapidly consumed and transformed into the divine power of the Fengdu Emperor.

Yu Shenxing's hatred transformed into lightning, manifesting on the head of the Tiger Servant Lord and crashing down with a deafening roar.

The Tiger Lord, who was thousands of miles away, was caught off guard and was struck by the lightning, causing his body to convulse and making him grimace in pain.

"You bastard! You coward from the Yunlu Immortal Sect! If you have the guts, come out and fight me fair and square!"

He roared madly, his voice filled with the fury tormented by repeated humiliations and a sense of unvented frustration.

It's been seven days!
It has been seven days since he escaped from the Yunlu Immortal Sect. Every day, lightning strikes him at random times. This thing does not harm people, but it hurts him so much that his soul trembles.

Tiger's accomplice didn't know what kind of magic this was, and could only guess that it was a method of the Yunlu Immortal Sect, since it looked somewhat similar to the Great Five Elements Heavenly Punishment Formation.

That damned lightning magic!

Despite fleeing thousands of miles, exchanging over a dozen corpses, and venturing deep into the darkest lair of the earth's veins, they still couldn't escape!

Can't stop!
They didn't even have a chance to resist!
This time, the pain was far greater than before. It was no longer just a shivering, tingling electric shock, but felt like millions of red-hot steel needles piercing his brain. Bolts of lightning struck one after another, giving Hu Chang no chance to catch his breath.

It was still painful but not damaging, and it still left him with a bellyful of resentment that he had nowhere to vent.

Tiger's accomplice roared suddenly, his voice echoing and reverberating in the enclosed cave like that of a wounded, dying beast. His eyes, burning red with pain and rage, seemed about to burst open.

The veins on his forehead bulged instantly like twisted earthworms, and the black energy under his skin surged violently, almost bursting out of his body.

The humiliation, fear, and overwhelming killing intent that had been building up for seven days were now completely ignited by these successive thunderbolts, transforming into an impulse for utter destruction. Tiger's accomplice was no longer able to think of any strategy; he only wanted to unleash his burning rage.

The tiger howled wildly, and thick gray fog gushed out from its seven orifices, instantly filling the entire huge cave space.

The thick fog rolled and condensed, instantly transforming into countless hideous weapons: giant axes, sharp arrows, spears, short swords... densely packed, covering the sky and the earth.

Tiger's accomplice no longer locked onto his target, because there was nothing in the cave except himself and the rocks; he only wanted to destroy, only wanted to destroy everything around him.

"Die! All of you, die!"

Tiger's accomplice wildly waved his arms, actually controlling the billions of demonic soldiers formed from gray mist. His will surged like a raging torrent, and the gray mist demonic soldiers exploded in all directions, indiscriminately bombarding everything in their path!

“Boom, boom, boom, boom—!!!”

The deafening roars instantly merged into one, even more terrifying than thunder!
Deep furrows were plowed into the ground, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the rock walls, and even the large stalagmites were reduced to dust.

Dust filled the air, and gravel rained down, as if determined to destroy everything in its path.

The deafening roar echoed far underground until the torturous thunder ceased, at which point the tiger tamer stopped, lying panting amidst the ruins.

He couldn't bear this torment any longer. If it happened a few more times, he would rather rush to the Yunlu Immortal Sect and fight them to the death.

After resting for a while, just as Hu Chang was about to change his hiding place, a shadowy figure appeared at the cave entrance.

The Venerable Feilian appeared, wearing a deer antler hat. He was once again draped in a fur cloak, which seemed to be no different from the one he had worn before.

The battle in the clouds was a devastating blow to Hu Chang, but a negligible loss for Fei Lian.

Looking at the mess on the ground, Fei Lian smiled and said to Hu Chang, "My old friend, did you know I came to collect a debt, which is why you're so angry?"

(End of this chapter)