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

Chapter 398 Let's Rebel

Chen Ye's gaze fell on Ye Chen again, this time with a more serious expression.

The demon before us is cunning and shrewd, truly not to be underestimated.

Chen Ye summoned all the cultivators at the Tongxuan Realm to the Yellow Spring Sect precisely to prevent Ye Chen from defeating them one by one. Unexpectedly, the other party turned the tables and intercepted the flying boat from Tianxin Island.

He was also highly skilled and daring, and the cultivators of Tianxin Island might not be willing to fight him one-on-one; they would most likely swarm him.

As a result, Ye Chen won by sheer force of will; this man's cultivation level was by no means ordinary, reaching the Profound Realm.

Chen Ye regretted his haste this time. He had summoned all his comrades to come to his aid before the teleportation array was even completed, which gave Ye Chen an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Chen Ye sighed slowly, then said to Ye Chen's gray mist clone, "Will you take matters into your own hands and end this clone, or shall I devour it?"

Ye Chen's face, which had just been smug about his successful scheme, froze instantly upon hearing this.

"Sect Leader Chen, as the head of a dignified immortal sect, isn't it a bit too petty to be so calculating?"

Chen Ye shook his head slightly and said, "That's what you said just now: if I want this clone of yours, you'll hand it over with both hands. If you go back on your word and break your promise, why should I keep my promise to you?"

Ye Chen was speechless for a moment, and his face turned extremely ugly.

He had intended to take advantage of the relatively peaceful atmosphere and quietly slip away with this clone, figuring that given Chen Ye's status and position, he wouldn't stoop so low as to hunt down an insignificant split soul.

However, the Sect Master Chen before them was no ordinary righteous person. He was shrewd and calculating, even more so than a demon, and he didn't care about those so-called empty titles.

"Fine, I admit defeat in your hands." Ye Chen gritted his teeth, and the gray mist around him suddenly began to surge and churn violently, clearly about to detonate this clone.

"Wait a minute!" Chen Ye suddenly raised his hand. "I have something else to ask you."

Ye Chen forcibly suppressed the power of his split soul that was about to erupt. The churning gray mist subsided slightly. He frowned and asked with a hint of impatience, "What else does Sect Master Chen want to ask?"

"Regarding the Time Arrow. Since the Soul Venerable has divided his divine soul into countless strands, the divine technique of the Time Arrow must have been prepared long ago. Such a technique cannot be personally controlled by him at all times, so the Soul Temple must have stored a lot of Time Arrows. Tell me, is this item in your possession?"

Ye Chen's expression changed again, and even the gray mist around him became somewhat unstable.

He never expected that Chen Ye was so meticulous, able to guess even this little detail.

Ye Chen was naturally very tempted by such a powerful divine ability as the Time Arrow.

Before the duel, he had secretly hidden the Time Arrow in a secluded spot nearby, waiting for Chen Ye and Su Chun to leave before retrieving it without anyone noticing.

Unfortunately, it still couldn't be hidden from Chen Ye.

Ye Chen sighed helplessly. He knew that denying it now would be useless and might even become an excuse for Chen Ye to break his promise.

Ye Chen had no choice but to tell him frankly: "The Time Arrow is hidden in the southwest corner outside the temple, under an ancient pine tree. Sect Leader Chen, this time I have spoken from the bottom of my heart and have said everything I know."

Before he finished speaking, Ye Chen didn't say another word or give Chen Ye another chance to ask questions. The gray mist clone suddenly contracted inward and then exploded with a bang.

In an instant, the gray mist churned and scattered.

Chen Ye manipulated the Fengdu Emperor, and the majestic and imposing deity behind him stretched out a giant hand that blotted out the sky, pushing the shadows of the five levels of hell to their limit. All these ghostly gray mists were imprisoned by Chen Ye.

In the next instant, Chen Ye transformed into a dream-eating tapir and swallowed the gray mist whole without leaking a single drop.

After completely eliminating Ye Chen's clone, Chen Ye and Su Chunyi thoroughly searched the area to ensure that no demons were hiding before heading to the southwest to look for the so-called ancient pine tree.

After only one glance, Chen Ye cursed, "That devil is cunning enough; this whole area is full of pine trees."

With a flick of his finger, Su Chun conjured dozens of sword lights that intertwined and reflected on a pine tree.

"It should be this pine tree."

After breaking through to the Profound Realm, Su Chunyi's Sword of Cause and Effect became even more formidable. As long as she could clearly identify what she was looking for, she could deduce its location using the sword light. Previously, it had been quite strenuous to use, but today, wielding it again appeared effortless.

The two landed under the tree and quickly dug out a treasure box containing dozens of Time Arrows that looked like they were carved from crystal.

Chen Ye focused his mind on sensing the spiritual energy flowing on the Arrow of Time, pondering it repeatedly for a long time, but gained nothing.

He smiled wryly and said, "This supernatural power is indeed profound and unpredictable, and it may not be possible to comprehend it in a short time." If the Arrow of Time cannot be dispelled, it may also be difficult to remove the demonic fragments lurking in the souls of mortals, which would be quite troublesome.

After pondering for a moment, Su Chunyi suggested, "Why don't we report the details here to the sect leader? Perhaps we can come up with a solution."

Chen Ye nodded in agreement, saying, "That is certainly the case. This matter is of great importance, and only by pooling our wisdom can we find a solution."

Although we were unable to completely eliminate the hidden dangers, we did manage to demolish the harmful temple, kill several demons, and seize this box of Time Arrows, which can be considered a success.

After finishing these clean-up tasks, Su Chunyi finally asked, "Sir, why did you agree to that demon's bet? And why did you choose to concede?"

Chen Ye said nonchalantly, "I don't really care about the title of number one in the Profound Realm. Besides, as Ye Chen said, if we had known about this a few days earlier, perhaps fewer mortals would have been tempted by the demon and planted with the Arrow of Time. A mere empty title is worth it for a few lives."

However, Su Chunyi's brows remained furrowed with worry as she spoke again: "Sir, you should know that my concern lies elsewhere. You surely know that Ye Chen is merely a pawn. His pursuit of the title of the number one in the Tongxuan Realm may seem pointless, but it is at the behest of the Flying Lord. There must be some other conspiracy behind this, and if it goes as planned, I fear the consequences will be endless."

Chen Ye nodded and said, "I can roughly guess some of it. Lord Feilian is about to break through, but he's been constantly harassed by my Heavenly Punishment Hell Divine Power, which is why he can't break through. Ye Chen is either a pawn to divert our attention or to help Feilian break through. But..."

Chen Ye paused slightly, then said helplessly, "I also cannot determine whether Ye Chen's success will help Fei Lian, or whether his failure will fulfill Fei Lian's wish!"

Su Chunyi looked puzzled, wondering why she suddenly couldn't understand what he was saying.

Before Su Chun could even ask, Chen Ye immediately explained considerately, "The 'Words Come True' divine power cultivated by Lord Feilian is very special; it's not the inheritance of the original eighteen Demon Lords. I've checked some notes in the scriptures of the Crimson Serpent Sect and the Nirvana Sect, and there are several records of Lord Feilian taking action. "Both the Nirvana Sect and the Crimson Serpent Sect have proposed the same hypothesis: the cultivation method of this 'Words Come True' divine power involves first making a judgment, and then fulfilling it. Each time the 'said matter' is successfully fulfilled, the power of 'Words Come True' increases by one point. Ye Chen's actions are definitely fulfilling Lord Feilian's judgment."

"But I suspect Ye Chen may not even know the exact content of the judgment made by Lord Feilian. He only knows that Feilian and Youluozi told him to compete for first place, but Feilian may not have predicted that this boy could win first place. What if Feilian's prediction is that this kid will be utterly defeated by me? Wouldn't my all-out effort fulfill Feilian's wish?"

Su Chunyi finally understood; she hadn't expected there to be such a saying.

Fortunately, Chen Ye had made contact with the Demonic Sect several times and obtained several inheritances; otherwise, he would not have known these secrets.

"But in the end, the gentleman agreed to admit defeat. Was this also a gamble?"

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "No, I actually wanted to test him. There are many ways to win and lose, and there are many different interpretations of the so-called number one in the Profound Realm. My conceding defeat does not mean that he can truly become the number one in the Profound Realm."

Su Chunyi looked puzzled again. Chen Ye was already recognized as the number one in the Tongxuan Realm. If he admitted defeat in public, Ye Chen would naturally be number one. Was there any other possibility?
Just like when they first met, Su Chunyi directly asked, "Please enlighten me, sir."

Chen Ye laughed and explained, "Let me give you an example. A few days ago, I spent several days talking with Daoist Yuji. Besides discussing this important matter of exorcising demons, I also wanted to ask him to guide me in practicing swordsmanship. But Daoist Yuji said that he didn't know swordsmanship. Tell me, even if he admitted to me to my face that he didn't know swordsmanship, would I believe him? The dignified head of the Qinghe Sword Sect, not knowing swordsmanship—if this got out, I'm afraid no one in the world would believe it."

"Me too. Since I am the undisputed number one in the Profound Realm, if I pretend to have some kind of hardship and then admit defeat in public before even making a move, do you think Ye Chen can become number one? Others certainly won't accept it, and then countless people will start to speculate that I was threatened in some way before I admitted defeat."

"He can't be number one, but he still beat me. I guess no matter how much Lord Feilian schemes, he wouldn't write this situation into the verdict, would he?"

It's like a ball game where the player with the highest score doesn't win, but the player with the highest score from the judges wins. Who would have thought that? Even those who run betting odds wouldn't offer such an option.

Chen Ye wanted to create such a situation. Regardless of whether Fei Lian predicted Ye Chen's victory or defeat, Chen Ye wanted to put him in an in-between state to prevent Fei Lian from actually breaking through his cultivation level.

Su Chun immediately understood what Chen Ye had said.

I never imagined that besides winning and losing, there could be such a situation where there is neither winning nor losing. It has truly broadened my horizons.

But Su Chun blinked and said to Chen Ye, "But the sect leader really doesn't know swordsmanship."

This time, Chen Ye showed a puzzled expression, followed by a look of utter shock.

"Master Yuji doesn't know swordsmanship? Wait... Miss Su, when you say he doesn't know it, do you mean he hasn't learned Master Zhang's Karma Sword Technique, or...?"

Su Chunyi explained, "The sect leader doesn't know any sword techniques, he hasn't even learned the basic sword techniques of the Qinghe Sword Sect."

"How can this be?"

Chen Ye had always thought that Master Yuji was just joking with him. This old man, like a playful child, would occasionally make a few harmless jokes. It was like the richest man saying he didn't like money; everyone would just laugh it off.

But Su Chunyi actually said that he really didn't know swordsmanship?

Chen Ye couldn't help but ask, "How can someone who doesn't know swordsmanship be the leader of the Qinghe Sword Sect? Didn't you say that Master Zhang personally appointed Daoist Yuji to succeed as the leader?"

Su Chun shook her head.

"I don't know the reason either, but I have seen the sect leader in seclusion in the Sword Tomb. He doesn't practice swordsmanship, but rather a special technique that is specifically designed to counter all the swordsmanship of the Qinghe Sword Sect. The sect leader never carries a sword."

Chen Ye sensed something was wrong.

A divine ability specifically designed to counter all sword techniques of the Qinghe Sword Sect—how powerful must that be? And why would Zhang Qi want to cultivate such a successor?
Is the Qinghe Sword Sect about to transform?

Many questions swirled in Chen Ye's mind, but since this was an internal matter of the Qinghe Sword Sect, he couldn't say too much and could only remind himself to be more careful.

Putting everything else aside, if there is any turmoil in the Qinghe Sword Sect, he will do everything he can to protect Su Chunyi.

The two returned to the prefecture with the Time Arrow. They had just found a place to stay when a spatial rift opened, and Daoist Yuji appeared before them.

It was only after Su Chun used his communication flying sword that Master Yuji arrived immediately.

Chen Ye recounted his findings in detail, then took out the box of Time Arrows and handed it to Daoist Yuji, hoping he could offer some advice.

Master Yuji picked up a Time Arrow and studied it carefully for a long time. Finally, he shook his head and said, "What a wondrous power. I have no way to solve it for the time being. Perhaps we can ask the Yunlu Immortal Sect for help. They are more skilled in array formations and spells."

Although Chen Ye had anticipated this, he was still somewhat disappointed.

"I will deliver this Time Arrow to the Cloud Peak Immortal Sect, but it will take a long time to decipher the supernatural power. Currently, tens of thousands of people in the Central Plains Dynasty have already been implanted with the Time Arrow. The Soul Venerable has become one with the entire dynasty. I'm afraid mortals won't be able to wait that long. If this demon manipulates the court and pulls some conspiracies, then millions of civilians will probably be affected."

When the emperor is angry, blood can flow like a river; this is no exaggeration.

Even if the emperor doesn't launch a war, a few orders can shake the world, and a single decree of forced labor can kill hundreds of thousands of people.

Chen Ye still couldn't figure out what the Soul Master was thinking, and he was always uneasy about it.

Master Yuji also understood this principle, but he was a pure cultivator of immortality, and he had been in seclusion from the beginning, only recently coming out to travel. In terms of political skills, he was probably not much better than Su Chunyi.

Hearing Chen Ye's concerns, Master Yuji stroked his beard for a long time before suggesting, "Why don't we change the emperor?"

Chen Ye was stunned for a moment, not expecting that Master Yuji would make such a suggestion.

Change of dynasty?

Is this what cultivators think? So direct?
Chen Ye was taken aback at first, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed to make sense.

Regardless of why the Soul Lord wants to control the entire court, wouldn't changing the ruler of the Central Plains Dynasty solve the problem?
As for the tens of thousands of high-ranking officials and nobles who were affected... it's better for tens of thousands to die than for millions to die.

Chen Ye nodded decisively and said, "What the Taoist priest says is absolutely right. Let's go and rebel."

(End of this chapter)