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

Chapter 401 Reunion

Princess Hongyu was unaware that Chen Ye had already set his sights on her.

She opened the box of Time Arrows and carefully counted them one by one with her slender fingers, muttering to herself in a voice only she could hear: "One... two... no more, no less, they're all still here. Father's illness has nothing to do with these Time Arrows?"

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, revealing a look of confusion.

Seeing this, Chen Ye knew that his guess was correct; it was Princess Hongyu who had planted the Time Arrow in the people of the palace.

The emperor suddenly fell ill, leading her to believe that he had been shot by an arrow again.

It's about time to wrap things up. Chen Ye can't let this Princess Hongyu stay in the palace, lest the new emperor be shot with a time arrow by her again after his ascension to the throne.

But before Chen Yezhen could make a move, Princess Hongyu took three dark-colored incense sticks from the side, lit them with her fingertip fire, and respectfully placed them on the white jade plate.

A bizarre scene unfolded: as soon as the three incense sticks were inserted, the rising wisps of smoke seemed to be drawn by an invisible force and swallowed up by the jade plate. The burning incense tips, too, sank silently into the plate as if sinking into quicksand, disappearing without a trace.

Immediately afterwards, Princess Hongyu moved her lips and began to recite a long string of obscure and sinister incantations.

As the incantation was chanted, ripples appeared once more on the smooth, mirror-like surface of the jade plate. This time, what emerged was no longer the tiny figure of soul fire, but a much larger, more blurred, yet supremely majestic human face.

The face seemed to be made of heavy shadows, the features indistinct, except for a pair of eyes, like two bottomless whirlpools.

"What do you need to report?"

A hoarse, deep, yet authoritative voice rang out, making the entire boudoir feel much colder.

"Reporting to Your Majesty!" Princess Hongyu prostrated herself on the ground, her voice filled with undisguised fear. "Father... suddenly fell seriously ill today, and the onset was dangerous, definitely not an ordinary cold. I suspect that some unknown cultivator has secretly tampered with things, which may affect Your Majesty's grand plan. Therefore, I dare not delay and have come to report this."

She recounted in detail how the emperor fell ill and the reactions in the palace.

However, after hearing this, the blurry face only uttered a furious rebuke: "Useless! You have to bother me with such a trivial matter?!"

Before she could finish speaking, Princess Hongyu's body trembled violently, and many scarlet runes appeared all over her body, like twisted poisonous insects crawling all over her body and constantly moving through her seven orifices.

Princess Hongyu let out a suppressed scream. The pain caused her body to convulse violently, cold sweat poured down her forehead, and her delicate features were distorted by extreme agony, as if she were enduring endless torture.

"A mere mortal emperor, his death is nothing!" The voice of the human face was cold and cruel. "Whichever son sits on that throne, it's just a new puppet. It has no impact on my grand plan! Do you really think he's your real father?!"
"If you bother me again with such trivial matters, I will make you wish you were dead!"

After the curse, the imposing face vanished from the jade plate as if it had never existed.

The boudoir fell silent once more, save for Princess Hongyu's faint, painful groans. The crimson runes on her body had not yet faded, seemingly a continuation of her punishment for her transgression.

Princess Hongyu seemed to have all her strength drained away. She struggled to put the jade plate and the box containing the arrow of time back into the hidden compartment, and then collapsed onto the cold floor in a disheveled state, her body still convulsing and twitching uncontrollably.

But she dared not make a sound, and could only bite her sleeve hard until she tore the gorgeous clothes into a tattered mess, and then the scarlet runes slowly disappeared.

Princess Hongyu lay on the floor, and it took her a long time to barely regain some strength.

But when she got up from the ground, Chen Ye saw not tenderness and sadness, but a sense of resentment and hatred.

That look in his eyes was like that of a lone wolf imprisoned in a cage, suffering torment day and night, yet never giving up on tearing its captors apart.

Chen Ye was somewhat surprised, but also somewhat relieved.

She was not the person she knew, but merely a puppet of the demonic sect who looked similar and whose origins were unknown.

However, things have come to this point, and whether she was forced or willing, she is now an enemy, not a friend. The emperor's "illness" was of his own making, and she was the most important pawn that the Soul Lord had planted in the palace.

We must never give her another chance to cause trouble.

Chen Ye's mind raced, and he no longer concealed his intentions.

As the spiritual energy flowed, the phantom image of the Fengdu Emperor appeared, and a layer of hazy smoke spread out.

In an instant, the entire magnificent palace was shrouded in a dark and profound phantom. The lights, voices, and even the flow of time and space outside were shut out.

This is the realm of the Illusory Hell, and also the most powerful illusion technique Chen Ye has mastered.

Under the illusion, the light in the secret room became dim and distorted. Princess Hongyu, who was lying on the ground panting, suddenly noticed something was wrong and looked up in horror.

Before her, a young man dressed in a blue robe appeared silently, as if he had been standing there all along.

Chen Ye stood with his hands behind his back, calmly scrutinizing the "old friend" before him, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

She couldn't help but sigh softly. The previous Princess Hongyu was the puppet of the Old Demon Tianwu, and this one is no more than the puppet of the Soul Venerable. It seems that fate has been entangled with the name Hongyu, determined to deprive her of her freedom and leave her unable to control her own life and death.

Princess Hongyu, who had just been filled with resentment, exclaimed in surprise upon seeing his face: "It's...it's you?! Master Chen!"

Chen Ye was taken aback upon hearing this, and his doubts deepened.

How could she recognize herself?

Princess Hongyu struggled to her feet, a bitter smile on her face: "We've been apart for less than two years, and yet we've met again here. I suppose Father's 'cold' today was caused by you, Master?" She paused, a hint of regret in her voice, "Master's cultivation has advanced so much, yet he had to step into this murky water. It's truly a cruel twist of fate."

"Who exactly are you?" Chen Ye's voice was as cold as ice as he questioned sharply, "The Princess Hongyu I knew has long since vanished without a trace."

“The Taoist priest is right, ‘she’ is indeed dead,” Princess Hongyu shook her head gently, her eyes lowered, her tone faint, “but she is not completely dead. The inside story is complicated and cannot be explained in a few words.”

She raised her head, her eyes pleading. "For the sake of our past relationship, please leave quickly, Daoist Master. I know you are a virtuous gentleman and have surely discovered the secrets of this palace. But please heed my advice: this place is a den of dragons and tigers. If you alert the cultivators under the Lord's command, Daoist Master..."

"Wait a minute." Chen Ye was filled with doubt and had to interrupt, "Since the princess recognizes me, you should know that I will not stand idly by."

Chen Ye never took the Soul Master's command seriously.

With his current cultivation level, those hastily cultivated Nascent Soul Realm cultivators are no match for him. That's why Su Chunyi parted ways with him; otherwise, she would have been protecting Chen Ye closely long ago.

Upon hearing this, Princess Hongyu let out a long sigh.

“I know your character, Daoist Master,” she said softly, a hint of tears welling in her eyes. “Back then, in Cui County, we were just strangers who met by chance, yet you were willing to stand up for me, a rootless duckweed, and save me from my predicament. In this world, only you and I are complete strangers, yet you have treated me with genuine kindness.”

Chen Ye's mind stirred slightly, and he quietly activated the supernatural power of his Transformation Technique. He originally intended to use this technique to see through Princess Hongyu's heart and expose her clumsy acting skills.

However, under the influence of supernatural perception, every word she uttered seemed to come from the bottom of her heart, without a trace of falsehood.

This is absolutely bizarre!
Chen Ye frowned. Could it be that Princess Hongyu really left behind a glimmer of hope?
He pondered for a moment, then pressed on, "Princess, back in Cui County, I saw you scatter your soul. Your spirit was as fragile as an ordinary person's then, how did you manage to survive?"

“I did not survive,” Princess Hongyu said in a desolate tone. “At that moment in Cui County, I was truly dead.”

However, Princess Hongyu paused for a moment and then explained, "Back then, to prevent me from escaping my control, the old demon Tianwu had already used evil magic to extract a wisp of my soul and sealed it deep within this palace with a secret treasure. Perhaps it was the attraction of our shared souls that caused all of Princess Hongyu's memories before her death to flood into my mind when she was gone. That's why I recognized you, Daoist."

Chen Ye's pupils contracted, quite shocked. "A split soul?! A mortal with a fragmented soul, even if they don't go insane, is not far from death. How could your split soul be reborn as a human?"

The demonic sects employ countless bizarre methods, with numerous secret techniques specifically targeting the soul. However, the souls of mortals are far too fragile; forcibly extracting a fragment of their soul inevitably results in death or serious injury. Princess Hongyu could have survived, yet she developed a death wish, perhaps related to the incompleteness of her soul. It was as if the Old Demon Tianwu extracted a portion of her will to prevent Princess Hongyu from resisting.

However, the methods of the rogue cultivators were probably not sophisticated enough, and Princess Hongyu ultimately chose to perish together with this old demon.

Because Wu Laomo was a rogue cultivator, and even his method of possession was incomplete, it was absolutely impossible for him to reshape a wisp of soul into a living person.

unless……

Before Princess Hongyu could answer, Chen Ye spoke again: "It was the Soul Master. He discovered this wisp of your soul and it was he who allowed you to be reborn as a human."

Tianwu the Old Demon couldn't do it, but the Soul Venerable, who possessed the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts and was proficient in all sorts of demonic secret techniques, could.

The Demonic Sect possesses an evil technique called "killing to nourish the soul," making it easy to re-cultivate this fragment of the soul.

When the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts are cultivated to a high level, one can even be reborn from a drop of blood. It is not difficult to reshape a perfect body for a wisp of remnant soul by simply separating a little flesh and blood.

As for time, the Soul Master also possesses the Time Arrow, a divine ability that allows a wisp of remnant soul to grow up in a short period of time, which is even easier.

Upon hearing the words "Soul Master," Princess Hongyu trembled uncontrollably, but she still managed to remain calm as she said to Chen Ye, "Daoist Master, you guessed correctly. All of this is my destiny..."

Chen Ye composed himself, calmed down, and listened to her recount this bizarre past.

The events unfolded much as Chen Ye had predicted.

After the matter in Cui County was settled, Princess Hongyu disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead. The emperor, enraged, took his anger out on the palace servants, and in a short time, many corpses were thrown into the fissures beneath the imperial city. This unusual situation alarmed the Soul Lord who was still dwelling underground at that time.

He sent his demonic cultivator subordinates to investigate briefly, and they followed the clues to find many relics that the Old Demon Tianwu had hidden in the palace. As the dignified Lord of the Demonic Sect, he naturally looked down on those insignificant odds and ends. But among them, he unexpectedly discovered a wisp of his sealed soul.

Perhaps on a whim, or perhaps feeling that this pawn still had value, the Soul Master used some methods to nourish this remnant soul with secret techniques and reshape her physical body.

So, just a few days after she went missing, the "Princess Hongyu," who was supposed to be dead, returned unharmed on her own.

Following the instructions of the Soul Lord, she fabricated a story about being framed and persecuted by Magistrate Cui, and barely escaping back to the capital after a near-death experience.

The enraged emperor believed it without a doubt and immediately issued an edict to add the punishment of exterminating nine generations of the family of the already deceased Magistrate Cui.

The "reborn" Princess Hongyu, citing excessive shock, lives a secluded life and begins to play a low-key and entirely new role in the deep palace.

Because she inherited all of the original's memories, no one doubted her identity.

Chen Ye couldn't help but marvel at the wonder of fate, his heart filled with mixed emotions. The person before him was both a continuation of his deceased friend and a creation of his enemy; both a victim and an accomplice.

His complicated identity left him unsure how to handle the situation.

Chen Ye was about to press the Soul Master for his true plan when Princess Hongyu said anxiously, "Daoist Chen! I know you are righteous, but times have changed. Back then, I was just an ordinary mortal woman, unaware of the mysteries of cultivation. Now, thanks to the Lord's guidance, I have already reached the Qi Sea Realm."

"The Lord's abilities are like those of a god, beyond our comprehension. Even his demon generals are all powerful figures capable of overturning rivers and seas, each one a hundred or a thousand times more powerful than you, Daoist! This place is definitely not safe, you should leave quickly! Perhaps you can go and find the experts of the Qinghe Sword Sect, but do not risk your life alone."

In Princess Hongyu's mind, the Soul Lord was the only god in this world, and the Nascent Soul demon cultivators under his command were divine messengers walking among mortals. She had personally witnessed the overwhelming demonic energy of those demons during their cultivation, and the Heavenly Demon King was nothing more than an ant before them. As for Chen Ye, who had gone to great lengths to barely kill the Heavenly Demon King, he frankly admitted that he was no match for the Heavenly Demon King in a direct confrontation.

In this way, Chen Ye would naturally be no match for the demons under the Soul Master's command, and staying here any longer would surely mean certain death.

Hearing this "well-intentioned" advice, Chen Ye couldn't help but smile. Just as he was about to explain, Princess Hongyu cried out, her face turning ashen, "Oh no!"

Almost simultaneously, an inconspicuous black jade pendant hanging from her waist suddenly glowed with a scarlet light, and a hoarse, impatient voice emanated from it, echoing throughout the secret chamber:
"Hongyu! Why have you set up a barrier outside your palace? What are you up to? Open it at once!"

"Our Lord has ordered that if you delay this important matter, don't blame us for being impolite!" Another sinister voice followed closely behind.

The questions came one after another, each one making Princess Hongyu tremble even more violently. Her eyes were filled with despair and terror as she looked at Chen Ye, her words flowing so fast she almost bit her tongue:

"Master, they're here! You must leave quickly! I... I'll try to stall them. I'll say I'm practicing a secret technique and can't be disturbed! This will buy you time to escape!"

Having said that, she actually disregarded everything and turned to rush out of the secret room, intending to risk her life to give Chen Ye a chance to survive.

In her view, this was the only way she could repay that "favor from a chance encounter".

"No need."

However, a hand gently pressed on her shoulder, stopping her from her suicidal act.

Chen Ye's voice remained calm and undisturbed. He simply shook his head, his gaze as if he were watching a group of ignorant children making a ruckus, while simultaneously retracting the Illusory Hell.

“Daoist Master, you…” Princess Hongyu turned around, her eyes full of confusion and anxiety.

At that very moment, accompanied by a crisp "crack," three figures, enveloped in surging demonic energy, burst through the window and entered the boudoir.

Leading the group was an old man with a hooked nose, followed by a one-eyed strongman and a effeminate man exuding a corpse aura. All of them were at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, with fierce auras, clearly demonic giants who had slaughtered countless people.

"Hongyu!" The hook-nosed old man barged in and shouted angrily, but before he could finish speaking, his gaze fixed on Chen Ye, and then turned into a ferocious look of ecstasy. "Hahahaha! So you've been hiding a pretty boy! Perfect, I'm short of blood pills!"

"Die!" The one-eyed strongman was even more direct, gathering demonic energy in his palm, transforming it into a huge bloody handprint, which he slammed down on Chen Ye's head.

Princess Hongyu closed her eyes in terror, unable to bear the sight of the bloodshed. In her heart, Chen Ye was already doomed.

However, the expected screams and carnage did not occur.

Instead, there were only a few low groans.

She opened her eyes in surprise and disbelief, and then she saw a scene that she would never forget.

Chen Ye stood motionless. The bloody handprint, powerful enough to split mountains and shatter rocks, solidified in mid-air three feet above his head, then crumbled like sand and vanished without a trace.

The three powerful demons, whom she considered "a hundred times, a thousand times more formidable," were now suspended in mid-air as if gripped by an invisible giant hand, their limbs twisted and contorted, unable to move an inch no matter how much magic they channeled. The arrogance and ferocity on their faces had long been replaced by extreme fear.

A majestic deity hovered behind Chen Ye, and under its palm, the three demons were suppressed and unable to move.

Chen Ye flicked his fingers.

There was no earth-shattering noise, no dazzling spells.

Three barely perceptible beams of light flew from his fingertips and instantly entered the brows of the three demonic cultivators.

The three Nascent Soul demons didn't even have time to utter a scream before their eyes dimmed rapidly, and their bodies fell straight to the ground like puppets with broken strings. Their souls had already been absorbed into the Myriad Soul Banner.

Chen Ye didn't even glance at them, but simply said to the stunned Princess Hongyu beside him, "It seems that the Soul Master didn't tell you that I am no longer the insignificant rogue cultivator I once was."

(End of this chapter)