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

Chapter 405, Second Section of the Judgment

A dark cloud was flying at an extremely fast speed across the sky.

Ordinary people on earth would stare at it curiously for a long time, feeling that the experience of observing the heavens and the qi passed down from their ancestors was useless.

Where can you find clouds that fly that fast?
Is it sunny or rainy?

Above the dark clouds was a young man with an unpredictable expression, none other than Ye Chen, who had just challenged two major sects and was currently enjoying great popularity.

At this moment, he should have been full of vigor and high spirits.

The two righteous sects, Mirage Sect and Heavenly Heart Island, both had their Transcendent Realm cultivators defeated by him. Several of them even had their souls extracted and refined into the Myriad Soul Banner.

Ye Chen has committed such heinous crimes yet remains at large, making him arguably the most arrogant villain in the world today.

Not only that, Ye Chen also received a promise from Chen Ye that a fixed match would make him the number one person in the Tongxuan Realm and complete the task given to him by Lord Feilian.

When that time comes, he will be able to break free from the control of the Venerable Lord, find a blessed land to cultivate in seclusion, and make use of all the spiritual treasures he has obtained from this adventure.

The moves have all been planned out, each one is flawless, and even the opponent is willing to cooperate. How could there be any possibility of losing?
Everything should have gone smoothly.

However, just as he was gloating over his plan, Youluozi's voice rang in his ear: "Ye Chen, do you really think you can hide your private deal with the Yellow Springs Sect Master from me?"

Ye Chen's expression immediately changed.

He's become quite bold these days, not even putting the righteous sects in his eyes, but he's genuinely afraid of this Lord Youluo.

Especially when Youluozi mentioned his agreement with Chen Ye, Ye Chen felt a chill run down his spine.

"Your Excellency!" Ye Chen quickly explained, "I didn't want to put on this act either, but Chen Ye is incredibly powerful, and I am no match for him. If I were to force a fight, I would only suffer a crushing defeat, which would jeopardize the plans of both Your Excellencies."

Youluozi laughed and said, "To put it nicely, that's called being cautious; to put it bluntly, it's being cowardly and afraid of death. But do you think you can find a loophole, little bug? The order is for you to become the number one in this Profound Realm, and that means you are number one without a doubt. Either you send Chen Ye into the Myriad Souls Banner, or you enter the Myriad Souls Banner yourself. There is no other possibility."

Youluozi's words were utterly merciless, causing Ye Chen to tremble all over. Instead, it stirred up a ferocious instinct in him, like a cornered beast fighting back. He immediately said defiantly, "Please forgive me, Lord. If you want me to go to my death, you might as well kill me now. Otherwise, I will only flee to the ends of the earth and see how long it takes for the two of you to catch me."

"Oh?" Youluozi's tone softened slightly, as if she were sighing.

"At this moment, he has gained some courage, but unfortunately, he only talks about running away, which is a bad move. Do you know that when Chen Ye was still refining his body with the Qi and Evil Qi, he did not flinch when facing a demon in the Returning to Emptiness Realm. His words, 'Even though I am an ant, I can still make you suffer,' have left a deep impression on me to this day."

"The key point is that he not only said it, but he actually did it."

Every word seemed to be using Chen Ye's sharp edge to provoke Ye Chen's pitiful self-esteem.

Ye Chen felt very uncomfortable after hearing this and argued, "Chen Ye and I are two different people. I have my own path, why should I follow the same path as him in everything?"

“I didn’t ask you to learn from him. I just wanted you to understand your opponent’s character. The Yellow Spring Sect Master’s achievements today are not just due to good luck. Killing him is indeed not that easy.” Youluozi changed the subject and continued, “However, you don’t need to worry. Since we’ve sent you to kill Chen Ye, it’s not so that you can go and die.”

Ye Chen replied, "Then please enlighten me, Your Excellency. With my current abilities, I cannot win even by a sneak attack."

Youluozi said, "Of course you can't win by sneak attack. Chen Ye has mastered the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, and his physical body can transform in countless ways. Ordinary methods can't kill him. However, the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts is not invincible. I have a secret method to help you break his technique, and then we can kill him naturally."

Ye Chen said with a wry smile, "Even if he doesn't use the Eight-Nine Arcane Technique, I'm still no match for him."

Most of his abilities lay in his Ten Thousand Souls Banner, but Chen Ye's summoned Fengdu Emperor was able to suppress all Yin spirits. With the Fivefold Hell Divine Power descending, Ye Chen was completely helpless.

Youluozi scoffed, "By the time you break his Eight-Nine Divine Skill, he will already be severely injured. If you don't even dare to fight for your life, what use are you? If there were no risk and you could easily kill Chen Ye, why would it be your turn to make a move?"

Ye Chen knew that what Youluozi said was true; the Demonic Sect did not gain any advantage for nothing.

Lord Feilian sent a considerable number of Yin Souls at the Nascent Soul Realm to Ye Chen's Myriad Soul Banner, which was a great gift. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to easily defeat the Profound Realm cultivators from the righteous sects.

Only demons can take such a shortcut; righteous sects can never learn it.

Now that he has taken the benefits, Ye Chen knows that if he refuses to take any risks, his fate will only be worse.

Ye Chen had no choice but to reply, "In that case, please teach me the secret method to break the Eight-Nine Arcane Technique, and I will try my best to do so."

Youluozi said, “It’s not about trying your best, it’s about risking your life. I’ve said it before, if Chen Ye doesn’t die, it’s you who will. There’s no other choice. But don’t worry. Feilian gave you three brocade pouches, all of which are predictions about the future. You’ve already opened the first one, and now you can open the second one.”

"The second secret plan?"

Ye Chen frowned. He remembered that Lord Fei Lian had said that he could only open the second pouch after he had completed what was written on the first one.

The first brocade pouch read: "First slay the mirage, then sever the will of heaven; in the realm of profound mystery, Ye Chen reigns supreme."

The Mirage Sect and Tianxin Island have already been defeated by Ye Chen, but there is still the formidable Chen Ye to contend with. The latter two sentences are far from being achieved.

Is it too hasty to open the second pouch now?
Youluozi, however, did not explain to him, but instead commanded him to open the brocade pouch.

Ye Chen had no choice but to open the second one.

It was just a simple slip of paper with four sentences on it, and even the sentence structure was almost the same—first break through the profound skill, then suppress the soul, break through in battle, and become an immortal god.

Upon seeing these four sentences, Ye Chen found that they indeed corroborated what Youluozi had said.

Lord Feilian must have anticipated that he would back down in the face of battle, so he had already devised a plan when he wrote the judgment.

It seems that this secret method that can break the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts is real, but the last two sentences puzzled Ye Chen.

Ye Chen could only ask Youluozi, "Lord, what does this breakthrough in the midst of battle mean?"

"It means exactly what it says. Your current cultivation level is no match for Chen Ye. Even if you break through his Eight-Nine Arcane Technique, you still won't be a match for him. Only by breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm will you have a chance to defeat him."

Ye Chen asked doubtfully, "Breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm is no easy feat, let alone during a battle."

The realm of Nascent Soul has always been different from others. The soul exists separately from the physical body and can remain undamaged and indestructible, which completely violates common sense.

Although there are many ways to achieve a breakthrough, without exception, they all require a long period of preparation and a grand ceremony.

The most common and traditional method used by the righteous path is to invite a hundred cultivators at the Profound Realm to join forces to create an illusion that cleanses the soul, thereby helping the cultivator break through the shackles of the soul.

Preparing this formation alone takes several months, and refining one's soul in the illusion takes another several months. There can be no mistakes during this period, otherwise, at best, one will have to start all over again, and at worst, one's soul will be damaged.

The same applies to the Soul Cleansing Flower of the Incense Burning Sect. The initial preparation is less, but the breakthrough process is still lengthy.

As for the demonic sect's breakthrough methods, they are far more dangerous, but the time required is no different; some can even take several years to achieve a breakthrough. A single battle can last for years?
Ye Chen thought it was highly unlikely.

Youluozi asked, "According to your estimate, how many years would it take you to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm if you cultivated diligently?"

Ye Chen honestly replied, "Even with a blessed land and abundant spiritual materials, it would still take at least thirty years of painstaking effort."

"Thirty years has passed in the blink of an eye. Look at this!"

Before he finished speaking, a dark rift silently opened in the void before Ye Chen. This was the technique of a Void Returning Realm cultivator: breaking through the void, turning the ends of the earth into mere inches.

Ye Chen thought Youluozi was going to show himself, but instead only a treasure box flew out from the spatial rift.

Ye Chen quickly took it and opened the treasure box.

Inside the box were ten crystal-clear arrows, as if forged by time, and a white flower with dark red veins.

Time flies like an arrow, and the soul is cleansed by the flower!
Ye Chen immediately understood Youluozi's meaning. This was to have Ye Chen plant the Time Arrow into his body during the battle, and then use the effects of the Soul Cleansing Flower to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Thirty years may only be a fleeting moment.

Even if he breaks through with this Time Arrow, he probably still wouldn't be a match for Chen Ye.

Ye Chen hesitated. He had heard about how the Soulfire Lord used the Time Arrow to mass-produce Nascent Soul cultivators, but these Nascent Soul cultivators were quite weak, not much stronger than those who had reached the Profound Realm.

The Arrow of Time is ultimately flawed; otherwise, the Soul Master would have been invincible long ago.

"That's because people are foolish and don't know the method; they only grasp the form." Youluozi seemed to see through his doubts, his voice carrying a hint of disdain.

"The Soul Master used the Time Arrow to help a mortal scholar read ten thousand books in one night. Why specifically 'reading books' and not 'practicing martial arts'? Have you ever heard of a scholar who, after being enlightened by the Time Arrow, instantly became a fierce general sweeping across the battlefield?"

Ye Chen frowned; he hadn't really thought about this detail before.

Indeed, as Youluozi said, if the Arrow of Time simply accelerates time, how can it guarantee the improvement of cultivation? As time goes by, some people have an epiphany, while others suffer from qi deviation and their cultivation regresses. It is impossible for everyone to only make progress.

There must be some mystery he doesn't know about.

Ye Chen said honestly, "Please give me your guidance, Your Excellency."

"Ordinary people only see the passage of time, but they don't see the true iron law of nature behind it. This arrow makes you first determine the 'effect' of your future, and then exchange it with the 'cause' of your own years. These long years are just the price you pay; what truly transforms you is the 'reward' you get from the future."

"If an ordinary person chooses the reward of writing ten thousand books, they can exchange time and years for the result of becoming extremely learned. Therefore, as long as you choose the future you want, the arrow of time will never miss a beat."

Ye Chen frowned again and murmured, "Cause and effect?"

The term sounds new, like I've heard it somewhere before, but it doesn't seem to have much to do with spiritual practice.

Youluozi explained again: "The concept of cause and effect was not found in scriptures before; at most, Buddhist disciples would utter a few words about it. But recently, the idea of ​​cause and effect seems to be gaining more and more importance. The Soul Venerable's supernatural power may not have been explained in this way before, but now it seems that describing its principle as cause and effect is more appropriate."

"You don't need to worry about the details. Just know that the future you choose is the future you can achieve. The Nascent Soul Realm cultivators under Soul Venerable's command are weak and incompetent because it is Soul Venerable who uses the Time Arrow. He doesn't want them to truly become Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, as that would make them difficult to control."

"But you are different. Now you can choose your own future, but the time you have to pay for it will probably be more than thirty years."

Ye Chen realized why Youluozi had given him a Soul Cleansing Flower.

Time is a price to pay, but without the Soul Cleansing Flower, one would have to pay an extra many years. With Ye Chen's current lifespan, it would likely be insufficient to pay for it, and he would simply die of old age.

"My subordinate understands."

Ye Chen carefully put away the Time Arrow and the Soul Cleansing Flower. If he could truly break through to the Nascent Soul stage as he wished, he might be able to surpass Chen Ye.

Youluozi reminded him, "You made a pact with Chen Ye to fight today, so you'd better think carefully about what you've done."

Ye Chen quickly replied, "I understand. However, it seems that there is a fragment of the Soul Venerable's soul in this Time Arrow. If I use the Time Arrow, I cannot guarantee that I will not be ambushed by the Soul Venerable. I am afraid that the Venerable Lord may ruin things at a critical moment, perhaps because he has made an agreement with the Soul Venerable."

Youluozi said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, he has hundreds of thousands of soul fragments. These fragments are nothing more than a gentle breeze to you and cannot have any effect on you."

It would be a lie to say there was no impact. Ye Chen didn't believe that the Soul Master would be completely unprepared. It was just that Youluozi probably didn't care about his own life or death, so he was too lazy to help him solve this problem.

When you're under someone else's roof, Ye Chen has no choice but to find a solution on his own.

Ye Chen then reminded Youluozi, "The Venerable One has not yet taught me the secret method to break the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts."

The real key lies in that secret technique. If we can't break Chen Ye's Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, then no amount of Time Arrows will be of any use.

But Youluozi said to Ye Chen, "There is no need to worry. When Chen Ye was fighting you, his Eight-Nine Arcane Arts should have already been broken."

Ye Chen quickly said, "Master, why don't you pass on the secret technique to me? That would be safer."

Unfortunately, Youluozi did not respond this time.

Ye Chen waited for a long time and, after confirming that Youluozi was too lazy to pay attention to him, he could only sigh and fly towards the Yellow Springs Sect.

As agreed, Ye Chen will fight Chen Ye outside Fengdu City. I just hope that what Youluozi said is true.

When he saw Chen Ye again, the sect leader of the Yellow Springs Sect was already seriously injured.

However, Chen Ye is not in Fengdu City at the moment, but arrived in the Central Plains Imperial City early this morning with Qu Heng's help.

It wasn't that anything went wrong with the change of emperor, but rather that two "guests" suddenly arrived.

The Mirage Sect's leader, Yin Xiaoshuang, and its deputy leader, Zhou Lang, two Void Returning Realm cultivators, suddenly sent a message saying that Youluozi and Feilian might suddenly appear in the Imperial City.

The Mirage Sect had just been severely humiliated by the Demonic Sect, with even Yu Xing, a disciple at the Profound Realm, being taken into the Myriad Souls Banner. Therefore, the two of them joined forces to come here, hoping to avenge their humiliation.

As for where the intelligence came from, the Mirage Sect only said that it was sent by disciples who had infiltrated the Demonic Sect, and that it was also calculated by the sect's diviners.

Perhaps because they are skilled in illusion, the Mirage Sect seems to like sending out spies. Qin Ze was an undercover agent in the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect for a period of time, but he was discovered by Qu Heng long ago and became a tool to be used.

Qin Ze was thus plagued by inner demons, and after losing to Chen Ye, he perished in the Ruins of Return.

The thought of Qin Ze's death made Chen Ye suspicious of the intentions of the two from the Mirage Sect.

Are the Mirage Faction really that kind-hearted to help?
(End of this chapter)