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

Chapter 414 The Time of Union
The effect of the Arrow of Time is that the user selects a future and then consumes their lifespan to reach that future.

In theory, one could even choose their invincible future, achieving perfect enlightenment and ascending to immortality, instantly bypassing the arduous cultivation in between.

Even the Soulfire Lord himself wouldn't dare to be so bold as to make such an impossible wish.

Because the years that can be skipped with the arrow of time are a huge waste. He knew that this wish required too much lifespan, and if he made such a wish, he would immediately grow old and die after the arrow of time pierced him.

Take ordinary people as an example; a special imperial examination deprived them of time to study.

But in reality, a year is enough for them to prepare again, while the Arrow of Time takes ten years.

The Soulfire Lord has many demons at the Nascent Soul Realm, but they are all second-rate. Because the Nascent Soul Realm created by the Time Arrow consumes too much of their lifespan, each of them appears to be at a high level, but in reality, they are weak and feeble, and can only be considered to have barely broken through.

High cost, high price, poor results – these are the side effects of the Arrow of Time.

With Ye Chen's abilities, if he focused on cultivation, it would take him at most a hundred years to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm. But using the Time Arrow, it would take him six hundred years, and that's only because his foundation is solid and he has the Soul Cleansing Flower.

However, Ye Chen felt it was worth it, because he not only broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm, but he also spent hundreds of years honing his supernatural abilities and spells.

The supernatural abilities that cultivators comprehend at the Profound Realm are actually manifestations of their talent. The supernatural ability that Ye Chen comprehended was a vicious spell that stitched together the soul.

However, cutting and stitching the soul was not so easy before; it required controlling it first and imprinting it before it could be performed.

Now things are different. Hundreds of years of arduous cultivation have transformed his supernatural power, which no longer requires any preparation and can be achieved with a wave of his hand.

No matter how many ghost soldiers Chen Ye has, it's useless. Ye Chen can cut and stitch them together with just a flick of his finger, turning them into his own puppets.

After a few more rounds, all the ghost soldiers under Chen Ye's command will become his puppets, and victory will be assured.

Without the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, how long can Chen Ye sustain himself with only the Hellish Divine Power that cannot harm others?
Who would have thought that Chen Ye would also be struck by the arrow of time?

I initially thought Chen Ye, like myself, had overdrawn his future and was preparing to forcefully break through to the Nascent Soul Realm. But while his cultivation level appeared unchanged, he picked up a sword?

Ye Chen, whose hair had already turned completely white, looked puzzled.

I've never heard of this person being able to use a sword.

Although Chen Ye had a close relationship with the Qinghe Sword Sect, it was rumored that his swordsmanship talent was too poor, so he was unable to become a disciple of the Qinghe Sword Sect. This is the only one of the many rumors about Chen Ye that sounds reasonable.

Ye Chen felt that Chen Ye was bluffing.

The Time Arrow already consumes a huge amount of energy. Ye Chen spent hundreds of years cultivating his most talented supernatural power and magic. How could Chen Ye possibly spend hundreds of years practicing a sword technique he has no talent for? Does he have endless lifespan and can just waste it like that?

Ye Chen said to Chen Ye in a hoarse, aged voice, "Sect Leader Chen, we've already reached the point of life and death. To resort to such bluffing tricks is to underestimate me."

Chen Ye waved the longsword in his hand. It was not a powerful magic weapon, but just an ordinary magic tool that he usually used when practicing swordsmanship. It was not even made of metal, but was just carved from peach wood and slightly refined.

But Chen Ye wasn't bluffing; he was genuinely prepared to use his swordsmanship to defeat his opponent.

He truly lacked any talent for swordsmanship; Sheng Huai'an had him practice the swordsmanship for a long time, and he still hadn't mastered the first move. However, the good thing about this swordsmanship was that it didn't require any talent. Sheng Huai'an had specially designed it for Chen Ye; all he needed to do was follow the steps and practice diligently, and he would eventually master it.

Chen Ye then used the Time Arrow to consume hundreds of years of time, not to break through his cultivation realm, but just to learn this sword technique.

The longsword traced a mysterious arc. Chen Ye assumed a starting stance for Ye Chen and said, "Whether it's a bluff or not, you'll find out if you try."

On Ye Chen's aged face, the muscles twitched slightly with anger.

He sacrificed six hundred years of his lifespan for this moment, honing his most prized supernatural power to the point where it could be achieved with a wave of his hand, only to be met with such contempt in return.

"Very well, very well!" Ye Chen roared hoarsely, "Then let me experience your swordsmanship!"

Ye Chen threw away the Myriad Soul Banner directly. He no longer needed any magic weapons at this point; his own hands were the most vicious supernatural power.

He raised his hands high, from which countless black lines burst forth, connecting to the stitched-together, fabricated vengeful spirits.

The monsters seemed to have taken a powerful tonic, roaring loudly as they charged towards Chen Ye in a contorted manner.

Despite their bulky appearance, these monsters were, after all, illusory souls, and therefore moved with incredible speed, almost appearing as streaks of black light as they reached Chen Ye.

The densely packed, gaping mouths and the bunch of arms that had turned into sharp claws were enough to send chills down one's spine.

Moreover, it's not just their mouths that are torn apart by their hands; these stitched-together vengeful spirits can also use some of the magic they had in life. Countless poisonous insects and blood light will spit out from their open mouths, and countless vicious runes will be branded when their claws slash across.

Not only that, the black threads in Ye Chen's hand followed closely behind. If Chen Ye wanted to use the Yin soldiers to resist, these black threads would cut his subordinates in half and then reshape them into puppets.

This is Ye Chen's reliance; Chen Ye's greatest advantage, being backed by the Yellow Springs Sect, has become Ye Chen's winning strategy.

However, faced with this almost impeccable offensive, Chen Ye simply swung his sword lightly.

Without the force of thunder or the sharpness to tear through space, this peach wood sword was just a broken tree branch, slicing into the vast black tide.

Chen Ye's movements were so slow that Ye Chen could see every subtle change in the tip of his sword.

The trajectory of the sword was not a straight line, but a series of smooth and gentle arcs, as if it were not fighting, but untangling a mess.

As the sword tip danced, wisps of warm, jade-like white light emanated from the peach wood sword. They had no killing power, but carried an aura that brought peace and tranquility to all souls.

The monster stitched together by ghostly soldiers was the first to rush forward, stretching out dozens of wildly growing arms to grab Chen Ye. Countless runes condensed at its fingertips formed shackles covered in sharp spikes, aiming to skewer Chen Ye's flesh into a blood gourd.

Chen Ye's sword struck first, landing lightly on the monster.

"Om..."

The white light spread out like ripples on water.

An unbelievable scene unfolded.

The black soul threads on the monster's body, used to forcibly sew dozens of souls together, melted and broke instantly upon contact with the white light, just like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun.

Freed from their restraints, the Yin soldiers' souls, which had been forcibly twisted and squeezed together, immediately began to separate.

Their bodies were no longer chaotic lumps, but had returned to their original form. Their shattered bodies repaired themselves automatically in the white light, the scattered will-o'-the-wisps re-condensed, and the pain and confusion on their faces were gradually replaced by clarity.

In just a few breaths, the hideous, grotesque stitched-together monster vanished, replaced by dozens of perfectly intact ghost soldiers.

And this is just the beginning.

One after another, the stitched-up vengeful spirits rushed forward. No matter how ferocious or vicious they were, no matter how twisted or damaged they were, they would all be suppressed, decomposed, and then... restored under Chen Ye's sword.

Chen Ye wasn't killing enemies, he was saving people.

Just as Sheng Huai'an had repeatedly warned, this sword technique should not be used to kill enemies, because it has no offensive power. It is a sword technique used to repair the soul and correct Chen Ye's mistakes.

After Chen Ye spent hundreds of years learning it, he made some slight modifications.

Each of his sword strikes contained the boundless power of incense.

Incense can fill the void in one's soul. Back then, Mo Ci's soul was incomplete and would have dissipated within three years. Only incense could prolong his life.

However, not every soul can be repaired with incense. Those souls that are already incomplete and have been tortured by Ye Chen to the point of losing their minds cannot be repaired with incense.

Now, Chen Ye can.

With a single sword strike, Ye Chen's Soul Control Black Thread was severed, cutting through their forcibly fused bodies. Then, the incense power condensed by the sword's edge was used to repair their broken bodies.

Monsters charged forward, and shattered souls were redeemed.

In just a moment, countless illusory figures appeared around Chen Ye, each with tears in their eyes, bowing and worshipping him.

Some of them were heinous demons, some were mortals whom Ye Chen killed at will to replenish his strength, and a few looked familiar to Chen Ye, clearly cultivators from Tianxin Island.

One of them was Fang Zhixuan, who had a good relationship with Chen Ye. After recovering, Fang Zhixuan knelt down when he saw Chen Ye, and said with tears in his eyes, "Brother Chen, I will never forget your great kindness."

One person knelt down, and all the other spirits, regardless of whether they were good or evil, knelt down before Chen Ye, crying out in gratitude for his rebirth.

They all endured inhuman torture involving the cutting and stitching of their souls, and they still clearly remember the pain they suffered.

Only after the controlled spirits were freed did Chen Ye pick up the golden Ten Thousand Souls Banner again. If it weren't for Chen Ye's intervention, they would have been worse than animals.

But now is not the time for reminiscing. Chen Ye sighed and said to everyone, "Gentlemen, it is time to enter the Ten Thousand Souls Banner."

The long banner shone with golden light, guiding countless spirits into it. In a short while, the area outside Fengdu City transformed from a ghostly atmosphere to a sunny and breezy place.

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner in Chen Ye's hand was like a second blazing sun, stinging Ye Chen's eyes.

But this was nothing compared to the heartache. Ye Chen's face twisted in pain as he gritted his teeth and said, "Six hundred years! My six hundred years of lifespan are ultimately no match for your sword strike!" His proud divine power had been so easily "broken" by the other party with a single, seemingly casual sword strike.

Chen Ye wanted to say that he had also spent hundreds of years mastering this sword technique, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that there was no need to compare his skills with Chen Ye's at this time.

Whether it's hundreds of years or decades, winning or losing has nothing to do with the years.

Therefore, Chen Ye rode the clouds and flew towards Ye Chen.

He flew at a leisurely pace, with the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in his left hand and a peach wood sword in his right, looking like a young Taoist priest preparing to catch ghosts.

Ye Chen was startled and panicked, trying to escape by controlling the stitched-together demonic soul beneath him.

Now that Chen Ye has cracked his most powerful supernatural abilities, he no longer cares about being the number one in the Profound Realm, nor does he care about the orders of Lord Feilian. Survival is the only thing that matters; if he doesn't survive, nothing else matters.

It's unclear what he used to sew it into a mount, but this bloated monster flew incredibly fast, far exceeding Chen Ye's speed in riding the clouds, and almost instantly soared into the sky.

Chen Ye realized he was about to lose the chase, and this wouldn't do.

Mo Suixin cast three divinations. The first divination predicted the death of Princess Hongyu, the second predicted the death of Ye Chen, and the third predicted that Chen Ye would be blessed with good fortune.

Princess Hongyu is still alive, so the remaining two divinations should come true. If Ye Chen escapes, wouldn't Princess Hongyu be doomed? Or is this divination showing her good fortune a lie?
Whether it's to save people or for his own luck, Chen Ye must capture this demon and then send him into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

Seeing that Ye Chen had become a star in the sky, Chen Ye quickly whistled.

A strange, ancient cry rang out, and a dark shadow flashed through the Yellow Springs Palace, arriving before Chen Ye in the blink of an eye.

Chen Ye's spirit pet, Black Whirlwind, has become a truly enormous creature, its eyes almost bigger than Chen Ye's own, after consuming an unknown amount of offerings.

Chen Ye jumped onto Black Whirlwind's back and pointed at the black dot in the sky, saying, "Chase after him! We can't let him get away!"

Black Whirlwind blinked, then flapped its wings and pressed Chen Ye into its feathers.

Chen Ye was a little confused, but he soon realized what Black Whirlwind meant.

The next moment, he felt himself suspended in mid-air, and the figure of the Black Whirlwind had disappeared, as if he were riding not a crow, but a beam of light.

If you can't grasp the light, you can only watch it slip away.

Chen Ye was the same, so when the Black Whirlwind flew away, he should stay where he was.

But before he could fall, the dark figure turned and landed under Chen Ye again, supporting him and pressing him down into the feathers once more.

This time Chen Ye understood, and grabbed Black Whirlwind's feather tightly.

Then, with a whoosh, Chen Ye felt as if his arm was about to be snapped off by the sudden acceleration.

Chen Ye gritted his teeth, thinking, "This beast just won't learn a spell properly so I can sit in peace!"

I've never seen a spirit pet that's grown so big and still doesn't know how to be a mount. I've been too indulgent with this guy. I'll have to train him properly when I get back.

However, this intense acceleration came and went quickly. When the black whirlwind slowed down, Chen Ye heard Ye Chen's hoarse roar: "Those who block my way shall die!"

The few remaining cougars turned into gray mist and surged toward the black whirlwind, but before Chen Ye could make a move, the black whirlwind simply flapped its wings, and a hurricane seemed to rise in the sky, directly scattering the cougars.

The changui are indeed immortal and can regenerate, but the black whirlwind's wing is too powerful. The hurricane it creates blows the gray mist several miles away, dispersing it into countless tiny dust particles. The speed at which these changui regenerate is visibly reduced.

Chen Ye didn't stand on ceremony either, jumping off Black Whirlwind's back, still wielding the Myriad Soul Banner in his left hand and the sword in his right.

Seeing Ye Chen's face filled with madness, as if he were about to fight Chen Ye to the death.

Chen Ye laughed and said, "What's the point of fighting? You said before the duel that you would either be killed by Fei Lian or be tortured by my Ten Thousand Soul Banner. My hellish tortures are painful, but at least there's still a chance. Even if you escape, if you fall into Fei Lian's hands, do you think your soul can be preserved?"

Ye Chen was stunned, and suddenly realized that Chen Ye's words made some sense.

If he fell into Fei Lian's hands, he would likely be annihilated. But if he fell into the hands of the Yellow Springs Sect, the torture, though painful, would at least preserve his soul. And he himself was from the demonic sect; what torture hadn't he witnessed?
It's just pain, what's wrong with enduring it?

As he was pondering, Chen Ye had already flown in front of him. With a wave of the Myriad Souls Banner, countless Yin soldiers rushed out and bound Ye Chen tightly with chains.

Just as they were about to give Ye Chen a quick death and send him into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, they heard Ye Chen shout, "Wait a minute, before I die, I have one more request."

Chen Ye asked, "Do you have any last words?"

Ye Chen quickly said, "Lord Feilian gave me three brocade pouches, all containing my judgments. I've already opened two of them. Let me see the third one!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye was immediately delighted. He had been worried that he might misjudge Lord Fei Lian's plan, but it turned out that his luck had finally come his way.

However, Chen Ye still cautiously asked, "Don't move, I'll open it."

Chen Ye thrust his longsword, prying the three brocade pouches hanging from his waist into his hand, and then opened the first one.

Ye Chen then said, "The first brocade pouch says, 'First slay the mirage, then sever the heart of heaven. In the realm of profundity, Ye Chen is supreme.'"

Chen Ye chuckled upon hearing this.

Is this the judgment given to Ye Chen by the Venerable Feilian?
Based on his previous provocations, both the Mirage and Heavenly Heart factions had indeed been defeated by him. As for the number one in the Profound Realm, Chen Ye did not lose, and the title of number one in the Profound Realm did not fall on Ye Chen.

Indeed, choosing to fight was the right thing to do; otherwise, I would have fallen into Fei Lian's trap.

However, when Chen Ye opened the brocade pouch, he found that the note on it did not say that sentence at all. It clearly said, "First defeat the mirage, then save the heart of heaven. In the realm of profound mystery, Chen Ye is supreme."

Chen Ye frowned, threw the note in front of Ye Chen, and cursed, "You devil, are you still trying to make fun of me? Look at what's written on it!"

Ye Chen, puzzled, took the note, unfolded it, and said doubtfully, "That's right. First, sever the mirage, then cut off the heart of heaven. In the realm of profound understanding, Ye Chen is supreme. Not a single word is wrong."

"How can this be?"

Chen Ye was about to snatch the note back when he sensed something was wrong. He gathered his spiritual energy at his fingertips and wrote the two characters "Chen Ye" on them. Then he asked, "Whose name is this?"

Ye Chen smiled wryly and said, "Of course it's my name. How could I not recognize my own name?"

Chen Ye didn't speak, but simply waved the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, summoning a group of women in white.

These are all city gods transformed from mirage demons, one of whom is Elder Chenguang of the Yellow Springs Sect.

The mirage demon bowed gracefully to Chen Ye and said respectfully, "Greetings, Sect Master."

Chen Ye didn't have time for formalities and said to everyone, "Please check this person to see if he is under an illusion."

Chen Guang didn't move, but just glanced at Ye Chen and said to Chen Ye, "Without a doubt, there are subtle illusory lights flashing in his eyes. He is indeed under an illusion, but the caster is very skilled."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen exclaimed excitedly, "Illusion? How could I possibly be under an illusion?!"

But without Chen Ye's explanation, Ye Chen suddenly realized, "I... am Youluozi. So it was her. As expected of the inheritance of the Bewitching Heart Venerable, I didn't even notice. Sect Master Chen, what exactly was written on that note? Tell me!"

Chen Ye sighed and told Ye Chen what he had seen.

Hearing the completely different content, Ye Chen was astonished, then asked like a madman, "The second one, Sect Master Chen, please open the second one and tell me what it says? It should say 'break through the profound technique first, then suppress the soul, break through in battle, and achieve immortality.' It should be talking about me, it should be me!"

Seeing his excited expression, Chen Ye quickly opened the second brocade pouch. It was still a slip of paper, but in Chen Ye's view, the contents were: "First break through the profound skill, then suppress the soul, break through in battle, and achieve divine swordsmanship."

After reading the sentence, Chen Ye couldn't help but crumple the note into a ball. How could Fei Lian possibly know that he had learned Sheng Huai'an's swordsmanship?!
Youluozi was the only one who could overhear Chen Ye's conversation when he asked about swordsmanship. She knew she had no talent for swordsmanship, but she also knew the usefulness of this swordsmanship.

Chen Ye quickly asked, "Did Youluozi also tell you about using the Time Arrow to break through your cultivation level?"

Ye Chen nodded. This method was indeed told to him by Youluozi, who even threatened him that he would surely die if he did not win this battle. Ye Chen had no choice but to take the risk and use hundreds of years to break through his cultivation level.

Unexpectedly, we still lost in the end.

Chen Ye closed his eyes helplessly; they had all outsmarted him.

No wonder Fei Lian insisted on using Ye Chen as a pawn, and also dragged Soulfire Lord into the game.

Ye Chen's provocation of the two major sects was not only to establish his authority and create momentum, but also to kill people and bring Chen Ye's potential friends into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, just like Fang Zhixuan of Tianxin Island.

Then there's the Soul Master, who was probably also tricked by Youluozi and Feilian. He thought he was going to be reborn after being destroyed, but in fact he had long since become a treasure-giving child.

Fei Lian wanted Chen Ye to get the Time Arrow, and then, during his duel with Ye Chen, he wanted Ye Chen to use the Time Arrow to break through in front of him, thus tempting Chen Ye to learn from him.

In order to save people, Chen Ye actually used the Time Arrow to practice his swordsmanship, which perfectly completed the second part of the judgment.

Ye Chen exclaimed excitedly, "There's a third brocade pouch! Sect Leader Chen, tell me, what's written on it?!"

Even though he was certain to die, Ye Chen still regarded the third brocade pouch as his last straw, as if seeing the truth would give him a glimmer of hope.

Chen Ye opened the brocade pouch, unfolded the paper, and then read in a cold voice: "A thousand souls bear witness, righteous and demonic forces merge, attain the Dao and ascend to immortality, sacrifice blood to the mirage."

Chen Ye exclaimed in shock, "This is bad! They're going to wipe out the Mirage Sect!"

…………

On a high cliff by the sea, in the Mirage Sect, Zhou Lang was brewing tea to entertain the two Venerable Masters, Youluozi and Feilian. At this moment, he was in high spirits.

He was certain that Yin Xiaoshuang's death had severely injured the Supreme Elder of the Yellow Springs Sect. The power of a Void Returning Realm cultivator's self-destruction at close range was not easy to withstand. Even if Qu Heng was powerful, he would definitely need to recuperate at this time and would never be a threat again.

Without Qu Heng's threat, the Yellow Spring Sect would be unable to leave the northern border.

Zhou Lang said to the two venerable masters, "Now the Yellow Springs Sect is no longer a threat, and Tianxin Island is far overseas and will not easily come to the mainland. The only ones left are the Qinghe Sword Sect and the Yunlu Immortal Sect. We should take this opportunity to join forces to take down the Yunlu Immortal Sect, and then destroy the Qinghe Sword Sect. At that time, my Mirage Sect will be able to share the world with you two."

Youluozi sat in the chair, swinging her little feet, like an innocent child, as if she couldn't understand Zhou Lang's meaning.

Fei Lian first drank a cup of tea, then said to Zhou Lang, "I've heard that the Mirage Sect's protective mountain array also has the ability to create illusions that appear real. I wonder if it can compare to Yin Xiaoshuang's methods?"

Zhou Lang replied, "If I were to host, I would certainly be more capable than Yin Xiaoshuang."

Fei Lian asked, "Oh, so you mean that without a cultivator at the Void Returning Realm to preside over the ceremony, the effect will be much less?"

Just as Zhou Lang sensed something was wrong, he heard Fei Lian say, "Time stands still here."

In an instant, everything in the world seemed to fall into stillness.

In this still moment, Youluozi and Feilian acted together, one grabbing Zhou Lang's throat and the other holding his head.

With a tearing sound, Zhou Lang's head was ripped off.

A moment later, time flowed again, and the headless corpse sprayed out a sky full of blood before slowly collapsing.

Youluozi casually tossed away the head, then suppressed Zhou Lang's soul inside a conch shell.

Fei Lian laughed and said, "The timing is perfect. My two pronouncements have already taken effect, and my injuries have mostly healed. Today is the day I will merge with the Dao."

(End of this chapter)