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

Chapter 423 Awakening the Spirit is an Immense Grace

When Master Qinglin hurriedly relayed the news of Guixu back to the Yellow Spring Sect, Chen Ye had no choice but to put down the peach wood sword in his hand.

In the quiet room before him, a shadowy figure floated, its outline barely recognizable as human, but like a reflection in water, it seemed ready to vanish at any moment.

Any cultivator from the demonic sects could see that this was an extremely damaged soul, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

This is the remnant soul of Yin Xiaoshuang, the leader of the Mirage Sect.

Yin Xiaoshuang was betrayed by Zhou Lang and turned into a puppet. Although Chen Ye eventually made a deal with Youluozi, leaving a glimmer of hope for the Mirage Sect, the price was still heavy.

With Zhou Lang dead, half of the elders of the Mirage Sect were sacrificed, severely weakening the entire sect. However, compared to those minor sects, the Mirage Sect, this tattered ship riddled with holes, still had at least three pounds of rusty nails left.

Chen Ye originally wanted to help Yin Xiaoshuang repair her damaged soul, but the extent of the damage to her soul far exceeded Chen Ye's expectations.

These days, he has devoted almost all his time to this, trying to repair the wisp of true spirit that is almost dissipating.

But it is extremely difficult.

Yin Xiaoshuang's situation was completely different from those cultivators whose souls were harvested by Ye Chen.

Ye Chen needed powerful souls that he could control, so he treated the souls like a craftsman treats materials, only cutting and piecing them together, never wasting any useful parts.

Therefore, although the souls of those cultivators were also dismantled into pieces, as long as the fragments were found, they could always be pieced back together, and their memories could be largely preserved.

However, most of Yin Xiaoshuang's soul dissipated due to the self-destruction. What remained was merely a trace of her true spirit that sustained her existence; even Chen Ye himself couldn't say how much of her past memories she could retain.

That's why he didn't tell the current Mirage Faction about this.

As far as he knew, Yin Xiaoshuang originally wanted Elder Ying to take over as sect leader, but Chen Ye heard that Elder Ying had been expelled from the Mirage Sect due to internal strife.

In this way, Yin Xiaoshuang's remnant soul cannot be handed over to the current Mirage Sect.

If the current leaders of the Mirage Sect were to find out that their former leader still possessed such a wisp of a soul, given their modus operandi, it would be truly uncertain whether Yin Xiaoshuang's faint true spirit could be preserved.

Chen Ye only wanted to do his best to save her; as for the future of the Mirage Sect, that was a problem for her to worry about.

However, once he actually started, Chen Ye realized just how troublesome the matter was. He expended a great deal of effort, but could only barely manage to re-condense Yin Xiaoshuang's remaining true spirit into a human form, yet she was still in a dazed and confused state, devoid of any intelligence whatsoever.

Now, with news of the strange changes in Guixu, he can no longer focus on healing Yin Xiaoshuang.

Chen Ye looked at the still unresponsive phantom before him, sighed slightly, and waved his hand to temporarily store her into the Myriad Souls Banner.

Immediately, he summoned the morning light, which was most familiar to Guixu.

The girl who transformed from a mirage into a city god remained as indifferent as ever. However, nourished by the incense and prayers, her originally ethereal form had become much more real, and now she no longer possessed that inhuman sense of alienation.

Chen Ye told her all the information he had obtained.

For the first time, a clear look of surprise appeared on Chen Guang's usually calm face.

“It’s impossible for all my people to develop sentience in such a short time. There must be some being awakening their sentience.”

"Awakening the spirit?"

This term sounds somewhat similar to cultivation. When ordinary cultivators can sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it is called "enlightenment." However, the "enlightenment" mentioned by Chen Guang is definitely not the same meaning.

Chen Guang explained, “I may be the first of the Mirage Demons in millions of years to develop sentience on my own, which is purely by chance. Later, I raised my sisters and actively guided them to develop sentience. I call this process ‘spiritual awakening.’ At that time, I did not know what cultivation was, so I gave myself this name.”

Chen Ye understood what she meant; this explanation was quite apt.

For mortals, spiritual awakening allows them to see the mysterious phenomenon of spiritual energy; for mirage demons, who are born with innate supernatural powers, spiritual awakening naturally unlocks their slumbering intelligence. They supplement what is lacking, thus achieving the same goal through different paths.

But Chen Ye suddenly thought of a terrifying possibility and blurted out, "Wait, if all the mirage demons are awakened, does that mean that a 'demon' even more powerful than you has appeared?"

According to Chen Guang's previous statement, it would take her several months or even several years to help a sister awaken her spiritual intelligence.

Now, within the Ruins of Return, a large group of mirage demons have been awakened simultaneously, so the methods of the person who made the move must be far superior to those of the Morning Light.

The only possibility Chen Ye could think of was that the Gate of Return to Nothingness had been opened and the mysterious prisoner inside had been released.

If that's the case, then we're in big trouble.

Even ten Flying Demon Lords combined wouldn't be as terrifying as that prisoner.

However, the Ruins of Guixu are now blocked and inaccessible, so there's no way to gather information.

Chen Guang suggested, "Sect Leader, let me go and talk to the clansmen. Perhaps I can find out some information."

Chen Ye thought about it and realized that this was a good idea.

Although the water mirror technique of Tianxin Island can reflect the mirage demons, they are wary of the people of Tianxin Island and therefore refuse to communicate. If Chenguang, a former member of their clan, were to go, perhaps he could gather some information.

"I will write a letter and have the cultivators from Tianxin Island take you to Guixu. But don't be impulsive. You just need to inquire about the changes in Guixu. If you have any news, you must report it to me first."

Hearing Chen Ye's concerned words, Chen Guang's usually cool lips couldn't help but curl up slightly.

"Sect Master, no wonder the Supreme Elder and that Day Wanderer God have always said that you are too soft-hearted."

Chen Ye was so angry at her sudden remark that he laughed: "How did you know?"

"How could I not know? The Supreme Elder often goes to the City God Pavilion to drink with the Day-Roaming God. Every time these two get drunk, they complain together, and they talk about you, Sect Master."

Chen Ye cursed inwardly, "These two old men are... indecent."

He couldn't help but complain, "No wonder I feel like I'm losing my authority; they don't give me, the sect leader, any face at all."

"The sect leader didn't establish the Yellow Springs Sect based on authority." Chen Guang paused for a moment, then explained, "It's like when I awakened the spirits of my sisters, they were filled with gratitude towards me. Sect leader, you don't know how great a blessing it is to give intelligence to wild beasts. Most of the city gods here are ignorant and only follow their instincts. Their minds are also confused by the power of incense and prayers, making them even worse than wild beasts in the mortal world. Now, however, they all have names, hobbies, and even their own vices."

"The reason why you City Gods are so loyal to the Yellow Springs Sect is because you have no way to repay this great kindness. The Sect Master's benevolence is not a woman's kindness, but only because the Supreme Elder and the Day Wanderer are both from the Demonic Sect and have been too ruthless. The Sect Master does not need to learn those ruthless methods. You just need to be like you are now."

Chen Ye was somewhat surprised; this was the first time he had heard Chen Guang speak at such a long pace, as she had always spoken haltingly before.

"It seems that incense offerings have had a significant impact on you as well."

Chen Guang smiled and said, "Of course. Mortals need to eat grains and cereals, so they are naturally affected by food. The masses often toil away to make a living, with no free time. We live by incense offerings, and the principle is the same. It's just that the Yellow Springs Sect allows us to settle down without fighting for incense offerings, so our pursuits are different."

Hearing Chen Guang's words, Chen Ye felt that what he had done these past few days was not bad.

No, using "these years" seems a bit of an exaggeration. The Yellow Springs Sect, from its true founding, has only been around for less than a year. Chen Ye felt that his perception of time had become distorted after he pierced the Arrow of Time.

He shook his head, banishing these distracting thoughts, and solemnly instructed again: "Remember, safety comes first. No matter what your people have gone through, come back and discuss it with the sect before taking any action."

He bowed down in the soft morning light, his expression sincere.

"Subordinates take orders."

(End of this chapter)