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

Chapter 436 The Reverse Star Sea Array
When the water mirror lit up again, Chen Ye almost immediately noticed the abnormality on the other side.

Fei Lian on the other side of the water mirror seemed to have lost most of his energy and spirit. The domineering aura of a demon lord who held the power of life and death had vanished without a trace, and there was even an indescribable weariness and vicissitude on his face.

A bizarre thought flashed through Chen Ye's mind.

Could it be that in that short period of time, this audacious demon lord risked his life to fight that black guard dog, only to be pinned to the ground and severely beaten?
If that's true, Chen Ye had to admire his courage.

Chen Ye asked himself, facing that terrifying black dog, he could only retreat and would never dare to confront it head-on.

But even if we lose, it's not a big deal; the negotiations will continue.

Chen Ye was on high alert. If Fei Lian really lost a match, his temper would probably be even worse, making it even harder to reach a consensus.

However, the subsequent negotiations went unusually smoothly.

Feilian Demon Lord did not make any demands, and nodded in agreement to everything Chen Ye had said before, as if he was tired and did not want to waste any more time.

Even Elder Qinglin, who was observing the battle from the sidelines, couldn't help but secretly warn, "Sect Master Chen, be careful, it might be a trap."

Chen Ye naturally also found the matter strange. He stared at Fei Lian in the water mirror and tentatively asked, "My lord, please forgive my rudeness. Are you truly willing to keep your promise?"

"What?" Fei Lian's voice was filled with obvious impatience. "Do you only feel at ease when I ask for an exorbitant price? With all this suspicion and scheming, who is the demon, you or me?"

Caught off guard by his retort, Chen Ye was momentarily speechless. He could only cup his hands and say, "Since that's the case, then it's a deal. We will work together from the inside and outside to break the restriction. After the Lord is freed, for a hundred years, the righteous and demonic paths will not invade each other. As for the method to break the formation, allow us to study it carefully and then inform you."

The Demon Lord Feilian didn't urge him at all; he simply nodded casually, which was considered his agreement.

It seems that as long as he leaves, nothing else matters.

Finally, Chen Ye added a suggestion, advising Fei Lian not to engage in any more reckless killing within the Ruins of Return, lest the stench of blood arouse the black dogs guarding the gate.

No one knows whether the black dog's range of movement is limited to the area in front of the gate. If it is lured by the smell of blood and wanders around the Ruins, it will likely bring annihilation to all living beings here.

Chen Yesheng feared that Fei Lian might provoke the black dog again and accidentally release the prisoners, which would mean the end of everything.

The Demon Lord Feilian wholeheartedly agreed with this and had no doubt about the truth of Chen Ye's words.

In his eyes, Chen Ye and the black dog had the same origin, both descending from the celestial realm, so Chen Ye's reminder was naturally reasonable.

As for Fei Lian's concern about the incomplete Heavenly Dao, the other side of the Water Mirror is now full of righteous cultivators, so it's not a good time to discuss such secrets. Fei Lian isn't in a hurry; once he's truly free, he'll have plenty of time to inquire with Chen Ye.

Therefore, Fei Lian waved his hand and directly dispersed the huge sea beasts surrounding him.

The enormous creatures felt as if they had been granted a pardon. Although they still kowtowed to Feilian in fear, their true gratitude lay with the young man reflected in the water mirror. They couldn't understand the complexities of human communication, but the final piece of advice clearly resonated in their minds—it was that young man who had saved their lives.

As the light from the water mirror slowly faded, Chen Ye let out a long breath.

Meeting the complex gazes of everyone on the White Whale, he cupped his hands and said, "Gentlemen, I have not failed you."

Regardless of whether Fei Lian will ultimately keep his promise, Chen Ye has at least gained valuable time.

After a brief silence, an uncontrollable cheer erupted on the deck.

The young cultivators of Tianxin Island could no longer contain their excitement and cast gazes at Chen Ye filled with a mixture of admiration and fervor. Even the more experienced and prudent elders stepped forward to congratulate Chen Ye, their expressions brimming with heartfelt respect.

Previously, when people heard that Chen Ye was the leader of the righteous path, many people were actually somewhat skeptical.

After all, Chen Ye was too young, and his cultivation was only at the Tongxuan Realm. It was inevitable that people would be dissatisfied with such a "champion".

But now everything is different.

Chen Ye almost single-handedly held his own against the Demon Lord of the Dao Integration Realm, ultimately facilitating peace talks. Everyone witnessed this achievement.

Considering his past achievements, the destruction of most of the demonic sects was inextricably linked to him. He has only been in the industry for three years, yet he has already shaken the entire cultivation world several times.

If someone like him isn't considered the leader of the righteous path, then who is?

Low cultivation level?
That's only temporary.

Chen Ye cultivated for less than three years and went from a mortal to a near-divine being. If given another hundred years, what's so strange about him stepping into the realm of Dao Integration?
When that time comes, Chen Ye will be the second Zhang Qi, commanding all cultivators in the world, and who would dare to disobey?
At this moment, Chen Ye couldn't care less about what others thought.

Even if Fei Lian readily agreed, who could guarantee he would truly keep his promise? Chen Ye had to treat tomorrow as the day of the decisive battle. Who knew if the Void of Desolation would be opened at any moment, and the True Immortals inside would emerge to destroy the world?

Always stay with me.

When all the array masters from the Yunlu Immortal Sect arrived, the White Whale Ship became lively, and the comprehensive survey of Guixu officially began.

Countless small boats were released to repeatedly patrol around the Ruins of Return, and even to dive into the seabed rock layers to analyze the changes in the earth's veins and water veins.

More than half a month later, after Mo Suixin and Pang Duoduo devoted almost all their energy to divination, the first key point of the Guixu formation was finally calculated.

When studying formations, the biggest fear is not knowing where to begin.

The appearance of this key point in the formation was like lighting the first lamp in endless darkness, instantly illuminating the direction for everyone. This Void Restriction had been abandoned for a long time, with no one in charge. As long as we can follow this thread, we will definitely be able to unravel its secrets and completely dismantle it.

In the days that followed, the entire White Whale ship underwent a complete transformation.

The deck and cabins were densely covered with runes and array diagrams, their spiritual light intertwined, leaving almost no room to stand. Hundreds of array cultivators from various immortal sects were engaged in fierce debates and calculations day and night, the air filled with the buzzing of colliding divine thoughts.

Chen Ye wasn't idle either; he took the initiative to handle some of the most complex calculations.

At the same time, he laid out all the secret manuals he had looted from the demonic sects before everyone. Those peculiar ideas from the demonic path were like injecting completely different fuel into a finely tuned machine, bringing new inspiration to everyone time and time again.

This unreserved honesty was reciprocated with everyone sharing their knowledge generously. At this moment, sectarianism was completely abandoned, and the entire righteous alliance displayed unprecedented cohesion.

Even so, conventional deduction is still too slow.

Faced with the vast sea of ​​notes and secret techniques from predecessors that far surpass any known formation in this world, time becomes the most precious thing.

Finally, an old cultivator from the Yunlu Immortal Sect stopped before a problem that seemed impossible to solve. He sat there for three days and three nights, then suddenly raised his head and burst into laughter.

Then he took a Time Arrow and pierced it directly between his eyebrows.

His already gray hair turned completely white at a visible speed, and his face was instantly covered with deep wrinkles, as if countless years had passed in an instant.

But the complex array diagram in front of him suddenly became clear.

"So that's how it is! So that's how it is!"

He let out a wild laugh, quickly added the crucial stroke to the drawing, and then collapsed from exhaustion.

Everyone rushed forward, only to find that he was already exhausted and dying.

Chen Ye tried to summon his soul into the Myriad Souls Banner, but found that his soul was already old and frail. Chen Ye tried to inject incense to maintain it, but found that his soul simply vanished into thin air.

All the monks on the White Whale remained silent.

Chen Ye picked up the array diagram that the cultivator had drawn last, and sure enough, it was the most crucial stroke, solving the problem that had troubled everyone for many days.

Chen Ye sighed helplessly, his heart filled with regret. If he had noticed it a moment earlier, he might have been able to save the man's soul before he used the Arrow of Time.

At this moment, someone walked up to Chen Ye and comforted him, saying, "Brother, there's no need to blame yourself. I know Senior Brother Zhang. He was already nearing the end of his life. He valued formations more than his own life. If he can make a breakthrough in the way of formations at the last moment, he can die in peace."

As Yu Shenxing said, even after his sudden death, this fellow Daoist Zhang still had a smile on his face.

And this person's passing seemed to have infected everyone.

The second, the third... one after another, righteous cultivators took out Time Arrows and stabbed themselves without mercy.

Twenty years. Thirty years.

Fifty years.

Young faces aged rapidly, and once upright figures became hunched over. Some turned white-haired overnight, while others, in the midst of extreme deductions, lost their lifespans and turned to ashes in the light, their souls and spirits annihilated.

The Yellow Spring Sect was constantly refining longevity pills, but it was ultimately a drop in the ocean. The spiritual energy emitted by the ginseng fruit was also inexhaustible, and after many days of harvesting, they had begun to run out of resources.

Chen Ye tried his best to save everyone's souls, but in the end, many people burned themselves out completely.

Even though they knew that the arrow of time could cost them their lives, no one backed down.

When one person falls, another immediately takes their place and continues the unfinished deduction.

Chen Ye couldn't remember how many days they had spent, only that out of hundreds of cultivators, thirty-seven had exhausted their lifespans, unable even to maintain their divine souls. More than half of them had to abandon their decaying bodies and recuperate within Chen Ye's Ten Thousand Soul Banner, relying on incense to prolong their lives. The rest were also nearly exhausted, their lifespans almost completely depleted.

But in the end, this most complex and magnificent array in a thousand years was completed.

The Five Elements True Man slowly unfolded the array diagram. Chen Ye only saw that the billions of flying rainbows transformed into countless complex arrays, each comparable to the protective array of Fengdu City. However, such an array was only one of the foundation stones on the diagram.

Countless formations overlapped and intertwined, forming a formation diagram more dazzling than the Milky Way.

Chen Ye has been involved from the beginning, but now he can only understand one-tenth of it.

The Five Elements True Man said to Chen Ye, "This formation can reverse the star sea and guide the power of the celestial stars into the Ruins of Return. It is called the Reverse Star Sea Formation. Only in this way can we break the restrictions of the Ruins of Return and suppress the True Immortals inside."

Chen Ye clenched his fists and finally finished drawing the array diagram, but he had no time to rest at all.

Drawing the array diagram is just the beginning; setting up the array is an extremely difficult task.

Even though the merfolk disciples of Tianxin Island had already made arrangements around Guixu, it would still require a great deal of manpower and resources to successfully complete such a massive formation.

Moreover, it seems that the array masters of the Yunlu Immortal Sect will not be able to personally handle the task of setting up the array.

Designing the array diagram alone nearly exhausted everyone. The deep sea was filled with terrifying water pressure, so sending them into the sea to set up the array was tantamount to sending them to their deaths.

At this moment, Master Jiaoyue, the leader of Tianxin Island, snatched the array diagram and said to Chen Ye and Master Wuyun, "It's finally done. We've waited so long, it's time for the boys from Tianxin Island to do their part."

True Man Wuyun did not refuse, for indeed only Tianxin Island could withstand the immense pressure of ten thousand tons and set up this formation properly.

But how many disciples of Tianxin Island can understand this array diagram?

Ultimately, we still need to use the arrow of time.

The Five Elements True Man sighed, "Then we'll have to rely on Fellow Daoist Jiaoyue."

At this moment, Chen Ye spoke up, saying, "Gentlemen, my Yellow Springs Sect still has some strength left."

Chen Ye shook the Myriad Souls Banner in his hand, and several ethereal shadows flew out from it.

The White Bone Taoist, Elder Chenguang, and many other City Gods, as well as Yang Chongguang, the commander of the Yin soldiers... they are all in the form of divine souls, so the pressure of the deep sea has little effect on them.

The Yellow Springs Sect has many Yin soldiers; if they all use the Time Arrow to master basic formation techniques, it can be of great help.

Even just helping out can relieve a lot of pressure for everyone.

Chen Ye, aboard the White Whale Ship, worked with the two sect leaders to break down the complex Reverse Star Sea Array into hundreds of areas, and then assigned tasks to everyone.

The White Whale ship transformed into a mobile command center, traversing the vast Ruins of Gui.

At each location marked by the array diagram, a flying boat would rush out, carrying countless materials for setting up the array, cultivators, and Yin soldiers to the key node.

Wherever they went, they needed to harmonize the feng shui, suppress the spiritual veins, and then use rare and precious materials to set up the array base and draw countless runes.

At some crucial points, it was necessary to break through mountains and rocks to bury the array base deep underground. So everyone joined forces to cast spells and leveled the underwater mountains.

At certain points, it is necessary to suppress the evil spirits of monstrous beasts. Squads are dispatched to hunt these strange sea creatures, inevitably engaging in fierce battles.

With such a massive project, casualties are inevitable.

But at least this time it's not a matter of being completely exhausted. As long as their names are recorded on Chen Ye's Ten Thousand Souls Banner, they can travel through time and space to return to the Ten Thousand Souls Banner to recuperate once their physical bodies are damaged.

Even if it cannot be recovered immediately, at least there is still a glimmer of hope.

The casualties were greater than expected. If Chen Ye hadn't brought over the City God and the ghost soldiers from the northern frontier, the city would probably have collapsed.

Even Chen Ye had to transform into a dragon to rescue people in various parts of the sea.

Chen Ye couldn't remember how many ferocious beasts he had encountered in the deep sea; even his dragon body had been bitten off several times.

In the deep sea, there is no alternation of day and night, and Chen Ye has already forgotten the passage of time.

All Chen Ye knew was that Fei Lian urged him three times, so he had no choice but to share part of the array diagram with him, allowing Fei Lian to make arrangements in the Ruins of Return so that they could coordinate an attack from within and without.

Upon seeing the array diagram, Fei Lian couldn't help but curse, "What a grand scheme! Are you planning to completely wipe Guixu off the face of the earth?"

Chen Ye no longer had the strength to explain to Fei Lian, and could only say, "The Guixu Restriction was created by a true immortal. Without power that transcends the mortal realm, how can one talk about breaking the formation?"

Fei Lian understood this principle and could only begin making arrangements with a gloomy face.

Fortunately, the part in the Ruins of Return was not too complicated, and Fei Lian's knowledge was sufficient to complete the array diagram.

Finally, the "Reverse Star Sea Array" covering thousands of miles was completed, and the White Whale ship is now hovering above the last core array eye.

This is the linchpin of the entire formation. It is just waiting for the White Whale Ship to become compatible with the formation, and for the most precious magic treasures of Tianxin Island to be integrated with the formation, so as to completely activate this "Reverse Star Sea Formation".

All the cultivators who participated in setting up the formation gathered together. Their faces were etched with exhaustion, but everyone's spirits were taut to the extreme.

Chen Ye stood at the bow of the ship, looking down at the Guixu that emitted a faint white light.

"Gentlemen, success or failure hinges on this." Chen Ye's voice wasn't loud, but it carried to every corner.

"Get into formation!"

With Chen Ye's command, billions of rays of light flowed out from the White Whale Ship, intertwining into 364 beams of light, like rainbows spanning the endless void, pouring all the energy into the central core array eye!

A massive and intricate array, too vast to be measured by sight, took shape deep within the ocean. It then slowly rose, transforming into a three-dimensional light and shadow that enveloped the entire Guixu.

"It's done!"

On the Beluga, someone was the first to shout out.

In an instant, the fatigue, sadness, and tension that had been suppressed for months erupted and turned into a deafening cheer!

Countless cultivators embraced and wept, and Chen Ye's body went limp, almost causing him to lose his balance.

These days, he has been physically and mentally exhausted. If it weren't for the truly profound Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, he probably wouldn't have been able to hold on for long.

Just as everyone was immersed in the joy of success, the water mirror located in the command center of the White Whale suddenly opened.

The Demon Lord Feilian appeared in the water mirror with a solemn expression.

Just as Chen Ye was about to ask, he heard the Demon Lord Fei Lian say anxiously, "The black dog has been alerted and is rushing towards me!"

(End of this chapter)