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

Chapter 439 Returning to the old place
When the black dog descended upon this desolate and withered land, it was as if a branding iron had been thrown into the water.

The world seemed to boil over instantly. The hungry ghosts, who had been silent for who knows how long, smelled something new: the faint "fishy" odor left on the black dog when the sea beasts were slaughtered.

This place was once the blessed land of the Nirvana Sect, and it is also the birthplace of this Buddhist sect.

Unfortunately, the Nirvana Sect has long since disappeared, and what remains are these hungry ghosts that fill the mountains and fields.

They are immortal and indestructible; they are eternally thirsty.

When Chen Ye learned that these hungry ghosts would destroy the world, he preferred to seal this place off forever.

Unexpectedly, Qu Heng had a plan in mind.

When Qu Heng mentioned this to Chen Ye, Chen Ye thought that his master's demonic nature was hard to eradicate and that he was still thinking of destroying the world.

However, it was thanks to Qu Heng's backup plan that Chen Ye was able to propose such a risky scheme.

The Reverse Star Sea Array is not only for suppression, but its most important function is to transfer danger to a suitable place in critical moments, keeping it away from the mortal world.

The hungry ghost realm of the Nirvana sect is the best choice.

Now that the black dog has arrived, the hungry ghosts, who usually move as slowly as snails, have gone mad, letting out strange "hoarse" cries as they surge toward the black dog. Their mouths are split open to their ears, filled with layers upon layers of sharp teeth.

But the demon's throat was as thin as a straw, as if it had been pinched. No matter how much flesh and blood its large mouth swallowed, it was extremely difficult to swallow it down.

However, this time it wasn't a problem, because what the hungry ghosts wanted to eat wasn't flesh and blood, but a shadowy mass that reeked of the smell of seawater.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the black dog was covered in hungry ghosts.

With sharp teeth tearing and claws digging, they tried to scrape something off this behemoth to fill its stomach.

But these hungry ghosts were like being stuck in a quagmire; not only did they not get any food, their bodies continued to sink deeper into the shadows.

Whether it's a black dog or a hungry ghost, both have almost no consciousness and act entirely on instinct.

So even though a large number of hungry ghosts were swallowed by the shadows, even more hungry ghosts continued to rush forward. They swarmed out from the cracks in the mountains, from the dry ground, and from behind the jagged rocks, stepping over the nothingness left behind after their companions were wiped out, and fearlessly surged forward.

Sharp teeth, claws, barbed tongues, and even vomited venomous stomach acid... The hungry ghosts used every means to try to kill this enormous black shadow and then swallow it whole.

But it had no effect and was meaningless.

This black dog is an unshakeable mountain, an abyss that cannot be filled.

But the black dog was completely enraged by the endless swarm of insects.

It raised its head and let out a silent roar that shook the entire space.

Centered on its body, a circle of visible black ripples suddenly spread out!
Wherever the ripples passed, all the hungry ghosts they touched, regardless of strength or distance, instantly ceased all movement. Their bodies, like weathered rocks, rapidly crumbled and dissipated, turning into a cloud of gray-black dust.

In just a moment, all the hungry ghosts within a radius of several miles were wiped out.

However, this brief tranquility lasted for less than three breaths.

Deep within the mountains, the dust transformed from the vanquished hungry ghosts coalesced anew, driven by eerie laws. One new hungry ghost after another emerged from the earth and from the mountain walls, unharmed and still ravenous, their crimson eyes once again fixed on the black dog in the center of the battlefield.

Hungry ghosts are also immortal and indestructible. Even those hungry ghosts that are devoured by the black dog will constantly revive in the shadows, struggling to break free again.

One after another, hideous, hungry ghost faces appeared on the black dog's body, quickly vanished, and then quickly reappeared.

Each attack by the black dog could easily destroy hundreds or thousands of hungry ghosts.

None of the hungry ghost's attacks could cause the black dog the slightest harm.

The outcome of this battle was predetermined from the very beginning.

The black dog could not completely eliminate these hungry ghosts, and the hungry ghosts could never satisfy their hunger.

They were caught in a pointless fight.

The black dog became the sole target attracting the firepower of all the hungry ghosts, and was held back in place by countless indestructible madmen, trapped in an endless cycle of slaughter.

Fei Lian and Chen Ye moved away from the brutal battlefield, which was clearly intentional during the teleportation.

Fei Lian finally understood why he was in this place. It was a "cage" prepared specifically for the black dog... no, it should be said that it was prepared specifically for Gui Xu and the prisoner inside.

Fei Lian felt a pang of regret. Perhaps he shouldn't have pursued the realm of Dao Integration in the first place.

Simply enduring the heavenly lightning strikes brought by Chen Ye, and letting go of the karmic entanglements that were entangled with her, seemed like a good thing.

The process was tough, but it was better than ending up in this situation.

Once the karma is cleared, he will still be the Lord of the Demonic Sect, free and unrestrained. There are few people in this world who can do anything to him. If he tries to hide, Fei Lian can probably outlive those old guys from the righteous path.

If that's the case, why be so fixated on conforming to the Tao?
After opening that door, my cultivation level did improve, but what kind of life have I been living?
First, they were shocked by the broken laws of heaven and realized that the path to immortality above their heads had long been severed and that the so-called ascension might have been a scam from beginning to end.

If one cannot achieve immortality, what is the point of a lifetime of cultivation?
Then he fell into Youluozi's scheme. The number one demonic cultivator was trapped in the Ruins of Return, becoming a sitting duck.

Now, they have to humble themselves and cooperate with the righteous path to survive. After going through countless hardships, they thought they would see the light of day again, but instead, they were transported to this godforsaken place.

With evil spirits blocking their path ahead and black dogs chasing them from behind, they were caught in a dilemma.

Thinking of this, Fei Lian turned his head and looked at Chen Ye, who was standing calmly beside him. He finally couldn't help but speak, his voice filled with an uncontrollable complex emotion: "All of this is due to you."

Chen Ye was taken aback upon hearing this and instinctively became wary, thinking that this capricious demon lord was going to settle old scores with him at this moment.

Unexpectedly, after Fei Lian finished speaking, he didn't say anything more and just silently followed behind him.

Chen Ye was somewhat stunned.

Seeing that he didn't move, Fei Lian impatiently urged, "What are you still standing there for? Are you going to wait for that black dog to deal with those things before coming up and eating us both? How long can these ghostly things you created last?" He could clearly see that although the black dog was tightly entangled by the horde of evil spirits covering the mountains and plains, it itself had not suffered any substantial harm. No matter how the hungry ghosts tore at and attacked, they could not shake the ghostly figure in the slightest.

In Fei Lian's view, there should never be anything truly immortal in this world. No matter how strong the regenerative abilities of these evil spirits are, they will eventually be worn down and destroyed.

At that point, it will be their turn to become prey.

"It was my oversight." Chen Ye came to his senses and immediately activated his magic power, creating a cloud beneath his feet as he flew into the depths of the mountains.

On the way, he said to Fei Fan with a hint of probing, "Your Excellency is indeed extraordinary. I thought you would choose to settle old scores with me here."

Fei Lian snorted coldly and glanced at him: "What, you, Chen Ye, have transformed into the leader of the righteous path, and you can keep your promise to save a demon like me? Do you think I, Fei Lian, am the kind of fool who can't distinguish between what's important and what's urgent, and that I have to turn against you at this critical moment?"

"I wouldn't dare," Chen Ye smiled. "It's just that this is how demonic cultivators have always acted. Having too many enemies always makes them uneasy, so they are used to keeping all variables in their own hands. Besides, there are quite a few old and new grudges between me and the Venerable One. If you were to capture me now and use your supernatural power of making your words come true to force me to reveal everything, it would seem more in line with the style of the demonic sect."

Upon hearing this, Fei Lian's heart stirred.

He did have that thought.

But when he thought about the strange relationship between Chen Ye and the black dog, which shared the same origin, he never dared to make any rash moves.

Now that Chen Ye brought it up, he even began to suspect that Chen Ye was deliberately trying to lure him into making a move so that he would have a reason to break their previous agreement.

If the black dog's mission is to guard the Gate of Return to Nothingness, then does Chen Ye also have a "mission" that he must abide by?
Once this thought came to mind, Feilian felt that many things made sense.

Although Chen Ye has only been in the business for a short time, his actions are full of a strange sense of "righteousness turning into evil". In particular, his actions of founding the Yellow Springs Sect and establishing the Underworld are completely illogical and unprecedented.

The establishment of a new order requires a long period of refinement and revision. Even the rules and regulations of those righteous sects that have been passed down for thousands of years are the result of continuous adjustments and evolution over thousands of years.

However, the Yellow Springs Sect seemed to have conjured up a complete and mature system of the underworld out of thin air. From the division of functions among the various departments to the checks and balances of power, and even the cruel punishments that seemed tailor-made for the underworld... all the rules were created by Chen Ye alone.

It was as if he had already seen a complete underworld elsewhere, and now he was simply copying that set of rules over here without any changes.

Therefore, the rules of the Yellow Spring Sect are the "mission" that Chen Ye must abide by?
No wonder he takes the word "commitment" so seriously.

Fei Lian suddenly realized, and he thought to himself, "There are no true gentlemen in this world. Even Zhang Qi made mistakes back then. Chen Ye may seem upright, but deep down he's like that black dog, possessing an indescribable evil nature."

Having figured this out, Feilian felt much more at ease.

At least it's certain that Chen Ye won't keep him trapped here forever, but will find a way to fulfill his promise and take him away.

The two flew swiftly through the clouds, and soon, a mountain peak suspended in mid-air appeared on the horizon.

The mountain peak looked as if it had been cleaved in half by a giant axe, the break as smooth as a mirror. Countless mysterious runes were engraved on the mountain wall, emitting a faint glow, transforming into layers of visible mist that steadily supported the half-mountain peak in the air.

Because it is suspended high up, the hungry ghosts that can only climb on the ground cannot get close, making this place a rare pure land.

On the mountaintop platform, there is a huge statue. The Buddha statue has a unique shape, which is a dragon coiled around the blood bodhi tree. It is the "Red Serpent Dragon Buddha" of the Yellow Spring Sect.

It seems that this is indeed a stronghold that the Yellow Springs Sect had set up long ago.

"Is that dragon Buddha statue the exit from here?" Fei Lian couldn't help but ask.

Chen Ye nodded, then shook his head: "Sort of, but I'm afraid it won't be that easy to leave."

At this point, Fei Lian was no longer in a hurry. Since Chen Ye was trapped here with him, it was naturally Chen Ye's responsibility to find a way out.

He asked calmly, "Do we need to wait for outside support, or is there some other plan?"

“No need for assistance,” Chen Ye explained. “There is a teleportation array set up by my Yellow Springs Sect here, so leaving is not difficult. However, the spiritual energy here is extremely scarce, and it takes a long time to regenerate spiritual energy every time the array is activated.”

Fei Lian frowned: "Isn't once enough? Does this formation only allow one person to be teleported at a time?"

“No, that’s not it.” Chen Ye shook his head again and said something that Fei Lian found hard to believe, “It’s not like that, it’s just… I want to take that black dog back with me.”

Fei Lian seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He looked at Chen Ye and said with a hint of absurdity in his tone, "Sect Leader Chen, at a time like this, you still have the mood to joke? If you wanted to send that thing back, why go through all this trouble to bring it here?"

"Wasn't that to save you, Venerable One?" Chen Ye explained matter-of-factly. "According to the agreement, I helped you escape from the Ruins of Return, and you promised not to harm the common people for a hundred years. In order to fulfill my promise and save your life, I had no choice but to teleport you and the black dog here together. But the problem is, the black dog is the guardian of the Gate of the Ruins of Return. If it is trapped here forever, then the 'True Immortal' sealed deep within the Ruins of Return will probably be freed soon."

"At that time, our lives will be in the hands of that true immortal. So, we not only have to get out of this predicament ourselves, but we also have to find a way to trick this black dog back to where it belongs."

If anyone else had said these words, Fei Lian would have scoffed and dismissed it as wishful thinking. That black dog was a terrifying being; how could it be controlled by ordinary means?

But Fei Lian believed three-tenths of what Chen Ye said.

After all, they are very likely to share the same origin.

Fei Lian asked in a deep voice, "What's your plan?"

Chen Ye did not answer directly, but instead pointed to the Crimson Dragon Buddha statue on the platform in front of him.

“I can’t do it all by myself,” he said. “I need to ask a master for help.”

"A master?" Fei Lian immediately thought of someone. "Could it be Qu Heng? Has he been waiting here for a long time?"

"No." Chen Ye shook his head. "Our grandmaster is currently with the other sect leaders, presiding over the Reverse Star Sea Formation outside. They must be on guard against any unusual activity at the Gate of Return to Nothingness. If necessary, they must even be prepared to exile the entire Return to Nothingness Space here. They simply cannot leave."

As they spoke, the two had already flown close to the suspended mountain.

Chen Ye led Fei Lian, flying towards the Dragon Buddha statue. In the statue's shadow, a blurry, blood-red figure sat cross-legged, seemingly having waited for a long time.

"The master I was talking about is him."

Chen Ye spoke in a calm tone, saying words that made Fei Lian's heart pound: "Allow me to introduce you, Your Excellency. This is the founder of the Nirvana School, the monk Nirvana, who is also the first Buddha in this mortal world."

(End of this chapter)