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

Chapter 442 A Bigger Background Than Expected

Upon hearing Chen Ye's question, a hint of surprise flashed across the man's face, and he immediately retorted, "You possess the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, and you led this group of mortals to seal off the Ruins of Return, and now you come to ask me who I am?"

Upon hearing this person mention other mortals, Chen Ye strained his eyes to observe his surroundings.

He saw that the light of the Reverse Star Sea Array still enveloped this deep sea, and the white whale ship of Tianxin Island, as well as the flying boats, were still hovering in their original positions.

Everything was there, yet everything seemed frozen in time.

All people and all things in the sea are sealed inside an unseen, enormous piece of amber, remaining in the same state as they were a moment ago.

The hundreds of cultivators remained silent, and the Star Sea Array also stopped at this moment, as if they had all died a thousand years ago.

A bitter feeling welled up in Chen Ye's heart.

They spent countless hours and years setting up this powerful array that could shake the restrictions of the Void, yet it had no effect whatsoever in front of this person.

However, this seems to be to be expected.

He could even hold and manipulate the Void itself in his hands; the power of mortals is truly insignificant.

The fact that Chen Ye is still alive and able to think suggests that his murderous intent has somewhat dissipated.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and explained to the person before him, “Preventing you from escaping was my idea alone. I do not know your true identity; I am simply worried that if a true immortal were to descend upon the world, it would cause chaos and widespread suffering. I fear that if you were to wander around carelessly, you would trample thousands of innocent people to death. I must take responsibility for my actions; it is only right that you take my life. But I beg you, please spare the millions of people in this world, for they know nothing of this matter.”

The man did not respond immediately, but looked Chen Ye up and down, as if trying to discern the truthfulness of his words.

After a long silence, he spoke again, his words carrying a barely perceptible hint of inquiry: "You don't seem like the successor of the Three-Eyed One, but rather more like a disciple of the Sandalwood Merit Buddha. Do you truly not know my identity?"

Upon hearing the name "Buddha of Sandalwood Merit," Chen Ye keenly sensed that the pressure of the surrounding seawater, which felt almost tangible, lessened slightly.

A thought struck Chen Ye: Could there be a chance for things to turn around?

But he truly did not know the other party's identity, and could only answer truthfully: "This junior truly does not know. Therefore, I implore senior to allow this junior to die knowing the truth."

The man did not answer directly, but instead asked a different question: "But you should know who has trapped me here."

“It’s probably… Erlang Shen Zhenjun,” Chen Ye replied.

"Yes, that's the one with the three eyes."

At the critical moment of life and death, Chen Ye couldn't help but laugh. It seems that Erlang Shen's nickname is universal throughout the myriad realms.

Chen Ye's lips twitched involuntarily.

This subtle change was immediately noticed by the other party.

"It seems you are indeed not the disciple of that three-eyed man. Otherwise, such a treacherous thought of betraying one's master would have been dragged out and fed to the dogs long ago."

The moment the words left his mouth, Chen Ye felt a sudden relaxation throughout his body. The omnipresent pressure of the seawater vanished abruptly, and he regained some freedom of movement.

“Reveal your true form.”

The cold, hard command rang out again.

In this abyss, if the dragon's body were dispelled, a mortal's body would be instantly crushed into a pulp. But he couldn't disobey the other's orders. Helpless, Chen Ye could only circulate the Eight-Nine Arcane Technique to dissipate the massive dragon's body, transforming his physical body into a phantom divine soul form, barely resisting the terrifying pressure of the deep sea.

"You're not a Buddhist disciple?" The man's words carried a hint of doubt.

Chen Ye shook his head: "I have learned some Buddhist cultivation methods, but I am not a Buddhist."

The man snorted and cursed.

"A complete mess."

Chen Ye couldn't tell whether he was cursing himself for having too many different kinds of knowledge, or cursing the completely changed era he saw after escaping his predicament.

But he could clearly sense that the killing intent emanating from the other party was slowly fading. Especially after the Ksitigarbha Sutra appeared to protect its master, the other party's hostility noticeably diminished.

Could this person really be related to Buddhism?

Chen Ye's mind raced.

The guardian deities of Buddhism, the legendary Eight Heavenly Dragons?

wrong.

The Eight Heavenly Dragons are righteous gods of Buddhism, so how could they be suppressed in the depths of the Ruins by Erlang Shen, who is also a righteous god of the Heavenly Court? This doesn't make sense from any perspective.

The one before me is undoubtedly a dragon.

Since those four dragons nailed to the entrance of Guixu were his sons, how many dragons in the myths that have been passed down could be worthy of such a status?
Considering his relationship with Erlang Shen and his mention of the name of the Sandalwood Merit Buddha... Chen Ye seemed to have guessed eight or nine parts of the truth.

Chen Ye's heart skipped a beat, and he tentatively asked, "May I ask, senior, how do you address that Great Sage Equaling Heaven?" "Hmm?"

The man raised an eyebrow, revealing a curious expression for the first time.

"You're just a mortal, yet you know quite a lot."

There was still no direct answer, but this reaction only confirmed Chen Ye's suspicions.

He saw the man seem to subconsciously fidget with his fingers, as if calculating something, but then his brows furrowed deeply.

"You're just a mortal, yet I can't even figure out your origins. You're protected by Buddhist treasures and have mastered the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts... Boy, just what are you?"

Chen Ye was somewhat speechless. How did the conversation turn around and become the real immortal's curiosity about his identity?

However, the fact that the other party did not refute his question about the Monkey King already speaks volumes.

Looking at the entire well-known Journey to the West story, how many dragons actually have names and surnames?
Although the White Dragon Horse has a significant role, its abilities are mediocre at best, and it is not even in the same league as the Monkey King. The Four Dragon Kings are not qualified to require Erlang Shen to personally intervene.

It took Erlang Shen's personal intervention, leaving behind the corpses of countless heavenly soldiers and generals deep within the Ruins of Guixu, and even Xiaotian Dog was reduced to a mere remnant.

Furthermore, he also has a past connection with the Monkey King.

If someone meets all these criteria, then there's probably only one left.

He appears only once in the entire Journey to the West, described in just one sentence, but his significance is by no means insignificant.

Suppressing his excitement, Chen Yeqiang changed the way he addressed him.

"This junior was blind and did not know that it was the Great Sage Overturning the Seas in person!"

Back when Monkey King was still a demon, he formed a sworn brotherhood with the Bull Demon King and other demons. Monkey King was ranked seventh, while the second-ranked one was the Great Sage Overturning the Sea, the Flood Dragon Demon King.

Only the Great Sage of the Demon Clan was qualified to make Erlang Shen take action, and only the Great Sage of the Demon Clan could cause the Heavenly Court to suffer heavy losses.

Chen Ye was completely on edge, anxiously awaiting the other party's response.

Although I feel I'm about 80-90% sure, everything is still unknown until I get a definite answer.

until……

A burst of laughter, so loud it nearly shattered his soul, exploded in the dead silence of the deep sea.

"The Great Sage? Hahahaha, it's been so many years since I've heard that title."

The person before him laughed heartily and casually flicked his sleeve.

Chen Ye felt the last restraints around him completely dissipate, and the seemingly innate pressure from the deep sea vanished without a trace. He regained his freedom completely.

Really...you guessed right?

Although Chen Ye enjoyed freedom, he felt no relief whatsoever.

Of the seven great demon saints, none of them seemed easy to talk to.

Moreover, since it is a demon, it probably doesn't care about human lives.

Can this Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas really spare these mortals?
As expected, although the Great Sage of the Overturning Seas released Chen Ye from his restraints, he did not truly release him. Instead, he pressed on, asking, "Now that you know my identity, it is my turn to ask you: who exactly are you, and why do you carry the aura of my son?"

Chen Ye quickly replied, "I am but a mortal, currently only at the Profound Realm, with no particular background. As for the dragon aura you mentioned, Great Sage, perhaps that's the reason."

Chen Ye took out the dragon balls from his storage bag and then recounted his initial experience upon arriving at Guixu in detail.

When Chen Ye mentioned that he took the dragon pearl from the dragon's corpse and then buried those dragons in front of the Guixu Gate, he didn't embellish or downplay the matter; he confessed everything he needed to say.

The Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas held the four dragon pearls, listening silently, a look of sorrow in his eyes.

After Chen Ye finished speaking, the Great Sage Who Overturned the Sea said, "What my son said is correct. You are quite honest, lad."

Chen Ye asked in confusion, "Great Sage, what you just said..."

The Great Sage of the Overturning Sea carefully put away the four dragon pearls and sighed, "Your physical body is decaying, your soul is shattered, and only a few remnants remain, just like that three-eyed dog. But even these remnants remember what you did."

At this point, the Great Sage of the Overturning Seas changed his tone and said to Chen Ye, "If anything you just said was false or exaggerated in the slightest, you would be dead by now."

Chen Ye felt a chill run down his spine. He truly hadn't expected that the lingering spirits of those dragons remained on the dragon pearl. Fortunately, Chen Ye hadn't been seeking credit. Just like when he buried those four dragons, it was merely to find peace of mind.

It seems that good people are indeed rewarded.

This Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas seems quite easy to talk to; perhaps we can get through this tribulation smoothly?
Just as Chen Ye was about to ask about this person's plans, he heard the Great Sage Overturning the Sea say, "You buried my four sons, so I owe you four favors. Are these mortals your friends? They dared to offend me when I was freed. For your sake, I can spare the four of them. You can choose."

(End of this chapter)