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

Chapter 453 Guilty or Not
Tie Shengrong never imagined that one day he would be driven to such a desperate situation by a cultivator at the Tongxuan Realm.

That's a difference of two major realms.

But now the sky above his head has been completely occupied by the Emperor of Fengdu, whose raised sword is about to strike down.

Tie Shengrong wanted to run, but he found that his legs seemed to be nailed to the spot.

Looking down, he saw dozens of fire snakes emerging from the ground, binding his legs tightly, their fangs deeply embedded in his flesh. Yet Tie Shengrong felt no pain, only numbness.

Besides, countless illusions and sounds haunted him, and he himself seemed to be out of his body, constantly muttering to himself, "My sins are grave, I bow my head and accept punishment!"

These illusions disturbed Tie Shengrong so much that he couldn't even concentrate, let alone tear through the void to escape.

Tie Shengrong knew that these were all Chen Ye's supernatural abilities, but he, a dignified cultivator at the Returning Void Realm, was unable to see through these illusions.

Knowing it was fake and couldn't be debunked, Tie Shengrong understood that he had already lost.

A crushing defeat.

As the massive sword, as large as a mountain, slowly descended, as if deliberately intended to let Tie Shengrong experience the feeling of dying, Tie Shengrong resignedly closed his eyes.

However, at this critical moment, a figure suddenly soared into the sky from the gate of the Incense Burning Sect and stood in front of him without hesitation.

Along with him appeared hundreds of mechanical puppets.

This is Tie Xianrong, Tie Shengrong's brother.

Tie Xianrong threw out all the mechanical puppets he had crafted as if they were free.

The intricate mechanical beasts and puppet figures rapidly combined and transformed in mid-air, instantly becoming a layered, metallic mechanical fortress that stretched across the trajectory of the falling giant sword.

This elder of the Incense Burning Sect was only at the Nascent Soul stage.

In other places, he would be considered a big shot.

But on this battlefield at this moment, they are as insignificant as ants.

The Emperor of Fengdu's longsword did not pause at all, but continued to fall steadily and firmly.

Tie Shengrong shouted, "Run! You can't block this sword!"

However, Tie Xianrong smiled bitterly and said, "Brother, where can we escape to now? The Incense Burning Sect... they've already run away."

When Tie Shengrong and Chen Ye started their duel, the disciples of the Burning Incense Sect were initially just watching the spectacle, not quite understanding what was happening.

After Tie Shengrong was slapped away by the Emperor of Fengdu, the elders and disciples of the Incense Burning Sect scattered like birds and beasts.

Of the great sects that have stood for millennia, only those with ulterior motives and selfishness remain.

It's another story of cause and effect. Anyone with a bit of pride and some respect for the Incense Burning Sect would have stayed at Green Coffin Mountain to deal with the remains of the Demon Lord Wujiu.

However, the Incense Burning Sect disciples who remained on Green Coffin Mountain were swallowed whole by the Azure Dragon Lord, leaving only Pang Duoduo and Mo Suixin alive; everyone else perished.

Those disciples who only wanted to take advantage of the Incense Burning Sect left with Tie Shengrong and established a new sect in this place.

But when the Incense Burning Sect suffered a calamity, they left without hesitation, just as they had before.

Upon hearing this, Tie Shengrong felt even more despondent.

But every sip and every bite is preordained; he abandoned his fellow disciples, and now he is the one being abandoned.

The two brothers had nowhere to retreat and could only wait to die together.

Seeing the despair on his brother's face, Tie Shengrong's eyes instantly reddened. He no longer cared about his reputation as sect leader and shouted with all his might, "Stop! I surrender! I surrender!"

Regardless of saving face, he was unwilling for his brother to die under the sword of the Emperor of Fengdu.

No matter what Chen Ye wanted to investigate, as long as he was lenient, Tie Shengrong was willing to cooperate; his face was far less important than his life.

However, the giant sword in the sky did not stop at all because of his shouts, and continued to slash straight down at the two of them.

It’s over.

Tie Shengrong was surprised by Chen Ye's resolute decision and wanted Yuji Daoist to intercede for him. However, he opened his mouth but could not speak. Just now, he had arrogantly mocked Yuji Daoist. What method could he use to ask him to help him now?
Tie Shengrong couldn't think of any excuse.

In that brief moment of hesitation, the Emperor of Fengdu's longsword had already struck down.

The giant sword, powerful enough to cleave mountains, instantly transformed into a phantom of light and shadow the moment it touched the mechanical fortress, passing through it without any obstruction.

The sword's edge grazed the two brothers' bodies without leaving any wounds.

Only the thunderous roar of countless bells filled their ears, making the two brothers dizzy and disoriented, as if their very souls were about to be shattered.

But the expected annihilation of their souls did not occur; instead, the two were frozen in place, their bodies stiff and unable to make any movements.

Chen Ye approached the two brothers, snatched the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, and then waved it towards the sky, causing the ever-expanding ouroboros to be drawn back into the banner.

Immediately afterwards, the towering phantom of the Fengdu Emperor and the six layers of hell that enveloped the heavens and earth slowly faded away like smoke and finally disappeared.

The sky above the Incense Burning Gate was once again clear and bright.

Chen Ye sheathed his longsword, cupped his hands to Tie Shengrong, and said, "Sect Leader Tie, you flatter me."

Chen Ye's voice wasn't loud, but it struck Tie Shengrong's heart like a heavy hammer.

Tie Shengrong's expression changed several times, then he bowed his head and said to Chen Ye, "Sect Leader Chen, I am completely convinced."

Chen Ye smiled slightly. Winning or losing wasn't important. What mattered was that Tie Shengrong was willing to cooperate, which would make the investigation into the matter of Hu Chang's adopted son much simpler.

At this moment, Daoist Yuji pressed his advantage and asked, "Sect Leader Tie, did you harm any mortals to refine this Myriad Soul Banner in your hand?"

Tie Shengrong remained silent for a moment, then said, "What I said before was not false. My Ten Thousand Soul Banner did indeed contain unworthy disciples of the Incense Burning Sect, as well as spies sent by the Demonic Sect. The former Sect Leader Lu also knew about this..."

Chen Ye looked surprised, never expecting that Lu Xingzhou already knew about this.

The downfall of the Incense Burning Sect probably occurred much earlier than imagined.

Chen Ye listened patiently to Tie Shengrong's explanation and got a general understanding of what had happened.

The Incense Burning Sect is a righteous sect, so it shouldn't use something like the Myriad Souls Banner. Even if some disciples in the sect misbehave, they can just be killed. Using the Myriad Souls Banner would be a huge loss and would damage the sect's reputation if word got out.

However, Tie Shengrong's situation was somewhat special. On the surface, Tie Shengrong diligently practiced swordsmanship and usually only used swordsmanship to fight enemies.

However, the supernatural power that Tie Shengrong comprehended upon reaching the Profound Realm had absolutely nothing to do with swordsmanship. Instead, it was an evil supernatural power related to the soul. He could materialize a person's inner demons, as if recreating an identical soul, only with a completely different personality.

Chen Ye frowned and said, "This sounds like the 'Great Dharma of Other-Transformation'?"

Tie Shengrong shook his head and said, "I have never heard of this secret technique, but it seems somewhat similar. This is my supernatural power, and it is also similar to the spell recorded in a secret book of heavenly techniques collected by the Incense Burning Sect."

The Nirvana Sect's "Great Dharma of Other-Transformation" is actually a kind of celestial book secret technique, which Chen Ye found unsurprising.

The Heavenly Book Secret Techniques are actually the original versions of various spells left behind by the creators of this world. Later generations may not be unable to innovate and make them even more powerful than the originals.

Swordsmanship like Zhang Qi's and the Flying Demon Lord's ability to make his words come true are supernatural powers and secret techniques that are not much worse than those in the Heavenly Book, and may even be better.

"My supernatural powers are too special, so Sect Leader Lu granted me special permission to refine the Myriad Soul Banner. At first, it was only to materialize the inner demons of the disciples in the sect, and then put the inner demons into the Myriad Soul Banner to be used as a magic weapon. Later, I also gained the power of enforcing the inner sect's rules, and some disciples who violated the sect's rules were also sent into the Myriad Soul Banner."

"Later, I also found out those spies from the demonic sect who were lurking in the Incense Burning Sect, and then sent them into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner as well. The successor of the Tiger's Lackey that Sect Leader Chen was looking for... was also among them."

Chen Ye exclaimed in surprise, "Hu Chang's adopted son is already dead?"
Tie Shengrong continued to explain, "It was because I refined his soul into the Myriad Souls Banner that I was able to extract various demonic secret techniques from him and combine them with my own supernatural powers to create this Myriad Souls Banner. Many of the vengeful spirits inside are actually transformed from inner demons. As long as there is sufficient spiritual energy, no matter how broken they are, they will regenerate into more vengeful spirits."

"But where does this spiritual energy come from?"

This was the part that puzzled Chen Ye the most. Spiritual energy was not inexhaustible, and the differentiation of inner demons should also consume energy.

Tie Shengrong said, "This is my unique technique, and I don't think it has anything to do with what Sect Leader Chen is investigating."

Chen Ye laughed and said, "I was just curious. It's fine if Sect Leader Tie doesn't say anything. But, after saying so much, does Sect Leader Tie think he can absolve himself of all his sins?"

Tie Shengrong frowned and said, "Sect Master Chen, a bet is a bet. I'm willing to give away the soul of that demonic sect spy. I've given you everything you wanted. What else do you want?"

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "It's not that I want anything, but that you, Iron Master, are avoiding the important issues. Others may not understand the Myriad Soul Banner, but I consider myself an expert. This Myriad Soul Banner definitely contains not only the souls of the Burning Incense Sect disciples and demons, but also a large number of mortal souls, if not a thousand, then at least several hundred."

Chen Ye had no intention of dealing with the other party. Just now, when the Emperor of Fengdu swung his sword to sever the souls, shaping them into the form of an ouroboros, Chen Ye had already sensed it. There were many old, weak, women, and children inside, and their cries of agony were incessant.

However, the appearance of the dead is mostly distorted and deformed, making it difficult for outsiders to distinguish them at a glance.

Only Chen Ye, with his exceptional understanding and sensitivity to the soul, could perceive the difference.

The disciples of the Incense Burning Sect are not old, weak, women and children, and the spies of the Demonic Sect are not old, weak, women and children either. So where did these vengeful spirits come from?
Tie Shengrong spoke untruthfully, thinking he could deceive everyone, but he didn't expect that he couldn't fool Chen Ye at all.

Upon hearing this, Daoist Yuji's face darkened. If Tie Shengrong had truly used a mortal to refine the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, then he deserved to die.

Tie Shengrong realized he couldn't hide it any longer, and hurriedly explained, "I didn't kill any mortals, absolutely not... it's just... it's just..."

Tie Shengrong stammered a few words before confessing, "The spies from the demonic sects I encountered all carried these magical artifacts made from the blood, flesh, and souls of mortals. I couldn't bear to destroy them, so I refined them into the Myriad Soul Banner as well. At least, I didn't kill them with my own hands."

Chen Ye sighed, "But your Ten Thousand Souls Banner still torments them day and night, accumulating resentment... Iron Palm Sect, how are you any different from a demon?"

It's like some ordinary people being sold into slavery, and then someone kills the kidnapper, only to find that the slaves are quite capable, so they simply continue to enslave them.

How can someone claim to be innocent after doing this?

Although Yu Ji Daoist was also angry, he still said to Chen Ye, "Sect Master Chen, please take action to restore the minds of these dead souls and get a clear answer."

The rules of the Qinghe Sword Sect are to not take out one's anger on others because of personal emotions, nor to convict others based on biased listening or believing.

Even if Daoist Yuji had complete faith in Chen Ye's judgment, he still needed to obtain substantial evidence.

Chen Ye, naturally, didn't hold back. Since he was going to dig out the adopted son of Hu Chang anyway, he simply summoned the Emperor of Fengdu and the snake with its tail, and once again used his swordsmanship to split the snake open, using the power of incense to make up for the loss of his soul.

In no time, countless souls surrounded Chen Ye, kneeling before him and weeping bitterly, grateful for his life-saving grace.

Sure enough, there were quite a few elderly, weak, women and children.

Master Yuji inquired carefully about the causes and effects of these souls entering the banner, and what he said was largely the same as what Tie Shengrong had said. They were not killed by Tie Shengrong himself, but they had suffered repeated torture at his hands.

Yu Ji Daoist said to Tie Shengrong, "Sect Leader Tie, what do you have to say now?"

Tie Shengrong said nervously, "I didn't slaughter any mortals. At worst, I'll just compensate them. I'm setting them free now! And it's all thanks to me keeping them here, otherwise they would have vanished long ago..."

Before Tie Shengrong could finish speaking, he felt an invisible force gripping his throat.

Then, Daoist Yuji raised his right hand and grabbed at the air with his five fingers. Tie Shengrong bled from all seven orifices, and his soul was also pulled out by Daoist Yuji.

Upon seeing his brother killed, Tie Xianrong roared and wanted to fight Yuji Daoist to the death.

Unexpectedly, with a gentle wave of his long sleeve, Yu Ji Dao Ren sent him flying, and he fell to the ground, unable to get up.

Yu Ji Daoist delivered the struggling and writhing soul to Chen Ye and said politely, "Sect Master Chen, although Tie Shengrong deserves to die, since he did not kill these mortals with his own hands, let's leave him a chance to live. Please send him to the underworld so that he can atone for his sins."

This was the second time Chen Ye had seen Daoist Yuji take action. The last time, Daoist Yuji reached out and grabbed the sword energy that Zhang Qi had left on Demon Lord Wujiu.

Although the movements seemed similar, Chen Ye still couldn't understand what he had done.

How could he so easily capture a person's soul? Tie Shengrong was a Void Returning Realm cultivator whose soul had undergone transformation and was exceptionally resilient.

Chen Ye was able to suppress Tie Shengrong only by relying on the combined influence of the entire Northern Frontier, but he couldn't have done it so easily.

Even Fei Lian Demon Lord, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, showed a surprised expression, because he hadn't understood Yu Ji Dao Ren's grab just now.

But the Demon Lord Feilian was certain that this was definitely not Zhang Qi's swordsmanship.

As expected, the person who can inherit the position of Qinghe Sword Sect leader is no ordinary person. Fei Lian thought that the Qinghe Sword Sect was already blessed with Sheng Huai'an, but it turns out that this leader is even more unfathomable.

Chen Ye took Tie Shengrong's soul and immediately discovered that the soul seemed to be under a restriction. Chen Ye didn't need to do anything, and Tie Shengrong was powerless to break free.

What incredible supernatural power! Chen Ye estimated that even the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts might not be able to withstand Yu Ji Dao Ren's light grab.

"Please rest assured, Taoist priest, I will definitely make him suffer the consequences he deserves."

Master Yuji nodded, then said, "I imagine the other disciples of the Burning Incense Sect also have sins to their name. It wasn't convenient to investigate them before, but now is an opportunity. Sect Leader Chen, farewell for now. In a few days, I will send the sinners to Fengdu City."

After saying this, Daoist Yuji flew away.

Chen Ye sighed and said to Fei Lian Demon Lord, "Let's go, next stop, Mirage Sect."

(End of this chapter)