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

Chapter 454 Is the Heavenly Dao Shattered Because of This?

On the way to the Mirage Sect, Demon Lord Feilian did not urge Chen Ye to hurry up.

He didn't even tear through the void to teleport; instead, he flew leisurely alongside Chen Ye above the clouds.

This leisurely attitude aroused Chen Ye's curiosity.

"Didn't you say time was of the essence?" he couldn't help but ask, "Why are you suddenly so relaxed?"

Ten days is neither a long nor a short time.

If there are no delays on the road, then after dealing with the Mirage Sect, there might still be time to return to the Northern Frontier. But if most of the journey requires flying like this, then it's likely that we really won't make it.

The Demon Lord Feilian's indifferent gaze fell upon him, and he slowly spoke: "Do you know what you just did?"

Chen Ye frowned and pondered for a moment, then said with some doubt, "To punish evil and uphold justice?"

In his view, what had just happened was quite simple. The leader of the Incense Burning Sect had committed numerous evils and was killed on the spot by Daoist Yuji. Although Daoist Yuji's decisiveness surprised him somewhat, for someone like Tie Shengrong, it was nothing more than karmic retribution.

What the Demon Lord Feilian wanted to say was clearly not that.

He said to Chen Ye, "Just now, you defeated a cultivator at the Returning Void Realm all by yourself. And you are only at the Profound Realm."

Chen Ye was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected that the Flying Demon Lord was concerned about this matter.

"I borrowed the power of the incense offerings from the entire northern frontier, relying on external resources; it was not my own ability."

He was very clear about his own limitations. While the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts were powerful enough to allow him to contend with cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage, they were definitely insufficient against those at the Void Return stage.

Even if Tie Shengrong doesn't use his strange innate divine power, Chen Ye can only manage to hold his own against him with the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts. Winning would be almost impossible.

Ultimately, battles between cultivators are essentially clashes of spiritual energy.

Chen Ye's own ability to mobilize spiritual energy was too limited, making him completely incomparable to cultivators at the Returning Void Realm.

However, the Demon Lord Feilian did not agree with his statement.

"Magic treasures, secret techniques, supernatural powers, spirit beasts... everything is external. How can there be any distinction between high and low? Even the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is external, isn't it? A boulder that a mortal cannot lift in his entire life can be shattered by a cultivator with a single palm strike using spiritual energy. Winning is winning, and losing is losing."

Chen Ye was somewhat confused by Fei Lian Demon Lord's meaning and asked, "Lord, why do you suddenly have such feelings?"

He couldn't understand it. Surely the Demon Lord Feilian wasn't worried that he would lose too?

That's really not the case.

The Dao Integration Realm is a completely different concept, at least that's what Chen Ye thinks.

The Demon Lord Feilian continued, "I just remembered what the Great Sage Fuhai once said. He said that after becoming an immortal, supernatural powers are more useful than realm. The difference between immortals is not as great as the difference between immortals and mortals. If you cultivate a powerful supernatural power, it may be able to restrain the opponent, and then you can win. Just like the Buddha and Bodhisattva you mentioned, they have all vanished into thin air."

"I was thinking that the so-called Spirit Awakening, Qi Condensation, Body Refinement... all the way to Dao Integration, these distinctions in realms are just because mortals are too weak, so they have to be divided into more detailed categories. In reality, supernatural abilities are the key. If you can defeat a Void Returner in the Profound Realm, and the Qinghe Sword Sect's methods never talk about the level of realm, then what's the point of these realm distinctions?"

Chen Ye thought for a moment and retorted, "If there is no distinction between realms, then how can one cultivate?"

Each different realm corresponds to a different method of cultivation. It is by following these clear steps that cultivators can steadily improve step by step and eventually glimpse the realm of ascension to immortality.

Without this clear distinction, most people would probably spend their entire lives sitting in the same place, not knowing how to break through to the next stage.

However, Demon Lord Feilian sneered.

"How dare you say that? Ask yourself, how many years have you cultivated? Cultivation is meaningless to you. You reached the Profound Realm in just a few years just by relying on those fortuitous encounters and various treasures... No, in ten days, that will be the time for you to break through to the Divine Transformation Realm."

"Therefore, as long as there are enough rare and precious materials, there is no need to worry about any bottlenecks in cultivation. You only need to focus on cultivating your own supernatural powers. It is likely that the true immortals of ancient times did the same. They did not need to meditate or cultivate in hardship. They simply ate a pill and tasted a celestial fruit, and then they became immortals and attained the Dao."

"This……"

Chen Ye remembered the ginseng fruit hidden beneath Fengdu City.

As the Demon Lord Feilian said, in the past, people cultivating immortality didn't seem to need any arduous meditation or ascetic practices. As long as you had a good master, all sorts of supernatural powers, secret techniques, magical treasures, and elixirs would be provided perfectly. Even before you were born, the path to immortality would have already been paved for you; you only needed to follow the steps to join the ranks of immortals.

Chen Ye pondered for a long time before slowly speaking: "If one can become an immortal simply by relying on elixirs and treasures, then the one who becomes an immortal first will definitely try every means to take care of his relatives and friends. As the saying goes, 'When one attains the Dao, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.' No matter how strict the rules set by the Celestial Emperor who governs the Heavenly Court are, they will ultimately not be able to escape this kind of human relationships."

"If this continues, the Heavenly Court will be filled with the immortals' relatives and friends. Then, the celestial realm will become no different from the mortal court, still full of intrigue and power struggles."

"Perhaps this is why someone wants to break the natural order."

Chen Ye didn't know if his guess was right. But if the mastermind behind all this was really Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, then it was very likely that this compassionate Bodhisattva had seen far too many things in hell that he shouldn't have seen, to the point that even the Bodhisattva couldn't bear it and ultimately chose to turn to the dark side.

He carefully recalled those ancient myths and legends, and indeed there were very few accounts of an immortal achieving immortality through meditation and rigorous cultivation.

More often than not, one can become an immortal by eating an unknown fruit, or become an immortal by marrying a fairy who descended to earth, or become a god after crossing the sea, or even more directly, be born as the reincarnation of a certain god.

For ordinary people who want to become officials, there is at least the path of the imperial examination; but if they want to become emperor, they can even risk everything by rebelling.

But becoming an immortal... seems to be entirely up to fate. There's almost no direction one can strive for.

That's probably not right.

After listening to Chen Ye's words, the Demon Lord Feilian pondered for a moment, but quickly retorted, "But nowadays, mortals who want to cultivate still have to rely on fate. Look at how the major sects select disciples; they only choose those mortals with talent, and they don't even bother with the others. Just the threshold of Spirit Awakening alone is one in ten thousand, and in the end, how many of them can become immortals?"

Chen Ye laughed.

"Your Excellency, the way you speak makes you sound like a righteous cultivator," Chen Ye retorted. "Where did the Demonic Sect come from? Wasn't it simply because most normal cultivation methods couldn't satisfy the desires of ordinary mortals with mediocre talent?"

"In ancient times, cultivation depended solely on background and luck. When the Heavenly Dao shattered, mortals had to figure it out on their own, and thus this system of realms gradually emerged, allowing people to progress step by step. At that time, there probably wasn't any distinction between righteous and demonic paths."

"Later on, those with mediocre talent were unwilling to remain ordinary people for the rest of their lives, so they began to devise ways to harm others for their own benefit, which led to the rudimentary form of demonic cultivation."

"Now, even though the Demonic Sect has been banished to the depths of the earth for over a thousand years, haven't they still figured out an alternative method of refining Blood Pills? They've switched from eating people to eating other wild beasts. Although it's less efficient, it's still a kind of progress."

"And my Yellow Springs Sect is about to re-establish the rules of reincarnation. In the future, there will be more and more mortals who can cultivate, and the methods of cultivation will inevitably become more and more abundant."

"That's just how things are in the world. They evolve from generation to generation, and people modify them one after another. Putting aside the moral rights and wrongs involved, ordinary people will always be looking for new ways out and constantly wanting to climb higher."

"Sooner or later, these major sects will spread throughout the mortal world like martial arts schools. Perhaps by then, everyone will be able to cultivate." Thinking of this, Chen Ye felt that his previous speculation might be a bit wrong. He originally thought that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was the ultimate villain who turned evil, and that the Buddha, who was high above, might not necessarily be a bad person.

But now, with this line of reasoning, the image of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva seems more like that of a saint who wants to overthrow this unequal celestial realm and find another way out for mortals.

However, all of this is still just speculation. The truth will probably only be known after Chen Ye ascends to immortality.

Demon Lord Feilian scoffed at Chen Ye's grand pronouncements.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. If everyone could cultivate to become an immortal, how could the spiritual energy in this world sustain it? At that time, the spiritual energy would probably be exhausted, and ultimately no one would be able to become an immortal."

This time, Chen Ye didn't refute, but instead nodded in agreement: "That's possible. However, at that time, perhaps we won't need to cultivate anymore and will be able to achieve immortality."

Demon Lord Feilian thought Chen Ye was just daydreaming.

How can one achieve immortality without cultivating oneself? However, he didn't care what future generations would think; he was thinking about something else entirely.

That is, after he becomes an immortal, will his supernatural power of "words becoming law" still be as powerful as it is now?

There is a chasm between mortals and true immortals, just as there is a vast difference between those who have not yet cultivated and those who have. But perhaps once this chasm is crossed, they will be on the same level, and at that time, it will depend on their respective supernatural abilities and methods.

The Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas could freeze all the cultivators in the ocean with a mere flick of his wrist, yet he was restrained by the supernatural power of filling the sea and imprisoned for ten thousand years.

So, what level would one's own supernatural power of words being able to become law be considered in the immortal realm?
The Demon Lord Feilian was very curious and wanted to know the answer, but now he could only guess.

Thinking of this, the Demon Lord Feilian looked at Chen Ye with a mixture of mockery and pity.

Chen Ye was puzzled by his gaze and couldn't help but ask, "Master, what are you thinking about now?"

The Demon Lord Feilian laughed and said, "I was thinking that even if I ascend to immortality, this divine power of making my words law will still accompany me. But what about you? You can't take your divine power as the Emperor of Fengdu with you. You can't take the incense offerings of the Northern Frontier with you either. The Immortal Realm and the Mortal Realm are not interconnected, so your path of incense offerings will probably be useless in the Immortal Realm."

"By then, you will only have a half-baked Eight-Nine Arcane Arts left, and most of your skills will probably be wasted."

Chen Ye smiled and replied, "I'm not in a hurry. When my grandmaster ascends, when the head of the Qinghe Sword Sect ascends, and when many seniors ascend to the Immortal Realm, I can still benefit from their glory."

Demon Lord Feilian snorted coldly: "Lacking ambition."

Chen Ye didn't get angry no matter what he said.

The two chatted for a while, and then the Demon Lord Feilian seemed to stop worrying about these vague and ethereal questions. He stopped talking, tore open the void in front of him, and took Chen Ye out in one step, arriving directly outside the gate of the Mirage Sect.

The Mirage Sect still stands on the cliff by the sea, still shrouded in mist, looking exactly the same.

At a glance, Chen Ye could tell that the ever-changing mist was somewhat sluggish.

Clearly, the problem occurred during routine maintenance of the formation.

The feng shui of the earth veins changes slightly every day, requiring careful adjustments by the array master. It may not be a big problem if it is ignored for a day or two, but if it is ignored for a long time or adjusted incorrectly, the flaws in the array will become very obvious.

Nowadays, even an outsider like Chen Ye can see the flaws in the illusion array outside the Mirage Sect. If they encounter a powerful opponent, the array will probably be broken in an instant.

Chen Ye sighed, "The Mirage Sect has also declined; ultimately, no one can support the overall situation."

Zhou Lang is dead, Yin Xiaoshuang is only a remnant soul, most of the elders were tricked by the Demon Lord Feilian into going underground to refine blood pills, those who still had some ability were forced to leave, and those who remained were just short-sighted people vying for power and profit.

They weren't very capable; they couldn't even maintain the formation.

This is also what Chen Ye can't understand: why would a group of incompetent people fight for the position of sect leader? Even if they do, they won't be able to hold onto it. Instead, they'll bring trouble to the entire sect, and if something unexpected happens, they won't even have a place to stay.

However, human nature has always been like this: people take the immediate benefits and then worry about the future; if trouble comes, they'll simply scatter when disaster strikes.

The Incense Burning Sect was a case in point; after Tie Shengrong was killed, the sect practically vanished.

The Mirage Sect no longer had any worthy opponents, so the Flying Demon Lord was too lazy to waste any more time and said to Chen Ye, "This time, let me finish this quickly. No objections?"

Chen Ye nodded and said, "Please do as you wish, Your Excellency, just don't harm innocent lives."

"Hmph, where do all these innocent people come from? Such womanly compassion."

Despite his blunt words, the Demon Lord Feilian spoke with great seriousness when unleashing his supernatural powers: "Those from the inner demonic sect of the Mirage Sect, show yourselves immediately!"

This time, they didn't accuse him of harboring ulterior motives. It's likely that the sudden appearance of more than a dozen people from the Incense Burning Sect was too outrageous, so the Flying Demon Lord changed his wording.

It was still the same supernatural power that made words come true, but this time it had no effect.

Demon Lord Feilian frowned and asked, "Could this flawed illusion array really block my divine powers?"

Chen Ye was also very curious. Could it be that the flaws in this formation were just deliberately exposed traps?

Helpless, Chen Ye said to the Demon Lord Fei Lian, "Then I will go and ask the leader of the Mirage Sect."

"Why all this trouble!" Demon Lord Feilian was unwilling to waste time and shouted, "Break this mere illusion array!"

With a single command, the world changed color.

The illusion array surrounding the Mirage Sect shattered like glass, unable to withstand it even for a moment.

This is the Demon Lord of the Dao Integration Realm. If it weren't for the emergence of a True Immortal, there would be very few people in this world who could withstand the power of this Demon Lord.

The illusion was easily shattered, revealing the internal workings of the Mirage Sect.

However, the Mirage Sect was deathly silent; no one came to check even though the great formation had been broken.
Something is wrong.

Without Chen Ye needing to speak, Demon Lord Feilian flew into the Mirage Sect. After circling around, he reappeared with a gloomy expression.

"Lord..."

Just as Chen Ye was about to ask, he heard Fei Lian say, "No need to look, they're all dead, not a single one is alive."

(End of this chapter)