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

Chapter 465 The Dispute over Dharma Forms
Crimson Serpent Lord!

This name is not unfamiliar among the underground demonic sects. After all, the Crimson Serpent Demonic Sect was once one of the eighteen lineages, with a prestigious reputation.

In recent years, however, when this name is mentioned, the demons do not think of Chen Ye, but rather of the previous Crimson Serpent Lord, Deng Xing.

Therefore, some people didn't realize what was happening when Chen Ye introduced himself.

"How could he be the Crimson Serpent Lord?"

"That's right, isn't Lord Crimson Serpent Deng Xing?"

Upon hearing this, many eyes within the Demon Cultivator Alliance fell upon one person.

It wasn't Qinglan on the throne that was being targeted, but rather a small old man with a pointed mouth, monkey-like face, and shifty eyes, who was huddled in the shadows.

The old man felt the gazes gathering around him, his body stiffened abruptly, and he lowered his head even further, wishing he could dig a hole and disappear on the spot.

He was none other than the previous Crimson Serpent Lord, Deng Xing.

At the gathering of the eighteen lords, he spent most of his wealth to bribe the Demon Lord Feilian, asking him to take sides in the fight so that he could defeat Chen Ye decisively. Unexpectedly, even the Demon Lord Feilian could not suppress Chen Ye. Instead, Chen Ye shattered his physical body, leaving only his soul to flee.

Although he successfully possessed the body, his cultivation level was ultimately far inferior to before, making him an awkward figure in the demonic sect, neither high nor low.

Not long ago, Qinglan arrived with great momentum and forcefully integrated the underground demonic sect.

Deng Xing didn't even dare to entertain the thought of resistance. He immediately bowed down, weeping and wailing, declaring his willingness to serve Miss Qinglan at all costs. After all, what difference did it make who he served as a dog for? As long as he could get by, that was fine.

Who would have thought that fate would bring him together with Chen Ye, this nemesis, right here.

On the throne, Qinglan's face also darkened.

She never expected to meet Chen Ye here, let alone that Chen Ye would call himself the Crimson Serpent Lord.

He's clearly the founder of the Yellow Springs Sect and the current leader of the righteous path, so why is he pretending to be a demon underground? But Qinglan couldn't find fault with him, after all, Chen Ye is a legitimate descendant of the Crimson Serpent Sect, and he hasn't even concealed his origins.

Moreover, he did indeed seize the position of Crimson Serpent Lord in full view of everyone and take the seat of the eighteenth leader of the Demonic Sect.

Qinglan originally only wanted to take advantage of the faction's predicament and create a time gap to unify the demonic sect.

I didn't expect Chen Ye to appear here. Does that mean that the righteous path has already noticed and has been lying in ambush here?
Although Qinglan felt uneasy, she did not show it.

Whether they were ambushed or not, things had come to this point, and there was no turning back. No matter how powerful Chen Ye was, he was ultimately only at the Transcendent Realm.

At this moment, hearing Chen Ye's arrogant challenge and feeling the wavering morale of her demon army, a murderous glint flashed in Qinglan's eyes.

"Deng Xing".

Qinglan's voice was calm, yet it felt like a sharp blade piercing Deng Xing's ear, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Did you hear that? This guy calls himself the Crimson Serpent Lord, isn't that your title?"

Deng Xing shuddered and immediately knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly: "Your Excellency, please understand! This humble one... this humble one is no longer Your Excellency! That position of Your Excellency has long been his!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Qinglan said sarcastically, "But to outsiders, the grudges within your Crimson Serpent Sect are not yet settled. Now, I'll give you a chance."

She slowly extended a slender finger, pointing it at Chen Ye in mid-air, her tone as cold as a knife:

"You will personally handle the affairs of your Crimson Serpent Demon Sect."

Upon hearing this, Deng Xing's face turned ashen, and he collapsed to the ground, almost crying out, "My lord, spare me! I... I am no match for him! Going up against him would only mean certain death!"

Qinglan's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and a chilling killing intent instantly locked onto Deng Xing.

"After this battle, I want your head." She paused, her voice growing increasingly cold. "Whether it's his head or yours."

Sensing Qinglan's murderous aura, Deng Xing knew he had no chance of avoiding the fight.

If we grit our teeth and go for it, there might still be a glimmer of hope.

If you dare to back down, you'll die right now!
Thinking of this, Deng Xing suddenly raised his head and roared at Chen Ye, "Chen Ye! You destroyed my physical body and severed my path to enlightenment! This is an irreconcilable enmity!"

He let out a shrill scream, brandished the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in his hand, stirred up a black wind, and rushed towards Chen Ye in mid-air.

"Today, either you die or I die!"

Chen Ye was somewhat surprised to see Deng Xing charging towards him.

Who is this person?

I don't know them at all.

But whoever it is, he's not afraid to fight alone.

Deng Xing's tragic roar, "It's either you or me who dies," echoed through the enormous underground cavern, filled with an unwavering determination to fight to the death.

His demonic energy surged, swelling his already gaunt body into an inflated balloon, transforming him into a black meteor as he fearlessly lunged at Chen Ye. The Myriad Soul Banner in his hand unleashed a hundred souls simultaneously, its unstoppable momentum even giving Qinglan's demon army a fleeting sense of shared hatred.

"Well done!"

Seeing this, Chen Ye was not surprised but delighted. He needed someone to establish his authority, and this unknown old devil had delivered himself to his doorstep, making him a perfect scapegoat!
He held his halberd horizontally, without using much magic power, relying solely on his physical blood and the sharpness of the halberd itself to slash straight at the black wind!

However, just as the weapons were about to clash, Chen Ye's brow suddenly twitched.

Why is it so soft, like hitting cotton?

Chen Ye keenly sensed that beneath the seemingly surging demonic energy of the opponent was merely a facade, possessing almost no real power.

Chen Ye instantly understood. With a slight flick of his wrist, the originally thunderous slashing force was transformed into a light and effortless "tremor"!
"clang--!"

The halberd and the Ten Thousand Souls Banner collided, producing a deafening roar.

In just one encounter, the fearsome Deng Xing was exposed for what he truly was.

"puff!"

Deng Xingru was struck by lightning, and his protective demonic energy instantly dissipated. The bone banner in his hand let out a mournful cry, and its spiritual light dimmed. He himself spat out a large cloud of blood mist and flew away like a kite with a broken string.

However, the direction in which Deng Xing was knocked away was somewhat strange. Chen Ye, who was clearly charging towards Zhulu City from the Demon Cultivator Alliance, was knocked away and flew towards Zhulu City instead.

With a loud "boom," he smashed a shallow crater in front of the city gate, and dust billowed up.

The demons on the demon army's side were terrified. Deng Xing was a well-known old demon, yet he couldn't even withstand a single move from Chen Ye.
But the next second, everyone's expression froze.

Amidst the dust and smoke, Deng Xing scrambled to his feet, ignoring the blood at the corner of his mouth. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, prostrating himself before Chen Ye in mid-air, shouting loudly:
"Lord Crimson Serpent's cultivation is extraordinary, and his magical power is boundless! This humble one... this humble one is completely convinced! I admit defeat!"

He shouted and kowtowed repeatedly, his posture perfect and his voice loud and clear, filled with the relief of surviving a disaster and undisguised flattery.

"From this day forward, I am willing to serve you, my lord, like a horse or an ox, at your beck and call, even unto death!"

"..." The entire battlefield fell into an eerie silence.

Thousands of demonic cultivators stared in disbelief, as if they had witnessed something utterly absurd. Even the half-human, half-beast demonic cultivators on the walls of Zhulu City stirred up unintelligible commotions.

Can it still be like this? !
Is this the same demon who was just shouting "It's either you or me!"? The speed at which he changed his tune is too fast!

On the throne, Qinglan's face turned pale with anger.

Deng Xing did it on purpose!

This old fox never intended to fight to the death from the start! His tragic performance was just for himself and everyone else to see, so that he could take advantage of Chen Ye's attack to "defeat" and then surrender in a seemingly logical way!

From the very beginning, he had made up his mind to surrender!
I was actually made a fool of by such a shameless old man!

Chen Ye was also quite surprised, but he knew about it earlier than Qing Lan. The moment the two clashed, Chen Ye felt that his opponent had no fighting spirit.

Since the other party wanted to put on an act, Chen Ye tested them.

The original plan was to send the opponent back, but Chen Ye used a clever trick to send the man flying towards Zhulu City.

If he truly wanted to surrender, he would have gone along with it; otherwise, Chen Ye's strength wouldn't have been enough to injure him.

Deng Xing understood perfectly. As soon as Chen Ye exerted force, he flew out, decisively choosing the most humiliating defeat and the most straightforward surrender.

face?

Who cares about these superficial things?

Chen Ye looked at Deng Xing, who was kowtowing to him, and thought that although this man was a bit shameless, wasn't this exactly the result he wanted? He was willing to spend a fortune to buy a horse's bones; he needed an example to undermine the morale of the enemy.

"very good."

Chen Ye spoke calmly, his voice carrying clearly throughout the room, "Since you still have some discernment, I will give you a chance. Get up and go into the city to heal your wounds."

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you for your divine grace, Your Majesty!"

Deng Xing felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He scrambled to his feet and rushed into Zhulu City, as if he were afraid that a cold arrow from Qinglan's side would kill him.

Chen Ye accepted Deng Xing's offer, then turned his gaze back to the enormous glass throne before the demon army's ranks, and once again provoked, "Miss Qinglan, your vanguard general has already submitted to me. Who else will you send to their death next? Or will you personally experience my methods?"

Qinglan snorted coldly, although Deng Xing's failure was something she had expected.

If Chen Ye were so easy to deal with, how could he have stirred up such a storm? But Deng Xing lost too badly, and he didn't even help her test the opponent's strengths and weaknesses.

Qinglan wanted Deng Xing to hold off Chen Ye for a while, and then send the main army to see if they could force out the other righteous cultivators who were lying in ambush. But now she couldn't find anything.

Since that's the case, then let's not resort to any underhanded tactics.

Qinglan suddenly stood up from the throne, pointed at Chen Ye, and shouted sharply, "Form the formation!"

"Roar--!"

Thousands of demonic cultivators responded in unison, their demonic energy soaring into the sky. They swiftly shifted positions, countless streams of spiritual energy surging from their bodies, flowing like rivers into the sea, converging at the center of the battle formation.

The earth began to tremble violently, as if some terrifying behemoth was about to emerge from the ground.

A huge, indistinct shadow, hundreds of feet high, slowly coalesced and took shape above the army formation.

It resembles an ox, with a dark gray body, no horns on its head, and only one incredibly thick leg beneath its body. Every time it steps in the void, it causes the space to hum.

The ancient ferocious beast's form—the Kui Niu!
Chen Ye was genuinely surprised this time. Wasn't this a trick of the Mirage Sect?
He had truly witnessed the Mirage Sect's ability to turn illusions into reality. If you couldn't break the illusion, then the Kui Niu in front of you would be real, and one stomp on it could truly destroy the world.

Chen Ye sighed, "I never imagined that you, Qinglan, who slaughtered the Mirage Sect, would still use their methods."

Qinglan sneered, "What a joke! Among cultivators, strength is paramount. Who cares about such things?"

This Kui Niu is in no way inferior to the Mirage Sect's mountain-protecting formation, because Qinglan actually dismantled the core of the Mirage Sect's formation and then set it up based on her own small world.

Having devoured the treasures accumulated by the Mirage Sect over a thousand years, Qinglan is now a true "rich woman," capable of producing any treasure imaginable. This formation consumes far more resources than the mountain gate formation, making it extremely inefficient, and it's also a one-time use item.

But it's okay, Qinglan doesn't feel bad.

To unify the Demonic Sect, one must naturally make certain sacrifices, and Qinglan had long been prepared.

Hearing Qinglan's words, Chen Ye nodded in agreement: "What you say makes sense. In that case, I won't use the methods of the Crimson Serpent Sect."

Chen Ye put away his halberd and began chanting incantations.

"Heaven bestows its blessings, Fengdu suppresses calamities. Evil spirits are driven away, disasters turn to dust. The Nine Netherworlds decree to protect life and grant longevity. Uphold the righteous law, and all demons will be unable to invade..."

In the deep underground, golden light shone brightly.

A majestic imperial image, also hundreds of feet tall, wearing an imperial crown and a black dragon robe, with a blurred and imposing face, appeared, its aura even surpassing that of the Kui Niu.

The Great Emperor of Fengdu—this is Chen Ye's most powerful weapon right now.

It is also an object where the collective will and power of the entire Yellow Springs Sect, and even the entire Northern Frontier, converge.

Ruling over hell and judging sins, this Emperor of Fengdu seems to have been specifically designed to subdue these ruthless demons since his birth.

Two colossal figures, towering and imposing, faced each other from afar. The mere collision of their emanating auras caused the rock strata below to tremble incessantly, as if they were about to collapse at any moment.

Qinglan frowned deeply; she had never witnessed Chen Ye's methods firsthand.

All I knew about Chen Ye was hearsay. After meeting him today, I realized that the rumors were not only not exaggerated, but actually downplayed.

How could the Dharma form of the Fengdu Emperor be something that a Tongxuan Realm cultivator could control?

But when the time comes, there is no turning back.

With a wave of her hand, Qinglan caused the hundreds-of-feet-tall Kui Niu Dharma Image to suddenly raise its head and let out an even more ferocious roar than before!
Its single, unyielding leg suddenly rose up!

In an instant, the spiritual energy of thousands of demonic cultivators within the formation was frantically extracted, transforming into endless energy that converged entirely on that giant foot!
On the dark black soles, dense, blood-red patterns lit up, with streaks of black lightning coiling around them like venomous snakes. Each flash was accompanied by a crackling sound as if space was being torn apart.

At this moment, the giant foot no longer seemed to be an aggregate of energy, but an ancient star about to crash into the earth, containing pure destructive power capable of leveling mountains and turning rivers into nothingness.

Immediately afterwards, it stomped down on Chen Ye's Fengdu Dharma image!

With this single stomp, the void crumbled inch by inch, forming a massive black crater. Even before the giant foot arrived, the overwhelming, terrifying pressure had already caused the city walls of Zhuolu City below to groan under the unbearable weight, with countless fragments of stone raining down!

Faced with this devastating blow, Chen Ye did not flinch in the slightest.

Under Chen Ye's mental control, the Emperor of Fengdu only unleashed one palm strike.

Compared to the towering, one-legged Kui Niu, the Fengdu Emperor's hand was not enormous; in fact, it appeared somewhat "slender." But the instant it raised its hand, countless profound and mysterious golden runes flowed endlessly within its palm, and the phantoms of several layers of hell bloomed in its palm, as radiant as lotus flowers!

(End of this chapter)