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

Chapter 474: One sentence left the Heavenly Court envoy dumbfounded.
"You mere mortal, do you know your sin?"

This question, like a resounding bell, left Chen Ye completely bewildered.

"Ordinary mortal..." Upon hearing this title, Chen Ye had already guessed the reindeer's identity—it came from the celestial realm.

Without a doubt, his jinx had really worked; there was a one in ten thousand chance that someone from Tianshan had come and cornered Chen Ye here.

But why would this reindeer ignore the Great Sage Who Overturns the Sea and come to cause trouble for a mere mortal like himself?

Chen Ye's mind raced, weighing the pros and cons. But this moment of hesitation made the reindeer somewhat "impatient."

The reindeer raised its front hooves.

despair.

The sound of hooves fell, striking the floor.

Chen Ye felt the air around him suddenly sink, as if the entire snow-capped mountain was pressing down on his shoulders.

It seemed as if it wanted to crush his body and soul into dust!

Caught off guard, Chen Ye let out a muffled groan, his knees buckling violently. Had Su Chun not quickly reached out to help him up, he would likely have been forced to his knees.

The reindeer's cold, indifferent voice rang out once more.

"You mere mortal, do you know your sin?"

Despite the excruciating pain that felt like his bones were about to break, Chen Ye asked with difficulty, "I wonder what sin the immortal is referring to?"

If the reindeer is easy to talk to, Chen Ye hopes to have a proper discussion with the people of Heaven.

After all, releasing the Great Sage Who Overturns the Sea was not his original intention, but a helpless act born out of being caught up in the situation. If things could be explained clearly and the conflict resolved peacefully, that would naturally be the best course of action.

However, the reindeer ignored his question and simply raised its hoof again and slammed it down!
despair!
Boom! Chen Ye felt the invisible "snow mountain" on his body suddenly double in weight. His back was bent under the pressure, and his bones creaked under the strain.

"You mere mortal, do you know your sin?"

The cold, merciless question rang out for the third time.

Chen Ye was puzzled. Why did the reindeer give him no chance to communicate?
Unless... this reindeer isn't a fairy.

Chen Ye guessed that this thing might just be a spell, or a puppet-like clone. It had no intelligence of its own and only acted according to pre-programmed commands.

However, the pressure was very real; if it continued like this, Chen Ye would be crushed into mincemeat.

Just then, the dragon scale robe on his body seemed to sense its master's perilous situation and suddenly emitted a soft, clear light, like a layer of water curtain, isolating the terrifying pressure.

Chen Ye's pressure eased instantly, and he immediately reacted by pulling Su Chunyi into his arms, allowing the protective aura to envelop both of them at the same time.

Su Chun fell into his arms, the familiar scent of him lingering around her nose, but she had no time to care about anything else at the moment.

Because the reindeer had already landed on its fourth thud.

despair!
Fortunately, Chen Ye reacted quickly enough, and this time, the pressure also enveloped Su Chunyi.

The terrifying pressure created deep pits in the ground around Chen Ye, turning solid rocks into dust, yet without even raising a dust cloud; everything was pressed deep into the earth.

If it weren't for the protection of the Dragon Scale Robe, Su Chunyi would probably have been killed by the reindeer.

Although the two were protected by the Dragon Scale Robes, the doubled pressure caused the protective light to be compressed drastically, forcing Chen Ye and Su Chunyi to embrace each other tightly in order to barely find a place in this last "safe haven".

"Sir!" Su Chunyi's voice rang out in his arms, "I possess a secret sword technique that may be able to break through this monster's magic. If you seize the opportunity, you might be able to escape!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye's heart skipped a beat.

He could tell at a glance that Su Chunyi was risking her life to give him a chance to survive!
Without a second thought, he flatly refused: "Nonsense, don't do anything foolish!"

Su Chunyi said, "I have also cultivated a trace of magic power. In the heat of the moment, I was unable to control it and could not use it. Now that you are protecting me, I can integrate my magic power into the sword energy, which may be able to kill this monster."

Chen Ye refused again, saying, "It's not time to reach the end of our rope yet."

Chen Ye stared at the reindeer, quickly thinking of a countermeasure, and then said to Su Chunyi, "This thing doesn't seem to be an intelligent living being; it only acts according to pre-programmed commands. It keeps asking me if I plead guilty, but leaves you hanging, which is obviously targeting me. Don't be impulsive; let me test it first."

Just then, the reindeer's fifth question arrived as expected.

"You mere mortal, do you know your sin?"

This time, Chen Ye gave a different answer. He used all his strength to shout out two words:
"I admit my guilt!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Chen Ye felt a sense of relief wash over him; the immense pressure that had been enough to crush mountains had truly vanished.

As expected, this creature has no intelligence and only follows pre-set rules.

Chen Ye was certain.

Upon hearing the words "acknowledge guilt," the reindeer finally changed its lines.

"Since you know you're guilty, come forward and receive your punishment!"

As the words fell, a dazzling golden light shot out from between the reindeer's antlers, landing in front of Chen Ye and slowly unfurling into a golden scroll.

On the notice, countless mysterious runes changed and disappeared like flowing water, and Chen Ye felt dizzy after just one glance.

It contained what seemed to be the supreme Dao, which was completely incomprehensible. Chen Ye tried to force himself to understand it, and almost damaged his soul.

The reindeer presented this to Chen Ye; was it to make him sign a confession?

Chen Ye's mind raced, and he tried to probe again.

"May I ask, Immortal, what kind of punishment is this?"

This time, the reindeer actually reacted differently, even changing its line:
"Confess and sign the confession; you will atone for your crimes through meritorious service!"

Eight characters, concise yet carrying an undeniable authority.

It was indeed a confession.

Chen Ye's heart sank, but a hint of doubt arose within him. The so-called "redemption through meritorious service"—if he were to kill the Great Sage Overturning the Sea, what difference would that be from suicide?
Just as he was about to press for details, the reindeer seemed to have run out of patience once again, falling back into a mechanical, repetitive mode, urging, "Confess and sign, atone for your crimes through good deeds!"

With this urging, the golden scroll shone brightly and moved forward again, almost touching the clear light formed by the dragon scale robe.

Clearly, this doesn't give you any room for negotiation.

Either sign it or accept the punishment.

At this critical moment, Chen Ye suddenly thought of a desperate measure.

Chen Ye said loudly, "Please forgive me, Immortal! I am willing to accept the punishment. I will sign and affix my seal now, but I don't know what to sign?"

The reindeer immediately replied, "Sign your name and confess!" Chen Ye then said, "Alright, sign your name, but I have been wandering since childhood and am illiterate. How can I sign?"

At this point, Chen Ye asked the reindeer, "How about the immortal teaches me to write first? After I learn how to sign my name, I can then sign and affix my seal to atone for my sins, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, Su Chunyi, who was in Chen Ye's arms, showed a surprised expression.

Who would believe that a reindeer would agree to such a request?
However, something unexpected happened.

The reindeer, which had been so impatient, seemed to freeze upon hearing these words.

He didn't speak, didn't lift his leg, and made no other movement, as if he were stuck.

Time passed slowly, but the reindeer remained motionless, even with half its body covered by snow, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Su Chun asked in confusion, "Sir, why isn't this monster moving?"

Chen Ye said with lingering fear, "I don't know either. Maybe... I didn't expect to answer like that. This deer isn't an immortal; it's probably just a spell. My answer was unexpected; it wasn't a yes or a no. The reindeer got stuck and didn't know how to respond."

Chen Ye guessed that the person behind the scenes had obviously planned for various possibilities: if Chen Ye refused to submit or remained silent in resistance, then they would use increasingly heavy pressure until his will was completely crushed and he was forced to submit.

If Chen Ye readily admits his guilt, the procedure will smoothly proceed to the "punishment" stage, where a notice will be issued and he will sign it.

But no matter how much the other party plans, they probably can't have predicted that someone would find a third way between "agreeing" and "refusing".

While seemingly cooperative, they actually threw the problem back at us.

The answer that he couldn't read was definitely beyond the reindeer's comprehension, making it impossible for them to determine whether Chen Ye was cooperating or not, which left the reindeer unable to respond for a moment.

But this is by no means a long-term solution.

Chen Ye never expected that a casual remark could completely destroy the Heavenly Court's magic. The designers must have left a backup plan; if the program stalled for too long, it would force a restart or switch to a more violent mode to continue forcing him to confess.

The recovery time will definitely not be too long.

He had to seize this fleeting opportunity and find a way to escape.

"Immortal! Immortal, what's wrong?" Chen Ye's face showed extreme anxiety, and his shouts seemed to try to deafen the reindeer. "Immortal, please teach me to write! I really want to sign and put my fingerprint on this document to atone for my sins! But I'm naturally dull-witted and can't read, and you won't teach me. I really can't put my fingerprint on this document! I won't be able to receive this credit, and I'll be delaying your work!"

He kept rambling on and on, his only goal being to continue disrupting the reindeer's logic with words.

At the same time, Chen Ye was fully utilizing the magical power within his body.

Although Chen Ye had absorbed a lot of magical power from the Great Sage of the Overturning Sea, it was very difficult for him to mobilize it on a regular basis. Therefore, in his haste just now, the attack of the Great Emperor of Fengdu did not carry any magical power.

Now things are different. Taking advantage of the reindeer's distraction, Chen Ye quickly merged his magic power with that of the Fengdu Emperor.

It was as if lava was poured into the statue, instantly igniting the lifeless image.

The Fengdu Emperor, who was originally just a phantom, became incredibly solid at this moment. Every inch of the armor's texture and every wisp of drifting nether energy exuded an unprecedented sense of realism.

Its eyes were no longer empty, but instead ignited with two balls of dark blue divine fire, emanating an aura that suppressed the nine netherworlds, as if it had transformed into a true deity.

The Emperor of Fengdu suddenly stretched out his giant hand and fiercely grabbed at the stiff reindeer.

The phantom of hell reappeared, transforming into seven layers of ghostly light.

This time, Chen Ye even managed to simulate the Hungry Ghost Hell, which had always been difficult to control.

The Hellish Power manifested as countless phantoms, among which the form of hungry ghosts was particularly lifelike and appeared exceptionally ferocious.

These hungry ghosts pounced on the reindeer, as if they wanted to devour this rare living creature alive!

The reindeer, startled awake by the attack, transformed its antlers into sharp energy, piercing towards the eerie light of the seventh level of hell.

When the two collide, it is no longer a silent annihilation, but a violent collision that shakes the heavens and earth.

Without Chen Ye needing to remind him, Su Chunyi had already made her move at the most opportune moment.

A soaring sword intent surged from her body, and the sword light emanated from within her, transforming into a real lotus flower that crashed into the barrier trapping the two of them.

This sword strike also contained a small amount of magical power that Su Chun had refined.

A soft sound, like glass being shattered, though not very loud, rippled through the air and spread for miles in an instant.

The moment Chen Ye and Su Chun broke free of their cages, countless streaks of light, sensing the great battle taking place, transformed into rainbows and sped towards them from all directions.

However, before all the flowing light could be seen, a massive, sky-covering black shadow had already arrived.

The once clear sky suddenly darkened.

Those weren't dark clouds, but an endless deep sea, as if it had been moved there by someone with supreme magic and poured into this sky.

The air instantly became humid, filled with thick moisture, and the sound of towering waves seemed incredibly real. Everyone felt as if they had been dragged into an abyss, making it incredibly difficult to breathe.

Immediately afterwards, a roar imbued with supreme majesty came from the heavens:

"You lackeys of Heaven! You dare not oppose this Great Sage, yet you come to make things difficult for a mortal?!"

That dark sky, like an "ocean," was brutally torn open from the inside by a single hand!

What a terrifying dragon claw that was!

It was as large as a mountain, its surface covered with dark, deep dragon scales, each scale seemingly forged from millennia-old black iron. Its five sharp claws were like five celestial hooks; wherever its fingertips swept, space was easily torn apart like paper, revealing pitch-black void rifts.

The mere appearance of this dragon claw caused the surrounding area within a hundred miles to groan and creak under its immense weight, as if it were about to be crushed by this savage and overwhelming power at any moment.

The celestial reindeer envoy, sensing this demonic power, seemed to have its previously rigid programming forcibly activated. It abandoned its stalemate with the Emperor of Fengdu, leaping into the sky with a powerful kick, its antlers transforming into golden light as it pierced towards the enormous dragon claw.

But the dragon claw only lightly gripped the reindeer.

The golden light surrounding the reindeer, which was irresistible to mortals, was nothing but paper in front of this dragon claw, and was instantly crushed to dust.

Immediately afterwards, the dragon claw closed its five fingers and grabbed the reindeer in its palm, tightening its grip.

Thousands of golden rays emanated from the dragon's claws, as if it were holding a small sun.

But even the real sun could not escape the dragon's claw. In the end, its light was squeezed out and when the dragon's claw released its grip, only a pile of ashes remained.

Golden specks of light scattered like fireflies across the sky, and this powerful celestial envoy vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye.

Chen Ye and Su Chun both breathed a sigh of relief, having finally escaped a disaster.

The Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas descended from the heavens: "The people of Heaven can't wait any longer. I'll give you ten more days. If you can't master it, then get out of here."

(End of this chapter)