Chapter 25: Hold This Thigh Firmly

Whether cultivating immortality or simply being human, setting one's aspirations is of paramount importance.

Aspirations, convictions, and codes of conduct may seem ethereal, yet they are of utmost importance.

In his past life, Chen Ye had read many stories: the upright man who once showed favoritism met his end; the villain with a wolf's heart and dog's lungs who sparked a thought of kindness met his end... In the end, it was the bitter fruit of an unsteady will and a wavering mind.

Just like Chen Ye's master, Hearing Mo Ci: not evil enough to be a true villain, yet too greedy for small gains to be a true hero, he ultimately met such a fate.

Chen Ye would not repeat the same mistake; since he had decided to help these resentful souls, he could not dwell on the power of this demonic treasure.

Precisely because he strictly upheld the righteous path with unwavering focus, he could now face Su Chunyi's questioning gaze with a clear conscience, fearing no inquiry.

Su Chunyi did not suspect Chen Ye.

Ever since that conversation with Chen Ye, Su Chunyi had believed in Chen Ye's character. The sword heart cultivated through years of bitter practice would not be deceived by simple lies; everything Chen Ye had said before came from the heart, and that was why he earned Su Chunyi's trust.

Su Chunyi was merely curious: what exactly had Chen Ye done to subdue that demon?

Monk Ku'e was a cultivator at the Profound Penetration realm, and the demonic sect's soul usurpation must have prepared many contingencies.

When he left, Chen Ye was only at the Spirit Awakening realm; that was a gap of three major realms. How exactly had Monk Ku'e lost?

Neither Chen Ye nor Su Chunyi cared about this desolate mountain and wild ridge, nor the piles of corpses beside them; they simply sat on the ground and began to chat.

"I originally wanted to remind Miss Su that this corpse pit might be suspicious, but you left too hastily..."

Chen Ye began to explain what had happened before, but the very first sentence made Su Chunyi feel somewhat awkward. Recalling that moment, Chen Ye indeed wanted to say something, but she had only focused on pursuing and killing the demon, paying no attention as she flew away on her sword.

If she had been calmer then, she could have discovered the demon's contingencies in advance, and Chen Ye would not have been forced into danger.

Lack of experience, indeed. Bitter cultivation in the mountains alone is simply not enough.

Chen Ye unfolded the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, releasing the shattered divine soul of Monk Ku'e along with the other resentful souls.

In an instant, ghostly qi surrounded them, and wailing never ceased.

But these resentful souls were firmly locked by the Ten Thousand Souls Banner; no matter how they struggled, they could not attain freedom.

Monk Ku'e was now on his last breath, no longer as arrogant as before, yet upon seeing Chen Ye and Su Chunyi, he still gritted his teeth and said, "Despicable and shameless! You of the Qinghe Sword Sect also cooperate with evil and deviant paths; what kind of righteous path is this!"

Su Chunyi glanced at Monk Ku'e, then said, "Your Open-Mouth Zen has been broken?"

Monk Ku'e immediately shouted, "You young upstart, how dare you deceive me! If you have the guts, grant me a quick death!"

Chen Ye laughed heartily and said to Monk Ku'e, "Great Master, you are too attached. If the world slanders you, deceives you, insults you, mocks you, belittles you, despises you, hates you, or tricks you, you must never become angry; simply endure him, yield to him, let him be, avoid him, tolerate him, respect him, ignore him, and wait a few more years; just watch him."

Su Chunyi's clear eyes turned toward Chen Ye, and she exclaimed in surprise, "These words carry a strong meaning of purity and non-action; Mr., you truly possess great talent."

Monk Ku'e was also shaken by Chen Ye's words; though his heart harbored unwillingness, he knew his Open-Mouth Zen was broken without injustice. The young man before him was the true master of eloquence; if he had cultivated the Open-Mouth Zen, he would truly possess an invincible Golden Body.

Monk Ku'e could not gain the upper hand with words, and his divine soul was already extremely weak; from then on, he could only remain silent.

Chen Ye summoned the resentful souls from the Ten Thousand Souls Banner to bear witness, and soon clarified everything. From setting up the array, to breaking the Evil Buddha, to designing the trap that captured Monk Ku'e into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, the matter was true to begin with, and with the resentful souls as witnesses, there were naturally no flaws.

Listening to those resentful souls weeping and accusing the demon of his crimes, Su Chunyi gradually generated a sharp sword qi around her body.

Disciples of the Qinghe Sword Sect hated evil the most; they truly wished to cut Monk Ku'e down right now until his soul scattered and dispersed.

Monk Ku'e also knew he was doomed to die, yet he sneered, "What an utterly stupid young upstart. The sword techniques of the Qinghe Sword Sect may be good, but they cannot even distinguish true from false."

Chen Ye raised an eyebrow; did this demon still want to sow discord?

But Chen Ye did not speak to interrupt; letting him speak now would only make himself appear guilty, causing Su Chunyi to suspect him for no reason.

He had originally thought Su Chunyi would be stirred by the demon's curiosity and ask for a detailed explanation.

However, Su Chunyi paid him no mind, turned her head to look at Chen Ye, and asked, "This demon was captured by Mr., so his life or death shall be decided by Mr."

"Ah?"

Chen Ye had already prepared several lines of argument; no matter what the demon said, he was confident he could prove his innocence. Who would have thought Su Chunyi would not even ask a single question.

Monk Ku'e also did not expect Su Chunyi to be so decisive, and he cried out anxiously, "Ignorant young upstart! He can break my Evil Curse Spirit Child, he can refine my Ten Thousand Souls Banner; he is also a follower of the demonic path! Think clearly; if you ally yourself with this little demon, the pure reputation of the Qinghe Sword Sect will be ruined by your hands."

Indeed, the demon's arguments did not exceed Chen Ye's expectations.

Just as he was preparing to explain, Su Chunyi smiled gently at Chen Ye: "Mr. need not pay attention; I trust you."

Chen Ye felt somewhat moved, yet also somewhat awkward; he had indeed concealed much, and he truly did not expect Su Chunyi to trust him so completely.

Seeing that his attempt to sow discord had failed, Monk Ku'e continued to shout, "You are utterly foolish; the Qinghe Sword Sect will surely be destroyed by you!"

Chen Ye shook his head, took this demon back into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, and let those resentful souls torture him.

Now it was much quieter; only then did Chen Ye say to Su Chunyi, "Thank you, Miss Su, for your trust. However, I do indeed know some demonic sect techniques; after all, as an unaffiliated cultivator of the heterodox path, there is nothing to pick fault with; I learn whatever I encounter. But I swear to Heaven that I have never committed any act that harms heaven and earth."

Others might believe him or not, but Chen Ye still had to explain; otherwise, he would not be worthy of this trust.

Su Chunyi's smile remained, as if she did not take it to heart; instead, she shifted the topic elsewhere: "Mr. has today avenged a great wrong for many innocent people; how shall we dispose of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and the Evil Curse Spirit Child?"

Chen Ye did not answer, but asked in return, "I am but a lone cultivator and do not understand these rules. Miss Su comes from a prestigious great sect and should have corresponding procedures; perhaps you could let me gain some knowledge."

Su Chunyi sighed, "The Ten Thousand Souls Banner is a demonic treasure specifically designed to harm people. The resentful souls within are extremely fierce, and most have already lost their sanity. According to the rules, we can only destroy it. I can let these resentful souls pass away without pain; that is the only thing I can do."

Chen Ye's heart tightened; this Ten Thousand Souls Banner was a fine treasure; to destroy it right here was truly a pity.

But Su Chunyi added, "However, since this is a treasure obtained by Mr., I should not overstep my authority to dispose of it. If Mr. is willing to hand the Ten Thousand Souls Banner over to me for destruction, I am willing to exchange this item for it."

Su Chunyi took out an exquisite long box from her personal storage bag and handed it to Chen Ye with both hands.

Chen Ye took it and felt it was extremely heavy in his hand; though it was clearly made of wood, it was several times heavier than pure iron.

Su Chunyi explained, "This is the sword case I used when I was young. In terms of power, it is no worse than this Ten Thousand Souls Banner and is sufficient to make up for Mr.'s loss."

"Used when you were young? But this sword case is so large..."

Chen Ye looked at this sword case; it was almost taller than him. How could Su Chunyi have used it when she was young?

Su Chunyi's face turned slightly red, and she said in a small voice, "I was young and ignorant then; I only thought my master's sword case looked good, so I clamored to have one, and my master gave me one. At that time... I only thought it looked good."

Thinking of little Su Chunyi bouncing around that Sword Immortal, pointing at the sword case and saying, "Master, I want this one," Chen Ye could not help but laugh; this Miss Su looked cold and aloof, yet she had such a cute side.

However, Chen Ye still returned the sword case and said to Su Chunyi, "Miss Su's gift is far too precious; I cannot accept it. As for the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and the Evil Curse Spirit Child, I would like to ask Miss Su to do me a favor."

Su Chunyi took back the sword case with a puzzled look and asked, "Mr. please speak."

Chen Ye took out the amber sealing the Evil Curse Spirit Child and, along with a copied manual, presented them with both hands.

"Miss Su, although this child's divine soul is shattered, he is still alive. This is a divine soul secret technique I found in ancient texts; although it cannot directly repair this child's divine soul, I believe that if this secret technique can be improved, it might not be unable to save a life."

Su Chunyi took the amber and the secret manual, glanced through it, and immediately recognized it as an extremely profound technique. She never expected Chen Ye to not only refuse her gift but instead present her with a great favor.

"This item is equally precious. Moreover, Mr., if you deem it suitable, why not undertake the work yourself?"

Su Chunyi knew how precious secret techniques were in the cultivation world; for Chen Ye, a mere unaffiliated cultivator, to voluntarily hand it over was truly too strange.

Chen Ye explained, "Although I have ideas, ten years of dedicated study might yield no results. The Evil Curse Spirit Child requires human flesh and blood to be fed; I cannot simply keep killing people over the course of ten years to preserve this child's life. But Qinghe Sword Sect has many experts. With the aid of this secret technique, I believe a method to save the child could be researched in a short time. Saving a life is ultimately a great merit."

Warmth instantly rose in Su Chunyi's heart; he had indeed not betrayed her trust.

To give away such a precious secret technique for a child he had never met—he was indeed the benefactor her master had pointed to.

Su Chunyi agreed immediately: "Very well, I accept. I will return this secret technique to the sect at once to ask my master to intervene and save the child. If this technique truly holds a method to save a life, I will also make a copy and give it to you, Mr."

Chen Ye wore a satisfied smile.

He had now firmly grasped the thigh of Qinghe Sword Sect.

Hearing Mo Ci had only three years left; Chen Ye indeed lacked confidence in comprehending a method to repair the soul, but if Qinghe Sword Sect intervened, the chances of success would be far greater.

By then, perhaps his master's soul could be saved.