Finally Broke Through the Defenses

Chapter 23: Finally, the Defense is Broken

Ku'e chanted "Amitabha," intending to engage Chen Ye in a debate on the scriptures.

As long as he had his golden body to protect him, he could withstand the power of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner. Even if he could only hold on for a moment longer, there might be a chance for a turnaround.

Regardless of whether they are righteous or demonic, all cultivators seek eternal life and will never give up easily.

Although Chen Ye had taken medicinal pills, his eardrums had not fully healed yet. He only vaguely heard the words "Amitabha" and thought to himself that this devil was quite a refined person; even at death's door, he was still chanting "Amitabha." That Ksitigarbha Vow Sutra probably had some connection to him.

Come to think of it, everything depended on this treasure.

Knowing that this scripture could not be damaged in the slightest even by Su Chunyi's sword talisman, Chen Ye knew it was an absolute top-tier treasure; he just didn't know why Ku'e couldn't make use of it.

Just a moment ago, Chen Ye had used the Transport Technique to block the Vajra Pestle with the scripture, triggering its power prematurely, which allowed him to successfully survive Ku'e's desperate final struggle.

He didn't know where the scripture had been blown to now, but he wasn't in a hurry. Once he finished off this devil, he could slowly look for it later.

Chen Ye did not respond, but Ku'e suddenly gained a layer of golden light, which surprised Chen Ye. Did this devil actually have a hidden trump card?

At this moment, Mo Ci patted Chen Ye on the shoulder and used a piece of charcoal to write on a rock: "This monk is practicing the Nirvana Sect's Kaikou Chan divine ability."

Chen Ye glanced at it and asked suspiciously, "Kaikou Chan? I've only heard of Closed-Mouth Zen."

Mo Ci was stunned for a moment. What kind of divine ability was this Closed-Mouth Zen? How had he never heard of it?

However, now was not the time for idle chatter. Mo Ci reminded him again: "This Kaikou Chan is mysterious and unfathomable. It is said that as long as one opens their mouth to speak, their golden body remains indestructible and immune to all methods."

Chen Ye laughed: "If that were true, how could his physical body have been severed by Miss Su?"

Mo Ci really wanted to roll his eyes. It was said to be immune to all methods, but could the sword arts of the Qinghe Sword Sect be lumped in with everything else?

The master and disciple exchanged information secretly while Ku'e, glowing with golden light, actually managed to stabilize his stance and reach a stalemate with the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.

Chen Ye asked doubtfully: "Does this Kaikou Chan allow you to plate yourself in gold just by muttering to the air?"

Mo Ci shook his head and wrote four words: "I don't understand either."

Chen Ye felt helpless; his teacher really was mediocre in both ability and insight.

Although Ku'e had gained a moment of respite, this stalemate was not a long-term solution. No matter how powerful or efficient the Kaikou Chan divine ability was, it still required spiritual energy in the end.

His soul was already beginning to weaken, and his spiritual energy was being depleted bit by bit, while the Ten Thousand Soul Banner was a magical artifact supported by a formation, providing a constant stream of spiritual energy.

If this continued, he would undoubtedly die.

He had to find a way to kill the person who set the trap. While he still had some strength left, he should lure that person out.

Since this person dared not show his face, his cultivation must be far inferior to his own, so he had to force him out. As long as he got close enough, he could squeeze out his final bit of strength and kill him with a spell.

Ku'e's eyes darted around, and after a moment of thought, he spoke again: "Benefactor, since you want to take my life, why do you not dare to come out and meet me? If you know that this matter cannot see the light of day, why not turn back before it's too late? It is not too late to withdraw the formation."

Chen Ye looked at Mo Ci. His ears were still ringing, so he could only let Mo Ci help relay the message.

Mo Ci had no choice but to write down what Ku'e had said on the rock.

After reading it, Chen Ye was full of confusion. Was this monk unable to see the situation clearly, or was there something wrong with his brain? He spoke as if he were the victim.

With that pit full of corpses, the countless vengeful spirits in the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, and the vicious Cursed Spirit Child, having committed such atrocities, how could he have the nerve to tell others to turn back?

"Master, are all the people from the Nirvana Sect this shameless?"

Mo Ci replied as a matter of course: "If they had any shame, how could they be devils?"

Chen Ye understood. Since the other party was truly shameless, Chen Ye wouldn't be polite either. He hid behind the rock and shouted in response: "Amitabha, Master, you misunderstand. I don't want to harm you; I want to invite you to ascend to the Pure Land early. The world is a sea of suffering, and the sea of suffering is boundless—turn back and you will find the shore. How does one turn back? Naturally, by dying. I have good intentions, so please don't misunderstand, Master. Enter my Ten Thousand Soul Banner early."

Ku'e's eyes widened after hearing this. These were all his own lines!

However, as someone who had practiced Kaikou Chan for many years, Ku'e continued: "Then why won't you meet me? You want to save me, yet you dare not see me?"

After a long while, Chen Ye replied again: "Amitabha, I seek no reward and do not need you to remember my face to repay me. To save you from unnecessary attachments, it is better that I do not come out."

Ku'e quickly said again: "Such behavior from you damages the reputation of the Qinghe Sword Sect. If your sect elders find out, will you be able to pass the Heart-Questioning Technique? I am now a remnant soul; even if your cultivation is weaker, we are evenly matched. Why not drop the restraints and let me witness the world's number one Qinghe Sword Art!"

In Ku'e's view, the person hiding and setting the trap must be in league with the yellow-clad woman from the Qinghe Sword Sect—one chasing him down, the other setting a trap to wipe him out here.

For those on the righteous path, moral kidnapping and provocation were particularly effective.

Even if this kid looked cunning, he would have to have some scruples now that the rules of the Qinghe Sword Sect had been brought up.

Sure enough, a voice full of exasperation soon came from behind the blue stone: "My dear Senior Sister, we agreed that I couldn't reveal my identity. You really are more of a hindrance than a help. Fine, since you already know my background, I cannot tarnish the reputation of the Qinghe Sword Sect..."

Hearing Chen Ye say this, Ku'e was instantly overjoyed.

As expected, he was just a junior from a prestigious righteous sect, only slightly clever. A few words were enough to make his blood rush to his head.

However, being able to hide his identity and set a trap was already not bad; at least he had some intelligence. He must have been far inferior to that yellow-clad woman in cultivation and wanted to make a name for himself, which was why he used such underhanded methods. Now that he had been exposed, he had no choice but to act according to the rules of the righteous path.

Heh, the so-called righteous path is nothing more than this.

Ku'e secretly circulated his spiritual energy, preparing to strike Chen Ye down the moment he appeared.

But then he heard Chen Ye say: "For the sake of fairness, I will lift the restraints of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner and fight you fairly. This battle concerns the reputation of my Qinghe Sword Sect, so you may use your full strength. If I lose, it will be because my skills are inferior, and you won't need to worry about my sect elders coming to trouble you."

Upon hearing this, Ku'e was left between laughter and tears.

Was this kid really this stupid?

He had thought that tricking him into coming out would be enough, but he hadn't expected him to voluntarily lift the trap. Was he really that afraid of being held accountable by the elders of the Qinghe Sword Sect?

However, Ku'e would naturally not refuse such a benefit, and he immediately praised, "Not bad. To have such a sense of responsibility at such a young age, you are truly a high disciple of a prestigious sect. If you undo the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, I will let you have three moves."

"Fine, just wait, I am undoing the Ten Thousand Soul Banner right now."

Chen Ye chanted an incantation, and a surge of black mist roiled over the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, the resentful spirits that had been dissipating slowly being drawn back into it.

Ku'e had also prepared himself; the moment the shackles on his body were removed, he would fly directly behind that bluestone and strike Chen Ye dead.

However, after waiting and waiting, and listening to Chen Ye chant for a long time, the chains on his body remained, and only those resentful spirits had been retracted slightly.

Ku'e urged him hurriedly, "Hurry up and withdraw this Ten Thousand Soul Banner!"

Chen Ye replied, "Don't be impatient. As a disciple of a righteous sect, how could controlling the Ten Thousand Soul Banner be so easy? Am I not working hard to cast the spell right now?"

This sounded somewhat reasonable, but Ku'e immediately sensed something was wrong.

This brat had snatched his own magic treasure away; how could he not know how to control the Ten Thousand Soul Banner? He was definitely proficient in this art.

"Not good! This brat is playing tricks!"

Just as Ku'e was about to struggle, he felt the chains on his body suddenly tighten, and a stronger force surged forth, nearly dragging him directly into the Ten Thousand Soul Banner. Fortunately, his Kaikou Chan divine ability was still active, and with the protection of his golden body, Ku'e managed to steady his form.

But under this pulling force, the radiance of his golden body dimmed significantly.

Chen Ye said with regret, "Tsk, was I discovered?"

Ku'e immediately cursed loudly, "Shameless beast! Full of lies, you deserve to go to the Tongue-Ripping Hell..."

As Ku'e cursed incessantly, Chen Ye only heard a buzzing noise, so he asked Mo Ci, "Master, what is this devil rambling about now?"

Mo Ci looked at the bluestone, which was already filled with writing, and finding no space left to write a long-winded response, he simply wrote three characters: "He's panicked."

Chen Ye laughed heartily and then said, "Let him panic slowly. The sun is about to rise, and I don't believe these vengeful spirits can withstand direct sunlight."

When the master and disciple discussed how to deal with this devil, they had long ago decided on a plan, which was primarily to "stall." As long as Chen Ye could prevent this devil from seizing his body and withstand the devil's desperate final counterattack, they only needed to wait with peace of mind. A soul that had lost its physical body was like duckweed without roots and would ultimately not be able to hold on for long.

It was already early morning when this devil appeared, and after much commotion, the sky was already beginning to brighten.

They only needed to wait for the sun to come out and bake him thoroughly; even if he were in the Tongxuan Realm, he would suffer severe damage to his vitality.

Thinking this way, Chen Ye simply ignored Ku'e's shouting and quietly moved to a different spot with Mo Ci to prevent the devil from launching a desperate final counterattack to drag them down with him.

However, Chen Ye was ultimately being overly cautious. Just as Ku'e was cursing, the golden light on his body suddenly shattered without warning, no longer able to withstand the pull of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, and his soul was drawn into it.

The divine ability of Kaikou Chan emphasizes self-justification; one must have reason on their side and a calm state of mind—the so-called "eight winds cannot move me," sitting steadily on the Golden Lotus Platform.

But once one's mental defenses are broken, this golden body is broken as well.