Making a Great Vow

The sun was setting in the west, and the appointed time was drawing ever closer.

Chen Ye, who had long since prepared an escape route, was instead feeling somewhat restless, while Princess Hongyu looked completely calm, as if she were utterly indifferent to her own life or death.

This demeanor took Chen Ye by surprise.

He had seen many people facing the end of their lives, and in this lifetime, he had even killed people with his own hands.

But he had rarely seen someone as composed as her.

"The Princess truly does not care about her own life at all," Chen Ye remarked with a sigh.

Princess Hongyu replied, "My life has never had any meaning. If Xiao Shitou hadn't survived, I would have ended it years ago. I suppose that old devil saw that too; he intentionally spared Xiao Shitou's life so that I would be unable to resist raising her, unable to resist wanting to save her, and thus, I would be unwilling to die."

Chen Ye comforted her, "Why be so pessimistic? You were previously controlled by a villain; it was beyond your power to do otherwise."

Princess Hongyu smiled bitterly, "Even if I had to kill my own siblings with my own hands, watching them be refined into pills, and then having to eat them myself? Besides those siblings, in order to save my own life, I have harmed many others in the palace.

"If it weren't for my own sake, why would I have implicated those children? Ultimately, it was because I didn't want to die. Even so, can it be called 'beyond my power'? Since I could not choose death over dishonor, how can I deceive myself into believing I am without guilt?"

Chen Ye was left speechless.

He had never experienced that kind of torment and could not lightly judge right from wrong.

The entanglement of karma is a sin; perhaps in her eyes, only her own death could perfectly conclude this cycle of cause and effect.

Princess Hongyu looked at Lan Shi, who was in the distance, oblivious and still digging for bird nests, and a smile appeared on her face.

"Though my life has been short, at least I have let Xiao Shitou live happily. All the sins are mine alone. Once I am dead, she can live on for me and for the other brothers and sisters."

Chen Ye finally understood: from the very beginning, she had never intended to survive.

To Princess Hongyu, those past sins were like torture, tormenting her every moment. She had only endured like a walking corpse because she saw no hope.

Now that she could finally see a glimmer of hope, she instead wished for a quick release.

The sun was about to sink completely below the horizon, and as the afterglow faded, rays of light began to shine from Princess Hongyu's body, and a look of pain appeared on her face. In the distance, Lan Shi, who was still digging for bird nests, let out a scream and nearly fell to the ground.

That old devil intended to spare neither of them; even if he could only possess one, he would kill both sisters together.

Chen Ye sighed. In the end, he had not waited for Su Chunyi's sword light, but had instead been met first by the old devil's possession.

Princess Hongyu said without hesitation, "Do it."

Chen Ye looked at the resolve in her eyes, placed a spirit talisman into her hand, then grabbed the Ten Thousand Soul Banner and shook it vigorously.

Cold winds rose, and ghosts wailed.

The formation he had spent several days setting up was activated. Lan Shi, who still did not know what was happening, had already fallen unconscious, and the evil curse runes on her body peeled away like falling butterflies, flying toward Princess Hongyu.

Chen Ye's calculations had been flawless; the dispelling and the transfer were completed in one smooth motion.

As the curse on Lan Shi was lifted, half of Princess Hongyu's face changed expression. She glared at Chen Ye with a ferocious, twisted look and let out a low growl: "What kind of junior are you?! Daring to ruin my plans, I will surely skin you alive..."

According to the plan, Chen Ye should have activated his secret technique at this moment to pull the soul of Elder Tianwu out of the physical body.

As long as he could pull the old devil's soul out, he could keep it firmly imprisoned, just like the monk Ku'e, and that would allow Princess Hongyu to survive.

She should still have been able to maintain her own consciousness; she only needed to hold on for a moment, just a brief instant, and everything would have a turning point.

But unfortunately, a ball of black flame ignited from her palm, her flesh instantly turning charred black. That evil flame, which used flesh and blood as fuel, consumed her entire body in an instant.

It was a Blood Burning Curse talisman, one Chen Ye had obtained from the monk Ku'e.

It wasn't exactly a high-quality item, far inferior to Su Chunyi's sword talismans, but it could incinerate a mortal body in a heartbeat.

Originally, this talisman was a last-resort method for mutual destruction, and they had clearly agreed not to use it until the very end.

But Princess Hongyu had not waited for the final moment; perhaps she had long since been unable to wait.

The black flames turned her flesh to ash, and Elder Tianwu's soul was suddenly left without a vessel, becoming a wandering ghost.

Looking at him, he was as withered and thin as a skeleton. It was clear his lifespan was truly at its end; his soul's power appeared even weaker than that of the monk Ku'e.

The possession had failed, and the body he had prepared for so long had been burned to nothing. Elder Tianwu let out a roar of bitter hatred.

He raised his hand, preparing to cast a spell.

Even as a wandering ghost, a cultivator of the Tongxuan Realm still had the power to fight. Even if it were just one strike, it would be enough to take Chen Ye's life.

But Chen Ye was faster than Elder Tianwu.

At the moment Princess Hongyu triggered the talisman, Chen Ye had already activated his final sword talisman.

The sword light was brilliant, cutting into the old devil's soul and instantly slicing it into two pieces; the edges shattered like glass. The intangible soul was reduced to fragments by the sword light, no longer able to cast any spells.

Chen Ye did not stop there. Seven sword lights shot out from the Sword Box on his back, piercing through the remaining remnants without reservation.

Even so, these remnants were still struggling to squirm, as if trying to heal themselves.

Chen Ye didn't even think; he shook the Ten Thousand Soul Banner again. A ball of flesh flew out, transformed into ghost fire, and collided with the remnants of Elder Tianwu's soul, erupting into a sky full of flames.

Amidst the shrill wailing, there was the frantic shouting of the monk Ku'e: "Die! Die with me!"

Chen Ye had ultimately used the common function of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner: to torture a soul until it lost its sanity, and upon releasing it, trick it into believing that Elder Tianwu was its mortal enemy, naturally causing it to exhaust everything to perish together with the foe.

As for that ball of flesh, it was a temporary body that Mo Ci had spent several days refining. It wasn't very useful, but it was enough for the monk Ku'e to use as fuel to burn himself along with Elder Tianwu.

The two vicious fiends were entangled together, flames consuming flesh and blood, burning their spirits until they finally shattered completely.

Chen Ye shook the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, and countless resentful spirits surged out, devouring the remains entirely, leaving no possibility of rebirth.

Once Elder Tianwu was thoroughly dealt with, Chen Ye looked elsewhere, where the spirit of Princess Hongyu was floating above her body, which had already turned to ash.

Chen Ye said, "Enter my Ten Thousand Soul Banner, and there is still a glimmer of hope."

Princess Hongyu only glanced at the sleeping Lan Shi, then shook her head and said to Chen Ye, "Thank you for your mercy, Daoist, but I must go and join my other brothers and sisters."

A gust of wind blew, scattering the ashes of her body, and the spirit of Princess Hongyu dissipated into the wind as well.

Chen Ye remained silent for a long time, until the voice of Mo Ci reached his ears: "Wicked disciple, how long do you intend to remain despondent?"

Chen Ye snapped back to reality, shaking his head as he said, "Master need not worry, I am merely feeling a bit sentimental."

Mo Ci scolded, "Sentimental my foot! A little girl you've only known for a few days, and you haven't even slept with her—what could she possibly mean to you? There are plenty of people in this world who have suffered far more than her. If she doesn't want to live, no one can save her."

Chen Ye shook his head again and said, "Master, you misunderstand. Since she was determined to seek death, I naturally will not blame myself."

Mo Ci asked suspiciously, "Truly? Then why are you spacing out?"

"I was just thinking, if there comes a day when someone is also full of sin but does not wish to die, what should be done? Should we act as if nothing happened, or help them settle their karma?"

"Wicked disciple, are you implying something about your master?!"

Mo Ci felt that Chen Ye was insulting him; after all, the only person around who was full of sin and didn't want to die was him.

He expected Chen Ye to make excuses as he usually did, but this time, Chen Ye nodded in admission: "Master has indeed committed many sins, but I am not referring only to you. How many people in this world commit sins? If two beggars on the verge of starvation fight over a single bun, and the one who wins survives, does that count as murder?

"This princess was controlled by a fiend since childhood; because she didn't want to die, she killed people. Does that make her a heinous criminal? Master, you were also forced to become a fiend because your entire family was slaughtered and you had to survive.

"Just like me—if I hadn't been afraid that you would kill me to refine your arts, I wouldn't have bowed down to become a little fiend. Fortunately, you didn't force me to kill anyone, which allowed me to face Miss Su with a clear conscience. But if you had forced me to kill, and I killed an innocent person just to survive, would I then only be able to atone with my own death?

"I'm afraid I couldn't accept that."

Mo Ci pondered for a moment and asked, "What exactly are you talking about, you wicked disciple?"

Chen Ye said, "The desire to survive is an instinct, but survival cannot be an excuse for harming the innocent. Is there perhaps a way to measure right from wrong, a way to allow those full of sin to atone?"

Since crossing over, this was the first time Chen Ye had contemplated such a profound question.

Those whose crimes do not warrant death should have other punishments, rather than just simple execution. Mortals have laws, but laws have their flaws, and mortal laws cannot govern cultivators.

Even righteous sects have their own rules, and their standards of right and wrong vary.

But there must be a standard; one cannot simply leave it be just because it is difficult to define.

Innocent victims should also have a chance to start over, or even a chance to take revenge themselves, rather than just drifting away with the wind.

Chen Ye couldn't help but think of the Ksitigarbha Vow Sutra in his hand. Perhaps the establishment of the Six Paths of Reincarnation was intended to give all sentient beings a chance to start over. The vow of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva—that he would not become a Buddha until hell was empty—was likely also meant to give these resentful spirits a chance to repent and reform.

Mo Ci merely mocked coldly, "None of your business. A little cultivator at the Qi Sea Realm, an ant among ants—is this a question for you to ponder?"

Chen Ye retorted, "Master, isn't it natural for a young person to have lofty ambitions? Perhaps when I have wasted hundreds of years and death is at my doorstep, my edge will be dulled, but what is wrong with me thinking about it now? If I do not set this great vow, how will I know my ambition lies in immortality? I do not only aspire to immortality; I want to draw a path for this world, so that in the future, all mortals and cultivators will follow my rules."

Since he was a transmigrator, he couldn't just cultivate to immortality and leave the world exactly as it was, unchanged by his presence. If the only thing that changed was an extra name on the list of Immortals and Fiend Lords, that would be far too boring.

To think of becoming an immortal while only at the Qi Sea Realm, and not just becoming an immortal, but wanting all cultivators under heaven to be subject to his restraint.

Chen Ye was like someone holding an unhatched egg and fantasizing about becoming the richest person in the world; he knew it was impractical, but he couldn't help but think it.

Mo Ci roared, "Arrogant and ignorant! And you, you wicked disciple, you are insulting your master and ancestors again! Do you think I can't hear it!"

Chen Ye laughed and quickly changed the subject: "Master, let's pack up our things and go."

Mo Ci wasn't truly angry; he was used to this wicked disciple insulting his master and ancestors. Seeing that he was no longer despondent, he asked, "Where to? Aren't you waiting for your Miss Su?"

"She will find me; whether I wait in one place or not doesn't matter. Although Princess Hongyu perished with that fiend, isn't there still a little fiend running free? Everyone else is dead, so why should he get to live?

"I'm in a bad mood, and I intend to root out evil entirely!"