Acting on Behalf of Heaven

Chapter 49: Acting on Behalf of Heaven

Chen Ye breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't really want to have a young girl tagging along; aside from the various troubles, the extra baggage would naturally slow down his cultivation progress.

Chen Ye said gratefully, "Many thanks to Miss Su for your assistance."

Su Chunyi smiled and said, "Sir, you must know that our Qinghe Sword Sect has few disciples. Whenever anyone is out gaining experience and encounters a suitable candidate, we bring them back to the sect. Miss Lan has extraordinary aptitude and a pure heart, which is just right for our Qinghe Sword Sect."

Chen Ye could understand that. For the number one sect in the world to have so few people, the head of the Qinghe Sword Sect must be quite anxious.

With Lan Shi's problem resolved, Chen Ye asked the two ladies to return to the teahouse to rest. The things he had to do next were not suitable for Lan Shi to watch.

Chen Ye needed to clean up the aftermath.

The corpses littering the ground had to be cleared away, or there was no guarantee a plague wouldn't break out.

The martial artists who had been affected by the Charm Technique were not yet free from control; many spells, once cast, no longer required the caster's presence. Jiang Shiyue was dead, but the influence of the spell remained, and they would still sacrifice everything for Jiang Shiyue like madmen.

Since he was already here, he might as well practice the secret techniques passed down by the Ksitigarbha Vow Sutra.

The Charm Technique acted upon the soul of a mortal, essentially planting a curse that interfered with thought. As long as the subject involved their "master," all resistance and contemplation would be cleared away, turning them into loyal dogs.

Chen Ye brandished the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, having the vengeful spirits tear down most of the Hengdao Inn to use the materials on-site to set up an array.

While he was busy, Mo Ci couldn't help but ask, "What kind of crooked idea are you cooking up now, kid? Just leave this bunch of fools to fend for themselves. Even if you really want to break the Charm Technique, wouldn't it be more convenient to let that Su Chunyi do it?"

Chen Ye asked, "Master, how do you know Miss Su can break the Charm Technique? Don't you not know how to do it either?"

Mo Ci said with certainty, "That's different! I may not know, but it is impossible for Su Chunyi not to know. Disciples of high-ranking sects are most afraid of having their minds controlled and their reputations ruined, especially women, who must be extremely careful, or they will surely meet a miserable end. A sect as large as the Qinghe Sword Sect must teach its disciples how to break such charm spells."

Chen Ye said in surprise, "I really didn't know that until you mentioned it. This disciple has been taught."

So, righteous sects actually guarded against this. It seemed that in the future, if he encountered disciples from those major sects, he shouldn't bother trying to bewitch their minds.

"Don't change the subject. What are you doing?"

Mo Ci felt something was wrong. Even if he wanted to dispose of a few mortals, why would he need such a grand formation?

This array looked truly exaggerated; it had only just taken a rudimentary shape and was already drawing in vast amounts of heaven and earth spiritual energy.

"I just want to try all the secret techniques recorded in the Ksitigarbha Vow Sutra while Miss Su is nearby. But practicing them one by one is too troublesome, and I've discovered that I don't have much talent for casting spells."

This wasn't false modesty. Chen Ye had been practicing the Immobilization Technique for many days, yet he still failed when he tried to use it in a real fight. Clearly, he was a research-oriented cultivator with no special talent for combat.

The four secret techniques of Detention, Locking, Interrogation, and Punishment complemented each other like a single whole. To see their combined effect, he had to set up an array in advance; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to cast them even if he were given ten years.

During his previous practice, Chen Ye had felt that these four secret techniques could affect his internal sea of qi and influence his speed of absorbing spiritual energy.

He definitely had to find an opportunity to study them carefully.

However, setting up a complete array caused too much of a stir and could easily attract the attention of other cultivators. Who knew if there were any hidden devils or rogue cultivators left in Cui County?

Chen Ye figured that with Su Chunyi nearby, no matter how much of a stir he caused or how much trouble he attracted, she should be able to protect his life.

Cultivation seeks longevity; one should not take unnecessary risks.

But if it was necessary, he should not hesitate.

After hearing Chen Ye's explanation, Mo Ci sighed that this kid was indeed a natural-born devil; his calculations when plotting against others were truly watertight.

However, Mo Ci was also quite curious. This sutra was truly bizarre; just the fact that its material was impervious to blades and spears showed it was no ordinary object. What would it look like if all the secret techniques recorded inside were unleashed?

Would the world really change color, and would it allow one to ascend to immortality on the spot?

Although he knew this was unlikely, he couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

Chen Ye didn't care what Mo Ci was thinking and continued to set up the array.

The reason he chose the Hengdao Inn, besides the coincidence, was that this place was quite special; it could be said to have gathered all kinds of greed and resentment—wine, lust, wealth, and anger.

As an inn frequented by martial artists, it was naturally a place for fighting and brawling. The inn's rules forbade them from using force, so it provided various forms of entertainment.

Drinking wine from large bowls, eating meat in large chunks, gambling, and listening to music—it had everything.

Furthermore, this inn was a den of iniquity. Over the years, who knew how many evil deeds had been committed here, taking lives? Those vengeful, poisonous hatreds lingered, only kept in check by the strong yang energy of the martial artists.

Over time, these thoughts influenced the spiritual energy of the place, forming a unique "feng shui pattern."

To set up an array, one usually followed the flow, and arranging it according to the feng shui pattern of different locations could yield twice the result with half the effort. Chen Ye was now using the four soul-secret techniques of Detention, Locking, Interrogation, and Punishment as a foundation, borrowing the spiritual energy of this place—filled with greed, hatred, ignorance, and resentment—to set up the array, which was a perfect match.

After working for a long time, until the sun had set, the crude array was finally completed.

The high platform Chen Ye built was shaped like an arched bridge, and countless runes rose from the ground, turning into flickering wisps of ghost fire that refused to dissipate.

The perfectly fine inn now looked like a mass grave. The drawn-in yin wind turned into wails, and the residual resentment that should have long since dissipated now showed signs of coalescing into form.

The invisible resentment turned visible, like a mass of shadows. Looking closely, it was clearly composed of thousands of twisted human faces. Every time the ghost fire flickered, the features of the innkeeper, gamblers, and prostitutes who had committed sins here during their lifetimes would emerge in the mist, as if these sinful souls had been forcibly kneaded into the skin of this ghost shadow.

In an instant, the ghost shadow grew taller and larger, and in the blink of an eye, it became a three-zhang-tall, green-faced, fanged evil ghost.

Chen Ye stood at the eye of the array, carefully adjusting the flow of spiritual energy. As the four secret techniques of Detention, Locking, Interrogation, and Punishment were activated in sequence, a strange magical artifact appeared on the green-faced, fanged evil ghost.

A rusty iron chain was wrapped around the ghost's right hand; one end was a sharp hook, and the other was a shackle covered in thorns.

Chen Ye suddenly felt a weight like Mount Tai pressing down on him. This Green-Faced Ghost was condensed from the evils of the world and seemed even more powerful than the souls of the two old devils from before.

Seeing the Green-Faced Ghost look toward him, Chen Ye felt his body tremble, his mind falling into boundless fear. But he steeled his heart, bit his tongue, and looked it straight in the eye.

As their gazes met, a roar echoed in Chen Ye's mind: "Do you know your crimes!"

Chen Ye felt his memories surging, with many trivial matters he thought long forgotten flooding his mind. Arguing with others, slacking off in his studies, acting servile, fawning over others... all of these were parts of the past Chen Ye did not wish to recall.

However, no matter how these memories surfaced, Chen Ye only felt embarrassed, without a shred of guilt. He looked into the burning eyes of the Green-Faced Ghost and answered calmly, "My conscience is clear; what sin is there to speak of?"

In his past life, he might have done many foolish things, but Chen Ye had never harmed others for his own benefit.

Since that was the case, what sin was there?

Just as Chen Ye loudly responded to the interrogation of the Green-Faced Ghost, the barbed chain swept toward him horizontally.

Chen Ye did not dodge at all. The rusted iron hook swept past him, yet it did not even tear his clothes; instead, it passed through Chen Ye's body, pulling out only a few wisps of black smoke.

Chen Ye felt a faint pain in his chest, as if he had been punched. However, the force was not great, and the pain quickly vanished without a trace.

At this moment, Chen Ye finally understood the terrifying nature of this secret technique. Even though he was the one who had set up the formation, he was the first to be put on trial. If Chen Ye had been deeply sinful, that hook just now would likely have caused him excruciating pain.

Chen Ye touched his chest and sighed, "It is easy to deceive others, but difficult to deceive oneself."

Even though Chen Ye had loudly claimed his conscience was clear, he had ultimately hidden his origins from Su Chunyi. This guilt could not be concealed and was precisely pulled out by the iron hook.

Fortunately, aside from that, Chen Ye had no major faults, and this bit of pain was still bearable.

Having passed the trial, Chen Ye was now able to fully control the Green-Faced Evil Ghost. With a wave of the chain, he dragged all those martial artists over. Immediately after, the iron hook pierced through everyone's bodies, pulling out a large cloud of black mist.

These martial artists rolled on the ground in agony, most of their screams never ceasing, which clearly indicated they were deeply sinful. There were also two who seemed not to have committed any major wrongs; after a few cries of pain, they actually woke up.

The iron hook of the Green-Faced Evil Ghost acted directly upon the soul without harming it.

Do not be fooled by them rolling on the ground in pain; it did not cause any damage to their fragile souls, nor did it harm their physical bodies in the slightest—it was purely a form of punishment.

This secret technique could not harm people; on the contrary, it gave them a chance to atone for their sins, which could be considered acting on behalf of heaven.

As for the Charm Technique, it naturally could not withstand the power of the iron hook's sweep and had been completely broken.

However, Chen Ye wanted more than just setting up the formation; he also wanted to figure out the influence of these four secret techniques on his sea of qi.

"I remember my sea of qi changed when I practiced the Locking Formula before; I shall try again..."

Just as Chen Ye was preparing to carefully experience the effect of combining the four secret techniques, he heard a whistling sound from the sky.

Looking up, he saw an alchemy furnace descending from the sky, landing right above Chen Ye's head.

Then, a loud shout came from above: "Audacious fiend, how dare you harm people in a busy market?! I, Wei Changsheng of the Fenxiang Sect, shall act on behalf of heaven today!"