Chapter 476: We Are Not on the Same Path

Chapter 476: We Are Not of the Same Path

With the blessing of the Tai Xi Talisman, battle erupted in an instant.

The Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner shrouded the area, confining the combat zone to one place.

The Banner Master’s face was full of confidence.

Without the presence of a Great Principle, to him, the Envoy of the Human Emperor Hall was merely a oversized fat pig.

He struck down with surging immortal spiritual power, a casual blow capable of annihilating worlds.

“Die!”

Energy collapsed, space shattered and reformed.

Such terrifying attacks would move even an ordinary Great Principle.

At that moment, the sound of a sword rang out, and a blood-red longsword flew forth, radiating a myriad of dazzling lights and auras.

An especially evil, fearsome aura spread.

The two auras collided, like two great villains locked in combat.

Boom!

With the end of that strike, the outcome surprised no one.

The Banner Master held the upper hand, while the Envoy of the Human Emperor Hall was notably inferior.

White Dragon Abyss Lord narrowed his eyes: “If the Banner Master also has the assistance of the Tai Huang Palace, he might truly be able to seal away this Envoy of the Human Emperor Hall.”

“Speaking of which, I too am curious—why did he emerge from that strange land instead of staying hidden?” the Divine Luo Heavenly Lord remarked in surprise.

“Perhaps he did not anticipate the Tai Xi Talisman.”

“It seems he is likely not one of us from the Six Heavens Sacred Lands.”

These Great Principles murmured among themselves, suspicions forming in their minds.

Meanwhile, the battle continued.

In an instant, a hundred exchanges had passed.

Throughout these hundred clashes, the Banner Master always held the advantage, yet he could not harm that blood-colored figure in the slightest.

The Banner Master squinted, his expression surprised: “You have some skill. I shall now show my true colors!”

Having finished his probing, the Banner Master no longer held back, unleashing his full strength.

He had already discerned that his opponent indeed lacked the moment of a Great Principle.

However, if he followed the normal path, he could only wound him.

And it would take a long battle.

Thus, he began to employ the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner.

Last time, the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner stood at the Ghost Pass, slipping from his control and being seized by the Envoy of the Human Emperor Hall.

This time, with the banner in his hand, such a worry was absent.

After all, in a certain sense, he and the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner were one entity.

“Hand over the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner, and I will grant you a dignified death!”

With the Banner Master’s words, the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner trembled, blotting out the sky and spanning the heavens.

A bone-chilling cold pierced the heart, like ice pressed against the back, followed by the howl of an eerie wind, as ghostly shadows flickered.

In the dim light, ghostly figures moved, reaching out with clawed hands, writhing and snarling like vengeful spirits demanding life.

Their eyes—bloodshot or vacant and numb—stared at Qi Yuan as if he were their mortal enemy.

Qi Yuan immediately felt a tide of murderous intent and hatred sweeping over him.

Clearly, under the Banner Master’s refinement, the souls within the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner had long regarded the Banner Master’s foes as the murderers of themselves, their kin, or their clans.

Empowered by the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner, the souls and the Banner Master launched their assault.

Qi Yuan instantly sensed a dangerous aura.

Nay, he smelled the peril of death.

In that moment, he hesitated not.

“You have your Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner; I have my… Human Emperor Banner!”

Qi Yuan roared, and with a flick of his hand, a tattered banner stained with blood appeared—the Human Emperor Banner.

Its width was unknown, its surface covered in intricate patterns, deep and ancient.

Unlike the grim terror of the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner, the Human Emperor Banner, though worn, radiated a light like righteous qi, bright as an ocean.

Beneath this radiance, Qi Yuan’s blood-colored armor grew even more eerie, and his entire being seemed sacred and boundless.

The majestic blood-colored figure, with endless light behind him, wielded a blood-red longsword, like a celestial god or a demon from hell.

“Four little fiends—goblins, demons, monsters, and specters—every ghost shall be exterminated!”

With one sword stroke, the pure light of the Human Emperor Hall cleansed all evil.

The countless ghosts within the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner let out wretched screams.

The Human Emperor Banner, born for light, representing justice and the great cause of humanity, stood in direct opposition to the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner, which refined the souls of all beings. How could the latter contend?

“The Human Emperor Banner?”

“An offensive creation treasure! How does he have it?”

“Why have I never heard of this offensive creation treasure?”

The observing Yang Gods and Heavenly Lords were shaken.

In the Six Heavens of the Immortal Realm, the number of creation treasures might be unknown even to them, but offensive creation treasures were all named and known.

Offensive creation treasures, inherently different from ordinary ones, were forged by Great Principles over countless ages and with immense effort.

The Banner Master’s eyes widened, disbelief on his face: “How can there truly be a Human Emperor Banner?”

Every time the Envoy of the Human Emperor Hall came to the Ghost Pass, he declared that all banners under heaven were subject to the Human Emperor Banner.

The Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner of the Ghost Imperial Heaven belonged to the Human Emperor Hall.

The Banner Master naturally did not believe this.

After all, the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner was forged by the previous Banner Master and perfected by him—how could it be connected to the Human Emperor Hall?

“Whenever injustice stirs in the world, one banner sweeps it all away!”

Qi Yuan paid no heed.

In his left hand, he held the sword, which birthed killing intent; in his right, the banner, which gave rise to light.

The eerie blood-red sword and the radiant holy banner shone in mutual reflection.

“Kill!”

The sword struck, and the banner rippled!

The Banner Lord’s expression shifted sharply.

His Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner, facing the Human Emperor Banner, was like a mouse encountering a cat—and a feral cat at that, not a pet.

The banner’s fabric trembled, countless souls howled in terror, as if facing their natural predator.

In that moment, the Banner Lord grew anxious.

His opponent lacked a Great Principle, yet with the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner in hand, he should have been able to suppress and kill him.

But he hadn’t expected his foe to also possess an offensive Creation Divine Treasure.

He couldn’t pierce the defense of such a treasure, so how could he harm the Envoy of the Human Emperor Hall?

And worst of all, he felt utterly countered by heaven’s design.

Now, Qi Yuan held the Human Emperor Banner, his voice resounding like a righteous emissary: “Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner, you have suffered.

To be born of evil is not your original sin.”

At Qi Yuan’s words, the banner’s fabric suddenly stilled, as if something unprecedented was happening.

The Banner Lord’s expression hardened: “What have you done?”

This was his refined Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner, bound to his very blood and heart.

“I am purifying the ethos of the cultivation world; I am reforming it with justice!” Qi Yuan said calmly.

The cultivation world’s ethos was far too corrupt.

Otherwise, how could something like the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner have come into being?

As he spoke, he continued to gaze at the banner.

“Little Banner, I know you have done many wrongs, but the fault is not yours—it is this world.

Are you willing to return to the embrace of the Human Emperor Banner, to follow me… and change this world?”

The Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra activated, its seductive voice, amplified by the Human Emperor Banner, reached the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner.

The Banner Lord’s expression twisted in terror.

For he saw with his own eyes that the soul envoys within the banner had actually hesitated for an instant, as if truly moved.

“Silence!” the Banner Lord roared in fury, attacking Qi Yuan directly.

But the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner in his hand was not as obedient as he had anticipated.

In this clash, he found himself at a disadvantage.

“Do you see? The banner in your hands does not wish to harm me.

Banner Lord… do you know your error?”

Qi Yuan stood like the sea, unyielding.

“Error your grandmother!” the Banner Lord bellowed, striking wildly.

Panic consumed him.

The moment the Envoy of the Human Emperor Hall had produced the Human Emperor Banner, he knew he could not kill him.

This was no longer about killing—his Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner had turned aberrant.

At this rate, his banner… might even change hands.

Regret flooded him, his face frantic; in that moment, he shed all pride: “Everyone, aid me! I will gift you a Creation Divine Treasure!”

The Banner Lord could only beg the other Great Principles.

But it was a futile hope.

Those Great Principles ignored him entirely, merely watching the spectacle.

Only the three Great Principles who had followed Ghost Imperial Heaven joined the fray.

Yet even with their help, beneath the Human Emperor Banner, he remained at a disadvantage.

Rip!

In an instant, the Banner Lord’s face filled with horror.

A fifth of his Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner’s fabric tore away, flying toward the Human Emperor Banner.

His eyes nearly split.

This was his offensive Creation Divine Treasure, his very foundation of survival.

“No!”

He howled, but it was useless.

The surrounding Great Principles grew unsettled at the sight.

“Could it be that the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner is truly a part of the Human Emperor Banner?”

“This Envoy of the Human Emperor Hall is so insidious—plotting all this just to force the Banner Lord to use his banner in battle, only to devour it!”

“If this continues… the Banner Lord’s offensive Creation Divine Treasure might… be lost entirely.”

A Great Principle spoke, eyes flickering.

If the Banner Lord lost his banner, he would fall from the second tier of Great Principles to the third.

As they spoke, the Banner Lord’s banner ripped again.

More and more fabric surged into the Human Emperor Banner. This was no battle between offensive Creation Divine Treasures—it was a prodigal son’s return!

“To err and mend is a great virtue.

Banner Lord, see how your own banner has seen the light and reformed.

Can you not follow its example? Take your own life, enter my Human Emperor Banner, and I will reserve a soul envoy’s place for you.”

“You…” Now the Banner Lord truly regretted.

He should never have used that blasted Tai Xi Talisman.

Now, bound by the talisman, he could not escape, forced to fight the Envoy of the Human Emperor Hall without even a chance to flee.

He could only watch as his banner was torn apart, piece by piece, merging into the Human Emperor Banner.

The battle raged on, time unknown.

The Banner Lord’s Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner was reduced to less than a seventh of its original size; he was a pitiful sight.

Suddenly, a brilliant light flared.

Seeing this, the Banner Lord’s face lit up with joy: “True Origin Heavenly Venerable, aid me! Remove the Tai Xi Talisman!”

The arrival was none other than a projection of True Origin Heavenly Venerable.

All the Great Principles stiffened at the sight of him.

This was a Great Principle from the Taihuang Palace.

A strange glint passed through True Origin Heavenly Venerable’s eyes, but in the end, he acted: “Disperse!”

This Sigh Talisman has limited effect.

Even if he hadn’t come, in a little while, it would have dissipated.

With his words, the Sigh Talisman vanished instantly.

The Banner Lord’s face showed the look of one who had narrowly escaped death.

Though the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner was shattered, as long as a fragment remained in his hand,

he was still a Great Principle of the second tier.

Even if, within that second tier, he ranked near the bottom.

He fled madly, putting distance between himself and Qi Yuan.

But who could have known that at that moment, two beams of light suddenly blocked his path.

The Banner Lord’s face twisted with fury: “Who?!”

For, as he fled, two Great Principles had secretly struck, halting him for half a breath.

Yet that half breath was enough—behind him, Qi Yuan’s Great Oblivion Sutra and the Human Emperor Banner descended once more.

The last remnants of the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner on the Banner Lord were also seized by Qi Yuan.

“No!” the Banner Lord cried in agony.

But this was no time for grief.

For, having lost the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner, the Human Emperor Hall Envoy, though unable to slay him, could seal him away.

Bearing hatred, he fled in frenzy.

In his ears came the somewhat gleeful voices of the Great Principles attending the banquet.

“Banner Lord, it wasn’t me who struck.”

“Not me!”

“Nor me!”

Many Great Principles had come to the banquet, and quite a few were pleased to see the Banner Lord fall from the second tier.

Thus, the battle came to an end, concluding with the Banner Lord fleeing, having lost his banner.

The other Great Principles drew a deep breath, glanced at Qi Yuan, and their eyes flickered with complex emotions.

Some even wondered whether to court the favor of the Human Emperor Hall Envoy.

After all, since the last Lin Ya Slough, nothing like this had happened in the Sixth Heaven.

The Banner Lord’s Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner had been completely stripped away.

And this was an offensive Creation Divine Artifact!

There were not many such artifacts in the Sixth Heaven!

Yet they knew this was likely an exception.

Some even suspected that the Banner Lord’s Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner might have truly originated from the Human Emperor Banner—how else could it be so specifically targeted?

At that moment, Qi Yuan fixed his gaze on True Essence Heavenly Venerable, his eyes deep: “Aiding a criminal’s escape—you are guilty!”

At these words, all the Great Principles present were startled.

This Human Emperor Hall Envoy dared to speak thus to the Yang God of the Taihuang Palace?

Such audacity!

White Dragon Abyss Lord’s gaze stirred as he pondered something.

The Great Principle of the Principle Council’s eyes sparkled with delight.

Then, the languid Lord of the Endless Abyss spoke: “Human Emperor Hall Envoy, do you know who he is? He is the Third Palace Lord of Taihuang Palace!”

“Hmph, if the Son of Heaven breaks the law, he is judged like a commoner.

He is a High Exalted, but if he commits a crime today, he is guilty!”

Qi Yuan’s voice was calm.

At these words, the Great Principles present shifted their gazes slightly.

Among them, several who had considered secretly befriending the Human Emperor Hall Envoy now extinguished that thought.

True Essence Heavenly Venerable’s projection looked at Qi Yuan, his gaze serene: “Let me see how you intend to charge my Taihuang Palace with a crime!”

“I’ll make threats!” Qi Yuan stretched lazily, his demeanor turning languid, “When my divine art is perfected, I shall personally go to your Taihuang Palace to demand an accounting!”

Generally speaking, in dramas, the beaten and fleeing petty villains make threats.

Qi Yuan was no petty villain, nor did he disdain them—he merely borrowed their words.

“Hmph, I await you in Taihuang Palace!” True Essence Heavenly Venerable’s face twisted into a scornful smile, and his form vanished at that moment.

The other Great Principles now felt that this Human Emperor Hall Envoy was rather thick-skinned.

He actually dared to go to Taihuang Palace to demand an accounting.

That was Taihuang Palace!

Seeing True Essence Heavenly Venerable disappear, the other Great Principles cast a deep glance at Qi Yuan and then dispersed one by one.

Had it not been for the Human Emperor Hall Envoy’s subsequent defiance of True Essence Heavenly Venerable, they might have stayed to befriend him.

Even the Great Principle of the Principle Council, seemingly to avoid suspicion, departed.

The once bustling place was left with only Qi Yuan.

His form flickered, and he appeared outside a dilapidated town.

On the stone steps lay many bones.

These bones were of humans casually slain by the Banner Lord.

Now, these ragged commoners still wore the expressions of their final moments.

Qi Yuan closed his eyes, and in an instant, scenes of the past emerged.

These mortal commoners, before their deaths, had been carrying hundreds of pounds of goods up the steps to a mountain temple, struggling to make a living.

“Good thing I’m kind-hearted, leaving seeds everywhere.”

Qi Yuan sighed.

Once his combat power reached the level of a Great Principle, Qi Yuan grew bolder.

Whenever he saw cultivators, he secretly left the mark of the Underworld.

Of course, this was limited to low-level cultivators; for Yang Gods and above, killing them was simple, but leaving a mark would be detected and removed.

Passing by here, he casually left the Underworld’s mark within the bodies of all living beings nearby.

This meant that, as long as the Underworld had enough resources, these people could be revived there.

“A job with room and board is yours now.”

Qi Yuan spoke, his expression turning solemn.

The bones that had lain upon the ground vanished in that same instant.

And then, a slightly surprised voice rang out: “What is it that you are doing, fellow Daoist?”

A cultivator entirely shrouded in a gray robe appeared, his face impossible to discern, his voice likewise indistinct in gender.

Qi Yuan glanced at him.

[Lord of White Dragon Abyss, Realm of Great Principle, bearing the bloodline of the White Dragon.]

“I am helping them find employment,” Qi Yuan said flatly.

To be honest, he did not wish to stand too close to the Lord of White Dragon Abyss.

What if this fellow stripped off his robes, let his blindfold fall, and glared at him—would he then become pregnant?

“I never imagined you could be so kind-hearted, fellow Daoist,” sighed the Lord of White Dragon Abyss.

She naturally assumed that Qi Yuan was burying these people.

As for resurrection?

That was not worth considering.

Even if they were revived, the one who lived would not be the same person who had died.

She felt a pang of emotion.

After all, there had been a time when she, too, had been so benevolent.

But treading the immortal path for countless millennia, she seemed to have seen through everything, growing ever more numb, losing interest in all things.

“What have you come to see me about?” Qi Yuan asked.

At that moment, an aged voice spoke: “This old man wishes to invite you, sir, to join our Society of Ultimate Principle and become a guest elder!”

The Great Principle of the Society of Ultimate Principle appeared, unlike the Lord of White Dragon Abyss, he wore no disguise.

As a member of the Society of Ultimate Principle, he was bolder and more confident than the Lord of White Dragon Abyss.

“No,” Qi Yuan shook his head.

The Great Principle of the Society of Ultimate Principle paused in surprise, then said: “Fellow Daoist has incurred enmity with the Grand Phoenix Palace; cooperating with our Society of Ultimate Principle to jointly confront the Grand Phoenix Palace would be a win-win!”

Even knowing that another Great Principle stood nearby, the Great Principle of the Society of Ultimate Principle spoke openly without concealment.

Qi Yuan shook his head: “I have no interest in joining your Society of Ultimate Principle. Otherwise, if I were to discover that your Society also engages in wrongdoing, my heart would stir with compassion—and how then could I face my Banner of the Human Sovereign?”

These words startled the Lord of White Dragon Abyss, and the Great Principle of the Society of Ultimate Principle was also stunned.

To him, the division between good and evil in this world was not clear; it was more a matter of conflicting interests.

He had originally thought that the Envoy of the Human Sovereign Hall dared to speak harshly to the Grand Phoenix Palace only because the two sides had long held a grudge.

As for the crimes and evils the Envoy had mentioned earlier, he had never taken them seriously.

They were merely rhetoric, or perhaps a banner to wave.

“Fellow Daoist… what you say… could it be true?” After some hesitation, the Great Principle asked nervously.

“I rarely speak falsehoods, so of course it is true,” Qi Yuan shrugged. “With the Banner of the Human Sovereign in hand, purifying the ethos of the cultivation world has always been my wish. We… are not of the same path.”

The Great Principle looked at Qi Yuan’s sincere words, and finally let out a deep sigh: “I was too hasty, alas.”

The Lord of White Dragon Abyss gazed at Qi Yuan, her eyes flickering, as if pondering something.

At their level of cultivation, there was no need to lie with such words.

So then… the Envoy of the Human Sovereign Hall… truly thought this way?

(The End)