As Guo Nu's words fell, Pei Gonglie across from him merely sneered, his lips curling into a cold laugh. "Do you perhaps wish to avenge that old bastard?"

With that, he continued, "If that is the case, then stop wasting breath. Let's settle this outside."

Guo Nu inwardly lamented, Why is this Scarlet Sun Divine Lord like this? I always thought that with his formidable martial prowess and great reputation, he wouldn't be a brainless brute. Now, it seems seeing him is truly not as good as hearing about him.

While thinking this, the smile on his face remained unchanged, and he spoke in measured tones, "Hardly. I am merely an Elder of the Heavenly Bliss Sect. I have no particular friendship with the Tiger Mountain Sect. It just so happens that I am currently under orders from the Sect Master to attend to some minor matters in Pingzhou, so I have developed some interest in the martial arts experts there."

The Scarlet Sun Divine Lord heard this, his mind turning swiftly, and he immediately grasped the situation. He had heard whispers of a conflict between the Heavenly Bliss Sect's branch in Pingzhou and the Tiger Mountain Sect. This man claiming to be a Heavenly Bliss Elder was likely heading there to deal with it. What he couldn't understand was why this person had stopped him. Could he perhaps be trying to drag him into the affair?

As Pei Gonglie pondered this silently, he offered no reply. Seeing this, Guo Nu pressed on directly, "Since Liu Qingfeng could escape with his life under the Divine Lord's hand, his martial arts must not be weak. It would be quite an experience to meet him on this journey."

Guo Nu hadn't finished speaking when Pei Gonglie coldly scoffed, "That old bastard took a full strike of my Scarlet Sun Blazing Fire Palm. Even if he didn't die on the spot, his life is forfeit. Though I didn't use my full strength at the time, that old coot's skills were utterly mediocre and utterly incapable of neutralizing my Scarlet Sun Fire Essence."

He spoke with evident pride at this point, completely indifferent to the suffering that old Daoist would endure because of that single move. In his view, if someone provoked him, they should be prepared to die by his hand. The fact that the old Daoist hadn't died immediately was already a sign of his mercy.

Guo Nu blinked in surprise before realizing that the Scarlet Sun Divine Lord possessed extreme confidence in his martial arts. Having heavily wounded Liu Qingfeng, he was certain the man would die, and thus he had simply stopped paying attention to the old Daoist's fate.

Furthermore, Pingzhou was somewhat remote, and much of the news that reached the Central Plains was incomplete. For example, while the Tiger Mountain Sect claimed their True Master Liu Qingfeng personally witnessed what the Heavenly Bliss Sect had done, the martial artists of the Central Plains knew very little about it—most only knew that an Elder from the Tiger Mountain Sect came forward as a witness, but not who he was specifically.

This Scarlet Sun Divine Lord traveled alone, and his personality was quite arrogant; he had few friends. His information usually came secondhand from those around him, so it was not strange that he was unaware Liu Qingfeng was still alive.

Realizing this, Guo Nu muttered inwardly, Heaven helps me, and immediately put on an expression of surprise. "The Divine Lord doesn't know?"

"Hm?"

"The Tiger Mountain Sect Daoist who took the Divine Lord's palm strike... he didn't die."

The moment Guo Nu said this, Pei Gonglie's expression drastically changed. "Impossible!" After speaking, perhaps to bolster his argument, he asserted, "That old Daoist's internal energy is of the hard and domineering type. While his cultivation is decent, it is far inferior to my Scarlet Sun Fire Essence. Never mind neutralizing it with his own internal energy; he couldn't even withstand it. The amount of Scarlet Sun Fire Essence I injected into that Daoist's body, though not much, was still beyond what that old Daoist could resist."

Originally, the Scarlet Sun Divine Lord had calculated that the old Daoist would suffer a fatal eruption of internal injuries and die on the spot shortly after taking the palm strike. To be told today that the old man was not only alive but perfectly healthy was shocking indeed!

But the shock quickly gave way to another possibility: someone else must have intervened to save the old man.

Before Pei Gonglie could speak, Guo Nu continued, "It is said that after returning to the mountain, the old Daoist passed through the territory of Mount Shu (outsiders, especially those from the Heavenly Bliss Sect, did not know the name Shushan, only the changed name Shu Mountain. This was partly because the name 'Shu Mountain Sect' gave them a preconceived notion, and partly because of a stone tablet at the foot of Mount Shu). He was rescued by Ye Wen, the Head of the Shu Mountain Sect, who healed all his internal injuries."

This was information gathered by the Heavenly Bliss Sect, and after multiple verifications, the matter was largely confirmed, as many people had witnessed Ye Wen healing Liu Qingfeng in the front hall of the inn.

When Guo Nu relayed this to Pei Gonglie, the Scarlet Sun Divine Lord's face turned as cold as frost. After a moment, a strange smile flickered across his lips, and he uttered, "Anyone who dares save someone I, the Scarlet Sun Divine Lord, intend to kill? He truly treats this Divine Lord as nothing."

Guo Nu was ecstatic to hear Pei Gonglie say this and immediately fanned the flames, "Exactly! Who doesn't know the prestige of the Scarlet Sun Divine Lord? For a mere Head of the Shu Mountain Sect to dare save someone the Divine Lord injured—he truly shows no respect for the Divine Lord!" Guo Nu believed that once he said this, Pei Gonglie would immediately erupt in fury, shouting about eternal enmity with the Shu Mountain Sect, and his current mission would effortlessly gain a powerful ally. With both of them joining forces, annihilating the minor Shu Mountain Sect would be simple, wouldn't it?

However, contrary to his expectation, as soon as Guo Nu spoke, Pei Gonglie calmed down instead, rebuking Guo Nu, "Your Heavenly Bliss Sect is no better. Your telling me all this today is merely to borrow my hand to eliminate the Shu Mountain Sect."

The words were blunt, leaving Guo Nu, who considered himself astute, quite embarrassed.

What followed was even more vexing for Guo Nu. Pei Gonglie turned to the waiter beside him and instructed, "Pack me some dried rations and cured meat, and fill up this waterskin. Bring it directly to me when it's ready."

Then he pointed at Guo Nu, "These few coins will all be billed to this man. Don't ask me for the money later."

The waiter looked at Guo Nu, the person concerned. Seeing the richly dressed middle-aged man wave his hand, he was told, "Just do as he says. All the accounts will be charged to me." Only then did the waiter turn and leave.

While the waiter was busy, Pei Gonglie stated sternly, "This Divine Lord is not taking advantage of you. Your reason for seeking me out today was to have me help you deal with the Shu Mountain Sect. Paying my expenses is only fair. As for your scheme just now, this Divine Lord will pretend it never happened."

Guo Nu was overjoyed, "Does this mean the Divine Lord is willing to accompany me to Pingzhou?"

Pei Gonglie waved his hand dismissively, "When did this Divine Lord ever say that?"

"Then...?" Guo Nu was genuinely confused about the intentions of this eccentric yet highly skilled Scarlet Sun Divine Lord.

"This Divine Lord will go to Shu Mountain alone; there is no need to travel with others." Just then, the waiter brought the filled waterskin and the rations. The Scarlet Sun Divine Lord took them, stood up immediately, and declared, "I must see what kind of fellow dares to save someone this Divine Lord intended to execute."

He glanced back at Guo Nu but said nothing more, turning and striding out the door, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Guo Nu watched the Scarlet Sun Divine Lord leave with such decisive speed, heading directly to attack Shu Mountain, and couldn't help but think inwardly, Madman.

At the same time, he resolved that in the future, he must keep his distance from such a lunatic, preferably avoiding him entirely. This was clearly someone who never considered consequences and acted purely on impulse—extremely self-assured, yet terrifyingly powerful. In short, this man was a complete liability.

Forget it. Having this Scarlet Sun Divine Lord cause trouble for the Shu Mountain Sect achieves my objective anyway.

If Pei Gonglie had simply destroyed the Shu Mountain Sect, it would have proven that their strength was far below what the Heavenly Bliss Sect needed to seriously consider. If the Scarlet Sun Divine Lord were defeated by Ye Wen, it would prove that the Shu Mountain Sect's strength far exceeded their initial estimates.

Either way, the Scarlet Sun Divine Lord's trip would help the Heavenly Bliss Sect uncover the true extent of the Shu Mountain Sect's capabilities. Only then could they discuss countermeasures, rather than remaining completely clueless as they were now.

As for negotiation? The Heavenly Bliss Sect had never considered that option. Since someone had killed their branch leader, failing to retaliate would surely invite scorn from martial artists across the land.

"Sigh, it's all so troublesome."

Guo Nu sat there contemplating for a while longer, feeling profoundly annoyed by such draining matters. He much preferred lounging in his comfortable chair back home, enjoying life with companions on either side.

Perhaps I'll wander around the local pleasure houses tonight. I wonder what the quality is here...

Regardless of Elder Guo's leisurely meandering through the Central Plains, Pingzhou, especially Mount Shu, remained peaceful. Disciples diligently practiced their martial arts, and Ye Wen, along with his junior brothers and sisters, also cultivated tirelessly. Although their overall power hadn't increased dramatically, their existing skills had become significantly more refined.

At this moment, Ye Wen stood in the courtyard. With just a casual wave of his hand, his Purple Haze Art could be activated instantly. Such a casual sleeve movement, if it struck a person, would likely send them flying.

Watching his long sleeves flow and summon gusts of wind with a simple sweep, Ye Wen even considered creating a technique like 'Iron Sleeve Art.' However, he quickly dismissed the idea, thinking that mastering such a skill would be extremely difficult, and even at its peak, its power might not significantly surpass what he already knew. So, he dropped the thought.

Meanwhile, Xu Xian's Boundless Pure Yang Art had reached minor accomplishment, but progress beyond that point was not easy. Apart from continuously accumulating Pure Yang Qi, there was no quick method to advance this technique. Even with the aid of the Cold Fruit and Cold Pool, Xu Xian's cultivation speed remained sluggish.

Ye Wen mused that if the Scarlet Red Fruit ripened, it might allow Xu Xian's Boundless Pure Yang Art to reach major accomplishment. But the fruit showed no sign of ripening yet, and he had no idea when it would be ready.

For now, the gallbladder of that giant serpent seemed like the most immediately usable resource. Ye Wen even started having people purchase large quantities of realgar, remembering that snakes were generally afraid of it.

"Even that thousand-year-old demoness Bai Suzhen feared this stuff. Surely that giant snake can't be more formidable than that White Serpent, right?" Before finding a better solution, Ye Wen could only rely on realgar to deal with the giant serpent.

As long as I harass it until its muscles ache and bones feel weak, won't it be putty in my hands?

In his leisure time, Ye Wen often entertained such fanciful thoughts, but he still hesitated to seek out the giant snake directly, as he was unsure how a snake would truly react upon contact with realgar.

Alas, I only remember things from TV dramas and movies. I have no idea what a snake actually does when it encounters realgar.

Though internally annoyed, Ye Wen currently had no other recourse. Coupled with the pressure from the Heavenly Bliss Sect's reaction, he felt a knot of worry. He had already decided that if the situation turned dire, he would risk everything to kill the strange serpent and then utilize its treasures to boost his own power or the sect's overall combat strength.

Time passed as Ye Wen prepared countermeasures while cultivating. Although his disciples’ martial arts had improved, the time frame was short, and they hadn't learned any sophisticated techniques. Naturally, they couldn't suddenly become experts overnight. In an actual confrontation, these disciples could at best cheer and boost morale.

During this period, Ye Wen noticed that the various sects on Mount Shu were intentionally or unintentionally keeping their distance from the Shu Mountain Sect. Upon discovering this, he sent people to investigate, only to learn that the Orthodox Fist Gate was secretly spreading rumors: since the Shu Mountain Sect had made a deadly enemy of the Heavenly Bliss Sect, the latter was preparing to use all its might to destroy the Shu Mountain Sect and any factions closely aligned with them.

Most people had heard of the Heavenly Bliss Sect and knew they were a powerful force in the Central Plains. Moreover, many people had witnessed Ye Wen kill Wei Peng that day. The enmity between the two sects was undisputed, so many began avoiding the Shu Mountain Sect, as no one believed the current Shu Mountain Sect could stand against the Heavenly Bliss Sect.

Some even secretly hoped the Heavenly Bliss Sect would hurry up and destroy the Shu Mountain Sect. Once Shu Mountain fell, Mount Shu would revert to its former state of 'contending warlords,' where everyone had a chance to develop their own power, rather than being firmly suppressed by the Shu Mountain Sect as they were now.

Simultaneously, after the conflict between the Shu Mountain Sect and the Heavenly Bliss Sect arose, no one was willing to come to Mount Shu to become a disciple. Those with some foresight assumed the Shu Mountain Sect was on the verge of collapse. Their instinct for self-preservation made them feel that joining the Shu Mountain Sect now was tantamount to seeking death.

Otherwise, given Ye Wen's ability to easily defeat Wang Shu, the Head of the Orthodox Fist Gate, and openly slay Wei Peng, the branch leader of the Heavenly Bliss Sect, the number of aspiring disciples would surely be enough to trample the threshold of Mount Shu.

But precisely because many feared retaliation from the Heavenly Bliss Sect, no one dared to apply for apprenticeship. This angered Ning Ruxue greatly, and she cursed under her breath, "A bunch of blind fools! If people like that ever came later, I wouldn't accept them into the Shu Mountain Sect anyway!"

Ye Wen, however, was unconcerned. He simply said, "Don't mind them. Those who genuinely wish to study here won't care about this. And it's a good thing the fence-sitters aren't coming; otherwise, our Shu Mountain Sect would soon be filled with gluttonous layabouts, and the sect would likely achieve little."

Hearing this, Ning Ruxue felt somewhat better. She subtly glanced at Ye Wen, who was engrossed in reading a book, and casually lifted an arm to brush back her hair. A faint cyan silk sleeve brushed past Ye Wen's eye, and a nearly imperceptible, faint powdery fragrance drifted through the air.

Yet, Ye Wen remained motionless, still deeply absorbed in his book—this was because he had discovered that Xu Xian, a scholar knowledgeable in Daoist and Buddhist scriptures, cultivated martial arts quite rapidly. He wondered if reading more scriptures might aid in increasing one's power, so he asked Xu Xian to lend him some Daoist texts for his perusal, hoping they might benefit his own martial arts.

He had read many Daoist books during this time. Although his martial arts hadn't improved, his state of mind and general knowledge had broadened considerably. More importantly, there were truly no recreational activities available now. Ye Wen spent his days either practicing, teaching disciples, or eating; he was bored to the point of exhaustion. Having Daoist texts to pass the time, even if most of the content was obscure, served as some diversion.

While he was happily reading, someone nearby fumed inwardly and muttered a curse: "Wooden block."

But then she felt something was amiss, though she couldn't articulate it. She racked her brain until she realized: Why do I care so much if Senior Brother notices what I'm wearing? She could never find the answer.

She looked at the light cyan dress she had deliberately chosen for today, and the scented powder she had deliberately sprinkled on herself, then looked at her Senior Brother absorbed in reading a tattered book. Ning Ruxue suddenly felt like a complete fool.

Moreover, the sight of Ye Wen reading brought back memories of when their Master was still alive, and her Senior Brother spent his days reading, even neglecting his martial practice—the image of a wastrel. Thinking of this, Ning Ruxue concluded her Senior Brother had reverted to his old ways, filling her with a surge of anger, wishing she could tear the book to shreds.

But just as she grew angry, she suddenly heard Ye Wen mumble, "What's that smell? Why is it so fragrant?"

Ning Ruxue's face flushed. The anger she felt moments ago had completely dissipated. She had desperately wanted Ye Wen to notice her scent just now, but now that he had, she felt embarrassed.

She was about to offer an explanation, perhaps something like, "I accidentally knocked over my powder box," when she suddenly heard Ye Wen say again, "Could this book still retain the fragrance of ink?"

The remark left Ning Ruxue speechless. The words she had intended to say were choked back down, and inexplicably, she felt a pang of disappointment.

But immediately after, Ye Wen brought the book closer to smell it again. "No, it's not this." He turned to Ning Ruxue and asked, "Did you smell any fragrance?"

This question made Ning Ruxue blush again. Part of her wanted Ye Wen to realize she had applied the powder, but the other part feared being discovered, so her body instinctively recoiled slightly.

At that precise moment, Ye Wen looked up, clapped his hands, and exclaimed, "Ah, I know what it is! It must be time for dinner. Aunt Zhao must have finished cooking for that fragrant smell to drift over."

With that, he stood up and said to Ning Ruxue, "Junior Sister, let's go eat." He tucked the book into his robes and strode toward the main hall, where the direct disciples of Shu Mountain ate.

Watching Ye Wen walk off briskly, Ning Ruxue felt both relieved and disappointed. She cursed under her breath, "Hope you choke on your food!" But as soon as the words left her lips, her own stomach staged a rebellion, letting out a loud rumble. Her face flushed red, and she quickly glanced left and right, grateful no one had noticed.

Just as she was feeling fortunate, she saw her Senior Brother, already far ahead, suddenly turn back and call out, "Your stomach is already protesting, hurry up! Has Junior Sister become too weak to walk?"