Shen Yuqing’s death did not overly trouble Shen Yuqing; in fact, with this person gone, she felt a degree of ease. She was confident that with her mastery of the qinggong, she could escape alone, but taking someone with her was another matter entirely.

With a casual toss, she flung Xiao Ming’s body toward Ye Wen. The Leaf Sect Master, who excelled in sword qi techniques, already made her extremely wary; this entire spectacle was likely eighty percent his doing.

Lin Hai’s intention to seek death was probably formed before he arrived, but for him to choose to die at the hands of this young man greatly puzzled Shen Yuqing. The only explanation was that Lin Hai wished to test the caliber of this rising star of the righteous path before his end.

If his martial arts were respectable, dying by his hand would be a decent outcome; if his skill was insufficient, getting dispatched early, learning the harshness of the jianghu, and returning to further his cultivation could be considered a contribution to the righteous cause.

As for why Lin Hai didn’t simply challenge Li Xuan or the Nine Sword Immortal? It could only be said that neither Li Xuan nor the Nine Sword Immortal would need much effort to deal with Lin Hai. Lin Hai merely sought death, not self-flagellation. Of course, this was Ye Wen’s post-facto conjecture; whether it was true or false, only someone who could ask Lin Hai himself would know.

Given her current cultivation, although she could defeat him, killing him would be exceedingly difficult, and a single lapse of attention could lead to her own demise.

Without absolute certainty, Shen Yuqing dared not take the risk, especially since she had just absorbed Hua Yi’s Profound Yin Qi. Currently, both types of zhenqi coursed through her meridians, and this sensation was profoundly unpleasant.

Fortunately, the Profound Yin Qi had been created precisely to serve the Profound Yin True Art. Therefore, Shen Yuqing could use her own Profound Yin True Art zhenqi to suppress the absorbed Profound Yin Qi, waiting for an opportune moment to slowly refine this pure Yin energy and elevate her own martial prowess.

She had planned well, but just as she cast aside Xiao Ming’s corpse and turned around, she saw a broadsword carve an arc through the air before hurtling directly onto her path of advance.

“Damn old ghost!”

From this sword alone, she knew it was the flying sword of the Nine Sword Immortal. Seeing this, she realized escaping today without resorting to life-saving measures was impossible.

Her heart hardening, she cursed internally, “This debt will be settled sooner or later!” At the same time, she secretly rejoiced that she had already absorbed Hua Yi’s pure Yin energy; without it, she might not have had the resolve to use the Yin Art Reversal technique.

The core tenet of the Profound Yin True Art was the meticulous refinement of the ultimate Yin zhenqi. Later, someone discovered that reversing the flow of this technique could unleash a formidable, robust Yang-attributed true force in an instant. Using this method caused the practitioner’s attack power and the speed of their qinggong to multiply several times over; it was a desperate measure, a final resort for survival.

However, this method was not without its drawbacks. Because the flow was reversed, it was akin to walking the path toward zouhu ru mo (qi deviation/madness). Furthermore, the Yang-attributed vital energy unleashed by reversing the zhenqi was exceedingly domineering and fierce. If a normal person’s meridians were suddenly impacted by this Yang force, the result would be instant death in severe cases, or meridian damage in milder ones.

If Shen Yuqing had not meticulously practiced the Profound Yin True Art for decades, and now possessed the refined Profound Yin Qi obtained from Hua Yi as a final foundation to protect her body, she would never dare casually employ this technique.

But now, she had no time for further thought. Her figure twisted and folded in mid-air, executing an S-shape before suddenly pausing, then shimmering, and vanishing without a trace.

On Ye Wen’s side, he slew Xiao Ming with his protective sword qi before descending to the ground. His protective sword qi was something he had just conceived; although combat had proven its power to be extraordinary, the energy consumption was immense.

When Shen Yuqing floated near him just then, startled, he feared the woman might employ some trick. For a moment, he disregarded everything else and erupted with all his internal power. This resulted in numerous sword qi surrounding his body for protection, instantly dismembering Xiao Ming, who had just swept past him.

Shen Yuqing was lucky; she was on the outer edge and not close to Ye Wen. Ye Wen’s protective sword qi was merely circling his body, and it couldn’t reach anything farther out, thus allowing the woman to narrowly escape. Had Shen Yuqing attempted a surprise attack on Ye Wen, she would certainly have paid a price.

It was precisely because Shen Yuqing was determined to leave that she escaped unharmed; as for Xiao Ming, he was simply too unlucky. Perhaps he had done too many wicked deeds, and even Heaven did not wish to let him go, causing him to die by the very method Ye Wen employed for self-preservation.

After Ye Wen landed and turned around, Shen Yuqing threw Xiao Ming’s mangled corpse toward him. Ye Wen knew it was just a dead body. He channeled the slightly recovered zhenqi to send out a strand of Purple Qi Heavenly Net to ensnare the corpse, then casually flung it outward. The tattered husk of Xiao Ming sailed far away, tumbling on the ground for a moment before revealing a face frozen in disbelief and terror, his eyes seeming to bulge out—an ordinary person would not wish to look a second time.

After flicking the corpse away, Ye Wen looked for Shen Yuqing, just in time to see her flash past the Nine Sword Immortal’s flying sword in the air. Her body paused for an instant, and when he looked again, her shadow was gone.

“What the… what kind of speed is that?”

Ye Wen was astonished by the terrifying qinggong possessed by this ageless old demoness. He did not know this was the result of Shen Yuqing using the Yin Art Reversal technique for a sudden burst of speed; he only assumed the old demoness was indeed profoundly skilled but was intent on fleeing because she feared the large number of righteous heroes on their side.

As he pondered this, a voice came from behind him, “Thinking of leaving?” Then, from an unknowable distance ahead, a dull thud resonated, like thunder from a clear sky. Although no figure could be seen, Ye Wen guessed that some master had given chase and exchanged a palm strike with the old demoness, resulting in such a terrifying commotion. Judging by the sound alone, one could tell the immense force behind that blow.

Yet, based on this sound, Ye Wen wondered if the old demoness cultivated a Yang-attributed technique? As he puzzled over this, the Zen Master Huixin approached him: “Amitabha. It seems Madam Shen’s Profound Yin True Art cultivation is not shallow. Even though she used a self-damaging technique to forcibly spur her power, to exchange a palm strike with Senior Nine Sword Immortal is something few can achieve!”

Only then did Ye Wen realize the old demoness had used a secret art to forcibly elevate her power, leading to such astonishing sound and fury. At the same time, he learned that the person who gave chase was the Nine Sword Immortal.

Considering the Nine Sword Immortal’s entrance onto the stage earlier and the sudden disappearance of Shen Yuqing, it seemed only the Nine Sword Immortal could possibly catch her in this confrontation.

“The old demoness is surely done for this time, right?”

Just as he thought this, a figure suddenly appeared before him—it was none other than the Nine Sword Immortal. Seeing everyone looking at him, the old man scratched his beard with a slight look of embarrassment: “I intended to stop that woman with one palm, but she took the chance to borrow my force and vanished! A miscalculation… a miscalculation…”

The crowd then understood that Shen Yuqing had indeed escaped. However, looking back at Hua Xiao Ming’s corpse, they felt it wasn't entirely humiliating; after all, they had managed to detain that group of black-robed figures and the Gold Emissary, one of the Five Elements Emissaries.

But… turning to look at the black-robed figure who had been motionless, pinned down by the Nine Sword Immortal’s flying sword just moments before, that person was now also lying lifelessly on the stage—having seen that the tide had turned, he had used the Nine Sword Immortal’s long sword to end his own life. It was precisely because he committed suicide that the Nine Sword Immortal’s flying sword was freed to attack Shen Yuqing.

It was only then that everyone had the time to notice the girl who had been unceremoniously thrown onto the stage by Ye Wen, slamming hard—the white-robed woman lay motionless on the platform. If the ones on stage hadn't been top masters of the current jianghu, able to sense the life signs of a living person from afar, they too might have mistaken her for a corpse.

“This young lady was thrown out by Madam Shen just now; why did Sect Master Ye cast her onto the ground?” Beichen Yan asked, holding her long sword, which was now dripping with fresh blood onto the ground. Earlier, when the group of black-robed figures charged toward the North Sword Gate disciples, Beichen Yan had slaughtered them piecemeal. She then led her disciples to assist other sects—these black-robed martial artists were skilled; ordinary jianghu members couldn't handle even one or two of them.

Only established sects could cope calmly. As the host, Beichen Yan naturally could not stand idly by while guests were in peril. Thus, she moved through the grand arena with her disciples, slaying the assailants, only now returning to the stage.

However, her martial arts were exceptional enough that she could spare attention to observe the situation on the stage. She clearly saw Shen Yuqing casually toss out a living person to momentarily obstruct Ye Wen, only for Ye Wen to casually toss her to the ground. This action caused Beichen Yan’s favorable impression of Ye Wen to drop considerably.

Ye Wen was also puzzled. He walked to Hua Yi’s side and felt her wrist, but the more he probed, the tighter his brow furrowed. When Beichen Yan inquired, he replied directly, “This young lady is one of the Four Elders of the Heavenly Music Gang, and she is Shen Yuqing’s disciple. I only assumed Shen Yuqing sent her to delay me for a moment, but I noticed her expression was strange at the time, so I didn't deliver a killing blow, merely throwing her aside with internal force.”

Upon hearing Ye Wen’s words, everyone learned the woman’s identity, and they remembered that the Heavenly Music Gang should still have quite a few members remaining. Looking up, they saw that the Heavenly Music Gang’s substantial seating area was now a wreck; only Guo Nu and two or three remaining members stood there. The rest, seeing their sect shattered and fearing that the righteous masters would mistake them for demonic collaborators and slay them, had already fled in the chaos.

“After today, there will probably be no more Heavenly Music Gang in the jianghu!” Beichen Yan was not speaking rashly. Once the news of today’s events spread, the fact that the Heavenly Music Gang was controlled by the Demonic Cult would be immediately known to all. Moreover, two of the Four Elders were dead, one was severely injured, and the last was lying immobile on the ground—the situation was disastrous. At that time, every sect would go mad attacking the Heavenly Music Gang’s assets, not for demon suppression, but purely for seizing benefits.

Furthermore, the Heavenly Music Gang’s reputation provided a very reasonable pretext. Those wary of the Demonic Cult among the righteous path would not intervene. Consequently, the Heavenly Music Gang would rapidly vanish from the martial world. Even if not completely annihilated, their power would be greatly diminished, and the probability of them being absorbed into the darkness by the Demonic Cult would be higher, as the Gang’s utility in operating openly was now gone, rendering its continuation meaningless.

The crowd looked around for a while longer. The surrounding sects had concluded their fights. Some sects were tending to their wounded, while others, on good terms, took the opportunity to lend a hand.

The Shu Mountain Sect suffered little damage. Of the two black-robed figures who charged at the Shu Mountain contingent, one hadn't even managed to attack before Ning Ruxue unleashed eight consecutive beams of sword qi, severing both sides of his neck and wrists, and puncturing his vital organs with large holes. Based on this person’s strength, he shouldn't have been killed by Ning Ruxue upon first contact. However, he didn't recognize the profundity of Ning Ruxue’s sword qi. After dodging the first strike, he assumed he was fine, chuckled, and lunged forward, only to find the sword qi curving around to strike him from behind, piercing his heart directly.

The first strike hit true, and subsequent attacks followed relentlessly. The technique Ning Ruxue practiced before was one that, once unleashed, became boundless; her practice of the Innate Body-Shattering Formless Sword Qi remained the same. Previously, it was because the sword qi was newly formed that she couldn't use it this way; later, there was no pressing need. Now, encountering a foolish man seeking death, she naturally had to properly test her own methods.

As for the other black-robed man, others only saw a flash of red light pass by, and before they could even glimpse the figure, the man plummeted from the air.

If Xu Xian hadn't coughed a few times afterward, others might not have realized he was the one who made the move.

“Damn, the Shu Mountain Sect is too monstrous! How can you guys just sit there?”

Earlier, watching the fighting on the stage, the disparity wasn't obvious. Now, with comparison, the gap became clear. Many sect masters were flustered against the black-robed figures, but the Shu Mountain Sect took down two lives with just two people striking. Anyone who couldn't recognize reality now was a fool.

Fortunately, the Shu Mountain Sect was anxious to raise their prestige, and seeing such an opportunity, they naturally would not miss it. Ning Ruxue glanced left and right and stated plainly, “Junior Brother, I’ll go left, you go right!”

Xu Xian nodded in understanding of Ning Ruxue’s intent, then flashed, leaping several zhang (units of length), and with a wave of his sword, forced back a stout man wielding a double-pronged fork several steps, saving a fellow martial artist from an unknown sect next door.

“Thank you for your assistance, Great Hero Xu!”

Of Xu Xian, the crowd only knew he was a Shu Mountain disciple named Xu; they knew little else. At this moment, they could only address him as Great Hero Xu, showing their respect.

Xu Xian returned a few acknowledgments, his rapid swordplay relentless, forcing the man to wildly wield his double prongs just to barely parry the flurry of attacks. This man’s skill was slightly higher than the one Xu Xian had casually killed earlier, which piqued Xu Xian’s interest. His swordsmanship changed, deploying the Supple Finger Soft Sword technique, hoping to break the double prongs with this inscrutable and unusual swordsmanship.

Meanwhile, Ning Ruxue was much more direct. Upon seeing a black-robed figure, she unleashed two beams of sword qi. If the person didn't die, she sent two more. Against someone slightly more skilled, she would send seven or eight in quick succession, and the man would only end up reporting to the underworld.

Thus, by the end of this battle, the Shu Mountain Sect, relying only on these two, had helped countless peers, earning considerable goodwill for the Shu Mountain Sect. Furthermore, their disciples were not idle; seeing any sect in trouble, they rushed over to lend a hand. Even if one person couldn't directly fight a black-robed figure, if a few gathered and formed the True Martial Seven Intercept Formation, the black-robed figures, once trapped, would have no hope of escape.

At the same time, the Shu Mountain Sect also offered their spirit medicines when they saw injured allies: “This is our Shu Mountain Sect’s Jade Green Powder, effective against all external wounds, far superior to common hemostatic powder!” And they would take out a bottle of powder to treat the wounded.

This Jade Green Powder was an improved version of the Green Powder that Chen Yizhong had given Ye Wen. Although the effect was only slightly enhanced, for such a wound medicine, even a slight improvement was hard-won. Thus, Ye Wen was delighted and immediately named it Jade Green Powder; the reason was simply that ‘Green Powder’ lacked momentum.

For more severe injuries, they would bring out another bottle: “This is our Shu Mountain Sect’s Heavenly King Life-Preserving Pill! Upon taking it, one’s life can be sustained, giving a chance for medical treatment!”

This medicine was the same as that initial Life-Preserving Pill; changing the name did not alter its origin: lacking imposing presence, ordinary people wouldn't remember it. If the medicine wasn't named grandly, others might dismiss it as cheap street medicine, and offering it might even invite resentment instead of thanks.

Now, with the name changed and the effects explained—regardless of the final outcome—the debt of gratitude was registered. Just listen: Heavenly King Life-Preserving Pill! Just by the name, one could tell how precious this medicine was! Then, taking it—it worked! The fame of this medicine spread through word of mouth.

From this single battle, the Shu Mountain Sect garnered considerable intangible assets. It was precisely because the Shu Mountain Sect and the North Sword Gate, the hosts, busied themselves back and forth that the black-robed figures were annihilated at an astonishing speed, allowing those high masters and grand masters to remain still.

Li Xuan observed the busy Shu Mountain Sect and felt a fresh layer of admiration for Ye Wen: “Young in years, yet he manages his sect quite effectively. The combined skill used by those few just now seems to be a profound formation! I wonder what the maximum number of people who can use it simultaneously is!”

The Shu Mountain Sect’s True Martial Seven Intercept Formation had been used by two people, three people, and even four or five people at once. With Li Xuan’s cultivation, it was not surprising that he could discern it was the same technique. What intrigued him was the maximum number of users for this technique. However, he conjectured it wouldn't exceed ten people; otherwise, many subtleties within the technique would be difficult to execute.

A nearby disciple glanced at the two figures standing before Li Xuan, encased in chilling ice sculptures, then looked at his own Sect Master with reverence before asking, “Sect Master, will our Tianshan Sect not intervene?”

Li Xuan smiled: “A bunch of riffraff; no need to act! If they want to spar with the Demonic Cult, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future!” With that, he signaled the disciple to sit at ease, casually flicked his wrist, sending out a gust of palm wind that shattered the two ice sculptures into fragments. However, his peripheral vision glanced toward his junior brother, Li Zhen.

Back on the stage, Ye Wen checked Hua Yi’s pulse and discovered her meridians were utterly empty; her entire cultivation base had vanished without a trace. This was precisely why she fell so heavily onto the stage when he casually tossed her.

Fortunately, Hua Yi had practiced dancing for many years, so her physical condition wasn't poor. Although the fall was severe, she hadn't sustained any major injuries, only a scraped elbow and a few bruises from impacts.

Just as he was about to ask Hua Yi where her cultivation had gone, Guo Nu was supported onto the stage by two remaining Heavenly Music Gang members, his expression extremely grim; his injuries seemed to have worsened.

Seeing Ye Wen checking Hua Yi’s pulse, he immediately stated, “All of Miss Hua’s cultivation has been absorbed by Shen Yuqing! Hua Yi is nominally Shen Yuqing’s disciple, but in reality, she is merely a furnace for her cultivation…”

“A furnace?” Ye Wen was startled, though a rather inappropriate image flashed through his mind.