The group from Mount Shu continued their journey toward Pingzhou, but they had picked up a massive tail!

The Grand Princess of the Shang Dynasty, no less, was trailing them with over twenty personal guards. Even though she hadn't hoisted a banner announcing, "The Princess is Traveling!", her mannerisms made it obvious her status was anything but ordinary.

During a meal, Ye Wen took the opportunity to ask, "Your Highness, traveling outside the palace so casually and heading all the way to Pingzhou seems rather improper, doesn't it?" In his understanding, princesses of feudal dynasties rarely enjoyed such freedom; it wasn't uncommon for some to never even leave the palace grounds their entire lives. For this one to run off on her own and tag along to Pingzhou with their contingent seemed to escalate things significantly.

If this Princess Taiping hadn't insisted on keeping twenty guards while sending the rest back to report, Ye Wen genuinely feared the current Emperor might suspect the Mount Shu Sect of holding the Grand Princess hostage and dispatching troops to attack them.

"Don't let it come to a hundred thousand troops marching on Mount Shu! I don't have any brilliant strategies for burning down encampments or anything like that!" Furthermore, the Grand Princess held Ye Wen in low regard, often ignoring his words, spending her days orbiting Ning Ruxue and hoping to be accepted as her disciple.

This finally irritated Ye Wen (the main issue being that he couldn't even enjoy a moment of closeness with his junior sister), leading him to declare sharply, "I am the Sect Master of Mount Shu. Whether or not I accept you is up to my consent!"

"You?" The Princess scrutinized him up and down for a moment, finally sneering, "This princess will command the Emperor to issue a decree appointing Lady Ning as the Sect Master of Mount Shu. You should go find somewhere cool to relax instead!" Ye Wen let out a cold laugh: "Even the Emperor's will cannot reach into the heart of Mount Shu!" "You dare show such disrespect to the Emperor?"

If these words had only been read on paper, they might have suggested deep displeasure. But hearing them directly from Ye Wen, Ye Wen noticed the Grand Princess wasn't angry at all; instead, she was immensely curious, continuously studying him, which made him acutely uncomfortable.

"I truly cannot discern where you get such confidence!"

Ye Wen ignored her. He had only spoken those words in a fit of pique; now, thinking it over, he realized confronting the imperial court directly was something he truly lacked the backbone for.

While this bickering continued unabated, the small roadside eatery became quite lively. Ye Wen’s table, surrounded by the twenty royal guards, didn't need to divert attention to monitor their surroundings.

Unexpectedly, in a corner, a young man asked someone beside him—whose face was obscured—"Is that young man Ye Wen, the Mount Shu Sect Master?" The person next to him didn't answer, merely nodding. Seeing the youth's indifferent expression, he cautioned, "Do not underestimate him. Ye Wen's formidable Sword Qi is not to be dismissed. Envoy Xiao died beneath that very Sword Qi!" "I know!" The young man waved his closed fan, tapping his palm with the ribs: "But the more formidable he is, the more curious I become! If it weren't so, why would this young master travel specifically here?"

"You mean you want to test Ye Wen’s skills?" This person was entirely shrouded in a cloak, wearing a bamboo hat, making it impossible for ordinary people to see his features. This very appearance caused the surrounding guards to pay him a few extra glances, but seeing he remained seated and still, they eventually disregarded him.

After exchanging a few more words with the young man, this cloaked figure finally said, "If you want to test his skills, do it yourself. My internal power has not yet fully recovered, so I won't join your foolishness!" With that, he stood up and walked directly toward the shop entrance. The young man made no move to stop him when he left, only glancing toward Ye Wen's table a few more times.

As the black-clad figure neared the door, Hua Yi, who had been sitting next to Ye Wen, suddenly looked perplexed, sniffed the air, and then her face drastically changed. She exclaimed, "My Master is here!"

Ye Wen was startled by her words, immediately forgetting his spat with the Grand Princess and turning his gaze toward the person who was so thoroughly concealed. Upon looking, he smiled: "Since Madam Shen is here, it would be uncivilized not to offer a greeting!" Without waiting for the black-clad figure to react, Ye Wen immediately raised his right index finger, and a torrent of purple energy began to brew there, clearly preparing to launch outwards.

Initially, Hua Yi’s utterance of "My Master is here" had not alerted the royal guards. They assumed it was merely an acquaintance of the Mount Shu Sect. They could never have guessed that Hua Yi’s master was an arch-enemy of the righteous martial world.

When Ye Wen stood up to speak, the guards hadn't thought much of it. It wasn't until Ye Wen raised his hand that Zhou Guan, the sharpest-eyed among the guards, immediately sensed danger. He rushed to the Grand Princess’s side, shouting, "Take that person down!" He clearly wasn't pointing at the heavily concealed figure—that was not his objective—but instead pointed at the young man sitting in the corner, intending to apprehend this apparent accomplice first.

The young man snapped his folding fan shut and chuckled lightly: "Madam Shen, look at all this trouble you've stirred up!" His posture was utterly relaxed, showing complete disregard for the twenty guards.

Just then, the black-clad figure spoke, "Isn't this exactly what you hoped for? You play slowly; I'm leaving first!" With that, she turned and walked toward the shop entrance without even glancing at Ye Wen.

Being so thoroughly ignored enraged Ye Wen. He flicked his sword-finger, and a formidable Sword Qi, wide as a human palm, shot out from his finger, aimed directly at the black-clad figure. The sheer power of this Sword Qi far surpassed any he had used before; even the Sword Qi he used to inscribe characters on the mountainside was less domineering and fierce than this.

This was because the Sword Qi had been gathering in his finger for a long time, unleashing its might only now. While tremendously powerful, it was inconvenient to use. If the two hadn't been so arrogant, standing there talking as if no one else existed, Ye Wen wouldn't have been able to summon such potent Sword Qi.

The moment this Sword Qi was unleashed, everyone nearby felt their hairs stand on end, as if an unparalleled divine sword had sliced past them. The Grand Princess, who had been looking on in bewilderment, was startled when she saw Ye Wen launch his attack. She was about to rebuke him when she turned and saw that this single streak of Sword Qi had effortlessly severed one of the massive pillars beside the shop door. She immediately clamped her mouth shut.

Although Ye Wen’s Sword Qi was potent, Shen Yuqing was prepared. She raised her hand, leaped into the air, and dodged past it. Then she glanced at Hua Yi standing among the crowd and chuckled coquettishly: "It seems Sect Master Ye is very fond of my apprentice, keeping her by your side day and night. I wonder if my little apprentice meets Sect Master Ye's expectations? A pity I didn't have time to teach her more techniques for pleasing men; otherwise, Sect Master Ye would have been blessed!"

"Witch, die!"

Shen Yuqing relied on her peerless lightness skill to taunt Ye Wen, but as she lowered her head, Ye Wen, entirely enveloped in Sword Qi, suddenly surged forward—his momentum as fast as lightning. Even Shen Yuqing was startled and hastily twisted her body in mid-air, narrowly evading the attack.

Although she managed to dodge the direct impact, the fierce edge of Ye Wen's momentum damaged her bamboo hat, which concealed her features. The hat split cleanly in two, and even the black gauze hanging down was destroyed, revealing her true appearance.

In this surge, Ye Wen had channeled all the True Qi throughout his body into Sword Qi, wrapping himself within it—essentially throwing himself out like a razor-sharp treasured sword.

Because he was continuously supplying internal energy from within himself, the distance this attack could cover was far greater than ordinary launched Sword Qi. Moreover, being shrouded in Sword Qi, he could achieve incredible speed instantaneously, making him difficult to counter. More importantly, even if she blocked the move, Ye Wen would have arrived at her side with the Sword Qi—the next move would be entirely at Ye Wen’s discretion.

The drawback was that it could only travel in a straight line, lacking the ability to easily change direction. Shen Yuqing reacted quickly enough to avoid the direct hit, but she was still slightly injured.

Touching her delicate cheek, which felt as smooth as an infant's, Shen Yuqing discovered she was bleeding slightly. She instantly became enraged. Worse yet, Ye Wen had damaged her most prized possession: her appearance. She immediately shouted into the shop, "Situ Haoyun, if you don't come out now, this Madam will take this boy's life!"

Before her words fully faded, a large hole was smashed through the thatched roof. The young man who had been smiling benignly leaped out, tapped a floating piece of wood in the air, and immediately shot forward, landing beside Shen Yuqing: "What's the rush? Aren't I here?"

Ye Wen was alarmed when he saw him emerge, especially noting how extraordinary his lightness skill had been just moments ago. Now that he had escaped, did it mean none of his Mount Shu disciples could stop him?

He turned to look and finally felt reassured. It wasn't that the Mount Shu disciples couldn't stop him; it was that none of them had made a move. Instead, the group of royal guards had formed a battle array, with Zhou Guan directing them in a cautious engagement. Even so, the newcomer had severely wounded three guards and knocked down five before easily disengaging.

As he landed, Zhou Guan rushed forward with his saber drawn, shouting, "What rogue are you? State your name!"

The young man didn't answer immediately. Ye Wen examined him up and down for a moment and suddenly asked, "Your name is Situ Haoyun? In that case, you are a member of the Demonic Sect?"

"Demonic Sect?" Situ Haoyun smiled, "Demonic Sect, so be it. It's just a name! Yes, this humble one is indeed from the Demonic Sect."

He then turned to look at the group of guards who had been beaten down, and at Zhou Guan who was charging forward with his saber, and mocked, "I thought Sect Master Ye was somewhat heroic, but it seems he has turned into a mere lackey for the court..."

Before he could finish speaking, he flashed aside, perfectly dodging a streak of purple Sword Qi. If his reaction hadn't been fast enough, this attack would have cost him his life: "Sect Master Ye is known as the Gentleman Sword; it seems the title is merely for show. To resort to a sneak attack!"

Ye Wen curled his lip: "Just teaching you how to speak to others. Otherwise, even if you wore a layer of human skin, you’d be no different from livestock being fattened for slaughter!"

"You!" Situ Haoyun's face darkened terribly from Ye Wen's harsh mockery. However, after taking a few deep breaths, he regained his composure, pointed at Zhou Guan, and said: "This gentleman is clearly connected to the court, and judging by how he directed the deployment just now, he must be an expert from the military! For him to associate with your Mount Shu Sect, does this not mean Mount Shu has already pledged allegiance to the Imperial Court?"

Ye Wen glanced at Zhou Guan beside him and noticed that the saber Zhou Guan held was a straight saber—a weapon strictly reserved for military use. This was not like the two marginal blades that Huang Rongrong carried; this was a true sharp instrument. If the Mount Shu contingent had anyone using such a weapon, and they weren't connected to the court, the situation would be even more troublesome.

Ye Wen, however, was unconcerned with these details. He retorted, "Who my Mount Shu Sect associates with seems to have nothing to do with you, Sir. By what right do you stand here and make baseless remarks?"

Situ Haoyun hadn't expected such a response from Ye Wen and was momentarily stunned, unsure how to counter. After a pause, he chuckled: "I have yet to experience Sect Master Ye's martial arts, but your tongue is indeed formidable!" He then turned to Shen Yuqing and said: "Madam Shen, you should leave first. I'll exchange a few moves with Sect Master Ye, and then I'll depart!"

Ye Wen roared, "Think you can leave? Not so easily!"

Without waiting for anyone to react, he manifested purple energy in both hands. With his left hand, he unleashed a streak of Sword Qi directly toward Situ Haoyun's face. Simultaneously, his right palm, wrapped in increasingly dense purple energy, gradually became shrouded in a thick purple cloud. He unleashed a move called 'Purple Qi Comes from the East,' sweeping directly toward Shen Yuqing.

Both of these moves were formidable, deadly strikes. Unexpectedly, Shen Yuqing ignored them, turned, and simply walked away, saying, "If you survive today, next time I see you, I’ll settle the score for defacing my appearance!" With that, she leaped up and vanished.

Her speed was so great that the Mount Shu disciples couldn't react. Xu Xian wanted to pursue, but he was surrounded by too many people needing protection, and his senior brother was currently engaged in combat—he didn't know whether to offer aid.

As for Ye Wen, his palm strike shot out, but suddenly his vision blurred; Shen Yuqing was gone. The young man named Situ Haoyun had suddenly positioned himself in front of him, flipping his palm to reveal a dense blood-red aura. Ye Wen could even smell the pungent scent of gore. Seeing this spectacle, he instantly recognized the technique.

"Blood Heaven Devil Art?"

"Heh, you have good knowledge!" Situ Haoyun swept his palm, meeting Ye Wen’s palm strike squarely. A sound like a dull thud echoed between their colliding energies as purple and red forces scattered everywhere. Afterward, both men retreated several steps before managing to stabilize themselves. However, compared to Ye Wen, whose internal purple energy immediately circulated to neutralize the effect, Situ Haoyun’s face was flushed crimson, and his expression was far from pleasant. Seeing that Ye Wen seemed unharmed, he was startled.

"I struck with all my might in that last palm strike, yet I couldn't harm this Ye Wen?"

He didn't realize that Ye Wen's Innate Purple Qi possessed incredibly powerful recuperative abilities. Although the corrosive energy of the Blood Heaven Devil Art had entered Ye Wen's body, the naturally circulating Innate Purple Qi dissolved it into nothingness, thus failing to affect Ye Wen. Conversely, Ye Wen's Innate Purple Qi energy entering Situ Haoyun's body, which was specialized in brute force rather than subtle energy handling, required more effort to dispel.

Seeing his opponent suffer a hidden loss, Ye Wen, unwilling to concede, immediately employed the Iron Palm technique, striking toward Situ Haoyun's chest. Situ Haoyun was busy trying to neutralize the Innate Purple Qi within his body when Ye Wen suddenly pressed the attack again. His face changed drastically, and he immediately used his ultimate life-saving skill: the Five Fox Severing Strike.

The Five Fox Severing Strike was originally a hammer formation used in large battles. After losing their kingdom and joining the Demonic Sect, an ancestor modified it into an extremely fierce set of fist and palm routines, allowing later generations to use the technique barehanded.

However, due to the sheer ferocity and domineering nature of this skill, it was best utilized by those who cultivated the Blood Heaven Devil Art to fully unleash its power. Moreover, the ancestor hoped his descendants would never forget the aspirations of their ancestors and where these skills were meant to be used, so he deliberately did not change the martial art’s name, ensuring future generations remembered it as a battlefield technique, never forgetting the Situ family’s ambition to conquer the world.

Situ Haoyun was indeed a descendant of the Situ family and had achieved some mastery in the Blood Heaven Devil Art, so he could execute the Five Fox Severing Strike. When this move manifested, the intense, overwhelming force actually suppressed all of Ye Wen's palm energy and swept it back, enveloping it to strike Ye Wen's face.

This punch radiated a bloody glow, and the stench of blood was so acrid it stung the eyes and nose. Even at a distance of two or three zhang, Ye Wen was choked by the oppressive smell and dared not let down his guard. With the fierce wind rushing toward him, he knew he couldn't underestimate this move. His mind raced, calculating how to break this attack.

In that brief moment, Situ Haoyun’s punch was upon him—a blow as overwhelming as Mount Tai crashing down. The sheer force of the punch alone was almost unbearable. Furthermore, just as the name suggested, although Situ Haoyun used empty hands, the attack gave the distinct sensation of a massive hammer smashing down.

In desperation, a thought suddenly struck Ye Wen. Too rushed to contemplate it deeply, he relied on instinct and casually unleashed a streak of Purple Heaven Dragon Qi Sword.

But this streak of Sword Qi was completely different from his usual attacks. Ye Wen simultaneously sent out two streaks of Sword Qi, and these two streaks intertwined, constantly spinning. At their tips, the two energies converged, inseparable, manifesting as a Spiral Sword Qi.

The underlying principle was not hard to understand: spiral energy possessed far greater piercing power than a straight-line Sword Qi. Normally, Ye Wen wouldn't need to use Sword Qi in this manner, but Situ Haoyun’s Five Fox Severing Strike was like a giant hammer smashing down, its terrifying might resembling a massive iron block plummeting from above. Ordinary techniques probably couldn't break this move, so in his panic, Ye Wen devised this method to counter it.

"You have an iron block, I have a screw. Let's see who suffers more!" With the move deployed, this Spiral Sword Qi forcefully broke through the energy of the Five Fox Severing Strike and slammed directly into Situ Haoyun's fist.

"Ah—!"

A tragic scream erupted from Situ Haoyun, followed by a jarring crackling sound. Clearly, the bones in his fingers had been completely shattered by Ye Wen's strike.

Had it not been for his mastery of the Blood Heaven Devil Art and its sufficiently strong protective True Qi barrier, this single sword strike would have crippled his entire right arm.

But even so, the Spiral Sword Qi shattered every bone in Situ Haoyun’s fingers into several pieces. Simultaneously, after being deflected slightly by the protective barrier, the Sword Qi grazed across the arm Situ Haoyun had extended, tearing away a spray of blood mist that mingled with the bloody aura surrounding his limb.

Having achieved his aim, Ye Wen prepared to follow up with a killing blow. Coincidentally, Situ Haoyun was writhing in pain and unable to move, his offensive stance broken, his momentum depleted—the perfect opening. He could only watch as Ye Wen sprang forward, stopping right in front of him, and lightly patted his forehead with an open palm.

This Gentle Palm technique appeared yielding, but it delivered an incredibly fierce internal force. Upon impact, the palm energy exploded, and Situ Haoyun’s head burst like a smashed melon; he died instantly. After eliminating this fellow with a single move, Ye Wen landed on the ground, feeling a painful ache in his meridians and a depletion of True Qi. Launching those consecutive moves had not only damaged his meridians but also exhausted his vital energy.

However, after several cycles of the Innate Purple Qi circulating, the damage to his meridians began to heal somewhat. He stood up and stared silently at the lifeless, though still slightly twitching, corpse of Situ Haoyun. The surrounding royal guards were filled with awe; the man who had driven them into such disarray moments ago was dispatched in just three strikes.

The Grand Princess timidly asked her personal maidservant, "That fellow seems even stronger than Lady Ning, doesn't he?"

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