Ye Wen drifted down onto the roof of the main hall, turning to glance at the old man. The elder had leaped a good two zhang away and was now sizing Ye Wen up just as intently.

After a moment of observation, the elder finally spoke, "Tsk, tsk! Sect Leader Ye truly possesses supreme skill. Even Sima Xiangzhen fell by your hand... Sima Xiangzhen was a bit of an idiot, but his martial arts were certainly not lacking. It seems our Holy Cult underestimated you, Sect Leader Ye!"

Hearing this, Ye Wen’s eyelids twitched. Something felt profoundly wrong. Why would an elder show such blatant disrespect, even contempt, toward the Vice-Leader of his own Cult?

"May I ask who you are, sir?"

The old man retracted his claws and then chuckled, "This old man is the Wood Emissary, one of the Five Elemental Emissaries of the Holy Cult. My surname is Mu..." At this, Ye Wen muttered internally, 'Did this old ghost get the title 'Wood Emissary' just because his surname is Mu?' Just as he formed the thought, the elder continued, "My given name is Chun Jiao..."

"And I'm Ding Chunqiu!" Ye Wen looked the elder up and down again. The man possessed the vibrant face of youth despite his crane-like white hair. As he stood there, the mountain wind blew gently, making his long white beard flutter, giving him the appearance of an enlightened master.

"So, you are the Wood Emissary, one of the Five Elemental Emissaries!" Ye Wen recalled hearing that the Five Elemental Emissaries were chosen not based on martial prowess, but on their unique specializations. Xiao Ming, for instance, held the position of Gold Emissary due to his formidable financial acumen. This Wood Emissary, Ye Wen surmised, must specialize in poisons.

"Mu... relates to plants, which certainly connects to poisons!" Ye Wen voiced his speculation casually, closely observing the elder's reaction.

Unexpectedly, Mu Chunqiu let out a loud laugh, "If it were merely about skill with poison, I certainly wouldn't qualify as the Wood Emissary. Furthermore, poisons aren't only derived from flowers and trees; there are poisons from minerals and metal, and the potent toxins within living creatures, none of which relate to wood. Sect Leader Ye, you have guessed incorrectly this time!" After a couple of laughs, he continued, "This old man excels in the art of medicine—I can both kill and heal. That is why I earned the title Wood Emissary, signifying the concept of 'dead wood meeting spring' (kū mù féng chūn). In my hands, even someone clinging to life can be saved!"

Saying this, he looked Ye Wen and Hua Yi over, then laughed robustly, "Sect Leader Ye need not trouble himself. My poison art is unusual; it is not the kind ordinary people can neutralize!"

It turned out Ye Wen had engaged him in conversation precisely to check on Hua Yi's condition. A single probe revealed Hua Yi's internal zhenqi to be erratic, her pulse fluctuating wildly, and a strand of potent poison constantly surging and clashing within her body. If Hua Yi hadn't diligently trained in the Shu Mountain Sect these past few years, vastly improving her power, she would have collapsed long ago.

Seeing that the poison could not be easily dissolved, Ye Wen made a firm decision. He enveloped the toxic energy entirely with his Innate Violet Qi and drew that portion of zhenqi back into his own body. Though some residual poison remained, it no longer posed a serious threat to Hua Yi.

"No... don't!"

Hua Yi naturally sensed Ye Wen’s action and tried desperately to pull her hand away, horrified. But Ye Wen held fast, giving her no opportunity. In that brief moment, he drew the poison-laced zhenqi back into his own palm, simultaneously using his own energy to suppress it and prevent it from spreading through his meridians.

Moments later, Ye Wen's palm turned pitch black, faintly emitting a strange, sweet fragrance. Merely inhaling a trace of it would cause dizziness, testifying to the poison's formidable strength.

"Oh? Sect Leader Ye’s maneuver is quite extraordinary!" To contain the toxic energy within another person’s body using one's own zhenqi and then extracting it required absolute control over that energy. Standard internal energy techniques could not achieve this; even many of the Demonic Sect's arts, save for the specific poison cultivation he practiced, fell short.

Yet, this Ye Wen's cultivation technique could accomplish it. "It is clear Ye Wen has his methods if he could kill Sima Xiangzhen."

However, looking at Ye Wen’s now completely blackened palm, Mu Chunqiu laughed heartily, "But in your current state, Sect Leader Ye, how can you fight me? What's more..." As he spoke, his hand suddenly lit up. Swirling around it was a burst of seven-colored energy. This energy resembled fresh flowers or lush vegetation, beautiful to behold, as if spring had arrived with a hundred blooms opening at once.

Only Hua Yi knew that this exquisitely beautiful energy concealed a formidable, deadly poison. A single touch, even a trace, would bring immense trouble and be difficult to neutralize. She herself had been grazed slightly by the old man earlier and had been plagued by the potent toxin, unable to manifest more than three-tenths of her full power, leaving her utterly suppressed. If Ye Wen hadn't arrived, she likely would have perished here.

Ye Wen smiled, "Who said I, Ye Wen, must personally fight you? Dealing with an old ghost who uses such underhanded tricks requires no personal intervention from this Sect Leader!" With that, he sat down cross-legged and spoke to Hua Yi beside him, "Earlier, you were bullied by this old rogue who relied on potent poison against my maid. Now, my maid shall personally settle the score with him! Hua Yi, this old man is yours to handle!" He then whispered an instruction, "Just keep him from closing the distance, and hold your breath. With the might of your Heavenly Demon Art and your blade-linked ribbons, you can surely handle this old ghost. I must first circulate my energy to expel the poison!"

Ignoring their expressions, he began cultivating his Innate Violet Qi, holding his blackened palm before his chest. Purple zhenqi circulated nonstop, enveloping him in a purple mist. If Ye Wen could see himself, he might exclaim, "Damn, I look like a Saint Cloth warrior!" because the purple aura surrounding him was nearly identical to the Cosmo of a Bronze Saint.

Hua Yi glanced at Ye Wen, exhaled deeply, and used that exhale to force the residual toxins out of her body. Since childhood, she had been extensively tutored by Bo Yuqing and nourished by various medicinal elixirs, her entire being having undergone rigorous tempering. Ordinary poisons couldn't harm her in the slightest. It was only because she was caught off guard by the poison art without knowing the enemy's true strength that she found herself in such a predicament.

Seeing Ye Wen’s profound trust in her now, she resolved fiercely to give this old ghost a thorough lesson, determined not to disappoint him. Her waist sashes shimmered, and the two short swords tethered to their ends danced around her body, the blades flashing cold light, faintly emitting sword qi. The sight was as beautiful as before, but the contained force was immeasurably greater.

Witnessing this display, Mu Chunqiu’s expression sharpened. He uttered, "Little girl, haven't you suffered enough already? Are you seeking more punishment?"

Hua Yi was not angered by the taunt; instead, she let out a delicate laugh, "We shall see who ends up suffering later!"

Before the words faded, the two sashes transformed like spirit snakes, striking upward and downward toward Mu Chunqiu. These sashes carried no weapons; they were simple sashes Hua Yi had cast aside casually. As she spun and danced, it was astonishing how many sashes she seemed to conceal on her person, releasing them one after another. In the blink of an eye, Mu Chunqiu’s vision was obscured by a white curtain.

Mu Chunqiu became instantly vigilant. Earlier, afflicted by the potent poison, Hua Yi had been unable to freely use her internal energy, rendering many moves useless. Now that she was restored, her first attack alerted Mu Chunqiu to the extraordinary skill of this woman; even the sheer volume of fluttering sashes was beyond the capability of an ordinary martial artist to control.

However, the old man possessed a degree of arrogance. He scoffed, "Even Shen Yuqing must treat this old man with courtesy! Should I fear some little girl who hasn't even sprouted all her hair?"

The elder knew Hua Yi had some connection to Shen Yuqing but was unaware of the specifics. Seeing her delicate features, he judged her to be no older than her early twenties, thus employing this line both to assert his own superiority and to disrupt her concentration, while also trying to enrage her.

To his surprise, Hua Yi was entirely unaffected. Regardless of what the old man said, her hand techniques continued to unfold with composed grace—neither arrogant nor flustered—as if she were dancing alone, completely unconcerned by external interference.

Mu Chunqiu flipped his hand, fingers curling into a claw stance. As the old man's claws flew, a flash of colored light erupted. These fluttering sashes were all shredded into fragments, and those touched by the colored light seemed to be scorched, the damage slowly creeping back toward their origin points.

Hua Yi, however, appeared to have anticipated this. She raised both arms and snapped her wrists, casting off those few ribbons. This time, they flew horizontally. If Mu Chunqiu mishandled the defense, he would inevitably be entangled by these countless sashes, turned into a giant dumpling.

That was not all. The two sashes tethered to the short swords shifted erratically left and right, making it impossible to discern their true target, thus rendering defense difficult.

Mu Chunqiu coldly snorted, "Petty tricks!"

He shook both hands again, changing his claw stance to a blade-chop aimed directly downward. A strip of mottled blade qi flashed out. Though not entirely solidified, it was enough to cleave all the oncoming sashes in half. He then sidestepped the two short swords that followed closely behind, aiming for a final chop to sever those two as well.

Unexpectedly, upon striking the two sashes, they merely vibrated, showing no sign of breaking. Mu Chunqiu, having missed his mark, turned pale with shock, "How is this possible?" He couldn't fathom why two mere ribbons could resist his blade.

What he didn't know was that after the Shu Mountain Sect acquired that Celestial Silkworm years ago, they had nurtured it meticulously, yielding a considerable amount of silk. While they couldn't yet produce the myriad enjoyable items Ye Wen envisioned, they had fashioned sets of inner armor and these two sashes.

The armor sets were divided between Hua Yi and Ning Ruxue, while these sashes were intended as Hua Yi's specialized weapon. Her martial arts required weapon support, and if her weapons broke too easily, her combat effectiveness would suffer greatly. Therefore, these two sashes were woven from every ounce of the finest silk the celestial creature had ever spun, mixed with various other materials, designed for extreme tenacity. Not just Mu Chunqiu's hand-blade, but even a real saber wielded with full power would fail to sever these two ribbons.

In the moment Mu Chunqiu was stunned, Hua Yi's two sashes, though jarred by the strike, did not halt the momentum of the short swords at their tips.

The two short swords abruptly twisted in mid-air, circling once before heading straight for Mu Chunqiu's back. Mu Chunqiu, still reeling in shock, heard the sharp sound of blades cleaving the air behind him and instantly struck backward with a claw, intending to intercept the short swords.

Unexpectedly, as he swept his claw and turned, he grasped nothing. When he spun around, he suddenly realized his right leg was entangled by one of Hua Yi's sashes, and the attached short sword followed through, slashing a bloody gash across his leg—this strike had narrowly missed the inner thigh, a potentially fatal area; severing the artery would have meant certain death.

Fortunately, Mu Chunqiu was versed in medicine and managed a slight dodge at the critical moment, avoiding the fatal blow. However, the other sash wrapped around his arm and lunged directly for his throat. Thankfully, his right hand remained free, and he immediately struck the short sword with his claw, narrowly evading this killing move.

Even so, one leg and one arm were bound by Hua Yi’s sashes, rendering him immobile. Furthermore, the toughness of these sashes was unprecedented; even mobilizing his full power, he could not break free.

Glancing back at Hua Yi, who was watching him from a distance, Mu Chunqiu suddenly burst into loud laughter, "So what if you have restrained this old man? Young lass, do you dare approach?"

Hua Yi laughed once, "Why wouldn't I dare?" She then leaped forward. Her lightness skill was already exceptional, and after becoming Ye Wen's maid, she had also learned many techniques from the Shu Mountain Sect. The Heavenly Demon Art itself benefited her lightness skill. When she unleashed her movement technique, she reached Mu Chunqiu in the blink of an eye.

Mu Chunqiu was greatly alarmed but felt he had gained the upper hand, roaring with laughter, "Let this girl witness my Formless Ten Thousand Poisons Art!" Just as he prepared to activate his poison cultivation and unleash a wave of deadly energy, his entire body suddenly convulsed. Caught completely off guard, he nearly collapsed, and even the qi flowing around him was affected, suppressed momentarily.

In that split second of opportunity, Hua Yi suddenly flicked the sashes in both hands. The two short swords suspended on Mu Chunqiu suddenly sprang to life, simultaneously flicking and sharply rotating. One swept across Mu Chunqiu’s neck, while the other stabbed heavily into his inner left thigh. It retracted instantly, spraying blood that dyed the white sash wrapped around his right leg a vivid crimson.

It turned out that Hua Yi’s sudden rush forward was specifically to deploy the Heavenly Demon Aura field. However, she hadn't fully mastered this technique; its range was small, requiring close proximity to be effective. Moreover, the sudden charge served to distract Mu Chunqiu, who would never have expected Hua Yi to possess such a move. As a result of this miscalculation, Mu Chunqiu was easily killed by Hua Yi.

With Mu Chunqiu dead, Hua Yi gave a slight flick of her hands, and the two sashes instantly detached from the corpse. She let the old man’s body roll briefly on the rooftop before it fell with a thud before the main hall entrance.

Hua Yi then flicked her hands lightly, as if playing an instrument, and leaped up. The two blood-stained sashes also vibrated continuously. The blood adhered to them was then flicked away without leaving a trace. This was because, aside from special processing during their creation, Hua Yi always maintained a thin layer of zhenqi on them during use. The blood merely adhered to this layer of energy, never truly touching the silk itself, which is why it was so easily shaken off.

Putting away the sashes, Hua Yi stroked them gently a few times. These were gifts from Ye Wen, and she cherished them dearly. Thinking of Ye Wen, she turned her head to see him already standing up, his right hand having completely returned to normal.

"Master, has the poison been expelled?"

"Mmm." Ye Wen casually pointed downward at a nearby figure convulsing on the ground, his skin entirely black. "I wrapped the poison with my Violet Heaven Dragon Qi Sword and sent it to that man as a welcoming gift." Hua Yi laughed, finding Ye Wen's description amusing.

In reality, Ye Wen did not fear the poison entering his body. With the Violet Heaven Dragon Qi Sword technique and the Innate Violet Qi protecting him, any poison entering his system would be immediately contained by the Violet Qi. Even if it couldn't be neutralized, he could use the circulation methods of the Violet Heaven Dragon Qi Sword to expel the toxin along with his own surging energy. His claim of needing to expel poison earlier was mainly because his zhenqi was nearly depleted from the fight with Sima Xiangzhen, so he used the opportunity to recover.

As for letting Hua Yi deal with Mu Chunqiu, Ye Wen intended to restore her confidence as a master. She spent her days serving him on the mountain, and Ye Wen genuinely feared that such a formidable expert might become complacent. Would Ye Wen let Hua Yi be killed by the old man? Ye Wen was present; if necessary, he could easily deliver the poison-coated version of the Violet Heaven Dragon Qi Sword to the old rogue.

The two stood on the main hall roof, looking down. The assembled members of the Demonic Cult were clearly at a severe disadvantage. Not only had the Shu Mountain Sect’s True Martial Seven Interception Formation proven immensely effective, but the scarcity of true experts among the Demonic Cult forces also meant the Shu Mountain masters were unopposed, free to dominate.

Leaving aside the disciples, even Ning Ruxue, a veritable weapon of mass destruction, had no one in the Demonic Cult capable of challenging her. Allowing his junior sister to roam freely and unchallenged among the enemy ranks was akin to letting her play martial arts one-on-one. She was cutting through them like mowing grass.

Ye Wen searched around but still could not find Xu Xian. He was curious; anyone capable of drawing Ye Wen away must be a master. It seemed the main experts the Demonic Cult had deployed were Sima Xiangzhen, this Wood Emissary, and the fellow who lured Xu Xian away (the hapless apprentice of Shen Yuqing was completely ignored).

He wondered if these were the only high-level experts the Demonic Cult had sent, or if there were others who had yet to arrive.

Before Ye Wen could ponder further, a new group of people charged out from the direction of the mountain gate. The leader, upon seeing the situation, exclaimed in surprise, "They are already fighting! Brothers, let's go!"

He then looked up, spotted Ye Wen standing on the rooftop, and immediately charged over, leaping into the air using his lightness skill. He shouted, "I am Xiang Yutian, the Eastern Protector of the Holy Cult! Are you Ye Wen, Sect Leader of Shu Mountain?"

As the man announced himself in mid-air, the roof tile beneath Ye Wen’s foot suddenly shot away. Ye Wen himself stumbled, nearly falling from the roof, saved only when Hua Yi, standing nearby, reached out and steadied him.

"Good heavens, Xiang Yutian? Can you not be so brutally aggressive?"

The name Xiang Yutian wasn't inherently rare; in fact, it was quite common. However, Ye Wen knew of one person named Xiang Yutian, and that individual was terrifyingly, impossibly powerful.

"Surely this fellow's martial arts aren't that high, right?"