Ye Wen had once suffered a hidden strike from the Profound Ice and Fiery Devil Art, so he was intimately familiar with the helpless nature of its latent energy.

Although Pei Shiyuan’s Profound Ice and Fiery Devil Art differed from Zheng Ting’s, the underlying principle was identical.

Zheng Ting had thoroughly cultivated the Icy Soul Chill Art, only beginning the Profound Ice and Fiery Devil Art after achieving mastery in the former, using venomous creatures as a buffer—the chilling energy secretly harbored a fiery potency within.

Pei Shiyuan was the opposite. What made him even stronger than Zheng Ting was that he had cultivated the Crimson Sun Divine Fire Art to a remarkable level before taking up the Profound Ice and Fiery Devil Art. This was evident in the fierce and tyrannical nature of Pei Shiyuan’s fire energy; even without the Devil Art, his inherent fiery might alone established him as a top-tier expert in the martial world. Now, having cultivated this demonic art, he was even more formidable to confront.

The vital energy was so robust that the hidden strike became increasingly difficult to detect. Had Ye Wen not possessed prior experience, coupled with the myriad divine subtleties of his Innate Purple Qi, he might truly have been unable to counter this demonic art.

“No wonder this demonic art was met with such vehement opposition from the martial world the moment it appeared! Even though this Pei Shiyuan’s demonic art is powerful, it clearly hasn't reached the Great Accomplishment stage, yet it’s already this hard to deal with. If he mastered it completely, wouldn't he be invincible under heaven?”

With this thought in mind, Ye Wen regarded Pei Shiyuan with increased seriousness. When he finally expelled all his internal power from his body and shaped it into a sky full of soaring purple swords, the majority of these purple blades were aimed directly at Pei Shiyuan.

At this moment, Ye Wen felt a wave of weakness wash over him; his true qi was so faint it was nearly imperceptible. Fortunately, the Innate Purple Qi possessed exceptional regenerative strength, further enhanced now by understanding the Dao of Yin-Yang Variation. In just a few breaths, a wisp of purple qi began to spin into existence within his Dantian, strengthening itself with every rotation.

This true qi was entirely derived from that residual speck of energy, untainted by external elements, thus containing no evil toxins. As for the demonic art’s latent energy within his body, Ye Wen had condensed it into a single purple sword shimmering with crimson light, suspended near his hand—this sword was the key to instantly slaying these few foes.

As the latent energy slightly subsided, Ye Wen pushed his field of energy to its maximum, enveloping the entire surrounding area. At this moment, the purple swords hovering silently in the air seemed to receive a command, their blades swiveling in unison. The three envoys instantly felt as if they were frogs targeted by venomous snakes; a chill swept through their entire bodies.

“So many purple swords! They could bury a person alive!”

Many onlookers, still stunned by the spectacular scene in the sky, couldn't help but entertain this thought. Some of the demonic cult members even began considering a swift retreat—the current situation looked decidedly unfavorable for them, as the spectacle of the sky filled with long swords was truly terrifying.

No one realized this was precisely the effect Ye Wen intended. In truth, not every purple sword suspended in the air possessed overwhelming power. Given his current level of skill, instantly unleashing a dozen or so purple swords would deplete his entire cultivation. If he cleverly utilized his rapid energy recovery, producing a few dozen might not be impossible.

If he were to actually manifest hundreds or thousands of purple swords at once, he himself would instantly perish on the spot, leaving no room for recovery.

As it stood, there were at least a hundred hovering above, but not all were such solid purple swords. Ye Wen adhered to the principle of “Nine Parts Void, One Part Solid” to unleash this many long swords, intending primarily to intimidate the petty ones—these cult thieves were scared witless by the sight. Even before making a move, this display alone constituted a victory.

Turning to look at Pei Shiyuan and Yan Miao, both had already adopted defensive postures, their faces etched with terror. Before Ye Wen had even launched his attack, these two had lost their fighting spirit, unable to muster the thought of a counterattack.

However, Pei Shiyuan was indeed experienced and knowledgeable. He immediately discerned that Ye Wen’s move required the complete exhaustion of his own power and that it served the dual purpose of forcing the hidden energy within his body out.

“Sect Leader Ye’s maneuver is indeed formidable, and doing this will indeed expel my Profound Ice and Fiery latent energy. However… Sect Leader Ye is likely struggling to even move right now, isn’t he?”

A few purple swords gracefully shifted aside, revealing Ye Wen’s figure. He stood tall and still. Hearing Pei Shiyuan, he merely offered a faint smile: “This move requires little movement from this Ye; a single thought is enough to blast you all to smithereens! As for my power… Hmph, we shall see if you can withstand my move first!”

Without waiting for Pei Shiyuan to reply, Ye Wen closed both eyes, focusing his concentration on manipulating the myriad purple swords. Immediately, these swords erupted with surging sword qi, the countless streams merging into one, resembling a purple sun manifesting from thin air, too brilliant to gaze upon.

Pei Shiyuan and Yan Miao’s vision blurred, and they instinctively closed their eyes. Yet, both knew that keeping their eyes shut meant certain death. They immediately circulated their power to retreat rapidly, simultaneously attempting to restore their sight as quickly as possible.

Regarding their movements, Ye Wen, despite his closed eyes, perceived them perfectly. As long as opponents were within his field, no action could escape his perception; their exact location was crystal clear. Without even opening his eyes, he pinpointed their positions. Then, with a flicker of thought, the purple sun exploded outward, showering countless streaks of purple sword light that enveloped the entire vicinity where the three were located.

Ye Wen controlled the purple swords mentally, secretly adjusting their positions, focusing the dozen most potent swords to strike the vital points of the three foes, with Pei Shiyuan alone receiving half their concentrated assault.

The other swords, much weaker but identical in appearance, sealed off their escape routes, preventing any attempt to evade. He was confident that, based on appearance and aura alone, they could not discern the difference between these swords, meaning they would surely exert their utmost to meet the attack head-on. A sound like a sudden downpour of rain echoed as the purple swords slammed into the ground, kicking up billowing dust. The dust was then pressed down by the following swords, only to be replaced by even more smoke and debris.

The surrounding crowd felt a sharp, violent wind mixed with dust assaulting their faces. While terrified by the horrific might of Ye Wen’s move, they could not help but retreat continuously. All fighting among the factions had ceased; the disciples of Mount Shu had regrouped with the Nangong family members.

“Who could possibly withstand such a divine technique?”

Nangong Tinghai watched the endless curtain of purple sword light still raining down nearby, marveling at the sheer power of Ye Wen’s maneuver. He was also relieved that the sneaks who used foul play and ambushed them had been killed by Ye Wen, avenging his elder brother.

But when he turned to look at his nephew, his happiness vanished: “Nangong Feng’s injuries are far more severe, and he cannot dispel that strange latent energy either. If my elder brother were still here, there would be a way, but now…”

“My elder brother died saving me; I absolutely cannot let Feng’er suffer any misfortune!” Taking advantage of the demonic cult’s full attention on Ye Wen, Nangong Tinghai swiftly approached the dazed, semi-conscious Nangong Feng. He placed a hand on Feng’s Dantian, activating his unique Nangong family internal art, forcefully exchanging his own internal energy with Nangong Feng’s. Simultaneously, that strange latent energy transferred into his own body.

“This will serve as a final accounting to my elder brother!”

No one else noticed, but Nangong Huang had been watching his father and brother constantly. Seeing his father’s expression suddenly turn terribly grim, catching a glimpse of a strange reddish hue, he immediately asked, “Father, how are you?”

Nangong Tinghai waved his hand dismissively. “Your father is already old and frail; how I fare matters little!” As he spoke, the hidden energy within him suddenly flared violently. Nangong Tinghai, already weak, collapsed to the ground.

Only then did the onlookers notice the anomaly on this side. But precisely at this moment, the terrifying spectacle involving Ye Wen finally ceased. As the last sliver of purple light vanished, the thick smoke and dust slowly dissipated.

When the crowd could clearly see the situation on the field, they gasped again. The ground looked as if it had been violently overturned; the areas struck by the purple swords were palpably half a meter lower than the surroundings. As for the three envoys: Yan Miao was pierced by three or four purple swords, one passing directly through his throat. His body was contorted unnaturally backward, but the sword impaling him into the ground prevented him from falling; he died bent over in this bizarre posture. Additionally, he had a purple sword lodged in his abdomen and another in his leg, with the final one piercing his shoulder.

Judging by this gruesome state, he was undeniably dead beyond any chance of rescue.

Pei Shiyuan looked even more wretched. Aside from numerous sword wounds all over his body, he was stabbed in the shoulder socket, flank, thigh, and upper arm by purple swords. Blood poured constantly from him, and he clutched a purple sword in each hand.

Yet, despite his distress, he was not dead. This old man’s experience far surpassed Yan Miao’s. In this near-death crisis, he exhibited ferocious survival instincts, managing to slightly dodge the fatal blows at the most critical moments, sparing his vital organs. But that was all; the injuries he sustained were enough to kill an ordinary person. He was currently just clinging to life through sheer willpower and potent true qi, and without intervention, he would perish soon enough.

Most astonishing was the yellow-clad girl named Xuanxuan. She had almost no visible external injuries, yet a long sword shimmering with a blackish-purple light pierced directly through her chest. Her eyes were wide with disbelief as she stared at the black sword protruding from her chest, yet her twin hammers remained tightly gripped, not loosening in the slightest.

“This old man… I actually died so easily?”

Pei Shiyuan surveyed his own disastrous state and knew his end was near, yet he couldn't accept that Ye Wen had killed all three of them with a single move.

“This… this move must be the Myriad Sword Art that Protector Xiang mentioned?”

“Precisely!”

Pei Shiyuan managed a smile. “No wonder Protector Xiang praised it so highly… it truly is…” Truly what, the old man never got the chance to finish. He uttered only that sentence before his breath hitched, and he fell backward onto the ground, never to rise again.

Only then did Ye Wen finally let out a long breath. As for Xuanxuan? She was actually the first of the three envoys to perish. Ye Wen’s purple-black flying sword, infused with the demonic art’s latent energy, shattered her protective true qi and pierced her heart directly. The girl died before she even realized what was happening.

Ye Wen walked over and observed the black sword, which remained undissipated. Instead, the faint, almost unnoticeable earthen-yellow glow emanating from Xuanxuan’s body grew dimmer until it vanished entirely, only then did the black sword begin to shrink and finally disappear from sight.

Only after this did Xuanxuan’s body slump to the ground with a soft thud. At that instant, the dozen or so flying swords violently burst open, and boundless sword qi engulfed that section of the field.

This eruption of sword qi was like a torrential downpour. Every demonic cult member was struck by a dozen or more streaks of sword qi; the Mount Shu disciples witnessed only flashes of light, followed by crisscrossing sword energy and screams, but the tumult quieted completely in moments. Apart from the corpses littering the ground proving that what had just occurred was real, the previous scene seemed like a fleeting, shocking illusion that was hard to believe.

Having accomplished all that, Ye Wen’s figure swayed slightly, and a sharp pain shot through his brow—this battle had not only depleted his cultivation immensely but also taxed his spirit severely. Manipulating so many flying swords was never an effortless task; the fact that Ye Wen only felt discomfort now demonstrated his incredible endurance.

“Senior Brother, how are you feeling?”

Ning Ruxue was the first to rush over to support Ye Wen, whispering a question before returning to the Mount Shu ranks. Ye Wen then stated, “It’s nothing; I’ll recover after a brief rest!”

Walking toward the nearby house, Ye Wen glanced at Xu Xian, who was sitting cross-legged, and asked, “How is Junior Brother’s condition?”

At that moment, Huang Rongrong and Xu Xian had their palms facing each other, concentrating their energy, making it difficult to answer. Hua Yi spoke instead: “Rongrong’s expression seems slightly joyful; perhaps he is not in serious trouble!”

Ye Wen observed Xu Xian’s complexion, then looked at Huang Rongrong’s expression, and thought Hua Yi’s speculation might be correct! Although Pei Shiyuan’s Profound Ice and Fiery Devil Art was strange and powerful, it could certainly be countered if one’s cultivation was strong enough.

In fact, with his current cultivation, given enough time, even without expelling all his power this way, Ye Wen could have used the Dao of Yin-Yang Variation to dissolve the insidious latent energy. Since reaching an understanding of the dual cultivation method, Xu Xian and Huang Rongrong’s cultivation characteristics already subtly aligned with the Dao of Yin and Yang; they were now relying on their internal power to neutralize those toxic energies.

As he spoke, the palms of the two practitioners fluctuated between blue and red, and then the palms slowly separated. A surge of powerful energy filled the space between them. After a moment, as the energy in their palms changed, the small spots of blackness within their palms gradually expanded, clearly representing the most troublesome toxic energy from Pei Shiyuan’s sinister force.

“Now that this toxic energy is expelled, there’s nothing more to worry about! Junior Brother Xu was only defeated so easily because he carelessly encountered Pei Shiyuan’s scheme…” Looking down at Xu Xian again, Ye Wen felt that his junior brother simply hadn't encountered any truly supreme masters; his experience was even less than Ye Wen’s, which explained why he fell for the trap.

While contemplating this, Nangong Huang clutched his chest and pleaded, “Sect Leader Martial Uncle, please help my father!”

“What is it?”

Only then did he notice Nangong Tinghai sitting on the ground, covered in cold sweat. His face, flushed red, showed an undertone of indigo, which in turn hinted at blackness—an exact match for Pei Shiyuan’s Profound Ice and Fiery Devil Art.

“Brother Nangong was also struck by the Profound Ice and Fiery Devil Art?”

“My male cousin was struck by the hidden energy of the demonic art, but my father swapped the latent energy within my cousin into his own body using our family’s unique internal methods to save him. As a result, that hidden energy entered my father’s body! My father was already heavily wounded, and now he cannot withstand the erosion of that energy!”

By this point, Nangong Huang had grasped the entire sequence of events.

It turned out that the demonic cult had sent people to ambush the Nangong family members last night, and they had sustained injuries from that initial attack. Nangong Wentian was struck on the shoulder by a stone while saving his brother and injured his calf with a crossbow bolt. Because of these injuries, Nangong Wentian couldn't exert his full strength when the three envoys ambushed them later, allowing Pei Shiyuan to unleash his full power and strike successfully, worsening Nangong Wentian’s wounds and leading to his death at their hands.

Yet, even so, Nangong Wentian single-handedly held back the demonic cult members, buying his family enough time to escape; otherwise, the entire Nangong family might have been annihilated.

However, Nangong Feng was injured by Pei Shiyuan’s hidden energy during that fierce battle. If left unattended, he would certainly die soon, something Nangong Tinghai, whose life had just been saved by his elder brother, could never accept. This led to his decision to sacrifice himself to preserve Nangong Feng’s life.

Ye Wen listened to the cause and effect while examining Nangong Tinghai’s injuries. He found that not only was toxic energy rampant within him, but his meridians had also suffered scorching from the fire energy. His internal organs also appeared displaced from a massive impact. Furthermore, a water-like latent energy lurked near his Dantian; his condition was exceedingly dire.

“Relax, Brother Nangong will certainly be fine!”

If Ye Wen had not been present, anyone with this level of internal injury would be helpless. But Ye Wen’s Innate Purple Qi was best suited for regulating such internal damage. Ye Wen flipped his hand, and a purple lotus, spinning rapidly, descended onto Nangong Tinghai’s Baihui acupoint on his crown. Simultaneously, Ye Wen circulated his power, pressing one palm on the Tanzhong point and the other on his Dantian. With energy swirling around him, he dissolved all the hidden energy within Nangong Tinghai in moments and used his own true qi to shift his internal organs back into place.

But this was only preliminary treatment to stabilize his life force. The toxic energy in his meridians could only be sealed off for now, to be dealt with slowly later—or perhaps Nangong Tinghai could resolve it himself once his power recovered.

“Thank you, Sect Leader Ye…”

Before he could finish speaking, the window of the house behind him suddenly shattered, and an extremely swift figure shot out, aiming a finger strike directly at the back of Nangong Tinghai’s head!……………………

PS: I am contemplating the list of characters who will receive the 'bento' (i.e., meet their end); this list seems to be continuously growing.