Ye Wen fumbled around for quite some time before arriving at a vast open clearing. After finally getting a clear view of his surroundings and judging the direction, he realized that he and Huayi, swept along by Shen Yuqing, had arrived at the very heart of the Demonic Cult.

Especially that towering, palace-like residence not far off; even the person with the poorest eyesight or the dullest mind would know who that was built for.

“This must be the Demonic Cult Leader’s stronghold!”

“Indeed! It seems there isn't another structure on this island built with such grandeur. Master, are we going to charge in?” With Shen Yuqing dead, Huayi felt a great burden lifted. However, looking at the Master who had raised her lying deathly cold on the ground, Huayi couldn't quite bear it and found a secluded spot to bury her.

“She did raise me, after all. Giving her a proper place to rest after death is repayment for her kindness in raising me!” Huayi didn't erect a tombstone; since no one would ever come to pay respects to Shen Yuqing buried here, a marker was irrelevant. Moreover, given Shen Yuqing’s notorious reputation, putting up a tombstone would be like explicitly inviting people to dig her up.

Ye Wen confirmed his direction and found he was positioned to the west of the massive palace. This meant if he waited here, he would eventually meet up with the members of the Shu Mountain Sect.

“No rush, let’s wait here a while. Perhaps the Junior Sister has already brought people chasing after us. I can also take this opportunity to continue regulating my internal energy!”

Huayi glanced at Ye Wen, then turned to look west a few times. “Perhaps this servant girl should go back to offer assistance, and also let Madam know the Master is safe, to prevent further worry!”

“Yes, that would be best!” Nodding, Ye Wen found Huayi’s suggestion quite appropriate. As for himself? His current condition didn't require anyone’s protection. As long as he activated his Purple Qi Heavenly Net Aura, it would serve as a perfect early warning system. Unless the opponent was a master on Shen Yuqing's level, the skills needed would be those focused on concealing one's tracks.

Seeing Ye Wen agree, Huayi utilized her Qinggong and headed west. Along the way, she vaguely began to recall the path they took. When they arrived, Shen Yuqing’s movements were too swift. Although Huayi paid close attention to the surrounding environment and tried to leave behind markers, in her haste, she could only remember the general route, and these markers were not everywhere. Thus, going back now to meet the others would help the Shu Mountain Sect members arrive sooner for the reunion.

Neither she nor Ye Wen knew that Ning Ruxue was currently blocked halfway by Bai Jingjing, Shen Yuqing’s disciple, making progress impossible.

“Shen Yuqing’s wicked disciple?” Ning Ruxue looked at Bai Jingjing. The long sword in the girl’s hand shimmered like clear autumn water—undoubtedly a treasured blade—and faint sword energy could be seen flickering along the edge, indicating that this woman’s swordsmanship was far from ordinary. Ning Ruxue had always assumed Shen Yuqing’s skills lay mainly in Qinggong and finger/palm techniques, favoring silk ribbons as weapons. She was somewhat surprised that Shen Yuqing’s disciple turned out to be a master of the sword.

“This Autumn Water Sword was my Master’s weapon from years ago; she later gifted it to me. How about it? Isn't this sword beautiful?” Bai Jingjing was still in the mood to show off her longsword, completely disregarding Ning Ruxue and the others before her. That ambush just now, which had wiped out seven Shu Mountain disciples in one go, had led her to believe the strength of the Shu Mountain Sect was nothing special.

“I truly don't understand why Master placed so much importance on you people. You’re hardly impressive now!” As she spoke, she suddenly frowned. “Hmm? More people are coming?” Hearing this, Ning Ruxue finally noticed the faint sound of chaotic footsteps coming from behind them—too many for just one person; it seemed many were rushing toward this location.

As the footsteps grew clearer, Ning Ruxue slightly turned her head for a look and saw Yue Ning, Zhou Zhiruo, Xu Ping, Guo Jing, Li Xiaoyao, and the contingent from the Jade Cave Sect, who had split up earlier because they couldn't find the markers. However, this group arriving now was intact; only she remained here. Bai Jingjing's sudden ambush had caught them completely off guard, resulting in the death of seven people. If she hadn't reacted quickly enough to repel Bai Jingjing with sword energy, she too might have been left dead on the spot.

“Martial Aunt!”

The group took their positions behind Ning Ruxue. Yue Ning first checked Ning Ruxue, seeing no obvious wounds on her, then glanced at the corpses of the Shu Mountain disciples on the ground, his brow furrowing slightly. Li Xiaoyao, upon seeing the situation, was about to leap up and attack but was immediately restrained by Yue Ning’s hand: “The opponent’s skills are formidable; don't be rash!”

Although Yue Ning was young, he was the most level-headed of them all. Within just a few glances, he judged that the opponent’s skill level might even surpass that of his Martial Aunt, otherwise, she wouldn't have managed to kill seven people while the Martial Aunt was present, yet remain completely unharmed herself. If that were the case, none of them stood a chance against this person. After calculating the situation, he felt their only hope for victory was for the Martial Brothers and Martial Aunt to join forces and form the True Martial Seven Intercept Formation.

Just as he was about to speak, he heard Ning Ruxue suddenly take a deep breath and then declare, “None of you move; I will deal with this person!” Without waiting for Yue Ning’s reply, she raised a slender hand, and a cyan-green longsword materialized, hovering above her palm. This version of Sword Control Art, as practiced by Ye Wen, was currently known only to Ye Wen and Ning Ruxue in the Shu Mountain Sect (Li Xiaoyao had learned it but couldn't use it). Furthermore, due to the specific nature of Ning Ruxue’s cultivation, although her power level was significantly lower than Ye Wen's, the condensation of her sword energy wasn't any slower than Ye Wen’s purple sword.

“Oh? What manner of technique is this?” Bai Jingjing was quite intrigued when a cyan-green longsword suddenly appeared out of nowhere, but she still didn't think much of it. To her surprise, in the blink of an eye, the cyan sword vanished without a trace.

“Huh? Did my eyes deceive me?”

Just as she was about to mock it, a sound of air slicing past her ear made her react instantly. Without time to think, she arched her slender waist backward until her body was nearly circular, narrowly dodging the horizontal thrust of the cyan sword.

“So fast!” The thought barely formed when the cyan sword abruptly stopped, hovering directly in front of Bai Jingjing. Simultaneously, the blade spun, flipping over, and slashed directly toward Bai Jingjing’s lower abdomen.

“Oof… so vicious!” She had expected this strike to either kill her or at least wound her seriously, but to her surprise, Bai Jingjing’s body suddenly shot backward, evading the blow entirely. She straightened up again: “Lady Ning is so beautiful and charming, yet so ruthless in her attacks? Hardly seems like a woman at all… no wonder your Senior Brother took a liking to Huayi!” Bai Jingjing continued chattering as she retreated, hoping to enrage Ning Ruxue into a frenzy, causing her mind to falter so she could seize the opportunity to kill her.

Unexpectedly, Ning Ruxue’s expression remained calm, seemingly unbothered by the words, focusing only on directing the flying sword to attack Bai Jingjing’s vital points.

“How boring!” Seeing that approach fail, Bai Jingjing immediately changed tactics, employing her bizarre Qinggong to rush straight at Ning Ruxue, thrusting her longsword forward in a move called ‘Immortal Points the Way,’ aiming for Ning Ruxue’s chest. This move wasn't particularly rare; almost every sword style had similar maneuvers, only varying slightly in name. However, when combined with Bai Jingjing’s Qinggong, its power could not be underestimated. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Bai Jingjing, who had been quite far away, was suddenly right in front of Ning Ruxue, the sword poised to pierce her heart.

But just then, Ning Ruxue rapidly waved her fingers, sending successive waves of cyan sword energy straight at Bai Jingjing’s upper body pressure points, forcing her to change her move and defend against these surges of sword energy first. A series of ding, ding, dangdang sounds echoed as the longsword met the sword energy, resembling the playing of a crisp, melodious tune. But neither had the leisure to appreciate the sound. After ten streams of sword energy, Ning Ruxue unleashed several more, this time aggressively targeting Bai Jingjing’s lower body, forcing the woman to leap into the air.

“Let’s see you dodge this!” Her gaze sharpened, and Ning Ruxue flicked her finger. The cyan sword, which had flown quite far, suddenly flashed back, shooting straight toward Bai Jingjing’s back. This move finally terrified Bai Jingjing enough to break out in a cold sweat. No longer daring to worry about Ning Ruxue, she spun around and struck back at the cyan sword, intending to neutralize this strange weapon first before dealing with Ning Ruxue. She had assumed that since Ning Ruxue had just released so many sword energies with both hands, even if she could recover her internal energy quickly, there would be a brief pause before she could launch another sword energy attack. She believed this opening was enough to force the cyan sword back.

To her surprise, Ning Ruxue merely tilted her head up, fixing her gaze on Bai Jingjing floating in mid-air, and with a slight lift of her brow, a beam of sword energy far more potent than any previous one erupted directly from her glabella. As this cyan sword energy appeared, it instantly morphed into the shape of a longsword in mid-air—though smaller in size, it was undoubtedly a longsword. Bai Jingjing had just turned when Ning Ruxue launched another flying sword. She hadn't even comprehended what was happening before she felt sharp pains in her back and chest simultaneously. Following this, a palm-sized cyan short sword flew out from her chest, trailing bright red blood everywhere.

“This… what’s going on?”

With a thud, Bai Jingjing collapsed onto the ground, looking up at Ning Ruxue, whose hands were hanging loosely at her sides, showing no sign that she had just executed an attack.

“I don’t just know how to release sword energy with my hands…”

Bai Jingjing only heard the first half of that sentence. As she tried to make a final, desperate struggle, the cyan sword descended, severing her last vestige of life force. Only then did Ning Ruxue let out a breath, feeling her legs slightly weaken.

“Is this how draining it is to fight like Senior Brother?” While the preceding moves weren't flashy, each one had been executed with ten-tenths effort. First, the cyan sword, which required a significant expenditure of true energy, had drained over half of her cultivation. The subsequent sword energies were less demanding, but forcing this woman into a confined space took considerable effort. And the final, smaller cyan sword had nearly exhausted all her remaining cultivation. To ensure it pierced Bai Jingjing’s protective true energy while maintaining sufficient speed and surprise, Ning Ruxue dared not hold back, which is how she managed to kill the woman.

“In terms of cultivation, you surpass me, but unfortunately, your experience is worse than mine, and you are far too arrogant!” Ning Ruxue looked down at the still wide-eyed Bai Jingjing, reminding herself: “I must seek more guidance from Senior Brother in the future. At least concerning combat experience against masters, he is the most seasoned in our sect! If this woman hadn't been less experienced than me today, I wouldn't have won so smoothly.” Bai Jingjing died because her experience was lacking. Ning Ruxue’s experience wasn’t deep either, but she had watched Ye Wen fight many times, allowing her to imitate his methods in combat, which became the decisive factor in this battle.

“Martial Aunt, how do you feel?” “Nothing, just need a short rest!” Ning Ruxue recalled the cyan sword to her hand and slowly drew the internal energy from it back into her body. She wasn't like Ye Wen, who let the energy dissipate into the air after use. If she did that with her limited cultivation, lacking the miraculous recovery of Innate Purple Qi, she’d likely collapse after just a few moves. After absorbing the cyan sword, although some power was lost, she regained enough strength to fight. She looked back at those remaining—only the direct disciples and the Jade Cave Sect members—while her Senior Brother’s fate remained uncertain, causing her a wave of depression.

Just then, the sound of air being ripped apart was heard again from ahead; clearly, someone was using Qinggong to rush toward them.

“It’s Huayi!” Having spent so much time together, Ning Ruxue was intimately familiar with Huayi’s Qinggong style and recognized her before she even appeared. When Huayi arrived, Ning Ruxue immediately moved to meet her. Before Ning Ruxue could speak, Huayi blurted out, “The Master is fine, and my Mistress, Shen Yuqing, is also dead!”

At these words, everyone present let out a collective sigh of relief. Ning Ruxue felt the heavy weight finally lifted from her shoulders: “It’s good that you’re all safe!” Then, everyone followed Huayi to find Ye Wen. Ye Wen had intended to meditate and wait for Huayi’s return, but not long after she left, the sound of fighting erupted nearby. Because he diligently practiced Qi regulation and dared not let his guard down, remaining highly alert to his surroundings, his senses were exceptionally sharp. The sounds, even from a distance, were extremely irritating to him.

“Can’t they find a more secluded place to fight?”

He stood up and rushed toward the sound. He hadn't gone far before he spotted a small gully. In the ditch lay the previously smug Long Batian, now utterly miserable, cursing non-stop at the woman standing before him.

“You watch yourself! If I get a chance, I swear I’ll make your life a living hell!” However, he was currently pinned to the ground like a dead dog, unable to move. Hearing his words, the woman only mocked him further: “On what grounds?” With that, she directly placed a foot on Long Batian’s face and ground it in repeatedly: “I heard you really like women. To die beneath these beautiful feet of mine… you should consider it an honor of three lifetimes! Do you have any final words?”

“Pah! You ugly wretch dare call yourself a woman? For this stomp today, I, Long, will surely repay you in the future!”

“You think you’ll have a future? Have you lost your mind?” Saying this, she pressed down with a little more force, grinding half of Long Batian’s face into the dirt. “With this little bit of skill, you dare to be so arrogant? It seems the Righteous Martial World isn't all that great! It’s a wonder the Cult Leader was so cautious and deliberate. I should have just charged back to the Central Plains; anyone who blocked the way would have been crushed immediately!”

“Mmmph mmmph!” Long Batian’s mouth was buried in the dirt, and he could only make muffled sounds. Seeing Long Batian in such a state, Ye Wen sighed, “You finally met someone who isn't afraid of your halo, so you're done for, huh?” Based on Long Batian’s past fortunes, at this point, either the opponent would foolishly say, “Fine, I’ll give you a chance!” or a hidden senior master would suddenly appear to rescue him. But now, stranded on this island, the opponent had no desire to postpone his death, and the scattered Righteous masters were likely busy fighting elsewhere, with no time to save him.

However, Ye Wen had miscalculated one thing.

“Who goes there?” The woman stepping on Long Batian suddenly turned her head toward Ye Wen’s direction and slapped the ground with her palm. A burst of palm energy sent a large scattering of pebbles flying up, shattering the leaves and grass obscuring Ye Wen’s position and exposing him.

The one remaining eye of Long Batian lit up with excitement upon seeing Ye Wen appear, and he continued to make inarticulate “Mmmph mmmph” sounds, though no one knew what he was trying to say. Ye Wen suddenly had a strange feeling: Am I supposed to be the legendary senior master coming to rescue him? Damn it, that’s not how this is supposed to go! Setting aside the fact that he didn't reveal himself voluntarily, given his terrible “friendship” with Long Batian, he had zero interest in helping the man.

“This… ah…” She had been focused on Long Batian and had forgotten to look at the person who had pinned him underfoot. Ye Wen looked up and saw a woman with skin as dark as the bottom of a pot, eyes as narrow as threads, and a flattened nose and large mouth staring at him. He genuinely couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed, so he couldn't tell if she was looking at him.

“Uh…” …Miss…” Were it not for the woman wearing tight-fitting sportswear that revealed a voluptuous, slender figure—a figure that defied gender—Ye Wen wouldn't have been able to tell if she was male or female based on her face alone. Earlier, in the woods, he had only seen her back, admiring that criminally attractive physique. Now that she had turned around, Ye Wen was afraid she might commit a crime against him.

“Which sect are you from?” The woman scrutinized Ye Wen, discerning he wasn't part of her cult, but she couldn't place which faction of the Righteous path he belonged to.

“Ye Wen, of the Shu Mountain Sect!”

“So you are Ye Wen!” Upon hearing this, her expression suddenly became even more peculiar: “You managed to get this far… that fellow Xiang Yutian must have died by your hands!” In truth, after the Righteous heroes split up, the Demonic Cult knew exactly which faction was attacking which position, leading them to implement countermeasures. Not only did they kill the Righteous forces piecemeal, but they could also abandon their posts to move around freely. This is how she managed to capture the overly arrogant Long Batian. Although Long Batian’s martial arts were decent, they were far inferior to her own.

“Are you here to save this fellow?” The woman glanced down at Long Batian, her face filled with disdain.

“Mmmph mmmph!” Long Batian expressed great excitement.

“No!” Ye Wen decisively turned his head away.

“Mmm? Mmm mmm mmm…”

The woman seemed slightly surprised, but she was decisive in her actions: “Since you’re not, you won’t mind if I kill him, right?”

“Suit yourself, Miss!”

Before Ye Wen finished speaking, a dull thud sounded, followed by a large spray of red and white matter splattering everywhere. If Ye Wen hadn't had protective Qi shielding him, he would have been drenched. The woman, however, paid it no mind. Splatters of red and white covered her legs, but she ignored them, instead saying to Ye Wen, “Oh? You really aren’t going to save him!” With that, she began to laugh loudly: “Sect Leader Ye, are you perhaps planning to defect to our Cult?”

Ye Wen pointed at Long Batian’s corpse: “I’m not saving him because he once tried to harm me. I have no need to pretend to be a good guy to an enemy! As for joining your cult? I have absolutely zero interest!”

“Oh? Isn't there a saying about repaying enmity with virtue?” A sinister smile suddenly crossed the woman’s face: “Sect Leader Ye, acting this way as a member of the Righteous path… tsk tsk!”

Ye Wen remained unconcerned, replying casually, “If virtue is used to repay enmity, what is used to repay virtue? It is only proper to repay enmity with justice, and virtue with virtue!”