The rescue of Bei Chengchunyan by Xu Xian was purely accidental. After healing his internal injuries and forcing out the venom, Xu Xian didn't stop channeling his internal energy. Instead, he borrowed the force of the Profound Ice Departing Fire energy, using it with Huang Rongrong's help to break through his final barrier.

Fortunately, he succeeded. The newly empowered Xu Xian immediately slaughtered the sudden appearance of Demon Cult disciples, turning the seemingly fatal situation of the Nangong family and a few Shu Shan Sect disciples into one of safety and ease.

Concurrently, thanks to Xu Xian's power boost and assistance, Huang Rongrong, although failing to break through the final bottleneck, also saw a significant increase in her martial power. With this formidable couple now unleashed, the Demon Cult members, lacking a top master, were instantly routed.

Originally, they possessed numerous crossbows, intending to use a deluge of bolts to take down the martial arts experts. However, Xu Xian’s lightness skill was so supreme that they couldn't pin down his true location. By the time they managed to target someone, Xu Xian was already charging amongst them, wreaking havoc, while Huang Rongrong focused solely on protecting the injured group.

There was little more to recount afterwards. Xu Xian and a few others in better condition pressed forward, while the rest retreated toward the waiting boats by the sea. However, because Ning Ruxue and the others hadn't left markers for those behind, Xu Xian, despite finding the palace, spent quite a while searching fruitlessly for the rest of the group within its walls. During this time, Xu Xian occasionally encountered Demon Cult members escorting Bei Chengchunyan out. Seeing this, there was no need for pleasantries; he charged forward, finished off the group with a single sword strike, and rescuing the Bei Cheng Sect Master became his next task.

Then, after circling several times, Xu Xian finally found the main hall and was reunited with Ye Wen.

"This..."

Even though Xu Xian only gave a rough account, Ye Wen sensed the twists and turns of the affair—not only had Xu Xian's power increased again, but he had also managed to save the Bei Cheng Sect Master by sheer coincidence... One could only say that Xu Xian truly lived up to his name; his protagonist's halo was so bright it nearly blinded onlookers.

Watching Xu Xian use one move, vanish without a trace, reappear with another move, and then disappear again, the stout man Hong Antong was effectively toyed with like a spinning top by Xu Xian. With his increased power and the lesson learned earlier, Xu Xian was now finally able to exert his true strength, engaging Hong Antong in battle.

Ye Wen didn't linger to watch further. Instead, he leaped next to Li Xuan and said, "Sect Master Li, surely you realize this isn't the time for us to engage in mere martial duels with the Demon Cult?"

Li Xuan glanced sideways at Ye Wen. "What is Sect Master Ye implying?"

"Let’s join forces and kill him first!" With that, without waiting for Li Xuan’s reply, Ye Wen thrust his sword forward—a beam of sword energy aimed directly at Tong Hao’s brow.

Ye Wen’s leap, his speech, and his strike were almost one fluid motion, with hardly any pause. Tong Hao was still wondering what the man was trying to say when Ye Wen suddenly attacked.

In a panic, he tilted his head, narrowly dodging Ye Wen’s sword energy, and mocked, "Oh dear, aren't you lot the celebrated heroes of the Righteous Path? Why are you resorting to gang fighting and sneak attacks?"

Ye Wen scornfully curled his lip. "Anyone else could say that, but not you!"

Saying no more, he waved both hands, causing two purple swords to emerge from his shoulders. The two rays of light drew a semicircle in the air, splitting off like a giant pincer to attack Tong Hao from both sides.

As this move was executed, Li Xuan’s eyes lit up. "The Shu Shan Sect truly has its merits!" He recognized the power and subtlety of Ye Wen’s two purple swords. His own hands were not slow either; his frost-infused fists were ready to strike. Just as the two purple swords were about to strike Tong Hao, and the Northern Protector leaped to evade, Li Xuan sprang up—but instead of attacking Tong Hao, he lunged toward the Demon Cult Leader, Situ Haolong.

"Leave that minor opponent to Sect Master Ye!"

It was Li Xuan’s pride flaring up; he disdained ganging up with Ye Wen on a mere lackey. Thus, while Ye Wen occupied Tong Hao, Li Xuan went directly to challenge Situ Haolong.

"I knew it!"

Two people present uttered this phrase at almost the same instant. Besides Ye Wen, the Demon Cult Leader was not surprised by Li Xuan’s move. He merely pushed the woman beside him aside slightly, employing a move from the Five Fox Severing Muzzle Hammer technique to counter, while also activating his Blood Heaven Demonic Art. Blood essence surged around him, and indistinct faces appeared within the energy of his fists, as if countless wronged souls were trapped within, striking terror into all who saw it.

At this moment, no one paid attention to the woman pushed away by Situ Haolong. She stumbled a few steps, then whined coquettishly, "Oh, Leader, be gentle..."

Before she could finish addressing Situ Haolong sweetly, a piercing pain shot through her chest. Looking down, she saw a long sword protruding from her sternum. Turning back, she saw Bei Chengchunyan staring at her with fury and tears welling in her eyes.

"You! Die!"

Stabbing through the woman's back heart was not enough for Bei Chengchunyan. She withdrew the sword and stabbed repeatedly. Only when the woman lay dead on the ground did Bei Chengchunyan stop. She had already seen the corpse of Xi Menxueblood and understood why Xi Menxueblood had died. She had been watching this woman since the beginning. When she saw Situ Haolong push her aside, she immediately lunged forward and killed her with a single thrust.

"Xueblood... I have avenged you..." Returning to Xi Menxueblood's body, Bei Chengchunyan gently closed her companion's unclosed eyes and sat there motionless. No one disturbed her at this moment, and her condition was not suitable for further fighting.

While Bei Chengchunyan could not fight, the old monk Huixin would not simply stand by and watch the fun. Seeing Ye Wen engaged with Tong Hao, Master Huixin murmured a Buddhist chant and declared, "...Amitabha. Life and death, success and failure, all hinge on this battle!"

With that, his eyes snapped open, displaying the fierce gaze of a Vajra. He took a few large strides, closing the distance to Tong Hao in a few steps. "I will take the life of this villain first, to avenge that Taoist old man!" As he spoke, his fist struck. Even Ye Wen, standing on the other side of Tong Hao, could feel the sheer might of Master Huixin's punch.

A seemingly ordinary straight punch carried such terrifying force; the pressure wave alone made Ye Wen feel breathless and forced him to leap backward to evade. However, he remembered the need to keep the despicable fellow pinned down so he couldn't dodge Master Huixin's blow. Thus, as Ye Wen retreated, a purple light flashed from his fingertips, unleashing a massive wave of sword energy—the mountain stronghold's compressed version of the Lightning Flash Fist reappeared.

This net of sword energy enveloped Tong Hao. Several strands were exceptionally powerful; if Tong Hao failed to deal with them properly, Ye Wen’s attack alone could finish him before Master Huixin’s punch even landed.

Seeing this spectacle, Tong Hao immediately broke out in a cold sweat. In a panic, he threw several dark, round objects toward Master Huixin, simultaneously turning around and drawing two fine steel daggers to fend off Ye Wen’s incoming sword energy.

"Boom! Boom boom!"

After several loud explosions, Tong Hao, without looking back, shouted, "Hahaha! That old bald donkey must be done for, just like that old Daoist who couldn't withstand many Thunder Fire Pellets! Next up is you..."

However, before he could finish speaking, he felt a fist emerge from his chest. The fist was stained with his own blood and slightly charred.

"This... how... how could..." He couldn't believe that this old monk could withstand the Thunder Fire Pellets and still manage to kill him with a single punch.

Yet, when he turned his head, he saw the old monk Huixin standing there—it wasn't some other person sneaking an attack.

"Can...?"

Ye Wen’s sword energy was not yet spent. As he spoke, another wave of sword energy sliced through Tong Hao, disappearing into him. But then, Tong Hao's hand, forearm, and thigh detached from his body, clattering to the ground—only the torso, pierced by the fist, remained suspended in mid-air.

Master Huixin slapped out with his left palm, sending the mangled corpse flying off his fist. Ye Wen sidestepped to avoid it, watching the body crash against the wall with a thud before falling to the ground.

Turning back, Ye Wen noticed that Master Huixin's chest was blackened, and both fists showed signs of charring. It was clear the Thunder Fire Pellets were potent indeed. Even protected by the Arhat Body Divine Art, the old monk looked this battered; if he had taken a few of those, he would have lost half his life.

"Master, are you alright?"

"No serious harm, for now..."

Master Huixin's words made Ye Wen realize they couldn't delay any longer. "For now" meant that soon, the old monk might not be able to hold on. He considered that Master Huixin had first led the Zen disciples in two fierce charges, then endured thirteen strikes to kill Zhu Yulian in one blow, and now had been blasted by Thunder Fire Pellets. Yet, he still stood there seemingly unharmed, thanks to the profound mystery of the Arhat Body Divine Art.

But no matter how divine the Arhat Body was, the user was still human. Even with Master Huixin's strength, he hadn't become a true Arhat. After taking so many brutal hits consecutively, even if his exterior was fine, who knew what condition his interior was in.

Ye Wen was most skilled in treating internal injuries, but this was hardly the opportune moment for healing. Situ Haolong, seeing Tong Hao dead, darkened his expression and grunted, "You refused the toast and chose the penalty. Since you wish to die, this Cult Leader will grant your wish!"

With that, he launched a flurry of successive punches, each laden with immense power, forcing Li Xuan to continuously retreat until he was nearly ten feet away from Situ Haolong. Just as Li Xuan prepared to charge forward again, Situ Haolong suddenly leaped, landing next to Hong Antong, sighting Xu Xian’s position, and sent a palm strike toward him.

If it had been the original Xu Xian, he might have been caught unaware and struck. But now, besides the increase in power, Xu Xian was constantly wary of his surroundings. Seeing Situ Haolong’s palm coming, Xu Xian immediately met it with his sword while twisting his body to avoid a sneak attack from behind by Hong Antong.

However, he still hadn't anticipated the sheer raw power of the Demon Cult Leader. His long sword felt as if it had struck a massive, solid block of iron. The entire blade bent into a crescent moon shape, yet it failed to penetrate Situ Haolong's palm in the slightest.

A blood-red light flashed in Situ Haolong's palm, followed by a roar. The long sword was shattered into powder by the palm force, leaving not even a shard behind. A cloud of iron dust scattered between the two fighters. Xu Xian decisively threw away the hilt and used his lightness skill to ascend high into the air, determined not to let this man launch another attack on him.

Unexpectedly, Situ Haolong ignored him, instead lunging forward, grabbing Hong Antong by the collar, and shouting, "Let's go!" He then laughed heartily, leaving behind a parting shot: "Wait here to die, you foolish rats!"

At these words, Ye Wen immediately shouted, "Not good, let's run!"

Everyone turned to look at him, their eyes showing confusion. Why should they flee in panic when the Demon Cult Leader had been forced to run?

They saw Ye Wen explain, "That fellow must have set up traps and explosives, intending to take us and this palace down with him! Let's go now!"

"Explosives?"

"A massive pile of Thunder Fire Pellets exploding all at once!"

The crowd shuddered recalling the might of the Thunder Fire Pellets, instantly grasping Ye Wen’s meaning. Since the Demon Cult had been able to annihilate the Tian Dao Sect completely with those pellets, blowing them all up as well seemed entirely plausible.

The group immediately began searching for an exit. Fortunately, aside from Bei Chengchunyan, no one in the group was so severely wounded they couldn't move. They quickly rushed out of the palace via the west gate to the outside.

However, upon reaching the exterior, their expressions grew even grimmer.

Hong Antong sat astride a tall warhorse, holding his black great spear, looking down at their group from a distance. Behind him, countless soldiers were drawn up in formation, with archers and crossbowmen positioned on both flanks. The arrows, gleaming under the sunlight, sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

Hong Antong sneered, swung his great spear, and roared, "If a single person steps forward, fire immediately! Force them back!"

Given the reaction speed of these martial arts masters, a single volley of arrows was unlikely to claim their lives. But if they could be forced back into the palace, the mission would be accomplished—the Cult Leader had already planted a large cache of Thunder Fire Pellets there, enough to send them all sky-high.

"Hmph, I originally intended this for Li Xuan, but it doesn't matter much now!"

This cache of Thunder Fire Pellets was initially Situ Haolong's contingency plan to bury Li Xuan within the palace ruins if he refused cooperation. Although the current situation deviated from his expectations, it was of little consequence—it just meant burying a few more people.

Ye Wen looked at the formation opposite them and asked Li Xuan, "Sect Master Li, can you block these arrows?"

Li Xuan was confused but nodded. "Blocking these arrows isn't impossible!" However, doing so would consume a significant amount of Li Xuan’s internal energy, and the enemy had a seemingly endless supply of arrows, whereas his energy was not infinite.

Ye Wen nodded. "Sect Master Li only needs to block these few volleys, and I, Ye Wen, will naturally find a way to deal with these soldiers!"

Hearing Ye Wen say this, Li Xuan no longer doubted him, believing Ye Wen wasn't boasting, as it offered no advantage to their group to conceal his methods.

As soon as Ye Wen spoke, Ning Ruxue knew what her senior brother intended to do. They had witnessed the power of Ye Wen's Myriad Sword Art more than once, but facing several thousand enemies this time, it seemed unlikely Ye Wen could kill so many soldiers alone.

After she voiced her concern slightly, Ye Wen smiled. "If we eliminate one or two tenths in a single move, these soldiers will naturally panic and collapse on their own..."

Ye Wen knew only a fraction about cold weapon warfare. He vaguely recalled that victory in such conflicts wasn't always achieved by killing the enemy until none were left; often, it was when one side’s morale plummeted, leading them to flee and collapse, resulting in a crushing defeat, while actual casualties in direct combat were relatively low.

He didn't know if his memory was accurate, but at this moment, he had to take the gamble.

Seeing his junior sister whispering their concerns, Li Xuan realized that Sect Master Ye did have a plan. Thus, he wasted no more time. He strode out from the ranks in a few steps. As he moved, the crossbowmen opposite seemed to receive an order, swiftly loading and firing their bolts into the sky. The arrows then plummeted down as if they had just completed a roller-coaster ride.

Watching the sky-obscuring rain of arrows descend upon them, Li Xuan remained unhurried. He spread both hands and, with a tremor throughout his body, caused a swath of indigo-blue halo to spread out with him at the center, shielding himself and everyone behind him within it.

"A Field!"

Only then did Ye Wen realize that for true masters, a 'Field' was not a rare thing. Some considered it useless, like Jiu Jianxian, while others deemed it unnecessary for daily use, like Li Xuan. This was the first time Ye Wen had seen anyone outside the Shu Shan Sect utilize Field projection techniques.

As Li Xuan’s indigo-blue Field erupted, the blue energy wall seemed to sprout ice crystals dancing cheerfully upon it. As the crystals multiplied, a layer of ice wall appeared at the edge of the Field. Arrows striking it even caused tiny shards of ice to scatter.

"This..."

Ye Wen observed the Field’s tremendous power. Especially being inside it, he distinctly felt the intense cold, and his own skill level allowed him to generally ignore such coldness, indicating just how frigid Li Xuan’s Field truly was.

Li Xuan glanced at Ye Wen, seemingly satisfied with his own Field, but this was hardly the moment for pride. He immediately said, "Sect Master Ye, quickly use your methods! We don't have much time!"

No one had seen Situ Haolong since they emerged, suggesting he was already setting the fuses. The palace behind them could explode at any moment; they had very little time left.

"I certainly won't disappoint you, Sect Master Li!"

He then turned to Ning Ruxue and said, "Junior Sister, this time we need both of our strengths combined!"

Using Ning Ruxue's sword energy as the foundation, then amplifying and enhancing it with his own profound internal energy, Ye Wen was preparing to attempt the true Myriad Sword Art this time!

"Let these Demon Cult soldiers witness the ultimate skill of our Shu Shan Sect!"

…………………… PS: My broadband connection suddenly dropped, but it’s finally back online.