Ning Ru Xue's Shi Tian Po Ti Wu Xiang Jian Qi entered her own body from her palm. Ye Wen enveloped all these sword energies with his own zhenqi. Then, the moment Ning Ru Xue channeled a bit of sword energy into him, a sword of purple tinged with cyan immediately materialized beside him.

"Damn it, I overlooked that!"

The last time Ning Ru Xue and Ye Wen used the Wan Jian Jue together, Ye Wen's zhenqi had been largely depleted, leaving his meridians wide open and naturally capable of accommodating external energy.

But now, Ye Wen's internal zhenqi was so full it was on the verge of bursting. If Ning Ru Xue's sword energy forced its way in now, Ye Wen felt like a balloon about to be over-inflated, with someone still continuously blowing air into it.

Since the decision had been made, there was no room for evasion. Ye Wen could only hasten the condensation of the energy sword while urging Ning Ru Xue to slow the rate at which she fed the sword energy into him.

For this very reason, the speed at which he could manifest the energy swords was much slower than Ye Wen had estimated. At this moment, an unknown number of arrow volleys rained down again. Li Xuan's protective field was shrinking visibly, and the ice crystals forming at the edge of the shield were becoming increasingly sparse.

Li Xuan was starting to grow anxious. He turned to look at Ye Wen, only to find the Shushan Sect Master completely obscured, while the area within his own field was now filled with numerous purple longswords.

"This..."

Seeing this sight, Li Xuan finally understood how Ye Wen intended to deal with the thousands of enemy soldiers facing them—by slaughtering them all with an endless barrage of energy swords.

He didn't know if Ye Wen would succeed, but upon witnessing Ye Wen's capability to condense so many energy swords, Li Xuan felt an undeniable pressure emanating from the young Shushan Sect Master. This pressure came from Ye Wen, but also from the countless purple swords surrounding him.

Ye Wen was also anxious; too much time had been wasted. The palace behind them could explode at any moment, and Li Xuan's protective field showed signs of collapse. Enduring this endless passive defense was a terrible choice. However, Li Xuan was exerting maximum effort just to maintain the field and prevent them all from being pierced by a thousand arrows; he couldn't move. Otherwise, they could have used the shield's protection to retreat from the detonating palace.

At this juncture, everyone could only place their hopes on Ye Wen. Ye Wen roared, "I'm going for it! Junior Sister, pour all your power into me!"

Ning Ru Xue started to speak, but seeing Ye Wen's frantic expression, she knew there was no time to delay. Gritting her teeth, she sent all the remaining sword energy within her into Ye Wen's body.

It must be said that humans often unleash astonishing power when facing imminent crisis.

Normally, such a massive influx of sword energy flooding into Ye Wen's body would either cause him to explode or utterly shred his meridians. Yet, Ye Wen erupted with incredible willpower and astonishing zhenqi manipulation skill at this crucial moment. As Ning Ru Xue's sword energy entered his meridians, his innate purple energy immediately separated and enveloped these foreign energies, finally undergoing a brief tempering process to form a longsword glowing with cyan light amidst the purple, which then hovered beside Ye Wen. Simultaneously, his innate purple energy circulated ceaselessly, striving every second to replenish the depleted zhenqi for Ye Wen's use.

After Ning Ru Xue finished channeling all her sword energy, a brilliant light erupted behind Ye Wen. In the blink of an eye, a dozen purple swords appeared, and in the next blink, another dozen materialized.

Moments later, the confined space within the energy field was completely filled with purple swords. Ye Wen, gritting his teeth against the headache caused by overexertion, shouted, "Sect Master Li, release the field!"

Hearing this, Li Xuan knew Ye Wen was ready. He immediately let go of the field, and the indigo-blue shield vanished instantly, leaving only shimmering ice shards sparkling in the sunlight.

When the shield disappeared, the Demonic Cultists should have rejoiced and loosed a torrent of arrows to turn the group into a pincushion. However, the sight revealed when the shield dropped was so horrifying that the hundreds of archers actually forgot to draw their bows, staring dumbfounded at the slow, rising purple mass in the distance.

Initially, everyone assumed the opposing side was employing the same technique as before, conjuring a purple shield to protect them. No one expected this patch of purple, once ascending into the air, to gradually disperse, revealing to all that the purple cloudscape was composed of longswords glowing purple tinged with cyan.

"Hmph."

Seeing this spectacle, the common Demonic Cultists dismissed it as immortal magic or demonic sorcery. But Hong Antong recognized it as the Shushan Sect's Wan Jian Jue.

"Xiang Yutian mentioned this technique several times. I, this Daoist, boasted to Xiang Yutian excessively to find excuses for my failures, never expecting the Shushan Sect's Wan Jian Jue to possess such terrifying might!"

He could tell at a glance that the sky full of purple swords was condensed from the essence of sword energy, similar to the icy chill Li Xuan had created in his palm—the extreme state achieved by mastering esoteric divine arts. However, compared to icy forces, few sword cultivators ever managed to solidify their sword energy to this extent, let alone create so many materialized swords of energy like the Shushan Sect Master, filling the entire sky with them.

"Heavens, is this the descent of a Sword Immortal?"

Many of the Demonic Cultists harbored this thought. When they witnessed the auspicious phenomena displayed by their Cult Master, Situ Haolong, they believed him to be an enlightened divine being, worthy of the throne of the Son of Heaven, which was why they were willing to fight for him. But now, it seemed the unknown person on the other side was even mightier than their Cult Master!

Ye Wen had now condensed all his internal power into purple swords. Above Ye Wen’s head, the sky was densely packed with countless purple longswords suspended in the air, pointing menacingly towards the enemy soldiers. Though there were only several hundred, they exuded the imposing momentum of a vast army.

"Wasting all my power only condensed this many! But it should be enough for some riffraff!"

Ye Wen’s eyes sharpened. He then channeled his remaining power to expand his protective field to its maximum. He wasn't aiming for any special effect from this field; he just needed to ensure he could control this sky full of flying swords.

At this moment, he failed to notice that not only were the opposing Demonic Cultists frozen by shock and forgetting to shoot their arrows, but even his own allies were staring upward at the swords, swallowing hard. The disciples of the Jade Grotto Sect were sweating profusely, muttering, "No wonder Master told us to follow Sect Master Ye. Master is truly far-sighted..."

Ye Wen could not concern himself with them now. Seeing the enemy stunned and frozen in place, he knew this opportunity would never come again. If he delayed, and the enemy recovered to loose a volley of arrows, he would have nothing left to do but wait for death!

With a thought, a sharp pain shot through his temples. Ye Wen could only clench his jaw and endure, refusing to show any distress.

Fortunately, despite his internal turmoil, the swarm of flying swords was obedient. In a flash, they all erupted with boundless sword energy. Each flying sword unleashed dozens of cyan and purple sword qi streams, dazzlingly brilliant. Then, this flash of light ascended into the sky, suddenly splitting into two groups, powerfully hurling themselves toward the archers on both flanks.

"Not good... Quick..."

The commander intended to yell for them to dodge, but how could such a massive wave of sword qi be easily avoided? As Ye Wen’s Wan Jian Jue unleashed, two swathes of light swept across the ranks of archers like plows tearing the earth. Limbs and torsos were scattered everywhere. Many who were grievously wounded but not dead wailed incessantly. At a glance, the scene resembled a living hell. But it wasn't over. Each of Ye Wen's several hundred flying swords was condensed from pure essence. Having passed through a group of mere soldiers, they encountered almost no resistance, and their sword qi was barely depleted. After flashing past, they regrouped in the air and surged back toward the center of the formation.

"It's over!"

This was Hong Antong’s sole thought. Immediately, the massive cluster of cyan and purple swords engulfed Hong Antong and a portion of the troops behind him. Not even a trace of blood splattered out until the flying swords soared back into the sky; only then could they vaguely discern that the pile of minced meat on the ground was likely Hong Antong.

"Heavens, a Sword Immortal has descended! The deity is angry, run!"

Countless others knelt on the ground, hands clasped, muttering something softly, perhaps begging for mercy? However, in the ensuing chaos, no one paid them any mind. The soldiers only cared about turning and fleeing, terrified that if they were slow, they too would be shredded into meat paste by that barrage of flying swords.

Seeing this, Ye Wen immediately shouted, "This is the moment, hurry!"

The words left his mouth, and another sharp pain struck his head. He felt a portion of the flying swords gradually slipping from his control. Ye Wen knew that in his current state, he could not command this ultimate technique for long; the swarm of swords would likely dissipate on its own soon.

However, although the enemy was routed in panic, this alone was far from enough.

"To hell with it, I have one last move!"

The thought formed, and the swarm of flying swords suddenly burst forth with even more brilliant light. Even many of the fleeing Demonic Cultists couldn't help but turn back to see what was happening.

"Has the divine lord's anger subsided?"

As they spoke, they did not expect that after that pillar of light, a rain of cyan and purple began to fall from the sky. However, this rain, pouring down like a torrential downpour, consisted of fatal streams of sword qi. Touching even one meant certain death, and this was a massive downpour...

"Oh God..." A soldier who had been kneeling and begging for mercy looked up dazedly at the rain descending upon him. His face, illuminated by the cyan and purple hues, was etched with regret and despair.

Screams and the sound of sword qi slicing through the air were incessant. Although the spectators were far away, they could hear these sounds, and the hellish carnage unfolding before their eyes made their complexions turn deathly pale.

Even Li Xuan, a top-tier martial expert, looked grim. He had never imagined that a martial art could cause hundreds of casualties in an instant with a single move...

The group had already distanced themselves from the palace. As they fled desperately, the structure finally succumbed to a deafening roar and disintegrated into dust. Ahead of them was an endless rain of sword qi, and behind them, the earth-shattering explosion. Trapped between the two, the group's legs felt weak. A few of the younger Jade Grotto disciples collapsed entirely, only able to continue moving thanks to the support of their peers.

They stopped only upon reaching a stream. Turning back, they observed the ruined palace and then surveyed the area submerged by Ye Wen's sword qi rain. A chilling sensation rose from the soles of their feet. Besides surviving the palace's destruction, they now felt a significant degree of awe and fear toward the relatively young Shushan Sect Master.

Li Xuan stood there, ramrod straight, gazing for a long time at the area that had almost sunken into the earth. His fingertips crackled with kinetic energy, interspersed with lingering, glittering ice shards.

"Sect Master Ye..."

"What is it?"

Li Xuan looked at Ye Wen, whose face was pale and beaded with cold sweat: "If we manage to return safely to the Central Plains, I hope Sect Master Ye can grant me a bout!"

At these words, everyone present was startled. Even the old monk Huixin Chan Master frowned, though he quickly smoothed his expression, uttered a soft Buddhist chant: "Amitabha... I hope you will both notify this humble monk when the time comes; I will certainly attend! However, for now, we should focus on what we should do next!"

Li Xuan clenched his fist and gave a cold laugh: "What is there to think about? Find Situ Haolong and kill him; that will settle everything." He then gestured toward a faint silhouette visible in the distance: "The Demonic Cultists have suffered such a heavy blow; their morale must be low. If we don't seize this chance to eliminate that fiend now, killing him in the future will be infinitely harder! There was truth to his words. Situ Haolong possessed profound martial skill, yet he did not view himself as a member of the martial world. He positioned himself clearly: I am a rebel; who has time to play those Jianghu games with you? If he isn't killed this time, he will certainly remain protected by his army henceforth, compounded by his own high martial arts..."

Ye Wen pondered for a moment, rising with the support of Huayi and Ning Ru Xue: "Let's return to where we landed. Situ Haolong certainly won't spare the remaining members of the Righteous Path! This man acts decisively and will surely try to wipe us out. If we hurry there now, we might just run into him!" Everyone agreed with this assessment. Li Xuan looked at Ye Wen and frowned: "Sect Master Ye just expended all his power with that last move. Why don't you rest here for a while? Master Li and Master Huixin will proceed ahead!"

Ye Wen nodded, knowing he was currently a liability. He turned to the disciples of the Shushan Sect who were still capable of fighting, along with Xu Xian: "You all follow Sect Master Li back first. I will rest a moment and catch up later!" Everyone agreed. Then, Li Xuan and Huixin led their group away at a fast pace. Ye Wen, Ning Ru Xue, Huayi, and Bei Cheng Yan, who was also injured, stayed behind.

The four looked at each other, then slipped into the deep woods, concealing their presence before sitting down to rest.

After meditating for a while, Ye Wen finally let out a sigh of relief. That last move had caused his head to feel like it was splitting open, especially when executing the sky-filling sword rain. If he hadn't bitten his tongue, he might have passed out immediately.

"The Wan Jian Jue... nearly cost me my life!" He had only known it consumed a lot of power before, but only in recent days did he realize that truly commanding the Wan Jian Jue seemed to require more than just increasing his internal reserves.

"Could it require mental fortitude training? The problem is, I don't have any manual for that!"

Feeling the pain subside slightly, Ye Wen nodded gratefully toward Huayi, who was massaging his head, and then looked at Ning Ru Xue, who was also meditating to circulate her energy.

As for Bei Cheng Yan from the Northern Sword Gate, the Sect Master now looked utterly lost and disheveled, completely lacking her usual imposing demeanor. She resembled an ordinary woman who had suddenly lost her loved ones, with no discernible difference. Ye Wen saw the dullness in her eyes, occasionally flashing with tears, and didn't know how to comfort her. Finally, he could only sigh and signal to Huayi, telling her to give the Northern Sword Gate Master some of the Shushan Sect's elixirs to stabilize her injuries first.

"Don't die on the way home after surviving the Demonic Cult headquarters!"

After arranging this, Ye Wen only needed to rest here slowly to recover his power, then head to the beach where everyone had landed when the time felt right.

But precisely at this moment, a scream echoed from deeper within the woods—an incredibly piercing sound, yet subtle enough that Ye Wen, with his keen senses, might have missed it had he not been alert.

"Did you hear that?"

Huayi turned, asking in confusion, "Hear what?"

Ye Wen pointed towards the depths of the forest: "There seems to be activity over there. I'll go take a look. You stay here and guard them."

Huayi immediately stepped forward and pulled Ye Wen back: "Master, you just exhausted your power. Don't go! What if you run into a strong enemy..."

Ye Wen waved his hand: "The sound wasn't far. It would be worse if they discovered us first. I'll check it out. If the situation allows, I'll strike first!"

He gently patted Huayi's hand to reassure her, then turned and plunged into the dense thicket. After turning a few corners, he still couldn't pinpoint the source of the sound. Just then, another scream rang out. Ye Wen realized there was a cave entrance in a low cliff face, hidden by thick moss and vines, which is why he hadn't noticed it earlier.

Pulling the vines aside, Ye Wen stepped in lightly. He hadn't gone far before he saw firelight ahead, followed by another scream.

This time, it wasn't just a scream; a voice Ye Wen recognized also drifted out.

"Enough! How long do you intend to torture him? He is your elder brother after all!"

Hearing this voice, Ye Wen immediately knew who it was: "Dongfang Yi? No wonder I didn't see that old ghost; he's been hiding here."

Just as he thought this, an exceptionally pleasant female voice spoke from inside, yet it carried a chilling coldness: "Brother? Does he ever treat me as his kin?" As she spoke, there was another scream, followed by the woman continuing: "My dear elder brother, I used to respect you so much, but I never expected..." She paused here, then added: "All the suffering I have endured over the years, you shall experience it all now..." Saying this, another scream erupted: "How is it? Doesn't it feel quite good?"

"You pervert, monster! If you have the guts, just kill me!"

Hearing this, Ye Wen finally knew who the one screaming was: Dongfang Family's eldest son, Dongfang Wuji!

"Could that be Dongfang Kui? Why has her voice changed?"

For more novels, visit storyread.net.