Ning Ruoxue’s face was etched with worry. In her experience, eye trauma caused devastation far beyond what ordinary people could imagine, let alone a martial artist? If Ye Wen’s cultivation significantly declined because of this…

Originally, she kept her distress unspoken, only letting her anxiety show through a furrowed brow.

Unexpectedly, Ye Wen suddenly reached out and gently rubbed the spot between her eyebrows: “Stop worrying like that. I told you, it’s fine!”

“Senior Brother, can you see now?”

Ye Wen’s action led Ning Ruoxue to believe her Senior Brother had resolved the strange energy strike and could therefore see her expression. But as she looked closely, she realized Ye Wen’s eyes remained shut; he hadn't opened them.

“It’s just that my vision is gone. I can still rely on my divine sense…”

Ye Wen smiled faintly. This was the unexpected benefit he discovered from the dark curse: he could constantly temper his divine sense by leveraging the stimulation from the curse energy. Furthermore, Ye Wen, who previously had no idea how to utilize his divine sense, had coincidentally obtained Zhang Hengguang’s soul-searching intent talisman shortly before, giving him a glimpse into the path of wielding divine sense.

Just now, when he unleashed the Zixiao Sword, he had deliberately infused a strand of divine sense into the condensed blade. The result was that the Zixiao Sword possessed an added layer of spirituality, its power far exceeding his expectations. Mudrak, a dark mage of respectable strength, died cursing how he was struck down, never even realizing what killed him.

More importantly, he no longer needed to maintain a connection with the Zixiao Sword through his aura like before. Now, he could control the sword with true freedom. Ye Wen speculated that if he mastered the use of his divine sense and infused it alongside spiritual power into an ordinary longsword, he could achieve true Sword Control Arts. Of course, mastering this would require extensive practice.

In truth, if Ye Wen had retained the entire dark curse energy, it would have benefited the strengthening of his divine sense even more. However, the lack of hearing proved too inconvenient, so he prioritized restoring his hearing, retaining only the aspect that restricted his vision.

As for why the ball of dark curse energy was so ineffective, it wasn't due to the weakness of the dark mage Mudrak. In reality, the curse Mudrak cast at the cost of burning his life force had not been fully completed. If Mudrak had managed to finish the curse, Ye Wen would have lost not only sight and hearing but all sensation; he wouldn't even be able to mobilize his true qi.

In that scenario, although Ye Wen wouldn't have died, he would have been little different from the deceased. Simultaneously, the boundless darkness and endless solitude would have certainly driven a normal person to complete breakdown, leading them slowly toward death in torment.

This meant the curse was merely one or two tenths of Mudrak's final desperate blow, not even half its potential power, which is why Ye Wen could resolve it so easily.

Concurrently, Ye Wen learned that the Primordial Chaos Mirror True Qi within his body could be used not only as ordinary internal strength. If the Primordial Chaos Mirror was circulated to the Baihui acupoint atop the head and allowed to swirl there like a nascent core, it would gradually strengthen his divine sense—which differed slightly from pure mental power.

Originally, Ye Wen possessed no divine sense. That soul-searching intent talisman allowed him a preliminary development of his divine sense, and this cluster of dark curse energy provided him with the opportunity to amplify it.

Under normal cultivation, Ye Wen could only constantly manipulate his true qi to swirl around the Baihui acupoint for a short period, but it would almost immediately rush to the next acupoint. Establishing a core-like existence there would require prolonged, arduous training.

However, for the moment… because of the curse, the true qi, in its passive battle against these intruders in its territory, was forced to linger near the Baihui acupoint, gradually carving out a core-like structure. As the qi circulated, it continuously nourished Ye Wen’s divine sense.

His current resolution was to completely eradicate the curse only after his divine sense reached a certain level of accomplishment. By then, he wouldn't even need to intentionally mobilize his true qi to dissolve the dark, icy energy; a single thought would cause this fragile curse to collapse.

After briefly explaining the situation to the two women, Ye Wen shared the changes in his Zixiao Sword with Ning Ruoxue: “Once I’ve stabilized, I’ll teach you the method for cultivating divine sense. Your Green Lotus Sword can also become far more formidable!”

Ning Ruoxue’s longsword now also bore a name—the characters ‘Green Lotus’ were etched near the base of the blade. Unlike Ye Wen’s Zixiao, the name on the Green Lotus Sword was accompanied by a carved lotus flower pattern, indicating Ning Ruoxue’s superior skill in imbuing the sword with refinement.

Moreover, unlike the Zixiao Sword, the Green Lotus Sword could release green lotuses in addition to sword energy when attacking an enemy. Ye Wen’s Zixiao Sword couldn't do that. Even more miraculously, every lotus released by the Green Lotus Sword had the potential to transform into the Green Lotus Sword in the next second, while the original sword would turn into a green lotus. This made the sword’s movements incredibly unpredictable and impossible to guard against; Ye Wen marveled at the sheer versatility of Ning Ruoxue’s weapon.

Ye Wen was genuinely pleased by his junior sister's progress. Since mastering sword energy, she had been imitating his combat style, but now she was finally beginning to manifest her own unique capabilities—a cause for genuine celebration.

After a few more exchanges, upon learning that cultivating divine sense was the key to truly mastering the Sword Control Arts, Ning Ruoxue eagerly extracted the cultivation method from Ye Wen and immediately sat down to begin practicing.

Huayi refilled Ye Wen’s teacup—the teapot sat nearby—and then began collecting the spoils of war.

Putting everything else aside, she first picked up the three small orbs. These three magical artifacts had already displayed a fraction of their power and, now ownerless on the ground, were the first items to be secured.

Next, Huayi retrieved a cluster of talismans and two small swords, about the size of hairpins, from Liao Tong’s body—a body with only a sword wound on the chest but a soul shattered into countless fragments. She examined them but couldn't identify what they were, yet she sensed a faint spiritual energy fluctuation emanating from them, so she gathered them up as well.

Finally, she found a small, brocade pouch attached to Liao Tong’s belt. Huayi channeled her true qi into the pouch and felt her energy vanish as if swallowed by the sea, leaving no trace. She surmised this was another type of storage artifact, feeling similar to the spatial necklace Ye Wen had previously set aside for her.

“Master, this person has so many treasures!” Huayi returned to Ye Wen, presenting the pile of spoils with a clatter on the table.

Unfortunately, Ye Wen couldn't see them. He could only sense the spiritual fluctuations radiating from the items, deducing they were all useful objects with unique functions.

“Set them aside for now. We’ll look at them later!”

Ye Wen took the three orbs with the most intense fluctuations and examined them closely. He found the energy within them extremely volatile, seemingly capable of erupting with immense power with just a slight infusion of true qi.

He casually sent a small amount of true qi in. The orb in his hand immediately burst with fierce energy, threatening to fly out. Startled, Ye Wen then channeled a thread of his divine sense into it. Instantly, the orb calmed significantly, hovering in his palm, crackling with electrical sparks and displaying formidable might.

“Go!”

With a thought from Ye Wen, the orb shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, leaving a streak of electric light in the air. Then, with a tremendous boom, the extremely solid wall was blasted with a person-sized hole right through it.

“How was the power?”

He couldn't see, judging the results only by the energy fluctuations released in that instant. Visual confirmation was always more direct, so he asked Huayi.

To his surprise, Huayi was laughing incessantly, pausing to catch her breath before telling Ye Wen, “Master, that blast almost scared Mr. Zhang and the others to death!”

As the smoke and dust cleared around the large hole, several dusty figures appeared. It turned out Zhang Hengguang and the others were positioned just on the other side of the wall and were completely unprepared for the sudden explosion. The resulting dust cloud left them utterly disheveled. Believing they were under attack, they had immediately adopted defensive stances, only relaxing once they saw Ye Wen and his companions on the other side.

Ye Wen, wondering why he hadn't sensed them, heard Flores remark, “Your stealth talisman doesn’t seem to be working very well anymore!”

Zhang Hengguang wiped his face, looking puzzled, but upon recognizing Ye Wen, he seemed to understand: “With an elder master present, it’s only natural that my meager trick was seen through!” He mistakenly assumed Ye Wen had detected something amiss and forced them out, unaware that Ye Wen was merely testing a magical artifact with a casual blast.

Hearing Zhang Hengguang, Ye Wen couldn't help but feel a touch of awkwardness. Fortunately, his composure was finely honed, and he had often pretended to be profound before. He maintained his stance without changing his expression and waved them over: “Come over. The one named Mudrak is dead!”

“What?”

The most significant reaction came from the Templar Knight Flores. He had braced himself for a fierce battle today, one where he might easily lose his life without a moment’s lapse. To be told the enemy was dead before he even faced Mudrak was staggering.

Passing through the hole, Flores saw the corpses lying on the ground. Neither had been dead long; their magical energies had not fully dissipated. Liao Tong's body, surrounded by an oppressive aura of death and lingering vengeful spirits (which Huayi had dispersed with her qi field—a discovery that surprised Ye Wen, as martial energy also affected spiritual entities), confirmed that this Easterner was the Necromancer.

As for Mudrak, though his body was gone, the dissipating dark magic energy swirling around proved definitively that the man was dead.

After confirming their identities, Flores let out a long sigh of relief. To eliminate the greatest threat of their mission so easily felt like remarkable fortune.

Standing before Liao Tong’s body, Flores first murmured a quiet prayer, then cast a spell upon the vengeful spirits. As if soothed, the spirits gradually faded into the air.

“May the Holy Light be with you all…”

Ye Wen tilted his head, suddenly recalling another phrase: “I wonder if this world has shamans or druids who worship nature? If so, would I have to say something like, ‘Mother Earth is deceiving you’?”

Having dealt with the vengeful spirits, Flores moved to the residual dark magical energy. The Knight knelt on one knee, gripping the hilt of his broken Knight’s Sword in his right hand while resting his left hand naturally on his raised left knee, murmuring a prayer.

Soon, the holy light emanating from Flores grew intensely strong. As his prayer continued, the light not only became more powerful but also seemed to establish a connection with something. Once the connection was formed, Flores shone like a colossal lightbulb, radiating brilliant illumination.

Moments later, the light receded. All residual dark aura clinging to Mudrak’s remains was purified. The room no longer held any trace of darkness, feeling like any ordinary chamber.

Flores breathed a sigh of relief. Though fatigue showed on his face, the Knight maintained his composure and dignity. He first picked up the ring inlaid with a black gemstone from the ground and presented it to Ye Wen: “I believe this item belongs to you, Mr. Ye.”

As Ye Wen reached out to take it, the slight movement of his head and their brief physical contact made Flores frown sharply: “Mr. Ye, were you struck by Mudrak’s dark magic?”

Ye Wen smiled lightly, feigning nonchalance: “Nothing much, just a minor curse. At most, it keeps me from seeing for a while!”

Flores understood the implication hidden in Ye Wen’s words: this minor trick won't stop me; I’ll recover in a few days, so don't worry!

Therefore, he did not offer to heal Ye Wen. Instead, he gazed deeply at the black six-pointed star, obscured by Ye Wen’s hair on his forehead, and the chilling darkness emanating from it: “A curse enacted by consuming life force... And this magic cannot overcome this man? I must absolutely avoid making an enemy of him!”

At this moment, Flores reassessed Ye Wen’s standing in his mind, even resolving to discuss this operation thoroughly with his Bishop upon returning to the Holy See. Ye Wen, the powerhouse from the Eastern world, would be the focus of his report.

Zhang Hengguang’s deference was even more pronounced. Upon entry, the almost tangible dark magic had made his legs tremble violently; it was clear how formidable that dark mage was. A presence whose residual magic remained so potent long after death was certainly beyond his capacity to handle.

Yet, before this elder master, none of it seemed to be a problem. He also recognized the six-pointed star as a form of dark curse magic, contemplating whether he should use connections to bring the elder master to Europe to seek the aid of a Bishop for healing, thus deepening their friendship.

Who would have thought that this curse, so daunting in his eyes, was merely a trivial inconvenience to the master, barely worth mentioning, something he expected to clear up in a few days?

“This is truly a master of profound skill!”

Zhang Hengguang admired him inwardly while also surveying the pile of objects—presumably the spoils of this mission. Since the elder master had slain the enemies, these items rightfully belonged to him; they had no claim to them.

However, Ye Wen wasn't excessively greedy. Once everyone gathered, he vaguely gestured toward the pile of items: “You all pick through them. See if there’s anything useful.”

It wasn't that he disliked the treasures, but Ye Wen believed that sharing benefits was the path to long-term development. By letting them have these gains, he could extract all the information he needed from them.

Besides, this ring in his hand…

“The seal on this ring is incredibly strong; I can’t break it open right away!”

He didn't know the ring’s function—perhaps it was the spatial ring that concealed most of the dark mage’s fortune. He would only know once he broke the seal.

He wasn't in a hurry. Mudrak was dead, and Flores seemed deliberately friendly out of deference to his strength. Under these circumstances, Flores certainly wouldn't risk offending him to claim the ring. Zhang Hengguang seemed more concerned with whether Ye Wen might offer guidance on his cultivation path, appearing less focused on material wealth.

Zhang Hengguang pointed to the three orbs: “These are called the Lightning Fire Orbs. They are well-regarded artifacts among cultivators—convenient to use and quite powerful. Though they are common, most cultivators with some means keep a few on hand.”

He then picked up the two small, hairpin-sized swords: “These two seem to be specially refined sword-shaped artifacts. They exude a faint aura of violent killing intent; I wonder how many lives were taken to forge them... These do not feel like artifacts of the righteous path; they seem more like items refined by those of the evil sects!”

Ye Wen immediately understood these must be the weapons Liao Tong used to kill people and gather vengeful spirits. However, everything had happened too quickly; Liao Tong hadn't even had time to summon his weapons before Ning Ruoxue dispatched him.

Zhang Hengguang examined the small swords again before concluding: “These need to be destroyed quickly, preferably by finding someone with immense magical power to pacify the vengeful spirits sealed within!”

As he spoke, he glanced at Flores, but the Knight merely shrugged, indicating he couldn't: “There seems to be a strange magical array on these. I cannot break it! Perhaps a Bishop from the Holy See would be required to fulfill your request!”

“Then forget it. I’ll take them back to my sect in a few days; I’ll ask an elder to examine them!”

Just then, Claire, who had been wandering somewhere out of sight, suddenly shouted: “My God... what is this... how much is this worth!”