Ye Wen was certainly no Saint Seiya, though the move he had just employed came frighteningly close. But in the end, it was merely a bootleg imitation. What swept across the sky were not bursts of fist energy, but incredibly sharp strands of sword qi.

In that respect, the killing power might even be more terrifying—except that the original speed of the fist was already light speed, and the force generated by a light-speed punch... Best not to dwell on such matters. Ye Wen shook off the thought in an instant and resumed his actions.

He drew his left palm back slightly, shoved hard with his right, and the Indigo Deep Sea energy erupted from his hand, manifesting as a giant water dragon roaring as it shot forth, its momentum no less impressive than that of Chan Master Dihong’s Eight Divisions Water God Dragon. This move employed ‘The Overreaching Dragon Regrets.’ Back when Ye Wen first acquired the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, his understanding of the technique was somewhat skewed. After returning to this world, he utilized the advanced network to look up martial arts he was familiar with, and through numerous analyses of the original texts, he realized how much his comprehension of the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms had drifted off course.

If he had used this palm strike before, it would have been an exercise purely in ferocity, because he had always believed the Dragon-Subduing Palms to be an intensely rigid style, and its most renowned move, ‘The Overreaching Dragon Regrets,’ would naturally be the pinnacle of that rigidity. It was only later he understood that the emphasis of ‘The Overreaching Dragon Regrets’ lay in the word ‘regret.’ After learning this, Ye Wen re-practiced the technique, gradually finding his way back onto the correct path for cultivating the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms. As for his previous application, if he hadn't possessed the heaven-defying foundation of Innate Violet Qi, he would have utterly destroyed himself practicing that palm style.

As this strike was launched, its imposing aura was evident, yet Ye Wen still had energy to spare. He immediately followed with another palm strike. This time, however, he did not use the Indigo Deep Sea energy, but rather the Azure Snow Ice energy.

The crowd saw one water dragon, then immediately a second ice dragon—two colossal beasts roared and snarled, charging straight at Chan Master Dihong. At this moment, Chan Master Dihong had not only lost his magical artifact, but all his Water God Dragons had also been destroyed by Ye Wen. He was at his weakest point, holding only a begging bowl.

He managed to flip the bowl, momentarily restraining the half-dragon, but the ice dragon roared past and lunged towards the Chan Master. Just then, a Daoist rushed out from the main hall, shouting loudly, “Spare him, under the palm!” As he spoke, he waved both hands, and with a few swooshes, two flying swords transformed into meteor-like beams of light, shooting towards the two dragon-shaped palm energies. The Daoist then smoothly swept his hand, and a gentle surge of energy reached Chan Master Dihong’s side first, lifting him away in an attempt to avoid the two palm strikes.

“It’s Daoist Tianxing!” Everyone present recognized the old Daoist who suddenly appeared as Daoist Tianxing, the sect master of Mount Emei, who was also Chan Master Dihong’s senior martial brother—the Elder Tian among the Three Elders of Emei. It was rumored that this elder possessed supremely high cultivation. In the Cultivation World, few dared to confidently claim victory over him, with only Zhang Sanfeng being able to exert stable dominance.

Consequently, Daoist Tianxing was a source of apprehension for many in the cultivation community. Some who held grudges against Mount Emei, pleased to see Chan Master Dihong humbled, had secretly been rooting for Ye Wen to finish the Chan Master off entirely. But with the emergence of Daoist Tianxing, they shelved those thoughts, believing it was simply Heaven’s will that Emei should not perish.

“What a shame!” Only Ye Wen did not share this sentiment. Hearing Daoist Tianxing’s cry, he snorted in anger, cursing inwardly: “When that bald donkey was blasting me with the Water God Dragon just now, where were you? Why pop out now to call for mercy?

Mercy, my foot!” Thus, showing no sign of holding back, Ye Wen followed up with his left hand, unleashing another palm strike. From this palm, seven lotus flowers spun rapidly on Ye Wen’s left hand, displaying seven colors—white, red, yellow, blue, purple, black, and indigo—each carrying a distinctly different energy signature. They emerged sequentially, with varying speeds, perfectly blocking the route of retreat for Chan Master Dihong.

When this move was unleashed, everyone gasped in surprise. Many murmured, “What kind of magic treasure is that?” They mistook Ye Wen’s Heavenly Core Lotus Ring, propelled by the seven layers of energy from the Primal Chaos Treasured Codex, for some kind of artifact, simply because the visual representation of the energy was so easily misleading—even Chan Master Dihong and Daoist Tianxing assumed as much. “Doesn't Sect Master Ye think he’s being a bit too ruthless?” Daoist Tianxing felt a surge of irritation seeing that after he had intervened and pleaded for restraint, Ye Wen not only hadn't stopped but had actually intensified his attack.

He deemed Ye Wen utterly ungrateful, only for Ye Wen to immediately mock him: “Not as ruthless as those from your own sect! If I hadn't possessed a few means of my own, I’d likely already be dead by the hands of your faction!” Upon hearing this, the crowd couldn’t help but glance toward the Emei disciples. Recalling how Chan Master Dihong’s previous moves were all aimed at Ye Wen’s life, they felt it was entirely justified for Ye Wen, having turned the tables, to show no mercy.

Daoist Tianxing’s words, recalled now, only made Emei appear unreasonably aggressive. While they spoke, Daoist Tianxing’s two flying swords had successfully shattered the two palm strikes. However, the energy contained within Ye Wen’s two strikes was overwhelmingly potent.

Though the two flying swords broke the palm energies, they were violently repelled, sent flying far backward, rendering them unable to advance further. Because of this turn of events, Daoist Tianxing had no time to continue his war of words with Ye Wen. In a panic, he waved his hand again, and three more flying swords shot out from the sleeves of his wide Daoist robe, all emitting meteor-like brilliance and flying at extreme speed.

In the blink of an eye, the three swords arrived before Chan Master Dihong, forming a 'Three Talents' formation, and began hacking at the seven charging lotus flowers one by one. Yet, as the seven lotus flowers burst forth, their various entirely distinct energies caused the three flying swords to swing wildly, and with every tremor, the starlight on the swords dimmed significantly. By the time the sixth, the black lotus flower, erupted, the three swords had revealed their true forms; the starlight on them had completely vanished, leaving them no different from ordinary long swords.

Daoist Tianxing was greatly alarmed, thinking to himself: “What exactly is this technique? Its power is so immense, it nearly damaged my Seven-Star Swords!” It turned out that the Emei Sect Master’s magical flying swords were the Seven-Star Sword set, totaling seven blades, subtly corresponding to the number of stars in the heavens. They didn't just align with the Big Dipper; they could also borrow the power of the Four Divine Beasts corresponding to the East, South, West, and North constellations—that is, the power of the Twenty-Eight Mansions.

To put it plainly, this set of Seven-Star Swords could borrow the might of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. If the power of the Four Beasts was utilized properly, an ordinary opponent would be overwhelmed, unable to defend themselves. However, Daoist Tianxing held himself in high regard.

Thus, when making his move, he first used only two flying swords, and upon seeing Ye Wen strike again, he deployed three more. He was reluctant to bring out all seven swords, believing that only a select few in the world could compel him to deploy all seven blades, and that list absolutely did not include the current master of Mount Shu. When Chan Master Dihong returned that day, he recounted the events in detail to Daoist Tianxing.

Upon learning that Ye Wen was only about as strong as his junior martial brother, he hadn’t taken Ye Wen seriously. Even seeing Chan Master Dihong fighting Ye Wen outside the main hall, Tianxing initially assumed his junior brother could easily eliminate Ye Wen by leveraging the ‘home-field’ advantage. But as the situation increasingly favored Ye Wen, and when Ye Wen made a move intended to take his life, the elder finally could not remain seated.

He flew out of the hall and deployed his flying swords to intercept Ye Wen’s attack. Unexpectedly, both moves he unleashed resulted in him being at a disadvantage, especially Ye Wen’s sequence of seven lotus flowers, which managed to shatter his flying swords using only six of them. The indigo lotus flower continued its flight toward Chan Master Dihong.

Fortunately, it was only one flower; his junior brother, even in his haste, should not be fatally endangered. But the indigo lotus flower, upon reaching Chan Master Dihong, suddenly flashed. The Indigo Deep Sea energy it contained erupted explosively, entirely transforming into indigo sword qi, instantly submerging the Chan Master within it.

“Junior Brother!” Although he knew Chan Master Dihong had the Golden Body protection technique that should prevent immediate death, if this continued, his junior brother was still doomed. The only solution now was to stall Ye Wen as quickly as possible, preventing him from launching further attacks. Daoist Tianxing, desperate, finally cast aside all notions of reserve and dignity.

With a sweeping motion of his sleeve, he summoned the last two flying swords, combining them with the five already recalled to his side—the complete set of Seven-Star Divine Swords was now deployed. “It’s the Emei Sect’s Seven-Star Swords!” The crowd cried out in shock. Many widened their eyes, eager to see what the famous flying sword treasure of the cultivation world looked like and what power it held.

Simultaneously, many others deployed various techniques—using spells or artifacts to shield themselves, lest the ferocity of the ensuing battle catch them in the crossfire. Indeed, many dared not remain on the plaza. They used various means to fly into the air, looking down from above—it was safer, and they could see more clearly.

At the same time, numerous Emei disciples also summoned their personal flying sword artifacts. However, afraid to look at Ye Wen, they redirected their attention toward the other members of the Mount Shu faction. Noticing this shift, Xu Xian chuckled to Huang Rongrong, “I knew Senior Brother bringing us to Mount Emei this time wouldn't be peaceful!

We haven't even stepped inside their main hall, and now we're locked in a life-or-death struggle!” As he spoke, he withdrew a long sword from his ring, and the expressions of the Emei disciples instantly changed. The reason was simple: the long sword Xu Xian drew was Ren Tuzhe’s Golden Light Sword. As Xu Xian’s power grew, ordinary swords could no longer meet his demands, so Ye Wen had gifted him this artifact captured from Ren Tuzhe.

Originally, this long sword bore the Emei Sect’s seal. Even after Ren Tuzhe’s death, Ye Wen and the others couldn’t use it. Had it not been kept within the Penglai Immortal Realm, the flying sword would have flown back to Emei on its own long ago.

But Ye Wen’s eyes had undergone a change, and with his initial ability to control the Glazed Fire, he needed only a small application of skill to shatter the numerous restrictions within the Golden Light Sword. He then quenched the sword again with Glazed Fire, making it better suited to Xu Xian’s temperament. However, the external appearance hadn't changed much, so the Emei disciples could still recognize the long sword at a glance!

Furthermore, the Golden Light Sword was a treasure of Emei, holding immense significance for their disciples. How could they tolerate such a sword falling into enemy hands? Thus, the moment Xu Xian drew the sword, it was like issuing a rallying cry.

The multitude of Emei disciples simultaneously summoned their flying sword artifacts. In the blink of an eye, the sky was filled with all manner of flying swords and magical treasures, their lights flashing in a riot of color, making for quite a spectacle. All these artifacts and swords were aimed directly at Xu Xian.

The surrounding cultivators, who had been watching the excitement, immediately retreated far away, adopting expressions of spectatorship, eager to see how Mount Shu would counter such a fierce barrage of attacks. But when they moved clear and turned back, Xu Xian was gone. As they stood in astonishment, they heard a series of sharp clanging sounds from the mid-air above.

Following the sound, they turned their gaze and saw that the sky was now filled with countless Xu Xians. Each Xu Xian lightly pointed the long sword in his hand forward, and then the colorful, imposing magical treasures began to spin and fall from the air. “What… what is this?” “Charging forward to clash head-on with magical artifacts with just a sword…” “Is this Mount Shu truly the legendary Martial Cultivator school?” “Do ordinary cultivators possess such terrifying internal strength?

Who exactly is this person?” Mount Shu, though beginning to gain some renown, was known only through Ye Wen; at most, people knew that Ye Wen’s wife possessed respectable cultivation. As for the others in Mount Shu, what abilities they had, or how powerful they truly were, remained a complete mystery. However, someone with poor eyesight remarked loudly, “Could this person be Madam Ye?” This individual’s voice was exceptionally loud, carrying clearly to every person present.

Xu Xian, who had been moving freely amidst the seemingly endless array of magical treasures, staggered mid-air, nearly falling. He was almost struck by a suddenly incoming Demon-Subduing Electric Fireball. Fortunately, Xu Xian reacted quickly, and his inherent speed was already extreme.

He narrowly escaped harm and, in return, sliced the Demon-Subduing Electric Fireball in half with a counter-strike, utterly destroying a magical treasure. This was certainly aided by the fact that he wielded the Golden Light Sword. The Golden Light Sword was, after all, a well-known flying sword in the cultivation world, possessing formidable power.

Had Ye Wen engaged Ren Tuzhe directly without strategy, he would have found it difficult to escape unscathed without unleashing the Myriad Sword Arts. Now, with this sword in Xu Xian’s hands, its power had increased rather than decreased. Furthermore, since Xu Xian was fighting with a sword, the vast energy contained within the sword resonated with the internal force in Xu Xian's body.

With every thrust Xu Xian made, the light on the Golden Light Sword intensified. Eventually, the crowd could no longer discern Xu Xian’s figure; they could only see a mass of golden light, faintly tinged with red, weaving erratically through the fray. No one could clearly make out the situation, but everyone knew that this unknown member of Mount Shu might possess power comparable to Ye Wen!

What a joke! If Ye Wen knew these people’s thoughts, he would surely curse them as a bunch of unimaginative fools! While Xu Xian’s display was eye-catching, it was due to the unique nature of his technique and the fact that his opponents were merely ordinary Emei disciples.

He was dealing with Emei’s two main bosses! How could these be compared? If those two joined forces, Xu Xian would be in grave danger today.

The best course of action was to take advantage of Chan Master Dihong’s current state of utter chaos and kill this damned bald donkey first! At this point, Daoist Tianxing had deployed all seven Seven-Star Swords and altered his hand seals. The seven flying swords suddenly erupted with a crimson glow, borrowing the fire energy of the Vermilion Bird star in the South.

It was said that the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire was not only extremely powerful with the ability to dispel evil, but it was also an almost inextinguishable flame; even a tiny speck touching someone would result in them being burned to ashes. As the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire appeared, Daoist Tianxing roared, “Ye Wen, since you refuse to show sense, do not blame me for slaying you!” “Putting on a show again!” Ye Wen ignored him, using the Cloud-Treading Vertical Leap to vanish completely. He suddenly reappeared next to the utterly battered Chan Master Dihong and unleashed a wave of sword qi.

“Junior Brother, watch out!” Daoist Tianxing, who had thought he could immediately press the Mount Shu group with his aura, saw the scene blur before his eyes. Ye Wen had darted right next to his junior brother. In a moment of sheer panic, he disregarded that his Vermilion Bird Divine Fire was not yet fully unleashed and immediately commanded the seven flying swords to attack Ye Wen.

That wasn’t all. Daoist Tianxing knew Ye Wen’s skills were formidable and his combat power extremely strong. Moreover, Chan Master Dihong had mentioned that set of purple flying swords Ye Wen still hadn't used.

Therefore, after deploying the flying swords, Daoist Tianxing slapped his artifact pouch. The mouth of the pouch opened, and with an incessant swoosh-swoosh-swoosh, twenty-one wooden rods, resembling chopsticks, flew out. These twenty-one rods swelled against the wind, transforming into twenty-one towering pillars in moments.

They rotated and shifted in the air to confirm their positions, then slammed down violently. The crowd heard a deafening roar that even shook the storefront. Only then did they notice Daoist Tianxing’s actions.

Those who recognized the technique cried out in alarm, “Mount Emei is setting up the Golden Light Array!” Others who didn't know the object but had heard of the Golden Light Array spoke with doubt: “Didn't they say the Golden Light Array is set up using mirrors? Why are there twenty-one rods…” Before this person could finish speaking, Daoist Tianxing’s pouch spat out another twenty-one objects. These items also grew from small to large, and once suspended in the air, the crowd saw that they were indeed twenty-one mirrors, which flew toward the twenty-one giant pillars and instantly attached themselves to the wood.

At this moment, Ye Wen was trapped within the array, yet he completely ignored these changes. Instead, he waved both hands, launching stream after stream of sword qi toward the flustered Chan Master Dihong, continually closing the distance between them. Just as Ye Wen was about to close in on Chan Master Dihong, close enough to strike him dead with a palm, the surroundings seemed to shift abruptly.

The clamorous crowd of cultivators vanished without a trace, and Ye Wen appeared unable to perceive his surroundings. Then, a golden light shone down from above. Ye Wen felt a great warning sign in his heart and immediately leaped backward to evade the beam of light.

At that moment, he noticed the ragged Chan Master Dihong suddenly throwing his head back and laughing maniacally: “Ye Wen, trapped in my senior brother’s Golden Light Array, you are surely doomed!” However, before he could finish his sentence, he felt a searing pain across his chest, as if being roasted by a fierce fire. He looked down, and what met his eyes was a dazzling spectrum of seven colors.