Yu Yue had no intention of telling Ye Wen about the Dragon Transformation Pool; after all, their friendship hadn't reached that depth yet.

If it weren't for the fact that the Dragon Transformation Pool could only be used by water races or the serpent race, he might not have entrusted Ye Wen with reclaiming the South Sea Immortal Palace. That endeavor carried the slight risk of exposing his secret, after all.

It was precisely because Ye Wen would gain absolutely no benefit even if he discovered the Dragon Transformation Pool that Yu Yue felt confident letting Ye Wen deal with those people, rather than intervening himself.

After testing the essence within the water, Yu Yue sighed helplessly, "Like this, it will take at least another decade before it's barely enough for me to use... and that's because I have cultivated for so long and am infinitely close to the form of a Flood Dragon, allowing me to shed my serpent form through this very pool!"

Yu Yue's current true form already showed signs of developing horns on his forehead. If horns grew, followed by sharp claws, he would finally shed his serpent body and transform into a Flood Dragon.

However, despite having the character for 'Dragon' in its name, a Flood Dragon was still not considered a true member of the Dragon Clan. To become a genuine Dragon, the Dragon Transformation Pool was undoubtedly the optimal choice.

"I wonder what the Dragon Transformation Pool in the South Sea Immortal Palace looks like now."

The thought that those people might have already discovered the Dragon Transformation Pool in the Immortal Palace made him wonder how they would treat it.

In truth, Yu Yue hadn't intended to kill all those people from the start; initially, he had approached them with a rather peaceful mindset. But he discovered he couldn't reach any understanding with them, and moreover, they harbored considerable hostility toward him.

This caused Yu Yue to swallow the words he was about to speak, and after leaving, he began plotting the retaking of the South Sea Immortal Palace! During this time, he hadn't been idle either, constantly trying to probe the strength of these individuals. He ultimately found that all of them were not weak, and many of their abilities were quite bizarre. If he had to fight them head-on, even if he could kill them all, it would inevitably cost him considerable effort.

Furthermore, he was preparing to strive with all his might to see if he could transform into a Flood Dragon through his own cultivation. Under this premise, he genuinely didn't want to waste his spiritual energy, which is why he immediately thought of pushing the task onto Ye Wen when the young man appeared.

As for whether Ye Wen could succeed, that wasn't his primary concern. Even if Ye Wen were killed by the opposition, Yu Yue presumed that with the young man's strength, he would inflict massive damage on those enemies, making the subsequent battle easier for Yu Yue.

If Ye Wen succeeded, Yu Yue wouldn't mind helping the young man afterward. After all, dealing with an incomplete Seven Arrows Book of Doom wouldn't be beyond his capabilities. The only thing that truly piqued his curiosity was just who could wield a sorcery like the Seven Arrows Book of Doom?

Unbeknownst to Yu Yue, in a secret chamber somewhere,

A figure gazed at a scroll before him, while simultaneously observing a straw effigy set up not far away. The large characters "Ye Wen" written on it, along with the lamps lit above and below the effigy, exuded an unsettling aura.

"This Ye Wen truly has nine lives. Just when his soul was about to be scattered, he managed to flee back into the immortal realm. I wonder when he will next emerge?"

As he muttered this, he saw the scroll before him suddenly emit a faint glow, and the straw effigy seemed to come alive, giving off a subtle, almost perceptible sense of breath.

The person froze momentarily, then erupted in elation, "This is you seeking your own demise!..."

Saying this, he immediately formed hand seals, chanting incessantly. With the completion of each segment of the incantation, the person would bow deeply toward the effigy.

After one bow, he raised his head and quietly watched the effigy's reaction. Under normal circumstances, after this bow, the light on the scroll would suddenly intensify, and the effigy would jerk violently. If it shook ten times, it would signify the complete dissipation of the target's soul, leaving the afflicted person in a half-dead state. At that point, attacking the effigy with a weapon would result in death. He recalled successfully dispatching Scholar Beihe of the Kunlun Sect using this technique a few days prior, bolstering his absolute faith in this sorcery.

But to his astonishment, the scroll merely flickered faintly before immediately dimming again. The straw effigy remained completely unresponsive, appearing exactly as it had before, as if it were just an ordinary object standing there, showing no change whatsoever.

"Hmm?..." The person muttered a note of confusion upon witnessing this bizarre situation. "Could Ye Wen have found a method to counteract this technique?..."

But upon reflection, he felt this possibility was exceptionally slim. Moreover, if Ye Wen truly possessed a countermeasure, he wouldn't have nearly lost his soul to this technique earlier.

"Could there have been a mistake just now?..."

The more he considered it, the more he believed this to be the case. After all, he had acquired this technique by chance as an incomplete manuscript, with much of the content missing. He had merely managed to restore the sorcery based on fragmented records, making it far from the genuine Seven Arrows Book of Doom. Furthermore, the scroll required for the true Seven Arrows Book of Doom was vastly superior to this substitute he had refined.

With so many variables, an error was not surprising. Thus, the person meticulously reorganized his materials, smoothed his robe, and began the casting sequence again from the very start.

After completing the process a second time, he looked up at the effigy again, finding it still unchanged. He finally realized with certainty, "It seems Ye Wen has truly found a way to deal with it!"

Meanwhile, Ye Wen held the talisman in his hand and suddenly exclaimed, "This talisman suddenly turned scalding hot—could something be happening?"

As he spoke, the talisman in his grasp felt like searing fire, burning his palm. If he hadn't reacted quickly enough to grip it tightly, he would have nearly dropped the object.

Bai Suzhen, who was casting the Water-Repelling spell ahead, turned back and said, "It's likely the one trying to harm you is actively casting their spell; the talisman is helping you resist that technique, which is why it has become so intensely hot!"

Ye Wen had guessed the same, which was why he dared not let go of the talisman, even though it felt like it was about to burn straight through his palm. Xu Xian chimed in, "Once this matter is concluded, we must eliminate the person secretly plotting against you first! Senior Brother, who do you suspect it is?"

Ye Wen chuckled, "Who else could it be? It's limited to just a few possibilities!" It could be foreign powers, or perhaps some demonic cultivators from the cultivation world. However, Ye Wen felt that if these demonic cultivators truly wanted him dead, they would prefer a direct confrontation to ensure they could seize whatever they coveted while eliminating him.

The most likely candidates to plot against him while hiding and refusing to show themselves would be those from the Orthodox Sects, with the Qingcheng Sect being the most probable.

Ye Wen suspected that the Qingcheng Sect had likely learned of his slaying of Patriarch Bixue. In a sense, the two factions were now mortal enemies, as Ye Wen had eliminated a vital secret agent the Qingcheng Sect had painstakingly cultivated.

Moreover, Patriarch Bixue possessed formidable power and wielded the Nine Heavens Demonic Blood God Sword, making him one of the Qingcheng Sect's most reliable fighting forces. Having him removed by Ye Wen meant no one would accept it easily, and resorting to covert attacks against him afterward was perfectly logical.

Still, while discussing these matters privately with Xu Xian was fine, it was better to keep quiet when outsiders were present. Who knew if this little serpent had some connection to the Qingcheng Sect?

What if this little snake grew up in Qingcheng Mountain in her youth, was captured by someone intending to eat her, and was then rescued by a young Taoist disciple of the Qingcheng Sect, resulting in her harboring great affection for them? What if she ended up tipping them off or secretly conspiring to harm him? He would have no recourse then.

Although such annoyingly cliché scenarios usually happened to the main villain, Ye Wen felt that ever since he shattered the void, he seemed to have acquired a 'Villain BOSS template,' being treated as a monster holding rare loot wherever he went. From that perspective, it wasn't wrong—countless people coveted the Nine Provinces Tripods he carried, which were indeed prime equipment.

"Blast it all! Even after wiping out Emei with thunderous might, these people won't behave? Truly, people die for wealth and birds for food!"

While thinking this, he put away the protective talisman, which had stopped emitting heat for a while. Ye Wen reasoned that the opponent might have temporarily given up because the talisman worked, but he didn't believe such a temporary setback would make them abandon this potent sorcery completely. Therefore, he felt his danger was far from over.

After securing the talisman, Ye Wen followed behind Bai Suzhen. Seeing the subtle sway of the woman's slender waist made his eyes swim. He inwardly remarked, "Truly worthy of being a serpent demon, the way she sways her waist! I've finally witnessed what 'boneless softness' means."

Bai Suzhen seemed unaware, simply leading the way. After a moment, she seemed to sense Ye Wen observing her and turned back to ask, "What is it?"

"Nothing," Xu Xian rolled his eyes, secretly despising his senior brother. He thought to himself, "You practically want to open your divine eyes wider to get a better look," and yet you say nothing!"

Hearing this, Bai Suzhen didn't think much of it, merely responding with an "Oh," and turned to continue leading. After an unrecorded amount of time, she suddenly stopped, pointing toward an utterly unremarkable rock ahead, "That is the entrance to the South Sea Immortal Palace. You just need to stand on the rock and use a specific incantation to enter."

As Bai Suzhen stepped onto the large rock, Ye Wen suddenly quipped, "An incantation? Please don't tell me it's 'Open Sesame'?"

Unexpectedly, the moment he spoke, the surrounding scenery abruptly shifted for everyone. They were no longer enveloped by seawater, and a massive palace gate stood towering not far in front of them.

"Holy crap, it really was 'Open Sesame'?"

Ye Wen suddenly felt that it was incredibly fortunate the South Sea Immortal Palace had only been accidentally trespassed upon recently, given such an utterly frustrating opening spell.

Bai Suzhen's expression shifted to something between shy and embarrassed as she explained to Ye Wen, "I actually modified this incantation a few years ago!"

"Ah? Why change it to that spell?"

Bai Suzhen blinked, adopting an expression of utter innocence, "Because it's easier to remember!"

"..."

Ye Wen was speechless for a moment, constantly reminding himself internally, "This isn't Bai Suzhen, this isn't Bai Suzhen..." lest the perfect image of the White Lady completely collapse in his mind. Xu Xian clapped Ye Wen on the shoulder, then pointed toward Bai Suzhen, who had already walked some distance ahead and was looking back to signal them, "Senior Brother, let's go!"

Just as Ye Wen was about to reply, his expression suddenly changed. He shoved Xu Xian forward and simultaneously leaped backward.

The two separated instantly, and precisely where they had been standing, a sudden burst of black flames erupted. After burning fiercely in mid-air for a moment, the flames fell to the ground. Even though the ground was covered in stones and contained several puddles of water, the black flames were undeterred, emitting a sizzling sound. Seeing this, Xu Xian immediately summoned his Golden Light Sword and held it ready, looking around. He spotted two figures standing near the grand gate—he had no idea when they had appeared.

The clothing of these two was quite ordinary, indistinguishable from people in the mortal realm. The only difference lay in their eyes; they possessed crimson pupils laced with black patterns.

"Junior Brother, be careful not to look directly into those eyes!..."

Just as Xu Xian prepared to charge forward, one of the figures turned his gaze toward him. Before Xu Xian could make a move, a warning sensation struck him, and he instantly blocked with his long sword. The sword immediately ignited with the exact same black flames. Recognizing the potency of this black fire, Xu Xian quickly tossed the sword aside.

Had he not reacted so swiftly, the black flames would have reached his hand if he had hesitated for even a fraction of a second longer.

He thought to himself, "This flame is domineering and bizarre, and it seems to operate just like Senior Brother's divine eyes—it burns wherever it looks!..."

While having this thought, his movements did not slow. He was already renowned for his movement techniques, and after shattering the void, he had refined many more methods, making his current speed terrifying. As he employed his agility, his figure dissolved into a blur of shadows, making it impossible to distinguish the real body from the afterimages.

The two figures opposite were also greatly alarmed. One even cried out, "So fast!..."

His eyes, derived from one of the three great Japanese manga franchises, allowed him to discern truth from illusion, yet he couldn't pinpoint the man's actual location because the speed was too great; even with the aid of those eyes, he couldn't keep up.

The other person, though shocked, showed no overt reaction. Instead, he shifted his gaze and activated his ocular power, unleashing his killing move, intending to deal with the man first before helping his companion.

However, the moment his attack was launched, the man opposite, who had his eyes closed, seemed to sense it and subtly shifted his posture, dodging the strike.

Ye Wen felt the space beside him twist, as if the space had suddenly collapsed slightly, distorting and dragging nearby objects, including light itself.

"Amaterasu... Kamui? Are these Japanese?"

In truth, only upon seeing the cluster of black fire did he begin to consider this possibility. Western legends also spoke of black flames, so who knew if it was a Western faction? Furthermore, many strange sorceries from Southeast Asia existed. At first, Ye Wen genuinely suspected that the ones occupying the Southern Immortal Palace were those Southeast Asian groups.

He hadn't expected to find these islanders here. What made these islanders particularly troublesome was their persistent habit of copying abilities from popular anime in recent years. Had Ye Wen not possessed overwhelming strength, he might have considered retreating.

"Senior Brother, watch out!"

Just as Ye Wen was contemplating how to deal with these two and any others who might appear, he heard Xu Xian's warning, causing him to halt abruptly. He then used the Cloud-Treading Vertical Leap technique to soar high into the air. Looking down, he saw a woman materialize exactly where he had been standing moments before. She wore a golden thimble on one finger, which was incredibly sharp and also bore black patterns.

"Damn, that's vicious."

He muttered a complaint under his breath. Seeing the woman look up and notice Ye Wen leaping into the air, she revealed a mocking smile, likely believing that Ye Wen’s ascent had made him a more obvious and less evasive target—a choice that seemed like suicide.

Ye Wen naturally understood her thought process and chuckled back, "To be underestimated like that!..." He then raised his hand and beckoned lightly toward the woman, a gesture designed to be utterly infuriating, radiating scorn that few could tolerate.

The woman naturally couldn't stand it. She leaped up, maneuvering behind Ye Wen, and extended the hand wearing the golden thimble, stabbing repeatedly in quick succession. The 'ch-ch' sound of air being pierced was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

Unfortunately, this was child's play to Ye Wen. He extended his hand and struck lightly a few times. A soft puffing sound was heard—the sound of his palm meeting her wrist. This flurry of stabs was entirely neutralized by Ye Wen.

The woman looked at Ye Wen with an expression of disbelief, forgetting to continue her attack. Ye Wen seized the opportunity, using a minor grappling technique to seize her arm, then swung her around so she was positioned behind him.

"Ah!"

A scream rang out. As Ye Wen turned, holding the woman in front of him, he saw her lower back abruptly snap. The twisted space between the two severed limbs made it clear to everyone who the culprit was.

Almost simultaneously, black flames erupted from her back, abruptly cutting off the scream, silencing her in an instant.

Tossing the body parts aside carelessly, Ye Wen looked at the gruesome state of the woman and the enraged expressions of the two figures opposite him. He merely shrugged.

Although he said nothing, that gesture—the look of "it wasn't my fault"—was even more provocative. The two figures roared in fury and began to swell, their upper body clothes instantly shredding, revealing musculature comparable to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"What the hell is this now? Do these two only shamelessly copy one ability?" But then he considered, if they could imitate these skills, it made sense they would combine multiple abilities to become stronger.

Unfortunately, Ye Wen had no interest in lingering with them. While they were busy bellowing and showing off their muscles, he activated his agility technique and instantly appeared before them, using the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms technique, specifically 'Shocking the Miles,' to dispatch both of them instantly.

"This level of intelligence... pausing to build up energy during combat? Do they play too many games or read too many comics? It must be the islanders here after all!..."

But just as the thought crossed his mind, he saw a knight in front of him, clad in medieval armor and carrying a massive two-handed sword, murmur, "The Holy Light be with me."