Ye Wen held his hands up loosely, and the two Zixiao Swords simply hovered in the air, their faint gleam waxing and waning, the shifting light making it barely possible to discern the outline of the long swords.

North River Hermit had long known Ye Wen possessed the Zixiao Swords, but he hadn't known how many Ye Wen actually had. When he had broken through the illusion during the siege in the phantom realm, he hadn't seen Ye Wen employ the Myriad Sword Art. At that time, in order to shed the identity of North River Hermit, he had pretended to have been defeated and eliminated.

It was precisely because of that surprise attack that North River Hermit, operating under another guise, managed to rally another group of followers, such as the woman standing beside him now—Mai Shiranui. North River Hermit placed immense value on her eyes.

If North River Hermit understood how formidable those eyes were, how could Ye Wen not know? As he summoned his twin flying swords, one of them trembled slightly and pointed directly at Mai Shiranui, ready to launch an attack at any moment to slay the woman capable of dragging people into an illusory realm.

"Sect Master Ye, this choice doesn't seem optimal!" North River Hermit let go of the God-Beating Whip in his hand, but the divine whip didn't fall to the ground; instead, it hung suspended before him after leaving North River Hermit’s grasp. Perhaps wary of Ye Wen’s flying swords, North River Hermit positioned the God-Beating Whip somewhat deliberately in front of himself, guarding against any sudden strike from Ye Wen intended to catch him off guard.

Ye Wen, however, shook his head: "Sect Master Ye believes this choice is the best, because Sect Master Long clearly has no sincere intention of cooperating with my Mount Shu Sect!" From their preceding words and North River Hermit's expression, Ye Wen discerned that this Hermit had never relinquished the thought of killing him—even when proposing cooperation, his demeanor carried an air of condescension, tinged with a sense of bestowal.

Given North River Hermit’s centuries of cunning in concealing his identity, he shouldn't have made such an error. Yet, he had.

Ye Wen conjectured that either North River Hermit had no intention of hiding at all, or centuries of suppression had finally caused his true nature to burst forth. It was also possible that for this very reason, North River Hermit had seized the opportunity to feign his own demise, allowing him to reclaim his original identity.

Perhaps because Ye Wen had approached the Nine Cauldrons of Kyushu so closely, North River Hermit’s ambition had swollen beyond expectation, reaching a point where he could no longer maintain his concealment, hence his current display.

"Sect Master Ye certainly understands matters."

With the conversation having reached this point, reconciliation was impossible. Ye Wen’s eyes remained tightly shut. North River Hermit had intended to glean some insight from his opponent’s gaze, perhaps discern some of Ye Wen’s thoughts, but Ye Wen gave him no such opportunity, even after subsequently opening his eyes.

"Those eyes..."

A flash of seven-colored light vanished instantly. The pair of glass-like pupils startled North River Hermit. He realized he had utterly failed to truly gauge Ye Wen; unexpectedly, the Mount Shu Sect Master possessed a pair of divine eyes that countless cultivators yearned for but could never attain.

Judging by appearances, it was unclear what mystic power these eyes held, but North River Hermit knew that with Ye Wen holding so many trump cards, his only recourse now was a swift conclusion to the battle, to prevent complications from dragging on.

With this thought, North River Hermit uttered no word. A mere thought sparked, and the God-Beating Whip immediately responded as if commanded, flying toward Ye Wen.

As an ancient divine artifact, the God-Beating Whip, while not ranking among the absolute peak in its era, was nearly an object of veneration in the current age, where Immortals and Buddhas were gone and the cultivation world was greatly diminished—certainly one of the most formidable magic artifacts alive.

Ordinary magic artifacts would scarcely dare to clash head-on with the God-Beating Whip. However, Ye Wen’s twin flying swords were not artifacts in the conventional sense; they were the manifestation of his entire cultivation base, unafraid of clashing with any artifact.

But Ye Wen’s twin swords had other uses. As for the God-Beating Whip, he had other means to counter it.

Spotting the incoming trajectory of the God-Beating Whip, Ye Wen narrowed his eyes. In his complete focus, he perceived that the whip, flying like a meteor, was not moving rapidly. Its flight path was peculiar, enveloped by a faint divine radiance, and the air currents stirred by its passage—every single detail—was observed by Ye Wen.

He saw everything with perfect clarity. While these eyes couldn't predict the whip's exact path through these observations, for Ye Wen, who had mastered martial arts and spent his life honing his skills through combat, merely seeing everything clearly was sufficient; he could handle the rest on his own.

Having judged its approach, he even predicted the God-Beating Whip would make a sharp turn to directly attack his forehead. If this blow landed true, no matter how powerful Ye Wen was, he would surely be turned into scrambled pulp!

With the trajectory clear, Ye Wen channeled his strength into his right palm and struck out directly. This palm strike was the "Coiling Dragon Regrets" from the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms—the most potent strike in the set.

Although its sheer forceful impact did not match the "Shocking the Hundred Miles," this strike was the most exquisite in the entire palm art. To grasp the meaning within this one move could elevate the practitioner's understanding of the entire set by a level (the revised edition even upgrades Coiling Dragon Regrets to the overarching principle rather than a mere technique, a testament to its significance).

With a swift whoosh, the palm struck out. This was vastly different from Ye Wen’s previous strikes, where an arc of dragon-shaped energy would roar forth. Although his current palm was wreathed in flowing energy, with a faint dragon form visible, no palm force shot forth across the void. While immense power was unleashed upon contact, influencing the approach of the God-Beating Whip, it differed markedly from strikes projecting force across distance.

Only when the God-Beating Whip neared did Ye Wen’s right palm meet the whip’s shaft with a resounding bang, eliciting a deafening clamor. Terrorizing, formidable surging power then radiated outward, finally revealing to the spectators just how fearsome that palm strike truly was.

North River Hermit watched as his God-Beating Whip was knocked back a considerable distance, spinning away. Had he not stabilized it instantly, the divine artifact might have been driven straight back into his own hand.

Even so, this impact showed him the sheer power of Ye Wen’s strike—and how incredibly condensed its force was, only erupting at the final moment.

"Martial cultivators are truly formidable, able to meet the God-Beating Whip head-on with just a pair of bare hands!"

While North River Hermit had braced himself for Ye Wen's might, he hadn't anticipated it being this exaggerated. This was partly due to his recent confinement within the South Sea Immortal Palace; he was unaware that Ye Wen had previously fought the Emei Sect’s Grandmaster Hong Chan using only his bare fists.

Had he known, he might have been psychologically better prepared and wouldn't have been so shocked, leading to his slight lapse in concentration—a lapse that cost him dearly.

He only noticed two streaks of purple light flash near him. When he turned back, he realized the grave mistake he had made in that instant.

The moment the two sides engaged, Xu Xian also instantly mobilized his power and drew a long sword. It emitted a faint vermilion rainbow light—it was the South Sea Infernal Fire Sword that Xu Xian had casually picked up before returning from the battle against the Emei Sect.

The Golden Light Sword had been thoroughly scorched by the black fire upon arrival. Though not completely destroyed, it was severely damaged; even if repaired, its full power would likely be diminished. Moreover, it was currently battered like scrap metal, completely unusable. Fortunately, Xu Xian knew he lacked an ultimate personal sword and was accustomed to wielding one, so he kept many long swords in his storage treasure, gathered whenever he saw an opportunity.

As soon as he unsheathed his sword, attacks erupted from the surrounding figures. The space near Xu Xian shimmered, and three silhouettes suddenly materialized. One, clad entirely in black but unmasked, was clearly of European descent. He appeared behind Xu Xian, plunging two daggers reflecting a faint blue glow toward Xu Xian’s back.

Simultaneously, two others appeared to Xu Xian’s sides and front—both Japanese. One wielded a long blade, entirely black, with a 'field' character symbol on his forehead protector. A short chain extended from the pommel. As he swung, a blade energy, black with streaks of red light, burst forth from the edge.

These two alone kept Xu Xian preoccupied. The last attacker suddenly materialized a small, blue ball of light in his hand. It looked insignificant, like a lump of dough, but Xu Xian sensed that among all these moves, this object was the most perilous.

Yet, this wasn't what caused Xu Xian the most distress. What was most frustrating was that the instant the assailants moved, Xu Xian, intending to use his lightness skill, felt his entire body seize up, utterly unable to move, as if the very space around him had been locked down.

It was precisely because of this pause that the incoming attacks were about to land on Xu Xian. But just then, after two purple streaks flashed by, Xu Xian found the restraints around him vanished. He instantly activated his lightness skill, dodging sideways to avoid the small light sphere attacking head-on.

Then, with a sweep of his sword, he unleashed a long, dazzling arc that met the black blade energy laced with red light in a direct clash. The resulting massive shockwave affected the European man dressed in black. This man was just reaching into a small pouch at his waist when a rainbow light flashed past his eyes. Before he could comprehend what happened, consciousness deserted him.

He didn't understand, but the other two saw clearly. They witnessed Xu Xian, who was clearly leaning sideways and retreating, suddenly reappear next to their companion. His long sword flickered ominously, and a beam of light shot past their vision. Their comrade instantly exploded into a puddle of blood.

And the Xu Xian who caused this stood rooted to the spot, making no move to dodge the splattering blood, which, to the terror of the remaining two, passed straight through him as if he weren't there, finally splashing onto the ground with a wet hiss.

"It's an afterimage!"

Both realized it. The Xu Xian who killed their comrade had already retreated; the figure remaining was merely an illusion, which explained why the blood passed through instead of clinging to him.

Though impressed by Xu Xian’s speed, the man with the black blade was unconcerned, believing his own speed to be no slower. A flash of black light ignited at his feet, and he darted forward again, charging toward Xu Xian, who was still retreating backward.

But at that moment, the other man suddenly shouted, "Be careful!"

The swordsman hadn't grasped the situation before seeing the figure that should have been an afterimage move his sword. The man clearly thrust three times, aiming for the swordsman's throat and both shoulders. The Japanese man immediately swung his blade to block.

The onlookers heard three sharp clinks before the man stood frozen, his face etched with disbelief. Then, the black long sword held across his chest shattered inch by inch, followed by a crisp sound, like breaking glass, as it completely disintegrated into fragments.

That sharp sound served as a signal. As the long sword disintegrated, jets of blood erupted from the man's shoulder sockets and throat. These blood streams, much like the rain of gore from before, pierced through the Xu Xian figure standing silently before him, merging with the crimson spreading on the ground.

At this point, the 'dough-ball' brother felt his legs weaken. Although the lump in his hand hadn't dissipated, he lacked the courage to charge forward.

The entire sequence had been too bizarre, too terrifying! What compounded the man’s horror was that the Xu Xian they believed to be the true body, who had been rapidly retreating, had vanished. Only the figure pierced by blood jets remained.

He was not inexperienced, and he suddenly understood everything.

When they had launched their surprise attack, as Xu Xian retreated, he had simultaneously executed an extremely fast counter-charge, delivering countless sword strikes in an instant to slice the European comrade into a bloody mess—aided, perhaps, by the sword energy that erupted with Xu Xian’s swing. Then, as the blood exploded, he retreated back to his original position. This happened in nearly an instant, creating the illusion of two Xu Xians.

The true Xu Xian was indeed retreating, and the figure pierced by the blood rain was indeed only a residual shadow.

When the other comrade charged to pursue, Xu Xian, with incredible speed and precise execution, returned to the shadow's location, instantly swapping positions between real and illusory. He then unleashed three strikes before the pursuer could react.

The attacker perceived three strikes; he didn't know how many more were actually delivered. Xu Xian knew he had unleashed thirty strikes in that instant. He executed them in sets of ten, each set flowing seamlessly into the next, with nearly identical movements, making it appear to outsiders as a single thrust.

These thirty strikes were aimed at the swordsman, who, believing Ye Wen had only executed three, tried to block them with his long blade. It must be said, the man possessed immense confidence in his speed and judgment, and he did manage to block.

However, Xu Xian’s thirty strikes were incredibly fast, and the focused power surpassed his opponent's estimation. Furthermore, every set of ten strikes hit the same location in rapid succession. Even though the man’s long blade was somewhat unique, it could not withstand such concentrated assault.

Thus, the long blade ultimately failed to hold and completely crumbled. Xu Xian’s long sword then pierced the man’s two shoulder sockets and his fatal spot on the throat.

Because the attack was so swift, after completing all this, the long blade didn't shatter immediately, appearing almost intact. But this was just an illusion; a second later, it dissolved into shards.

By then, Xu Xian had already retreated again, so the three spurts of blood that erupted merely passed through the afterimage he had left behind.

The 'dough-ball brother' grasped the truth, yet he couldn't quite process it. In a panic, he tried to signal his comrades for aid, but when he turned around, he saw the companion who had momentarily assisted them by locking down Xu Xian was already lying on the ground.

His eyes were wide open, fixed in an expression of utter disbelief. Blood was weeping from his scarlet eyes. Below his neck, where a vibrant body should have been, there was nothing. Looking further, he saw the alluring torso had flown some distance away.

"When...?"

Only then did he recall the two streaks of purple light that flashed the moment they initiated the sneak attack. He immediately turned his gaze toward Ye Wen on the other side.

He met Ye Wen’s gaze head-on. Those twin eyes, which should have been beautiful and calming, now made him feel as if he were being watched by a demon. His entire spirit instantly collapsed.

He let out two idiotic, vacant laughs and unleashed the lump of dough still in his hand straight toward his own chest. To everyone's astonishment, he ended his own life.

All of this transpired in mere seconds.

From North River Hermit’s initial move to this subordinate’s self-destruction, everything happened in a very short span. The moment Ye Wen repelled the God-Beating Whip, securing an opening, he instantly turned toward Mai Shiranui, whom he had been more concerned about. He knew the woman possessed those eyes, and her abilities were extremely bizarre.

Therefore, he had resolved from the outset to take her life instantaneously. That was what he intended, and that was what he executed! Especially since Mai Shiranui had used her twin eyes to immobilize Xu Xian immediately, Ye Wen was determined to eliminate her in the shortest possible time.

With Ye Wen’s strength, few could escape unharmed from a surprise attack orchestrated by him. Mai Shiranui, assuming Ye Wen would be occupied by North River Hermit, had boldly used the power of her twin pupils to restrain Xu Xian. She hadn't anticipated North River Hermit becoming momentarily distracted. That gap of less than a second sealed her fate.

When she felt a sudden heat at her neck, and her entire field of vision began to rise, her head feeling light, she knew she was finished.

Her body, still spurting blood and slowly slumping, confirmed this brutal reality. Unwilling to die so easily, Mai Shiranui mustered her last shred of strength to inflict some damage on Ye Wen. But as her eyes locked with Ye Wen’s pair of glass-colored pupils, she felt all her power violently recoil. Her eyes felt as if they were about to explode in that instant.

Fortunately, she lost consciousness shortly after, and as her life force extinguished, her eyes did not burst. However, the very ocular power she had focused with her dying breath ended up killing her comrade—that unlucky fellow had the misfortune of glancing at her eyes. If that were all, he might have merely lost the will to fight.

But he had then looked into Ye Wen’s eyes. The pupils that had just reflected Mai Shiranui’s attack had not yet fully dispersed their power, resulting in... this unlucky man destroying himself.

This outcome created an even greater, unintended misunderstanding. Seeing Ye Wen dispatch one of his subordinates with a mere glance, North River Hermit exclaimed in shock: "Your eyes can control others?"