Flames encircled Behe Jushi, intensely scorching, and in that instant, he judged the situation—it was over for him!

Because Behe Jushi was being incinerated by the Glazed Fire, the few crystal orbs surrounding him were affected. Fortunately, these orbs were not worthless trinkets, and for a time, they remained undamaged.

However, the defensive wall of energy condensed from these orbs had already collapsed and dissipated. Now, if Ye Wen launched another attack, Behe Jushi would perish instantly, long before the Glazed Fire could finish him.

Ye Wen understood this well. Seeing the energy wall vanish, he immediately thrust his long sword forward, unleashing the Quanzhen Sword Style. With the Ding Yang Needle, he targeted Behe Jushi's forehead. Simultaneously, the sword flickered, executing Yi Qi Hua San Qing (One Breath Transforms into Three Purities), making one sword strike appear as three, as if three people were executing the Ding Yang Needle at once. Beyond the direct strike at the forehead, the attacks subtly aimed for the eyes; if any one of these strikes landed true, Behe Jushi was certainly doomed.

Behe Jushi, naturally, was not about to close his eyes and await death. Enduring the intense burning pain across his body, he clapped his hands repeatedly. He no longer cared about the preciousness of his magical artifacts, pushing the four nearby orbs outward while simultaneously forming a mudra, unleashing the full power of these orb-shaped magic items.

"Even if I die, I'll take you down with me!"

Behe Jushi was well-traveled and knowledgeable; he naturally recognized the flames engulfing him as a divine fire of Buddhist origin, known as the Seven-Colored Glazed Fire or the World-Purifying Glazed Fire, possessing formidable power far beyond what a mere Earth Immortal could withstand.

He had no idea how Ye Wen was able to command such divine fire so freely. "But in this current predicament, my death is certain. I can only rely on my profound cultivation to resist for a moment, and during that time, eliminate Ye Wen: 'As long as I kill this Ye Wen, the grand affairs of my Kunlun Sect will not be ruined!'" The Kunlun Sect's ambitions were vast, and naturally, he was not the only expert stationed here. In fact, many Kunlun experts were deployed, just not at his immediate location. If Behe Jushi hadn't been overly complacent and brought those experts along, perhaps he wouldn't be facing death, and that Xu Xian certainly wouldn't have survived.

Alas, there was no medicine for regret in this world. His demise was now certain; all he could contemplate was how to drag Ye Wen down with him.

In the span of a breath, Behe Jushi devised a plan. While commanding his artifacts to attack Ye Wen, he channeled all his cultivation, executing the Kunlun Sect's escape technique—riding a streak of escaping light directly toward a large hall in the distance. As Ye Wen continually brandished his long sword, knocking the incoming orbs aside, he prepared to lunge forward.

But precisely at that moment, the vital qi that had been flowing smoothly suddenly seized up violently; a breath of qi failed to connect, forcing Ye Wen’s movement to pause abruptly. Simultaneously, a suffocating pressure gripped his chest—a mouthful of blood surged up his throat.

That wasn't all. Ye Wen felt an intense, searing pain in his eyes, as if they were burning. This sensation was identical to when the Glazed Fire had continuously refined his pupils that other day. However, unlike before, the Glazed Fire within his pupils showed signs of losing control.

As the scene before him grew increasingly blurry, Ye Wen realized this might be a side effect of using the Glazed Fire moments ago. He immediately closed his eyes, cycling his innate Violet Qi continuously.

Only then did he notice that his previously abundant vital qi was completely depleted. Had using the Glazed Fire to bypass that defensive energy wall and burn Behe Jushi consumed so much vital qi?

"Although these eyes possess terrifying power and achieved surprise, the consumption is also monstrous!" Normally, using them didn't drain him this much. The only explanation was that the defensive energy wall was not truly immune to the Glazed Fire, but was instead shattered by an even stronger manifestation of the Glazed Fire. It was similar to how the black fire clearly intended to burn him, but when something else was placed between them, the flames burned that object instead.

Although the energy wall ultimately failed to stop the Glazed Fire, it didn't mean it was entirely useless. At the very least, it provided Behe Jushi with sufficient time. Coupled with the brief obstruction from the orbs, by the time Ye Wen managed to steady himself, he saw Behe Jushi had already fled into the main hall.

Even though he knew Behe Jushi was being incinerated and stood no chance of survival, Ye Wen felt uneasy without witnessing the death firsthand.

Turning around, he saw Xu Xian knock away the orbs that had lost their master's control with a sword strike, while simultaneously waving his hand, using the Qi Sword Finger to deflect the God-Beating Whip, using the recoil from the impact to propel himself backward, creating distance from the whip.

Since the God-Beating Whip was now uncontrolled by its master, Xu Xian was also out of immediate danger. He turned to look at Ye Wen, just catching sight of two streaks of blood flowing from Ye Wen's eyes, while Ye Wen himself appeared somewhat wilted.

"Senior Brother?" Ye Wen couldn't see his own state, but he guessed his appearance must be quite wretched. Overall, however, the situation wasn't critical.

The internal injuries were manageable. The only surprise was that the Glazed Fire had completely exhausted his cultivation, requiring a few moments to catch his breath. After standing for a while, Ye Wen recovered slightly. Hearing Xu Xian's inquiry, he waved his hand: "Nothing serious. Let's hurry and catch up to see what tricks this Kunlun Sect Master plans next!"

Having reached this stage of conflict today, he couldn't rest easy without killing Behe. As soon as he recovered slightly, he chased after him, casually sweeping up the scattered orbs and the God-Beating Whip into his spatial ring.

When Ye Wen and Xu Xian rushed into the hall, they could trace Behe Jushi's path by the scorch marks left behind. Following these traces into the rear hall, they found Behe Jushi standing in a pool. The water, which barely covered his knees, had almost turned to steam under the intense evaporation from the Glazed Fire, making the pool appear shrouded in a milky white mist.

They could only vaguely make out Behe Jushi's silhouette standing there. Seeing the two arrive, he suddenly burst into loud laughter: "Ye Wen, even if you kill me today, you will never have peace in the future!" Ye Wen was first stunned, then greatly alarmed, finally realizing what Behe Jushi was plotting.

"This is the Dragon Transformation Pool?" Behe Jushi roared with laughter: "You're quite perceptive! Go wait for that old monster to come find trouble with you!" With that, he threw his head back and laughed incessantly. After only a short while, the laughter grew fainter, eventually vanishing completely.

The silhouette in the pool gradually dissolved as the laughter ceased. However, the water vapor remained, but the water in the pool was entirely gone.

Ye Wen also noticed that nearly half of the entire Dragon Transformation Pool had been incinerated by his Glazed Fire; it was clearly ruined. By its appearance, it was estimated that the marvelous pool water, capable of allowing aquatic creatures to transform into dragons, could never regenerate.

"Damn it!" Seeing this scene, Ye Wen knew the matter would not be easy to resolve. That old monster seemed reasonable, but who knew if he would remain so broad-minded when it came to something affecting his potential ascension to the Immortal Realm? If he became enraged and resolved to seek trouble, Ye Wen, in his current state, likely couldn't handle it.

Although the destruction of the Dragon Transformation Pool wasn't strictly his fault, Behe Jushi was dead. There was no guarantee the old monster wouldn't use Ye Wen as an outlet for his fury.

Ye Wen's expression flickered incessantly. At the same time, his mind shook as he sensed many more people rushing towards them. He immediately said to Xu Xian: "The situation has changed; we need to leave quickly!"

"Where to?" Xu Xian also knew this was troublesome, but retreating to Penglai Immortal Realm might not be safe. More importantly, Penglai Immortal Realm was no longer a secret; they had already begun researching how to establish a stable passage. Even if Ye Wen hid there, he couldn't be sure that old serpent wouldn't track him down.

Ye Wen thought for a moment and decided to go back first to gather everyone, and then head to Changbai Immortal Realm together!

This incident could not be delayed. Ye Wen and Xu Xian turned without hesitation and rushed out of the hall on their swords.

They hadn't flown far when a loud shout echoed from behind: "Thief, halt!" It was an old Daoist, also riding a streak of sword light toward them. With a wave of his hand, his wide, flowing sleeve instantly enlarged manifold. Then, thirty-six streaks of sword light shot out from the cuff—these were the Heavenly Gang Swords, part of the Kunlun Sect's renowned artifact set, the 108 Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Swords.

Xu Xian saw the old Daoist pursuing too closely, and the speed of the Heavenly Gang Swords was terrifying. If this continued, they would certainly be caught. He stopped his sword light, gripping the Southern Bright Fire Sword tightly. The scarlet light on the sword suddenly elongated immensely, making the single Southern Bright Fire Sword appear instantaneously as a colossal object tens of meters long.

Unable to see Xu Xian now, the Kunlun expert, Heavenly Gang Master, only saw the two figures in the distance vanish, replaced by a gigantic flying sword.

The massive sword wheeled around and charged toward the thirty-six Heavenly Gang Swords he had unleashed. With a series of sharp clanging noises, his thirty-six flying swords were swept aside by the surging sword energy erupting from the giant sword, scattering haphazardly.

Shocked, he immediately prepared to use other means to stop the giant sword. However, after knocking his swords aside, the giant sword abruptly turned in mid-air and vanished from sight.

Only then did he realize that the giant sword was also capable of escape. Heavenly Gang Master spun around, stamping his feet and cursing furiously, but he could not change the fact that the enemy had departed.

Though it appeared easy for him, Xu Xian was actually teetering on the brink of collapse. Blood stained the corners of his mouth, which he painfully suppressed from fully spitting out.

He had pushed his cultivation to its absolute limit. This crimson giant sword flew straight up into the clouds immediately after exiting the South Sea Immortal Palace, without pausing. After a slight course correction, it headed toward Penglai Immortal Realm.

Ye Wen was also enveloped within the sword light. He glanced at Xu Xian, who was visibly enduring the strain to maintain the sword light, and immediately said: "Junior Brother, this technique of yours hasn't been mastered yet. Furthermore, now that we've left the South Sea Immortal Palace, the ambient vital energy of the world is thin. If you keep forcing it, you'll burn out your essence and die!"

Xu Xian knew Ye Wen was correct, but the situation was too critical to care about that. He replied: "Senior Brother need not worry; holding out until we reach Penglai Immortal Realm will be fine!" He had calculated carefully: flying with this technique was much faster than ordinary sword flight. It would only take moments to reach Penglai, giving them sufficient time to prepare.

Then, after a simple gathering of belongings, they would leave for Mount Changbai. Ye Wen would use the Nine Provinces Cauldron to open Changbai Immortal Realm, allowing everyone to hide inside and cultivate for a period. If everything went smoothly, they could rest securely within Changbai Immortal Realm in less than half a day—certainly better than fleeing under constant threat.

Moreover, he only needed to hold on until Penglai Immortal Realm. After that, when everyone flew on their swords, he could be carried along by the group. Since some disciples would be carrying others, the speed would naturally be limited. Thus, achieving speed now was the most correct choice.

Based on this consideration, Xu Xian ignored Ye Wen's advice and continued to channel the technique—which was incomplete and hadn't even been formally named—to proceed rapidly. Coupled with the nature of his flight being inherently fast with explosive bursts, when fully utilized, it only took moments for Ye Wen and Xu Xian to return to Penglai Immortal Realm.

Upon entering the Immortal Realm, Xu Xian immediately spat out a large mouthful of blood. At this point, he couldn't even move, forced to sit cross-legged to regulate his breath: "Senior Brother, go make arrangements for everyone. I will wait here!" Ye Wen knew there was no time to waste; he nodded, said no more, and rode his sword light back to the lakeside where everyone was staying. Seeing them, he didn't waste words, simply stating: "We have some trouble; let's move house quickly!" Then, he briefly collected only the most essential items into his ring.

The others didn't ask many questions, simply tidying their things. Fortunately, everyone possessed spatial storage artifacts, so packing was extremely fast. In just two or three minutes, everyone was back before Xu Xian.

"Xu Xian!" Huang Rongrong had been slightly worried when she didn't see Xu Xian return immediately. Seeing him now, she knew Xu Xian had indeed suffered an injury, though fortunately, it wasn't fatal. She rushed over to examine him.

"There's no time for that now! We must leave first!" Everyone understood the urgency and didn't speak further. As soon as Ye Wen opened the passage, everyone immediately soared out on their swords. Those who couldn't fly or lacked speed were carried by Huayi, Ning Ruxue, and others.

Although Ye Wen possessed the highest cultivation, everyone noticed his current condition was far from optimal. There was blood on his face and at the corners of his mouth, and his voice lacked energy, clearly the result of a recent major battle. Naturally, they wouldn't let him carry others.

So, only Ye Wen remained last. He didn't look back; he rode his sword light out of Penglai Immortal Realm, even forgetting to respond to the greetings from a few companions who were stabilizing the entrance/exit passage in the air.

"Huh? What are these people from the Shu Mountain Sect doing?"

Another person, while forming a mudra, shrugged: "Who knows? Maybe some huge event just happened outside?"

They had seen Ye Wen and Xu Xian return earlier, but at that time, Xu Xian was piloting the massive sword light, making it impossible to discern the contents within. Only after the giant sword dissipated did they realize it was Xu Xian and Ye Wen. However, the pair immediately entered Penglai Immortal Realm, so they couldn't see clearly either.

Now, as Ye Wen exited, a sharp-eyed person called out: "I just saw Sect Leader Ye seems injured. Did the Shu Mountain Sect clash with another faction?"

The others exchanged glances, suddenly remembering how fierce the Shu Mountain Sect could be, and wondered which faction was unlucky enough to provoke them. However, anyone capable of injuring Ye Wen couldn't be from a minor power.

Finally, one person said: "Stop discussing irrelevant matters; just focus on what we need to do. This passage Sect Leader Ye specially opened for us—we haven't stabilized it yet. If our elders found out, they'd certainly blame us for incompetence!" Hearing this, the others fell silent and continued chanting mudras, channeling their magic power. They needed to stabilize a hidden passage within the clouds, a task that required considerable time. This explained why, even though the five-year mark had arrived, there were still no outsiders from other sects in Penglai Immortal Realm.

As for Ye Wen and the others, they encountered no trouble along the way. Moreover, since the Kunlun Sect had just lost its leader, they would surely be in disarray for a while. Furthermore, Hua Yuyue wouldn't immediately learn that the Dragon Transformation Pool had been destroyed—he knew he could seek out the Kunlun Sect at the South Sea Immortal Palace, but the Kunlun Sect had no way of locating him.

This bought Ye Wen and his group precious time. Although the Changbai Sect on Mount Changbai was highly vigilant due to Xu Xian having taken their Ginseng King, Ye Wen and his group weren't looking for the Changbai Sect; they only needed to evade the patrolling Changbai disciples to avoid attracting attention.

After searching for half a day, just as they were preparing to find a place to rest, they discovered the entrance to Changbai Immortal Realm at the foot of a mountain on Changbai Mountain. Its extreme secrecy annoyed Ye Wen slightly; no wonder they couldn't find it from the air.

Ye Wen used the Nine Provinces Cauldron to open a gate. As soon as they entered, a chilling cold enveloped their bodies, piercing into their lungs.

Looking ahead, they saw endless, continuous mountain ranges. More importantly, everything before their eyes was stark white—no other color was visible.

"What a silver-clad, frost-covered snowy kingdom!" In this moment, Xu Xian, whose spirits had slightly recovered, still had the mood to admire the beautiful scenery. Perhaps the sight of pure white reminded him of his home county, Shushan.

However, compared to the ordinary winters they were accustomed to, which no longer affected their sense of cold or heat, this environment was clearly much harder on them. Even Ye Wen, usually immune to cold and heat, felt an icy chill throughout his body, let alone the others.

"It's so cold here..." Zhang Ling's cultivation wasn't the weakest—that was Claire. But Zhang Ling was dressed the most scantily; Claire at least wore long trousers. So, Zhang Ling could only hug her shoulders and shiver ceaselessly.

Ye Wen also noticed this. He rose slightly into the air and looked around, discovering that the entire Changbai Immortal Realm was covered in snow. It seemed he hadn't landed in just one snowy section, but that this was the inherent feature of Changbai Immortal Realm.

"Is this the North or South Pole?"

Regardless of the environment, this would be where the group would live for the time being—perhaps for decades or even a century? At least Ye Wen had no intention of leaving until he felt confident about confronting that thousand-year-old serpent demon.

Because this time, besides the serpent demon, he would also have to deal with the Qingcheng Sect and the Kunlun Sect! Fortunately, he now understood the relationship between the Nine Provinces Cauldron and the Shu Mountain Sect, and with so many companions, he wouldn't feel lonely.

……………………, PS: Updates have been fewer these past few days; some pressure has eased! Although I haven't fully found my rhythm, I shouldn't keep everyone waiting too long. Starting tomorrow, I will attempt to resume the ten-thousand-character update schedule. That's all for now...