Having mastered the Dharma, although Ye Nü’s eyes still lacked complete control, the danger of accidental harm was at least eliminated, allowing him to observe the world through his own sight with a measure of peace.

Ice-Sharp Snowscape!

Unlike what the Heart Eye perceived, sight offered a richer visual experience. The Heart Eye was, in essence, a form of feeling, akin to being in a familiar bedroom with eyes closed; one knows the layout of everything but sees no actual images.

Now, reopening his eyes, Ye Wen took a good look at the scenery and couldn't help but recite, "Ah! The Northland scenery, a thousand miles of snow drifting... hmm-ha hmm-ha!" He had intended to compose a fitting poem on the spot, only to realize he had completely forgotten such things, managing to recall only two lines before drawing a blank. Fortunately, there were no others around, so a few haphazard vocalizations were enough to satisfy his momentary urge.

Descending from the mountaintop, Ye Wen walked while examining the True Qi within his 〖Body〗.

The Golden Dawn had reached perfection; eight orbs of the Primordial Chaos Mirror essence surrounded his Dantian, leaving two empty slots for the final two layers of the technique. Ye Wen now began to infinitely long for what it would be like once he perfected those final two stages.

Once the ten layers of the Primordial Chaos Mirror True Qi were complete, would it affect the Innate Violet Qi, which served as his source True Qi?

For now, the Innate Violet Qi and the Primordial Chaos Mirror seemed to coexist quite harmoniously, yet he had also entertained the thought of refining the Innate Qiankun Art. Although Ji Fa in the original story encountered no trouble, he was the protagonist; who knew if that was due to protagonist halo effects? After all, he could barely remember the specific plot details of that comic.

"Sigh, why ponder so much?"

Taking a few steps into the woods, Ye Wen hadn't gone far when he spotted a robust White Bear leisurely dragging a wolf and a deer forward, a look of contentment faintly visible on its honest bear face—it seemed pleased to have found food.

However, after just a few more steps, the bear was suddenly startled stiff upon seeing Ye Wen approaching from the opposite direction, its eyes wide with shock. Even the deer tightly held in its mouth dropped onto the snow.

"Oh? You big fellow, you’ve got some skill, found something to eat again?" Ye Wen, who had been lost in thought, finally noticed the White Bear.

To his surprise, as he looked up, the bear stood up on its hind legs, its usually honest face contorted into a look of appeasement, then nudged the deer that had fallen before it toward Ye Wen.

"For me?" Ye Wen pointed at the deer, feeling as if he had become some bandit or tyrant, while the bear, several times his size, was the commoner he was bullying.

The White Bear nodded vigorously, maintaining its ingratiating posture. Its eyes flickered nervously, perhaps debating whether to hand over the wolf as well, though that would mean going hungry again.

Ye Wen found it rather amusing. He had encountered this White Bear more than once. Initially, he’d caught it hunting in the forest, precisely when Ye Wen had his eye on a fox he intended to use for a fur collar for Huayi. After Ye Wen chased it for a while, the bear had snatched the prize. Annoyed, Ye Wen had thoroughly beaten the bear and taken the fox.

Having been disciplined, the White Bear recognized Ye Wen from then on. Since they lived relatively close, their paths often crossed during hunts. After repeatedly coming up short, the bear had learned one crucial lesson: those upright-walking creatures were not to be trifled with!

Thus came the current situation: upon meeting Ye Wen, the bear would proactively offer up its catch in exchange for safe passage. The bear had noticed the fur coats worn by Ye Wen’s group—pelts from its own kind—and certainly didn't wish to end up like that. Having gained some rudimentary intelligence, it now highly valued its life.

In short, Ye Wen had extracted quite a bit from this creature, to the point where the White Bear now voluntarily offered up its prey. This made Ye Wen feel a touch sheepish.

Taking a jar of honey from his ring, he tossed it over. "I’ve taken quite a bit from you; consider this a small compensation!" Seeing the bear catch the jar, Ye Wen hefted the dead deer onto his shoulder. He then noticed the bear sitting there entirely preoccupied, clutching the jar and baring its teeth—the bear didn't know how to open it.

Ye Wen walked over, patted the bear's shoulder, and beckoned it over. The bear obediently handed the jar to Ye Wen, then watched as Ye Wen twisted the lid open and handed it back. The aroma of honey instantly captured the bear’s full attention. After tasting it, it squinted, its face split in a blissful smile.

"That smile... it looks utterly bizarre!" Ye Wen shook his head, dismissing the image of the bear's grin. He glanced back and saw the bear hadn't even gone home, simply sitting in the snow, digging honey out with its claws and licking them clean. In all honesty, the sight was rather endearing.

"If only it were a bit smaller..."

Back at their dwelling, Ye Wen handed the venison to Li Xiaoyao, who was now managing all meal preparations. Ye Wen looked around, noting that Huang Rongrong and Xu Xian had not yet returned, likely having gone to the river to catch fish. Tommy and Chris were helping Li Xiaoyao construct his own quarters, while the women were mending and sewing clothes, primarily for Li Xiaoyao.

Old Master Guan must have finished his practice; he sat observing his daughter sewing alongside Zhang Ling, a cigarette dangling from his lips, puffing away contentedly.

"Oh? Where did that smoke come from?"

Seeing Ye Wen return, Old Master Guan immediately stood up to greet him, then chuckled in reply, "When Zheng Ying went out last time, I asked him to bring some back! Decades of habit; I can't kick it overnight!" He had lived through harder times and was preoccupied with training, forgetting about it. Now that life was a bit easier, he remembered the craving and had Zheng Ying procure some.

Guan Luyan used to worry that smoking often would damage his health and had always kept it restrained. But now, he didn't need to limit himself; his enhanced physical condition could almost entirely negate the toxins in the tobacco, making him fearless of smoking even a pack a day.

Ye Wen smiled, casually taking a cigarette and lighting it. For him, smoking held no real sensation; it was merely something to chew on, the cigarette no different from a twig.

The two then sat on a large rock, continuing to watch the busy figures below. Guan Shuying and Zhang Ling tidied up, carrying their materials inside before starting to help Li Xiaoyao prepare the venison for dinner.

Guan Luyan watched for a moment before sighing contentedly, "This kind of life... it’s actually quite good!"

Ye Wen understood what Old Master Guan meant. Being an older man, he preferred stability more than the youth. Perhaps in the Old Master's view, the Shu Mountain Sect could remain detached from the world here, slowly increasing their power until they achieved ascension.

Ye Wen had once held that same idea, but he didn't wish to proceed that way. "Some things must still be done! While we can directly ascend to that immortal realm and cut ties with those cultivators, we can't hide forever, can we?" He continued, "Here, we have the Changbai Immortal Realm to hide in. But once we are in the Immortal Realm itself, where can we find a place quiet enough, free from worldly concerns, to hide?" Guan Luyan sighed, knowing Ye Wen was right. If everyone grew too content with the status quo, the Shu Mountain Sect would stagnate. Ye Wen did not want the sect he worked so hard to build to simply fade away; he needed everyone to understand that the Shu Mountain Sect still possessed ambition and a desire to compete.

Moreover, this current conflict wasn't initiated by the Shu Mountain Sect. Should they simply yield every time they were provoked? The Shu Mountain Sect was no sect to swallow insults meekly, and Ye Wen was hardly a mild-tempered, honest man.

"If others do not offend me, I will not offend them. But if someone pushes me too far... Hmph, hmph!" His Golden Dawn was now complete, and he had also received instruction in the profound methods of Buddhism. Though he hadn't fully grasped them yet, that didn't mean his strength hadn't improved.

Leaving aside his eyes, the instantaneous insight gained during the reception of those profound methods—if fully understood—would elevate his power by at least another tier. At that point, even without mastering the Blood Firmament, he was confident he could defeat that old snake demon. He hadn't yet decided whether to fight the snake demon to the death, so he held back on any killing intent for now.

However, regarding Kunlun and Qingcheng, Ye Wen was prepared to show them no quarter this time!

Over the years, whenever Zheng Ying ventured out, he also gathered intelligence on the Cultivation World. Furthermore, Zheng Ying had previously worked for the relevant government departments and was familiar with Zhou Lei and others. These individuals were constantly interacting with the cultivators, giving them access to sensitive information. Ye Wen had, after all, shown them grace through his teachings, so Zheng Ying could glean quite a bit by asking around.

Ever since the Shu Mountain Sect retreated into the Changbai Immortal Realm, the Kunlun Sect had suddenly surfaced, claiming they had investigated the Shu Mountain Sect’s background. They asserted that Shu Mountain was an ancient evil sect from a millennium ago, which had dominated a region, engaging in all manner of wickedness, aiming to unify the Cultivation World. However, due to successive mishaps and being besieged by several powerful seniors of that era, they were forced into hiding.

After a thousand years, the Shu Mountain Sect had re-emerged. Kunlun initially suspected coincidence, but after repeated probing, they realized this Shu Mountain Sect was the same one, and their reappearance was to fulfill the ambition they had failed to realize back then. Furthermore, the Shu Mountain Sect had used a strategy of 'divide and conquer' to destroy Emei, and the next targets were likely Qingcheng and Wudang.

But they had been discovered by Kunlun and were now forced to hide again. In the process, Kunlun's Elder Beihe and the Kunlun Sect Leader had both been killed.

"Damn, they’re spitting out quite the muck!"

Upon hearing this news back then, everyone was furious, but Ye Wen had ordered no one to leave the Changbai Immortal Realm, leaving them to endure it.

Fortunately, Ye Wen had stated, "Either we don't go out, or when we do, we make those jumping clowns pay a devastating price! Therefore, improving our strength is the most crucial task!" It was Ye Wen who set this tone, causing everyone to cultivate with greater diligence. Ning Ruxue and Huayi trained relentlessly day and night; they hadn't even shared an intimate moment with Ye Wen in a long time, much to his chagrin.

Additionally, the Cultivation World sought to completely eradicate all Shu Mountain influence. The Shu Mountain Martial Arts School and the two cultivation methods spread by the Shu Mountain Sect were both deemed actions intended to harm the cultivators of the realm. However, Zhang Sanfeng argued that the two Shu Mountain techniques held no inherently evil nature, thus opposing the destruction of the Shu Mountain Martial Arts School.

"It is best utilized..." This statement halted the others' intentions to raze the school.

On the surface, this seemed advantageous to the Shu Mountain Sect, but upon hearing the details, Ye Wen could only sigh: "Zhang Sanfeng hasn't lived nearly a thousand years for nothing; that old fox!" If the cultivators truly wanted to annihilate them, it would inevitably provoke a backlash from everyone practicing the Seven-Colored Battle Qi and the Absolute Domain—those cultivators would be facing not just the few people of the Shu Mountain Sect, but also the large cohort of talents Ye Wen had helped train for the government over the last decade.

This group was not small, and since many had joined the military and gained significant experience, their strength had improved rapidly. Even if their power wasn't enough to challenge the established masters, they could certainly eliminate the younger disciples of the major sects.

This would equate to destroying their own foundation. If their already fragile lineage were truly broken, the Cultivation World would be no different from being doomed. Then, if Ye Wen of the Shu Mountain Sect were to emerge and eliminate the few remaining elders, the Cultivation World would truly bid farewell to this plane.

The current situation, conversely, was more beneficial. The opponents were limited to just a handful from the Shu Mountain Sect. Zhang Sanfeng had revealed what he knew, and everyone was aware that the Shu Mountain Sect remained undiscovered because the entire sect was hidden inside the Nine Cauldrons. According to his knowledge, one could not exit the Cauldron unless they cultivated to the Earth Immortal realm.

At that time, Wang Pan remarked with feeling, "No wonder Ye Wen absolutely refuses to hand over the Nine Cauldrons!"

"So, the experts of the Shu Mountain Sect are only Ye Wen and his wife, and Ye Wen's junior brother?" The others suddenly gained confidence, thinking the Shu Mountain Sect wasn't that hard to deal with. Although they respected Ye Wen’s strength, they had numbers on their side; they could drown him out through sheer mass. All they needed now was to locate Ye Wen.

Unfortunately, Kunlun's Elder Tiangang then stated grimly, "Ye Wen possesses the Nine Cauldrons, and the Nine Cauldrons have a marvelous function: they can open small worlds like the Penglai Immortal Realm. And according to some Kunlun records, this world has more than just the Kunlun and Penglai Immortal Realms."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately understood that the Shu Mountain Sect must be hiding in some small world, which is why they couldn't be found.

"Infuriating!" While they were vexed, a hazy, unsubstantial figure suddenly appeared before them. The figure twisted and gradually revealed its features. Tiangang immediately stood up and bowed respectfully, "Elder Yu!" As the others stood guard, ready to strike at this intruder, they were surprised that Tiangang recognized this person and addressed him as Elder. They inwardly guessed, "Perhaps this is some secluded, cultivating senior from the Kunlun Sect?"

They learned his identity after Tiangang's introduction: this was the current master of the East Sea Immortal Palace, a Demon Cultivator who had cultivated for several thousand years, quite familiar with the East Sea Dragon King who had already ascended to the Immortal Realm, and he also guarded the South Sea Immortal Palace at the request of the South Sea Dragon King.

The names East Sea Immortal Palace and South Sea Immortal Palace instantly clarified that these were two more immortal realms. From the Kunlun Sect's demeanor, the others realized Kunlun had known about these places for a long time but had never revealed them, causing complex expressions to cross their faces.

Yu Yue paid no mind to these juniors, simply stating with a dark face, "That brat surnamed Ye can hide for a time, but not forever. This old man knows an art that can connect from the South Sea Immortal Palace to other immortal realms, but first, we must confirm exactly which one Ye Wen is hiding in! Because this method is so convoluted and troublesome, it cannot be used casually."

Everyone scratched their heads. After all, they didn't even know how many immortal realms there were, so how could they guess Ye Wen's location? Consequently, all eyes turned to Tiangang.

Tiangang smiled smugly, thinking his plan was succeeding. He spoke, "According to some of our sect's records, besides the Kunlun Immortal Realm, Penglai Immortal Realm, East Sea Immortal Palace, and South Sea Immortal Palace, there should be two other immortal realms: one is the Luofu Immortal Realm, and the other is the Changbai Immortal Realm!"

"Luofu, Changbai..."

Just hearing the names allowed them to guess where these immortal realms were located. Connecting this to the place where Ye Wen and his group disappeared, everyone immediately concluded that Ye Wen was hiding in the Changbai Immortal Realm.

"But what if he's actually hiding in the Luofu Immortal Realm?" Some felt that relying on unsubstantiated speculation wasn't reliable. Moreover, this Elder had said the method couldn't be used at will, so if Ye Wen wasn't in the Changbai Immortal Realm, wouldn't they waste their effort?

Tiangang replied, "That's not an issue. As long as you are willing to sacrifice the Penglai Immortal Realm, this matter can be resolved!" "What does this have to do with the Penglai Immortal Realm?" The appearance of the Penglai Immortal Realm had eased the situation in the Cultivation World, something everyone cared about deeply. Hearing Tiangang say this, their hearts immediately tensed up.

Tiangang merely smiled: "In fact, although this method is risky, if successful, the benefits are considerable, but it must first be tested using the South Sea Immortal Palace!"

The others remained confused, but Tiangang refused to elaborate, sitting there with a smug expression, failing to notice that Zhang Sanfeng, despite keeping his head bowed, had his eyes flashing brilliantly.

"Has the Kunlun Sect finally lost patience?"