A streak of violet sword light plunged down from the heights, utterly without concealment. When the light dissipated upon impact, the crowd, already drawn by its brilliance, discovered that the vast front courtyard of the Shu Mountain sect now held several new arrivals.

Zhou Zhiruo, Guo Jing, and Nangong Huang, being the highest-ranking members present in the Shu Mountain sect, immediately stepped forward. They first exchanged greetings with Ye Wen, and then welcomed those who had arrived alongside him.

The truth was, they were not entirely unfamiliar with these newly arrived individuals.

Wei Hong, the former Emperor of the Shang Dynasty, had recently announced to the world that he was abdicating the throne to his grandson due to illness. Even without the imperial title, he remained the retired Emperor Emeritus.

Furthermore, a small faction within the Shu Mountain sect were aware of his other identity: he was Ye Wen’s youngest apprentice, and thus the junior martial brother to Zhou Zhiruo, Guo Jing, and the others.

However, everyone else present was unaware of this elder's true standing until they heard him address Zhou Zhiruo as Senior Martial Sister and Guo Jing and Nangong Huang as Senior Martial Brothers. Only then did they realize this man was also a senior master within the sect.

Li Xuan stood quietly to the side, observing the growing strength of Shu Mountain. A complex mixture of emotions churned within him as he watched.

Ye Wen’s disciples had already paid their respects to the elder from the Tian Shan sect. After all, among all those gathered, Li Xuan possessed the highest seniority; even Ye Wen was technically a generation below him—if one disregarded the temporary title of 'Sect Master' Ye Wen held when he first entered the martial world, in terms of true seniority, Ye Wen was indeed lower than Li Xuan. As for Chan Master Huixin and True Man Tianyi, their seniority stretched even further back.

"Grand Master... Didn't Elder Ye say he was taking Grand Master to the Immortal Realm? Why have you come to Shu Mountain instead?"

Li Xuan shook his head, signaling the disciple to remain silent.

Ultimately, he had followed Ye Wen, naturally willing to accompany him to the Immortal Realm! After all, the ambition to compete had not vanished from his heart; it had merely been forced deep down by circumstances.

Now, Ye Wen had shown him a path, offered him a chance to genuinely catch up, so how could he possibly let it go? Thus, when Ye Wen stated his purpose—to ask Li Xuan, the last remaining acquaintance from the old days, if he wished to cultivate with him in the Immortal Realm—Li Xuan had agreed immediately.

In his excitement, the unleashed Bao Bing Po cold energy actually froze the nearby plum blossoms into icy sculptures. The terrifying chill struck two distant disciples so severely that they were nearly grievously injured.

Fortunately, Ye Wen’s cultivation was immensely powerful. With a casual wave, the fiery Jing Qi of the Rose Mist erupted, instantly dissolving Li Xuan’s Bao Bing Po cold energy completely.

Moreover, as the True Qi of the Hun Tian Bao Jian grew increasingly marvelous, Ye Wen cycled through variations of his True Qi. In an instant, the icy, snowy landscape vanished; green shoots of grass began to sprout from the earth.

The two Tian Shan juniors, who had fallen to the ground, stared blankly at the scene before them. What they witnessed felt like a dream, the only possible explanation for the unfolding reality.

Ye Wen waited until Li Xuan calmed down before retracting his power, yet the surrounding anomalies did not immediately dissipate, a testament to his ever-improving mastery over the Hun Tian Bao Jian True Qi.

Witnessing such divine techniques, how could Li Xuan remain composed? He was eager for Ye Wen to take him to the Immortal Realm immediately. However, Ye Wen knew Li Xuan’s status within the Tian Shan sect was too significant to simply depart without notice. Therefore, he instructed Li Xuan to settle his affairs before they left together.

Li Xuan was direct. He immediately summoned the current Sect Master—who was also one of his apprentices—through the two disciples who were still stunned, and declared: "I am leaving. From now on, the Tian Shan sect rests upon you!" This pronouncement left the Tian Shan Sect Master momentarily bewildered. Only after listening for a while did he grasp that his master intended to leave this world with Ye Wen to pursue the Dao of Immortality.

As for pursuing the Dao of Immortality, the apprentice did not truly believe it. At most, he assumed his master’s fortune was profound, perhaps encountering some hidden master, and intended to seclude himself for rigorous training before attempting to break through to the Void Shattering realm.

The apprentice was quite filial. He immediately ordered the two young disciples to accompany Li Xuan, if only to look after him. Regardless of his enhanced internal power, an elderly man’s physical movements are never as agile as they once were, and the Tian Shan sect's Bing Po Han Gong offered no restorative benefits; thus, Li Xuan truly needed someone to attend to him.

Ye Wen had also observed Li Xuan’s condition. Considering that Li Xuan had always been the Tian Shan Sect Master, accustomed to being served, having Shu Mountain disciples attend him might cause internal friction among them, and Li Xuan might not find their service satisfactory. It was better to bring two disciples for personal attendance.

And yet...

He glanced at the Tian Shan Sect Master and thought: This young man missed an opportunity...

If this apprentice had offered to accompany Li Xuan personally, Li Xuan likely would not have refused. After all, the Tian Shan sect was firmly established, with many excellent disciples. Even if the current Sect Master departed, another outstanding successor could be chosen without affecting the overall structure.

But this disciple probably did not fully believe Li Xuan’s claims, so he only sent two relatively quick-witted disciples to accompany him—precisely the two who had been keeping watch from a distance earlier.

These two accompanied Li Xuan to Shu Mountain. The one speaking now was the male disciple, named Nie Bing. The female disciple, his senior martial sister, was called Xia Xue.

Li Xuan, these two, along with Wei Hong, Zhou Guan, and Liu Mengli—a total of six people—all experienced the sensation of flight.

Enveloped by Ye Wen’s sword light, these six soared across the skies. Not only did they witness scenery previously unimaginable, but they also fully grasped the chasm between Ye Wen’s current power and their own, which filled them with anticipation for their future lives.

Soaring on swords—this was something they had only dared to fantasize about while sleeping. Who would have thought it would become reality? Elders like Wei Hong, Zhou Guan, and Li Xuan maintained composure, but the younger members were wide-eyed with excitement, looking everywhere, almost treating Ye Wen like a chauffeur they wished would take more detours.

Of course, they refrained from making such requests because Ye Wen was indeed flying them across vast distances, north and south.

After gathering everyone, Ye Wen did not immediately return to Shu Mountain. Instead, he took them directly toward the southwest region. Liu Mengli was curious then, asking: "Grand Master, isn't Shu Mountain in Ping Province? Why are we going southwest?"

Ye Wen revealed a chilling smile and replied directly: "We are going to settle accounts with a few insignificant clowns along the way! That way, your Uncle can leave with us without worry!"

His words baffled most of the group, but Wei Hong immediately understood!

If there was anything weighing on his mind, it was those few pockets of rebellion. The remnants of the Demonic Cult in the northeast had seemingly settled down to develop in the extreme north over the past decade, perhaps due to continuous past failures. So, even if he left, he didn't fear Wei’s dynasty being usurped by them.

However, a newly emerged cult in the southwest had greatly troubled him. It was another organization dedicated to overthrowing the Wei rule, much like the Demonic Cult of old.

This new cult operated with even greater recklessness. Yet, because it was located in remote, mountainous terrain, even Wei Hong, despite his best intentions, was powerless to crush them.

But these issues were no obstacle for Ye Wen. He could fly; thus, the formidable mountains were merely decorative scenery before him! Furthermore, he possessed Divine Sense, which could locate anyone unless they possessed some profound method of concealment. Could anyone in this world master such an ability? It was safe to disregard that possibility.

Ye Wen spent only one day locating those strongholds. Then, right before the eyes of the assembled group, he demonstrated what true Celestial Means looked like!

Swords rained down from the heavens—a deluge of shimmering steel. Ye Wen didn't need to chase after the rebels; he only needed to locate their positions and unleash a torrent of sword rain to annihilate everything, focusing particular attention on the military camps where their soldiers were stationed.

"Without these soldiers, all that remains are scattered martial rabble... Once the court issues warrants, these fellows won't be able to stir up trouble again!"

Although this barrage of destruction wouldn't completely wipe them out, the court had been engaging these areas. Imperial troops were stationed nearby, and as long as the commanding generals weren't fools, they wouldn't pass up such an easy opportunity for merit.

The people enveloped in Ye Wen's sword light had long been rendered speechless. Only now did they realize the terrifying extent of Ye Wen's power. He could completely disregard numerical superiority; even facing an army of thousands was merely a matter of waving his hand.

What they didn't know was that because Ye Wen was within the Nine Cauldrons, he could draw upon the spiritual energy within with minimal effort. Furthermore, since the Nine Cauldrons were situated in the Immortal Realm, their recovery rate was extremely fast. Combined with Ye Wen’s preternatural rate of recovery from the Primordial Violet Qi, this resulted in such terrifying efficiency.

It could be said that within the Nine Cauldrons, Ye Wen possessed a near-infinite supply of usable power—a true bug.

Of course, if Ye Wen could completely refine the Nine Cauldrons, every location within them could be manipulated at his will. To deal with such enemies then would require only a single thought; everything the Nine Cauldrons manifested—mountains, rivers—would become Ye Wen’s weapon. However, Ye Wen had not yet reached that stage.

It wasn't that he couldn't do it now, but it would require much greater exertion of energy! Given his other prevailing ambition, he naturally wouldn't waste his focus on such trivial matters.

Ye Wen spent a few days touring the southwest with the group, thoroughly harassing the newly risen cult. Only then did he manage to vent some of his frustration—these people were the root cause of many lost disciples from the Shu Mountain sect. It was a pity that the chief culprits from those years were already long gone, or Ye Wen would not have let them off so easily.

He had intended to investigate the Hundred Swords organization, but with Wei Hong present, he learned the truth behind them.

The Hundred Swords did have imperial support, but it wasn't from Emperor Wei Hong, but rather one of his grandsons. Now that Wei Hong had abdicated, that grandson had been enfeoffed as a Prince.

Simply put, the Third Grandson who inherited the throne was the legitimate heir of Wei Hong’s line, whereas the Second Grandson was the offspring of a concubine, not the Empress.

In the royal context, this was normal—emperors have numerous consorts and many children. However, this Second Grandson was unwilling to remain a mere idle Prince; he was determined to achieve greatness and secretly gathered influence.

Simultaneously, to counter the Third Grandson protected by the Shu Mountain sect, the Second Grandson cultivated his own martial power—the Hundred Swords. Unfortunately for him, he was unaware that the Hundred Swords were also connected to the southwestern cult. Wei Hong had recently uncovered intelligence suggesting his second grandson was being manipulated by them.

It was clear that even if Ye Wen hadn't intervened, Wei Hong wouldn't have spared the Hundred Swords. During his abdication, Wei Hong explicitly instructed his successor grandson to find an opportunity to eliminate the Hundred Swords once he took the throne. To ensure this, he even had his grandson immediately meet with the Sect Master of the Tian Dao Sect and the Abbot of the Chan Sect after ascending. He trusted his grandson understood his meaning.

Knowing Wei Hong had made arrangements, Ye Wen let the matter rest. After all, the Nine Cauldrons were his; if things went awry later, he could simply re-enter and annihilate the Hundred Swords then.

These matters now were as easy as turning his palm, requiring little mental effort. Having finished affairs here, Ye Wen led the group directly back to Shu Mountain.

After greetings and pleasantries, Ye Wen immediately asked: "Are all matters settled?"

Zhou Zhiruo nodded: "Everything has been resolved. Those unruly disciples have been expelled from Shu Mountain, and many outstanding disciples serving elsewhere have returned!"

Ye Wen nodded and entered the main hall first, followed by the others in succession.

Inside the hall, only a few seats were arranged. The highest seat was naturally reserved for Ye Wen, and the seat beside it was prepared for Li Xuan.

Aside from them, there were no other chairs. Even Wei Hong, the former Emperor, now held the status of a mere Shu Mountain disciple, standing below Nangong Huang according to seniority. Zhou Guan stood nearby guarding him, though Zhou Guan's physical constitution was less robust than Wei Hong's.

Further down were the disciples of the younger generation, such as Liu Mengli. Sadly, among her peers, only a sparse handful remained, and most were not descendants of the core disciples but rather direct apprentices.

Meanwhile, Xu Fan's infant son, held by a wet nurse, stood in a lower row of disciples, marking his presence. Ye Wen found this amusing. He took the child from the nurse and announced to everyone: "This child’s physical health is no longer a concern. We should give him a name!"

Everyone nodded in agreement but dared not take up the conversational thread. Ye Wen surveyed the hall and understood: he was the longest-reigning figure present, so if he suggested naming the child, the task would inevitably fall to him.

Fortunately, he was prepared. He blurted out: "Let's call him Changqing!"

He thought inwardly: One more won't make a difference, nor will one less! And given the level of 'non-mortality' in our Shu Mountain sect, this name should guarantee him a long, safe life!

The others were unaware of Ye Wen's thoughts. They simply murmured the name a few times: "Changqing... Changqing... Xu Changqing... Yes, a good name!"

Whether it was truly good or not, Ye Wen didn't know, but he was certain these disciples wouldn't dare say otherwise. So, the matter was settled. From this day forth, the grandson of Xu Ping would be named Xu Changqing!

"In a few years, I'll find a maidservant for you, and we'll call her Zixuan!"

After playfully teasing little Changqing, Ye Wen turned his attention to the other disciples. Zhou Zhiruo had been about to introduce everyone to Ye Wen, but her Master stopped her.

Ye Wen said: "We will discuss these matters later. First, I must attend to the main business!"

Though slightly puzzled, Zhou Zhiruo obediently stepped aside. Watching Ye Wen rise and face the assembled Shu Mountain disciples, he announced: "I assume you all know my identity by now! Yes, I am Ye Wen, the seventh generation Sect Master of this Shu Mountain sect, who shattered the void and departed fifty years ago—your Grand Master!"

Although the disciples had known this fact, hearing it spoken aloud and seeing it confirmed felt vastly different! Many ambitious disciples inwardly thought: With the Grand Master returned, our Shu Mountain sect will surely become even more formidable!

Unexpectedly, Ye Wen continued: "My purpose in returning this time is singular: to take you all to live in the Immortal Realm!"

The crowd froze. No one had anticipated Ye Wen uttering such words. For a moment, the great hall fell into absolute silence. Especially the phrase "go to the Immortal Realm"—if Ye Wen weren't their Grand Master, they would have dismissed him as insane.

Seeing everyone frozen, unsure how to respond, Ye Wen understood that the news was too shocking for immediate acceptance. The primary task needed to proceed first.

He walked slowly to the edge of the hall, then floated gently upward, stopping about a hundred meters above Shu Mountain. Though confused by his preceding words, the disciples filed out of the hall and gazed up at Ye Wen suspended in mid-air.

They watched as Ye Wen stared forward, his hands slowly rising as if holding some massive weight. As he moved, the entire Shu Mountain peak began to shake violently. Many disciples lost their footing and tumbled to the ground, creating a flurry of rolling figures in the courtyard.

At that moment, a disciple who had flown into the air noticed that although he wasn't descending, the ground was rapidly approaching him, causing him to shout: "Fly... We're flying! Shu Mountain is lifting off!"

Compared to those within Shu Mountain, many ordinary people living nearby gazed upward in stunned silence, watching the mountain gradually ascend, rubbing their eyes repeatedly: "This... this... Am I dreaming?"

Huh? Does anyone still have monthly tickets? RA