Ye Wen never did figure out what that wisp of purple energy arising within his body truly was, because he found it to be an entity fundamentally beyond his comprehension. He studied it for a full day, ultimately grasping only one thing: this single thread of purple energy was immeasurably powerful!

So powerful, in fact, that the current Ye Wen could not wield it at all. To truly make this purple wisp his own, Ye Wen knew he needed to continue striving for an unknown length of time!

But this didn't mean Ye Wen couldn't benefit from it. Even though the purple wisp could not yet be controlled by him, its mere presence within his body provided considerable advantages.

First, this purple wisp nurtured and nourished the other forces within Ye Wen’s body, causing them to rise continuously. Secondly, this purple wisp was constantly evolving within him, and with every cycle of evolution, his power of the Profound Universe seemed to advance further. The most tangible sign was that although Ye Wen’s physical body remained unchanged, he could feel the existence resembling the void of the universe within him steadily expanding!

Initially, he hadn't noticed this. At first, he had thought the true Qi inside him was weakening—because the galaxies or nebulae symbolizing various powers had shrunk. This realization startled Ye Wen; he feared something was terribly wrong.

But upon closer inspection, he realized they hadn't shrunk; rather, his "universe" had become so much vaster that these nebulae appeared comparatively small.

In reality, these nebulae were still slowly growing larger, but because of that wisp of purple energy, they couldn't possibly keep pace with the growth rate of the "universe" within his body.

"If it keeps expanding like this, does it mean my potential is infinite?"

Ye Wen’s body no longer contained the concept of meridians; that "universe" had replaced them. The continuous expansion of this "universe" meant it could accommodate more "nebulae," and the more "nebulae" there were, the stronger Ye Wen became.

He had never anticipated Cui Jun's detector being ready as keenly as now. He felt an intense urge to properly gauge precisely how high his Vital Energy had reached.

"It must be several million qi, at least?"

Meditating for several days, Ye Wen managed to refine the Nine Provinces Tripod further. Now, the Mountain-Protecting Grand Array emanating from the Tripod possessed a rudimentary offensive capability. Although it remained a passive offense—only retaliating when an aggressor attacked the formation—it was already far better than passively taking hits without return.

Concurrently, over these few days, he gradually began to understand the nature of his own body.

It turned out that the Nine Provinces Tripod possessed a major capability: "Evolution."

The emergence of a Nine Provinces World within the Tripod was an extension of this evolutionary ability. Put simply, the Nine Provinces Tripod was originally a realm of chaos, which then gradually evolved, much like the myth of the creation of the heavens and earth, ultimately forming a world.

And a phenomenon of chaos had also appeared within Ye Wen's body, akin to the state before the separation of heaven and earth in legends. When this mass of chaotic energy followed Ye Wen's true Qi into the Nine Provinces Tripod, the Tripod instinctively performed its work of evolution. For some unknown reason, this process actually birthed that single wisp of purple energy.

Ye Wen conjectured that perhaps this was the result because the mass of chaotic energy had been transformed from his innate purple essence.

However, purple essence re-formed after returning to chaos… "Fine, you entity, from now on, you shall be called Primordial Violet Qi!"

The most legendary purple essence was said to have evolved from that chaos. Although Ye Wen understood that his wisp of purple energy could absolutely not be the true Primordial Violet Qi, its method of birth bore a striking resemblance to the legendary tales. "Even if it's not the genuine article, it can be called a knock-off."

"This old fellow is fated to be a knock-off!"

In any case, Ye Wen had accepted it. Moreover, since this wisp of purple energy was likely the key clue for his continued ascent in power, not having a name was inconvenient! Coupled with the fact that he hadn't heard of such a high-grade item as Primordial Violet Qi in this Immortal Realm, naming his new cultivation technique after it probably wouldn't cause any great issue.

In truth, Ye Wen was unaware that the evolutionary power of the Nine Provinces Tripod was extraordinarily potent; otherwise, it couldn't have evolved an entire world in a mere few thousand years.

And the wisp of purple energy within his body was capable of birthing itself naturally within him, even without the aid of the Nine Provinces Tripod. The time required, however, was unknown—it might have taken Ye Wen tens of thousands of years, and the mass of chaotic energy within him might still have remained just that—chaotic!

"Purple Haze Divine Art, Innate Purple Essence, Primordial Violet Qi! Ah, it seems Heaven destined me to use this name!" While muttering nonsensically in his mind, he emerged from the cave. After exchanging greetings with Zhang Gui, who had been guarding the cave entrance for several days, Ye Wen headed straight out of the Desolate Valley and returned to his room to rest for a few days.

The past few days spent "communicating" with the Nine Provinces Tripod, while not consuming much of his power, had been quite draining mentally. This state was unsuitable for any activity; rest was best. Thus, although he walked back to his room, he never emerged again, skipping even dinner, dedicating himself only to sleep.

Ning Ruoxue, knowing he was exhausted, did not wake him. Shen Gongbao, coming to seek Ye Wen, was also turned away by her, claiming Senior Brother was cultivating. It wasn't until the next morning that the Shu Mountain Sect members saw their Sect Master again.

Upon meeting him, Ye Wen immediately surprised them.

"We're leaving already?"

Ye Wen nodded. "Sooner or later we have to go; might as well depart immediately!" He had decided that lingering at Shu Mountain any longer served no purpose. It was better to set off right away!

"Senior Brother… shouldn't we prepare more?"

With Shen Gongbao present, Ning Ruoxue couldn't say it outright, but Ye Wen understood her meaning: since his power had broken through, he should spend more time familiarizing himself with and consolidating it before leaving; that would be safer.

However, Ye Wen discovered over these past few days that his current condition required no such extensive familiarization. Generally speaking, his moves were more powerful, his speed was quicker, and many powers could be summoned at will! They were much more convenient than before—where was the need for familiarization?

Aside from the Glazed Pupils, which now looked identical to ordinary eyes and required some adaptation, Ye Wen’s greatest reliance—his martial arts—needed no further practice.

Now, with just a single thought, he could summon hundreds of flying swords. The Myriad Sword Art could finally be truly utilized (though it still required a short preparation time, it was far less laborious than before). Under these circumstances, he truly saw no need to waste any more time.

Unless he could comprehend the mysteries of the Primordial Violet Qi in a short time to elevate his strength another level. But that was clearly impossible. He could tell that even though he had cultivated the Primordial Violet Qi (the fake one?), without perhaps a hundred or a thousand years of cultivation, this thing remained a passive aura and could not be used as an active skill. And the Olympian Gods weren't going to wait a few thousand years, were they? So, there was no point in relying on it in the short term.

Currently, Ye Wen still had to rely on the Primordial Chaos Art. Now that he had mastered the Primordial Chaos Art, all ten types of true Qi had evolved into universes, transforming into all things in the world. With a single move, he could now draw upon the ambient energy of heaven and earth, manifesting whatever effect he willed merely with a thought—truly no different from the mighty immortals in mythology.

No matter how formidable those Olympian Gods were, that was their limit. Since he already possessed strength equal to theirs, what was there to fear?

"There’s nothing to prepare, and I don't need to be so wary of those fellows anymore!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xian and Ning Ruoxue were momentarily stunned, then realized the extent of their Senior Brother's recent gains. It seemed Ye Wen's power had surged significantly, making him unafraid even of the Olympian Gods!

Understanding this, Ning Ruoxue said no more. Like Xu Xian, she lowered her head in silence, pondering something unknown.

Ye Wen, however, was oblivious to how much his casual remark had stung the two of them. In the past, their cultivation levels had been closely matched. Even though Ye Wen always managed to move a step ahead, they would quickly catch up. A gap existed, but it remained within an acceptable range.

But ever since arriving in the Immortal Realm, Ye Wen's power had skyrocketed, climbing as if on a rocket, leaving the two of them further and further behind!

Ning Ruoxue was somewhat better off. After marrying Ye Wen, her competitive spirit had long since faded; she only occasionally threw little tantrums as a bit of spousal fun.

Now that Ye Wen had left her far behind, her only worry was that if she couldn't advance further and keep pace with her Senior Brother, wouldn't she become a burden to him later? More pressingly, her Senior Brother's current cultivation must have reached the Celestial Immortal realm. Celestial Immortals were said to have nearly infinite lifespans, while she, despite achieving the Earth Immortal realm, was not immortal. Wouldn't the divergence of life and death, the eternal separation, bring immense pain?

Xu Xian’s situation was different. He was a close friend of Ye Wen and, having joined the Shu Mountain Sect as a fellow disciple, had always closely followed Ye Wen's cultivation.

When Ye Wen reached Innate, so did he!

When Ye Wen reached Innate Perfection, he followed suit not long after!

When Ye Wen encountered a fortuitous encounter, Xu Xian had one too!

When Ye Wen shattered the void, Xu Xian also quickly shattered the void!

But this time, Xu Xian hadn't even completely mastered the Adamantine Body from the Innate Qiankun Art before Ye Wen had achieved great success in the Primordial Chaos Art and crossed into the Celestial Immortal realm.

This feeling of being left behind was not easy to bear. Although Xu Xian wouldn't feel jealousy, someone as exceptional as he could not accept being left so far behind for an extended period. He had already resolved that as soon as Senior Brother left, he would immediately enter secluded cultivation. He would not leave his seclusion until he had mastered the Adamantine Body and advanced to the Limitless Body realm—he simply wouldn't emerge otherwise.

This resolution was incredibly firm; he even cast aside his own wife, Huang Rongrong, for the time being!

After a silent breakfast, everyone dispersed thoughtfully. Watching Xu Xian and Ning Ruoxue leave in contemplation, Ye Wen's eyes flickered, and he immediately understood what was on their minds.

He turned to look at Hua Yi, who stood gracefully beside him. "Aren't you going?"

Blinking, she adopted an expression of innocent confusion. "Go where?"

If it were anyone else, they might have been fooled by that expression. But how familiar was Ye Wen with her? He had long seen that she was merely putting on an act, joking with him. "To strive diligently and improve!"

She burst into laughter and shot Ye Wen an exasperated look. "I've always been working hard!" "Oh? How is your Five-Color Divine Light cultivation progressing?"

"It's just so-so…"

"..."

As Ye Wen estimated, as soon as Hua Yi could cultivate the Five-Color Divine Light to the stage of the Five Elements Unification, she would immediately advance to the Celestial Immortal realm. Then, although her Five-Color Divine Light would be a knock-off, she would be a force that could stride unimpeded in this Immortal Realm!

If she could make the Five-Color Divine Light re-enact chaos and then re-ferment, she would instantly become one of the foremost experts in the Immortal Realm, an existence that even Celestial Immortals could not easily subdue! However, this step was immensely difficult, and Ye Wen hadn't expected Hua Yi to reach that level with the Five-Color Divine Light.

Yet, Hua Yi's ambition was greater than he imagined. She was already contemplating the deduction of chaos before reaching the Five Elements Unification. She even believed that if she could achieve the Five Elements Unification and the deduction of chaos simultaneously, it would be easier to succeed than cultivating the Five-Color Divine Light first and then attempting to deduce chaos.

Therefore, Hua Yi was already using the five divine lights to deduce chaos, rather than directly unifying the five divine lights as recorded in the secret manual of the mountain's Five-Color Divine Light.

Ye Wen knew nothing of these matters. Ning Ruoxue had learned a bit during her private conversations with Hua Yi, but the two women tacitly agreed not to tell Ye Wen, only privately resolving: We must work hard and not let Husband look down on us!

In fact, Ning Ruoxue’s sudden feeling of being left behind was partly related to Hua Yi’s actions. Seeing Hua Yi already having a clear direction for her efforts, she was still groping for her own path of cultivation; how could she not feel anxious?

Although she was now also practicing the Innate Qiankun Art, and even transforming her original sword energy into a mutated Innate Qiankun Formless Sword Qi, the pace of progress was unsatisfactory.

After today, she planned to find a place for deep secluded cultivation, determined to master the Adamantine Body before Senior Brother returned—unintentionally setting a goal very similar to Xu Xian’s.

After chatting with Hua Yi for a while, Ye Wen turned to Shen Gongbao. "General Shen, let's leave now!"

"Now?" Shen Gongbao was very surprised. Although Ye Wen had mentioned leaving today at the meal, he hadn't expected that the departure time Ye Wen meant by "today" would be right after eating! Wasn't this too rushed?

"Of course, now!" Ye Wen shrugged. "General Shen, is there anything else you need to prepare?"

"No!" Shen Gongbao grinned. "Nothing at all. Sect Master Ye, wait for me to retrieve my things, and we can leave together!"

"Then I'll wait at the main gate… Oh yes, General Shen's mount…"

Shen Gongbao mentioned riding his mount, but Ye Wen had never seen that white-browed black tiger, nor did he know where Shen Gongbao had hidden his ride.

"When I arrived at your sect, I let that black tiger wander off on its own. The scenery near your sect is quite beautiful; I imagine the creature is having a wonderful time!" The Shu Mountain Sect was surrounded by rolling mountains and possessed a rather picturesque environment. The black tiger, after all, hailed from the forests, and loved such surroundings best. He guessed it was currently lurking in some corner.

In fact, Ye Wen's guess was spot on. When Ye Wen and Shen Gongbao arrived at Shu Mountain, Shen Gongbao had summoned his mount. But after waiting for a long time without its appearance, he had to search around. He eventually found the tiger, which was about two meters long and over a meter high, lying in a stretch of forest, batting a fox back and forth like a ball.

Seeing this scene, Ye Wen merely found it amusing. The black tiger, despite its massive build, was acting like his own Garfield. It only realized its identity as Shen Gongbao's mount when Shen Gongbao arrived, and then it lay there, acting cute. Before Shen Gongbao could scold it, it stood up on its hind legs, placed its front paws on Shen Gongbao’s face, and then stuck out its tongue to lick Shen Gongbao’s face clean.

"Stop fooling around!" Shen Gongbao roared, feeling utterly disgraced. But seeing the tiger’s fawning expression, he couldn't bring himself to mete out harsh punishment, merely delivering a light, ineffective reprimand before letting it go.

By this time, Ye Wen had stopped paying attention to the black tiger. He noticed this tiger was no different from his own two pets; it just looked more imposing—though its earlier behavior had completely shattered any intimidating image.

Walking a few steps closer, he saw the little fox staggering and spinning in place, its body covered in wounds. It seemed the tiger had tormented it quite a bit, but the little fox hadn't been killed. Was that due to the tiger having good control or the fox possessing incredible vitality?

He casually pulled out a pill and held it directly in front of the fox's mouth. The enticing aroma immediately captured the creature’s attention. After glancing at Ye Wen, it opened its mouth and swallowed the pill.

However, the moment it touched its tongue, the fox's expression turned utterly grim. The pill smelled wonderful, but eating it was a completely different matter. One could tell just by how the fox stuck out its tongue and shook its head incessantly.

"Oh, so Li Xiaoyao’s failed product is this terrifying? I guess I can’t eat it casually anymore!" It turned out this pill was a work Li Xiaoyao was dissatisfied with; he felt its effects were decent, but the taste was abysmal! Ye Wen, however, thought Li Xiaoyao was being overly picky—as long as a pill worked, what did its flavor matter? So, he had kept some of those pills with him. Seeing how pitiful the fox looked just now, he was reluctant to waste a truly good pill on a mere beast, so he offered this one from the batch of "failures."

Regardless, the pill’s efficacy was undeniable—but Ye Wen hadn't expected it to be so hideously bad. Seeing the fox still spinning around searching for something to eat was proof enough.

However, the little fox’s wounds had already healed considerably in that brief moment. Some shallower cuts had vanished, and the fur on the patches scratched off by the tiger had regrown new skin. In moments, its appearance was far less miserable.

Seeing that it was mostly recovered, Ye Wen said, "Don't get caught by this big cat again; go play on your own!"

Turning back, Shen Gongbao had already mounted the black tiger. The two then soared into the sky, heading west, leaving behind a small fox that kept chewing on leaves to try and dispel the taste in its mouth.