Beyond that color, nothing else could be discerned. No other hue, no other sight existed; it was as if the entire world had been abruptly and utterly claimed by purple, everything submerged beneath endless swathes of it.

Ning Ruxue and the others had retreated a great distance. Floating in the air and gazing back towards the rear mountain, they saw a colossal field of purple almost completely obscuring that portion of the heavens and earth. Aside from that familiar purple and the familiar aura it emanated, absolutely nothing else was visible. Even when Ning Ruxue activated the azure lotus between her brows, attempting to use that rather mystical bloom to sense the situation within, it was to no avail.

Artemis watched for a long time but could not make out what was transpiring there. Finally, she could only ask Ning Ruxue beside her, "What is that?"

"I don't know. Perhaps a new technique Senior Brother has comprehended?" Ning Ruxue peered for a long while, genuinely unable to judge what it was. The only solace was that the massive expanse of purple felt so familiar, carrying Ye Wen's scent, suggesting it was his move rather than something unleashed by that terrifying monster.

High above, in the distance, a figure clad in a dark Xuan-colored Daoist robe soared rapidly through the air, leaning on a banner in his left hand while holding a flat, plate-like object in his right.

As he flew, he suddenly spotted the radiant purple light illuminating the sky in the distance. The Daoist’s expression changed abruptly, and he exclaimed, "Who possesses the power to unleash the Innate Chaos Sword Qi?"

In his astonishment, the auspicious cloud beneath his feet sped up even further. The whole person craned his neck, looking ahead intensely. He managed to glimpse a huge spread of violet light dominating a portion of the world. Seeing this, the Daoist was even more shocked: "This is...?"

Those positioned outside the purple expanse continued to speculate, while the Yamata no Orochi, engulfed within the purple, felt the horror of this move far more acutely.

The Yamata no Orochi only felt the world abruptly transform. The azure sky and the crisp mountain breeze vanished completely, replaced by this purple that even it could not penetrate.

All it could see was purple... still purple!

If it were only this, the Yamata no Orochi would not have panicked; at most, it would have assumed it was an illusion array. However, from this immense sea of purple threatening to drown it, it sensed a fear rising from the deepest part of its core—the instinct of a ferocious beast surviving for millions of years sensing mortal danger.

From this sprawling purple, the Yamata no Orochi even felt the threat of death! Although it couldn't grasp the origin of this feeling, it resolved to flee this purple expanse immediately!

But just as it tried to move, it found that it seemed unable to move, or perhaps it hadn't moved at all, because the surrounding environment had barely changed. The Yamata no Orochi couldn't even tell if it was floating in the air or standing on the ground—or whether the sky or the earth was above its head.

Having lost its sense of direction—not even sure if it was paralyzed—the Yamata no Orochi finally felt panic. And at that very moment, the faint red rain clouds previously visible above its head vanished instantly, as if cleaved apart by a single sword stroke, or perhaps pierced and scattered by countless sharp blades. This bizarre sensation made the Yamata no Orochi feel things were gravely wrong.

Yet, it was powerless now; it couldn't even escape: "What the devil is this thing?"

Just as one of the Yamata no Orochi’s heads could no longer bear it and cursed aloud, a sensation like being fiercely stabbed by a sharp sword coursed through its body. Before it could regain its composure, every inch and every fiber of its entire body seemed to have been struck by a sword—and this feeling continued, one after another, seemingly without end.

The suffering Yamata no Orochi tried to writhe, only to find itself utterly unable to move, unable even to cry out to vent the agony.

Its eyes seemed to want to show terror, but that too was impossible, because the acute pain, as if countless swords were piercing its eyes, prevented it from daring to open them...

Ye Wen, standing similarly within the great expanse of purple, felt as if he were in his element, like a fish in water. He even felt that this immense purple was an extension of himself; everything that occurred within this purple space was known to him. As the Yamata no Orochi endured the greatest pain in its history, Ye Wen also finally understood the nature of his move.

When he had struck just now, it was merely an instinct, coupled with a sudden response from that sliver of purple qi within his body (), prompting him, as if guided by spirits, to execute this technique based purely on feeling.

It could be said that since beginning his cultivation, Ye Wen rarely encountered such a situation. The last time this happened was when the Buddhist power residing within his body () propelled him to comprehend the Six Paths of Reincarnation; this time, it resulted in the unleashing of this technique.

Ye Wen had no clue what to name this move, but he now understood its essence and principle. In the future, he would not need to wait for that specific feeling to arrive before executing it; he could actively deploy this technique based purely on his consciousness.

Looking up, he saw that the vast field of purple was actually an ocean composed of ten thousand flying swords gathered together. One could say this expansive purple, or this purple space, was condensed from boundless flying swords. To call it one sword was correct; to call it countless flying swords was also true.

As long as one was within this purple, they were effectively under attack by flying swords, with no avenue to escape or evade. The only possibility of survival was to withstand the strike head-on—or if Ye Wen chose not to strike lethally!

For the recipient of the attack, saying they were pierced by ten thousand swords was accurate, and saying they were slain by a single sword was equally correct. This was the marvelous nature of this purple space: it no longer clung to being one sword or ten thousand swords, having returned completely to the essence of the sword!

Frankly, this profound and mysterious nonsense theory made Ye Wen himself dizzy, but he had comprehended it. Comprehension was comprehension; he couldn't even find someone to explain it to!

He could even assert that even if he could use this technique with perfect fluency, he couldn't teach it to others. This feeling could never be explained through mere words; one could only say this move was the ultimate finishing blow, a convergence of everything Ye Wen had learned, combined with concepts he had long mastered. Within this purple space, he was an invincible existence! Taking an enemy's life was merely a matter of thought, evident in how the Yamata no Orochi was now pummeled into immobility, unable even to whine.

More importantly, Ye Wen was currently only at the Celestial Immortal cultivation level. If he were to achieve the Golden Immortal stage and unleash this purple expanse again, its power would likely ascend several tiers.

Of course, these thoughts were too far ahead. Ye Wen opened his eyes, gazing at the surrounding purple, then let a ripple of internal strength surge; he immediately sensed something: "It seems this move cannot be sustained for too long..."

Before the thought was complete, the sea of purple vanished abruptly, as suddenly and unexpectedly as it had appeared. Heaven and earth reverted to their original forms: the azure sky, the drifting white clouds, the gentle mountain breeze, and the figure suspended in mid-air, slightly lowering his head to look at the wretched silhouette on the ground.

The Yamata no Orochi had disappeared. It was kneeling on one knee, nearly every inch of its skin covered in blood, appearing almost entirely as a blood-man—it was the Heaven Fire Dragon Lord. This Yamata no Orochi, after all, was a long-lived ferocious beast with immense experience in combat. At the critical moment, it had abandoned its true form to take human shape. Although it still couldn't escape that terrifying attack, nor evade the purple ocean, it reasoned that reducing its size might lessen the damage received.

However, it didn't know that size held no meaning against Ye Wen’s previous move. Thus, its fate remained tragically miserable. Still, this choice was not entirely wrong; upon transforming into a human, it condensed all its power, simultaneously manifesting its scales as armor, barely managing to withstand the attack.

Now, the Heaven Fire Dragon Lord’s scales had been ground into powder and dispersed by the mountain wind, his crimson robe had vanished without a trace, and even his long hair was in disarray, uneven as if chewed by a dog, with several patches of scalp showing, which were also a bloody red.

To see the mighty Yamata no Orochi so utterly wrecked by a single move of his, Ye Wen felt immensely pleased with his newly comprehended technique. Looking down at his opponent, he felt a surge of confidence: "You still think the Shu Mountain has no one capable?"

The Heaven Fire Dragon Lord naturally could not answer. He had been shattered in spirit by Ye Wen’s attack; how could he remain arrogant? Kneeling there, he dared not speak, his mind racing only on how to escape!

Putting aside everything else, at this moment, he couldn't even withstand a casual flying sword released by Ye Wen, let alone that terrifying previous move. Although his physical body was robust enough to resist attacks from magic treasures, he had witnessed the power of Ye Wen's swords. Even if he could endure one blow, he couldn't endure countless strikes!

A thought flashed through his mind, and his body trembled violently. He once again cast the Three Souls Manifestation spell, and immediately the Heaven Fire Immortal Lord and the Heaven Fire Feather Lord reappeared. Without exchanging a word, they rushed towards Ye Wen.

Seeing the Heaven Fire Dragon Lord still resisting, Ye Wen stopped holding back. He raised his left hand, spontaneously forming three Purple Firmament Swords. Then, with a flick of his index finger, without reciting any incantations, the Purple Firmament Swords transformed into three streaks of startling light, fiercely lunging towards the three Lords.

The three swords targeted one each, leaving none unattended. But what surprised Ye Wen was that the two Lords rushing towards him suddenly paused violently. The Heaven Fire Feather Lord, clad in light armor, abruptly halted his movement, and his scales exploded outward, transforming into countless shimmering, fiery quills that laid down a curtain of fire.

At this moment, Ye Wen understood why this avatar was named the Heaven Fire Feather Lord—it possessed such a hidden technique. Though slightly surprised, he paid it no mind. He raised his right hand, this time manifesting seven Purple Firmament Swords directly. However, this time it wasn't as swift as before; only six appeared?

Ye Wen frowned, realizing that the universe operating within his body () was no longer as rapid as before, particularly as the purple qi within the chaos had retracted. No matter what, there was no reaction whatsoever.

The speed at which his True Qi circulated now depended entirely on the speed of that universe's transformation. This state was equivalent to his True Qi circulation running out of momentum and stamina!

"So, that move isn't something that can be used carelessly!"

He understood now. While that grand technique possessed infinite power, it still had side effects. He estimated that after going all out, Ye Wen could sustain that state for perhaps a few dozen seconds, after which his True Qi wouldn't be entirely depleted, but its recovery rate would plummet—and he likely wouldn't be able to unleash that move again for some time. Furthermore, if the True Qi recovery rate slowed drastically, it meant the Myriad Sword Art could no longer be employed either.

"Tsk! A finishing move that comes with a cooldown—how frustrating!"

He flicked his right hand. There was no need to gather seven swords; six flying swords released, plus the previous three, should be more than enough! However, with his True Qi sluggish, engaging in close combat was unsuitable. Ye Wen wouldn't have just watched from the sky if he were in peak condition.

These six flying swords traced six purple ribbons across the sky, circled once, and shot directly towards the distant Heaven Fire Dragon Lord. Although Ye Wen’s vision was blocked by the curtain of fire, he could sense the Heaven Fire Dragon Lord's location, so it didn't affect his sword control.

But just as his six flying swords were about to reach the Heaven Fire Dragon Lord, a loud shout suddenly rang out from the sky: "Fellow Daoist, hold your hand!"

Following the voice, a plain, flat iron plaque descended from the air. As this disc floated down and circled, it slowly emitted an aura of yin and yang light—it was clearly a Tai Chi Iron Plaque, looking quite similar to the Tai Chi tokens of the Wudang Sect.

But Ye Wen could feel that compared to this iron plaque, the Wudang Sect's Tai Chi token was merely a child's toy!

As this plaque appeared, a ray of light immediately descended, enveloping Ye Wen's six flying swords. The six swords, which had been speeding forward, stopped instantly, held motionless within the light.

"Is that the Tai Chi Diagram!?"

In the distance, Cui Jun, who had wandered off somewhere and only now reappeared, saw the ray of light and froze for a moment before noticing the situation on the field: "What happened?" He immediately spotted the blood-soaked Heaven Fire Dragon Lord and the Xuan Du Grand Master floating in the air.

Ning Ruxue explained the situation briefly to Cui Jun when he appeared, though she didn't know how Ye Wen and the Heaven Fire Dragon Lord had started fighting, only recounting what she had witnessed.

She hoped Cui Jun could offer some help. After all, Cui Jun was a renowned expert in the Celestial Realm. If he could aid Ye Wen, Ye Wen would surely be safe today. Although her Senior Brother currently held the upper hand, the newcomer was clearly allied with the previous monster, and judging by Cui Jun's expression, he must have a significant background.

It turned out Cui Jun had gone out wandering the previous day, looking for any rare treasures nearby. Although he had been at Mount Shu for over a decade, he hadn't fully familiarized himself with the surrounding areas, so this outing was just considered a relaxing stroll. He hadn't expected an incident today. Cui Jun sensed something wrong coming from Mount Shu from afar and rushed back.

Upon returning, he immediately felt that the protective mountain array that had always enveloped Mount Shu had vanished. He then saw Ye Wen fighting someone, followed by the descent of the Tai Chi Diagram from the heavens, trapping Ye Wen's flying swords.

This was the scene Cui Jun witnessed. He still hadn't figured out the whole story, but if Ye Wen had clashed with the Grand Supreme Elder Laozi, things would become very complicated. He immediately slapped his seated gourd and flew towards the scene.

"Both sides, hold your aggression!"

As he rushed forward to mediate, the Xuan Du Grand Master also descended from the clouds, intending to inquire about the situation. Ye Wen, seeing Cui Jun arrive and another person emerge from the opposite side, knew that today’s affair was about to become complex. Even so, he felt no fear; he was in the right here, and he would never compromise, even if it meant fighting his way to the Heavenly Court.

However, the day was full of surprises. While the Xuan Du Grand Master and Cui Jun were still flying over, and Ye Wen was preparing to pour a bit more power into the three flying swords trapped by the fire curtain to swiftly eliminate the two avatars, the Heaven Fire Dragon Lord suddenly transformed into a streak of red and blue mixed light, shooting straight into the sky towards the east, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

This sudden turn of events stunned not only Ye Wen but also Cui Jun and the Xuan Du Grand Master, who were momentarily bewildered. Only Ye Wen recovered fastest, roaring furiously, "Thief, do not flee!"

But just as he was about to pursue, he remembered the two avatars still before him, coupled with his depleted reserves. Chasing now would likely be too late. He mustered all his remaining power and detonated the three flying swords within the fire curtain.

The Xuan Du Grand Master, seeing the Heaven Fire Dragon Lord escape, was about to question the avatars when a massive explosion suddenly erupted from within the curtain of fire. He felt as if a thunderclap had sounded in his ears, and then a sky-filling burst of purple sword light erupted, instantly tearing the two avatars to shreds.

Opening his mouth, the Xuan Du Grand Master was rendered speechless by the sight, stunned speechless. He could only point a finger at Ye Wen, muttering, "You..." you... you... continuously, unable to form a complete sentence!

In reality, Ye Wen was also surprised that this single blast managed to kill the two avatars. He didn't realize that his earlier Myriad Swords Return to One attack had already left the Yamata no Orochi critically wounded. Even after transforming back into human form and casting the Three Souls Manifestation, he was merely struggling to maintain existence; these two avatars possessed very little strength and were naturally easy to dispatch.

The Heaven Fire Dragon Lord had paid a heavy price; to escape, he was willing to abandon these avatars. If this technique was cast and the avatars were destroyed, the spell would be broken, and recovering would be no easier than starting from scratch. In his desperate bid for escape, he couldn't afford to worry about that. Leaving the two avatars for Ye Wen to kill was his chance to flee—a decision showing considerable decisiveness.

Ye Wen, having dealt with the two avatars, also felt a wave of exhaustion. That last explosion had used up the last of his strength. With recovery being slow, his current full power was at most forty percent, truly unsuitable for combat.

However, he wasn't sure of this Daoist's intentions and dared not let his guard down. Fortunately, Cui Jun rushed up in time and bowed to the Daoist: "Daoist Xuan Du, do not be hasty in moving to fight. Let us first ask for the reason for this dispute."