Shi Yan and Ouyang Luoshuang shared a room, the door firmly shut, refusing any conversation with Ban Yu.

Having witnessed the exquisite nature of Shi Yan’s Spatial Mysteries, Ban Yu realized his background was likely extraordinary. He promptly discarded his previous aloofness, actively offering warmth and trying to glean information in an effort to deepen their acquaintance.

Shi Yan paid him no mind.

Inside the cabin, the jade-arched dome illuminated by a radiant pearl, Ouyang Luoshuang’s skin was like snow, her eyes clear, watching him quietly.

“Let me take a look for you. I’ll see if the shackles can be removed.”

Shi Yan frowned. As soon as these words fell, regardless of Ouyang Luoshuang’s reaction, he reached out and grasped her slender, jade-like hand.

He failed to notice a flicker of panic cross Ouyang Luoshuang’s beautiful eyes.

Ouyang Luoshuang’s hand was indeed lovely—slender and pale, her fingers like tender green onions, appearing almost translucent, allowing the faintest network of veins to be seen.

But currently, a dark cyan shackle bound her fair wrist, sealing the beauty’s posture, speech, and mobility.

Shi Yan gripped her hand, his gaze concentrating. Starlight flowed from his eyes, stellar power gathering bit by bit, permeating her hand, tracing the lines of her palm, and rushing toward the shackle.

Sizzling, hissing!

The lightning wrapped around the shackle seemed suddenly activated, instantly shattering the stellar power he channeled into fragmented remnants.

Ouyang Luoshuang’s delicate hands instantly turned bone-chillingly cold, as if permeated by icy force. Traces of electrical arcs quietly shot through her meridians, causing her body to tremble uncontrollably, her beautiful eyes clouding with pain.

Shi Yan’s expression shifted slightly. He hurriedly retracted the penetrating stellar power and released her hand.

Wisps of cold energy flowed from Ouyang Luoshuang’s hand like white mist. Her hands regained a sliver of warmth, and the lightning shuttling within her meridians gradually retracted toward the shackle, melting back inside.

That shackle was clearly no ordinary object. Once it sensed someone attempting to break it, it would spontaneously react using special countermeasures—harming the restrained individual to deter the breaker from acting rashly.

Taking a deep breath, Shi Yan quieted his mind and focused, refraining from touching her arm. A strange light shimmered deep within his pupils.

A soul aura brimming with vigorous vitality flowed out from his altar, threadlike and smoky, seeping into Ouyang Luoshuang’s body. He prepared to use soul exploration to ascertain the anomaly within her body before making his next move.

His soul, imbued with the Mystery of Life, enveloped Ouyang Luoshuang like a warm ocean.

In the ocean of life he deliberately mirrored, a faint blush touched Ouyang Luoshuang’s cheeks, and a hint of ease softened her eyes, as if she found the moment extremely comfortable, the pressure within her body alleviated.

Shi Yan’s soul consciousness took this opportunity to immerse itself within her, aiming to penetrate the deeper layers of her Sea of Consciousness and altar to enact the decryption.

Suddenly, a violent soul struggle erupted from the shackle on Ouyang Luoshuang’s wrist. The soul resistance was intense, triggering a lightning counterattack from the shackle, instantly causing electricity to surge through Ouyang Luoshuang’s arm, beginning to spread toward her entire body.

Sizzling, hissing!

Streams of lightning shot out, scorching and charring several areas of the room, causing even Shi Yan’s expression to change in alarm. He hastily withdrew the spiritual sense he had permeated.

Surprisingly, the moment his soul consciousness withdrew from Ouyang Luoshuang’s body, the prohibitive power of the shackle instantly vanished. Ouyang Luoshuang’s gaze relaxed, revealing exhaustion as she quietly looked at Shi Yan, her clear eyes now veiled with a layer of bitter helplessness.

“Young friend! Young friend!” Ban Yu called softly from outside, speaking with sincerity, “You must not try to unlock it recklessly, nor attempt to forcibly shatter that shackle. Doing so will only lead to your friend’s demise.”

Shi Yan’s face darkened. He glanced at the door, which immediately swung open.

Ban Yu entered smoothly, his expression grave. “I wanted to discuss the shackle with you earlier, but you didn't give me the chance. Now, I believe you will permit me to speak properly.”

“Tell me, how can this shackle be broken?” Shi Yan asked coldly.

“It cannot be broken,” Ban Yu said with a wry smile. Seeing a fierce glint flash in Shi Yan’s eyes, he quickly added, “There is a key! Every set of the ‘Primordial Spirit Lock’ comes with a matching key. Once opened with the specialized key, it unlocks instantly!”

“Primordial Spirit Lock?” Shi Yan frowned. “What is the story behind this lock?”

“This Primordial Spirit Lock is very peculiar. It contains fragments of this young lady’s soul. The shackle has merged with her soul. If the shackle breaks, her scattered soul fragments will also shatter, and her main soul will detonate. The Primordial Spirit Lock not only restrains the divine body and divine power but its primary function is the binding of the soul. When your soul consciousness invaded just now, did you sense the young lady’s soul struggling within the shackle?” Ban Yu inquired.

Shi Yan nodded.

That was indeed what happened. When he prepared to penetrate Ouyang Luoshuang’s soul Sea of Consciousness with his spiritual awareness, the shackle suddenly discharged lightning, and he felt Ouyang Luoshuang’s soul struggling from within the lock. It was precisely because he sensed something was wrong that he quickly withdrew his soul consciousness, lest the lightning incinerate Ouyang Luoshuang’s soul inside the shackle, leading to the collapse of her main soul and her immediate, tragic death.

“Why are you so familiar with this Primordial Spirit Lock?” he asked coldly.

Ban Yu’s face became extremely awkward. He chuckled sheepishly, “Because this Primordial Spirit Lock was invented and forged by the artifact refiners of our Giant Wave Merchant Guild. It is also the most expensive item our Giant Wave Merchant Guild possesses. One Primordial Spirit Lock is matched with only one key. Without the key, forcibly breaking the shackle will only cause the main soul of the restrained person to perish. The refining of a Primordial Spirit Lock is extremely difficult; each set is priceless, and only factions like the Shattered Palace, Thousand Illusions Sect, and Water Heaven Palace have the wealth to purchase them. Since this woman is bound by a Primordial Spirit Lock, I fear… her identity is also not simple.”

Ban Yu’s eyes flickered as he intently watched Shi Yan, trying to gauge his reaction.

Shi Yan did not disappoint him; his reaction was intensely strong. He burst out cursing, “Your Giant Wave Merchant Guild is truly shameless, immoral, and despicable! The artifact refiner who invented and forged this Primordial Spirit Lock should be utterly wiped out! If I ever meet that fellow, I will trap him in space and then collapse the space itself, making him taste the sensation of his body and soul being instantaneously split across countless voids.”

Ban Yu’s face suddenly turned pale.

Shi Yan’s expression turned icy. He gave Ban Yu a sidelong glance and sneered, “That person wouldn't happen to be you, would he?”

“No, no!” Ban Yu repeatedly shook his head, growing increasingly terrified and uneasy, sweat beading on his brow. He forced a dry laugh, “I, I haven't reached that level of artifact refining. If I possessed such skill, I wouldn't be stuck here.”

The person who invented and forged the Primordial Spirit Lock, though not Ban Yu, was a senior relative of his. Ban Yu’s ability to join the Giant Wave Merchant Guild and serve as the captain of a merchant vessel was largely due to that elder’s cultivation.

He had brought up the matter intending to elevate his own status, but seeing Shi Yan’s overly intense reaction, Ban Yu immediately cursed himself for speaking carelessly, nursing a belly full of frustration.

“It’s best if it’s not you,” Shi Yan sneered coldly, then commanded, “Besides the key, is there truly no other method?”

“There really isn't,” Ban Yu shook his head, but after a brief pause, he suddenly remembered. “There is another way. It is said that experts who reach the Immortal Realm can directly extract the separated soul from within without damaging the shackle, and then use immense magical power to shatter the shackle.”

He looked deeply at Shi Yan, bowing slightly, and asked tentatively, “Given your status and standing, securing the help of an Immortal Realm expert to remove the shackle for her should not be too difficult, right?”

Before battling Wei Yun and Xing Shang, Shi Yan had boasted wildly, expressing contempt for Xi Ze. At that time, Ban Yu assumed Shi Yan was ignorant of the vastness of the world.

However, after witnessing the fight between Shi Yan and Xing Shang, and confirming Shi Yan was a wielder of Spatial Mysteries, Ban Yu’s perspective shifted…

He began to suspect Shi Yan might possess an extremely noble identity, perhaps even validating his earlier claims that he had the right to converse directly with Xi Ze.

Therefore, he deliberately sought to befriend Shi Yan to uncover his identity. If Shi Yan was indeed such an individual, Ban Yu would endeavor to curry favor, lest he miss such an opportunity, thus prompting him to willingly lower his stance.

Shi Yan looked at Ban Yu, coldly laughing internally, seeing through the man’s machinations in one glance. “I don't know any Immortal Realm experts.”

“Then when you spoke of Xi Ze just now…” Ban Yu looked astonished.

“You’re that old, and still that naive? Of course, I was trying to scare those two Shattered Palace warriors. You couldn’t even see that?” Shi Yan mocked.

Ban Yu’s face turned ashen. He let out a cold snort, his eyes full of disappointment, and walked away without looking back.

Restrained by the ‘Primordial Spirit Lock,’ unable to move or speak, but able to hear and see, Ouyang Luoshuang had witnessed and heard their entire conversation. Like Ban Yu, her eyes reflected disappointment.

She had hoped Shi Yan might know someone in the Immortal Realm who could help remove the Primordial Spirit Lock. Hearing Shi Yan’s decisive statement, the hope that had just risen in her heart was brutally severed, leaving her soul flooded with bleak resignation.

“What’s with that look?” Shi Yan scoffed, noticing her disappointment. He frowned. “Don’t worry. I will help you remove this so-called Primordial Spirit Lock. If I can’t find an Immortal expert, I’ll find the key. That look you’re giving me makes it seem like I’m deceiving you. What nonsense.”

Ouyang Luoshuang sighed internally, but the look of disappointment in her eyes did not vanish.

She had heard Xing Shang and Wei Yun mention that the key to the Primordial Spirit Lock binding her was on Xing Ming. Xing Ming was a powerhouse at the third heaven of the Initial God realm, controlling the major authority of the Shattered Palace—a figure second only to the supreme leader within that faction. Trying to reclaim the key from his hands was akin to a lamb walking into a tiger’s den.

She utterly disbelieved Shi Yan could retrieve the key from Xing Ming, and secretly grew anxious, wishing to persuade him not to go. Alas, her mouth was sealed, and her eyes showed heavy concern.

Ouyang Luoshuang’s soul was so restricted that even a soul transmission was impossible. After staring at her for a while, Shi Yan suddenly found the situation tedious and ceased speaking. He sat down beside her, narrowed his eyes, and pondered with a frown.

Even before entering Phantom Star, he had already offended the Shattered Palace. This journey to obtain the support of the Thousand Illusions Sect, Shattered Palace, and Water Heaven Palace, and to acquire the Bloodthirsty Remains from the three leaders, had just gained significant difficulty.

He was also vexed, contemplating how to deal with those three ancient monsters who had reached the Immortal Realm once they arrived at Phantom Star.