Beneath the azure depths, colorful reefs were scattered like jewels, crimson corals embedded like blood-red crystal, and unknown marine flora stretched out like octopus tentacles, possessing an intoxicating beauty.

The thick, viscous blood gradually diluted and dissipated, and bright, eggshell-like light cocoons, encasing human forms, gathered around a patch of reef.

Three arrow-straight fish swam leisurely past the group, as if unaware that a scene of bloody slaughter had just transpired moments before.

“This can’t go on; that boy will completely lose control. We must find a safe area to stabilize things,” Ming Hong murmured into Audrey’s shoulder. “Of course, there is a more convenient alternative.”

“What alternative?” Audrey’s eyes brightened slightly.

“Abandon him. Use him as bait so we can slip away easily. After all, those pursuers’ main targets are precisely him. Once he goes mad and acts recklessly, it will mobilize everyone to make him the priority target for elimination, and we… can then comfortably return to the Domain Gate. What do you all think?”

As he spoke, Ming Hong’s eyes flickered, keeping a careful watch on Audrey, the Divine Lord, and Ming Hao, while also glancing towards the distant Shi Yan.

Shi Yan was currently some distance away from them. Due to her mistrust of their group, Mei Ji had chosen to stay close to Shi Yan rather than actively approach, and coupled with Ming Hong deliberately lowering his voice, he was certain that Shi Yan and Mei Ji over there could not hear his words, which is why he proposed this plan.

“Absolutely not!” Audrey spoke first, almost without hesitation.

“Why not?” Ming Hong frowned.

Audrey paused, then thought it over carefully, a strange gleam appearing in her eyes. “He saved my life. Without his protection in the Void Sea Domain, I would have died long ago. I came with him; if we leave, we leave together. I absolutely will not abandon him!”

Ming Hong curled his lip. “Women are women. Once the string of emotion is plucked, reason is extinguished.”

“No, it’s not what you think,” Audrey retorted, her tone somewhat weak, her expression slightly dazed.

‘Have I truly developed feelings?’ she questioned vaguely.

“What do you two think?” Ming Hong addressed the others again.

“If it weren’t for the Mystic Rune Pagoda, I wouldn’t care if he lived or died! Since you all say the Mystic Rune Pagoda is so precious, and he now possesses it, I might as well exert a little effort for the sake of the Primal Source Rune,” the Divine Lord stated candidly, shrugging elegantly. “If the situation turns dire, and a life-threatening crisis arises for me, I will naturally retreat far away. Self-preservation comes first.”

“And you?” Ming Hong asked Ming Hao.

“I’ll watch for a while longer,” Ming Hao replied, his expression complex.

Shi Yan was nominally the Venerable Lord of the Bloodthirsty lineage, and as one of the Eight Attendants, he was logically bound to serve diligently. Even without the Mystic Rune Pagoda, in principle, he was supposed to ensure Shi Yan’s safety, as he knew that the hopes and will of the Bloodthirsty line rested upon Shi Yan’s shoulders. Now that Shi Yan possessed the Mystic Rune Pagoda, had pierced the darkness energy, and entered the Immortal Realm, Ming Hao realized he was gradually finding reasons to depend on Shi Yan, making him reluctant to cut ties.

“Since you all have decided to stick around for a while, it’s best to find a solution, otherwise, once he goes berserk, we’ll be the first to suffer,” Ming Hong suggested.

The three nodded in unison.

“I’ll go talk to him,” Ming Hao said after a moment of contemplation, standing up and walking toward Shi Yan.

Almost simultaneously, Shi Yan, whose eyes were blazing crimson, was also walking toward them.

The Divine Lord, Ming Hao, and the others were astonished, stopping momentarily and looking at him with puzzled expressions.

Shi Yan strode forward now, enveloped by an impenetrable, thick aura of bloodlust. Blood-fiend energy manifested like layers upon layers of crimson flames covering his entire body; even his long hair seemed to be burning like fire. With every step he took, crimson flames spurted out, his imposing presence breathtaking.

His scarlet eyes looked as if fresh blood was about to spill over, causing a tremor in the soul just by looking at them, as if one were about to drown in boundless slaughter.

“A powerful Negative Domain Field! If this field spreads, not only will he lose his sanity, but it will also affect all living beings nearby!” Ming Hong cried out in alarm.

Audrey’s delicate face was equally horrified.

She noticed that as Shi Yan approached, the thousands of fish nearby suddenly went berserk, slaughtering each other in a frenzy, biting and tearing at one another—even the most common fish transformed into savage piranhas; the scene was deeply shocking. As Shi Yan drew nearer, her own vital energy surged, and in a trance, she felt an infinite sea of blood rushing toward her, filling her with an overwhelming urge to kill.

“As he kills more, absorbing the Soul Altar and the Essence of Death becomes denser; this magnetic field… will become even more terrifying,” the Divine Lord said grimly. “I experienced it firsthand back then. When the Bloodthirsty power perished, that negative magnetic field spread, causing our own people to fight each other for several dozen days even after his demise, killing off nearly all participants.”

Hearing this, Ming Hong’s expression grew increasingly apprehensive.

Shi Yan’s actions startled Mei Ji as well; she stood up, preparing to approach and assess the situation. However, upon advancing only twenty paces toward Shi Yan, Mei Ji felt her blood ignite as if flames were burning within her veins, and her vision filled with viscous blood rushing toward her face, as if she were entirely drenched in the blood of slaughter.

Mei Ji, who had mastered the art of soul-bewitching charms and possessed profound insight into mental subtleties, immediately recognized that the negative fluctuations contained terrifying psychic evil arts. The influence of these mental arts was so potent that even she was susceptible; she was certain many others could easily lose their reason.

“It seems you all realize that my current condition isn't quite right…” Shi Yan stopped voluntarily when he was ten paces from Audrey and Ming Hao.

“Shi Yan, what exactly is going on?” Audrey asked urgently.

“It’s overloaded,” Shi Yan’s eyes remained blood-red. “Starting with Gan Fu, then Telega, Ye Bolle, Fallonnie, the guards of the Xuantian Clan, Batu Mu—and I haven't stopped since. There was no chance to properly stabilize and purify; continuous slaughter, plus absorbing the Soul Altars and residual divine energy of hundreds more people…”

After a moment of silence, he continued slowly, “My Devouring Black Hole and the acupoints across my body are like broad, open avenues, but they are now congested due to excessive traffic. Like a precision artifact overloaded with too many forces of different attributes, the operation has stalled. As a result… the purification speed has slowed drastically, to the point where I haven’t even fully digested Gan Fu’s power, allowing the negative aura to gradually overflow and seep into my mind and outward body…”

His explanation was simple and clear; everyone understood immediately, and their expressions grew solemn. Not having even digested the power of the first person he killed, Gan Fu, meant the situation was indeed quite severe. At this rate, Shi Yan would be dominated by negative emotions, potentially transforming into a purely bloodthirsty beast, completely losing his sanity until all his energy was depleted.

“What do you want to tell us…” Ming Hao pondered secretly.

“I need time to properly adjust the abnormality within my body, but I also know that if we linger in one area for too long, the disappeared individuals we killed might become the trigger exposing our location,” Shi Yan took deep, steadying breaths to appear lucid. “You should continue pushing toward the Domain Gate, killing along the way. Those disappeared individuals will, in time, become key elements attracting attention. Mei Ji and I will temporarily vanish, separating from you for now. I will use that time to adjust my physical abnormality.”

“You want us to act as bait to buy you time?” the Divine Lord sneered.

“Even without us, weren’t you still heading for the Domain Gate?” Shi Yan showed no anger. “Furthermore, to my knowledge, the pursuers are certain about Mei Ji and me being targets, but they are unaware of your existence, so you are quite safe. Even if you truly run into someone, they are unlikely to know you are targets. What I need you to do is kill relentlessly, regardless of whether those people know who you are. If many teams vanish consecutively in one region, it will naturally draw the attention of the perceptive, making them suspect we are among them.”

“He’s right,” Ming Hong nodded. “Those people are looking for Shi Yan and that local woman; they have no idea we exist. Since we are all going to the Domain Gate anyway, killing along the way to divert attention is much better than sticking with him. If he loses control, we’ll face endless trouble.”

“That’s true,” Ming Hao agreed.

“Why are you taking Mei Ji? Do you trust her?” Audrey’s expression turned cold. “I’ll go with you!”

“No!” Ming Hao and Ming Hong shouted simultaneously. Following Shi Yan increased the likelihood of disaster; they might be killed by a rampaging Shi Yan before they were even discovered. Both Ming Hao and Ming Hong viewed Audrey as the future hope of the Nether Sovereign Clan and would never allow such a risk.

“Imprint the location of the Domain Gate onto this Celestial Illusory Star Compass. Perhaps we can regroup along the way, and even if we can’t, as long as I am safe, I will return to the Barren Domain through the gate,” Shi Yan handed the compass to Ming Hong.

Ming Hong didn't hesitate, immediately etching the precise location onto it, specifically labeling it as the ‘Barren Domain Entrance.’ When Shi Yan took it back, with a mere thought of his soul consciousness, the exact location of the Barren Domain’s Domain Gate became perfectly clear in his mind.

“Take care.” He glanced at the three, transforming into a streak of starlight and speeding away. He pulled Mei Ji along mid-flight, shooting erratically into the distance, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

“I’m going with you!” Audrey called out, but Ming Hong and Ming Hao jointly restrained her, preventing her from taking the risk.

“Don’t go! There might be a chance to meet again later!” Ming Hong commanded.

“That boy isn't that easy to kill. If anything happens, it will be that woman who gets into trouble,” Ming Hao said, his eyes flashing with a strange light, as if he knew Shi Yan’s plan. “Don't worry, he has a way to quickly resolve this predicament. This fellow has roamed our Barren Domain for years; despite using the Devouring profound mystery so many times, he’s never truly managed to kill himself.”

“Right, how did he manage it before?” Audrey asked, surprised.

Ming Hao let out a sly chuckle. “He has his methods, that’s what matters. Don't worry, the boy knows his limits. As long as we kill many people along the way and draw the attention there, he will surely be able to calmly stabilize his mind, perhaps even catch up soon.”

...(To be continued)RQ