Tu Shiqi, Ya Yun, and Long Xi were aimlessly drifting. This location was within the territory of the Sea Shark Emperor, and they had come because they had received word that several small teams of Sea Clan members had mysteriously vanished recently.

All three suspected that Shi Yan was involved, so they had rushed over from another region, searching for something nearby.

A bell tinkled from Ya Yun's sleeve. She focused her senses, her expression turning heavy: "Latest news: Houssain of the Sky Demon Clan died violently, and not a single member who accompanied him survived."

Tu Shiqi and Long Xi’s faces changed.

Houssain was another heavyweight figure who had recently died horribly!

He was the person in charge of the Ancient Demon Clan in the Sea of Destruction, with a status comparable to Mei Ji and Ling Mei. Furthermore, he was killed underwater. Given his status and background, very few people would dare to kill him!

Tu Shiqi immediately suspected Shi Yan and his group had acted!

By now, they were certain that Shi Yan was not alone with just Mei Ji. Gan Fu of the Devourer Clan, who was at the peak of the Immortal realm, capable of perceiving dark energy, with one foot already stepping into the Domain Ancestor realm, had also met a grim end. This was enough proof that there was another powerhouse beside Shi Yan, because Shi Yan and Mei Ji alone could never defeat Gan Fu.

Moreover, Ling Mei, Yebolo, Telega, and Faloni had also died, which further confirmed that the perpetrators must include at least one powerhouse at the Quasi-Domain Ancestor level!

Therefore, upon hearing of Houssain's violent death, they were not surprised and immediately suspected Shi Yan's group were the ones who acted—anyone else aware of Houssain's identity certainly wouldn't dare deliver the fatal blow.

"I know Houssain had also come to this area. Did the Ancient Demon Clan mention the general location of their demise? I know the secret arts of the Ancient Demon Clan; through the termination of the beast soul, they have a resonance..." Tu Shiqi inquired.

"They did mention a location, saying it was near a stone forest area," Ya Yun explained.

"A stone forest?" Long Xi's eyes lit up. "I scanned the area with my divine sense earlier and found an obstruction zone; it should be that stone forest!"

"Let's go!"

The three immediately accelerated. After a day of rapid flight, they arrived at the stone forest area.

"The bodies should be buried. Let me dig them up." Long Xi's avatar hovered above the stone forest, sending spirals of divine power downwards, excavating layer by layer.

"Bang!"

A surge of divine power struck a hard object, and Long Xi's eyes suddenly brightened. He descended immediately, unleashing his divine power to chisel away the earth.

Soon after, the corpses of Houssain and several of his subordinates, including those Sea Clan maidens, were laid bare. Long Xi scrutinized them, judging the shriveled state of the skin, and confirmed: "It's only been about three days. They should be nearby! Houssain's body was shredded internally by icy power; that frigid aura... it must have come from someone like Mei Ji."

Tu Shiqi and Ya Yun were both invigorated. "It looks like they haven't been gone long!"

Long Xi pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "If we really run into them, what are you going to do? Kill them? In truth, I still owe that kid a favor. You two were also quite enthusiastic about inviting him to join the Profound Heaven Clan. Have you made up your minds?"

Tu Shiqi and his wife fell silent.

After a while, Tu Shiqi said with bitterness, "Ling Mei is the granddaughter of the Heaven-Shaking Ancestor. If she was truly killed by Shi Yan's group, it would be very difficult for us to have a choice. Of course, if Shi Yan is willing to surrender the Profound Truth Talisman Tower to our Profound Heaven Clan, I think... even the Heaven-Shaking Ancestor might be able to overlook this matter."

"Mmm, the key is Shi Yan's own attitude. If he agrees to submit to the Profound Heaven Clan, we can avoid conflict," Ya Yun added. "If not, we will have no choice but to act reluctantly. Otherwise, if the Heaven-Shaking Ancestor learns of this, it will be difficult for us to explain."

"Promise me you will give him a chance to choose," Long Xi stated gravely.

"Agreed." Tu Shiqi and his wife nodded.

Long Xi breathed a quiet sigh of relief, thinking that this favor was now repaid; he could only do so much. "They only left three days ago; they must be close. Send out word; let more people keep an eye out to force them to show themselves."

"Understood," Tu Shiqi replied.

...

"My name is Adams, yours is Mahisa. We are members of the Celestial Eye Clan, and you and I are martial siblings..."

Inside the jade-green light shield, Shi Yan explained calmly, while Mei Ji listened attentively.

At this moment, both their appearances had changed drastically. Shi Yan, based on his memory, twisted his muscles and bones to transform into Adams's likeness, then guided Mei Ji to alter her captivating beauty into Mahisa's image.

Adams and Mahisa were both members of the Celestial Eye Clan with concrete identities; adopting their appearance would solve many potential problems.

"This martial sibling relationship shouldn't be normal, should it?" Mei Ji pursed her lips, glancing at Shi Yan's hand resting on her hip and waist, with a half-smile.

Shi Yan showed no embarrassment, chuckling lightly, "That's not right. Your eyes are too bright, too alluring. The gaze in your eyes needs to be dimmer, and the closed seam between your brows should be more pronounced—to emphasize our Celestial Eye Clan identity..."

"Like this?" Mei Ji exclaimed, as the profound truth shifted, a shade of gray darkening her bright eyes, making them less dazzling and seductive.

"Close enough," Shi Yan nodded. Looking at the grayness in Mei Ji's eyes, he paused, then reacted, saying lightly, "Don't think about Yu Lian and the others anymore."

"Sigh..."

Mei Ji sighed mournfully. "It's not that easy to let go. While I am very happy to be with you, the thought of them all being dead clogs my heart. You ask me to dim my eyes, and naturally, I think of them."

Shi Yan was silent for a few seconds. "Rest assured, I promised you, I will help you kill that Ferrel."

"You should be able to sense it; the activity of warriors in this sea area has been very frequent lately. Since we killed Houssain, someone must have guessed we are nearby," Mei Ji said gravely.

"Mmm, that's why we changed our appearances. As long as we can conceal our auras well, even if we run into those searching parties, they won't know it's us," Shi Yan looked ahead. "There are many warriors active in the sea area ahead of us, making it hard to avoid them. We can only be more cautious."

"I understand. I will break free from the pain quickly and won't let my emotions show on my face to affect our journey," Mei Ji agreed.

The two, in the forms of Adams and Mahisa, continued to sweep toward the sea ahead, their speed naturally slowing down, concealing the sharp aura around them.

Half a day later.

"There's a team ahead. Be alert; we absolutely cannot start a fight here, as there are more small teams nearby. If a battle breaks out, those teams will immediately swarm us," Shi Yan suddenly said.

Mei Ji nodded lightly.

A group of six warriors was stationary ahead in an area of underwater reefs, sitting cross-legged on stones, all meditating with their eyes closed.

They were clearly surface warriors, protected by personal light shields that resisted the water pressure—this was the difference between underwater and surface warriors. Sea Clan members living on the seabed needed no such shields, naturally adapting to the terrifying water pressure.

Among the six, five were men and one was a woman. They were members of the Human Race, the most numerous in the Vast Star River. Only the woman was at the second level of the Immortal realm; the five men were all at the first level of the Immortal realm.

The five men looked middle-aged or elderly, not young, with wrinkled faces, their expressions calm as they rested.

The female warrior at the second level of the Immortal realm appeared to be around forty. Her features were merely pretty, of average appearance—even less striking than Mei Ji's appearance now, as Mahisa, which was already a significant downgrade. However, the woman possessed an air of serene elegance that somewhat redeemed her looks.

From a considerable distance, before the five Human Race men noticed them, the woman frowned and suddenly woke up, letting out a low cough.

The five older men jolted awake and looked at her with confusion. "Xiang Rong, what is it?" an emaciated old man asked in surprise.

The woman called Xiang Rong stood up inside her emerald-green light shield, frowning. "Someone is approaching."

The five men immediately stood up, instinctively surrounding her in the center. Though their cultivation levels were lower, they instinctively moved to protect her; clearly, her status was high.

"Don't be too tense; their auras aren't very strong and pose no threat to us," Xiang Rong sensed the situation and breathed a quiet sigh of relief, saying helplessly, "We really shouldn't have come. We heard even Houssain was killed; with our cultivation levels, we can't gain anything substantial."

"Heh heh, we didn't come expecting to gain the Profound Truth Talisman Tower. We just hoped to find some clues to exchange for the reward offered by the Five Clans," the skinny old man chuckled. "The reward offered by the Five Clans is extremely precious to us. We just came to try our luck. We heard there are many rare materials on the seabed; if we find even one, our descent won't have been in vain."

"Elder Gu is right," Xiang Rong nodded. "Perhaps I was being too narrow-minded."

As they spoke, Shi Yan and Mei Ji floated closer within their light shield, observing the six Human Race individuals from afar. Shi Yan’s eyes flashed with a strange light as he focused on their attire and ornamentation, showing no inclination to converse. They maintained a distance, intending to pass by directly without inviting trouble.

As they watched Xiang Rong and the others, Xiang Rong and her group also gazed deeply at Shi Yan and Mei Ji. Realizing they weren't the people they were searching for, their expressions shifted to disappointment mixed with relief.

"We are from the Medicine and Artifact Alliance, collecting refining materials in the seabed. And you are?" Suddenly, Xiang Rong saluted them with a smile.

"Members of the Celestial Eye Clan, Adams, and this is my martial sibling Mahisa. We are touring the seabed," Shi Yan introduced himself. He looked at the symbols embroidered on Xiang Rong's clothing with surprise in his eyes.

In the Maya Star Domain, he had chanced upon the Refining Saint Codex from the Medicine and Artifact Pavilion. He later gave that codex to Fu Wei, but while it was in his possession, he had examined it and discovered similar symbols within—these were not Primordial Runes but marks specifically used for refining artifacts and medicines.

The symbols on Xiang Rong’s sleeves were exactly those recorded in the Saint Codex, which secretly amazed Shi Yan. Could there be some connection between the Medicine and Artifact Pavilion and the Medicine and Artifact Alliance?

Shi Yan was perplexed... (Weakly begging for monthly tickets while being ill~~~ To be continued) RQ