Shi Yan, dagger in hand, first etched crude butterfly patterns onto two large trees before rapidly climbing one of them. Using his dagger, he severed a branch as thick as his arm, splitting it into five sections, sharpening them quickly, and sloppily coating the tips with "Seven Serpent's Venom."

This sequence of actions took him two minutes.

Two minutes later, Tu Mu and Jin Mo, the two men from the Wolf Fang Mercenary Group, arrived right on schedule.

Tu Mu and Jin Mo paid him and the two women no mind at all; as they threaded through the forest, they chatted and laughed, already discussing how they would defile Di Yalan later.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The sharpened branches sliced through leaves, piercing toward Tu Mu and Jin Mo like stubborn beams of sunlight.

Tu Mu was unconcerned. He casually swung his battle-axe, knocking two branches down, and laughed aloud, "These fellows are truly pathetic, using mere sticks to greet us. They have no respect for us whatsoever."

"Poor fools," Jin Mo sneered, shaking his head in derision.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Three more branches shot out with tenacious speed.

Tu Mu grew impatient. His arm-length battle-axe carved a shimmering, silver arc, and the three branches fell to the ground once more.

Shi Yan slowly emerged from the canopy of leaves, fixing the two men with an icy gaze. "Gentlemen, will you come one at a time, or are you coming together?"

Tu Mu narrowed his eyes, tilting his head back to assess Shi Yan, then shook his head, disinterested. "Just some wet-behind-the-ears kid, likely only recently entered the Innate Realm. He speaks with confidence, but his power is limited. I have no interest."

With that, Tu Mu didn't spare Shi Yan another glance and turned to leave, his voice echoing from a distance: "Jin Mo, he's yours. Hurry up and deal with him so we can catch up. If you're late, I'll take that woman a second time, hahaha!"

Jin Mo let out a cold snort, bringing his massive Wolf Fang Mace slamming down into the earth, where it stuck deep into the soil. "Kid, get down here. I won't use a weapon, and you don't have to make me climb up after you. I'm in a hurry, so be quick about it."

"Yes, I'm in a hurry too," Shi Yan replied, his eyes holding a serenity that dismissed the very notion of life or death. He leaped down from the ancient tree, his dagger shooting out instantly, burying itself in the dirt right next to Jin Mo's embedded mace.

"Thud!" Shi Yan planted his feet ten meters in front of Jin Mo, shaking his empty, open hands. "I won't use a weapon either."

"Heh, the kid's got guts," Jin Mo grinned, his face a mass of lumps, his eyes blazing with predatory light as he charged toward Shi Yan.

Jin Mo's hands suddenly swelled, veins writhing on his knuckles. As he threw a punch, the air whistled and tore apart with a "whoosh," and dozens of phantom fist imprints suddenly materialized in the void, growing stronger as Jin Mo advanced.

After five steps, dozens of fist imprints hovered in the air before Jin Mo's swinging arms.

"Mortal Grade Martial Skill, Chaotic Star Fist!"

Shi Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. He violently refined his vital essence, casting all distracting thoughts from his mind. His vision contained only the myriad of incoming fists; his heart held only the singular intent to kill Jin Mo!

"Boom!"

A deafening shock reverberated in his mind, like a sudden spiritual enlightenment, pulling him into a marvelous state.

His eyes, ears, and physical touch multiplied their sensitivity tenfold. All surrounding scenery snapped into stunning clarity. He stared at Jin Mo, able to precisely perceive the speed and frequency of the vital essence flowing within the man's arms.

The deluge of phantom fists vanished instantly, all illusion scoured clean. In his sight, only Jin Mo’s two swinging fists remained, even the trajectory of the revolving knuckles was laid bare to him.

Taking a deep breath, Shi Yan suddenly roared. His two arms visibly tightened and withered at a pace the eye could follow, wisps of misty white vapor coiling around them.

Simultaneously, starting from his neck, his skin began to petrify, turning into a grayish-brown, rock-like texture, hard as iron.

Puffs of dark light also emanated from his body surface, enveloping his lean frame.

Jin Mo’s iron fist, carrying momentum potent enough to shatter stone, slammed viciously toward Shi Yan’s chest.

The dark light shield distorted violently under the impact of Jin Mo's fist, dissolving into specks of black light before exploding. Jin Mo's fist punched through the dissipating shield, its force slightly diminished, before landing heavily on Shi Yan's chest.

"Thump!"

"Crack!"

The sound of the heavy impact and the snapping of bone occurred almost simultaneously.

Jin Mo’s face contorted into an expression of utter shock within an instant.

The searing, heartbreaking pain in his fist made him realize that the sound of fracturing bone had not come from Shi Yan’s chest, but from his own fist!

Grimacing and shaking his arm, which throbbed with excruciating pain, Jin Mo stared in horror at the cold, rock-like Shi Yan. Suddenly remembering something, he cried out, "The Shi family's 'Petrification Martial Soul'! You're from the Stone Clan of the Merchant Alliance?"

"Clever boy," Shi Yan grinned, his smile chillingly cold.

Jin Mo inwardly cursed his bad luck and tried desperately to dodge, but he found himself too close to Shi Yan; it was too late.

Shi Yan moved with lightning speed, his hand shooting out to seize Jin Mo’s neck. The white mist swirling around his arm—a blend of fear, madness, brutality, and despair—instantly permeated Jin Mo’s body.

Jin Mo seemed to plunge into an infinite hell, screaming in terror, his entire body trembling. "No! No! Don't!"

As if sight had abandoned him, Jin Mo shrieked incoherently, his iron fists flailing aimlessly, as if warding off some terrifying phantom approaching him.

Shi Yan had already let go. The white mist on his arm vanished, and his expression returned to normal as he calmly counted the seconds in his mind.

One, two, three, four, five...

Counting silently, Shi Yan leisurely walked to where his dagger was buried and pulled it from the soil. He then tiptoed lightly over to Jin Mo’s side.

When he reached seventeen, Jin Mo seemed to have adapted to the nightmarish terror. His emotional state slowly stabilized, and his eyes appeared to be regaining clarity; it looked like he was about to awaken.

Seventeen seconds. That was enough time to kill someone dozens of times over.

Nodding lightly, Shi Yan knew what he had to do. He then suddenly lunged forward like lightning. The dagger in his hand sliced with absolute precision across Jin Mo’s throat.

As blood jetted out, Jin Mo's eyes finally cleared. He glared hatred at Shi Yan, then tilted his head back and fell, consumed by unwillingness.

Shi Yan crouched down. First, he used a piece of Jin Mo’s clothing to wipe the blood from his dagger. Then, he searched Jin Mo's body, finding some food, several hundred purple crystal coins, and two sharp fangs from a 'Fire Cloud Demonic Python.'

Without ceremony, he slipped the possessions into his satchel. Shi Yan took a deep breath, feeling Jin Mo’s entire essence already flooding into his acupoints, before standing up and muttering to himself, "The second level of the Innate Realm—even with the negative energy from 'Rampage,' he was lost for seventeen seconds. This martial skill is truly perverse. Perhaps the more negative energy is accumulated, the stronger its effect will be..."

After speaking his thoughts aloud, Shi Yan composed himself, held his breath, and sprinted fiercely in the direction Tu Mu had fled.

...

"Damn woman, you've got some fire! Hahaha, but I like it!" Tu Mu roared with laughter, clashing his battle-axe against Di Yalan.

Mu Yudie’s eyes flashed with icy coldness. Holding her ancient zither, her beautiful face shifted between dark and bright expressions as she seemed to wrestle with a difficult decision.

Tu Mu’s incredibly heavy battle-axe felt like a feather fan in his hands, possessing no weight whatsoever.

As axe shadows flickered, Di Yalan’s short sword often couldn't withstand the blows. Every time her weapon met the axe, Di Yalan's delicate body would shudder slightly; it was clear that Tu Mu's vital essence was far richer than hers.

Tu Mu's battle-axe spun like a wheel, the resulting axe shadows rolling in a continuous vortex, trapping Di Yalan. As the sharp blades gleamed, Di Yalan's long hair flew wild, and her short skirt around her waist and hips suffered numerous rents, exposing glimpses of her skin.

"Bitch, now you know how tough I am? Don't worry, soon I'll show you that the best part of this master isn't his martial skills either, hahaha!" Tu Mu chuckled wickedly, seemingly in no rush to finish Di Yalan, deliberately using this method to toy with her.

Di Yalan was so furious she felt like spitting blood but had no strength to retort, struggling desperately to defend herself.

"Big Sister, need a hand?" Shi Yan's lazy, mocking voice suddenly drifted through the woods.

The next moment, Shi Yan, dagger in hand, materialized, his gaze lingering on the exposed beauty of Di Yalan’s front. He whistled in appreciation. "Smooth and full, beautifully curved and rounded. Excellent, truly excellent."

Di Yalan’s face lit up with surprise. Forgetting to trade insults, she retreated a step, crying out, "You bastard, you’re actually still alive?"

Tu Mu’s expression changed; his demeanor instantly became grave. He did not press his advantage against Di Yalan but turned his head to face Shi Yan, asking in a low voice, "Is Jin Mo dead?"

"What do you think?" Shi Yan held up his dagger, smiling as he walked toward him, step by deliberate step.

As he advanced, Shi Yan’s arms withered and thinned again. Traces of an aura mixed with various negative energies began to seep out from his arm pores, clinging to him, refusing to dissipate.

Jin Mo's essence had not been purified, but as Shi Yan activated 'Rampage,' the despair and resentment from Jin Mo’s final moments violently surged out from his acupoints, coalescing before Shi Yan into a ferocious, grim phantom image of Jin Mo, vividly lifelike.

"Jin Mo!" Tu Mu looked aghast, his powerful frame involuntarily trembling.

This was too bizarre!

Before Shi Yan, Jin Mo's phantom image acted like a vengeful spirit, clawing and tearing, completely ethereal. In its dark, hateful eyes burned a hatred so profound it could etch bone, as if it wished to eradicate everyone in the world.

Di Yalan and Mu Yudie both shrieked in terror, their delicate bodies trembling. "What kind of ghost is that!"

Not only were the others stunned, but Shi Yan himself stared at the phantom image that had appeared before him with an expression of shock, unsure of what to do.

"Jin Mo! Jin Mo! What's wrong with you?" Under the searing hatred emanating from Jin Mo’s phantom, Tu Mu took a step back, shouting, "We are partners! Your enemy is behind you!"

Tu Mu's sudden outcry jolted Shi Yan back to reality. A thought sparked in his mind—the sole intent to kill Tu Mu. The negative energies wrapped around his arm shot out violently, like a ghastly pale serpent, twisting strangely toward Tu Mu.

As if spurred on by the negative energies, Jin Mo’s phantom image also drifted over weightlessly, flying toward Tu Mu like a banshee about to attack.

"Kill!" Shi Yan roared coldly and charged forward suddenly. Di Yalan startled, then raised her sword to slash at Tu Mu as well.

...E