She truly fell silent, which left Di Yalan and Shi Yan feeling awkward. They exchanged glances, unsure of what to say for a moment.

"It’s almost dawn," Shi Yan commented, looking up at the sky in an attempt to fill the silence. "How is your body? How much of your essence has recovered?"

"Not only is it fully recovered, but it has increased."

Di Yalan covertly probed, her eyes suddenly lighting up. Blushing slightly, she whispered, "Just now, just now it felt like... like a surge of power entered my body. That strange power merged with my essence and even altered the position of my chest..."

She frowned, slowly recalling, vaguely feeling that the strange power had flowed out from the essence Shi Yan had transferred into her.

Shi Yan froze for a moment, murmuring softly, "As expected..."

Di Yalan's beautiful eyes shimmered with brilliant light, staring fixedly at him. "It's related to you?"

Nodding, Shi Yan smiled and explained, "I consumed a great number of pills from an alchemist, and they haven't been fully digested yet. Most of the medicinal power is still inside me. Just now... a portion of that power dissolved and was shared with your body."

Absorbing the vital essence of the deceased was too bizarre and sinister an act, and Shi Yan didn't want anyone to know this secret. Thus, he used Kalu as a shield, attributing the strange power to the peculiar elixirs at work.

"Those elixirs must be incredibly precious," Di Yalan conceded, not doubting him. Having seen Shi Yan use poison powder several times on their journey, she had already suspected he had dealings with an alchemist.

"Yes, they should be very valuable," Shi Yan chuckled, not revealing his connection to Kalu. After some thought, he furrowed his brow and asked with a strange expression, "...You said a surge of power seemed to change the meridians and flesh around your chest. Can you try to sense it? See if there are any changes?"

Shi Yan suddenly remembered the miraculous awakening of the 'Petrification Martial Soul' within him. That strange power, besides enhancing essence, seemed capable of activating Martial Souls.

His 'Petrification Martial Soul,' which he had never displayed before, had awakened under the influence of that energy. Perhaps even the appearance of the 'Undying Martial Soul' was connected to that strange power. When Di Yalan mentioned a change in her chest, he immediately had a suspicion.

"I'll try," Di Yalan replied slowly, nodding. She concentrated, sensing the change in her chest.

With a flicker of thought, strands of essence flooded between her twin peaks. The essence swirled beneath the tender flesh in the valley of her breasts for a moment, and it seemed to undergo a marvelous transformation, suddenly growing intensely hot.

Di Yalan’s expression shifted. She hastily directed the flowing essence toward her arm, guiding it along the meridians until it pooled in her right palm.

"Boom!"

A burst of azure-blue flame erupted violently from Di Yalan’s palm. The flame radiated intense heat, only about the size of a fist, flickering unsteadily in her hand, making the hollow of the tree look like a surging, azure sea.

"Ah!"

Di Yalan cried out, her bright eyes glittering. She sprang up suddenly.

It was true!

Shi Yan roared inwardly, his eyes narrowing slightly. He finally confirmed that the strange power could indeed catalyze the Martial Souls within a cultivator!

"Blue Demon Flame!"

Di Yalan shrieked, her excited voice trembling. Her eyes shone with wild fervor, and she spoke incoherently, "This is our family's Martial Soul! I know it! This is our family's Martial Soul! Since my grandfather’s time, no one in our family has inherited the 'Blue Demon Flame' Martial Soul. Heavens! How is this possible?"

Mu Yudie, who had long since woken up, also stared blankly at Di Yalan, her face etched with disbelief. "How is that possible? Sister Lan, you're already twenty-seven, how could you still awaken a Martial Soul? What is happening? Am I seeing things?" She rubbed her eyes forcefully, still finding it hard to accept.

"Ha!" Di Yalan's delicate body trembled with sheer joy; she didn't know how to express her elation. She gazed intently at the azure-blue flame in her palm, and her eyes began to moisten.

She was weeping tears of joy...

Shi Yan could understand how she felt.

On the Continent of Divine Grace, cultivators possessing Martial Souls held a distinct advantage in combat and greater prospects for development. A Martial Soul was more precious to a cultivator than anything else; those without one dreamt of possessing one.

For members of a family like Di Yalan's, whose ancestors once possessed a Martial Soul but whose descendants failed to inherit it, the lack of a continuous Martial Soul lineage was a disgrace!

This situation could cause a once-brilliant family to slowly decline!

Martial Souls were critically important, both for a family and for individuals.

"What exactly is going on?" Mu Yudie remained stunned for a long time. Ignoring the ecstatic Di Yalan, she turned to Shi Yan.

"Uh..." Shi Yan managed a bitter smile. "This is hard to explain. It's related to the medicinal power of those strange elixirs in my body. I don't know what kind of elixirs they were, but that power is definitely peculiar. Don't look at me like that; I genuinely don't know much."

"You brat, thank you, thank you!" The flame in Di Yalan's hand vanished, and she abruptly hugged Shi Yan, as if trying to merge into his body. Her excited form trembled continuously.

Her magnificent chest was compressed against Shi Yan's, deforming under the pressure, causing Shi Yan a subtle thrill, which gradually led to a physical response.

Di Yalan immediately sensed it. She pulled back, blushing, her beautiful eyes sparkling with affectionate warmth, a smile playing on her lips. She chided softly, "You rascal, you are never honest."

"Heh heh," Shi Yan responded with a dry chuckle, offering no reply.

Mu Yudie glared at the pair with annoyance, calling out, "I'm still here! Can you two stop staging such explicit scenes in front of me?"

"Impudent girl, I was just too happy," Di Yalan laughed and scolded back.

"What happened?" Mu Yudie was frantic with curiosity.

"I don't know," Di Yalan shook her head, the delight in her eyes never fading. She smiled, "It’s all thanks to him."

"You mean... you coupled with him, and your Martial Soul, which hadn't awakened for twenty-seven years and likely never would, suddenly woke up?" Mu Yudie’s pretty face was as strange as it could be.

"Although it's unbelievable, it's the truth," Di Yalan admitted, blushing.

"His... his thing, could it be the essence of a divine-grade elixir?" Mu Yudie’s face also turned red. She shook her head violently. "I don't believe it! This defies all logic!"

"Ahem..." Shi Yan looked up at the opening of the tree hollow. "The sun is up; we should get moving."

"Yes, it’s time to leave," Di Yalan evidently preferred not to dwell on the subject, lest Mu Yudie say something else embarrassing.

After that statement, Di Yalan hurried to the opening of the tree hollow, dropping a rope down to the base below, urging Mu Yudie to hurry up.

"I’ll never believe it!" Mu Yudie was still grappling with the implications, shaking her head forcefully before reaching out to grasp the rope.

With Di Yalan pulling, Mu Yudie’s body slowly rose toward the tree opening.

"Ah, you bastard, what are you doing!" Mu Yudie suddenly shrieked, kicking her beautiful legs wildly as her delicate form swayed precariously in mid-air.

"Giving you a boost," Shi Yan said, grasping her lower body with both hands and pushing upward forcefully. He laughed, "This way it will be easier for you."

"No! Let go! I don't want your help!" Mu Yudie screamed loudly, shaking her body violently. She let go of her hands and suddenly plummeted from the air.

"Thud!"

They both crashed back into the tree hollow.

Shi Yan collapsed onto the ground, looking completely satisfied. Mu Yudie landed right on his waist, her legs still kicking and shouting in a frenzy, "Let go! Let go quickly!"

Mu Yudie’s voluptuous, graceful hips pressed tightly against a certain part of Shi Yan.

Because of Di Yalan’s previous embrace, Shi Yan was still hard as iron. Under Mu Yudie's vigorous wriggling, the crease of her buttocks kept brushing against his sensitive spot, causing Shi Yan such exquisite pleasure that he almost cried out.

"Bastard! You big pervert!"

Mu Yudie quickly realized her predicament. While screaming, she covered her bottom, quickly stood up with a flushed face, mist clouding her beautiful eyes as if she were about to cry. "Sister Lan, he bullied me! This scoundrel bullied me!"

"Shh!" Di Yalan’s expression turned serious, and she made a silencing gesture from above.

Shi Yan sprang up instantly, casting aside the amorous scene in the tree hollow. He nimbly scrambled up the hollow and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Di Yalan, asking calmly, "What's the situation?"

"A demonic beast!"