Shi Yan stood within the cave, doing nothing, yet he felt a ceaseless surge of vital essence flowing from the three fresh corpses, drilling into the seven hundred and twenty acupoints of his body, causing a faint ache in every aperture.

Naturally, Shi Yan activated "Berserk" (); his muscles withered, and his already gaunt frame shrank further.

A chilling, murderous, and malevolent aura rapidly spread from the white mist enveloping him, filling the entire stone cave.

That malevolent aura seemed to possess a wondrous power to bewitch the mind.

The three living martial artists involuntarily inhaled some of the misty white vapor, and a resentment fueled by a desire for frantic slaughter suddenly sprouted from the depths of their hearts.

"Brat! I'll flay the skin off you!"

The leading figure roared coldly, and a bizarre, ashen-green poppy flower suddenly bloomed in his palm. This poppy flower was purely condensed from vital essence, vividly lifelike, and it visibly expanded in his palm at a rapid pace.

In just an instant, the ashen-green poppy flower grew to the size of a cattail fan, its pistil dotted with icy glints that chilled one to the bone, spreading a faint green light.

With a casual wave, the cattail-fan-sized poppy flower flew from his hand.

The flower's petals resembled a ferocious, gaping maw, directly aiming to bite down hard upon Shi Yan's head, seemingly intending to swallow his skull into the center of the pistil.

"Hah!"

Shi Yan let out a low growl, instantly condensing the wisps of negative energy newly absorbed into his acupoints. This energy drifted out from every pore of his body, instantaneously solidifying before him into three ghostly figures.

The phantoms hovered in front of him, eerie and terrifying, their eyes brimming with an endless resentment toward the world.

"Er’er! Xiao Si! Liu Zi!"

The slender young man, his face filled with horror, stared blankly at the ghostly figures suspended before Shi Yan and cried out in fright.

The three phantoms were, startlingly, the exact likenesses of the three fresh corpses lying on the ground!

The leader’s face also changed, and he couldn't help but take a step back, but the strange poppy flower was not retracted; it continued to loom over Shi Yan’s head, fiercely tearing down.

"Break!"

Shi Yan threw a punch. Wisps of white mist coiled and condensed; all sorts of negative powers gathered like trickling streams, forming a ghastly white silver snake that violently drilled into the center of the poppy flower’s pistil.

"Bang!"

The poppy flower burst open, and points of icy light suddenly shot out like brilliant fireworks—bizarre and uncanny.

"Careful!"

The leader cried out in alarm and quickly stepped forward to shield the other two. Dots of strange light flickered in his palm, and as he reached out to embrace them, he managed to draw all the shooting icy light spots into his chest.

Shi Yan's expression turned cold. With a thought, in the dim stone cave, his entire body petrified, turning dark brown and becoming as hard as iron.

The dozen or so icy light spots struck his body with sharp crackling sounds, but they were all blocked by his petrified form. Only wisps of chilling energy managed to seep through the petrified muscles into his body.

That chilling energy rushed wildly within his body but was mostly nullified by the petrified muscle tissue.

In just an instant, Shi Yan’s limbs returned to normal, and he no longer felt even a trace of the icy chill.

"Ding Yan!"

Di Yalan rushed in, and upon seeing Shi Yan facing three martial artists alone, she couldn't help but exclaim, her voice full of concern, "Are you alright?"

"Use 'Blue Demon Flame' () to hold off the leader; I'll kill those two Xiantian martial artists first!"

Shi Yan commanded indifferently. Then, with a thought, the three phantoms floating before him suddenly lunged towards the three men in the cave like hungry wolves seizing prey.

The stone cave was too small, barely accommodating these few people. Any attack unleashed meant the enemies could hardly avoid it by shifting position; they could only withstand it head-on.

The three men inside the cave looked somewhat terrified when they saw the ghosts rushing toward them.

Humans are naturally afraid of the unknown.

Especially since these three phantoms had been their brothers just a minute ago!

The three tried to retreat but found their backs pressed against the rock wall, with nowhere left to go.

"Don't be afraid!"

The leader screamed, forcibly kneading the icy light spots absorbed in his chest into a ball, transforming it into a barrier of crystalline silver light, which he placed in front of the three of them.

Shi Yan snorted coldly in his heart and moved his mind again.

The three phantoms abruptly stopped in front of the three men, baring their teeth and claws at the silver light barrier, their boundless resentment blazing in their eyes, directed squarely at the three opponents.

All sorts of negative powers seemed to converge in the eyes of the three phantoms, reaching the minds of the three men through the direct gaze.

Under the impact of those negative powers, the three men instantly felt as if they were trapped in the Nine Hells, with countless vengeful spirits rushing toward them, intent on dragging them into Avici Hell for eternal reincarnation.

The expressions of the three froze, and expressions of indescribable terror simultaneously appeared on their faces.

"Sister Lan! Dissolve the ice barrier!" Shi Yan roared.

Di Yalan’s delicate body trembled, and without hesitation, the "Blue Demon Flame" she had been brewing was unleashed, transforming into a nimble Firebird that dove straight into the silver light barrier.

"Hiss hiss!"

The silver light barrier melted under the high temperature. This barrier, condensed from vital essence, clearly could not withstand Di Yalan's "Blue Demon Flame" martial soul. A fist-sized hole suddenly cracked open.

The three phantoms, like wisps of smoke, slipped through the split opening, dividing into three and merging into the bodies of the three men, respectively.

Shi Yan violently charged forward.

His entire being poured vital essence frantically into his arm. As his arm shot out, the air itself emitted a dull, explosive sound like a mountain collapsing!

The mist condensing around his iron fist turned into dross, becoming a layer of ghastly white liquid matter covering his hand, making his withered arm look ferocious and terrifying, like the claws of a fierce demon.

"Puff!"

Shi Yan’s hand acted like a sharp sword, directly piercing the chest of the slender man who had once taunted Mu Yudie. His fist plunged through the man's body, striking the rock wall hard, causing the wall to emit a dull rumble.

"Brat, you court death!"

The leader, possessing the cultivation of the Human Position realm (), surprisingly awoke from the nightmare at this moment. Seeing another brother dead on the spot, he couldn't help but roar in fury, launching a ball of silvery, brilliant light from his palm directly at Shi Yan’s chest.

A crushing gravity, mixed with icy coldness, instantly erupted in Shi Yan's chest.

"Stumble, stumble, stumble!"

Shi Yan staggered back three steps before managing to steady himself.

Having endured the full force of this Human Position expert's strike, he only felt a faint pain in his chest. Quickly checking himself, he found his body miraculously unharmed.

Apart from the icy energy causing his chest to freeze, he sustained no injuries whatsoever.

The second stage of the "Petrification Martial Soul" () was indeed formidable!

Laughing wildly in his heart, Shi Yan circulated his vital essence, rapidly moving it through the meridians in his chest. As the vital essence rolled through the channels like a warm current, it quickly dispelled the stiffness in his chest.

Di Yalan rushed forward with her short sword and was already engaged in battle with the leader. The Firebird materialized from the "Blue Demon Flame" served as her strongest aid; it even joined her in attacking the leader, not only completely neutralizing the chilling power the man condensed but also subtly restraining his bizarre martial arts techniques.

"Are you guys okay?"

Mu Yudie covered her nose and entered. The stench of blood in the cave was too heavy; she nearly threw up the moment she stepped in.

"Pile up the bodies!"

Shi Yan frowned and commanded. Without waiting for Mu Yudie's reply, he rushed forward again like a vengeful spirit, instantly arriving before the other Xiantian realm martial artist who was still trapped in the nightmare.

"Xiao Wu!"

The leader's expression changed drastically, and he screamed in panic, his face filled with urgency.

He could never have imagined that Shi Yan, who had forcibly taken his blow, possessing only Xiantian realm cultivation, could not only survive but still possess the strength to fight!

He himself was at the second heaven of the Human Position realm!

"Big Brother..."

Under his scream, Xiao Wu suddenly awoke and called out instinctively.

But that was just one call...

The next moment, his shout cut off abruptly; his back slammed heavily against the rock wall, blood streaming from his seven orifices.

Shi Yan relied entirely on the terrifying impact power gained after activating "Berserk"; his body was like a pushing mountain, directly slamming this man against the wall, shattering his bones and killing him.

"Xiao Wu!"

The leader wailed miserably, watching his brothers die one by one. For the first time, he felt regret.

—Regret provoking Shi Yan, this killing star, and regret coming to the Gloomy Forest.

"Miss Mu! Pile up the bodies!"

Shi Yan turned back and shot a fierce glare at the startled Mu Yudie, coldly stating, "If you don't want to die, hurry up and get to work!"

Mu Yudie's delicate body trembled. Under Shi Yan's cold and sharp gaze, she could no longer afford to be disgusted by the gore; she had to squat down and start cleaning up, moving the shattered corpses to one corner and stacking them one by one.

"Ding Yan! Help me!"

Di Yalan cried out, "This guy’s vital essence is immense; I can't take him down quickly!"

More and more beasts were gathering outside the stone cave, and their roars were incessant. It looked like the valley would soon be filled with demonic beasts. Di Yalan knew time was precious and had to subdue the leader quickly.

"Coming!"

Shi Yan rushed forward, surprisingly positioning himself directly in front of Di Yalan, facing the leader head-on.

"Bang!"

Silver light bloomed in the leader's hand, and another heavy blow landed squarely on Shi Yan's chest.

"Heh heh!"

Shi Yan sneered ferociously, relying on the second stage of the "Petrification Martial Soul" to forcibly endure this blow again, forcing the leader back against the rock wall, leaving him with no room to retreat.

The Firebird condensed from the "Blue Demon Flame" took the opportunity to fly in from the side and landed on the leader's shoulder.

Wisps of flame coiled around the leader's shoulder like vines. The smell of charring immediately arose from his shoulder. The power of the flame grew stronger, moving from his shoulder to his waist and abdomen, burning his vital areas.

"Ah!"

The leader let out a piercing shriek and frantically bombarded Shi Yan, trying to break through Shi Yan's defense and escape from the cave.

"You forced my hand; you insisted on barging in, and now you want to leave? Heh heh, too late!"

Shi Yan raised the Dark Light Shield, employing the "Petrification Martial Soul," and coldly endured the frenzied onslaught. His gaunt body seemed like an ancient, immovable rock, enduring the wind and rain without yielding an inch.

Di Yalan shifted her body aside, thrusting her short sword forward, piercing one of the leader's legs.

"Spare my life! I have treasures stolen from the 'Thunder Wing Silver Wolf' () cave! If you let me go, I’ll give them all to you! I beg you!" the leader screamed through gritted teeth, begging Shi Yan's subordinates for mercy.

"I want the treasure! And I want your life too!"

Shi Yan grinned coldly. Wisps of pale white mist suddenly enveloped the man, and amidst his terrified screams, Shi Yan pierced his throat with a single finger.

The leader's eyes rapidly dimmed, and his body, leaning against the rock wall, began to slide down inch by inch.

Without sparing him another glance, Shi Yan turned back and glared at Mu Yudie, muttering coldly, "So troublesome, still not done cleaning up."

Mu Yudie suppressed her discomfort and continued stacking the corpses. However, given her mysophobia, merely doing this was already taxing; expecting high efficiency from her was impossible.

With a huff, Shi Yan wasted no more words. Frowning, his hands stained with blood, he stacked the corpses one by one like a human pyramid, coldly stating, "The beasts are gathering in the valley. Whether we live or die now depends on fate."

...M