Bodies piled up in the cavern, every single one utterly drained of vital essence. Under the mysterious influence of Shiyan’s Martial Soul, these corpses were not only withered but even the blood within them had solidified in an incredibly short span of time.

With the blood coagulated, the stench of gore in the cave was no longer quite so overwhelming. But Shiyan remained uneasy.

After a moment's consideration, he hurriedly pulled a packet of medicinal powder from his pack and scattered it throughout the cavern without hesitation. The powder was called "Purifying Dust," possessing an intense adsorptive quality that could capture impurities suspended in the air, including toxins, the thick smell of blood, and poisonous smoke.

As one packet of "Purifying Dust" diffused, the bloody stench within the cavern miraculously vanished. The "Purifying Dust" particles floated in the air, adsorbing the blood essence, and transformed into tiny, bright red granules, resembling drops of blood shrunk down more than a dozen times.

“I need to find some more concealment.” Seeing that the stench was under control, Shiyan dared not relax. He crept stealthily to the entrance of the cave and began slowly dragging the bushes and branches flanking the opening towards the center.

Although those six men had forcefully occupied the cave earlier, they understood the need for camouflage at the entrance, so they hadn't destroyed the surrounding foliage. However, the splash from the "Star Thunder" had shattered much of the brush near the opening, though the thickets on either side remained relatively untouched.

Shiyan’s task was to cover the center of the entrance with the foliage from the sides. Breathing evenly, Shiyan held his breath and focused his mind, painstakingly inching the leaves and branches toward the opening, terrified that the demonic beasts outside might detect the disturbance.

The roars of the demonic beasts grew more frequent; it was impossible to know how many creatures had gathered in the valley outside. Shiyan's face was grim, his expression solemn, sweat subtly beading on his forehead, his back soaked through.

When he pulled the last large section of foliage into place over the entrance, his arms trembled slightly, as if the effort had been immense. “What is it?” Di Yalan whispered softly.

“Nothing, just a bit drained.” Shiyan shook his head, his face somewhat pale. After pondering for a moment, he said, “Be careful in a moment.

If we are discovered by the beasts, you must hold the entrance!” Di Yalan nodded, her voice laced with concern: “I understand… But what is truly wrong with you? I just saw you take a direct hit from that Human-rank expert—why are you so weak now?” “It’s precisely because I took that hit that I’m this exhausted.” Shiyan sat down cross-legged on the spot, offering no further explanation.

At this crucial juncture, he closed his eyes and began to rest. This was the onset of the side effects from his "Berserk" state...

Every time he activated "Berserk," his body endured immense strain. The "Berserk" martial technique required unleashing various negative energies stored in his acupoints.

That power was a double-edged sword; while it granted him strength beyond his natural realm for a short period, it left him utterly fatigued afterward. After all, those negative energies were far too sinister and bizarre...

As they flowed out from his acupoints, they simultaneously damaged his body. Once the "Berserk" state ended, the weariness would surge over him like a tide, causing his strength to rapidly deplete.

Sitting there, Shiyan felt limp, his limbs powerless, and his acupoints were agonizingly painful. The vital essence from the six new corpses had flooded into his acupoints, filling them with a surge of powerful aura.

As his acupoints rapidly purified this aura, the various negative energies took advantage of the instability, slowly eroding his mental fortitude. At this moment, he couldn't exert any strength, and his acupoints were still processing the essence.

If he kept his nerves taut, his body wouldn't recover properly. Therefore, he wisely chose to ignore everything else and focus solely on meditating and recovering on the spot.

Seeing him close his eyes to recover, Di Yalan and Mu Yudie also adopted solemn expressions, focusing intently on observing the movements outside the cave. Demonic beasts roamed the valley, some even near their hidden entrance, seemingly searching for something.

Mu Yudie and Di Yalan stood guard at the opening, their hearts pounding, not daring to relax even slightly. Di Yalan clutched her short sword tightly, peering through the gaps in the foliage, vigilantly watching ahead, terrified that some beast might suddenly appear.

Both women knew that demonic beasts possessed keen senses of smell, and they worried that these creatures might track them down via the scent of blood. They understood that if even one beast discovered this cave, they would have no choice but to fight to the death defending the entrance.

“Thump! Thump!” A Three-Headed Hound, shaking its three massive heads, seemed to have detected something, slowly lumbering in their direction.

Its six eyes, set across the three heads, scanned the surroundings as if it had made a discovery... Damn it!

Di Yalan’s expression shifted drastically, her grip on the short sword tightening further, sweat beading in her palm. Her bright eyes remained fixed on the Three-Headed Hound, allowing no lapse in attention.

Di Yalan was intensely nervous, fully prepared to engage in combat at any second. The Three-Headed Hound was a Grade Three demonic beast, equivalent to a Human-rank expert among humans.

This creature possessed an extraordinarily acute sense of smell. While the bloody scent inside the cave might escape other beasts, it might not escape the Hound.

Due to the tension, it seemed every pore on Di Yalan’s body stood erect, and the hand holding the short sword trembled slightly—a telltale sign of Yuan Power surging rapidly through her meridians. “Awooo!” Just then, a howl from a Thunder-Winged Silver Wolf sounded from not far away.

This single cry resonated throughout the entire valley, drowning out all the other beast roars. “I am Gan Xiao of the Medicine King Valley.

I came to the Gloomy Forest solely to gather herbs and never set foot in your lair! Thunder-Winged Silver Wolf, I know you are formidable, but I, Gan Xiao, am not afraid of you.

If you dare continue slaughtering my people, don’t blame me for being impolite!” A chilling voice suddenly drifted from a great distance. “Awooo!” The Thunder-Winged Silver Wolf howled once more.

The Three-Headed Hound, which was about to reach the cave where Shiyan and the two women hid, abruptly stopped. It paused on the spot, then suddenly spun around and rapidly bolted in the direction of the Silver Wolf’s howl.

One by one, the demonic beasts gathered in the valley also began to leave, drawn by the Thunder-Winged Silver Wolf’s cry, all moving toward its location. The Thunder-Winged Silver Wolf and Gan Xiao must have engaged in battle...

Di Yalan’s body sagged, and she collapsed onto the ground, covered in cold sweat. Had that Three-Headed Hound advanced just a few dozen more meters, the cave would surely have been exposed.

Once the Hound found the den, the other beasts in the valley would have surely swarmed in. In that event, the three of them would certainly not have escaped the beasts' deadly maw!

“Sister Lan, are you alright?” Mu Yudie wiped the sweat from her brow with a blood-stained handkerchief and leaned back against the rock wall to sit down. “I’m fine,” Di Yalan chuckled lightly, sighing with relief.

“We are incredibly lucky. If the Thunder-Winged Silver Wolf hadn't targeted Medicine King Gan Xiao and suddenly summoned the other beasts away, we really would have been in dire straits.” “Yes, I was scared half to death just now.” Mu Yudie’s lovely face was also somewhat pale as she murmured, “I was already preparing myself to commit suicide.” “Don’t entertain such thoughts unless it’s the absolute last resort.” Shiyan snorted, suddenly opening his eyes and frowning.

“Since you have nothing better to do, search the backpacks of those six men. See what exactly they managed to steal from the Thunder-Winged Silver Wolf’s lair.” Di Yalan’s eyes lit up, and her spirits instantly lifted.

She exclaimed, “Right! The Thunder-Winged Silver Wolf is a Grade Seven demonic beast, a top existence in the Gloomy Forest!

Rumor has it this creature is highly intelligent, having slain many powerful martial artists in the forest and collected a hoard of their treasures in its den. Anything stolen from its lair must be extraordinary!” “I heard there might be a cultivation method for a Spirit-grade martial technique…” Shiyan said calmly.

“Ha!” Di Yalan broke into a wide smile, her beautiful eyes glittering brightly. “Spirit-grade martial techniques are extremely rare.

Even the royal family of our Blazing Fire Empire possesses only five such techniques! A cultivation method for a Spirit-grade martial technique is absolutely priceless, potentially even inciting bloody conflict between great families vying for it.” “Search them thoroughly,” Shiyan nodded, then reopened his eyes thoughtfully before closing them again.

Of course, he understood the preciousness of Spirit-grade martial techniques. In the Blazing Fire Empire, the Divine Favor Empire, and the Merchant Alliance, there were approximately one hundred martial artists who had broken through to the Earth or Nirvana Realms, yet only a quarter of them possessed a Spirit-grade technique.

And among that quarter, some were even practicing the exact same Spirit-grade technique. It was rumored that across the entire Blazing Fire Empire, Divine Favor Empire, and Merchant Alliance, only eighteen distinct Spirit-grade martial techniques had ever been revealed!

And every single one was held tightly either by powerful factions or by formidable experts who dominated certain territories... For example, the Shi Family.

The Shi Family possessed numerous Mortal and Profound grade techniques, but only one Spirit-grade technique. Shi Jian, the Shi Family Patriarch, treated it as an unparalleled treasure, concealing its location even from his direct-line descendants.

“We’ve truly hit the jackpot of luck.” Di Yalan’s eyes were filled with delight as she eagerly pulled out the backpack belonging to the leader of the dead group and threw it open. A dazzling silver light suddenly burst forth from the backpack, instantly transforming the dim cavern into brightness as if it were daylight!

“Oh!”