Wherever there were corpses, he would appear, and standing near each body for a few dozen seconds would cause it to gradually shrivel, its essence entirely drained away.

Due to the fierce confrontation between several powerful experts, many martial artists who had come to observe the competition were caught in the crossfire.

Those with cultivation realms as low as Houtian or Xiantian suffered the most tragic fates; they were completely unable to withstand the residual shockwaves from the Nirvana realm experts’ battle, meeting disaster upon the slightest contact.

In just a few short minutes, after making one round of the Divine Stone Plaza, Shi Yan had already absorbed the essence from seven Houtian martial artists and four Xiantian martial artists—a considerable harvest.

Martial artists at the Ren Position realm were a tier higher in cultivation; even if they endured the shockwaves from the clash between Nirvana experts, they wouldn't instantly perish.

Consequently, there were no Ren Position corpses in the Divine Stone Plaza, which left Shi Yan with a slight sense of disappointment.

Because the mysterious acupoints within his body could absorb the essence of the deceased, Shi Yan naturally wished for the scene to be as chaotic as possible; his instigation of Shi Jian to attack the Mo Family was precisely to create more fatalities, aiding his swift ascent to the Ren Position realm.

Han Feng flitted about like a ghostly shadow, always hovering about ten meters to Shi Yan's side.

No matter where Shi Yan appeared, Han Feng was watching him, fearful that he might run into any trouble.

From ten meters away, Han Feng observed Shi Yan, his gaze filled with bewilderment.

While the intense fighting raged in the Martial Arts Arena, Shi Yan’s actions seemed utterly inexplicable. Han Feng couldn't fathom what was going through Shi Yan’s mind, nor did he press for answers, content instead to diligently guard Shi Yan, afraid of any mishap befalling him.

As Shi Yan weaved through the Divine Stone Plaza, pausing near various corpses, Han Feng paid little mind to the bizarre way those bodies withered, assuming they had merely been afflicted by some slow-acting poison that was now taking effect.

—He never once suspected that the abnormalities in those bodies were entirely due to Shi Yan.

"Ah!"

A pained moan suddenly rose from behind a meteorite not far away.

Shi Yan’s heart stirred, a flicker of pleased surprise crossing his lips, and he eagerly rushed toward the sound.

Behind the meteorite, a soot-blackened Xiantian martial artist was twitching, his life force gradually fading.

This person had clearly been unfortunate enough to be struck by Mo Tuo’s lightning, yet he seemed to possess some protective martial technique, as he had managed to hold on until reaching this spot before finally succumbing.

Shi Yan stood impassively ten meters away from the Xiantian martial artist behind the meteorite, yet he could clearly feel wisps of essence drifting from the dying man.

Before long, that martial artist also became completely desiccated and died, granting Shi Yan another measure of vital essence.

Han Feng, like a phantom, crept to the other side of the meteorite, ten meters away, and looked at him strangely.

"Strange," Shi Yan shook his head, glancing up at Han Feng. "Uncle Han, it seems there are some ill-intentioned individuals still operating within the Martial Arts Arena. Did you see that? So many people died so bizarrely."

Han Feng paused, nodding noncommittally, though he too found the deaths strange.

"Crack!"

A bolt of lightning, thick as an arm, shot out like a swimming dragon and violently struck the piece of extraterrestrial meteorite.

"Sizzling!"

The meteorite erupted in a shower of electric sparks, and a faint, silvery-white moonlight suddenly diffused from the mountain-sized stone.

The moonlight was bright and carried a cooling sensation, but in an instant, it vanished from the meteorite, and everything returned to normal.

Both Shi Yan and Han Feng, standing right beside the stone, had witnessed the meteorite’s strange luminescence clearly.

"Hmm?"

Shi Yan let out a soft exclamation, frowning as he approached the meteorite and extended a hand to press against the mysterious object.

Under the scorching sun, the meteorite felt icy cold to the touch, as if it had absorbed millennia of moonlight, carrying its crisp chill.

The stone was massive, seemingly no different from ordinary blue-iron rock.

Shi Yan closed his eyes and concentrated for a while, detecting nothing unusual. He released his hand, frowning as he asked Han Feng, "Uncle Han, didn't that meteorite just suddenly flash strangely? You saw it too, right?"

"Yes," Han Feng nodded slightly and walked over, touching the legendary meteorite from beyond the stars. "Nothing has changed. Perhaps it was just the impact from Mo Tuo's lightning strike."

"Mmm, it might be related to Mo Tuo's Lightning Martial Soul," Shi Yan agreed, unable to discern anything specific. Still, a sliver of doubt lingered in his heart; he felt something was off about the extraterrestrial stone, but since he couldn't figure out what, he dismissed the thought.

"Sons of the Mo Family! Disperse and return to the Mo Residence!" Suddenly, a fierce roar from Mo Tuo echoed from the direction of the Martial Arts Arena.

Shi Yan turned to look.

Mo Tuo was surrounded and besieged by several figures, appearing utterly wretched, his back streaming blood; he seemed to be severely wounded.

After his roar, Mo Tuo dared not linger in the fight. He deliberately endured a blow from Shi Tie and hastily fled toward the commercial streets in the distance.

Mu Xun, Shi Tie, and Shi Jian immediately gave chase without a word.

The two giant, tower-like figures hesitated for a moment, standing in the center of the arena, seemingly unwilling to press the attack to the death.

Following Mo Tuo's shout, the other Mo Family members dared not remain in the arena either, scattering like frightened birds in all directions.

Shi Yan, positioned behind the meteorite, calmly observed that the disheveled old man from the Poison Dragon Valley and Li Han were escorting Mo Qi, rushing towards a row of buildings on the south side of the Divine Stone Plaza.

"Mo Qi cannot be allowed to live," Shi Yan took a deep breath and told Han Feng, "If you don't cut the weeds and dig up the roots, they will surely grow back in the spring breeze. I'm going to cut this weed down."

If you don't cut the weeds and dig up the roots, they will surely grow back in the spring breeze.

Han Feng mulled over the two sentences in his mind until he grasped their meaning, his eyes brightening. He said softly, "Young Master Yan is destined for great things."

Shi Yan said nothing more, stepping away from the meteorite and heading directly toward the direction Mo Qi had fled.

Soon, Shi Yan exited the Divine Stone Plaza. Just as he prepared to enter the narrow alleys between the houses, he saw Shi Dang and several Shi Family retainers chasing after him.

"Uncle, leave Mo Qi to me. You pursue others," Shi Yan shouted from a distance.

Shi Dang paused, recognizing that Shi Yan was the one approaching. He reprimanded, "Where the hell have you been, brat? Don't you know how chaotic the arena is? If anything happened to you, your grandfather would skin me alive."

"It's fine," Han Feng suddenly materialized behind Shi Yan and said softly.

Seeing Han Feng behind him, Shi Dang’s tense expression eased, and he smiled. "Alright then, you chase Mo Qi. I'll go after Mo Chao Tian."

With that, he nodded to Han Feng and quickly changed his route, speeding away.

A quarter of an hour later.

In a small alley in the southern district, Mo Qi rushed forward with murderous intent blazing.

Suddenly, a figure materialized ahead of him.

Around the corner of the alley ahead, Shi Yan leaned against the stone wall, a mocking smile playing on his lips. He spoke indifferently, "Mo Qi, the run must have been tiring, eh? Well, you can rest now."

Mo Qi stopped abruptly, his face contorted in fury. "Shi Yan! You killed my brother, I'll make you pay with your life!"

"Pay with my life?" Shi Yan grinned wickedly, shaking his head. "Mo Zhan hasn't gone far yet. If you hurry on your way, you might just catch up to him. I'm here only to see you off."

"Young Master Qi!" Behind Mo Qi, Li Han appeared, and standing next to Li Han was Blood Hand from the Poison Dragon Valley of the Divine Protection Empire.

"Kill him!" Mo Qi pointed at Shi Yan, enraged. "He must die!"

"Matters concerning the younger generation should be settled by the younger generation. It would be best if you all refrained from interfering," Han Feng suddenly appeared atop a nearby house, his gaze cold as he fixed it upon Blood Hand and Li Han.

"Blood Hand of the Poison Dragon Valley?" Shi Yan stared at the old man. "You refined the Blood Essence Pill, didn't you? Those who come from the Poison Dragon Valley are truly the dregs among alchemists, specializing only in producing shoddy pills."

"Insolent child, you seek death!" Blood Hand’s brow furrowed, and his face instantly grew grim. He snorted, "I originally intended not to meddle in the affairs between your Shi Family and Mo Family, but since you speak so disrespectfully, I will let you taste the methods of my Poison Dragon Valley."

"Young Master Yan, you deal with Mo Qi. Leave Blood Hand and Li Han to me," Han Feng instructed quietly, floating down from the rooftop without a sound, positioning himself precisely between Blood Hand and Li Han.

"Heh heh, do you really think the Poison Dragon Valley is easy to bully?" Blood Hand chuckled sinisterly. He suddenly swallowed a pill the size of a dragon's eye—a pill that looked unnervingly like a human heart, so red it seemed to ooze blood.

After swallowing the pill, Blood Hand’s eyes immediately flushed red, the strands of his messy hair stood on end, and an intensely thick smell of blood suddenly emanated from his body.

Han Feng’s expression shifted drastically. "Young Master Yan, retreat to the Shi Family immediately!"

"Li Han, Mo Qi, you two kill that insolent brat. I'll handle this old man," Blood Hand grinned fiercely, licking his lips with a savage expression.

"Uncle Han, be careful," Shi Yan’s heart tightened. He sensed something was gravely wrong from Blood Hand's transformation. He shot a cold glance at Han Feng and Mo Qi before hurriedly fleeing toward the direction of Azure Moon Lake in the distance.

Just as Han Feng was about to move, Blood Hand lunged forward. An overwhelming wave of sanguinary energy instantly enveloped Han Feng, preventing him from disengaging.

Li Han and Mo Qi exchanged a look, and without a word, they charged in the direction Shi Yan had fled.

Five minutes later.

At the entrance to another alley, the rapid charge of Li Han and Mo Qi abruptly halted. Mo Qi’s expression was ferocious. "The brat isn't running? He must be tired of living!"

"I said I would eradicate the Mo Family's lineage; I cannot go back on my word," Shi Yan stood at the alley entrance, his expression icy cold.

Thin strands of white mist enveloped his entire body, and various negative forces flowed out from him, causing his killing intent to surge to the heavens, making him look like a bloodthirsty war god stepping out of an Asura slaughterhouse.

With Han Feng gone, he could finally unleash his true power without restraint.

:Recommend the new book The Age of New Mages from a local friend. The book ID has a direct link below. It is written in a very interesting and lighthearted style; friends who enjoy that style should consider taking a look. The Age of New Mages]M