Zou Zihe ascended into the void, releasing his divine sense to stretch out in all directions, as his body gradually moved away from Jueyin Valley.
Bei Ming Shang’s expression was ferocious; just as he was about to fight Chi Xiao to the death, he suddenly noticed that Zou Zihe had quietly taken to the sky.
With a thought, he suddenly recalled the scene he witnessed in that strange space, realizing that Shi Yan might be nearby.
“Chi Xiao, I will settle accounts with you sooner or later.”
Bei Ming Shang gritted his teeth, his demeanor sinister, but he did not strike again. He retracted the Extreme Cold Ice Flame and also ascended, releasing his divine sense to search for Shi Yan’s trace.
“Yin Kui, Jiu Shan, you two separate and search the periphery of the Silent Swamp for people. Remember, if you see Shi Yan, do not kill him immediately; I want him alive,” Bei Ming Shang commanded while hovering in mid-air, his voice chilling to the bone.
Yin Kui and Jiu Shan responded without a word, separated, and immediately left Jueyin Valley.
For a time, the vast Jueyin Valley was left only with Chi Xiao, Zhua Qi, the contingent from the Zuo family, and the dazed Mu Yudie and Di Yalan.
“Master,” Zuo Shi glared at Chi Xiao, “When we arrived, Grandpa Shi asked you to look after Shi Yan. You’re not planning to feign ignorance, are you?”
Chi Xiao sighed helplessly and shook his head. “I have already held back Bei Ming Shang, but now two Heaven Rank experts want that brat dead. If I forcefully intervene, I will have to face both of them. Especially since these two are in a state of extreme rage; if I step in now, I fear…”
“Master, are you afraid of them?” Zuo Shi tilted her head and snorted.
“Xiao Shi,” Wu Yunlian suddenly spoke up, sighing, “Mr. Chi Xiao is also acting out of necessity. With his strength, even facing two Heaven Rank experts, he could depart calmly. But he is worried about us—don't you understand?”
Zuo Shi paused, then mumbled after a long moment, “But what about Shi Yan? If he dies, Grandpa Shi will be heartbroken.”
“There’s nothing to be done; he can only rely on his own fortune,” Wu Yunlian’s delicate brows were deeply furrowed as she shook her head, perplexed. “How is this possible? How could that brat Shi Yan have killed Bei Ming Ce? Bei Ming Ce possesses Twin Martial Souls and is in the Hundred Tribulations Realm. What is going on?”
Chi Xiao was also baffled, but secretly guessed it might be due to that strange space.
Inside, when he emerged last, he clearly saw a pillar of light pouring down from the heavens onto Shi Yan, causing the boy’s body to vanish into thin air. He suspected everything was related to the changes in that strange space.
“Eh?”
Chi Xiao let out a soft sound, suddenly realizing something, and exclaimed, “If there were any treasures inside, that brat must have gotten them. Bei Ming Shang and that Heaven Rank expert being so anxious to find Shi Yan surely has this reason as well.”
“Chi Xiao, I have something to attend to and must leave now. From this day forward, the grievances between you and me are wiped clean.” At that moment, Zhua Qi suddenly greeted Chi Xiao, then immediately turned and flew rapidly toward the periphery of the Silent Swamp without another word.
“Zhua Qi!” Chi Xiao shouted.
“What?” Zhua Qi turned back impatiently.
“I know what you are thinking,” Chi Xiao frowned, saying calmly, “If you truly manage to find Shi Yan, it’s fine if you take the item. But I hope you can show mercy and not take his life.”
The periphery of the Silent Swamp was dense with vegetation, swamps and miasmas were everywhere, and many martial artists adventured within. Even for Bei Ming Shang and Zou Zihe, finding Shi Yan was not an easy task.
However, Zhua Qi was different.
He was the master of the Silent Swamp periphery, able to move freely within the swamp, control the miasma, and the monstrous beasts outside obeyed him.
If anyone was most likely to find Shi Yan the quickest, it should be Zhua Qi.
“If that brat behaves, I won’t let him suffer too much,” Zhua Qi sneered coldly. “But if he acts foolishly, I won’t hold back either. Chi Xiao, this has nothing to do with you; you had better not interfere. The wrath of two Heaven Rank experts is no joke. If you want your disciple to live well, then stop caring about that brat’s fate.”
With that, Zhua Qi shot away, vanishing in a flicker.
……
Late at night, the sky was littered with stars, and the bright moon shone clearly.
In the dense foliage of a towering ancient tree in the east of the Silent Swamp.
Shi Yan stared blankly at the starry sky, his face grim, tiny flecks of strange light shimmering in his eyes, enigmatic and profound.
In that strange space, a stellar light pillar descended from the heavens and struck him, directly propelling him out of that wondrous place and depositing him here.
Upon landing, he glanced at the nearby miasma and the ubiquitous swamp, immediately deducing that this was the outer edge of the Silent Swamp.
When he first emerged, it was daytime. Shi Yan repeatedly checked his chest, only to find that apart from some scattered starlight dots, his heart seemed otherwise normal. He could only faintly sense weak starlight falling from the sky, slowly gathering near his heart.
That was during the day.
At night, when the stars began to sparkle overhead, Shi Yan’s heart suddenly seemed imbued with ten times the vitality, yet its beating frequency grew slower.
However, the starlight power flickering from the cosmos shot down, quietly surging into his body, injecting into his heart. The power of the stars at night was far stronger than during the day.
He could feel this profoundly.
He could very clearly feel faint traces of starlight power descending from the distant stars, but this power was invisible to the naked eye. Starlight energy that hadn't condensed into visible points was a hundred times weaker, hence it lacked luminosity, yet it existed tangibly.
He didn't need to do anything, not even move his consciousness. Day or night, his heart continuously absorbed starlight energy, absorbing less during the day and more at night.
Shi Yan didn't know how to utilize the starlight energy within his heart. He had tried to stimulate it but found no way to extract the energy pooled in his heart.
Fortunately, the change in his heart seemed to have no negative impact on him; his heart absorbed the stellar power automatically without draining his spirit.
Therefore, after a period of curiosity, Shi Yan temporarily stopped paying attention to the change in his heart.
The reason he had to kill Bei Ming Ce was that there was only one crystal shard; Bei Ming Ce wanted it, and so did he.
When he displayed his strength, it meant that between him and Bei Ming Ce, only one could survive.
Shi Yan understood that Bei Ming Ce was the future patriarch of the Bei Ming family—ruthless and far-sighted. Having witnessed the strength Shi Yan possessed while only in the Human Rank, Bei Ming Ce had resolved that Shi Yan must not live. Even if they hadn't fought in the strange space, Bei Ming Ce would have found every means to kill him upon exiting.
—And Bei Ming Shang outside would absolutely do the same.
They were acting for the future of the Bei Ming family, removing a potential threat to secure the family’s hegemony for the next hundred years.
Whether he killed Bei Ming Ce or not, Bei Ming Ce would not spare him; under such circumstances, what was there to hesitate about?
When he killed Bei Ming Ce, after his acupoints absorbed Bei Ming Ce’s negative energy, a desire for slaughter and brutality also stirred in his heart.
However, when that stellar light pillar shone upon him, all the negative emotions burgeoning in his heart were instantly purged, saving him from the worry of losing control.
After the acupoints purified Bei Ming Ce’s vital essence, a strange power flowed out toward evening, but all that strange power poured into his heart, merging with the countless minuscule starlight dots within, leaving Shi Yan deeply moved.
Looking up at the heavens, watching the myriad stars, feeling the faint starlight energy flowing down from them, Shi Yan gave a wry smile and shook his head. After closing his eyes and sensing that no one was around, he climbed down from the ancient tree and continued moving toward the east of the Silent Swamp.
The Merchant Alliance was to the south of Tianyun City; he should travel south to return there. Yet, he was heading east.
And the east was the direction of the Boundless Sea.
—He had no intention of returning to the Merchant Alliance.
Even if Bei Ming Ce and Mu Hui were alive, the Heaven Rank experts in Jueyin Valley would not spare him now that he had obtained the crystal shard; Shi Yan was fully aware of this.
Although the Shi family was one of the five great families of the Merchant Alliance, they had no Heaven Rank experts, making it impossible for them to protect him.
If he returned to the Shi family, he would bring disaster upon them; because of him, the Shi family might be annihilated.
If he were to disappear now, or go elsewhere, the Shi family would have a chance to escape this calamity.
He knew clearly that he was the true target of those people.
From Xia Xinyan, he had heard much about the mysteries of the Boundless Sea, knowing it was the center where numerous martial artists gathered, far vaster than the Merchant Alliance, the Blazing Fire Empire, or the Divine Protection Empire, housing countless contemporary powerhouses.
—That was his destination.
Taking advantage of the night, Shi Yan cautiously opened his consciousness to probe the surroundings, resolutely heading east.
……
“Still nothing.”
To the south of the Silent Swamp, Bei Ming Shang’s face was cold, his expression terrifyingly severe.
Not far away, Zou Zihe, the Dark Nether Master, was also brimming with murderous intent. “We have searched this entire section these past few days. Every martial artist and mercenary operating here has been probed by our divine sense, but we found nothing. Did the brat not return to Tianyun City?”
“He didn’t return to Tianyun City…” Bei Ming Shang stated grimly, coldly, “It seems we need to change direction. I’ll go east; you handle what you need to.”
With that, Bei Ming Shang abruptly flew off toward the east of the Silent Swamp.
……
“Miss, if that fellow is in the Silent Swamp, he should be in the south, shouldn't he? If he doesn't return to Tianyun City, he certainly won’t receive protection,” a large man next to Xia Xinyan questioned beside a pool in the east of the Silent Swamp.
“Return to Tianyun City?” Xia Xinyan curved her lips. “What use would that be? The Shi family doesn't even have a Heaven Rank expert. Returning would not only fail to grant him protection but would also bring disaster upon the Shi family. If I were him, I would never return to the Shi family unless I reached the Heaven Rank, and the farther away I was, the better.”
As Xia Xinyan spoke, she bent down to wash her face by the pool before standing up. “Let’s go. Head east; the east is also in the direction of the Boundless Sea. If we really can’t find him, we’ll head directly back to the Boundless Sea.”
“Understood.” The two large men nodded.
“Buzz, buzz, buzz—”
At that moment, a strange humming emanated from Xia Xinyan’s embrace. Her delicate face shifted slightly, and she couldn't help but take out a wind chime. She stared at the chime for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, “Asura King Xiao Hanyi is almost here!”
“Ah? Why would the Asura King come to the Silent Swamp? Wasn’t he searching for Yang Hai?”
“I don’t know either.”
Xia Xinyan shook her head faintly. “But it’s fine, too. Xiao Hanyi is in the Second Heaven of the Heaven Rank, and he cultivates the Blood Fiend Path of the Five Asura Paths. He can wield the power of the Third Heaven of the Heaven Rank by manipulating blood into malevolence. The Heaven Rank experts here are all only in the First Heaven. With the Asura King arriving, those people should all behave, or, given the Asura King’s temper, those people are likely to face serious trouble.”
“The three Asura Kings of the Yang family are all lunatics. Miss, be careful not to cross his boundaries.”
“I know.”
……
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