Shi Yan was filled with resentment. He was held aloft by Xia Xinyan, soaring through the wind, the fierce gusts slicing against his face like knives, burning with pain. The faint, lingering fragrance from Xia Xinyan, carried by the wind, entered his nose and mouth. The fragrance should have been delightful, but his position was utterly humiliating, making it impossible for his mood to lift. With his collar grasped and his body suspended in mid-air, Shi Yan felt less like a person and more like a parcel Xia Xinyan was carrying. Even though he knew Xia Xinyan had no choice but to carry him away quickly, Shi Yan still felt humiliated. Never before had he craved strength as fiercely as he did now! He yearned for greater power! The power to break free from everything! Held in Xia Xinyan’s hand, he secretly swore that if he survived this ordeal, he would never again allow anyone to hold him like this! He would pursue the highest realms with all his might, aiming to stand above everyone else.

Shi Yan heard clearly the exchange between Xia Xinyan and the female voice emerging from the darkness. Upon learning that she was the Dark Master of the Endless Sea, Shi Yan’s face grew grim, yet he remained helpless. Despite his numerous fortuitous encounters and possessing four extraordinary Martial Souls, his cultivation level was merely at the Human Rank. There was an insurmountable gulf between him and a Heaven Rank expert—a disparity that could not be bridged by mere profound martial techniques. He was self-aware enough to know that facing such a powerhouse, his chances of survival were slim. Thus, he refrained from speaking, focusing his attention entirely on finding an opportunity to escape. "Do you truly intend to make an enemy of our Endless Sea?" Xia Xinyan drew a breath, her delicate figure slowly descending.

Shi Yan’s heart tightened. From Xia Xinyan, he clearly sensed the Power of Reincarnation gradually dissipating. Once Xia Xinyan activated her Reincarnation Martial Soul, the Reincarnation Power that did not originally belong to her would slowly vanish. When all the Reincarnation Essence was depleted, Xia Xinyan would revert to being a martial artist of the One Heaven of a Hundred Tribulations lineage. Even standing airborne required a significant expenditure of Reincarnation Power. Upon realizing the Dark Master had sealed their path ahead, she understood that continuing to fly effortlessly while carrying Shi Yan was impossible.

They landed. Xia Xinyan set Shi Yan down, coldly observing the mass of dark cloud descending slowly from the sky. She spoke lightly, "That Pseudo-Heaven Gate only contains Martial Soul Source Seals. Once a Martial Soul Source Seal is taken, it can never be used again." After a pause, Xia Xinyan continued, "In other words, even if you kill him, you will gain nothing." As she said this, Xia Xinyan’s gaze swept far away towards a swamp at her side.

From within the swamp, the sound of churning mud suddenly arose, and Zhuo Qi’s body slowly surfaced. Standing in the center of the swamp, Zhuo Qi glared fiercely at the area. "I don't believe it! You definitely have something else on you, kid. Miss Xia, just hand him over to me. If I truly can't find anything, it won't concern you." "Shi Yan! Shi Yan!" Bei Mingshang's roar echoed from a distance, growing closer to their location. "Sister Xia Bu!" Zhuo Qi shrieked again, "Give me that boy! Once he's in the swamp, I'll drag him underground. Otherwise, Bei Mingshang won't spare him either. I promise you, if that boy truly has nothing on him, I will let him live." "Agreed." Xia Xinyan was decisive. Aware that Bei Mingshang was fast approaching and with the Dark Master looming, she knew she couldn't simply take Shi Yan and leave. Having agreed, Xia Xinyan did not hesitate. She reached out, snatched Shi Yan, and hurled him far away.

Simultaneously, she opened her mouth and spat out a short sword, shimmering like clear autumn water, which flew out from beneath her tongue. The short sword was covered in mysterious runes, each only the size of a tadpole, yet they slowly swam across the blade, seemingly possessing their own consciousness. As the sword emerged, a strange power capable of shredding divine sense and spirit surged from the runes. Xia Xinyan swung the sword casually, and layers of ripples suddenly undulated in the void, sparkling with brilliance. Layer upon layer of ripples were sliced out by Xia Xinyan’s strike. Faintly visible within these ripples was the enraged face of Bei Mingshang. "Xia Xinyan! You dare strike my divine sense! I will kill you!" Bei Mingshang roared frantically from afar, his voice filled with earth-shattering fury. Xia Xinyan remained unmoved, wielding the short sword and moving with ethereal grace. The blade cut through the air, producing streaks of strange light that sliced the seemingly ordinary void into layers of spiritual ripples, which she shattered piece by piece.

The Dark Master, residing within the thick, impenetrable darkness, saw that Xia Xinyan could sever the divine sense of a Heaven Rank expert and apparently realized she was not someone to be trifled with. Seeing that Bei Mingshang was about to arrive, the Dark Master did not rashly attack. That mass of darkness slowly ascended back into the sky, pausing within a cloud layer.

"Bang!" Shi Yan’s body suddenly plunged into the swamp. Zhuo Qi’s face lit up with glee. He hurriedly spurred his Martial Soul, using layers of sludge to wrap around Shi Yan, dragging him downward into the depths of the swamp. Shi Yan immediately felt his breathing grow difficult. Within the ball of mud, he quickly held his breath, calmed his spirit, and secretly activated the power within his body, preparing to cope with any sudden development. Inside the mud mass, Shi Yan felt himself sinking hundreds of meters toward the bottom of the swamp. Suddenly, the mud encasing him violently cracked and scattered. He found himself in a compact mud chamber, about five square meters in size. The surroundings were all earth, with no exit save for a small amount of air. Besides him, only Zhuo Qi, whose face was etched with excitement, was present in the chamber.

Zhuo Qi rubbed his hands together, visibly agitated, and chuckled sinisterly. "We are a hundred meters beneath the swamp. I created this mud chamber with my Martial Soul; it guarantees you won't suffocate. Alright, now we can talk about that strange space. Hmph, hand over everything you got! I promise not to kill you and will even send you out of the Dead Silence Marsh." "You decide," Shi Yan spread his hands, standing still, "Take whatever you can find on me." "I only want what you obtained in that strange space," Zhuo Qi paused, then snarled fiercely, "I'm not interested in anything else." "I didn't get anything there," Shi Yan shook his head calmly. "Only a tiny bit of starlight was injected into my body, and it has now merged with my bones and flesh. Perhaps if you eat my flesh raw, you might get some of the power from that starlight." "Kid, do you really think I wouldn't eat you!" Zhuo Qi licked his lips cruelly. "If eating you grants power, I don't mind devouring you piece by piece! Novel should be hand-typed."

Shi Yan’s expression remained unchanged. He simply sat down and said lightly, "You decide. Since the things are inside my body and I can’t take them out, do whatever you want." "Kid, you’re refusing to hand it over even if it costs you your life?" Zhuo Qi’s expression contorted savagely. After a moment of contemplation, he sneered, "Do you realize how many ways I have to make you wish you were dead?" Shi Yan remained silent.

Essence, negative energy, and Yin Qi quietly flowed out from his body, slowly permeating the mud chamber. These three forces dispersed without immediately forming a Magnetic Field. Shi Yan kept his attention focused, subtly guarding himself. If Zhuo Qi made any move next, he would not hesitate to construct the Magnetic Field. He knew the Magnetic Field certainly couldn't defeat the Heaven Rank Zhuo Qi, but he only intended to use it to restrain Zhuo Qi for a moment. If the Magnetic Field could trap Zhuo Qi even for a few minutes, he might seize the chance to escape back to the surface of the swamp and perhaps find a way out.

"Boom-boom-boom! Boom-boom-boom!" The swamp surface was struck by cataclysmic sounds. Waves of violent energy impacted the swamp, and even Shi Yan, a hundred meters below, could sense the massive commotion outside. "Kid, don't count on that woman to save you. Bei Mingshang is coming; she can barely save herself," Zhuo Qi took a deep breath, gritting his teeth. "Don't force my hand. Hand over what I want sooner rather than later. I promised you, if you behave, I will see you out of the Dead Silence Marsh. You know what I can do in the Dead Silence Marsh—if I want to, that woman can't protect you, but I can! What do you say?" "In that space, I only obtained the boundless starlight. The starlight has completely permeated my body. It has given me the innate talent to absorb the power of the stars—it's a Martial Soul. Hmph, if you know how to transfer a Martial Soul, I don't mind giving this one to you. Other than that, I have nothing more to say," Shi Yan stated calmly. "A Martial Soul! A Martial Soul that absorbs the stars!" Zhuo Qi was ecstatic, trembling all over, roaring with laughter. "A truly excellent treasure! Kid, give it to me quickly! Give it to me!" "Did you not hear what I said?" Shi Yan frowned sternly. "That Martial Soul is in my body, and I don't even know how to use it myself. How can I give it to you?" "There must be a way! There must be a way!"

Zhuo Qi shouted in the mud chamber, overcome with excitement. "You were able to obtain that Martial Soul, so you must be able to relinquish it too! Think hard; you surely can find a way! Shi Yan, I’ll give you one day! If you can give me this Martial Soul after three days, I guarantee I'll send you out!" Three days? Shi Yan furrowed his brow and said lightly, "Fine, I will think carefully." "Good. You must think hard! If you can't manage it after a day, hehe, don't blame me for being impolite!" Zhuo Qi sneered menacingly. Deafening roars continued to sound from outside the swamp, as if Xia Xinyan was still locked in combat with Bei Mingshang.

By nightfall, the battle outside had ceased. Shi Yan didn't know what had happened outside, but his heart grew heavy as he continuously pondered how to escape Zhuo Qi’s clutches. "Boom-boom!" Deep in the night, waves of world-destroying power suddenly struck the swamp! These streams of power possessed terrifying penetrating force, managing to reach a hundred meters beneath the swamp. Furthermore, they exhibited an extremely tenacious vitality, continuously searching for the aura of experts within the swamp and heading straight for Zhuo Qi. "Damn it! Who is so powerful!" Zhuo Qi's expression changed dramatically, his face contorted in alarm. Seeing the auras rush toward him like swimming dragons, he couldn't concern himself with Shi Yan any longer. He screamed, burst out of the mud chamber, and engaged those terrifying, blood-scented auras deep beneath the swamp. Shi Yan’s eyes lit up. He took a deep breath of the air in the mud chamber and swiftly shot out of it, scrambling upward without regard for anything else.