The Azure Blood Demon Bat stretched seven or eight meters long, its back broad enough that two people could sit comfortably without crowding.

Shi Yan was perched near the Demon Bat’s neck, gripping one of its slender ears, rock-steady against the fierce wind.

Looking down from the heavens, the martial artists in the Dead Still Swamp were like scattered flies, instantly instilling in Shi Yan a sense of arrogant dominance over all living things.

Soaring across the skies atop a demonic beast, with the wind howling past his ears—this sensation was indescribable. Shi Yan suddenly felt reluctant to dismount the Azure Blood Demon Bat.

The Asura Blood Guard from the Yang family riding the beast seemed to notice Shi Yan’s enjoyment and smiled faintly. “Young Master Yan, if you return to the Yang family, you’ll have much better mounts. By then, I fear you might look down on this Azure Blood Demon Bat.”

Better mounts?

Shi Yan’s lips twitched. “What kind of mounts?”

“Naturally, mounts befitting a young master of your status. They are larger than the Azure Blood Demon Bat, not only flying faster but also understanding human speech, and capable of protecting Young Master Yan’s life at a critical moment. If Young Master gains the Family Head’s favor and is bestowed a Twin-Headed Flood Dragon, hehe, I hope Young Master will let me ride it then. The Twin-Headed Flood Dragons in the clan are all sixth-tier demonic beasts, the same rank as Lord Xiao’s sixth-tier Azure Blood Demon Bat, yet they are even more formidable than his.”

“Twin-Headed Flood Dragon? A sixth-tier demonic beast? Doesn't that mean they are equivalent to martial artists in the Nirvana Realm?” Shi Yan gasped in shock.

In the Gloomy Forest, the Dead Still Swamp, and the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, sixth-tier demonic beasts were already local overlords, possessing wisdom not inferior to human martial artists. Every single sixth-tier demonic beast was terrifying; they simply could not be tamed by martial artists of the same level. Many demonic beasts were inherently arrogant, preferring death to becoming a martial artist’s mount.

The Yang family could casually produce sixth-tier demonic beasts as mounts to reward the core experts of the clan. From this small detail alone, Shi Yan could envision the immense power wielded by the Yang family.

“Indeed. The Twin-Headed Flood Dragon can spit frost and flames, equivalent to a Nirvana martial artist possessing two Martial Souls, and it can soar through the void, absolutely no less formidable than a Nirvana martial artist of the same rank—perhaps even superior,” the guard smiled proudly. “In the Boundless Sea, only a handful of forces possess such wealth and power to equip their core disciples with sixth-tier demonic beasts. Our Yang family is one of them.”

Without this man needing to say more, Shi Yan could already deduce the sheer might of the Yang family, an inner astonishment stirring within him.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Deafening bursts of sound echoed across the sky, earth-shattering noises, as if heaven and earth were splitting apart.

Shi Yan’s attention was immediately snatched away from the Azure Blood Demon Bat beneath him, and he involuntarily looked ahead.

Ahead.

The Asura King, Xiao Hanyi, stood like a demon god suspended in the void, controlling three vast rivers of blood. With relentlessly sharp offensive power, he forced Bei Ming Shang, the Lord of the Underworld, and the Lord of Darkness into desperate evasions.

These three rivers of blood were laden with endless blood fiend energy, their fierce aura surging skyward. They looked like three blood dragons, kilometers long, winding through the void, delivering a profound shock.

Bei Ming Shang was encased in solid ice, with clusters of ice flames condensed from extreme cold hovering around him. He darted in and out of one of the blood rivers, defending against the colossal force of the crimson water with an extremely grave expression.

Streams of blood-light shot toward the heavens, hundreds, perhaps thousands of them, like swift, ethereal snakes seemingly birthed from the blood river, all wrapping around Bei Ming Shang.

The blood snakes were vividly lifelike, baring fangs and claws, each imbued with dense blood fiend energy, appearing immortal.

If a blood snake was frozen by the cold air and fell back into the river, it would instantly regenerate, pouncing with fiercer and more ferocious intent, leaving Bei Ming Shang overwhelmed and helpless.

The Lord of the Underworld, Zou Zihe, was enveloped by streaks of Netherworld Divine Light erupting from his body, which tightly surrounded him, making him resemble a massive, spiky porcupine.

Within the river of blood, Zou Zihe continuously shot out Netherworld Divine Lights, resisting the invasion of the blood qi from the river, retreating as he fought, moving southwards.

The Lord of Darkness’s face was obscured, her entire form shrouded in a pall of darkness. She too had been swallowed by a blood river, struggling continuously within its depths, unable to break free from its entanglement.

Xiao Hanyi was truly like a demon god emerging from the deepest pits of hell, facing three Heaven Rank experts alone, yet appearing completely composed.

He even had the leisure to let out a sinister cackle, sneering coldly, “Not enough, still not enough! The martial artists here are truly weak. In our Boundless Sea, people like you are only fit to be humble retainers...”

Bei Ming Shang was so enraged he nearly vomited blood, yet he had no recourse.

Only at this moment did they truly grasp how terrifying the martial artists of the Boundless Sea were. This newcomer was already this formidable, fighting three opponents and routing them so thoroughly.

—They did not know that while dealing with them, Xiao Hanyi had also managed to spare time to force Zhua Qi to retreat a thousand meters deep into the swamp, never daring to surface again.

“Go!”

A sharp cry suddenly came from the darkness, uttered by the Lord of Darkness.

The next instant, a strange power erupted violently from that sphere of darkness. With a thunderous explosion, the darkness shattered into pieces, and a figure in black shot out, moving like lightning through the gloom, swiftly escaping south.

Simultaneously, the Lord of the Underworld, Zou Zihe, gritted his teeth and activated a secret technique, paying the price of serious injury to employ the Nether Evasion Art, transforming into a fleeting ghostly silhouette that vanished with a puff of wind.

Bei Ming Shang’s expression drastically changed. Seeing the two suddenly flee while sustaining injuries, he urgently tried to activate his own secret technique to escape.

“You wish to remain?” The scarred face of the Asura King, Xiao Hanyi, twisted into an extremely hideous expression.

The other two broad rivers of blood suddenly writhed madly, violently surging into the river that was currently ensnaring Bei Ming Shang.

The three blood rivers merged into one, transforming into an endless, boundless sea of blood.

In the sea of blood, Bei Ming Shang’s body was completely submerged; it seemed he couldn't even employ his escape technique. He let out frantic screams within the crimson tide.

“Hmph,” Xiao Hanyi’s expression turned icy, grinning ferociously. “You want to destroy a descendant of my Yang family? I’ll slay you first!”

Xiao Hanyi instantly transformed into a streak of blood light, flashing like lightning into the vast sea of blood, vanishing within the dense blood qi, seemingly hacking at Bei Ming Shang inside the crimson depths.

Continuous, painful cries echoed from the sea of blood; Bei Ming Shang was being brutally slaughtered, apparently unable to fight back.

Shi Yan inwardly felt a surge of satisfaction, a cold smile touching his lips. He murmured, “Looks like Bei Ming Shang is finished.”

“That person only has cultivation at the first layer of the Heaven Rank; naturally, he is no match for Lord Xiao. Once Lord Xiao’s three blood rivers merge, he can slay even a second-layer Heaven Rank martial artist, let alone him?” The guard beside Shi Yan interjected dismissively, certain. “He’s definitely dead.”

“Let’s go down. I see someone familiar,” Shi Yan leaned over, looking down toward the ground, addressing the guard beside him.

“Yes, Young Master,” the man nodded cheerfully and gently patted the Azure Blood Demon Bat’s hindbrain.

The Azure Blood Demon Bat shrieked and plummeted from the sky, quickly hovering steadily near Chi Xiao, Zuo Shi, and their group.

The Asura Blood Guards escorting Shi Yan, tasked with his protection, saw the Demon Bat he was riding descend and immediately urged their own Azure Blood Demon Bats to follow suit, descending from the heavens and surrounding Shi Yan once more in their center.

Shi Yan dismounted the Azure Blood Demon Bat and smiled at Zuo Shi. “You haven’t left yet?”

“We are heading home,” Zuo Shi pouted, glancing with a hint of awe at the Yang family warriors beside Shi Yan, whispering, “Shi Yan, who are these people?”

From what her master, Chi Xiao, had told her, Zuo Shi already knew how terrifying the Asura Blood Guards were. Xiao Hanyi’s display in the sky had profoundly shaken her.

Thus, even Zuo Shi felt a degree of unease facing these Asura Blood Guards from the Yang family of the Boundless Sea.

“I don’t know either,” Shi Yan shook his head, feeling somewhat puzzled himself. “But I imagine they won’t mean me any harm, hehe.”

“Boom!”

Just then, a massive explosion ripped through the sky.

In the sea of blood, Bei Ming Shang’s body burst open. His head and limbs disintegrated into chunks of flesh and blood, falling from the sky.

The boundless sea of blood gradually receded.

The Asura King, Xiao Hanyi, with a ferocious expression, descended rapidly from the sky, landing next to Shi Yan. In his hand, he held a small, crimson jade vial.

Inside the vial, Bei Ming Shang’s soul writhed, filled with bitter resentment.

“Young Master Yan,” Xiao Hanyi, covered in blood, gradually approached Shi Yan and smiled. “This is our first meeting, and I haven’t prepared any welcoming gift. This man had cultivation at the first layer of the Heaven Rank. When we return to the Yang family, I will gather materials and personally forge a secret treasure for Young Master Yan using his soul, as a token of my welcome.”

“This…” Shi Yan scratched his head and forced a wry smile. “I don’t even know who you are. Killing Bei Ming Shang is already a great gift.”

“This gift isn’t big enough,” Xiao Hanyi shook his head seriously. “Young Master Yan will be a pillar of the Yang family in the future. If I don't curry favor with you now, by the time we return to the Yang family in the Boundless Sea, I fear Young Master Yan might ignore me, hehe.”

Mu Yudie and Di Yalan stared blankly at the jade vial in Xiao Hanyi’s hand, watching the soul of Bei Ming Shang struggling within, their minds utterly blank.

“Senior, just who is Shi Yan?” Chi Xiao pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked.

Xiao Hanyi frowned, glancing coldly at Chi Xiao. “It has nothing to do with you.”

Chi Xiao appeared slightly embarrassed, offering a weak smile before daring not to press further. However, the look he gave Shi Yan was now filled with astonishment.

“Young Master Yan, this is not a place for conversation. Shall we move elsewhere?” Xiao Hanyi suddenly proposed.

Shi Yan was just about to nod when he saw Mu Yudie suddenly run over from that side, her delicate face etched with desperation.

“Hm?” Shi Yan’s expression darkened, looking at her impatiently. “What is it now?”

“Shi Yan, I want to be your woman!” Mu Yudie bit her lip, feigning composure, her face flushed crimson. “You know you like… like women. I know my looks aren’t bad, and I… I can do anything for you. I won’t know how, but I will learn, I guarantee I can serve you to your satisfaction, just—just avenge me!”

“I don’t need it,” Shi Yan shook his head.

Mu Yudie’s delicate body trembled, her pretty face turning pale. She bit her ruby lips hard enough to draw blood.

Forcing down the immense humiliation, Mu Yudie stuttered again, “Being… being a concubine is fine too, I swear I will satisfy you.”

“You are not worthy.”

PS: Monthly tickets, monthly tickets! Calling for monthly tickets! I want monthly tickets! Ahhh~~~ (The echo never ceases!) V