Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan each devoured a grilled fish, and their spirits immediately lifted. Especially Xia Xinyan; after the satisfying meal, the color clearly returned to her cheeks, making her complexion much healthier.

Once full, Shi Yan paused in thought, then abruptly pulled a small bottle from his pack. He walked alone to the water's edge, poured the gray powder out, mixed it with seawater, and began scrubbing his face with concentrated effort.

Before long, Shi Yan returned to Xia Xinyan's side.

Xia Xinyan’s eyes immediately brightened, and she snorted softly, "Playing tricks and acting mysterious. This is your real face, isn't it?"

Back at the Shi family estate, to prevent his identity from being revealed during the Martial Arts Tournament, Shi Jian had hired a disguise artist to alter his appearance. Now that he was in the Endless Sea, and the Bei Ming, Ling, and Mo families had all met their ends, there was no need to maintain the disguise, so he had reverted to his original looks.

Without the disguise, Shi Yan had changed considerably. His dark, tanned skin had whitened somewhat; his thick, dark eyebrows were now slightly thinner, sloping sharply like drawn swords toward his temples. His jawline was sharply defined, losing some of its rough, rugged quality and gaining a sharp, cold edge, exuding an air of proud, untamed distinctiveness. Shi Yan was not handsome, but his unique temperament conveyed an impression of unyielding will and fierce decisiveness.

Xia Xinyan stared at him for a few moments, then commented, "Your appearance now actually suits your arrogance and shameless villainy."

Shi Yan was stunned, caught between laughter and tears. "Are you complimenting me, or insulting me?"

"What do you think?"

Shaking his head, Shi Yan decided not to tangle with her on that subject. His expression gradually grew serious. "Then, who exactly is that Demon Emperor Bo Xun?"

The thought of that terrifying figure sent a chill down Shi Yan’s spine. A powerhouse capable of tearing through the void and directly snatching away the Asura King Xiao Hanyi, who was at the Heaven Rank, had deeply shaken him.

"Bo Xun is one of the two Great Demon Emperors of the Fourth Demon Realm." Hearing Shi Yan mention this formidable figure, Xia Xinyan’s face also darkened slightly. "There are two Demon Emperors in the Fourth Demon Realm: Bo Xun and Chi Yan. Both possess abilities that pierce the heavens and earth; their demonic arts are unfathomably deep, and their magical power boundless. It is rumored that both have one foot already stepping into the realm of True Gods."

"Do demons also cultivate the Martial Way? Do they follow the same ranking structure as us?" Shi Yan asked, surprised.

"Of course." Xia Xinyan nodded, explaining, "Not just demons, even the inhabitants of the Seven Layers of the Underworld cultivate the Martial Way. However, the power gathered by demons and underworld beings is different from ours. Demons reside in the Demon Realm and absorb the surrounding Demonic Qi; denizens of the Underworld absorb Nether Qi in the Seven Layers of the Underworld. Demonic Qi and Nether Qi, like the Primal Energy here, are types of energy fields in this world. Besides demons and the underworld folk, there are also various other races in the Endless Sea who cultivate different fundamental powers. But whether it’s Demonic Qi, Nether Qi, or Primal Energy, they are all energies of heaven and earth, and the cultivation stages on the path of a martial artist are largely similar..."

Xia Xinyan spoke smoothly, instilling in Shi Yan some basic knowledge about the Endless Sea, contrasting the demons and underworld beings with the Divine Realm and the Divine Grace Continent where they originated.

"Demon Emperor Bo Xun..." Shi Yan said with a grim face. "Why did he target Uncle Xiao?"

"Many years ago, the head of the Yang family, Yang Qingdi, took Shi family experts into the Fourth Demon Realm and killed a Demon Lord there. Lord Xiao must have told you about this, right?"

"Yes."

"That Demon Lord was one of Demon Emperor Bo Xun's subordinates. In the Fourth Demon Realm, there are four Demon Lords in total. Two converted to serve Demon Emperor Chi Yan, and the other two were loyal adherents of Demon Emperor Bo Xun. Since Yang Qingdi killed one of Bo Xun's Lords, Bo Xun naturally moved against the Yang family."

"Bo Xun has one foot in the True God realm. Even if he wanted to take action, shouldn't he have sought out the head of the Yang family? Why come for Uncle Xiao?" Shi Yan was utterly baffled.

"Who said Bo Xun acted personally?" Xia Xinyan glanced at him coolly. "That Giant Skeletal Hand was merely one of Bo Xun’s three Skeletal Dharma Bodies. Although the Skeletal Dharma Bodies carry Bo Xun's life imprint, they are not his true body. Bo Xun’s main body remains in the Myriad Demon Cave in the Fourth Demon Realm and rarely ventures out. If his true body had acted this time, do you think you and I could have escaped?"

"What?" Shi Yan gasped in horror. "You mean that Giant Skeletal Hand was just... one hand of one of Bo Xun's three Skeletal Dharma Bodies?"

"Precisely."

Shi Yan felt a deep tremor in his heart. Just one hand from one of his Dharma Bodies could stir up such a massive disturbance in the Endless Sea, tearing the void and snatching away Xiao Hanyi. How immense must the divine abilities of Demon Emperor Bo Xun himself be?

Xia Xinyan seemed to sense his shock and didn't rush to speak, instead watching him with keen interest.

After a long pause, Shi Yan’s eyes hardened, and he said calmly, "Truly formidable. I truly hope to fight the Demon Emperor Bo Xun one day?"

Xia Xinyan was taken aback, brilliant light flickering in her beautiful eyes. "You are only at the Hundred Tribulations First Heaven Realm, yet you dare boast of fighting Bo Xun? Even in another hundred years, you wouldn't be a match for one of Bo Xun’s Skeletal Dharma Bodies. The Yang family members truly are arrogant and presumptuous, not knowing who they are."

Shi Yan smiled. "I am still young; I have plenty of time to catch up. One day, perhaps I too can command the heavens and split the void with a single hand."

Xia Xinyan fell silent. After a while, she nodded slightly without saying much, but her opinion of Shi Yan had subtly changed. Most martial artists, having witnessed the world-shattering abilities of Demon Emperor Bo Xun, would likely carry a permanent shadow in their hearts. Forget fighting Bo Xun; the lingering influence might affect their cultivation for life. Yet, Shi Yan’s resolve was as hard as iron and stone; not only was he unafraid, but he seemed to have awakened a monstrous fighting spirit, filled with a wild ambition to contend with the Demon Emperor. With such a temperament, provided luck and talent followed, he was destined to become an extraordinary figure.

"Will Uncle Xiao be alright?" Shi Yan suddenly sighed, his expression turning melancholic. "Uncle Xiao took great care of me in the Merchant Alliance; I truly hope nothing happens to him. Alas, it’s infuriating that my power is insufficient now. Otherwise, I would certainly charge into the Fourth Demon Realm and snatch Uncle Xiao back from Bo Xun."

"I don't know," Xia Xinyan shook her head. "Even a single Skeletal Dharma Body of Bo Xun might be more than Lord Xiao can handle. Let us hope Lord Xiao has good fortune and can escape this calamity."

Shi Yan looked dejected and helpless, shaking his head with a faint sigh. "If anything happens to Uncle Xiao, one day, I will certainly avenge this hatred and slaughter that Demon Emperor Bo Xun."

Xia Xinyan’s expression shifted, increasingly shocked by Shi Yan’s audacity. In the vast, boundless Endless Sea, experts were as numerous as the stars, yet no one dared claim they could slaughter Bo Xun. This youth, barely at the threshold of the Hundred Tribulations realm, knowing the terrifying might of the Demon Emperor, still dared utter such bold words. Was he truly mad?

Shi Yan offered no explanation. He didn't consider those words arrogant. The reason was simple: the mysterious Martial Soul within his body held infinite potential. As long as he kept killing, he could absorb sufficient Negative Power to transform it into the strange energy that nourished his Martial Soul and essence. Killing a hundred or a thousand people would equal decades of arduous cultivation for an ordinary person. Given the nature of the mysterious Martial Soul, eventually, he would be able to converse with Demon Emperor Bo Xun face-to-face. Of course, this was something he would never tell anyone.

For the next two days, Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan remained on the deserted island, surviving on fish blood and meat. The vast, endless sea offered no flying demonic beasts, no large ships; leaving blindly seemed less wise than remaining put on the small island. Xia Xinyan agreed with this logic. For those two days, they only gathered when eating fish or drinking blood; otherwise, they cultivated separately, without disturbing one another.

Another day passed.

Shi Yan, who was undergoing hard training on the sand, suddenly felt the extension of his spiritual power brush against a hard object. His face lit up with joy, and he stood up quickly, shouting toward Xia Xinyan, "A ship!"

On the other side of the isle, Xia Xinyan rushed over quickly, following Shi Yan’s gaze toward the east. Within a quarter of an hour, a massive iron ship slowly came into view. Its pennants flapped in the sea breeze, presenting an imposing sight.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

Shi Yan let out a tremendous yell, his screech piercing the firmament like a banshee’s wail.

Xia Xinyan winced, covering her ears, muttering a curse under her breath, and glared fiercely at him.

As if hearing their desperate call, the massive iron ship slowly altered its course and moved toward them. Shi Yan waved his hands and continued his frantic shouting.

"Huh?" He suddenly exclaimed, a hint of something ambiguous crossing his face, followed by a suggestive chuckle. "Xinyan, that ship is quite interesting."

Hanging from the giant iron vessel were numerous pennants, each embroidered with vivid depictions of sexual positions—the old man pushing a cart stance, the Guanyin sitting on a lotus stance, the flower-in-the-hair-from-behind stance—the variety was endless. As they fluttered in the sea breeze, the lifelike men and women on the banners seemed almost alive, diligently engaged in their acts.

Xia Xinyan’s cheeks flushed red, then she seemed to realize something and gasped, "People from the Yin Yang Grotto-Heaven!"

With that, Xia Xinyan hurriedly reached for the emerald ring on her hand, retrieved a packet of powder, and hastily smeared it across her face. In just a few short minutes, Xia Xinyan seemed to transform into an entirely different person. Her face, capable of causing the downfall of cities, vanished, replaced by a dark, sallow complexion riddled with pockmarks, turning her into a slightly ugly young girl.

"What are you doing?" Shi Yan asked, astonished.

"The people of the Yin Yang Grotto-Heaven are extremely unrestrained regarding relations between the sexes; they are the most peculiar force in the Endless Sea. Disciples of the Yin Yang Grotto-Heaven cultivate through the absorption of vital energy from sexual unions. Good-looking men and women are targets for their disciples. My power hasn't recovered yet; if I reveal my true face, I might fall into the tiger's jaws," Xia Xinyan said faintly after securing her transformation, visibly relaxing a little.

"Ah!" Shi Yan exclaimed, his face contorting into a grimace. "Then I, a man of unparalleled temperament and extraordinary presence, am in danger of suffering misfortune?"

"Well, male disciples of the Yin Yang Grotto-Heaven also appreciate the company of handsome men," Xia Xinyan replied coolly, a hint of hidden satisfaction in her tone.

"They appreciate the company of men too?" Now, Shi Yan’s expression truly changed color.

... ps: Calling for Monthly Tickets, summoning them fiercely and hard! V