"The Corpse God Sect and the Yin-Yang Grotto Heaven are closely connected; both are martial powers in the Tutaha Sea region. Every single disciple of the Corpse God Sect knows how to control corpses and is skilled in refining them. Their martial techniques are also mostly related to corpse control," Xia Xinyan frowned, her eyes filled with disgust. "The more refined the cultivation of a disciple from this sect, the more corpses they can control. A corpse at the Hundred Calamity Realm, after being refined by the Corpse God Sect, can be even more terrifying than when it was alive!"

"Are all these corpses the Corpse Slaves of the Corpse God Sect?"

"Yes, these are unrefined Corpse Slaves, merely preserved from decay using the simplest methods. But once refined by the Corpse God Sect, these corpses become incredibly fearsome. Some corpses, after hundreds or thousands of years of refinement, possess astonishing power, being impervious to blades and spears, and can even wield the power of the Five Elements. They become divine weapons in the hands of the Corpse God Sect disciples." Shi Yan’s heart jolted, his expression growing increasingly grim.

"This Yin-Yang Grotto Heaven, while collecting medicinal ingredients, has also been gathering these corpses. This time, the Yin-Yang Grotto Heaven likely intends to send these corpses to the Burial Grounds of the Corpse God Sect. It seems we will have to pass through the Burial Grounds of the Corpse God Sect. This journey has gained some new variables." "Burial Grounds?"

"The Burial Grounds are where the Corpse God Sect refines corpses. In the Endless Sea, the Corpse God Sect has hundreds of Burial Grounds, each holding numerous Corpse Slaves. When disciples of the Corpse God Sect engage in combat outside, if their corpses are destroyed, they return to the Burial Grounds to select new ones to replenish their combat strength. Some core disciples can even acquire extremely formidable Corpse Slaves. Corpses refined for over a hundred years in the Burial Grounds possess ferocious combat prowess!"

"How many Corpse Slaves can a disciple of the Corpse God Sect control?"

"It depends on their realm and cultivation, and also the rank of the Corpse Slave. Corpses refined for under a hundred years are called Human Corpses by the Corpse God Sect. Corpses over a hundred years are called Earth Corpses. Corpses a thousand years old are called Heavenly Corpses, and those ten thousand years old are called Corpse Kings! Human Corpses are relatively common, only capable of exerting thirty percent of the corpse’s strength in life. A hundred-year Earth Corpse can exert a full hundred percent of the corpse’s original strength! A thousand-year Heavenly Corpse can exert one hundred and twenty percent of the corpse’s strength in life! The ten-thousand-year Corpse King is the most terrifying; it is rumored they can exert double the strength of the corpse in life and even master the power of the Five Elements! A Corpse King that understands the Five Elements is equivalent to possessing five Martial Souls!"

"Human Corpses, Earth Corpses, Heavenly Corpses, Corpse Kings!" Shi Yan’s expression shifted drastically. "How many Corpse Kings are there in the Corpse God Sect?"

"Unknown. Rumor has it there are only one or two. Both of those Corpse Kings were Heavenly Rank powerhouses in life. I heard that the Sect Master of the Corpse God Sect once battled a Divine Realm expert, and by utilizing just that single Corpse King, made the Divine Realm expert suffer immensely. That Corpse King, refined from the corpse of a Heavenly Rank expert, possessed combat strength comparable to a Divine Realm expert! Utterly terrifying!"

"Incredible!" Shi Yan looked aghast.

"Indeed, extremely formidable," Xia Xinyan’s expression was grave. "The Corpse God Sect's ability to stand as one of the fifteen major powers in the Endless Sea owes much to its Corpse Slaves. When a Corpse God Sect disciple fights alongside their Corpse Slaves, it is tantamount to having several extra lives. During combat, they only need to hide to the side and control the slaves; they can wear down opponents to death using only the Corpse Slaves." "...The Burial Grounds. I hope the Yin-Yang Grotto Heaven's vessel doesn't choose to stop at a Burial Ground. It’s best not to venture into such a gloomy place," Shi Yan managed a wry smile.

"It’s beyond our control," Xia Xinyan sighed faintly. "Let's stay alert. If we spot any other vessels in the next few days, we must leave immediately. I don't want to spend another moment in this ghastly place."

"I have resealed the box," Shi Yan nodded, once again employing the Finger Gun Art to press the extracted steel nails back into place.

A short while later, Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan were seated again in the small room.

Both of their faces were unsettled upon learning the floor was filled with corpses. Xia Xinyan, in particular, felt profoundly uneasy, taking a long time before her breathing evened out and she managed to settle into a state of cultivation meditation.

Shi Yan frowned, taking a deep breath, and once again closed his eyes to focus on his rigorous training.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, Shi Yan continued moving pots of flowers onto the deck. Xia Xinyan remained with him, unwilling to stay alone on the lower level.

On deck, Li Wei and the other disciples of the Yin-Yang Grotto Heaven watched them with venomous eyes and cold smiles playing on their lips, their thoughts unknown.

Shi Yan pretended not to notice, busying himself, while secretly remaining on guard.

Unexpectedly, Li Wei and his group did not approach to provoke them; they merely watched coldly from a distance, as if they already had some countermeasure in mind.

Shi Yan remained silent, cautiously observing Li Wei’s group, gazing out across the deck, searching for an opportunity to depart.

Before sunset, he moved the flower pots back to the lower level. Xiao Feng arrived punctually, presenting the food and fresh water allotted to them.

"Stubborn!" After setting the supplies down, Xiao Feng muttered under her breath, departing with a displeased expression.

This time, the food was not lavish—only salted fish and steamed buns, and the fresh water was just enough for daily consumption.

Shi Yan had expected this outcome and paid it no mind, ignoring Xiao Feng.

Time slipped by, marked by sunrises and sunsets.

Every morning, Shi Yan rose to carry the flower pots onto the deck, then assisted Xia Xinyan in cleaning up the spoils.

Before dusk, he returned the flower pots to their original spots, collected the salted fish and steamed buns, and in the evenings, discussed matters concerning the Endless Sea with Xia Xinyan before closing his eyes for rigorous cultivation.

In a blink, a month passed.

Xia Xinyan’s strength had recovered considerably. The vital essence within her body was now as robust as that of a Human Rank martial artist. Although she could not yet utilize the Samsara Martial Soul, she was no longer completely defenseless.

Shi Yan had not been idle either.

During this past month, although he hadn't practiced the second stage of the Berserk technique, he had been deeply studying the possibility of cultivating the second stage, searching for a method to integrate negative energy into his blood, and had begun to gain some insights.

However, he refrained from cultivating on the ship. Practicing the Berserk martial skills required stimulating negative energy, which always left his body injured afterward.

The ship contained numerous unpredictable dangers. Although Li Wei had not made a move, Shi Yan dared not relax, maintaining his state at the peak, always prepared to shatter the hull and flee at any moment.

Deep in the night.

Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan were resting their minds in the cramped private room.

Suddenly, the iron ship slowed down, showing signs of coming to a halt.

Shi Yan's eyes snapped open abruptly. "It seems we've arrived somewhere. We need to be careful," he declared. Xia Xinyan’s long eyelashes fluttered as her bright eyes opened, her tone calm. "Use your Profound Yin Art to sense the vicinity. Check if there is any dense Yin Qi nearby. Remember, do not activate the Profound Yin Art completely, lest you cause a major disturbance. If we draw attention, we will surely die!" "En," Shi Yan nodded.

During this time, Shi Yan had learned many secrets of the Endless Sea from Xia Xinyan, as well as the peculiarity of the Profound Yin Art.

The Profound Yin Art was a specialized martial skill for nurturing the Silver Moon Martial Soul and Star Martial Soul of the Three Gods Sect. Like the Profound Yang Art, it was one of the secret divine abilities of the Three Gods Sect. The Profound Yang Art and Profound Yin Art possessed similar fundamental principles; the former required collecting intense Yang Qi for cultivation to nourish the Blazing Sun Martial Soul.

Both the Profound Yin Art and the Profound Yang Art were highly prized within the Three Gods Sect; even ordinary core disciples were not qualified to study them. Only the Three Gods, Elders, and Divine Sons of the Three Gods Sect were qualified to grasp the mysteries of these arts. It was said that with the aid of the Profound Yin Art and Profound Yang Art, the three types of Martial Souls in the Three Gods Sect could gain varying degrees of amplification.

Although the Profound Yin Art was merely a Mortal-rank martial skill, if it absorbed enough heaven and earth Yin Qi, it could reach the intensity of a Profound-rank or Spirit-rank martial skill! If one used the Profound Yin Art to absorb infinite heaven and earth Yin Qi, it could even attain the height of a Saint-rank martial skill!

According to Xia Xinyan, the Profound Yin Art was one of the few martial skills capable of evolution, possessing unlimited potential.

Of course, the prerequisite was having sufficient heaven and earth Yin Qi to absorb, a condition that seemed simple but was exceedingly harsh. Heaven and earth Yin Qi was not available everywhere. In the Endless Sea, any location rich in Yin Qi had long been completely plundered by the people of the Three Gods Sect, making the evolution of the Profound Yin Art extremely difficult despite its perceived power.

The Burial Grounds of the Corpse God Sect were peculiar regions where Death Qi and Corpse Qi intermingled. Within this mixture, a trace of Yin Qi often lingered, originating from the depths of the earth, seeping out from the Corpse Slaves. Though rare, it was enough for Shi Yan to detect.

Xia Xinyan had asked him to run the Profound Yin Art to check, precisely to determine if the location where the iron ship had anchored was a Burial Ground of the Corpse God Sect.

"There is Yin Qi!" Shi Yan’s face changed. "The Yin Qi is separated into wisps, spread throughout every corner of the island. It's certain that the place the vessel has docked is a Burial Ground of the Corpse God Sect. Just what we feared, damn it!" "Let's observe the situation quietly. If we truly encounter danger, we'll jump into the sea and escape," Xia Xinyan sighed softly. "I just hope there are no Heavenly Rank experts from the Corpse God Sect in that Burial Ground, and hopefully no Water Corpses either, otherwise, we won't even have a chance to escape." Water Corpses were Corpse Slaves refined by the Corpse God Sect using a special method. They were submerged in the seabed, gathering Corpse Qi through undersea vortexes. After countless refinements, Water Corpses could swim like fish in the depths. Although they could not manipulate water flow as freely as Corpse Kings, they were quite unique.

However, this type of Corpse Slave possessed a fatal weakness: while Water Corpses were formidable underwater, their power diminished significantly upon contact with fire. Because such specialized slaves had such an obvious vulnerability, the Corpse God Sect did not spend excessive effort refining them. Only a small portion of these specialized slaves were created, typically used by the Corpse God Sect for mining rare resources or collecting medicinal ingredients in specific areas.

"Poison!" The sound of an iron anchor dropping into the water suddenly echoed from outside.

Soon after, Xiao Feng appeared at the stairwell entrance, her expression cold. "You two can come down now. We have reached our destination." In Xiao Feng's indifferent gaze, there was a flicker of pity.

Xia Xinyan, possessing exquisite perception, merely glanced at Xiao Feng, and her heart sank to the bottom, sensing something was amiss.

"Heh heh, you two, come out and broaden your horizons," Li Wei also poked his head out from the stairwell entrance, sneering. "The Burial Grounds are quite famous in the Endless Sea, but ordinary people never get the chance to step foot there. You're lucky enough to witness the Burial Grounds of the Corpse God Sect. Heh heh!"