Ripples of an ethereal white light spread out from the glacier, the cold so intense it felt like it pierced the very marrow of the bone.

Within a thousand meters of the ice, martial artists from the Four Great Factions were abruptly awakened from their meditations. Their expressions were solemn, weighty as they stared at the anomaly of the glacier.

Under the signal of their faction leaders, several martial artists of slightly lower cultivation and inferior strength immediately retreated, scrambling towards the periphery of the ice field.

Those remaining near the glacier were either masters of profound realms or possessed extraordinary treasures; all focused their entire attention on the glacier.

Further away, many scattered martial artists, lingering in hopes of uncovering the glacier's secrets, also sensed the disturbance.

These individuals looked towards the ice with excitement, but as the cold intensified, many whose cultivation was not deep enough gradually found themselves unable to resist the encroaching chill, quietly falling back toward the outer edges.

At some unknown point, Xia Xinyan reappeared, silently taking a position three meters from Shi Yan.

A strange azure glow flickered around Xia Xinyan’s graceful form, a faint luminescence spreading like a thin shield, enveloping her delicate body.

The drifting cold air collided with this azure barrier, erupting in dazzling streaks of cyan and white light. Xia Xinyan frowned slightly, gazing at Shi Yan, who remained lost in strenuous meditation.

In the distance.

The masters of the Four Great Factions simultaneously rose to their feet, watching the glacier with puzzled expressions.

No one had provoked an attack, nor had anyone made a move, yet the glacier was venting its icy aura.

Was this a counterattack?

"Swish! Swish!" Suddenly, streaks of crystalline ice-light shot forth violently from within the glacier, like ten thousand arrows loosed at once, scattering in all directions.

The ice-light carried a biting cold, several times more frigid than the ambient waves rippling outward!

The martial artists of the Four Great Factions changed color instantly and moved to defend against the incoming shards.

Those slower to flee, upon being struck by the ice-light, were instantly frozen into statues, their bodies encased in massive blocks of crystal ice.

Xia Xinyan recoiled in horror.

Her slender, pale hands fluttered, weaving intricate, strange seals. Droplets of azure light converged, forming blooming azure lotuses.

Whenever an ice-light projectile flew towards Shi Yan, Xia Xinyan would release a blue lotus to intercept and scatter the attack.

Shi Yan’s eyes remained tightly shut, still deep within his rigorous cultivation.

Inside his body, the swirling negative energy felt like a sharp blade, savagely piercing his very blood.

His blood boiled, and Shi Yan’s frame trembled lightly. Gritting his teeth, his expression grew sinister and fierce, enveloped by an aura of profound negativity.

This state—cultivating the Second Heaven of Rampage while simultaneously purifying the negative power within his acupoints—was a profound technique he had recently realized, and this was his first attempt today.

Previously, aboard the iron ship in the Yin-Yang Grotto, Shi Yan had repeatedly tried to practice the Second Heaven of Rampage, attempting to integrate the negative force directly into his bloodstream.

He had tried dozens of times, each attempt ending in failure.

Only once, just as he neared the brink of losing control, when his inner negative emotions were fully triggered, did he perceive a sign of fusion between the negative power and his blood.

Afterward, Shi Yan mulled over that incident for a long time, eventually reaching a conclusion: the fusion could only proceed when the negative power was on the verge of turning against him, in a state of clouded awareness.

Thereafter, Shi Yan tried cultivating while conscious, and each time, he failed.

This only solidified his judgment, leading to the reckless decision to cultivate immediately after absorbing the negative power, even knowing he might lose his sanity.

All seven hundred and twenty of his acupoints spun frantically. Strands of negative emotion surged into his mind, plunging him into a state of murderous frenzy.

In his mind’s eye, the concept of fusing the negative power with his blood was deeply etched into his very soul.

Even at this moment, he clung resolutely to the intent to cultivate, discarding all other thoughts, leaving only the pure consciousness of merging the negative force with his blood.

His blood surged, the pain sinking into his bones.

Shi Yan ground his teeth, his expression ferocious, gradually letting out low roars. The blood within him surged like a dragon emerging from a deep abyss, wild and tyrannical, wrestling with the negative power, yet struggling to truly blend.

The cold ripples quietly began to envelop Shi Yan.

Thin wisps of frigid air infiltrated his body without him noticing, rooting themselves within his meridians, bones, and flesh.

Shi Yan, his consciousness significantly dulled, had no capacity to deploy his vital essence (Jingyuan) to resist the invading cold. The only relatively clear thought remaining in his mind was to continue his attempt to fuse the negative power with his blood.

His body shook violently.

Strands of cold air drew nearer, slowly gathering into Shi Yan’s body. These wisps of cold seemed drawn by an unseen force, accumulating in greater numbers, merging into the negative crystals forming on his skin. Shi Yan was nearly transformed into an ice sculpture, chunks of hard ice coating his frame.

A flicker of anxiety crossed Xia Xinyan’s beautiful eyes as she stared fixedly at Shi Yan, debating whether to intervene and help him dispel the chill.

The layers of ice on Shi Yan were rapidly increasing. The surrounding cold air seemed to have found an outlet, surging towards him from all directions, causing the temperature in that immediate vicinity to plummet.

Even Xia Xinyan, who had attained the Realm of Status (Dizhi Jingjie), felt the circulation of her vital essence slow down, strained by the influence of the cold, nearing her limit.

Shi Yan remained utterly still.

More cold gathered. The ripples emanating from the glacier seemed to have discovered something intriguing; they poured in from every side, burrowing into Shi Yan’s body.

"Crack, crack, crack!" As Shi Yan’s body shuddered, the ice formations on him knocked against each other, producing clear, crisp sounds.

Xia Xinyan’s expression shifted. She sensed an extremely dense cold emanating from Shi Yan, a chill almost rivaling the Extreme Cold Ice Flame Martial Soul that Bei Ming Shang had once wielded.

Xia Xinyan dared not hesitate any longer and moved to help Shi Yan drive away the cold.

Just then!

The acupoints on Shi Yan’s body suddenly flashed brightly.

All seven hundred and twenty acupoints simultaneously emitted a beam of light!

In that instant, Shi Yan’s body resembled the boundless starry sky, the illuminated acupoints like brilliant, glittering constellations.

Xia Xinyan stared, dumbfounded.

The next moment, seven hundred and twenty strands of strange aura suddenly flooded into Shi Yan’s entire being.

Those peculiar auras converged with the negative energy already on Shi Yan. Guided by the negative force, they all surged into his blood vessels, merging with his blood.

"Awoo!" Shi Yan roared, curling painfully onto the ground, his face contorted, enduring some unimaginable agony.

Xia Xinyan’s gaze flickered with uncertainty, a pang of heartache striking her chest. She was unsure how to proceed.

"Shi Yan, Shi Yan…" She bent down, softly calling out, "What can I do to help you? Say something!" Xia Xinyan was overcome with anxiety.

"Don't mind me, I, I'm fine!" Shi Yan gritted his teeth, eyes tightly shut, body curled on the ground, trembling slightly.

The ice encasing his body rapidly melted, and the chilling aura surrounding him gradually dissipated. His limbs began to regain their normal function.

Xia Xinyan, unaware of what had just transpired, became even more cautious upon hearing his reply. She watched him, poised, ready to defend.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" In the distance, the members of the Four Great Factions resumed their frenzied bombardment of the glacier.

On the glacier’s surface, myriad mysterious symbols flared with renewed light, reforming potent barriers to withstand the onslaught of the faction masters.

Shi Yan roared for half an hour until his voice was hoarse, seemingly exhausted of all strength to cry out. He lay curled on the ground, occasionally shuddering.

"Shi Yan, what… what cultivation technique are you using? I've never seen anyone suffer such excruciating pain while cultivating! Shi Yan, stop cultivating! Whatever technique it is, stop now! You can choose another path, I can provide…" Xia Xinyan crouched beside him, murmuring softly. For some reason, seeing Shi Yan in such an agonizing state sparked an unexpected wave of sorrow within her.

Shi Yan offered no reply, seemingly having fallen unconscious.

Xia Xinyan kept vigil, watching him cautiously. She sent forth streams of azure light, pulling up clumps of earth and mud—now shaking violently—to cushion Shi Yan beneath him, preventing him from tumbling into the lava-filled ravines.

Dawn approached.

As the first ray of sunlight touched the earth, the glacier returned to silence, its restless ripples ceasing.

The members of the Four Great Factions were slick with sweat and clearly weary, yet their eyes betrayed an irrepressible excitement as they huddled near the glacier, exchanging hushed words.

The strange symbols on the glacier were growing dimmer.

In their estimation, it would not be long before the restrictive power of those symbols was completely exhausted by their relentless assault.

The thought of the glacier’s secrets being exposed filled them with elation; their arduous efforts over the past few days felt validated.

Shi Yan slowly awoke. His expression was fatigued, his complexion pale, but his eyes shone with intense excitement.

—He had confirmed his hypothesis was viable!

When purifying the negative energy through his acupoints, vast amounts of negative essence would flood his mind, plunging him into that bizarre, frenzied state of losing control!

In that alternate state, his reason was destroyed, governed solely by infinitely amplified negative emotions, compelling him to perform actions of madness.

It was only then, while attempting to integrate the negative power into his blood, that the process became possible.

During the night, at the moment of his final frenzy, the peculiar energy leaking from his acupoints had not flowed into his Martial Soul or his essence-light cluster; instead, all that strange power was directed into his bloodstream when the negative force impacted his blood.

The blood, infused with that strange power, immediately merged with the negative energy!

The peculiar energy overflowing from the acupoints seemed to have fundamentally altered his blood’s nature, allowing the blood to accept the negative power, enabling true compatibility!

His face pale, Shi Yan struggled to sit up. He took a deep breath and tentatively tried to circulate a strand of the negative energy within him, attempting to integrate it into his blood.

It flowed like water into the ocean, without the slightest impediment; the negative power immediately fused with his blood!

His blood instantly boiled, as if ignited!

At that moment, he perceived his internal strength gradually surging. As more negative power was injected, his entire being grew rapidly stronger!

A profoundly bloodthirsty, tyrannical, and malevolent energy, laced with intense cold, gradually began to diffuse from Shi Yan’s body.

Shi Yan was taken aback, immediately realizing that the negative power fused with his blood was bone-chillingly cold, yet his body remained unaffected, as if it had already adapted to the icy essence!