If it were only the people from the Heavenly Pool Sacred Land, Xia Xinyan wouldn't be much of a threat once she activated her Samsara Martial Soul.

However, with the arrival of the three factions—the Spirit Treasure Grotto-Heaven, the Gu family, and the Dongfang family—even with her Samsara Martial Soul deployed, Xia Xinyan might not fare well.

The Sea Region of Guluo, where the Yang and Xia families resided, was not on friendly terms with the Black Water Sea Region of the Heavenly Pool Sacred Land and the Spirit Treasure Grotto-Heaven, nor the Yuanluo Sea Region where the Gu and Dongfang families were located. It would have been safer if their identities remained concealed, but if exposed, especially without powerful allies nearby, their chances of survival plummeted.

As Chen Duo and Dongfang He landed, Shi Yan knew they were being cornered into compliance.

Indeed.

"Negotiate?" Dongfang He was the first to lose patience, sneering and shouting, "You two, if you don't want to die, immediately go and check the situation. Otherwise, we'll take your lives right now! Well, we won't kill the woman immediately, but we'll make your life a living hell. Do you understand what I mean?"

Dongfang He stared coldly at Shi Yan and the other, his eyes lingering specifically on Xia Xinyan, a flicker of lust crossing his gaze.

Shi Yan’s face was grim; he loathed the old man to the core, especially seeing his gaze fixated on Xia Xinyan's exquisite figure, making Shi Yan wish he could grind the man to dust.

Gu Jiangge remained silent, shaking his head with a sigh, his expression laced with helplessness, yet a hidden, wicked glint danced in his eyes as he covertly swept over Xia Xinyan.

"Stop wasting time," Chen Duo frowned and stated gravely, "I'll count to three. After three, the man dies, and for the woman... it will be difficult even to die!"

"Let's go," Xia Xinyan murmured, pulling at Shi Yan's sleeve, dragging him towards the area where the glacier first manifested.

Shi Yan kept his expression dark and spoke no word, lowering his head to follow her toward the ice formation.

Dongfang He and the others fixed their malicious gazes on the pair’s retreating backs, their eyes sharp, cold smiles playing on their lips. Should Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan show even the slightest resistance, these people would attack without hesitation, killing them instantly.

The four great factions had suffered heavy losses, particularly the Spirit Treasure Grotto-Heaven and the Dongfang family; many martial artists had frozen to death. On the outer ships, experts from both families were torn to shreds by the Profound Ice Beasts before they could even react.

At this moment, suppressed fury churned within these few individuals. If Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan hadn't still held some utility, Dongfang He might have eliminated them on the spot.

The closer they approached the glacier, the more biting the cold became, piercing bone marrow.

The section of the glacier previously visible had vanished.

In its place, a massive cavern had appeared, emitting an eerie chill, with tendrils of frosty white mist swirling within.

Faint crystalline light could be glimpsed deep inside.

"Crack! Crack!"

Xia Xinyan ground her teeth audibly; frost began to appear in her hair. With every movement, she continuously urged the vital essence within her body to resist the frigid air emanating from the cavern.

In contrast, Shi Yan appeared largely unaffected. Being only at the Hundred Tribulations Realm, his internal essence circulation meant he didn't feel overly stiff.

"You... you seem to be able to adapt to this cold air?" Xia Xinyan gritted out, glancing at Shi Yan, her beautiful eyes wide with surprise.

"When I was cultivating earlier, I accidentally absorbed a portion of the cold energy, and it merged with my body. Here, I truly don't feel excessively cold." Shi Yan nodded.

Xia Xinyan was stunned, her expression complex. "Your body absorbed the cold energy, how can you still move so freely? You should be stiff, frozen into an ice sculpture like everyone else."

"I'm not sure either," Shi Yan hesitated slightly. "The cultivation technique I practice is rather peculiar. Although it involves immense pain and danger, it indeed possesses many mysterious aspects. This is why I find it so hard to abandon."

Xia Xinyan nodded gently, sighing inwardly, saying no more.

"Sooner or later, I will make them pay in blood!" Shi Yan bared his teeth, his tone grim.

"Survive this ordeal, and there will be chances to deal with them. Patience now prevents ruin later. Be careful. Once we reach the mouth of the cavern, I will immediately activate the Samsara Martial Soul and fly us away from here. As long as we maintain a certain distance, I should be able to get you out without issue," Xia Xinyan cautioned.

"Mmm," Shi Yan nodded, glancing back at Chen Shi, Dongfang He, and the others two thousand meters away, his eyes sharp and cold.

At a distance of two thousand meters, as long as Xia Xinyan suddenly unleashed her Samsara Martial Soul, those people surely wouldn't react in time. This was also why Xia Xinyan hadn't acted immediately but chose to venture here despite the risk.

The mouth of the cavern spewed chilling air, shrouded in white mist.

Even tens of meters away, Xia Xinyan was already shivering, her teeth clacking loudly, yet Shi Yan seemed completely unaffected.

"I'll go take a look—just one look—then I'll come back," Shi Yan stood beside the cavern, staring into the opening, and suddenly spoke.

For some unknown reason, the closer Shi Yan got to the cavern, the more comfortable he felt.

To others, the chilling air that pierced bone marrow made him feel no discomfort; instead, his body felt a cool, pleasing sensation.

Especially the cold air surging from inside the cavern, which cleared his mind, and his body was not significantly impacted.

The frigid air spilling from the cavern slowly drifted outwards. Some of the mist floated over to Shi Yan’s position. While his blood felt ice-cold, he experienced a strange sense of comfort, as if the blood within his body deeply cherished this coldness.

Shi Yan was astonished. After a moment of hesitation, he tentatively activated the second level of his Berserk state, channeling threads of negative power within his body into his blood.

Unexpectedly, a massive surge of cold air suddenly erupted from the cavern. These frigid currents appeared without warning, seemingly drawn to Shi Yan, rushing out from the cave mouth and engulfing him.

"Shi Yan!" Xia Xinyan cried out, panic flashing in her eyes. "The cold is too intense; I can barely stand it!"

"I'll move closer, and you move back some," Shi Yan said without hesitation, suddenly stepping toward the cavern.

With every step he took, the cold surrounding him intensified, and the chill from the cavern rushed toward him even faster.

Xia Xinyan watched, dumbfounded.

The cold air ahead was so dense that even she, a Zenith martial artist, could not endure it, yet Shi Yan remained unharmed, seemingly drawing the cold energy in. This left her at a loss, unsure whether she should urge Shi Yan to retreat immediately.

"Wait for me a moment," Shi Yan advanced step by step toward the cavern, his expression growing increasingly solemn. He said gravely, "Move further away from me—do not come near me!"

Vast amounts of cold air poured out of the cavern like rolling smoke, relentlessly injecting themselves into Shi Yan's body.

Concurrently, brilliant streaks of light suddenly erupted from within the cavern, and an extremely bizarre life aura violently enveloped the area from the opening.

Xia Xinyan shrieked in terror, "Shi Yan, retreat quickly! The Profound Ice Cold Flame is showing signs of activity! Leave now!"

Far off, Lian Yi’s expression changed abruptly. He shot into the air, looking in astonishment at Shi Yan, who was steadily walking toward the cavern.

The old coot from the Dongfang family also ascended, looking down from a high vantage point at Dongfang He, Gu Jiangge, and the others below. "That kid is walking toward the cavern. A massive amount of cold air is overflowing from the cave, yet that kid is completely fine—his body seems to be absorbing the cold energy."

"Absorbing the cold energy!" Dongfang He exclaimed in disbelief. "Are you sure you're not mistaken? The cold released by the Profound Ice Cold Flame is bone-chilling; even I can barely withstand it. That kid should have been instantly frozen into an ice sculpture. How can he be moving?"

"His body is indeed absorbing the cold energy!" Chen Duo took a deep breath, his face unnervingly strange. "This phenomenon... this phenomenon..."

"What is it?" Gu Jiangge, Qu Yanqing, and the others stared at him, urging him on.

"The Profound Ice Cold Flame has chosen him as a vessel; it should be trying to possess his body," Chen Shi’s expression shifted rapidly. "The Profound Ice Cold Flame is only a flame form; though it possesses a consciousness, it lacks a physical body. Unembodied Heavenly Fires are easy to control, seal, or suppress. But once a Heavenly Fire obtains a suitable vessel and its consciousness possesses the vessel's soul, it becomes like a martial artist—capable of unleashing many divine abilities and initiating soul attacks!"

"How could that person possibly become a target for possession?" Zhai Yanqing cried out. "Shouldn't only those possessing the Profound Ice Body Martial Soul be considered candidates for possession by the Profound Ice Cold Flame? Ordinary people can't withstand the cold energy from the flame; they would freeze to death upon contact, making possession impossible!"

"I don't know," Chen Duo shook his head. "Once the Profound Ice Cold Flame successfully possesses a body, gaining substance, even a Boundless Sea Divine Realm martial artist might not be able to subdue it. If that happens, not only will we have labored in vain, but none of us will escape this place! We must kill him!"

Dongfang He immediately grasped the implication of Chen Duo's words. "Let's move! Since the Profound Ice Cold Flame has chosen him as its host, it must know he can withstand the cold. You just said the kid's body can absorb the cold energy—that must be true!"

"Yes, we must kill him immediately!" Chen Duo nodded, and the small silver hammer concealed in his cuff flew out, slamming toward Shi Yan at the cavern mouth amidst rolling wind and thunder.

Almost without hesitation, Dongfang He and his group unleashed their powers.

Gu Liege ceased his pretense of virtue, letting out a light shout as the Dragon Slaying Sword flew from his neck, manifesting into a Fire Glazed Demon Beast that transformed into a hundred-meter-long fire dragon, snapping and clawing toward Shi Yan.

"Shi Yan! Come back quickly!" Xia Xinyan suddenly screamed, her voice bordering on tears. "Come back! I remember now! You are not afraid of the cold because you are a suitable vessel for possession! The Profound Ice Cold Flame is preparing to possess you!!"

Shi Yan, who had been savoring the infusion of cold energy, finally sensed grave danger upon hearing Xia Xinyan's piercing scream.

He was about to retreat when he suddenly felt the surging cold energy within his body flare up. A massive consciousness from inside the cavern surged out like a predator, and intense cold energy coiled around him like a net.

That consciousness was profoundly cold and evil. The moment it appeared, it rushed straight toward his mind, intending from the outset to seize his soul.

In the distance, the continuous assaults from the four great factions rained down upon them.

Shi Yan's mind throbbed with excruciating pain. Clutching his head, he roared, his eyes red, bellowing, "You go first! Don't mind me!" With that, Shi Yan mustered the last of his strength and violently fell backward, his body plummeting straight toward the bottomless cavern.

The moment Shi Yan's body entered the cavern, the cold air at the opening rapidly converged, solidifying into thick, hard ice with lightning speed. This ice barrier stood like a massive gate across the cavern entrance, sealing it completely shut.

"No!" Xia Xinyan screamed.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The various attacks from the four factions hammered relentlessly against the ice seal, but they could not shatter the cavern entrance.

Chen Duo and his group rushed over from a distance, their faces icy.

Xia Xinyan gritted her teeth, hatred burning in her eyes, and abruptly activated her Samsara Martial Soul, soaring into the sky.

Xia Xinyan’s figure rapidly flew out of Menluo Island, but her voice, thick with malice, echoed from afar: "You have killed him! Now you wait for the revenge from the Yang and Xia families!"

PS: Uh, two updates today; explosive chapters starting tomorrow!