Within his body, tendrils of essence were quietly refining and circulating, one cycle after another, secretly gathering more vital energy in a desperate attempt to recover sooner.

The moonlight poured down like water, spilling across the deck; it was already deep into the night.

On the deck, Linda and her group of eleven surveyed their surroundings with cautious vigilance, daring not to relax for even a moment.

Behind the vessel, scores of Azure-Scaled Beasts patrolled the sea surface—there must have been dozens of them.

Dozens of Azure-Scaled Beasts had not given up, maintaining a distant pursuit, and both Linda and Kamon had a creeping sense that something was amiss, preventing them from easing their guard.

The eleven martial artists aboard were spread out in several directions across the deck, constantly alert, frequently scanning the distant horizon and the water below, terrified that a fourth-tier Azure-Scaled Beast might attack from beneath the planks.

The small boat had already left the TianSu Archipelago, and there were no islands nearby where they could land. If the boat were to be shredded now, the entire group would surely drown.

Therefore, they absolutely could not allow the vessel to be destroyed and remained vigilant at all times.

Linda had tried probing Shi Yan repeatedly, and after failing to elicit a satisfactory answer from him, she seemed to have given up hope. Her attitude had grown significantly cooler, and she stopped bothering him, focusing entirely on guarding their surroundings.

Kamong and his friends, although intensely displeased with Shi Yan, had no patience to stir up trouble with him at such a critical juncture.

Shi Yan was more than happy to enjoy the peace, seizing every second to relentlessly restore his depleted essence.

Another cycle completed.

The essence within Shi Yan’s body had recovered by about a third of his capacity, roughly equivalent to the richness of essence held by a first-tier Human Realm martial artist. If Kamong dared to cause trouble now, with Shi Yan's second-tier Hundred Calamities state of mind and the mystery of his numerous martial skills, he could certainly teach Kamong a lesson.

However, against Linda, who was at the first-tier Hundred Calamities realm, it was still insufficient.

Shi Yan felt a growing urgency.

Judging by the collective behavior of the Azure-Scaled Beasts, their next assault might come soon. That next attack would inevitably involve fourth-tier beasts, which Linda and her group would genuinely struggle to handle. If the boat were truly destroyed, Shi Yan would hardly escape unscathed.

Although he hadn't promised anything to Linda, Shi Yan remained cautious, actively seeking a way to help them weather this crisis.

After much thought, Shi Yan could only devise a rather vicious plan.

Only if the martial artists on the boat were struck down by the Azure-Scaled Beasts, releasing negative power into his acupoints, could he activate his Berserk Power and construct a Magnetic Shock Field using different elemental forces.

Only then could he play a meaningful role by using the domain to restrain the fourth-tier Azure-Scaled Beasts.

He knew the power of the Magnetic Shock Field; once two energies of different attributes were condensed into a domain, even if it couldn't instantly kill a fourth-tier Azure-Scaled Beast, it should be capable of imprisoning one for a period.

As long as the formidable fourth-tier beasts were held in check, Linda and the others, given their cultivation realm, could handle the third-tier beasts one by one, batting them back into the sea and keeping the small boat intact.

Shi Yan squinted slightly, his gaze subtly wicked as he glanced toward Kamong's group, silently cursing them to sacrifice themselves soon. He thought: Only if you die quickly can I rapidly gather strength and buy others a chance to survive.

This thought sparked a restless anticipation within him.

After taking a deep breath and completing yet another cycle, Shi Yan quietly released his spiritual sense to probe the beast swarm behind him.

Threads of icy coldness continued to seep out from the Blood-Patterned Ring, flowing through Shi Yan’s body, surging into his viscera, bones, and flesh.

As he deployed his spiritual sense, currents of cold energy suddenly emanated from various regions of his body, slowly intertwining with his spiritual projection.

As his spiritual sense extended, Shi Yan’s mind became incredibly clear, as if he possessed an extra eye suspended in the heavens, granting him a perfect understanding of the beast swarm behind him.

Fifty-three Azure-Scaled Beasts: thirty second-tier, twenty third-tier, and three fourth-tier!

As the spiritual sense washed over them, the life forms of the beasts transmitted various signals directly into his mind, giving Shi Yan a concrete understanding of their numbers and strength.

Shi Yan’s heart constricted.

Three fourth-tier Azure-Scaled Beasts were equivalent to three martial artists in the Hundred Calamities realm. If they managed to bore through the boat, these beasts would become infinitely more terrifying in the open ocean. A single fourth-tier beast in the water could kill Linda in the Hundred Calamities realm, and more of them together could dispatch anyone who fell in.

Shi Yan dimly realized the gravity of the situation.

He intended to quietly retract the spiritual sense he had extended, but at that moment, Shi Yan discovered a marvelous phenomenon.

Wherever his spiritual sense passed, the Azure-Scaled Beasts in the water grew noticeably restless. Three of the fourth-tier beasts even warily surfaced, peering around the water’s surface as if they had detected something.

Shi Yan was briefly startled, pondered for a moment, and then his eyes suddenly lit up.

The spiritual sense he was about to recall suddenly condensed into a single, sharp thread under his absolute concentration, shooting toward a second-tier Azure-Scaled Beast.

All his spiritual energy gathered together, locking onto that single second-tier beast, and he lunged with brutal force.

The biting spiritual energy felt as though it pierced a cotton ball containing only simple hateful awareness. Under the impact of the icy spiritual force, the cotton ball seemed to crackle and split, and all traces of hatred vanished without a trace.

The body of one second-tier Azure-Scaled Beast slowly sank toward the seabed, ceasing its pursuit of the small boat with the rest of the swarm.

Brilliant, dazzling light flashed from Shi Yan’s eyes, filled with wild elation and excitement. He immediately tried again, condensing his spiritual sense into another straight beam, firing it at another second-tier Azure-Scaled Beast.

Again, this chilling spiritual energy acted like an ice arrow, shattering the cotton ball and obliterating the simple awareness of hatred within.

Another second-tier Azure-Scaled Beast sank toward the seabed, its life aura gradually fading away.

A smile of extreme delight broke across Shi Yan’s lips. Lying amidst a pile of debris, he once more condensed his spiritual sense into a beam and aggressively charged toward a third-tier Azure-Scaled Beast.

Under the impact of this frigid spiritual wave, the third-tier demonic beast swayed violently. Blood trickled from its maw, and its eyes flashed with confusion and terror. It thrashed violently in the water, seemingly aware that it had encountered extreme danger, rocking back and forth, trying to locate the source of the attack.

This time, Shi Yan’s spiritual energy struck a somewhat larger cotton ball and did not immediately cause it to fracture.

Consequently, the third-tier Azure-Scaled Beast did not sink to the bottom, but its soul suffered a grievous blow, leaving it thrashing about in bewildered agony.

Three waves of spiritual impact left Shi Yan slightly fatigued, forcing him to recall his extended spiritual sense with a mixture of surprise and delight.

Below the Nirvana Realm, spiritual sense was just that—purely for perception and probing—it possessed no capacity for substantive attack, unable to strike at the soul.

This fact had been carefully explained to him by both Xiao Hanyi and Xia Xinyan.

Only when a martial artist breaks through to the Nirvana Glory Realm does spiritual sense undergo a substantive transformation into Divine Sense.

Divine Sense is transformed from spiritual sense; it can be used not only for sensing and probing surrounding activity but, when condensed, can also form various soul attacks. As Divine Sense accumulates, it can form a Sea of Consciousness, into which the soul can sink for myriad uses.

Although Divine Sense originates from spiritual sense, its power far surpasses that of mere psychic projection.

Powerful martial artists can condense Divine Sense into visible beams of light that instantly pierce an opponent's soul, possessing the wicked power to slay another's spirit outright.

The most critical feature of the Nirvana Nest Realm, the Sea of Consciousness, is gradually formed by the accretion of Divine Sense.

Once the Sea of Consciousness is established, its uses are endless, even capable of enhancing the power of the Martial Soul and maximizing its destructive potential.

However, the function of standard spiritual sense is limited to sensing life fluctuations in the vicinity; it simply cannot form any kind of soul attack.

Yet, just now, Shi Yan had condensed his spiritual sense into a beam capable of soul attack, directly fracturing the souls of two second-tier Azure-Scaled Beasts and severely wounding the soul of a third-tier one!

This was clearly different from the norm.

Shi Yan’s mouth was curved into a smile, his eyes bright as he hid among the miscellaneous debris.

The abnormality of his spiritual sense was definitely linked to the Profound Ice Cold Flame within the Blood-Patterned Ring!

Shi Yan was certain.

He was sure that the reason his spiritual sense could launch soul attacks before it had transformed into Divine Sense must be due to the cold energy accompanying his spiritual projection!

That cold energy had permeated his entire body, and as his spiritual sense diffused outward, it became entangled with the psychic projection.

His spiritual attack might not have been able to cause a physical effect, having no influence on the soul itself. However, the accompanying chill possessed this terrifying capability—it could grievously injure a soul!

It explained why true experts of the Divine Realm experienced a transformation in their Sea of Consciousness after merging Heavenly Fire—it allowed them to be invincible within their own realm.

Shi Yan took a deep breath, finally grasping the core of the issue.

He hadn't fully merged the Profound Ice Cold Flame; his spiritual sense had merely been tinged by some of its coldness. His ordinary spiritual sense possessed an unparalleled cold power that could directly freeze and shatter the souls of the Azure-Scaled Beasts!

If he were to truly integrate the Profound Ice Cold Flame into his Sea of Consciousness, and his realm reached the Nirvana Realm, allowing his spiritual sense to evolve into Divine Sense—if he channeled the cold power of the Profound Ice Cold Flame through that Divine Sense—how terrifying would the resulting power be?

What martial artist of the same rank could withstand such a Divine Sense impact? Wouldn't they have their souls instantly exploded, suffering complete annihilation upon first contact?

Shi Yan grew more delighted the more he considered it, his eyes shining brighter, and the smile on his lips widening.

The Profound Ice Cold Flame had always been sealed within the Blood-Patterned Ring, its cold aura constantly seeping out quietly and entering his body.

Judging by this development, the cold energy derived from the Profound Ice Cold Flame within him would gradually increase, meaning the cold power he could attach to his spiritual projections in the future would grow stronger and stronger.

He had discovered an entirely new method of attack—an attack that could directly extinguish another person's soul!

P.S.: My hands are about to cramp, but I’m pushing for this fourth update… Please vote with your monthly tickets!!