The clouds above Yunxia Island churned violently, thick clusters of demonic vapor entirely obscuring the sun's light.

A palpable, chillingly evil soul, vast and terrible, extended from the void like the very hand of the firmament, seeming to grip the entirety of Yunxia Island in its palm.

Every martial artist on Yunxia Island who had achieved spiritual resonance could keenly feel the mountain-like pressure emanating from that terrifying soul.

Mo Duanhun shot heavenward, transforming into a streak of azure light, his murderous aura coalescing into a swirling vortex that ascended fiercely, as if intent on ripping the heavens apart to restore the clear sky.

At the Gu family's mine, Asura Blood Guards mounted on Azure-Blood Demonic Bats were ruthlessly slaughtering the remaining Gu family members within the compound.

Xia Xinyan and He Qingman, their bright eyes wide with surprise, both looked up. From the dense demonic clouds above, they sensed the overwhelming, pervasive evil spirit.

"Another Demon Lord under Demon Emperor Bodhi—Mo Qidun!"

Xia Xinyan's eyes flickered. Utilizing the profound insight granted by her Reincarnation Martial Spirit, she discerned the identity of the newcomer from the terrifying murderous intent latent within the surging demonic energy.

"Mo Qilei!" He Qingman cried out in alarm. "Mo Qishe was merely a Demon Lord; how dare he tear the spatial barrier to descend directly upon our plane? Even for a Demon Lord, forcing open the barrier is a grueling task, and they arrive weakened, suffering great backlash. Has he gone mad?"

"Who knows what he's thinking," Xia Xinyan shook her head. "Qingman, this time looks perilous; be careful. If things turn sour, we immediately take the Wind-Thunder Flying Lion and flee. Mo Qishe possesses Divine Realm cultivation; even crippled, dispatching us would be effortless."

He Qingman immediately nodded. "Indeed, the Gu family has truly gone mad to dare collude with demons."

"The Gu family is indeed insane. The Yang family harbors the deepest hatred for the powers of the Boundless Sea, yet they associate with people from the Demon Domain." Xia Xinyan sighed, shaking her head. "After this, the Gu family will face the Yang family's most ferocious retribution. I only hope Lord Mo can evade this catastrophe and not be trapped by Mo Qidun. Let's prepare to withdraw."

He Qingman's delicate brows furrowed as she urged Xia Xinyan. "Get onto the Wind-Thunder Flying Lion first, ready to leave Yunxia Island at any moment. Since the Gu family dared to do this, they likely intend to leave no survivors. We should prepare to leave early."

"Mhm." Xia Xinyan knew the situation was dangerous and nodded before boarding the Wind-Thunder Flying Lion.

As the two women mounted the beast, He Qingman lightly struck its neck. The creature spread its wings and soared away from the immediate battle zone, rapidly heading toward the edge of Yunxia Island.

"Rumble! Rumble!"

From within the dense demonic clouds overhead, an earth-shattering roar erupted, as if ten thousand drums sounded in unison, a noise that shook the heavens. The thick demonic clouds began to churn and gather, effectively locking down every corner of Yunxia Island.

The Wind-Thunder Flying Lion ascended, just as it was about to clear the island's perimeter, when it violently struck an invisible barrier, making further progress impossible. Xia Xinyan's expression changed drastically as she cried out, "Demonic Flame has sealed the island!"

Clusters of demonic clouds manifested into shapes resembling black flames, slowly pressing downward to form an immense, inverted bowl, completely trapping Yunxia Island.

With this seal, outsiders could not enter, and those within could not leave. Yunxia Island had been utterly airtight!

"This is disastrous," He Qingman gave a wry smile. "I never imagined a Demon Lord would descend. A Divine Realm Demon Lord sealing the island with such immense power—unless one is a peak Heavenly Rank Triple Heaven expert, breaking it is impossible. Lord Mo is at the Triple Heaven level, but he's entangled with Mo Qilei. We really might be trapped here."

"Since we cannot escape, let's aid the Asura Blood Guards and slaughter every last one of the Gu family," Xia Xinyan frowned. "No matter the outcome later, we can't let the Gu family off easily!"

"Fine!" A cold glint flashed in He Qingman's peach-blossom eyes. She gently kicked the Wind-Thunder Flying Lion with her slender, straight leg, and the sixth-tier demonic beast plunged down from the sky, heading back toward the Gu family's mine.

Shi Yan's vital essence surged through his legs as he darted through the forest like a bolt of lightning.

He clearly witnessed the anomaly unfolding on Yunxia Island. Now that demons had sealed the island, preventing anyone from leaving, failure to acquire the Soul Gathering Bead swiftly meant not only that the Yang family members would perish, but he himself would likely fall prey to the Gu family's machinations.

Only by obtaining the Soul Gathering Bead early could he counter the demons and gain the power to change the situation!

Half an hour later.

Shi Yan, dripping with sweat, burst into the valley. Without preamble or concern for the valley’s restraints, he charged inward. "Break the restraints!" His consciousness sank into the Blood-Patterned Ring, signaling the Profound Ice Cold Flame. "Crack!"

Inside the valley, oval halos of silver light, shimmering intensely and carrying unmatched force, descended from the sky amidst flashing electricity, hurtling toward Shi Yan. Simultaneously, wave-like grey ripples silently spread outward, twisting and oscillating, seeming to interfere with the transformation of Shi Yan's vital essence, making it difficult for him to condense and control it quickly.

Shi Yan was instantly plunged into grave danger. The two prohibitions only just revealed in the valley caused him intense distress, halting his forward momentum completely. "It's here!" The Profound Ice Cold Flame responded. Extreme, icy coldness suddenly surged out of the Blood-Patterned Ring, enveloping the area with a sharp hiss as the air reacted.

The earth, ancient trees, and stones within the valley were instantly coated in a thick layer of white frost. Chilling air permeated everywhere; space itself seemed frozen. The surrounding scenery warped continuously, and the veil obscuring the valley's interior from Shi Yan’s sight was blasted away by the ice.

A milky-white protective shield enveloped the valley, hiding the towering stone pillars, the Soul Summoning Banners, and the Soul Gathering Pool within. The cold air from the Profound Ice Cold Flame immediately froze the shield, turning it to solid ice that began to crack under the penetrating chill.

Through the milky-white barrier, Shi Yan clearly saw the scene at the valley's center: the strange, towering stone pillars, the erected Soul Summoning Banners, and the Soul Gathering Pool.

Furthermore, he saw Gu Jiange, whom he had met before on Moon Luo Island!

Gu Jiange stood near the Soul Gathering Pool, his expression one of astonishment, strange light flickering in his eyes as his gaze stretched out toward Shi Yan. The cold aura of the Profound Ice Cold Flame continued to permeate, and the rate of freezing accelerated. In a short time, the entire valley became an arctic wasteland. Under this astonishing, bone-chilling freeze, the valley was sealed in ice. All the prohibitions were frozen stiff under the power of the Profound Ice Cold Flame.

As one of the Heavenly Fires, the Profound Ice Cold Flame had formed at the dawn of time. Over countless ages, it had only been subdued by Nie Yue, a cultivator at the Triple Heaven of True God realm. Once, in a fit of anger, it had frozen the entirety of Moon Luo Island. If it were freed from the Blood-Patterned Ring, it could even engage the demons in the sky head-on, possibly without being at a disadvantage. Freezing a mere valley was, for it, laughably simple.

"Crack!"

The milky-white shield covering the valley finally shattered under the chilling breath of the Profound Ice Cold Flame, exploding into a shower of ice shards.

"Shi Yan!"

Gu Jiange's voice finally echoed from the valley. At this moment, Gu Jiange’s eyes darted about, yet a gentle smile was fixed on his face. "Brother Shi, we genuinely did not know you were a Yang family member on Moon Luo Island last time. Any offense was my fault. I offer my apologies."

Gu Jiange smiled warmly and bowed respectfully to Shi Yan. He then feigned surprise. "But why has Brother Shi come to Yunxia Island? Why are you here?"

Shi Yan frowned slightly, too annoyed to address Gu Jiange, remaining silent as he charged straight toward the Soul Gathering Pool beside Gu Jiange.

The cold energy of the Profound Ice Cold Flame had frozen the valley, temporarily neutralizing all its internal restrictions—this was Shi Yan's best window to seize the Soul Gathering Bead, and he would not waste a moment. "Shi Yan, what are you doing!" Gu Jiange shouted, his face filled with terror.

"Whoosh!"

The Dragon Slaying Sword suddenly flew out from behind Gu Jiange's neck. The demonic beast instantly took shape, transforming into a hundred-meter-long fire dragon that lunged viciously at Shi Yan.

Simultaneously, Gu Jiange, the look of panic still etched on his face, snatched the Dragon Slaying Sword. With a casual sweep, he pulled out a ray of rainbow light tens of meters long, poised to cleave Shi Yan into two pieces.

Gu Jiange possessed the Sword Spirit Martial Soul, allowing him to communicate with the divine sword. His application of sword techniques was fluid and utterly precise.

A gentle smile returned to his face as Gu Jiange softly shook his head. "Why the rush, Brother Shi?"

The fire dragon and the ten-meter rainbow slash converged upon him as he spoke.

Shi Yan looked utterly indifferent, neither evading nor dodging, not even sparing Gu Jiange a glance, continuing his charge toward the Soul Gathering Pool.

The icy aura poured out rapidly from the Blood-Patterned Ring. As Shi Yan moved, his body became encased in ten meters of frozen matter, making him resemble a small glacier.

The fire dragon beast's bite and the rainbow light's sharp slash could not penetrate the ten meters of ice covering Shi Yan's body.

"Plop!"

The iceberg-like Shi Yan ignored Gu Jiange entirely and plunged headfirst into the Soul Gathering Pool. Gu Jiange’s face changed abruptly. He wasn't afraid of Shi Yan engaging him in combat; he feared Shi Yan disrupting the Soul Gathering Pool!

The Soul Mirror within the pool was the nexus connecting the two realms. If Shi Yan damaged it, the soul of Mo Qiguan, which was descending, would be compromised. Not only would they fail to kill Mo Duanhun, but they might face trouble from his father later.

The moment Shi Yan appeared, a tempest raged in Gu Jiange's heart. He immediately sent a secret message to his father, who was out on a mission. If he could stall Shi Yan for just a little while until Gu Lie returned, Shi Yan, regardless of any means he possessed, would surely die.

Gu Jiange had calculated everything, assuming Shi Yan’s appearance would immediately lead to revenge against him, prompting him to strike first. Unfortunately, Shi Yan did not linger for even a second; his objective was clearly the Soul Gathering Pool!

Shi Yan’s actions were entirely beyond Gu Jiange’s expectation.

By the time he tried to defend, Shi Yan had already plunged into the Soul Gathering Pool. At this point, the pretense of a smile vanished from Gu Jiange's face, replaced by a terrifyingly grim expression. He paced frantically outside the pool but dared not enter it like Shi Yan.

"Ge'er, what happened?" A flash of electricity illuminated the valley as Gu Lie appeared, his face stern. "I haven't even reached the Xia family or that brat from the Heavenly Evil Grotto yet; why did you summon me back?"

"Shi Yan entered the Soul Gathering Pool!" Gu Jiange urgently reported.

"Shi Yan?" Gu Lie paused, then suddenly reacted. "That kid who was carried away by the Profound Ice Cold Flame? He didn't die?"

"Not only is he alive, but it seems he can still wield the cold power of the Profound Ice Cold Flame."

"He must have been possessed by the Profound Ice Cold Flame!" Gu Lie’s face turned ashen. "I’ll immediately send word to Mo Qidun to deal with the Profound Ice Cold Flame first!"

I just submitted the first chapter; there will be four updates today! Xiao Ni begs the brothers who enjoy this book to support with monthly votes! Please help out!