The explosion of the Azure Demonic Crystal caused the eight layers of light patterns on the Eight Extremes Evil Spirit Array to vanish one by one.

As the Azure Demonic Crystal shattered, the energy fluctuations in the remaining seven demonic crystals at the other corners of the Eight Extremes Evil Spirit Array suddenly weakened, and the light emanating from these seven crystals quietly dimmed.

With the Eight Extremes Evil Spirit Array broken, Shi Yan didn't hesitate and reached out for the Soul Gathering Bead. "Wait a moment!" Xuan Bing Han Yan urgently transmitted from within the Blood Patterned Ring. Shi Yan, startled, checked the hand reaching for the Soul Gathering Bead, stopping midway.

Suddenly, countless vengeful spirits and specters from the Soul Gathering Pool flew out, transforming into streaks of black light that rapidly poured into the Soul Gathering Bead.

"When the souls are returning to their place, the soul attack formed by the Soul Gathering Bead is at its weakest! You can make your move now! Remember to use your fake soul to resist one wave of the soul impact!" Xuan Bing Han Yan quickly commanded. "Be sure! Once you grab the Soul Gathering Bead, immediately spit your saliva onto it! You must remember! The moment you hold the Soul Gathering Bead and spit saliva on it, the Soul Gathering Bead will not launch its soul attack at you again!"

"Damn it! How can I spit here? This place is water, not land!"

"I will form a layer of solid ice barrier. The instant you grasp the Soul Gathering Bead, I will immediately sever you from the water flow!"

"Good!"

After a brief exchange with Xuan Bing Han Yan, the hand Shi Yan had half-extended shot out like lightning towards the Soul Gathering Bead, seizing it firmly in his palm.

In that instant, countless soul impacts, like billions of sharp swords, fiercely shot out from the Soul Gathering Bead, frantically surging towards Shi Yan's soul!

The moment Shi Yan grasped the Soul Gathering Bead, its soul attack seemed to find a vent, erupting wildly, surging along Shi Yan's arm, bombarding his mind at light speed.

In a flash, Shi Yan's mind became utterly clear, devoid of a single thought, entering a state of perfect emptiness.

However, the fake soul formed in his mind suddenly became extremely active, emitting waves of intense hatred!

The billions of soul forces pouring out of the Soul Gathering Bead immediately found their target upon reaching Shi Yan's mind, all firing directly into the center of Shi Yan's fake soul.

A piercing pain surged through Shi Yan's mind. The soul imprints within the heavy illusions of the fake soul were shattered by the soul impact force of the Soul Gathering Bead. Shi Yan's true soul seemingly experienced it acutely, feeling as though he had died countless times.

Shi Yan's mind experienced a brief stupor. Following the shattering of the soul imprints in the fake soul, he felt as if he were continuously experiencing soul death, his main consciousness unable to regain clarity in such a short time.

"Spit saliva!"

At that very moment, Xuan Bing Han Yan from the Blood Patterned Ring transmitted a wave of intense coldness. Shi Yan abruptly awoke, instantly realizing that the water flow in the Soul Gathering Pool beside him had been somehow severed.

Without further thought, Shi Yan immediately spat a mouthful of saliva onto the Soul Gathering Bead in his hand. A miraculous event occurred!

As the saliva landed on the Soul Gathering Bead, it instantly formed a thin, pristine white film, wrapping around one-fifth of the bead.

"Keep spitting! But don't seal the Soul Gathering Bead completely!" Xuan Bing Han Yan urged again.

Shi Yan dared not delay, spitting two more mouthfuls of saliva onto the Soul Gathering Bead. These two drops formed another thin white film, now encasing three-fifths of the bead. After a moment's thought, Shi Yan still felt uneasy and prepared to spit again. "Enough! Once the film formed by the saliva completely covers the Soul Gathering Bead, its ability to absorb souls will be temporarily sealed!" Xuan Bing Han Yan hastily reminded him upon seeing Shi Yan about to act.

Shi Yan froze, staring blankly at the Soul Gathering Bead clenched in his palm.

The portion of the Soul Gathering Bead not yet covered by the pristine white film continued to emit energy for absorbing souls.

In the Soul Gathering Pool, streaks of vengeful spirits dove in one after another, falling into the Soul Gathering Bead.

The inky black water of the Soul Gathering Pool slowly became much cleaner as those souls vanished into the bead, and the water began to gradually return to normal.

Above his head, the Soul Mirror formed by tens of thousands of souls began to show cracks, hinting at imminent collapse.

"Soon all the souls here will be reclaimed by the Soul Gathering Bead, and the Soul Mirror will disappear," Xuan Bing Han Yan said triumphantly. "Only I know how to seal the Soul Gathering Bead. Anyone who doesn't know and drips blood onto the bead will immediately be devoured by the bead's tens of thousands of souls until not even dregs remain. This Soul Gathering Bead is different from ordinary secret treasures; it cannot be bound by blood for ownership. It can only be sealed with saliva, and you only need to unseal a small part of the saliva seal with your tongue each time you use it!"

With the Soul Gathering Bead secured by Shi Yan and the souls in the Soul Gathering Pool being absorbed one by one, everything proceeded according to plan. Xuan Bing Han Yan sounded quite excited.

Shi Yan also let out a sigh of relief. He took the remaining seven demonic crystals that formed the Eight Extremes Evil Spirit Array, and then slowly ascended toward the pool surface. In the sky above Yunxia Island, the icy, malevolent soul that had been clashing with Mo Duanhun a few times, without managing to destroy Mo Duanhun's soul, suddenly received a transmission from Gu Lie.

Mo Qituo, panicked, abandoned Mo Duanhun and rushed towards Shi Yan in the Soul Gathering Pool area.

Gu Lie transmitted the message and dared not linger in the valley either. He and Gu Jian’ge hid themselves, crouching in a concealed corner, fearing that Xuan Bing Han Yan might suddenly attack.

Gu Lie and Gu Jian’ge were both acutely aware of the terror of Heavenly Fire, especially a Heavenly Fire that had successfully possessed a suitable physical body—it was one of the most terrifying entities in existence!

Whether it was Gu Lie or Gu Jian’ge, upon discovering that Shi Yan could utilize the chilling energy of Xuan Bing Han Yan, they naturally assumed that Xuan Bing Han Yan had completed the process of taking over Shi Yan's body. They could never have imagined that Xuan Bing Han Yan was actually sealed within Shi Yan's Blood Patterned Ring, its consciousness imprisoned, thus limiting the extent of the cold energy it could unleash.

If Xuan Bing Han Yan were not restricted by the Blood Patterned Ring, its full chilling power could rapidly freeze the entire Yunxia Island. The fact that it could only seal the valley clearly indicated that its power was severely weakened.

However, Gu Lie and Gu Jian’ge could not fathom this layer of complexity. They greatly feared Xuan Bing Han Yan, and especially upon seeing Shi Yan dare to enter the Soul Gathering Pool, they became even more certain that Shi Yan was dead and that Xuan Bing Han Yan was now in control of everything inside Shi Yan's shell. Both of them had personally experienced the insidious horror of the Soul Gathering Pool; how could a mere martial artist at the Hundred Tribulations Realm dare to tamper with it?

Gu Lie and Gu Jian’ge hid, anxiously awaiting the return of the Demon Lord Mo Qidun's soul for rescue.

On Yunxia Island, Mo Duanhun's face was pale as he hovered in the air, extending his divine sense to probe.

Xuan Bing Han Yan had sealed the valley where the Demon Lord Mo Qidun's soul had gone. As Mo Duanhun's divine sense unfolded, he immediately locked onto the valley. When he sensed the extreme icy aura emanating from within the valley, he immediately recalled what Xia Xinyan had told him previously.

He instantly knew that Shi Yan must be in the valley!

Shi Yan had been dragged into the depths of the glaciers by Xuan Bing Han Yan. The intense coldness in the valley clearly originated from Xuan Bing Han Yan. Before coming here, he had also received word from Yang Qingdi that Shi Yan had not died and would appear on Yunxia Island. Comparing these facts, Mo Duanhun immediately guessed that Shi Yan was likely in the valley.

Mo Duanhun's expression shifted rapidly as he stood proudly in the void, thinking quickly.

"That kid has limitless potential and will be a pillar of the Yang family's future! No matter what, I must ensure Shi Yan is safely brought back to Undying Island!"

The message from Yang Qingdi suddenly surfaced in Mo Duanhun's mind. He hesitated for a moment while suspended in the air, then his body transformed into a streak of cyan light, shooting instantly toward the valley.

The Gu family martial artists stationed at the three Gu family mines had already been slaughtered by the Asura Blood Guards, Xia Xinyan, and He Qingman during this time. The Asura Blood Guards and the Wind Thunder Flying Lions were currently soaring in the sky, searching everywhere on Yunxia Island for traces of Gu Lie and Gu Jian’ge.

"Oh!" Xia Xinyan exclaimed. "The Demon Lord Mo Qishe and Lord Mo have both gone to that valley!"

He Qingman slightly lowered her head, glancing towards the nearby valley, also looking very puzzled. "What's going on? With the Demon Lord Mo Qidun being so powerful, why did he go to the valley midway? And Lord Mo too—instead of taking this opportunity to leave Yunxia Island, why did he follow?"

"If Lord Mo doesn't exert his divine power to dispel the demonic flames sealing Yunxia Island, we can't leave either," Xia Xinyan mused. "Let's get closer and see what's happening over there."

"Good!" He Qingman moved her beautiful legs, and the Wind Thunder Flying Lion understood, immediately flying towards the valley. "So cold!" After flying for only a few minutes, He Qingman couldn't help but shudder, pulling her fair neck inward, crying out, "What's wrong? Why is that valley so icy cold? Hey! Sister Xinyan, you?"

Xia Xinyan's delicate body trembled. At some unknown point, her eyes had become wet, tears glimmering in her beautiful pupils, her voice choked with emotion, "It's him! It's him! He is in that valley below!"

"Who is it?" He Qingman first frowned, then suddenly realized, crying out in surprise, "Are you saying it's that guy Shi Yan?"

"It must be him!" Xia Xinyan nodded heavily, oscillating between a smile and a cry. "This fellow was dragged into the ice cavern by Xuan Bing Han Yan back then, and the cold air in that valley clearly comes from Xuan Bing Han Yan. Since Xuan Bing Han Yan is there, he must be in the valley too."

"If Xuan Bing Han Yan is there, how could he still be alive?" He Qingman found it somewhat incredible. After thinking for a moment, she looked at Xia Xinyan with a strange expression. "If his soul was taken over by Xuan Bing Han Yan, but his body remains, I suppose he isn't exactly dead. Do you think what the Yang family head meant by 'alive' implies this kind of situation?"

Xia Xinyan's delicate body shook violently, then she glared resentfully at He Qingman, angrily saying, "Qingman, don't joke with me like that! It's not funny at all!"

He Qingman was startled, realizing Xia Xinyan was genuinely angry, and quickly shut up, daring not to say another word. However, in her heart, she sighed softly. The cold air in the valley was so heavy; clearly, Xuan Bing Han Yan was still present. If Xuan Bing Han Yan was there, how could the mere Hundred Tribulations realm Shi Yan escape calamity? Even if that guy was alive, he was probably little more than a living corpse by now.