Shi Yan looked up at the surface of the pool, constantly vigilant, afraid that Gu Lie might suddenly dive in to confront him at this moment.

Submerged in the pool, he was unaware of the external situation, not knowing that in this short time, the Demon Lord Mo Qidun and Mo Duanhun had both descended upon the valley.

Because a massive number of nascent souls had been absorbed by the Soul Gathering Orb, the water of the Soul Gathering Pool had become considerably clearer.

Shi Yan, in the water, could feel violent tremors emanating from the valley, as if the very earth beneath him was shaking, which made him even more unwilling to relax, focusing his gaze above with heightened caution.

Suddenly, a familiar, graceful silhouette flashed across the surface of the water.

Xia Xinyan!

Although the figure was indistinct when viewed from beneath the pool, Shi Yan recognized the person instantly from those perfect curves.

The beautiful silhouette skimmed the surface, then abruptly dipped down, quickly caught by a monstrous beast.

It all happened in a flash; by the time he registered Xia Xinyan was injured, she had vanished from the surface, carried away by the Wind Thunder Flying Lion.

A surge of rage erupted instantly from the depths of his heart!

Forgetting all caution about hiding, Shi Yan poured all his strength into rushing towards the surface with the utmost speed.

"What are you doing? That fellow is definitely still here!" The Profound Ice Cold Flame reacted immediately.

Shi Yan sent no reply, his expression ferocious, negative energy swirling around him, an aura of malevolence, madness, bloodlust, and resentment suddenly flooding his consciousness.

In an instant, Shi Yan entered the Second Heaven of Berserk State, doubling his physical strength!

"Don't go out!" The Profound Ice Cold Flame urged anxiously.

Shi Yan paid it no heed.

"Splash!"

The surface of the Soul Gathering Pool churned with waves, and Shi Yan's body abruptly burst out of the water, planting himself on the bank with a savage glare.

Gu Lie, who was just preparing to enter the water, looked utterly horrified. Seeing Shi Yan emerge, he scrambled away faster than Shi Yan himself, swiftly retreating toward Gu Jiange's position.

Gu Lie had always believed Shi Yan was possessed by the Profound Ice Cold Flame, and he knew he was no match for the Heavenly Fire. Upon seeing Shi Yan appear, he immediately evaded, unwilling to engage Shi Yan head-on.

Upon exiting the Soul Gathering Pool, Shi Yan's eyes were venomous as he scanned his surroundings.

In the sky above the valley, dense demonic clouds enveloped a sphere of azure light, while various soul- (soul-shock) forces lashed out in all directions.

Gu Lie's figure shot like lightning toward a cave in a nearby small mountain, where the outline of Gu Jiange could faintly be seen at the entrance.

In the distance, a monstrous beast carrying Xia Xinyan sped away; on the beast's back was another woman, strikingly beautiful, frantically trying to administer some pill to Xia Xinyan.

"Xinyan!" Shi Yan stood by the edge of the pool and roared toward the heavens.

He Qingman, riding the Wind Thunder Flying Lion, was startled by Shi Yan's sharp cry and looked down, seeing the ferocious Shi Yan below, his voice distorted with grief as he roared.

"She was struck hard by the Demon Lord Mo Qidun's soul attack," He Qingman cried out through gritted teeth, "It's all because she insisted on trying to save you!"

Mo Qidun!

Shi Yan looked up at the sky, mentally consulting the Profound Ice Cold Flame, "How do I capture his soul?"

"Point the portion of the Soul Gathering Orb not covered by the wrapping towards that fellow's soul, form a connection with your mental power, linking him to the Orb. Once you release a sliver of mental power near his soul, the Orb will directly associate with it and begin drawing in his soul first!"

"Got it!"

Shi Yan’s expression was venomous. He immediately released a thread of mental power, which formed a beam of light that shot directly into the rolling demonic clouds overhead.

Suddenly, the unwrapped surface of the Soul Gathering Orb erupted with boundless black light.

Streams of soul-light shot out from the Orb, stretching into a bizarre black beam that directly illuminated the soul of the Demon Lord Mo Qidun.

Within the black beam, countless souls manifested, rapidly solidifying inside the light.

The souls entangled and condensed, making the soul power contained within the black beam increasingly refined, and the sucking force generated by the beam grew stronger and stronger, so strong that even the soul of the God Realm Demon Lord Mo Qidun could not resist it!

Within the rolling demonic clouds, the soul of the Demon Lord Mo Qidun, illuminated by the black beam, was rendered immobile!

As the demonic shadow flickered, it began to slowly stream into the black beam formed by the Soul Gathering Orb, being tugged bit by bit toward it.

"How dare you attack me!" A colossal thought resonated throughout the entire valley, a consciousness that every martial artist within the valley could clearly perceive!

This was the thought of the Demon Lord Mo Qidun!

However, with his soul restrained, this thought could only express intent; it carried no soul-attack power.

"I don't care who you are!" Shi Yan’s expression was savage, and he sneered, "Since you've come, don't even think about leaving!"

"I will kill you! I will make you wish for death!" Mo Qidun's thought echoed endlessly in the valley, yet the demonic shadow formed by his soul was being inch by inch drawn into the black beam projected by the Soul Gathering Orb.

The Soul Gathering Orb was only effective against souls; if Mo Qidun hadn't descended in soul form this time, even after another hundred years, Shi Yan would have found it difficult to gain such an opportunity to suppress him.

Mo Qidun, a powerhouse of the Divine Connection Realm, was one of the Four Great Demon Lords in the Fourth Demon Territory, the strongest figures beneath the two Demon Emperors!

Such a figure was renowned throughout the Fourth Demon Territory and the Endless Sea, inspiring terror in all.

A common martial artist hearing that name would have their spirit tremble, never daring to contemplate resistance.

Back when Emperor Yang Qing led the Yang family experts into the Fourth Demon Territory, after enduring countless dangers, they barely managed to slay one Demon Lord, and afterwards, they were severely wounded by the other three Demon Lords, barely escaping back to the Endless Sea.

Mo Qidun was one of the Demon Lords who had wounded Emperor Yang Qing back then!

Now, Shi Yan, who was only in the Hundred Calamities Realm, utilizing the Soul Gathering Orb—a rare treasure specifically targeting souls—was fearlessly confronting Mo Qidun, displaying an attitude of absolute intent to annihilate his soul. This truly shocked the martial artists present in the valley.

Mo Duanhun, situated at the center of the Myriad Manifestations Diagram, revealed astonishment on his placid face, staring down at Shi Yan in disbelief.

The arriving Asura Blood Guards also sensed Mo Qidun’s immense divine consciousness and heard Shi Yan’s wild declaration of keeping Mo Qidun captive.

These Asura Blood Guards were completely dumbfounded; some even rubbed their eyes, thinking they were seeing things.

Gu Lie and Gu Jiange, huddled at the entrance of the cave, both pale-faced, were utterly stupefied.

He Qingman, on the Wind Thunder Flying Lion, her peach-blossom eyes flickering with dazzling, wondrous light, stared down in astonishment, unsure what exactly was unfolding.

She had never heard of the Soul Gathering Orb, nor did she know that the one Shi Yan held could counter Mo Qidun’s soul descent.

Watching Shi Yan use the black beam to ensnare Mo Qidun’s soul and draw it bit by bit into the black crystal ball in his hand, He Qingman felt a sense of unreality...

Shi Yan remained oblivious to everything around him, his gaze fixed coldly on the black beam, watching Mo Qidun’s soul being dragged toward the Soul Gathering Orb piece by piece.

"Excellent! Simply excellent!" The Profound Ice Cold Flame was beside itself with excitement. "A soul of the Divine Connection Realm! One of this fellow's souls is worth tens of thousands of commoner souls! After obtaining this soul, the purified soul power we can refine from the Soul Gathering Orb will be enough for both of us to enjoy!"

Shi Yan remained silent, concentrating, one thread of mental power guiding the black beam.

Holding the Soul Gathering Orb, he vaguely felt a connection to the black beam. Through it, he could sense the terrifying nature of Mo Qidun’s soul contained within—an aura as vast as the ocean, as towering as mountains. Just sensing it inspired awe and a sense of helpless resignation against confrontation.

If Shi Yan’s will hadn't been exceptionally firm, under the pressure of Mo Qidun’s massive soul aura, he would have suffered a mental breakdown and likely made the decision to let go and flee.

Spiritual shock is sometimes far more terrifying than a disparity in strength!

Suddenly, Mo Qidun's soul within the black beam emitted a surge of will that felt like worship—a strange energy suddenly permeated the valley. Mo Qidun’s soul seemed to be chanting something, as if praying to a deity, seeking divine grace.

Within the valley, demonic energy converged at a hundred times the normal speed, and a visible tear ripped open in the gloomy sky.

Demonic energy surged out of the rift like a bursting dam!

A colossal skeletal hand suddenly reached out from the rift. The five fingers of the skeletal hand were as white as jade, yet thick demonic energy continuously seeped out from the fingers and palm.

In an instant, the entire Yunxia Island was shrouded in demonic energy.

The skeletal hand curled its five fingers, each digit the size of a mountain peak, reaching out from the endless void to grasp the soul of Mo Qidun, which was enveloped by the black beam.

"Shi Yan! Let go!" Mo Duanhun in the sky suddenly roared.

"Let go!" The Profound Ice Cold Flame urgently sent a message.

Shi Yan was horrified.

Without daring to think further, he immediately severed the strand of mental power and used one hand to shield the exposed black surface of the Soul Gathering Orb.

The connection between the black beam and the Soul Gathering Orb instantly broke!

The skeletal hand snatched the black light beam emerging from the Soul Gathering Orb, shattering it like glass, and did not linger. It seized Mo Qidun's soul and withdrew back into the spatial rift.

"...Boy, I have memorized your soul imprint," a world-destroying thought gradually spread from the spatial rift. Multicolored light shot out from within the rift, and the rolling demonic energy above Yunxia Island frantically surged into the gap.

In a flash, all the demonic energy vanished into the spatial fissure, leaving nothing behind to seal the island. Clouds resembling sunset glow began to reappear in the sky, bathed in magnificent, golden radiance.

It was late evening.

Cold sweat beaded on Shi Yan’s forehead. He kept one hand tightly clamped over the face of the Soul Gathering Orb that wasn't covered by the white film; even now, he dared not loosen his grip.

Demon Emperor Bo Mei! The White Bone Dharma Body!

Gritting his teeth, Shi Yan looked up at the sky with a grim expression, his gaze still unwavering.

...

Last six days! Give it my all!!!

Woke up at six, went to the gas station in the morning to buy two packs of cigarettes, had a bowl of thin porridge for breakfast, and started writing!

Wrote two chapters in the morning, smoked most of a pack of cigarettes, drank a cup of coffee, only went to the restroom once during the process!

At noon, seeing how busy I was, my wife dared not enter my smoke-filled study and didn't disturb me; she cooked me a packet of instant noodles...

My wife is pregnant, I should have been the one preparing lunch, but because I was busy writing today, I neglected it...

After eating the packet of instant noodles, I continued writing.

The first pack of cigarettes in the afternoon finished quickly, so I opened another, drank two cups of coffee, and used the restroom twice more.

Up until now!

Completed five chapters in total!!

I won't elaborate on the physical exhaustion and the torment of the cigarettes; right now, my eyes are blurry, and my stomach has been growling for hours. I am hungry, truly hungry.

So far today, I’ve only had one bowl of porridge and one packet of instant noodles, but I've smoked a pack and a half of cigarettes and drunk three cups of coffee.

I am driving my energy like a drug addict, all for this month's Monthly Ticket rankings!!

I shout with all my might: I need monthly tickets!! I am truly giving everything!!!

Brothers and sisters who like this book, please check if you have any leftover monthly tickets.

In these final six days, I do not want to lose!! I implore you to cast your monthly tickets for this book.