Six demon figures clad in black scales immediately abandoned their current opponents the moment they heard Shi Yan hailed from the Gan Yang family, closing in on him as one.

Shi Yan, who had been aimlessly pacing back and forth in the stone cavern, suddenly found himself the primary target of the demons.

Shi Yan’s expression was grim as he subtly retreated, pressing his back against the cavern wall to avoid being attacked from both front and rear, his vigilance heightened.

Seeing the demons surround Shi Yan, He Qingman was filled with profound regret, realizing her intervention had only complicated matters. With a sharp cry, she commanded, "Protect him well!"

Her lithe figure flickered like a willow catkin, effortlessly gliding past Bati and the others, swiftly closing the distance toward Shi Yan.

The remaining six cultivators from Tianxie Grotto-Heaven, realizing the gravity of the situation, dared not delay; they charged desperately toward the demons, intent on preventing Shi Yan from being instantly cut down.

"Kill!"

Gu Ya shrieked, his two bone spurs, stark white, transforming into streaks of pale, ghostly light. Carrying a torrent of savage killing intent, they shot forward like a long rainbow piercing the sun.

As the twin spurs whistled through the air, they seemed to tear the very atmosphere. Suddenly, pinpricks of green light ignited at the tips of the bone spurs.

These lights, eerie as ghost fire, glowed an unsettling green. Excessively active, they suddenly erupted from the spur tips, blossoming into misty showers that descended directly upon Shi Yan.

Just as Shi Yan prepared to summon his Magnetic Shock Field, he felt a fierce malevolence surge from all directions.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

The dim green specks of light suddenly magnified before his eyes—they were a swarm of venomous insects, entirely covered in green barbs!

These insects carried Gu Ya's distinct aura. Despite their tiny bodies, they were saturated with malevolence, which manifested as a psychic wave that hammered toward Shi Yan's mind.

Shi Yan shuddered, a flicker of pain crossing his eyes.

The mental assault, condensed from sheer malevolence, made his soul tremble. His focus disrupted, he could not immediately manipulate the Magnetic Shock Field.

Simultaneously, the barbed insects transformed into a deluge of emerald starlight, covering him like rain.

"Petrification!"

Shi Yan roared internally, his face instantly hardening into a fearsome mask, an icy, piercing light erupting from his eyes.

In a mere instant, the skin of his body turned yellowish-green. Entering the third stage of his Petrification Martial Soul, his physical form instantly became as unyielding as ironstone.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The dense swarm of green insects slammed into Shi Yan's body, their barbs digging in fiercely, yet failing to penetrate his flesh.

"Huh?"

Gu Ya gasped, a flicker of astonishment crossing his dark green pupils.

The Green Nether Worms were demonic insects from the Devil Domain. Their barbs were incredibly sharp. Gu Ya often deployed them during past battles, always achieving remarkable effects.

These worms could bore directly into flesh and blood, gnawing at the enemy's internal organs, consuming them entirely from within.

Though small, the Green Nether Worms were savagely vicious. Gu Ya had meticulously nourished these specific worms with his own blood and flesh. Even powerful demon figures from the Devil Domain could not withstand such a sudden assault; their robust bodies would be breached.

Gu Ya had predicted that human cultivators, focusing primarily on accumulating Jingyuan (essence energy), would have relatively weak physiques, rendering them incapable of resisting the Green Nether Worms’ invasion.

In fact, Gu Ya had originally cultivated the worms mainly to counter the Yang family members who possessed the Undying Martial Soul.

Even the Yang family warriors, despite their Undying Martial Soul, could not withstand the internal gnawing of the Green Nether Worms once they burrowed inside.

If the worms entered the body during combat, the regenerative power of the Undying Martial Soul could not keep pace with the creatures' constant consumption; the vital organs would be eaten clean before the flesh could fully recover.

The Green Nether Worms surged forward, boring hard against Shi Yan's skin, only to meet resistance akin to steel or rock. Such an anomaly truly baffled Gu Ya.

"Scram!"

Shi Yan sneered, and a hazy, dark light suddenly burst from his body, forming a shield that enveloped him completely.

The dense swarm of Green Nether Worms covered him, their barbs constantly scraping against his flesh, yet they could not manage to pierce into his interior.

Once the dark light shield manifested, it seemed almost tangible, forcibly pushing away every single Green Nether Worm on his body.

"Boom!"

Gu Ya's two bone spurs, carrying unparalleled, sharp ferocity, shot forth and slammed heavily against the dark light shield.

The shield exploded into a dazzling burst of shadowy light, and the bone spurs, their momentum unbroken, plunged directly into Shi Yan’s chest.

"Pffft!"

The tips of the two spurs embedded three inches deep into Shi Yan’s chest. The spurs vibrated rapidly, and at their points, more Green Nether Worms emerged, burrowing instantly into Shi Yan’s flesh, rushing rapidly toward his core.

Shi Yan's color drastically changed.

"Kill!"

He Qingman finally arrived, her long hair whipping wildly, as gusts of wind blades screamed out from her body, raining down upon Gu Ya.

Gu Ya chuckled darkly, beckoning with his hand. The two bone spurs lodged in Shi Yan’s chest flew back, returning to his grasp.

"Kid, the Green Nether Worms still got inside you. Just wait to be slowly devoured from the inside out," Gu Ya sneered. Without sparing Shi Yan another glance, he turned to engage He Qingman, roaring, "That kid is done for; ignore him! Kill these meddlesome pests!"

The five remaining demons stopped attacking Shi Yan and suddenly turned, rejoining the fray against the Tianxie Grotto-Heaven cultivators.

Shi Yan was now completely disregarded.

Grit set in his jaw, his eyes gleaming with cold light, Shi Yan continuously urged the Jingyuan within his body, desperately trying to force the internal Green Nether Worms out.

Inside him, streams resembling lightning flashed rapidly through his body, slamming fiercely against the worms.

However, under the bombardment of Jingyuan, these worms remained unharmed, still writhing inside him, quickly tunneling toward Shi Yan’s heart and abdomen.

Shi Yan felt a prickle of terror crawl up his scalp. He couldn't afford to hesitate; he prepared to unleash the negative power within him.

Just then, a wave of scorching hot energy quietly flowed out from the Blood Pattern Ring, instantly penetrating Shi Yan’s flesh the moment it emerged.

In that instant, Shi Yan felt as if he were burning in a furnace. His entire body glowed crimson, and wisps of flame curled out from his pupils, nostrils, and ears.

The searing power of the Ten Thousand Year Earth Core Fire!

This fiery energy rapidly diffused throughout Shi Yan’s body, making his physical form intensely hot.

The temperature of the entire cavern rose commensurately.

The Nether Worms inside him, not having yet reached vital areas, were instantly incinerated into charred husks by this intense heat.

"Enough!"

Shi Yan plunged his consciousness into the Blood Pattern Ring, sending an urgent mental command.

The fiery energy within the Blood Pattern Ring quietly receded. Shi Yan remained ablaze, heat waves rolling off him, the agonizing sensation of being burned still present.

At the critical moment, the Ten Thousand Year Earth Core Fire had sensed his danger and actively intervened.

However, its flame power was simply too immense. Even though it had exercised extreme caution in restraint, even this faint trace of energy had nearly incinerated Shi Yan to ash.

Had Shi Yan not continuously tempered his body using the Supreme Refinement technique within the lava pool, his physique would not have adapted to such intense heat. In this state, he might have died even sooner than the Green Nether Worms.

Taking a deep breath, Shi Yan mobilized his physical strength, wrapping his Jingyuan around the minuscule charred corpses of the worms and rapidly forcing them toward the two bloody wounds on his chest.

Gritting his teeth, Shi Yan’s face cold, he used his fingernail to dig out the scorched black residue clinging to the edges of the wounds on his chest.

Watching the flesh around the bloody punctures twitch and begin the active process of self-repair, Shi Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. When he looked back toward Gu Ya, his eyes were filled with dense hatred. Gu Ya, a cultivator at the Status Realm, wielded bone spurs so sharp they had managed to pierce his Petrification Martial Soul and leave three inches of deep wound on his chest.

Shi Yan felt a lingering fear, realizing the Petrification Martial Soul was not omnipotent. While it could ward off many attacks, it was not truly invulnerable to blades and spears.

"Hm?"

Gu Ya had infused a trace of his spiritual power into every Green Nether Worm. The moment the worms died, Gu Ya immediately detected Shi Yan's abnormality.

"You actually destroyed the Green Nether Worms inside your body?" Gu Ya glanced at Shi Yan, feigning surprise, and called out, "The Green Nether Worms fear no Jingyuan impact; only sharp weapons can shatter them. What power did you use? Wait! Fire! Such potent fire energy!"

"My turn!"

Shi Yan grinned coldly, his mind gradually settling, devoid of sorrow or joy.

A burst of violent, murderous, and frantic energy erupted from his body. The once robust Shi Yan instantly appeared thinner by a full measure.

The power within him instantly doubled! A level-one rampage had been initiated!

"Bind!"

He pointed a finger at Gu Ya and roared. Shi Yan flickered, suddenly activating a Magnetic Shock Field that had been lying dormant near Gu Ya, dragging the bewildered demon directly into its confines.

Gu Ya, who had been fiercely locked in combat with He Qingman using his bone spurs, felt his body jerk violently, as if intoxicated. He stumbled, unable even to stand steadily. "What the devil is this!"

Gu Ya shouted, looking around in terror, trying to ascertain what was restraining him.

"Bind! Bind! Bind!"

Shi Yan’s expression remained unchanged. He extended his hand, pointing sequentially at the remaining demons, uttering a single, drawn-out command with each gesture.

The five remaining demons had clearly held the upper hand against the Tianxie Grotto-Heaven cultivators. Relying on their nigh-impenetrable black scales, these demons charged forcefully toward Bati and the others. In the relatively narrow stone cavern, Bati and his group had limited space to maneuver, making it easy for the demons to close the distance.

Once the demons got close enough for melee combat, Bati and his allies had absolutely no advantage; they were being slaughtered, forced into a desperate defensive dance.

However, as Shi Yan uttered the few words of "Bind," the situation in the cavern abruptly reversed.

All five demons, just like Gu Ya, began to sway suspended in mid-air, confined to a very small zone, utterly unable to launch effective attacks against Bati and his comrades.

He Qingman’s beautiful eyes shone with profound wonder as she stared at Shi Yan, seemingly unable to believe what she was witnessing.

Bati, Zhou Nan, and the other Tianxie Grotto-Heaven cultivators were all stunned, watching their opponents spin aimlessly in the void. They had no idea what force had restrained them.

What surprised them most was that they had probed with their spiritual senses, yet had discovered absolutely nothing.

"What are you waiting for? Kill them!" Shi Yan impatiently urged.

"Oh, oh!" He Qingman finally snapped back to reality, her pretty face flushing slightly. She quickly shrieked, "Finish off these disgusting fiends, quickly!"

The Tianxie Grotto-Heaven cultivators jolted to awareness and scrambled to resume the assault.

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