The mine where the Black Scale Demon Men were hiding was leveled directly by a Sky-Shaking Thunder, causing the earth itself to deeply collapse.
Shi Yan sat atop the Twin-Headed Flood Dragon, his expression one of shock, utterly stunned by the terrifying explosive power of the Sky-Shaking Thunder.
One Sky-Shaking Thunder could destroy a mountain peak; such might was simply horrifying to hear about.
At this moment, he gained an even deeper understanding of the Yang Family’s foundational strength.
“Alright, let’s go,” Yang Mu stared down below for a moment, waved his hand casually, and said, “Unless it’s a Demon Man expert at the Heaven Rank, escaping a Sky-Shaking Thunder is nearly impossible.”
Shi Yan touched the Soul Gathering Orb and released his spiritual sense to investigate. Sure enough, he could no longer detect the slightest fluctuation of souls. All the Black Scale Demon Men in the mine must have been utterly pulverized by that single strike, leaving not a trace of life aura emanating from the mountain.
Nodding, Shi Yan chuckled, “That was quite a commotion.”
“Haha, that’s how Sky-Shaking Thunder is. Refining a single one requires over seventy types of precious materials. Many of those materials come from the Demon Realm, and only our Yang Family, because we constantly campaign in the Demon Realm, can acquire such rare components. The method to refine this Sky-Shaking Thunder—even if we told other families—” Yang Mu said proudly, “—they couldn’t gather the materials to forge it.”
“Let’s return to Undying Island now,” Shi Yan mused for a moment and inquired, “Last time, I overheard that Asura Blood Guard mention that the Heavenly Gate in the Undying Island region was engaged in fierce battle. What is the situation now?”
“It’s still a standoff… but the recent intensity of the Demon Men’s attacks has decreased slightly. They probably can’t afford the losses either.” Yang Mu’s expression suddenly darkened. “The recent movements of the Demon Men have been truly strange. They are crossing the spatial nodes recklessly, scattering themselves across every corner of the Galuo Sea Region. I don’t know what their real intentions are.”
“How is Xia Xinyan?” Shi Yan hesitated for a moment before asking.
Yang Mu’s eyes flickered, then he gave a wry smile. “I came to find you because of her matter, too. The head of the Xia Family brought Xia Xinyan to Undying Island and demanded that our Yang Family take responsibility. Ugh, this is really a difficult situation. In the past, members of the Xia Family have had this condition; it’s practically unsolvable, with no known method. But Uncle Mo said you have a way. I don't know if it’s true… However, Great-Grandfather seems to value you highly. Since I was handling matters nearby, I received a message from him urging me to quickly bring you back to Undying Island.”
Pausing, Yang Mu looked at Shi Yan strangely. “Do you truly have a way to resolve Xia Xinyan’s problem?”
“Yes,” Shi Yan nodded.
Yang Mu’s eyes lit up. “Haha, if that’s the case, it shouldn’t be an issue. You don’t know, that girl Xia Xinyan is the treasure of the Xia Family. Because she suffered that condition while saving you, the Xia Family exploded in fury and rushed directly to Undying Island to cause a scene, demanding Great-Grandfather give them an explanation.”
“Rest assured, I am confident I can wake her up.”
“Good…” Yang Mu didn’t press for details and urged the Twin-Headed Flood Dragon to accelerate.
The Twin-Headed Flood Dragon shot forward like an arrow loosed from a string, soaring through the clouds above Black Stone Island, gradually receding into the distance.
Below Black Stone Island.
Xie Kui, He Qingman, and others stood atop a mountain peak, looking far at the leveled mine with expressions of unspeakable horror.
“Sky-Shaking Thunder!” Xie Kui took a deep breath. “Yang Mu used a Sky-Shaking Thunder to destroy that entire mountain peak… This mission ends here. Under the terrifying power of the Sky-Shaking Thunder, even a Demon Man at the Nirvana Nest Realm would surely die. Yang Mu is quite generous to use even a Sky-Shaking Thunder.”
He Qingman looked desolate and sighed, “We lost good people this time…”
“Yang Mu, Shi Yan…” Xie Kui muttered under his breath with cold eyes, “I have noted both of you.”
He Qingman glanced at Xie Kui, feeling even more worried. She knew Xie Kui’s temperament; he was a supreme prodigy from the Heaven Fiend Cave Heaven, and exceptionally venomous. Once he harbored hatred for someone, he would never let it go easily.
“We should leave too,” Shen Yidan cried out with a long face, pulling her gaze away from the sky, blaming herself, “If we had known Shi Yan had such a powerful background, we definitely would have paid attention to his words, and we wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses…”
“Let’s go,” Xie Kui snorted, his eyes filled with chill.
“When did you arrive at Black Stone Island?” Shi Yan asked casually atop the Twin-Headed Flood Dragon.
The appearances of both Yang Mu and Xie Kui were very sudden, with no prior warning. Both materialized out of nowhere, which greatly puzzled Shi Yan.
“I arrived even earlier than Xie Kui,” Yang Mu explained with a smile. “After I arrived above Black Stone Island, I didn't initially know which one was you, so I searched around above Black Stone Island for a while. It wasn't until I saw you fighting Shi Yubai that I learned of you from their conversation. At that time, I planned to intervene immediately, but I also wanted to gauge your strength, so I hid in the clouds to observe.”
“Xie Kui arrived later.”
“Yes… After Xie Kui reached Black Stone Island, he didn't reveal himself immediately but relied on his Martial Soul to hide underground. You had fought Shi Yubai for a while before he managed to tunnel up from below. Once I detected his presence, I was already quietly preparing, ready to strike at any moment…”
Yang Mu explained with a laugh, then chuckled, “But you kid are truly formidable! Shi Yubai is a full realm higher than you, yet he expended so much effort and still couldn’t kill you. I was up there and was about to intervene right away, but when I saw you remaining safe and sound, I became curious, so I kept watching to see how long you could last. If Xie Kui hadn't couldn't help but interfere, I might have waited a little longer, perhaps waiting for Shi Yubai to launch another attack to see if you could still withstand it.”
Shi Yan gave a wry smile. “I estimate it would have been very difficult to keep holding on.”
“Not necessarily,” Yang Mu displayed a meaningful smile. “Do you think I don’t know you still have power unused within your body? I heard long ago that you possess the Star Martial Soul of the Three Gods Sect. Although you can’t use that Star Martial Soul in combat, it should be able to help you block a fatal blow in a critical moment, right?”
Star Martial Soul?
Shi Yan was startled. If Yang Mu hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten about the existence of the Star Martial Soul within his body.
He probed it quietly and discovered that the Star Martial Soul was continuously absorbing the power of the stars, never ceasing.
In his heart, points of starlight flickered, seemingly having gathered a considerable amount of stellar energy. The intensity of this stellar energy did not appear to be inferior to the current depth of his Vital Essence.
It was a pity that he had never been able to utilize this supplementary power.
“You truly are an anomaly,” Yang Mu sighed. “Our Yang Family has fought the Three Gods Sect for hundreds of years, yet you obtained the Star Martial Soul of the Star God. Heh, if the Sun God of the Three Gods Sect knew that the Star Martial Soul of the previous Star God fell upon you, I wonder what their reaction would be.”
“By the way, you mentioned Great-Grandfather prepared a monstrous beast for me. What kind of beast is it?” Shi Yan was quite curious about this matter.
“Heh, I won't tell you,” Yang Mu deliberately kept it a secret.
“What level is it?”
“You’ll know when you see it.”
“Is it stronger than your sixth-level Twin-Headed Flood Dragon?”
“It’s stronger than mine, but whether you can tame it is another matter.” Yang Mu was persistently pestered and reluctantly revealed one piece of information. “That creature isn't from our realm; it comes from the Demon Realm. It’s a peculiar hybrid, and it even possesses the ability to evolve further!”
Shi Yan’s eyes lit up.
“Don’t celebrate too soon. I don’t think you can tame it,” Yang Mu’s expression grew strange as he shook his head. “I don’t know what Great-Grandfather was thinking to leave that creature for you to tame. You’re only at the Hundred Tribulations Realm; perhaps you’ll be killed by it upon your first meeting.”
“Big Brother, we’ve returned to Undying Island now. I’m still unclear about the main figures in the Yang Family. Should you perhaps introduce them to me?”
“That’s fine. I’ll give you a brief rundown of the people you absolutely must know…”
Currently, there are four generations in the Yang Family. Yang Qingdi is the Family Head, belonging to the first generation.
Beneath Yang Ze Di are three sons: Yang Feng, Yang Xiao, and Yang Lao—this is the second generation of the Yang Family.
Among them, Yang Xiao is the father of Yang Hai, who is effectively Shi Yan’s nominal grandfather. He died in battle in the Fourth Demon Realm fifty years ago.
Yang Feng and Yang Lao each have two sons: Yang Zhuo and Yang Zhai, and Yang Xiu and Yang Qi, respectively. These constitute the third generation.
Yang Zhuo has Yang Mu and Yang Zhou under him; Yang Zhai has a daughter, Yang Xue. Yang Xiu has a son, Yang Qi, and Yang Qi has a daughter, Yang Meng.
Yang Mu, Yang Zhou, Yang Xue, Yang Qi, and Yang Meng—these five are the fourth generation of the Yang Family.
Of course, the direct lineage of the Yang Family is not limited to just these members. However, the remaining individuals are not categorized here because they do not possess the Yang Family’s Undying Martial Soul in their bodies.
The first generation, Yang Qingdi, has a cultivation at the Spirit Connection Realm. Below him, the second generation, Yang Feng and Yang Lao, are both at the Heaven Rank. Further down, the third generation—Yang Zhuo, Yang Zhai, Yang Xiu, and Yang Qi—are almost all at the Nirvana Realm. Finally, the fourth generation—Yang Mu, Yang Zhou, Yang Xue, Yang Qi, and Yang Meng—are mostly at the Earth Rank and Hundred Tribulations Realm.
It was very peculiar that the cultivation difference between consecutive generations in the Yang Family seemed to be only about one major realm.
This also greatly surprised Shi Yan, who couldn't help but press for further details. He received the following answer from Yang Mu: “Before the Earth Rank, there are four stages: Houtian, Xiantian, Earth-Mortal Rank, and Hundred Tribulations. For the martial cultivators of ordinary families, these four stages constitute a long path of cultivation. However, for our Yang Family, these four stages are not difficult to surpass. The precious resources controlled by our family can accelerate the breakthrough speed through these four stages by several times. As long as one has strong willpower and outstanding aptitude, under the catalysis of our family’s treasures, one can rapidly reach the third heaven of the Hundred Tribulations Realm in just a decade or so.”
“However, starting from the Hundred Tribulations Realm breaking through to the Earth Rank, if one wants to continue advancing, relying solely on pills and elixirs is no longer enough. At this point, the breakthrough speed of each realm slows down. The breakthrough for even one minor realm might require ten years. So, our generation can mostly enter the Earth Rank quickly, but the breakthroughs below that become progressively slower…”
“I see…” Shi Yan nodded secretly, having some realization.
The two sat on the Twin-Headed Flood Dragon, conversing along the way as they traveled extremely quickly toward Undying Island.
About ten days later, with Yang Mu guiding him, Shi Yan, seated on the Twin-Headed Flood Dragon, finally saw the legendary Undying Island.