On the island, towering, majestic peaks stabbed directly into the heavens.

Looking down from above, one could see that the island was covered everywhere with block-shaped spirit fields, cultivating countless precious herbs. Numerous strange and bizarre demonic and spiritual beasts were penned in, scattered across every corner of the isle.

A dense spiritual energy flowed incessantly across the island, like a babbling stream. The ambient spiritual qi here was extraordinarily abundant; even before setting foot on the island, merely drawing a breath of the air made one feel refreshed and utterly relaxed.

The island was enormous, likely several times the size of the entire Merchant Alliance. It was less an island and more a continent.

Perched atop the Twin-Headed Flood Dragon, Shi Yan gazed out, unable to see an end. What met his eyes was an unbroken panorama of mountains and rivers, and above every peak, there seemed to be a human silhouette.

“This is Undying Island.”

Yang Mu smiled, pointing toward a region shrouded in rolling demonic energy behind them. “The Heavenly Gate leading to the Fourth Demon Realm is over there. Our battles with the demon race took place in that sector. In darker times, even the vicinity of Undying Island could see demon presence. Recently, the demons have suffered significant losses, so they’ve quieted down for now, which is why they haven’t been causing trouble.”

Shi Yan was stunned, following the direction Yang Mu indicated.

He saw that in that area, demonic energy churned and surged, completely obscuring the region. As Shi Yan stared intently, he found he could see nothing at all.

“That area is temporarily masked by demonic energy. Well, don't bother trying to see what can’t be seen,” Yang Mu said with a faint smile.

“Indeed, I can’t see anything…” Shi Yan nodded, frowning. “Are there still troops stationed in that area?”

Though he could not discern the conditions there, Shi Yan faintly sensed intensely violent energy fluctuations. Based on his spiritual perception, that area must be teeming with masters, surely concealing some of the Yang Family’s top martial artists.

“Of course. Uncle Mo and the others are guarding that precise spot,” Yang Mu’s expression grew slightly grave. “I received news a while ago that Great-Grandfather has entered the Demon Realm again. It is said that this time, Great-Grandfather is going to have a direct dialogue with the Demon Emperor Bo Xun.”

“A direct dialogue with the Demon Emperor?” Shi Yan was aghast.

Legend held that the Demon Emperor Bo Xun was at the peak of the Third Heaven of the Spirit-Connecting Realm, one foot already in the threshold of True Divinity.

From Shi Yan’s understanding of the demon race, a demon of equivalent realm was far more formidable than a human martial artist. Although Yang Qingdi was renowned throughout the Endless Sea, his cultivation was only at the First Heaven of the Spirit-Connecting Realm. If he were to meet Demon Emperor Bo Xun head-on, wouldn’t that be incredibly perilous?

“Although Great-Grandfather is only at the First Heaven of the Spirit-Connecting Realm, his divine abilities are unpredictable. If he dares to face the Demon Emperor Bo Xun, he naturally has absolute confidence,” Yang Mu boasted with a proud smile. “Fifty years ago, when Great-Grandfather was only at the Third Heaven of the Heaven-Ranking Realm, he could slay Demon Lords under the Demon Emperor across realms. That Demon Lord was at the First Heaven of the Spirit-Connecting Realm back then. Now that Great-Grandfather has entered the Spirit-Connecting Realm, his divine abilities are even greater, and Demon Emperor Bo Xun is not what he once was. If Great-Grandfather truly encounters him, retreating safely should not be difficult.”

“Demon Emperor Bo Xun is not what he once was?” Shi Yan paused, utterly confused. “I heard that Bo Xun suffered a mishap while cultivating demonic arts a century ago, which is why he has been recovering in the Myriad Demon Grotto. For so many years, he has only used three skeletal Dharmakayas to move about; his true body has never left the Grotto. Great-Grandfather entering the Demon Realm this time is supposedly for Uncle Xiao. I wonder if he can bring Uncle Xiao back alive…”

Hearing Yang Mu mention Ze Hanyi, Shi Yan’s expression instantly darkened, and he sighed inwardly with resignation.

“Don’t be too upset about Uncle Xiao’s situation. Even without you, Bo Xun would eventually seek out Uncle Xiao. Last time in the Demon Realm, Uncle Xiao severely wounded Bo Xun’s youngest son. Bo Xun already swore vengeance then, saying he would make Uncle Xiao pay. Even if Uncle Xiao hadn't been with you that time, he would still have been attacked by Bo Xun,” Yang Mu consoled.

As the two spoke, the Twin-Headed Flood Dragon did not cease its flight, continuing its journey above Undying Island.

Below, the peaks piercing the clouds exuded potent spiritual energy, the spirit fields spanned vast tracts, and demonic beasts were kept penned in various areas. Many martial artists in the Innate and Human-Rank realms rode various demonic beasts, either soaring above or speeding across the ground, each one vibrant and full of spirit.

“On Undying Island now, there are nearly ten thousand martial artists, but the majority are in the Innate, Human-Rank, or Hundred Tribulation realms. The number of martial artists at the Status Realm or above is not large, perhaps only around a thousand. The martial artists here are not the entirety of our Yang Family; our family controls hundreds of islands, and masters from our clan reside on those islands as well…”

Upon arriving at Undying Island, Yang Mu began explaining the situation on the island to Shi Yan again, meticulously detailing the current state of Undying Island.

Undying Island was the sacred ground of the Galuo Sea Territory, the headquarters of the Yang Family.

Throughout the entire Endless Sea, Undying Island was an extremely famous sacred place for cultivation. The spiritual energy on the island was so dense that any type of spirit medicine could survive easily. Because the spiritual energy was so abundant, any martial artist cultivating here would achieve twice the results with half the effort; the speed of refining essence was much quicker than elsewhere.

The Twin-Headed Flood Dragon entered Undying Island and flew for another half a day before arriving at the area richest in spiritual energy.

“Look down there, that valley is the foundation of our Yang Family,” Yang Mu suddenly commanded sharply.

Shi Yan’s expression shook, and he leaned over to observe closely.

Amidst the nine majestic giant mountains was an expanse of flat, open ground where towering palaces stood erected. These palaces were built from massive blocks of incredibly sturdy materials like Azure Iron Stone, White Jade Stone, and Fire Gold Stone.

In the sunlight, these rare stones shimmered brilliantly, emitting a dazzling radiance.

At a glance, the palaces below seemed enveloped by a divine light of five colors, resembling a celestial realm.

Numerous demonic beasts and martial artists moved about on the flat ground below. A rough count showed that there must be several thousand demonic beasts and martial artists here. The lowest-ranked beasts were at least Level Three, and the weakest martial artists were all at the Human-Rank realm.

“Look closely at those nine giant mountains,” Yang Li reminded him.

Shi Yan was momentarily taken aback and turned his gaze toward one of the mountains several thousand feet high, focusing his attention.

This mountain was incredibly vast and majestic, covered in all manner of strange herbs. Under Shi Yan’s gaze, he clearly saw the spiritual energy, like a flowing stream, being drawn by the giant mountain, gathering from all directions around Undying Island and quietly seeping into the peak, seemingly providing it with nourishing essence.

Shifting his sight, he was astonished to find that the other eight peaks were the same.

The lingering ambient spiritual energy surrounding Undying Island seemed to be pulled toward these nine peaks, converging ceaselessly and pouring into them, nurturing the mountains.

Numerous caves appeared on the sheer cliffs of the nine peaks. Every now and then, one or two figures emerged from these openings. They seemed to have been cultivating diligently inside the caves, and upon exiting, they squinted against the harsh sunlight, subtly frowning as if unused to it.

“These nine peaks are undoubtedly the most precious places for our Yang Family. The heart of the peaks holds many miracles.”

“The reason our Yang Family has remained so dominant is closely linked to these nine peaks…,” Yang Mu implied meaningfully.

“Because of the spiritual herbs on the mountains?” Shi Yan asked in surprise.

“Not just the spiritual herbs,” Yang Mu smiled. “You will soon know why, because you will likely be entering one of these peaks shortly. You need to awaken Xia Xinyan, so you naturally need to find a quiet place to cultivate. I guarantee you, there are few places in the entire Endless Sea with better cultivation environments than ours.”

Shi Yan was filled with questions but asked none further.

“Let’s descend. We should see Second Grandfather first. I imagine by now, Second Grandfather is nearly losing his patience with that Xia Shenchuan from the Xia Family,” Yang Mu chuckled, urging the Twin-Headed Flood Dragon toward the grand palaces below.

On the way over, Shi Yan had learned that Yang Qingdi had gone to the Demon Realm, and his eldest son, Yang Feng, was currently guarding the entrance to the Heavenly Gate. On Undying Island, the one in charge currently was the second son, Yang Lao, who was nominally Shi Yan’s Second Grandfather.

Xia Shenchuan of the Xia Family, though the current Patriarch of the Xia Family, was not of the same generation as Yang Qingdi; he was rather of the same generation as Yang Feng and Yang Lao, possessing only the cultivation of the Second Heaven of the Heaven-Ranking Realm.

The previous Patriarch of the Xia Family was also at the First Heaven of the Spirit-Connecting Realm but had encountered trouble with his Reincarnation Martial Soul, often suffering from soul confusion and mental disorientation.

Consequently, the previous Xia Family Patriarch had passed the patriarchal seat to Xia Shenchuan early on, dedicating himself to strenuous cultivation in hopes of resolving that recurring confusion.

Xia Shenchuan was Xia Xinyan’s biological grandfather, and he had always treated her as a treasure. After taking Xia Xinyan from Fire Cloud Island and confirming that her soul injury was identical to that of a certain person from years ago, he erupted in thunderous fury, immediately bringing Xia Xinyan to Undying Island, determined to demand an explanation from the Yang Family.

After Yang Qingdi inquired about the details from Mo Duanhun, he learned from Mo Duanhun that Shi Yan possessed a method to rescue Xia Xinyan. Thus, he instructed Xia Shenchuan to wait on Undying Island for Shi Yan to resolve this troublesome matter.

Though deeply dissatisfied, Xia Shenchuan dared not defy Yang Qingdi, so he waited as instructed on the island.

That wait had stretched for more than four months.

“Greetings, Young Master Mu.”

“Greetings, Young Master Mu.”

As Yang Mu proceeded, many martial artists respectfully nodded in greeting. These martial artists’ cultivation levels were not low, mostly at the Hundred Tribulation or Status realms, their auras profound, seemingly much more powerful than martial artists of the same realm outside.

Shi Yan followed behind Yang Mu, silent, but secretly releasing his consciousness to sense the surroundings, inwardly astonished.

Every martial artist encountered here, at the same cultivation level, was significantly stronger than those outside.

The vital essence, spirit, and energy within their bodies were exceptional; their vitality was incredibly surging, and even the tendons, veins, and flesh of their physical bodies were abnormally solid, and their essence was purer and more profound.

Shi Yan was certain that any martial artist here at the First Heaven of the Human-Rank realm would be much stronger than their counterparts in the Merchant Alliance. In a battle of equal cultivation, one person from here might equal two from the outside!

The more he observed, the more shocked Shi Yan became, and his anticipation for the Yang Family’s capabilities grew ever higher.

...