Hundreds of meters in, six chambers of glittering crystal suddenly appeared before Shi Yan’s eyes. Each chamber was formed from a single, complete crystal, from which an immensely dense spiritual energy of heaven and earth flowed out incessantly, rippling around the stone rooms like a flowing stream.

Primal Crystal! Supreme-Grade Primal Crystal!

Primal Crystals were categorized into low-grade, mid-grade, upper-grade, and supreme-grade, with the latter only ever condensing into minuscule fragments deep within crystal mines.

Even a piece of Supreme-Grade Primal Crystal the size of a fist was exceedingly rare; in the Endless Sea, one such fist-sized piece held the value of a Spirit-Grade secret treasure!

Yet, within this Divine Mountain, six chambers were constructed entirely of complete Supreme-Grade Primal Crystals!

It was utterly astonishing!

Shi Yan’s eyes shone with brilliant light, his face a mask of disbelief as he stared dumbfounded at the six chambers built from Supreme-Grade Primal Crystals, completely overwhelmed.

The hyper-dense vital energy of heaven and earth continuously permeated from the crystal walls. Merely inhaling a breath, Shi Yan felt the vital essence within his body grow slightly more robust.

“Heavens above,” Shi Yan gasped, astonished.

“Across the nine Divine Mountains, there are a total of six times nine—fifty-four—chambers built purely from Primal Crystals, exclusively reserved for the cultivation of our Yang family members,” Yang Mu said, a proud smirk gracing his face. He chuckled, “These nine mountains naturally form an incredible array that continuously gathers the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the surroundings. Within the nine mountains lies a true miracle of the Endless Sea. Who knows how many tens of thousands of years it took for this energy to accumulate and forge Primal Crystals of this caliber deep within the mountains' core. Our Yang family fought for several centuries in the Ga Ping Sea Region just to obtain these nine mountains, slaughtering countless rivals before claiming them!”

“Cultivating within these Primal Crystal chambers…” Yang Lao grinned, “One day here is equivalent to one year of cultivation outside!” He continued, “Every generation of my Yang family guards these mountains. With them, the speed at which our experts emerge far surpasses other factions! As long as we maintain control over these nine mountains, the standing of our Yang family in the Endless Sea will remain unshakable forever! In another hundred, even a thousand years, our Yang family will still be one of the foremost powers in the Endless Sea!”

Shi Yan nodded silently.

Cultivating in chambers built from such pure Primal Crystal meant he didn't need to struggle to gather essence; merely breathing drew in an endless supply of spiritual energy that, with minimal refinement, would vastly enrich the vital essence within his body.

One day of cultivation accelerating essence refinement by a factor of one year—what did that truly mean?

At this moment, Shi Yan finally understood why the Yang family members broke through to the Hundred Calamity and Status Realms so easily.

The three minor realms of Post-Heaven, Pre-Heaven, and Human Rank were intrinsically linked to the speed at which the vital essence globes inside the body condensed. These three stages required minimal insight into one's state of mind; as long as the vital essence within the body was sufficiently robust, breaking through was simple.

With these uniquely advantageous Primal Crystal chambers, the Yang family martial artists could advance through these three thresholds with baffling ease, perhaps crossing them in just over a decade.

However, ordinary martial artists needed steady, arduous effort to overcome these barriers, painstakingly refining their essence over decades until their essence reached the threshold required for the Human Rank. Only then, upon achieving the requisite mental state, could they enter the Hundred Calamity Realm. The Yang family warriors could effectively shortcut this process, achieving breakthroughs tens of times faster!

While the Hundred Calamity, Status, and Nirvana Nest Realms demanded high levels of mental state and enlightenment, they still required sufficient vital essence to support the breakthrough; only when the essence was refined enough could the mental state match it for advancement.

This meant that even beyond the Hundred Calamity Realm, the Yang family members held an unparalleled advantage in essence condensation speed!

Across the nine Divine Mountains, there were fifty-four such chambers, allowing fifty-four martial artists to achieve phenomenal acceleration in essence refinement. Coupled with the Yang family's various spiritual medicines and pills, it was frankly difficult for a Yang family martial artist to progress slowly on the path of martial arts.

“These nine Divine Mountains are truly the foundation of our Yang family,” Yang Lao said with a faint smile. “The natural array formed by these mountains continuously absorbs the scattered spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the Endless Sea. The crystal chambers within will perpetually harbor this gathered energy; we never have to worry about the spiritual energy disappearing…”

“Little Yan Zi, if you had returned sooner, with your talent, you would surely be far beyond the second heaven of the Hundred Calamity Realm by now,” Yang Mu chuckled. “But it’s not too late. You’re lucky, not too far behind. If you work hard, spurred on by all our Yang family's spiritual medicines, forcefully raising your realm by one level won't be overly difficult.”

“What about Xia Xinyan?” Shi Yan took a deep breath, steadying his emotions, and asked with a furrowed brow.

“She’s inside,” Yang Mu smiled, addressing Shi Yan. “If the situation weren't so unique, that girl would never have been permitted entry. These fifty-four crystal chambers are strictly reserved for direct lineage Yang family members and core contributors who have rendered monumental service to our family. Outsiders absolutely cannot enter.”

Even Xia Shenchuan, waiting outside the mountain, understood he could not enter this sanctum. As the head of the Xia family, he knew the Yang family's taboos and recognized the mountains as forbidden ground, inaccessible to any outsider.

“Kid, you can go in now to awaken Xia Xinyan. Don’t worry, your three daily meals will be delivered—all featuring delicacies like thousand-year Ganoderma, several-hundred-year Polygonum multiflorum, and rich broth made from the essence meat and bones of Grade Three demonic beasts. We guarantee you’ll have surging blood essence and ample energy to handle whatever comes your way,” Yang Lao quipped.

Shi Yan nodded. “Then I’m going in.”

“Go ahead. The crystal chambers at the heart of the Divine Mountain are a forbidden zone to others, but for one of our own, it’s merely a cultivation secret room. Don’t concern yourself with anything in there. If you need anything or have any issues, relay them through that tube, and we will arrange everything for you,” Yang Lao instructed.

Shi Yan felt an overwhelming sense of meticulous care.

Here, the Yang family had provided him with the absolute optimal environment for cultivation.

Almost anything he desired could be satisfied. He didn't need to burden his mind with other matters, allowing all his focus to be poured into comprehending the realms. Looking at the chambers where crystal light spilled out and the heaven and earth spiritual energy filled the space to an almost unbelievable degree, Shi Yan truly grasped the source of the Yang family’s formidable power.

Under the watch of Yang Lao and Yang Mu, Shi Yan slowly walked into one of the crystal chambers, and immediately, the door was sealed from the outside.

Inside the crystal chamber, the palpable spiritual energy of heaven and earth, condensed to the consistency of flowing water, drifted through the air—visible to the eye and perceptible with every breath.

Here, even doing nothing, a person could feel their vital essence incrementally growing. Such a hallowed place for cultivation was truly an immortal realm.

The room was not large, perhaps twenty square meters. In the center rested a bed carved from supreme-grade crystal, upon which Xia Xinyan lay flat, clad in simple white martial robes.

A faint, almost imperceptible trace of life fluctuation emanated from her. Her face, pale as fine porcelain, shimmered with a soft, white light.

Her long eyelashes covered her pair of clear, bright eyes—eyes that held the very essence of the world’s spirit. Fine strands of vital essence within her perfect form flowed erratically, without pattern.

Her soul was fragmented, her consciousness unrecovered. Though her breath remained, Xia Xinyan was like a living corpse, devoid of sensation, unaware that Shi Yan had quietly stepped beside her.

He subtly directed his divine sense toward the Blood Pattern Ring.

“The soul power within the Soul Gathering Bead became absorbable seven days ago,” Shi Yan sent his consciousness into the Blood Pattern Ring. “I now have the time to absorb that power. You said the soul power in this bead could awaken her; tell me now how to proceed.”

“Hmm, this place… this place is extraordinary!” The mental signal from the Profound Ice Cold Flame slowly emerged from the Blood Pattern Ring. “Though my power is bound by this infernal ring, I can still sense the supreme density of the ambient energy here. This location, for you human martial artists, is the most perfect place for cultivation. You are truly formidable; where did you find such a treasure trove?”

“That’s none of your concern,” Shi Yan frowned. “Tell me how to wake her up.”

“It is simple.”

The Profound Ice Cold Flame did not hesitate. “You just need to peel off the thin, white membrane covering the Soul Gathering Bead, then place your finger and hers upon the bead, and you will feel the pure soul power surging from within. Since this woman currently lacks independent consciousness, you must use your mental force to wrap around that soul power and inject it into her mind, slowly nourishing her own scattered soul. Rest assured, this pure, untainted soul power is very easy to absorb. Once her fragmented soul consciousness receives this nourishment, it will rapidly coalesce again…”

The Profound Ice Cold Flame calmly detailed the precise method for absorbing the Soul Gathering Bead.

Once finished, the Flame added with a hint of resignation, “I am sealed by this accursed ring, so this time, it will be difficult for me to claim my share of the soul power from the bead. Remember our pact; you must save my portion of the soul power within this bead for me!”

“Understood,” Shi Yan replied dryly, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

“Oh, one more thing. You can first drip a drop of your fresh blood onto the Soul Gathering Bead. This way, the pure soul power you transfer to the woman will forever be imprinted with your aura. When her soul reunites, her soul signature will always carry your essence. Then, no matter where she is in the future, you will know her location, know if she lives or dies.”

“It won’t harm her, will it?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“Good.”

Shi Yan nodded, bit his fingertip, and let a drop of crimson blood fall onto the Soul Gathering Bead.

A dazzling, dark light suddenly erupted from the bead. In an instant, this dark light surging from the Soul Gathering Bead enveloped Shi Yan.

Simultaneously, the heaven and earth spiritual energy, condensed like water in the crystal chamber, surged wildly toward the Soul Gathering Bead!

“Ah, your blood! How is this possible?” The Profound Ice Cold Flame’s mental signal suddenly grew frantic, filled with absolute horror. “This… this is Ancient Divine Blood!”