A warm breeze stirred, and beneath the blue heavens and white clouds, five demonic beasts soared, their riders—martial artists of the Yang family—were in high spirits, chatting and laughing merrily.

The battle half a day prior had seen them cornered by the three great powers of the Endless Sea, yet they had slain over twenty martial artists of equal rank, forcing the opponents to leap into the ocean to escape—a brilliant victory.

In that fight, only Shi Yan, at the Hundred Tribulations Realm, had played the decisive role!

Yang Xue, Li Feng'er, and the others, who had previously held some disdain for Shi Yan, now seemed to see him anew, their beautiful eyes showing a distinct flicker of wonder as they looked at him.

Even the usually haughty Li Feng'er wore a sweet smile, her slender, beautiful eyes brimming with delight, showing intense interest in Shi Yan.

Li Feng'er was strikingly pretty and tall, possessing an imposing figure, yet she was typically quite arrogant. Due to her outstanding strength, she enjoyed the same prestige as Yang Mu within the Yang family, and her renown as a beauty spanned the entire Galuo Sea Region. Now, in her joyful mood, she did not stint her smiles, drawing the quiet attention of many Yang family martial artists.

“I didn’t realize you had such skills up your sleeve,” Li Feng'er pursed her lips, smiling charmingly. “Originally, when the Family Head spent three drops of Undying Blood to divine your fate, I thought he was making a fuss over nothing. Now I see the Family Head truly possesses foresight. It seems he knew of your extraordinary nature to be willing to pay such a price for you.”

Back on Undying Island, when Mo Duanhun informed Yang Qingdi that Shi Yan was trapped deep within Menluo Island and swept into a glacier by the Profound Ice Cold Flame, Yang Qingdi hesitated only briefly before deciding to expend three drops of Undying Blood to divine Shi Yan’s life or death.

At that time, many Yang family members felt Yang Qingdi placed too much importance on Shi Yan, believing that a mere Hundred Tribulations Realm cultivator hardly warranted the expenditure of three drops of Undying Blood.

Li Feng’er was among this group. Upon learning of the matter, she even privately complained to her father, Li Mu, grumbling that Shi Yan was a burden, causing Yang Qingdi to waste three drops of Undying Blood before even arriving at the Yang family, failing to see Shi Yan’s great potential value.

When she first met Shi Yan on Undying Island, she couldn't detect anything particularly formidable about him. Even his subjugation of the Ghost Fang, she believed, was orchestrated by Yang Qingdi beforehand, a result of the Family Head’s assistance that allowed him to secure the creature. She held no deep impression of Shi Yan, considering him just another common Yang family martial artist unworthy of such intense focus.

It was only after this battle, when Shi Yan used his Magnetic Seclusion Field to completely turn the tide, and withstood the seven Divine Swords of Gu Linglong—a ranking master—without harm, that she changed her view, finally realizing Yang Qingdi’s keen eye; the divination of Shi Yan’s life and death with three drops of Undying Blood was certainly not a waste.

Seated powerfully atop the Ghost Fang, Shi Yan frowned deeply, his breath heavy. He glanced fleetingly at Li Feng'er but offered no significant reply. He was concentrating on sensing the changes within his acupoints. Aboard the Silver Horn Divine Boat, he had quietly absorbed the essence of the martial artists killed from the three opposing forces. Upon receiving this essence, the mysterious Martial Soul began working tirelessly to purify it. During this purification, chaotic, negative emotions surged forth continuously, subtly affecting his consciousness.

He was close to losing control. This time, the power absorbed into his acupoints was too great. As the acupoints purified the essence, all seven hundred and twenty of them felt like they were burning, causing unbearable pain. All his attention was fixed on the transformation occurring within the acupoints of his body; he had absolutely no capacity to attend to anything else.

“Hey!” Li Feng’er sounded slightly displeased. “Why are you ignoring me? I know you have some abilities, but a beauty speaking to you should warrant a response, right? Hmph, you know how many people in the Galuo Sea Region speak to me that I don't even bother with? I take the initiative to talk to you, and you act so unchivalrously. What are you being so arrogant about?”

“Little Yanzi, Feng'er is one of the Four Golden Blossoms of the Galuo Sea Region! To have such a beauty favor you, how can you act like this?” Yang Mu said with a smile.

In the Galuo Sea Region, there were Four Golden Blossoms, a fact Shi Yan had been told when he first met Yang Mu. Among the Four Golden Blossoms, Xia Xinyan ranked first, He Qingman second, Yang Xue third, and Li Feng’er fourth. Although Li Feng'er ranked last, being publicly recognized by the martial artists of the Galuo Sea Region as one of the Four Golden Blossoms meant she was certainly not a beauty in name only; she was truly eye-catching.

Li Feng'er was tall, with long, straight legs and an incredibly slender willow waist. Her snake-like waist seemed almost boneless, capable of stirring deep yearning. Taking a deep breath, Shi Yan looked at Li Feng'er, silently appreciating her beauty before managing a strained smile. “I’m experiencing a slight physical anomaly; it’s not that I’m ignoring you.”

“Anomaly?” Li Feng'er raised an eyebrow. “That’s not just an excuse, is it?” Shaking his head, Shi Yan’s expression twisted slightly. Gazing at the bright and moving Li Feng'er, his eyes lingered on her exquisite, serpentine waist, and Shi Yan was suddenly struck by the simplest method to quell the backlash power, given the purification process underway by the mysterious Martial Soul.

Uncontrollable, primal desires suddenly surged in his core. He struggled to push the thoughts away, only to find the desire intensifying. Simultaneously, the look in his eyes as he gazed at Li Feng'er changed from clarity to a growing lust.

“What are you thinking about, you brute?” Li Feng'er’s neck flushed red. Under Shi Yan’s burning, intense gaze, she found herself unable to bear it. She glared fiercely at Shi Yan and cursed under her breath, “I thought you were something special, turns out you’re just another lecher! Hmph!”

Yang Xue also frowned slightly.

Shi Yan’s gaze was scorching, the naked desire unmistakable; any adult could discern the specific meaning behind his eyes.

“Little Yanzi? No need to be so direct, is there?” Yang Mu forced a dry laugh. “Although we all harbor wicked thoughts about Feng'er, none of us dare display them so overtly. You truly are an anomaly, my friend.”

“Brother Yang Jia, you aren't a saint either!” Li Feng'er glared at Yang Mu as well.

“Big Brother, restrain me!” Shi Yan suddenly shouted. “It’s best if you have iron chains or some kind of shackle to wrap around my entire body. Otherwise, I fear I won't be able to control myself.”

“You!” Li Feng'er let out a sharp cry, looking at him with slight bewilderment. “I am truly seeing something new today. This is the first time I’ve heard of someone demanding to be bound in shackles because of lust. I’ve seen plenty of lechers, but a hysterical one like you, this is the first time.”

Yang Ke was also taken aback, saying strangely, “It can’t be that serious, right?”

“I know Feng'er is exceptional, but that girl Xia Xinyan is even more stunning. When you faced her, were you like this too?” Yang Mu clicked his tongue softly. “Little Yanzi, have you taken an aphrodisiac? Why are you acting so strangely?”

“A martial technique I cultivate has a backlash effect. If I use it forcefully, the backlash afterward will cause me to lose control of my sanity…” Shi Yan did not mention the mysterious Martial Soul, breathing heavily as he attributed the anomaly to a berserk state. He urged, “I am not joking, Big Brother, restrain me quickly, or I truly will go mad, becoming like Gu Jiange.”

Yang Mu’s expression changed, a look of dread crossing his features. “Are you serious?”

Shi Yan nodded repeatedly.

This immediately made Yang Xue and Li Feng'er tense. From the shift in Shi Yan’s expression, they realized he was likely not joking, especially since they had all witnessed Gu Jiange's sudden descent into madness.

“Alright!” Yang Mu acted decisively, quickly flying off the Twin-Headed Flood Dragon. A gleam flashed from his Illusionary Ring, and a set of dark-iron shackles instantly appeared. “These shackles can restrain a Nirvana Nest Realm martial artist; it’s a Spirit-grade secret treasure. Are you certain you want me to bind you?”

“Certain!”

Yang Mu wasted no more words. Frowning, he fitted the shackles onto Shi Yan. As the shackles encased him, the flow of vital essence immediately slowed. The shackles exuded a strange, suppressive power. Once bound, Shi Yan felt as if a massive mountain was pressing down on him, making even the slightest movement exceptionally difficult. All the forces within his body slowed down after the shackles were applied.

“That’s enough,” Shi Yan growled. On the Ghost Fang, he closed his eyes, his body trembling slightly, seemingly enduring immense agony.

Yang Mu and the others watched him with strange expressions. Then, wisps of evil, sinister, and tyrannical negative energy began to leak from Shi Yan’s body. Those energies swirled within him like sharp blades. As the onlookers watched, they clearly saw Shi Yan’s body beginning to tear as the backlash struck, bloodstains even starting to ooze from the corners of his mouth and eyes.

Shi Yan had absorbed a considerable amount of martial artist essence this time. When the acupoints purified this energy, the resulting backlash was extremely violent, to the point where his physical body could barely withstand it. Under the outburst of the backlash, his body began to be destroyed from within, his entire network of meridians trembling, on the verge of snapping.

“What kind of evil martial technique is he cultivating? How can the backlash be so terrifying?” Li Feng'er stared at Shi Yan, her beautiful eyes shining with a profound wonder, never once looking away.

“He is only at the Second Heaven of the Hundred Tribulations Realm, yet he faced the seven Divine Swords of Gu Linglong, a peak Second Heaven master, without fear, enduring the assault head-on…” Yang Xue said with a complex expression. “You must remember, Gu Linglong is a master ranked eighth on the Battle Scroll, and her Divine Sword Heart is a Saint-grade Martial Soul.”

Li Feng'er’s delicate body trembled slightly. “You mean to say, after using that evil martial technique, he could defeat me?”

“Feng'er, you are only at the First Heaven of the Earthly Realm. While your talent is exceptional, if Little Yanzi truly intended to kill you, based on the power he displayed, he… he likely would have a chance of success.” Yang Xue nodded.

Li Feng'er covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes filled with horror. Only when Yang Xue put it plainly did she realize how terrifying Shi Yan was—the ability to kill opponents across realms was extremely frightening.

“I am more and more convinced that the Family Head is truly wise. It seems expending three drops of Undying Blood for him was absolutely worthwhile.”