"You scared the life out of me." Li Feng'er stuck out her tongue, her expression showing utter relief. "Ha, to be able to evade even the Five-Colored Divine Light, you truly are no ordinary person."

Yang Mu also let out a breath of relief and signaled Shi Yan with a look from a distance, indicating for Shi Yan to find an opportunity to retreat into the Meteorite Array.

"Whoosh, whoosh!"

The piercing whistle sounded once more.

The wave of Five-Colored Divine Light that Shi Yan had just managed to avoid returned. After obliterating a palace, it shot towards Shi Yan from behind.

"You're not dodging anymore? Is that for real?" Cao Zhilan’s lips curled into a mocking smile. "Let's see your courage now."

"Little Yanzi, don't let her provoke you. This Five-Colored Divine Light is formed by the convergence of five different elemental powers. Even a martial artist at the generally difficult Hundred Tribulations Realm would struggle to handle it. Don't be reckless," Yang Mu warned loudly.

Yang Qi and Yang Xue also hastened to dissuade him.

Shi Yan closed his eyes once more.

The returning Five-Colored Divine Light, carrying world-shattering energy fluctuations, blasted toward him from behind.

"Boom!"

Billows of flames erupted continuously from Shi Yan’s body.

The searing fire power originating from the Earth Core Fire instantly transformed the area behind Shi Yan into an ocean of flames. Explosions crackled in the air as the heat, capable of incinerating all things, surged within the blaze.

The Five-Colored Divine Light plunged directly into the sea of fire, which was formed by the convergence of ten-thousand-year Earth Core Fire.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss!"

Strange sounds echoed from within the sea of fire. The Five-Colored Divine Light was visibly being burned away by the fire's power.

Flickers of five different colored flames emerged within the inferno. The energy of the Five-Colored Divine Light was rapidly consumed and weakened by the sea of fire.

By now, the ten-thousand-year Earth Core Fire was effectively a Heavenly Fire, possessing earth-shattering power capable of reducing anything to ash.

This sea of fire, composed of the Earth Core Fire’s essence, also carried the attribute of a Heavenly Fire. Its scorching heat was sufficient to burn everything to cinders.

Energy of different attributes was no exception.

The Five-Colored Divine Light rushed into the blaze and was quickly reduced to ash by the flames, leaving behind only shimmering, multicolored smoke and soot.

"I said, I won't dodge again."

Shi Yan finally opened his eyes, gazing coldly at Cao Zhilan. "Your Five-Colored Divine Light contains your spiritual imprint. Your mental intent can lock onto me. Next time, no matter how I evade, your Divine Light will relentlessly pursue me. Therefore, I will cease dodging."

"You can actually sense my mental intent?" Cao Zhilan’s beautiful eyes shimmered with surprise. "Only a martial artist who has formed a Sea of Consciousness in the Nirvana Nest Realm can perceive my spiritual lock through their Sea of Consciousness. You are only at the Hundred Tribulations Realm—how could you detect my spiritual lock? I don't understand."

"There are many things you don't understand," Shi Yan retorted, a sliver of mocking disdain flashing through his crimson eyes. He then let out a sharp cry: "Counterattack!"

Three massive phantom images of demons, which had flown in from outside the palace, suddenly surged into the center of the pursuing martial artists. Simultaneously, Shi Yan condensed his mental consciousness into a spiritual storm, affixing all manner of negative emotions onto it, and began to unleash this storm upon the densest clusters of the crowd.

Martial artists below the Nirvana Nest Realm had not yet formed a Sea of Consciousness; they only possessed mental power, which could not generate an impact directed at the soul.

However, Shi Yan, leveraging the Soul Gathering Pearl, had inexplicably achieved a Sea of Consciousness one step ahead of schedule. Utilizing this Sea of Consciousness, he had discerned Cao Zhilan’s spiritual lock with startling clarity moments ago, and now he began employing spiritual impact to bombard the pursuers.

The formation of the Sea of Consciousness signified that Shi Yan was more advanced in soul evolution than everyone else present!

Possessing a Sea of Consciousness meant Shi Yan’s spiritual perception was omnipresent, allowing him to target and assault any soul with spiritual impact!

The Sea of Consciousness, which had remained dormant until now, suddenly erupted amidst the assault of the spiritual storm!

Wherever the spiritual storm passed, the pursuers turned red-faced, completely losing awareness of who they were, and began wielding their divine weapons against their own comrades.

Rounds of the spiritual storm affected dozens of pursuers, driving them into madness and causing them to fall into qi deviation.

Seizing this opportunity, Shi Yan used his mind to control the three phantom images of demons. These phantoms were condensed from pure negative energy, darting and weaving through the battlefield, passing through the bodies of the martial artists.

Each time a demon phantom passed through a person's body, that person's vitality was instantly severed, and they died on the spot.

Shi Yan suddenly sat down cross-legged where he stood.

While controlling the three enormous demon phantoms with his mind, he continuously gathered mental consciousness, layering it with negative emotions to form a mind-shattering spiritual storm that ceaselessly affected the warring enemies, driving one pursuer after another into a frenzy.

"Spiritual Sense! That is Spiritual Sense!"

Cao Zhilan’s Spiritual Soul Martial Spirit finally grasped the truth after a moment of contemplation, and she cried out in shock, her face filled with astonishment.

"What?"

Gu Linglong's delicate face paled, and she shook her head in disbelief. "This brat clearly only has the cultivation of the Hundred Tribulations Realm; how could he possess a Sea of Consciousness?"

Cao Zhilan did not reply. She also sat down, mimicking Shi Yan. The Illusionary Void Ring on her hand flashed, and a red-skinned war drum appeared in her palm.

"Dong! Dong! Dong!"

Cao Zhilan sat opposite Shi Yan, her slender, beautiful legs crossed, lightly beating the war drum with her fair hands.

The sound of the war drum seemed to possess a mysterious power that distorted and confused the Sea of Consciousness. Each strike pierced fiercely into Shi Yan's mind, drilling into his Sea of Consciousness, preventing him from condensing his mental consciousness for further attacks.

This war drum was clearly designed specifically to counter the Sea of Consciousness of Nirvana Realm martial artists.

"Dong! Dong! Dong!"

The bizarre drumbeat echoed across the field. The martial artists who had been driven mad by Shi Yan’s spiritual storm gradually cleared their eyes under the drum's rhythm and slowly awoke. Shi Yan’s expression changed; he abruptly stood up and nodded to Yang Mu: "Retreat."

The three demon phantoms condensed from negative energy became somewhat uncontrollable due to the chaos in Shi Yan's Sea of Consciousness, beginning to split into wisps of pale energy that coiled towards Gu Linglong and the others.

The spiritual storm had failed, and even the demon phantoms condensed from negative energy were difficult to control. Simultaneously, the exhaustion within his body grew heavier; the backlash from the second stage of the Berserk Burst seemed to be quietly taking effect.

In this situation, Shi Yan made a decisive move, realizing that to continue fighting meant being killed off one by one by the enemy.

"Retreat!"

Yang Mu shouted, bumping shoulders with Yang Ke and shoving him towards the Meteorite Array.

Fearing Yang Ke would act rashly again, he sent him into the array ahead of time before calling out to Li Feng'er and the others nearby: "Let's go!"

Feeling the fatigue surge into him like a tide, Shi Yan no longer forced himself to stay and swiftly retreated backward.

A graceful figure clad in fiery red armor suddenly appeared in his line of sight. Shi Yan paused slightly, then realized the beautiful figure was actually He Qingman.

He Qingman’s beautiful face was cold, and she was unleashing fierce martial techniques against Yang Xue.

When Yang Mu's sharp command rang out, He Qingman snorted, intensifying the ruthlessness of her attacks, displaying a vicious demeanor as if determined to keep Yang Xue pinned down.

"Seeking death!"

Shi Yan, retreating rapidly toward Yang Xue’s position, clearly saw He Qingman’s aggressive moves. He snorted coldly, raised his hand, and hurled out a Life Seal condensed from pure essence.

He Qingman was focused on her duel with Yang Xue when she suddenly sensed the surging power behind her. Her expression changed, and she turned her head only to see Shi Yan's Life Seal hurtling towards her.

A strange expression flickered across He Qingman's charming face. She glared fiercely at Shi Yan, then abruptly pulled back from Yang Xue, retreating towards her.

Yang Xue, who had been fighting her, clearly had a prime opportunity for a killing blow but surprisingly did not strike. Instead, she suddenly retreated into the Meteorite Array.

Shi Yan was stunned.

Yang Xue had clearly held back. If she hadn't been in a hurry to retreat into the array and had counterattacked He Qingman, who was busy dodging Shi Yan's Life Seal, He Qingman absolutely could not have blocked the blow from behind.

"Meddling!" He Qingman's graceful form drifted away like the wind, evading Shi Yan's Life Seal, and she muttered a low curse.

Shi Yan was taken aback.

He stared at He Qingman for a moment, recalling Yang Xue’s peculiar action, and Shi Yan suddenly understood.

These two women had actually been putting on a show!

They appeared to be fighting fiercely, but neither had attempted a killing blow; it was all just an act for the onlookers.

Realizing the truth, Shi Yan’s expression remained cold and stern. "Get out of the way!"

He activated the Dark Light Shield, petrifying his body, and Shi Yan shot past He Qingman like a sharp sword, rapidly heading toward the Meteorite Array.

He Qingman raised her hand, and sharp beams of concentrated light shot from her fingertips, striking Shi Yan’s back.

These seemingly ferocious beams lacked significant power upon impact. If Shi Yan hadn't actively shattered the Dark Light Boat, He Qingman's strike wouldn't even have been able to penetrate his most basic Dark Light Shield.

This woman, it seemed, still possessed a shred of decency.

After this exchange, Shi Yan was finally certain that although He Qingman had also come to the Abyss Battlefield, her objective was different from that of the Evil Charm faction; she didn't truly intend to kill them.

Shi Yan vanished in a flash within the densest part of the grey cloud mass. Yang Mu let out a loud laugh and was the last to disappear.

Pan Zhe and the others looked grim and charged toward that same area along with the remaining pursuers, preparing to enter the Meteorite Array.

"Don't chase yet!"

Cao Zhilan, who had been sitting cross-legged, suddenly stood up, shook her head with a solemn expression, and explained, "There is an array inside, quite perilous. The Yang family members can enter and exit safely because they have already deciphered that array. But if you enter rashly, the array will attack you."

"Then what should we do?" Gu Linglong grit her teeth, saying hatefully, "Just let them go? Hmph, I thought you were so powerful, yet you still can't do anything about that brat Shi Yan? You said you would handle him, and I shouldn't have trusted you. If I had joined in, we definitely could have killed him!"

"Little Sister Gu, since you are so confident, I will let you handle him next time," Cao Zhilan replied calmly without anger, giving a slight smile. "But for now, everyone settle down, and let me decipher the array for you first, alright?"

The crowd fell silent, eventually nodding in agreement.