"Miss Cao, your Spiritual Soul Martial Soul has always been incredibly mystical. In this place, perhaps you can sense the locations of Shi Yan and the Yang family members?" On a dune, after testing the Sound Stone and finding his spiritual energy blocked, Pan Zhe finally asked Cao Zhilan with a hint of dejection, pinning his hopes on this woman.

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly. Cao Zhilan closed her eyes, quietly sensing for a moment, then opened them and gently shook her head. "I can only detect special energy fluctuations within a certain range. I imagine the Yang family martial artists are currently outside my sensory reach, so I cannot ascertain their direction either."

"So, does that mean... we are lost here?" Pan Zhe shook his head and gave a self-deprecating laugh. "That wretched place has no return teleportation array. Are we supposed to be stuck in this area for the rest of our lives?"

"I certainly don't wish to be," Cao Zhilan replied with a calm expression. "Although I don't know how vast this place is, as long as we explore around, we will eventually notice something unusual. Whoever constructed this place wouldn't leave absolutely no clues behind. Hmm, I just need some time."

"It truly is an honor to be able to teleport together with Miss Cao," Pan Zhe chuckled freely, a slight gleam in his eyes.

Cao Zhilan offered no reply, her beautiful eyes flickering with faint, sharp light as she began searching for anomalies in their surroundings.

"Senior Brother, what should we do?" He Qingman and Xie Kui stood on another dune.

Beside them were five martial artists of the Earthly Status realm from the Heavenly Evil Grotto-Heaven, who had also been coincidentally teleported near them.

The five men quietly encircled He Qingman and Xie Kui, ensuring that martial artists from other distant factions wouldn't overhear their conversation.

Xie Kui’s expression was gloomy, his eyes icy cold as he let out a sharp scoff. "Who are you asking? Ask me?"

"Senior Brother, you weren't like this before." He Qingman looked somewhat aggrieved, pouting her lips into a pretty, delicate expression on the verge of tears. "I remember Senior Brother used to adore me very much... Why are you treating me like this now?"

"Why?" Xie Kui's gaze was filled with fierce hostility. "Don't you know?"

"I really don't know." Under Xie Kui's fierce stare, He Qingman seemed a little guilty, taking a timid step back, yet she stubbornly gritted her teeth.

"When we came to the Azure Sea Domain, you were full of reservations and unwilling to come... From that moment, I knew your heart wasn't entirely with our Heavenly Evil Grotto-Heaven. But I still didn't expect you to dare act so flagrantly! That fight with Yang Xue in the palace—were you just playing around?" As he spoke, Xie Kui suddenly roared.

He Qingman’s delicate body trembled. "You... you noticed?"

"Hmph!" Xie Kui sneered. "More than just me noticed! You didn't even use your Martial Soul, and you only exerted a fraction of your physical strength. Did you think Cao Zhilan, Li Yanqing, and Pan Zhe were fools? They simply chose not to say anything. Once this incident passes and word gets out, it will affect both you and the reputation of our Heavenly Evil Grotto-Heaven! I don't want people saying that members of our Heavenly Evil Grotto-Heaven are still entangled with the Yang family!"

"Senior Brother, Yang Xue... Yang Xue and I have always had a very good relationship; I couldn't bring myself to strike her," He Qingman replied, her eyes reddening.

"This is war! Don't cling to past affections!" Xie Kui’s expression was sinister. "That final strike you landed on Shi Yan, you also held back your full strength... Yang Xue had some connection with you, but that brat Shi Yan—how could you not be able to kill him? I truly question if letting you continue with us was the right decision."

He Qingman bit her lip, unable to refute him.

"The last incident, I can pretend not to have seen it. However, if there is a next time, don't blame me, your Senior Brother, for showing no mercy!" Xie Kui snorted coldly. "Remember, our Heavenly Evil Grotto-Heaven is already involved. From this point forward, every member of the Yang family is our sworn enemy who cannot coexist with us. That fact will never change. You and I are both future pillars of the Heavenly Evil Grotto-Heaven. Everything we do now is for our own future, understand?"

He Qingman lowered her head, remaining silent.

"Think it over yourself. I’ve said what needs to be said. I hope you don't disappoint me next time. Otherwise, I won't be your Senior Brother anymore, but the one who disciplines you for the first time!" Xie Kui swept his sleeve and strode away, his expression exceedingly cold. He now regarded the future of the Heavenly Evil Grotto-Heaven as his own future. This pursuit of the Yang family, he was determined to accomplish.

After all, the foundation of the Heavenly Evil Grotto-Heaven lay in the Galuo Sea Domain. Once the Yang family recovered its strength and sought to retaliate, they would undoubtedly be the first target.

A ball of crimson flame traced an elegant arc ahead, firelight sputtering as the fireball accelerated.

Behind the fireball, a tall, slender figure followed closely, moving like a phantom bolt of lightning, maintaining a distance of about ten meters from the fiery mass.

As the Earth Core Fire raced forward, the dense power of its flames leaked out uncontrollably. Even Shi Yan found the intense heat difficult to endure.

Maintaining ten meters was the absolute limit he could manage while striving to temper himself.

If he attempted to draw any closer to the Earth Core Fire, the searing flames would make it hard for him to breathe. The vital essence within his body would instinctively surge out to resist the fire’s penetration, which would severely deplete his essence and quickly exhaust him.

Therefore, ten meters away was the most suitable distance for him. After breaking through to the Earthly Status realm, Shi Yan felt as if the power within him had undergone a world-shattering transformation. This change wasn't merely a surge in strength; his understanding of power and his control over vital essence had ascended to an entirely new level.

Now, controlling his vital essence was effortless. Within every wisp of essence, there seemed to be his own spiritual consciousness. As soon as his mind commanded it, the essence would rapidly stream out from every meridian in his body, transforming into the shape he desired the instant his thought changed.

Condensing essence into tangible forms now became incredibly easy.

All manner of birds, beasts, flowers, grasses, staffs, and weapons—as long as he held a complete mental image, steering them with his spirit, the vital essence would condense into that precise form with exquisite subtlety. Under the influence of his spiritual sense within the Sea of Consciousness, the essence-formed birds could soar slowly through the void, the flowers appeared lifelike, and the weapons were incomparably sturdy. The Earthly Status realm was a process of complete comprehension of the power within. Previously, vital essence was just one form of energy inside him; now, it was like an extension of his body, the very source of power, and a spirit embodying his emotions.

"How much further?" Shi Yan projected his thought, his rapidly advancing body pausing slightly. He casually took out a few Origin Returning Pills and swallowed them in one gulp. He slowly moderated his speed, advancing while urging the medicinal power within him to take effect.

In the Abyss Battlefield, Origin Returning Pills were the simplest and most effective way to restore vital essence, as the spiritual energy of heaven and earth here was extremely sparse. Recovering vital essence by drawing on ambient energy would take at least ten times longer than in the outside world. The Earth Core Fire sensed Shi Yan slowing down and knowingly followed suit, cheerfully transmitting its joy and excitement.

"Almost there?" Shi Yan carefully reflected on the situation for a moment, then released his spiritual sense, intending to survey the surrounding conditions.

His spiritual sense rippled outwards like waves but was greatly impeded by this strange space. It wasn't as fluid as it was outside; the speed at which his sense spread was slowed many times over, and the range it covered was reduced several dozen times.

"Hmm? Life signs!"

Suddenly, faint vital fluctuations reached the extreme limit of his spiritual exploration. Judging by these fluctuations, they were undoubtedly Earthly Status martial artists. Shi Yan’s spirit lifted. He instinctively assumed it might be Yang Mu and the others. Even if it wasn't Yang Mu, as long as they were other explorers, he would at least have someone to communicate with—to ask where he was, and if they knew how to leave this place.

Here, having followed the Earth Core Fire for an unknown duration, he was filled with confusion and had been alone for too long. He truly yearned for someone to talk to.

"Go inside first. We'll catch up later; allow me to go meet some people," Shi Yan transmitted. The Earth Core Fire acted coy and reluctant but, under Shi Yan's summons, obediently drilled into the Blood-Patterned Ring. The Earth Core Fire was a Heavenly Fire, immensely powerful, but it hadn't finished evolving yet. Even after it fully evolved, there were many entities capable of restraining it. Otherwise, the Profound Ice Cold Flame wouldn't have been suppressed multiple times.

In this world, there were numerous strange treasures that even a Heavenly Fire could not escape, such as the Soul Gathering Pearl, which rendered the soul of a Demon Lord separated from its body completely helpless. There were also magical spiritual treasures specifically designed to capture Heavenly Fires. Therefore, it was safer for the Earth Core Fire to remain within the Blood-Patterned Ring.

As soon as the Earth Core Fire entered the Blood-Patterned Ring, Shi Yan retracted the spiritual sense he had released. He then headed straight in the direction sensed by his spirit.

About half an hour later, Shi Yan suddenly halted behind a dune. He quietly approached the dune, cautiously peered over the crest, and squinted as he looked far out at the figures approaching his direction.

Positioned behind the dune, Shi Yan could see the incoming people from that angle, but because of the distance, he only exposed his head slightly; the approaching figures would have difficulty spotting him. He stared intently, the distant figures slightly blurred, their true features unclear, but Shi Yan wasn't anxious and waited patiently.

Finally, a stunning figure clad in fire-red armor was spotted amidst the group. Although he still couldn't clearly make out her features, judging by the attire, Shi Yan recognized that alluring, fiery silhouette as He Qingman.

After recognizing He Qingman, he glanced at the few people beside her and found Xie Kui based on his memory of their clothing.

He watched for a while longer, then cautiously released his spiritual sense to explore again. He was certain that Cao Zhilan, Pan Zhe, Gu Linglong, and Jian Yanqing—the top-ranked young talents on the Battle Rankings—were not traveling with Xie Kui and the others.

His spiritual sense acted as a Heavenly Eye, capturing the strength of everyone approaching. Shi Yan slowly retracted his head, activated the Finger Gun Art, and buried himself beneath the sand of the dune, slowly regulating his breath to conceal every trace of aura within his body.

A total of eleven Earthly Status martial artists, including Xie Kui and He Qingman, none exceeding the Third Heaven of the Earthly Status realm—they could be killed! PS: I was completely worn out yesterday, receiving an IV drip until eleven at night, didn't get home until midnight, and then got bitten by mosquitoes all night. Ugh, what a tragic affair~~