The Great Sun Essence in Dune continuously released the fire of the Great Sun, intense solar power. Intermingled with this solar fire, as if drawn by some unseen aura, wisps began to drift away.

A majestic figure, entirely wreathed in flames, hovered ten meters from the Great Sun Essence, enduring the most agonizing confrontation between scorching flame and icy force.

The solar fire and the frigid power of the Profound Ice Cold Flame clashed and melted within his body, plunging him into a state where ice and fire waged war; his flesh swung wildly between bone-chilling cold and unbearable, searing heat.

Even his Sea of Consciousness began to descend into chaos. A flood of negative emotions, stemming from his acupoints, surged forth, becoming alarmingly uncontrolled.

Shi Yan had no comprehension of what was happening; he could only bear the brunt of it passively.

The contest between the solar fire and the Profound Ice Cold Flame raged within his body. Yet, even as these two bizarre powers struck against each other, his heart continued to absorb the pure solar power emanating from the Great Sun Essence!

His Sea of Consciousness was muddled, his awareness increasingly hazy. Shi Yan gradually drifted, losing the sense of who he was.

Simultaneously, the negative emotions surging within his body erupted. All manner of dark feelings welled up, shifting incessantly within his mind, compelling him to unconsciously forget himself. Reason fractured, and the entire being teetered on the brink of demonic deviation.

Beneath the crimson cloud cover.

A towering form, blazing with fire and eyes burning scarlet, tilted its head back and roared toward the heavens, as if intent on annihilating all creation.

The terrifying roar echoed ceaselessly across the desert, distinct and clear even to those tens of li away.

“What lunatic is screaming?” In the desert, a company of martial artists trudged aimlessly, their faces masked by dust and clearly bearing the weight of exhaustion.

The leader, a petite young woman, frowned, gazing into the distance for a moment before suddenly letting out an exclamation.

“Sister Gu, I suspect the one roaring out there is your enemy,” Cao Zhilan said lightly, her lovely face contorted in a strange expression.

This group consisted of Cao Zhilan, Pan Zhe, Gu Linglong, and Cui Yanqing. They had been separated earlier, but after wandering the desert for this period, the two parties had converged by an extraordinary coincidence.

Upon meeting, they naturally reformed their alliance, intent on tracking down the Yang family martial artists rumored to be somewhere in this bizarre desert. However, no matter how they probed, no matter how Cao Zhilan activated her Spirit God Martial Soul, they were rendered blind here, unable to discern any direction.

Now, even Cao Zhilan was starting to feel lost.

As they stood bewildered and uncertain, the terrifying roar suddenly reached them. Cao Zhilan, with her sharp senses, instantly pinpointed the identity of the source of the outcry—a discovery that instantly electrified them.

“Ha! It seems we finally have a target!” Gu Linglong cried out sharply. “What are we waiting for? Let’s charge up and finish that brat quickly.” Pan Zhe smiled faintly and nodded. “We’ve been out here for quite some time; we’ve been lost in this desert for nearly half a year. It’s best we deal with the Yang family remnants quickly so we can get out.”

“Get out sooner?” Cao Zhilan shot Pan Zhe a half-smiling glance. “I’d love to know what marvelous plan you have to lead us out of this desert region sooner?”

“I think the breakthrough lies with Shi Yan. He must have been the first one in here; perhaps he knows the way out of this place,” Pan Zhe scratched his head, laughing awkwardly. “Failing that, don’t we still have Miss Cao? I trust that with your Spirit God Martial Soul, you will eventually detect something unusual in this desert…”

“I have little confidence,” Cao Zhilan shook her head, then her expression turned serious. “The direction Shi Yan is in is intensely hot. I doubt everyone can adapt to that extreme temperature. Even I require some secret treasures to approach that area. You all must use your discretion; do not push yourselves.”

At these words, the expressions of everyone present shifted subtly.

After a pause, Gu Linglong and the others quietly nodded, immediately turning to instruct their respective followers to proceed with extreme caution—to not rashly advance ahead for fear of being unable to withstand the intense heat of the flames and being literally evaporated by the power of the fire.

Having issued their commands, Pan Zhe, Gu Linglong, and Cui Yanqing dared to follow Cao Zhilan, accelerating toward Shi Yan’s location at high speed.

After a long while.

Cao Zhilan, Gu Linglong, Cui Yanqing, and Pan Zhe arrived within five hundred meters of the Great Sun Essence.

At this distance, under the blazing glare of the Great Sun Essence’s intense light, the four could barely make out Shi Yan or discern exactly what was happening at that spot.

None of their followers dared to pursue further.

Under the oppressive heat of the solar flames, even martial artists of the Third Heaven Essence level could not endure and chose to halt where they were.

The only reason the four dared to approach within five hundred meters was that they were the future inheritors of their respective powerful factions. These four possessed not only specialized martial arts but also numerous hidden treasures. Relying on the marvelous properties of these artifacts and their Martial Souls, they managed to hold their ground at the five-hundred-meter mark.

Having never undergone tempering by heavenly fire on their physical bodies, even bearing rare treasures, they could only observe from five hundred meters out, unable to stand within a hundred meters without fear of incineration by the solar fire, as Shi Yan could without relying on the chilling power of the Profound Ice Cold Flame.

“I can’t open my eyes!” Gu Linglong exclaimed. “What is that thing over there? It’s like a miniature sun—too blinding! I can’t see anything, and I dare not look!”

“Everyone, do not open your eyes!” Cao Zhilan cried out involuntarily. “That… that might be the Great Sun Essence! The flame essence originating from the Sun’s Heart. Gazing upon it directly will burn the eyes blind!”

“The Great Sun Essence!” Pan Zhe gasped in horror. “If the Three Gods Cult members were here and knew of this, wouldn't they go mad?”

“It’s a pity the Three Gods Cult is preoccupied fighting the Netherworld people and didn't participate in this action against the Yang family,” Cui Yanqing murmured, even with her eyes shut. “It’s their oversight. If those martial artists from the Three Gods Cult who possess the Blazing Sun Martial Soul had arrived here and discovered this Sun Essence… their Blazing Sun Martial Souls would reach an unimaginable height!”

Cao Zhilan did not reply. She cautiously released her Spirit God Martial Soul, attempting to perceive the situation over there.

However, the moment her spirit sense extended, she encountered an intensely violent psychic fluctuation emanating from the Sun Essence. This mental attack was razor-sharp, like a thunderbolt, striking directly into Cao Zhilan’s mind along the path of her spiritual perception.

“Gah!” Cao Zhilan involuntarily spat out a mouthful of blood. Her graceful figure stumbled back a few steps, her lovely face flushed as she shrieked, “Do not release your spiritual sense! There is something strange within that Sun Essence!”

“Pfft!”

“Pfft!”

Pan Zhe and Gu Linglong simultaneously spat blood and retreated clumsily, their expressions ugly in the extreme. Cui Yanqing recoiled in shock; just as she was about to release her spiritual sense, she immediately stopped.

Cao Zhilan had only spoken a beat too late; Pan Zhe and Gu Linglong were immediately severely wounded the instant they projected their spiritual force, struck by the anomaly within the Sun Essence, suffering injury instantly.

“Be careful! Absolutely do not release your spiritual sense again, nor keep your eyes open continuously. Glance once, then immediately close them, lest you are blinded by the solar light!” Cao Zhilan hurriedly warned.

“Not good!” Cui Yanqing suddenly shouted sharply.

“What is it?” Pan Zhe asked urgently.

“Shi Yan… Shi Yan is coming!” Cui Yanqing couldn't help but retreat. “He is covered in flames, and there is also some strange cold force! What… what is going on?”

“What?” After her three shocks, Cao Zhilan finally couldn't restrain herself and opened her beautiful eyes.

In her line of sight, a majestic silhouette was rapidly approaching under the dazzling illumination of the fiery light. Two types of flames—one crimson and one deep sapphire—were erupting from his body. The crimson flame was scorching and surging, while the sapphire flame was piercingly cold. These two fires permeated his entire form, seemingly still locked in fierce combat.

Yet, despite being assaulted by conflicting flames, he moved with perfect ease, his speed lightning-fast, accelerating toward the group.

As his body swept forward, clusters of solar fire from around the Great Sun Essence followed him like a cloud of fire. For some unknown reason, these clustered flames seemed drawn to his body, wrapping around him rapidly as he sped past.

The force of the oncoming flames was earth-shattering, as if intending to incinerate the entire world to ash.

When the stabbing pain in her eyes became unbearable, Cao Zhilan realized her sight couldn't hold out any longer. Without a moment's hesitation, she abruptly turned and fled at top speed. “Retreat!”

Pan Zhe was about to say something when he realized Cao Zhilan had vanished in an instant. His handsome face instantly shifted, and without daring to utter another word, he too retreated desperately, following Cao Zhilan's heels. Cui Yanqing and Gu Linglong, though unwilling to yield and wanting to stay and fight, saw that even Cao Zhilan, ranked highest among them, had fled first, and they too recognized the danger, hurriedly escaping after Pan Zhe.

“Clang!”

At that very moment.

A massive sword, two meters long and half a meter wide, made of crimson, fire-crystal-like material, suddenly shot forth from the Great Sun Essence!

This crimson greatsword was inscribed with ancient, primal fire symbols, and along its body were numerous blood-red eyes. The instant the sword emerged, the blood-red eyes upon its surface released a sinister scarlet light!

An overwhelmingly evil psychic fluctuation instantly washed outward from the crimson fire-crystal greatsword, a wave of malice like a death vortex sweeping through living beings, seeking to drain the vitality of all creation.

The frenzied, towering body that had been relentlessly pursuing Cao Zhilan and Pan Zhe’s party suddenly halted the moment the greatsword unleashed its evil psychic wave. A look of confusion appeared in its eyes.

The Blood-Patterned Ring worn on its finger had, at some point, begun to emit a scarlet, blood-like sheen that strikingly matched the crimson glow in the greatsword's many eyes!