The moment the primary soul entered the Sea of Consciousness, the Five Fiends within instantly fell silent, ceasing their unrest.

As the primary soul made contact with the Sea of Consciousness, tendrils of spiritual threads within surged forth, instantly intertwining and connecting with the primary soul.

In that instant, Shi Yan’s primary soul and the spiritual sense formed a miraculous bond; the spiritual sense transformed into beams of subtle light, invisible to the naked eye, which suddenly shot into his pupils.

Suddenly opening his eyes, his gaze was flooded with electrical energy, fine, minuscule arcs of lightning rapidly coursing within his twin pupils.

Stepping out of the stone chamber and into the vast hall, Shi Yan gazed into the distance and realized with astonishment that the range his sight could cover had expanded by dozens of times compared to before!

Every object and detail ten miles away became incredibly clear under his scrutiny; he could perceive the fine wrinkles on the faces of several Yin Ghost Clan members ten miles distant, noticing the most minute details.

Spiritual sense extended outward, and surrounding life fluctuations immediately fed back to him; even the insect essence beneath the earth could not escape his probe.

For these three quarters of an hour, Shi Yan experienced a wondrous feeling, as if he had transformed into a deity.

Every minute detail in the vicinity, every faint flicker of life, could not escape his gaze or evade the coverage of his spiritual sense; everything, absolutely everything, felt completely within his grasp.

The primary soul’s descent into the Sea of Consciousness brought forth such a marvelous sensation, a feeling that made him ecstatic, even bringing a strange sense of emotional connection.

Within the Sea of Consciousness, the primary soul and spiritual sense were linked; the primary soul felt like an entirely new brain, and the threads of spiritual sense connecting to it acted as neural pathways, bestowing upon him novel comprehension.

With the primary soul now residing in the Sea of Consciousness, the Five Fiends of the mind-sea also suddenly calmed.

After careful introspection, Shi Yan discovered that the spiritual sense connected to the primary soul was also entwined with the Five Fiends. As soon as the primary soul entered the Sea of Consciousness, it continuously released wisps of soul (soul fluctuations), transmitting them to the Five Fiends via the spiritual sense. Under the influence of these soul fluctuations, the Five Fiends abruptly became compliant, seemingly realizing they could not shake the primary soul for the time being, and thus ceased their turmoil.

With a shift in thought, the primary soul poured various intentions into the Five Fiends. Those Fiends gradually sank deeper into the Sea of Consciousness, and the "soul imprints" belonging to him within the Five Fiends appeared to take effect, quietly restraining them and stopping the Fiends from continuing to release negative emotions.

The electrical light in Shi Yan’s eyes gradually receded, his expression returning to sternness as he stood in the stone hall, deep in thought.

After a pause, he sat down cross-legged within the hall, no longer worrying about anyone interfering. He reached out and took out the Black Kui Lotus from his Illusory Void Ring.

Opening the jade box, a burst of dark light suddenly bloomed from the petals of the Black Kui Lotus. These petals were as black as ink, shimmering with a shadowy radiance that evoked a strange and mysterious feeling.

Without much hesitation, he plucked a single petal and pressed it directly against his chest. Beams of refined essence light condensed in his fingers and shot into the petal.

A viscous, inky fluid suddenly began to flow from the petal, seeping into the skin of his chest and drawing into his body through his pores.

A peculiar sensation suddenly spread throughout his entire body…

It felt as if billions of tiny insects were gnawing at his chest; in an instant, Shi Yan’s chest was numb, aching, itchy, and intensely uncomfortable. The fluid originating from the Black Kui Lotus seemed to be quietly altering his muscle fibers, causing his very body cells to undergo transformation.

Under this strange sensation, a black pattern, about the size of a fist, gradually took shape on his chest.

Shi Yan’s expression was one of shock; he stared dumbly at the changes on his chest, unsure if the liquid from the Black Kui Lotus was truly as miraculous as described.

The black pattern transitioned from being initially vague to gradually becoming clear and distinct. Before long, sections of petals materialized on his chest. The jet-black petals spread open, slowly forming a somewhat eerie black lotus flower. Once the black lotus was formed, a cool aura immediately emanated from the heart of the petals.

Taking a deep breath, Shi Yan sat still, closing his eyes to meditate.

Essence slowly surged through his body, circulating through the meridians in a full celestial cycle. The moment this act of refining essence began, the surrounding Heaven and Earth spiritual energy suddenly became extraordinarily active, converging towards him at a speed several times faster than normal, pouring into the center of the black lotus pattern on his chest.

Truly miraculous!

Shi Yan was overjoyed. Clenching his eyes shut, completely focused, he used all his strength to condense and gather the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, using it to refine even more essence, thereby strengthening the essence reserves within his body.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.

“Creak!”

The stone door of a nearby chamber adjacent to the main hall was suddenly pushed open. Three slightly furtive, graceful figures slipped quietly out of the doorway and stopped about ten meters from Shi Yan, silently observing him cultivating in the center of the hall.

“Sister Lan…” Gu Linglong hunched her head, a cold glint flashing in her beautiful eyes as she looked meaningfully at Cao Zhilan.

Qu Yanqing’s pretty face was covered in frost, her eyes flickering uncertainly, as if she wanted to do something but hesitated.

Cao Zhilan frowned, slowly shaking her head under the gazes of Gu Linglong and Qu Yanqing, signaling for the two women not to act rashly.

Inside the hall, Shi Yan sat with his eyes closed, his body gathering a massive amount of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy. A bizarre black lotus on his chest pulsed with dark light, like a monstrous, gaping maw, swallowing the surrounding spiritual energy and converting it for Shi Yan.

Shi Yan remained motionless, utterly absorbed, seemingly unaware that the three women were secretly watching him not far away.

After an indeterminate amount of time, a faint, silvery-bright glow quietly appeared within Shi Yan’s body. This light was initially dim but gradually brightened as more and more Heaven and Earth spiritual energy was injected.

Dense Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, like faint smoke, coiled around Shi Yan without dissipating.

The silvery light within Shi Yan’s body slowly expanded, seemingly causing a strange reaction in the surrounding spiritual energy, which began to churn chaotically. It danced and condensed around him, forming fine arcs of lightning. As these arcs moved, they slowly approached his body, appearing to drill inward.

“Sister Lan, this, what is this…”

“He is about to break through to the Second Heaven Realm of the Earthly Status.”

“Ah? How can it be so fast? When he entered the Abyss Battlefield, he was only at the Hundred Calamity Realm!”

“The leaders of the two alien races offered up their clan’s rare treasures. Absorbing the power of those treasures, coupled with his outstanding talent, it’s quite reasonable for him to break through so quickly.”

“Sister Lan, this moment is the most dangerous. I think… I think he should have no defensive power right now. If we were to…?”

“Don’t act recklessly. Even if we killed him, what then? The Yin Ghost Clan members are everywhere. Once we leave this place, our fate will only be more miserable.”

“But, but he might lose control one day… he might take us. What will we do then?”

“Sigh, at least we’ll still be alive. Being taken by someone of our own kind is slightly more bearable than being taken by an alien. Can’t you see Zha Ji’s intentions? If we fall into Zha Ji’s hands… into the hands of those Winged Clan members, our fate will certainly be worse than it is now.”

“……”

A stretch of silence.

After a brief exchange, the three women quieted down again, watching Shi Yan from the side, daring not to make any rash moves.

At the front of the vast stone hall, atop an even taller ancient structure, Yu Rou, the Chief of the White Wing Clan, reclined on a bamboo rocking chair, her long, shapely, beautiful legs dangling, perfectly at ease. However, her captivating eyes were fixed far across the stone hall, quietly observing the activity within.

Beside Yu Rou, Di Shan of the Black Wing Clan stood like a statue, utterly unmoving, his expression severe, not uttering a word.

Behind Di Shan, He Qingman stared wide-eyed, gazing from afar at the stone hall, her expression complicated as she watched Shi Yan’s slightly blurred figure.

“Half a month’s time, to advance from the First Heaven Realm of Earthly Status to the Second Heaven Realm. Although he utilized the White Jade Spirit Fruit and the Black Kui Lotus, this young man’s talent is indeed quite remarkable.” After a long silence, Di Shan finally sighed softly, “It’s a pity he’s human. If he were one of our Winged Clan youths, I would certainly cultivate him well.”

As he spoke, Di Shan waved his hand, and a dark shroud of light instantly enveloped He Qingman, preventing her from hearing any sound.

“Di Shan, I promised that boy I would spare his life after this was done.” Yu Rou’s rocking chair gradually stilled. She frowned, casting a cold glance at Di Shan, and stated calmly, “As a clan leader, we cannot go back on our word, don’t you agree?”

“I will do my best to protect him,” Di Shan murmured after a moment’s thought. “But if the Yin Ghost Clan and Duolong join forces and are determined to kill him, I cannot die prematurely because of him.”

Yu Rou’s expression shifted slightly, and she snapped, “They dare?”

Di Shan gave a wry smile and slowly nodded. “This boy’s performance has been too outstanding. That is why the Yin Ghost Clan desperately wants him dead. Furthermore, to accelerate his progress, you allowed those three to let him peruse the Yin Ghost Clan’s ancient secret codex. He has learned those profound secrets of the soul. If he survives this time, his mastery of the soul in the future will reach a terrifying level, which will become a disaster for the Yin Ghost Clan. If I were a member of the Yin Ghost Clan, I would not spare him either; I would kill him at all costs.”

Yu Rou froze, then slowly nodded after a pause, her expression complex. “It seems my actions have plunged him into a place of eternal damnation.”

“He is just a human boy, why worry about him? We paid such a high price merely to break the barrier. His life or death is not something we need to dwell on,” Di Shan said indifferently.

“Di Shan,” Yu Rou suddenly called out sharply, hesitating before looking up to gaze deeply at the White Wing Clan Chief, “If that boy is a descendant of the Three Great Divine Bloodline God-Kings, would you follow the ancestral instruction of Shi Yan and resolutely protect his life?”

“What?” Di Shan’s expression changed drastically.

“The Undying God-King’s divine blood flows in his body. Heaven’s will is at play; his arrival here, possessing the Heavenly Fire, gives him all the conditions necessary to help our two clans escape this forsaken land. Tell me, is this not the prayer of our ancestor from that time, piercing the spatial barrier to reach the God-King, resulting in this fruit today?” Yu Rou’s eyes shone brightly as she faced Di Shan with a solemn expression.

“The Undying God-King?” Di Shan inhaled sharply, clearly deeply shaken. After a long silence, he said in a grave tone, “Are you certain?”

“I have investigated thoroughly; he is absolutely a descendant of the Undying God-King,” Yu Rou affirmed. “I know Duolong has always scoffed at the ancestral teachings, and telling him these things is useless. What I want now is to hear your opinion.”

“If we follow the ancestral teachings, we are supposed to serve him as our master, this…” Di Shan gave a bitter, drawn-out laugh, hesitated, and then frowned. “Let’s wait and see. If the potential this boy displays shocks even me, then I might consider it. If he proves to be rotten lumber that cannot be propped up, then I will show no mercy. Hmph! For me, Di Shan, to serve an incompetent junior as master—I would rather defy the ancestral teachings than agree!”