At the pinnacle of the ancient tower piercing the clouds, Dorong, the patriarch of the Gray-Wing Clan, his eyes sharp and sinister, inquired with displeasure.

Di Shan and Yu Rou were also at the tower’s peak. Both furrowed their brows, gazing down from their vantage point at the distant view, yet neither answered Dorong's question.

Not long after.

Zha Meng, Ka Ba, and Yi Tianmo, the three commanders of the Shadow-Phantom Clan, also flew in from their respective ancient towers, descending onto the rooftop together, each looking rather grim.

Their cultivation levels were extraordinary, and their soul-sensing capabilities were transcendent. Even within the Great Stone Ancient City, they could perceive the escalating disturbances and increasingly obvious anomalies emanating from Yin Beast Mountain.

The six alien powerhouses stared toward Yin Beast Mountain from the tower's summit, feeling an unsettling chill creep into their hearts.

The firmament in that direction seemed to be ripped open by spatial fissures that devoured all things, with dazzling streaks of light intertwining and knotting together.

Deep within the sky, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and waves of destructive power grew increasingly chaotic.

In the eyes of these six alien powerhouses, the heavens above Yin Beast Mountain looked as though they could erupt at any moment.

Should an explosion occur, this forsaken land would instantly vanish into nothingness, and every living creature residing here would be pulverized into fine dust in an instant, leaving not a trace behind.

These six knew that a monumental change was imminent.

Time was growing critically short. Even the Yin Beasts deep within Yin Beast Mountain seemed aware of it; they had started to become extremely restless, moving about wildly across the territories of the Shadow-Phantom Clan and the other alien races, as if desperately seeking a way to survive.

“Time is running out…” Yi Tianmo’s expression was exceedingly grave. “Another month from now… if we still haven't found a way to leave, I doubt any of us can escape this calamity.”

A heavy weight settled upon everyone’s expression.

“Di Shan, Yu Rou,” Dorong said grimly, his face cold. “For that brat to advance quickly, I contributed the Heavenly Spring Condensing Dew and even handed over that human girl to you. What is the current situation?” He continued, “For the future of our two clans, I have swallowed my pride and willingly relinquished everything. But if that brat proves useless, I swear I will flay his skin and pull out his bones before I die, making him taste every torture imaginable!”

Di Shan snorted coldly, offering no reply.

“He has another half-month. After that, we will take him to Yin Beast Mountain,” the patriarch of the White-Wing Clan appeared the most composed. “Rest assured. Shi Yan has already entered the Earthly Status Second Heaven realm, and his understanding of Heavenly Fire has reached a new height. In another half-month, his realm should stabilize, and he will have truly mastered the application of his power. That will be the moment for us to enter Yin Beast Mountain.”

Yi Tianmo glanced far off toward the ancient tower where Shi Yan was situated and subtly probed with his soul…

A moment later, a flash of surprised expression suddenly darted across Yi Tianmo’s pale gray eyes; he seemed to have discovered something.

The three Wing Clan patriarchs—Di Shan, Dorong, and Yu Rou—were inferior to the Shadow-Phantom Clan in soul attainment and thus failed to notice Yi Tianmo’s minor probing. However, Zha Meng and Ka Ba, who were also Shadow-Phantom Clan commanders, sensed something when Yi Tianmo withdrew his soul.

“Brother Yi, you seem to have found something?” Ka Ba looked at him curiously and asked in a deep voice.

Yi Tianmo slowly nodded, his expression regaining its composure. “That brat hasn’t been idle during this time. I must say, this fellow is truly extraordinary. Merely using our Shadow-Phantom Clan’s ancient codices, he managed to dissolve the restriction Zha Ji placed within the souls of those human martial artists, and then he sowed his own Soul Seed. Such talent truly astounds me.”

“What?” Zha Meng’s face shifted, his body jolted, and he exclaimed, “Without our guidance, relying solely on those secret text writings, he knew how to use the Soul Seed? How could he possibly know how to remove the soul restriction my son set?”

Di Shan’s eyes lit up slightly.

“You can investigate for yourselves,” Yi Tianmo sneered.

Zha Meng and Ka Ba were stunned, then immediately released their divine senses to perceive and discern the situation over there without hesitation.

About ten seconds later, Zha Meng and Ka Ba looked astonished, clicking their tongues in admiration, and simultaneously nodded under the gaze of Di Shan and Yu Rou.

“What does this imply?” Dorong asked in bewilderment. “Even if he understands some of the profound mysteries of your Shadow-Phantom Clan’s soul abilities, what of it? How does his comprehension of soul profundities help him break that barrier? If it offers no help, he is merely wasting time on a futile effort.”

Yi Tianmo glanced dismissively at Dorong and stated coolly, “When one’s comprehension of the soul reaches a certain realm, their control over the surrounding environment deepens, their application of various powers becomes more adept, and their state of mind matures alongside it. Our Shadow-Phantom Clan is different from you humans and your kind; advances in our souls bring us all sorts of unexpected benefits.”

“He hasn't been lazy. The strengthening of his soul will be of great benefit in breaking the barrier,” Yu Rou smiled faintly. “There is still half a month. I look forward to his performance then. I believe this person will help us escape this dreadful place and return to the Divine Grace Continent.”

“Why are you so confident in him?” Dorong was quite surprised. He held Shi Yan in low regard, believing that Shi Yan, being merely at the Earthly Status realm, would have difficulty utilizing the Heavenly Fire effectively, even if he possessed it.

“I believe the Heavens do not wish for our two clans to perish,” Yu Rou said, her delicate eyebrows deeply furrowed. “Regardless, we must choose to believe in him. Not believing in him means not believing we can survive. When the anomaly at Yin Beast Mountain occurred, suddenly this young man appeared who knows how to wield Heavenly Fire. I feel there is some destiny at work; perhaps his arrival is related to our ancestors’ prayers…”

Yu Rou wanted to give them a hint, to prepare them mentally, but she dared not speak too deeply, lest she cause the opposite effect.

“Destiny at work…” Yi Tianmo murmured, repeating the phrase, his eyes gradually taking on a strange look. After a long pause, his expression changed, and he suddenly said, “Could it be that this brat’s arrival is the result of our ancestors petitioning the Divine King?”

Ka Ba, Zha Meng, and Dorong all trembled, their complexions changing drastically.

Only Yu Rou and Di Shan remained unmoved. Yu Rou even chuckled softly, saying in a gentle voice, “Who knows? But if he is indeed the work of some Divine King, I think I shall abide by our ancestral teachings. Our ancestors once said that any descendant of a Divine King who can lead us away from this dreadful place shall be the master we serve henceforth.”

Ka Ba, Zha Meng, and Dorong heard her words, and their expressions became extremely complicated. They stood stunned, their eyes shifting uncertainly, none of them speaking.

“Pfft!”

In the cage, Pan Zhe of Penglai Holy Land suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, glaring at Shi Yan with hatred.

In the stone hall, Shi Yan remained motionless, eyes closed, a faint, magnificent glow flowing over his body.

The surrounding worldly spiritual energy, drawn by the demonic lotus pattern on his chest, rapidly converged, transforming into pure power flowing into his body through the suction of the black lotus tattoo.

While refining the spiritual energy, all the acupoints on his body quietly circulated, purifying the essence of a martial artist he had recently absorbed and channeling it as pure, mysterious power into his lower abdomen.

After a while, Shi Yan slowly opened his eyes and looked calmly at Pan Zhe. “You are quite lucky to still be alive. If you are still alive in another half-month, rest assured, I will spare your life.”

Only twelve martial artists from the Endless Sea remained in the cage now. The others had accidentally been played to death during the time he was exploring soul profundities.

The various profound mysteries of the Shadow-Phantom Clan’s soul abilities were incredibly abstruse and marvelous. When practicing and researching them, it was inevitable that he would take detours.

The price of his missteps was the annihilation of someone’s soul.

These Endless Sea martial artists, whom he had traded for from Zha Ji, served as his best soul cultivation material. Through consuming them, Shi Yan rapidly progressed in his understanding of the soul and gained a deeper insight into several of the Shadow-Phantom Clan’s soul profundities.

Once a test subject’s soul was extinguished, their essence would leak out and enter Shi Yan’s body, transforming into pure power within him.

While his soul perception advanced rapidly, the vital essence within his body was steadily increasing. Unknowingly, he felt on the verge of another breakthrough, ready to step into the Earthly Status Third Heaven realm.

“Shi Yan, may you die a terrible death!” Pan Zhe ground his teeth. “You had better kill me quickly, or I swear I will make you pay the price!”

Pan Zhe, who could control his emotions exceptionally well in the outside world, was nearing a complete mental collapse after enduring this period of soul torture.

When Shi Yan’s divine sense moved within his mind, due to his insufficient skill, Pan Zhe could clearly feel that every time Shi Yan’s divine sense stirred, he felt as if hundreds of small insects were gnawing at his brain marrow. That terror originating from the spirit made even a resolute hero like Pan Zhe unable to bear it, causing him to cry out in fear.

Time and again, Pan Zhe was completely broken by Shi Yan. His previous dashing image was completely gone, replaced by a blazing hatred, wishing he could carve Shi Yan into a thousand pieces.

“Hmm. If you manage to survive, I will await your future retaliation,” Shi Yan smiled faintly, thinking to himself that even if he survived, he would plant several restrictions within his soul. If Pan Zhe could return to the Endless Sea in the future, he would serve as one of Shi Yan’s eyes within the Penglai Holy Land, collecting the latest intelligence from there.

Ignoring Pan Zhe’s shouting, Shi Yan slowly stood up and frowned at the tightly closed stone door beside him, feeling a touch of confusion.

During this time, the four women—Cao Zhilan, Gu Linglong, Qu Yanqing, and He Qingman—had not left the stone chamber, perhaps knowing they could not stop him, or perhaps for some other reason.

After pondering for a moment, Shi Yan was about to seek out He Qingman to ask her something when he suddenly noticed the Blood Patterned Ring emitting a faint, ethereal glow.

“Hmm?” With a thought, Shi Yan’s consciousness sank into it, and he discovered that the Earth Core Fire within the Blood Patterned Ring was slowly refining into the flame of Heavenly Fire, its life form tending toward perfection, vaguely starting to resemble the aura of the Profound Ice Cold Flame.

“Has the evolution completed?” Shi Yan was surprised, and immediately transmitted his divine sense thought.

“It’s almost done. I feel… I feel like I’ve truly been reborn, Shi Yan. I really, really have become different,” the Earth Core Fire replied.