In the gloom of the stone cavern, the White Wing Clan Chief looked at Shi Yan’s innocent expression and felt a surge of anger, wanting to explode, but remembering what might have become of the mountain belly forced him to desist. He glared fiercely at Shi Yan twice, then roughly hauled him along, flying straight towards the depths of the mountain.

This time, Yu Rou harbored resentment, and her movements were far from gentle; the small hand gripping Shi Yan’s arm was like an iron clamp, subtly exerting force.

"Huh?"

Yu Rou continuously increased the pressure, yet discovered Shi Yan remained silent, seemingly unaffected by the pain. As surprise filled her heart, she couldn't help but gradually intensify the strength in her fingers.

Gradually, the astonishment in Yu Rou’s heart grew more profound. Shi Yan, clearly only in the second heaven of the Status Realm, was completely unharmed under the force she exerted—a force capable of crushing the bones of a Nirvana Realm martial artist—managing only a slight furrow of his brow.

"Is that enough?" Feeling the numbness creeping up his arm and sensing Yu Rou’s still deepening strength, Shi Yan sighed helplessly, "If you increase the power any further, I’m afraid I won't be able to stop myself from crying out. You’ve vented your anger, so please stop making things difficult for me."

"You brat, you truly are different from ordinary people. Your acupoints seem to be constantly contracting and shifting; every single one appears incredibly peculiar, condensing a strange aura..." Yu Rou still hadn't eased up, nor had her force diminished. Her voice drifted faintly, her eyes strange, "Shi Yan, your body is clearly not like others. I vaguely feel that all your acupoints are vastly different from a normal person's. What exactly is going on with you?"

She had been trying to uncover the secrets of Shi Yan’s body. When she returned to the ancient city from the outside world last time, she noticed a peculiar power suppressing the Immortal Blood within Shi Yan's lineage. Based on her knowledge of the secrets of ancient times, she found it hard to imagine any power capable of restraining the Immortal Blood inside the descendant of the Immortal God King.

Vaguely, she suspected Shi Yan was hiding an earth-shattering secret, believing there must be a miraculous power within his body comparable to the Immortal Blood, otherwise, the blood in his body could not be suppressed.

"It's nothing..." Shi Yan shook his head.

He would strictly guard any information concerning his mysterious Martial Soul. He had long resolved not to reveal anything to anyone; never mind Yu Rou’s questioning, even when Xia Xinyan pressed him relentlessly, he had kept his mouth tightly shut.

"Shi Yan, perhaps you don't know, but I told Di Shan about your situation." Yu Rou paused in thought, then suddenly said, "Di Shan is arrogant, his cultivation is exquisite, and his methods are ruthless. Among the Yin Ghost Clan and the Wing Clan, Di Shan is currently the foremost master; even I would find it hard to withstand him. If you could gain his recognition, and if he decides to follow the ancestral precepts and serve you as master, coupled with my assistance, you wouldn't just be safe—even if you left this Forsaken Land, you would possess an immensely powerful force. If Di Shan and I join forces, along with your Heavenly Fire's restraint over the Yin Ghost Clan, we might even subdue the entire Yin Ghost Clan under your banner. You surely understand what that implies?"

"Hmm?" Shi Yan’s expression shook, and his eyes brightened—he was clearly moved.

"However, Di Shan is excessively proud. Even though you possess the bloodline of the Immortal God King, you are currently only in the Status Realm. Getting him to submit to you will evidently not be easy," Yu Rou stated plainly. "Therefore, to earn Di Shan's approval, you need to actively display your abilities even more, not hide everything. Otherwise, Di Shan won't see your strength, won't truly value you, and naturally won't regard you as some future powerhouse..."

Yu Rou spoke eloquently, clarifying the situation; it was indeed well-intentioned advice.

Shi Yan listened intently. After Yu Rou finished explaining, he pondered for a moment before slowly nodding. "I understand."

Seeing that he seemed to grasp the meaning, Yu Rou didn't say anything more. She smiled lightly, suddenly accelerated, and shot forward like a streak of white light into the mountain belly.

...

"Aooooo!"

"Roar! Roar!"

From the depths of the mountain belly, the roars of Yin Beasts continuously echoed, shaking the heavens, mirroring the heavenly thunder outside the mountain and making the very earth tremble.

Pulled by Yu Rou, Shi Yan was dragged deeper and deeper into the mountain belly. The originally dim cavern turned pitch black; nothing could be seen.

But Yu Rou, inside the mountain, seemed to know the way. She tracked the direction taken by Di Shan, Yi Tianmo, and the others, increasing her speed relentlessly.

After an unknown amount of time, amidst the continuous roars of the Yin Beasts, Shi Yan suddenly heard the resounding clash of colliding powers.

At that same moment, the speed of Yu Rou’s darting figure abruptly slowed.

A faint, silvery light slowly began to flow out from up ahead. The cave, previously so dark one couldn't see one's outstretched hand, suddenly brightened.

"Di Shan!"

Yu Rou suddenly cried out, abruptly setting Shi Yan down and charging forward.

"Boom! Boom!"

Furious energy collisions repeatedly exploded within the cave. Huge slabs of rock instantly disintegrated into grey dust under the bombardment of these forces, billowing throughout the entire cavern.

Shi Yan stood on the hard stone floor, trying to discern the surroundings, but found the grey dust overwhelming, completely obstructing his vision. As soon as he opened his eyes, dust invaded, causing his eyes to dry and itch.

As soon as he released his Divine Sense, he detected a distorting soul magnetic field enveloping the entire cave, omnipresent.

His released Divine Sense was torn to shreds under that warped magnetic field, and the consciousness attached to it vanished in an instant.

Horrified, Shi Yan hastily stabilized his state of mind, daring not to project his Divine Sense again to probe. Instead, he circulated his vital essence to his eyes, covering the area around his pupils with a barrier of essence.

Unable to see the situation in the cave or use his Divine Sense to probe, it didn't mean he was completely unaware of everything.

The terrifying power collisions ahead were tearing the mountain walls of Yin Beast Mountain apart, sending rock shards and dust flying everywhere. He could confirm from the energy aftershocks that powerful fighters must be engaged in combat ahead.

Yu Rou’s sharp cry evidently signaled that she had discovered Di Shan had an enemy, which was why she hastily let him go and rushed towards Di Shan.

Di Shan, being the foremost master of both the Yin Ghost Clan and the Wing Clan, was in a dangerous situation within the mountain belly. His opponent must be a world-class fiend or a supreme leader among the Yin Beasts. Regardless of the opponent, it was clearly someone Shi Yan could not handle.

Thus, Shi Yan remained where he was, perfectly still, quietly waiting.

...

A faint rainbow light slowly began to shimmer within the dark stone cavern. As the light spread, the dust obstructing the view seemed to be pushed aside by an unseen force, scattering away from Shi Yan's sides.

"Hmm?"

Shi Yan started, then looked down in surprise at the Blood Pattern Ring on his hand, watching the rainbow light emanating from it.

Wherever the rainbow light passed, Shi Yan’s vision was no longer hindered; he could see the surrounding scenery clearly.

It was an immeasurably vast stone cavern, significantly larger than a football field. The rainbow light continued to expand outward, driving away more of the dense dust. Shi Yan could see the cave expanding rapidly, as if it had no end.

Thirty meters above his head hung the ash-brown stone wall, dotted with round holes the size of fingertips, each filled with thick, swirling essence of heaven and earth Yin Qi.

This must be the interior of Yin Beast Mountain.

His sight extended with the diffusion of the rainbow light. By the time the visible area reached the size of five football fields, he suddenly noticed eyes—pupils flashing with various colors. As the rainbow light spread further, the owners of those eyes gradually revealed themselves.

Countless Yin Beasts, hundreds and thousands of them, each pair of eyes blazing with bone-deep hatred, stared at him from afar.

Shi Yan showed no fear, offering a calm smile. A ball of scarlet Heavenly Fire flame suddenly rose in his palm. The moment the aura of the Heavenly Fire emanated from him, the Yin Beasts showed clear signs of apprehension, slowly backing away.

"What is this place?" Suddenly, an icy aura surged from the Blood Pattern Ring, followed by a message from the Profound Ice Cold Flame. "The Yin Qi here is extremely dense; it carries an aura of chilling soul destruction within it. This is, this is..."

"The Blood Pattern Ring has lifted its confinement on you?" Shi Yan rejoiced internally and quickly sent a reply.

"It sensed your danger, and with the formation of the Earth Core Fire life form, it has stopped restraining me," the Profound Ice Cold Flame quickly responded, then abruptly added, "Leave here, it is extremely dangerous. There is an aura here capable of extinguishing the soul of any living being..."

"What?"

"Nine Nether Soul Devouring Flame! One of the Heavenly Flames. Among them, this is an extremely troublesome one. Its flame cannot burn physical forms, but it can obliterate the soul of every living thing! Any creature with life finds it nearly impossible to resist its soul-devouring flames. The moment its flame touches you, your soul will instantly burn to ash!"

"You mean it's inside?"

"It is here; I can feel it. You had better leave immediately!"

"Boom! Boom!"

Fierce sounds of combat came from ahead. Amidst the earth-shattering roars, Yu Rou’s shriek could also be heard.

Shi Yan’s expression changed, and he focused his gaze.

With the rainbow light from the Blood Pattern Ring extending, the surrounding dust was driven away, and Shi Yan’s vision was gradually becoming unobstructed.

Looking closely, he indeed saw several figures engaging in battle with several Yin Beasts at the source of the noise. Those Yin Beasts fought fearlessly; they were enormous, covered in thick scales, with savage and evil appearances.

These Yin Beasts carried an extremely heavy Yin Qi, their eyes were all silver, and their bodies seemed cast from steel, giving a very formidable impression. These Yin Beasts were somewhat different from ordinary Yin Beasts; although their strength was ferocious, there was no trace of life fluctuation, as if their souls had been hollowed out, their entire being shrouded in deathly stillness.

It was the existence of these few Yin Beasts that kept Di Shan, Yu Rou, Duolong, and the other alien clan leaders exhausted and in disarray.

"Those are Nine Nether Death Spirits, demonic beasts condensed by the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Flame using Nine Nether Yin Qi. They have no souls, feel no pain, and know no fear, yet they possess power far more terrifying than when they were alive! These Death Spirit Beasts are extremely difficult to deal with; unless they are utterly annihilated, even if only a single bone remains, they will continue to attack under the control of the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Flame," messaged the Profound Ice Cold Flame.

Shi Yan’s eyes filled with horror.

... (To be continued, for the continuation, please log in to Qidian for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!)