The eerily handsome, small face within the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame, located at the center of the stone platform crystal, suddenly changed!

Dishan and Yurou, who had already lost heart and confidence in Shi Yan, regained a glimmer of hope after that mysterious greatsword strike.

The two of them started, looking intently at the mysterious greatsword that had suddenly appeared, filled with anticipation for even more astonishing feats from it.

A hint of joy crossed Shi Yan’s lips, his expression pleased; he grew increasingly certain of the profound mystery of the Blood-Patterned Ring.

The greatsword ripped through the barrier with a single slash, then abruptly soared away, dragging hundreds of meters of bloody light, bringing down another sword strike.

As if splitting the heavens and earth, this strike was even more ferocious and violent, spewing billowing baleful energy from the sword body, intent on shattering everything.

"Kshhh!"

The pure white crystal, like a block of soft tofu, was cleaved into countless fragments by the sword; the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame within naturally broke free.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

From the depths of the Yin Beast Mountain's clouds, the sound of heavenly thunder roared, waves of intensely chilling explosions emanating from within the mountain body of Yin Beast Mountain.

The entirety of Yin Beast Mountain began to rapidly split and collapse under these detonations, with massive boulders hundreds of meters in size crashing down.

Many experts from the Yin Shade Clan and the Feather Clan attempting to approach Yin Beast Mountain were scared out of their wits, fleeing desperately toward the outer perimeter.

Some powerhouses from the two clans suspended in the sky gazed into the distance, watching their surrounding world vanish into nothingness beneath the shroud of gray clouds, then witnessing the shattering of Yin Beast Mountain, despair and panic rising in their hearts.

The young talents from the Boundless Sea—Cao Zhilan, Gu Linglong, Qu Yanqing, He Qingman, and others—were still confined within their cages. They stared blankly at the changes occurring at Yin Beast Mountain, feeling the earth shake around them, their expressions moved and a touch of unease settling in their hearts.

The seal within Cao Zhilan's soul in that stone hall had been removed by Shi Yan. At this critical juncture, she couldn't resist using her Spiritual Martial Soul to probe the surroundings, extending her keen senses toward Yin Beast Mountain.

"Not good, a particularly evil creature has appeared inside Yin Beast Mountain."

After a brief investigation, Cao Zhilan’s face changed drastically, and she warned Gu Linglong and the other two women: "There are very strong life fluctuations within Yin Beast Mountain. That creature's life form is extremely peculiar; it’s something I have never encountered before."

Everyone wore expressions of horror.

"It’s dangerous inside..." Cao Zhilan murmured, instinctively glancing at the Yi Clan martial artists beside her, a thought of finding an opportunity to escape taking root.

"Yin Beast Mountain has begun to crumble!"

"A massive change must have occurred inside!"

"Should we go in and take a look?"

Duolong, Kabba, Zameng, and Yitianmo, the four women, exchanged grim glances in a corner of the mountain belly, having already understood the intent in each other's eyes.

"Once Yin Beast Mountain collapses, according to the ancestral instructions, this space will cease to exist. If this place vanishes into nothingness, even staying here won't change our ultimate fate," Yitianmo said with cold eyes. "Instead of that, we might as well go see what exactly happened; perhaps we can find a slim thread of survival."

"Exactly. If the path to leaving this place lies near where the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame is, going there might offer us a chance to escape. Staying here means waiting for death, which is utterly pointless!" Duolong agreed, immediately hesitating no longer, and charged toward the ark carrying Shi Yan and the two others first.

The three supreme commanders of the Yin Shade Clan, after a brief pause, immediately followed.

"Foolish human, you actually helped me escape the seal!"

At the center of the stone platform, following the shattering of the pure white crystal, the silvery-bright Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame suddenly manifested.

Its clear facial features were condensed from dancing flames, giving a phantom, unreal feeling, yet the soul-extinguishing aura emanating from it was intensely strong.

Anyone possessing divine sense could feel the tremor originating from their soul, caused by its presence.

The mysterious greatsword had struck twice: once to break the seal of the stone platform barrier, and once to shatter the white crystal binding the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame, allowing it to break free from its seal and truly expose itself.

After it flew out, the mysterious greatsword did not attack again, seemingly aware that physical attacks were ineffective against it. The greatsword hovered in the sky, releasing a heart-shaking, fierce baleful aura, and slowly drifted toward the location of the Blood-Patterned Ring.

"Whoosh!"

The Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame ignored the greatsword, flying straight out, shooting like lightning toward Shi Yan, Dishan, and Yurou.

"Sizzling! Sizzling! Sizzling!"

The hazy blue light shield suddenly erupted into a rain of fire blossoms. As the blossoms splashed, the Blue Star Stone in Dishan's hand rapidly shrank.

Dishan's face changed drastically, and he looked at Shi Yan with a grave expression, demanding in a low voice, "I can't hold out much longer, you must find a solution quickly!"

In just this short time, the Blue Star Stone in Dishan's hand had shrunk to the size of a fist. If it continued at this rate, the stone would be completely depleted in three minutes at most.

The blue divine light emitted by the Blue Star Stone possessed a miraculous ability to impede the flames of the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame. It was precisely because of the Blue Star Stone that Dishan dared to approach. Once the stone was depleted, without the protection of the blue divine light, the Soul-Devouring Flames could instantly incinerate their souls into ash.

Especially Shi Yan.

At only the Status Realm, even if he had condensed a Sea of Consciousness, he could not withstand a single assault from the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame; he would likely perish instantly, body and spirit destroyed, leaving not a single trace of life's mark behind.

"Don't rush." While Dishan and Yurou were anxious, Shi Yan remained calm and composed, smiling faintly, saying unhurriedly, "Just wait, it won't be able to show off for long."

Dishan and Yurou were stunned, their faces full of confusion, wondering where Shi Yan’s confidence stemmed from.

"Dishan, you—what are you doing?"

Just then, a sudden shout echoed from afar. Duolong stopped abruptly, then violently retreated as if his life depended on it.

He saw the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame and felt the soul-extinguishing power emanating from it. More importantly, he saw the flame break free from Dishan's defense and rush toward him.

Duolong shrieked, fleeing backward desperately, already regretting his reckless advance.

The three Yin Shade Clan commanders, due to their unique physical structure, were faster than the Feather Clan. Upon seeing Duolong’s desperate flight, they didn't hesitate, reversing course at an even faster speed than him.

Duolong screamed in panic, begging Dishan for help, hoping Dishan would fly over and extend aid.

Dishan remained unmoved.

A flicker of malice crossed Yurou’s beautiful eyes, and her red lips curved into a slight sneer. She mocked, "Trying to get a piece of the action, but you came at the wrong time. It’s better if he dies; then we can be safe. Without Duolong, the three Yin Shade Clan commanders alone can’t stir up much trouble, right, Dishan?"

Dishan’s gaze turned icy and indifferent. "He intended to ally with the three Yin Shade Clan commanders to kill Shi Yan, making him our enemy. It seems that plan is no longer viable."

Shi Yan was momentarily stunned.

"It's fine now. With Duolong gone, I can at least guarantee you won't be in danger anymore," Yurou said with a soft smile. "Even if Yitianmo and the other two joined forces, they wouldn't be a match for me and Dishan. You can rest easy now."

As Dishan and Yurou were speaking, the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame pounced on Duolong. Its alluring, handsome, unreal face suddenly slipped into Duolong's body, burrowing into his mind.

Duolong clutched his head, letting out a wretched, inhuman scream, a sound of unbearable agony.

"Duolong is finished..." Dishan shook his head, then looked at Shi Yan. "Shouldn't you make your move soon? My Blue Star Stone is almost depleted."

Shi Yan frowned, glancing down to find that the Blue Star Stone in Dishan's hand was now only the size of a bar of soap.

"Mm, I know it's time to make a move," Shi Yan replied mildly, though a bitter smile played in his heart. He looked from afar at the fallen Blood-Patterned Ring, at the mysterious greatsword floating above it, hesitated for a moment, and then walked toward the ring.

"Whoosh!"

The moment he raised his foot, the Blood-Patterned Ring suddenly flew out, transforming into a stream of bloody rainbow light that shot straight toward him.

Shi Yan paused, reaching out to grasp it. As his five fingers opened, he realized the Blood-Patterned Ring had already slipped onto his finger.

Simultaneously, the mysterious greatsword suspended in mid-air suddenly shrank, carrying with it an earth-shattering, fierce baleful aura, and shot violently toward him.

Dishan and Yurou's pupils contracted, their faces showing unease. These two God Realm experts sensed an overwhelming power fluctuation from the mysterious greatsword—a wave so intense it even instilled a sense of dread in them, feeling as if this divine sword contained infinite mystery and could even pose a threat to them.

The greatsword finally vanished into Shi Yan's ring. Dishan and Yurou secretly breathed a sigh of relief, exchanging a look, which led to a deeper understanding of Shi Yan's astonishing abilities.

Shi Yan paid no mind to their changing expressions. As soon as the Blood-Patterned Ring settled on his finger, he immediately released his divine sense to probe the internal condition of the ring.

Inside the Blood-Patterned Ring, besides the area housing the Profound Ice Cold Flame, the Ten Thousand Year Earth Core Fire, and the mysterious greatsword, a new space had now appeared.

In a hazy white void, there was his massive octagonal stone platform, a pure white crystal, and an empty mountain belly...

Fixing his gaze on the surrounding scenery, his divine sense perceiving the time within the Blood-Patterned Ring, Shi Yan’s expression was utterly bizarre, his eyes flickering, his brow slightly raised.

The fourth space within the Blood-Patterned Ring was exactly identical to his current environment!

Every rock wall, stone platform, crystal here, and even the sealing barrier energy on the platform, had been reconstructed within the ring. The conditions inside the ring were indistinguishable from what he saw externally.

Even the seal fluctuations on the stone platform were completely consistent with the reality here!

The Blood-Patterned Ring was fully prepared to seal the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame!

"Imprison it!" Shi Yan raised the Blood-Patterned Ring, aiming the face of the ring at the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame, and suddenly shouted.

The Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame, which had entered Duolong’s body, suddenly shrieked: "What is this! It can actually... actually pull me in!"