Di Shan’s expression was calm as he subtly positioned himself in front of Shi Yan. His wing-like temporal structures unfurled, releasing visible spirals of energy that flowed from his back, completely enveloping the space around Shi Yan.

Rings of inky black light materialized around Shi Yan without warning, slowly spreading outwards.

A pervasive aura, dark, malevolent, and unsettling, surged like a tide, piling up around Shi Yan, thick and impervious to the assault of the divine sword or the full might of a God Realm expert’s strike.

Flashes of lightning shot from Gu Xiao’s eyes, his face slowly turning cold and solemn. “Xenogeneics?”

Di Shan’s black wings were too conspicuous; his appearance immediately exposed his identity.

As the situation in the Boundless Sea grew increasingly complex, with the demon invasion imminent, Di Shan’s arrival at this critical juncture was clearly **. Especially given that Di Shan possessed cultivation at the God Realm.

“What of it?” Di Shan asked indifferently, his tone neither warm nor cold. “We come from the Abyss Battlefield. We have coveted this fertile land for too long. This ground was originally our stage, but we were absent for too long, allowing your human race to occupy it. Now that we have returned, we are entitled to the resources that rightfully belong to us.”

Gu Xiao’s expression shifted, and Wu Qin was equally startled.

“You wish to take a share as well?” Gu Xiao took a deep breath, his demeanor hostile. “Your arrival at this juncture is indeed extremely troublesome. However, relying on just yourself to seize anything in the Boundless Sea is far from enough!”

Sharp, unparalleled sword intents suddenly erupted from Gu Xiao’s body.

Dazzling, brilliant five-colored sword light, like lightning tearing across a clear sky, howled forth, striking Di Shan with the majestic momentum capable of cleaving mountains and shattering earth.

Even finer threads of sword light, like small serpents, filled the space between heaven and earth.

The void was ripped and shattered by the sword light; amid piercing shrieks, fissures of vibrant, multi-hued light cracked open the space surrounding Di Shan.

From these fissures surged a sucking force capable of consuming all things.

Wooden huts suddenly shot up from the ground, immediately drawn into the breaches.

At the foot of Snow Dragon Mountain, massive stones, each the size of a small hill, could not withstand the entanglement of energy within the fissures. They were continually pulled out, falling into those dazzling, colorful spatial rifts, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Shi Yan’s face paled in horror.

A strike from a God Realm martial artist was indeed earth-shattering, capable of tearing the void and causing spatial fissures that devoured everything.

Most terrifyingly, embedded within those rips in space were the world-shaking sword intents unleashed by Gu Xiao!

Under the manipulation and tugging of these formidable sword intents, the spatial fissures could actually be commanded by Gu Xiao, altering their positions according to his will.

This was the first time Shi Yan had witnessed the terrifying power of a God Realm martial artist firsthand. The sheer strength Gu Xiao displayed made him secretly wary, feeling a slight concern for Di Shan.

According to Yu Rou, Di Shan was the foremost master of the Winged Clan, possessing mysterious and potent cultivation that defied the natural order.

However, Shi Yan had never truly witnessed Di Shan’s might. While he knew the Winged Clan possessed formidable physical bodies, their inherent strength far surpassing human experts of the same level, he couldn't shake his unease, fearing Di Shan might falter under Gu Xiao’s aggressive assault.

Di Shan squinted slightly.

His black wings moved gently, and circles of inky black light slowly rippled outward.

These black halos connected, overlapping one another, within which black light constantly flickered and flowed, gradually spreading into the surroundings.

An aura of sinister evil and bloodlust quietly permeated the air.

The black rings gradually approached the spatial fissures that manifested in the void, flying toward the sword light tearing through the rips in the sky.

Di Shan’s movements were ethereal and unhurried, revealing little overt threat.

But Gu Xiao’s eyes suddenly grew grave!

The individual black rings slowly entered the ruptured fissures, snaring the sword light within.

Countless black rings, as if possessing eyes, locked down every shred of sword intent emanating from Gu Xiao in an incredibly short span of time!

Gu Xiao’s face drastically changed.

“Burst!”

With a sharp sound, the overwhelming sword light shattered, dissolving into countless pinpricks of light that were annihilated within the spatial fissures.

In an instant, all revealed spatial rifts sealed themselves shut.

The black rings within the fissures twisted, swelled, and then exploded silently, releasing dazzling black radiance.

Gu Xiao’s body trembled slightly, a flicker of sheer terror crossing his eyes as he silently retreated a step, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Wu Qin.

Di Shan remained motionless, only his black wings ceased their gentle beating. He quietly observed Gu Xiao, then glanced at the restless Wu Qin, his eyes harboring a hint of mocking coldness. “What? You wish to join forces against me?”

Gu Xiao offered no reply, his expression far from pleasant.

Wu Qin let out a soft cry, the wrinkles on her aged face tightening, though a strange, water-like white luminescence flowed across her benevolent, ancient features.

Her previously hunched frame slowly straightened, her robes stirring without wind.

Under Shi Yan’s gaze, the deep wrinkles on the seventy or eighty-year-old Wu Qin’s face rapidly vanished!

In just a few seconds, her face was restored to the delicate fairness of a young maiden! Even her neck and earlobes were changing swiftly, her skin regaining luster and elasticity.

Her height also forcefully increased by five or six centimeters.

In that brief moment, the mistress of the Celestial Pool Sacred Land, who was practically knocking on death's door, had reverted to youth, transforming into a stunning woman around thirty years old.

Her skin was dewy and fair, her jade-like eyes rippled with vibrancy, and her body thrummed with surging life force.

“The Holy Mother is about to act.”

In the small pavilion, Qu Yanqing’s pretty face changed, her delicate body trembling, her eyes filled with panic.

“The legend is true…” Cao Zhilan murmured softly. “Upon acting, she instantly recovers her youth, maintaining her peak state. The profound divine abilities of the Celestial Pool Sacred Land are truly astounding. To witness it today is a great fortune, yet alas, even this will not benefit her.”

Pan Zhe deeply agreed, nodding with a wry smile. “Let’s just hope the situation doesn't escalate further.”

“It will get worse,” Cao Zhilan shook her head, then suddenly sensed something and couldn't help but gasp, her face full of astonishment.

The three martial artists beside Pan Zhe, hailing from the Celestial Pool Sacred Land and the Gu family, were like him—they had barely survived Shi Yan’s soul trial.

At this moment, these three were filled with terror, seemingly yanked out by some invisible force.

Their bodies slowly ascended, quickly breaking free from the soul barrier surrounding that area, appearing in the void before Shi Yan.

Under the watch of Cao Zhilan, Gu Linglong, Pan Zhe, Hua Meng, and the others, Shi Yan merely smiled coldly, pointed toward the three martial artists suspended in mid-air, held captive by some power, and softly uttered, “Explode.”

Pop. Pop. Pop.

Three distinct sounds of craniums bursting erupted from the three floating martial artists’ heads.

The spark of life in the three panicked, low-tier martial artists was instantly extinguished. Blood streamed from their seven orifices, their skulls blown open, spraying gore upward as they died instantly.

Gu Xiao and Wu Qin were instantly enraged, their killing intent boiling over.

“This is only the beginning,” Shi Yan calmly turned back, looking across the barrier toward Gu Linglong, Hua Meng, and the others. He offered a cruel, cold smile and gestured remotely with his hand.

Gu Linglong and Qu Yanqing suddenly felt an irresistible force bind their entire bodies, involuntarily lifting them into the air.

Cao Zhilan, Hua Meng, Huang Nan, and He Qingman’s expressions drastically changed, staring numbly as the two women slowly floated up, their eyes brimming with dread.

The brutal deaths of the three martial artists had made Cao Zhilan and the others realize the tragedy that was about to unfold. Looking at Shi Yan’s chilling smile, their hearts turned icy, and they felt utterly powerless.

“No!” He Qingman pleaded desperately. “Shi Yan, please don’t! I know you can see us—let them go! Don’t kill them!” Shi Yan remained unmoved, his gaze cold and merciless.

Gu Linglong and Qu Yanqing’s delicate bodies trembled, unable to quell the terror within, watching as Shi Yan approached, a sense of helpless despair creeping over them.

“Little Linglong!”

“Qing’er!”

Gu Xiao and Wu Qin’s eyes turned bloodshot; they finally panicked, unable to stop their cries of alarm.

“Killing those three might not have been enough to make a point. I suppose these two should suffice,” Shi Yan said calmly, his tone indifferent as he looked at Gu Linglong and Qu Yanqing, shaking his head slightly. “What a pity, neither of you had time for a proper exchange with me…”

“Kid, you win!” Gu Xiao sighed resignedly, his sharp sword aura instantly vanishing into nothingness.

Wu Qin’s smooth, fair face trembled, and in that short period, wrinkles rapidly reappeared, restoring her ancient, seventy-or-eighty-year-old appearance.

But the benevolence on her face could no longer be feigned…

Wu Qin glared at Shi Yan and demanded, “What exactly do you want?”

“What do I want?” Shi Yan paused in genuine thought, then shook his head. “I haven’t quite decided yet. However, if you two behave yourselves and stay quiet, I suppose they can still live.”

Fury burned in the eyes of Gu Xiao and Wu Qin, yet they were helpless.

It wasn't that they didn't want to save Gu Linglong and Qu Yanqing, but Shi Yan remained still, and Di Shan showed no reaction, not revealing a trace of energy.

This clearly indicated that someone else was responsible for bringing Gu Linglong and Qu Yanqing out!

Both Gu Xiao and Wu Qin, being God Realm experts, were secretly probing the environment, yet they still couldn't detect the aura of the hidden individual.

This caused them secret alarm. Moreover, not knowing if the interloper had placed any restrictions on Gu Linglong or Qu Yanqing, they dared not risk action, forced to yield resentfully under Shi Yan’s coercion.

“We will not attack again,” Gu Xiao promised, his face grim.

Wu Qin reluctantly nodded as well.

“That’s better,” Shi Yan said with a forced smile, waving toward a certain spot behind him, signaling for someone to return the two beauties, who looked like flowers in their prime, back the way they came.

Under the watch of Gu Xiao and Wu Qin, Gu Linglong and Qu Yanqing moved slowly back like puppets, and then suddenly vanished strangely.

Gu Xiao and Wu Qin’s faces changed, their guard deepening even further.

“Now we can talk properly,” only after the two women returned to the small pavilion did Shi Yan leisurely cup his hands in salute again, maintaining that respectful posture. “Seniors, please be seated.”

He said ‘be seated,’ but there were no chairs.

Gu Xiao and Wu Qin snorted inwardly, then sat cross-legged on the hard stone floor, their faces filled with fury, staring coldly at Shi Yan, unsure what scheme he was plotting now.

“Let’s discuss compensation,” Shi Yan smiled.