Shi Yan sat alone in this consultation hall, his eyes narrowed slightly, falling into a silence as profound as an old monk in deep meditation.

Regarding the person Yitian Mo mentioned, although Shi Yan felt a flicker of surprise, he didn't truly give it much thought. With various powerful figures gathered on Sun Island today, there were bound to be several Martial Emperors present. Their convergence here naturally meant Sun Island would not remain entirely peaceful.

Having arrived on Sun Island today, he had already slain several individuals and shone brilliantly during his battle with Man Gu.

He surmised that the heroes from various factions residing on Sun Island must have noticed him, and even more so, taken note of the cultivation levels of Yitian Mo and his two companions.

The Yang family had been notoriously arrogant in the Endless Sea back then, making enemies of many.

The moment Shi Yan appeared, he forcefully demanded that the various powers pay a price for their past actions, intimidating Wu Qin, Gu Xiao, and the others. In the eyes of those observing, this conduct perfectly mirrored the Yang family’s established high-handed approach.

Clearly, some hidden figures would be deeply resentful of his methods, and it was only natural that someone might eventually strike out with their soul power.

In his estimation, it was not entirely impossible that some individuals might grow impatient and come directly to demand an explanation.

Of course, he believed that at this juncture, no one would truly wish to engage him in a fight to the death.

To be precise, they wouldn't seek a life-or-death confrontation with Yitian Mo and his two companions.

After all, the threat of the Demon Race still loomed.

As long as the deeply troubling threat of the Demon Race remained unresolved, no one would disregard the larger picture for the time being.

He dared to disregard the larger picture because he possessed nothing in the Endless Sea; at worst, he could simply dust off his hands and leave. The situation in the Endless Sea, the lives of common folk, and the resources of these islands held no weight in his heart.

Leaving the Endless Sea, he could still thrive; he felt little sense of belonging even to the Yang family.

Because he was unburdened by attachments, he feared nothing, which is why he dared to disregard the greater good and take advantage of the chaos at this critical moment.

To him, this conflict between the Demon Race and the powerful cultivators of the Endless Sea was merely a crucible for his training.

—A valuable experience that might allow him to advance to the Nirvana realm, or perhaps even the Heavenly Rank.

The nature of the mysterious Martial Soul within his body destined him to grow faster and acquire power more rapidly amidst the constant slaughter.

He secretly hoped the Endless Sea would descend into ever greater turmoil.

Only as Martial Practitioners died continuously would the things he could gain increase; from this perspective, he was the sort who wished for the world to be in chaos.

Being fearless and unattached allowed him to act purely on impulse, unafraid of any consequences.

A string of thoughts flashed through his mind; a faint chill touched the corners of Shi Yan's lips as he closed his eyes to rest.

Various negative energies emanated from the acupoints all over his body. Under the influence of the mysterious Martial Soul, every acupoint was operating at high speed, purifying the vital essence absorbed today from the deceased, transforming it into the strange energy that brought him various benefits.

Shi Yan secretly sensed this, immersing his focus within, striving to comprehend the peculiar internal shifts occurring in his body.

This time, while some vexing negative energy had indeed seeped into his spiritual sea, it remained within his tolerance limit. His consciousness stayed clear, showing no signs of losing control.

"It seems the vital essence within those people is no longer overwhelmingly potent for me now," Shi Yan mused inwardly.

The few people who died today were only at the Earthly Position and Hundred Tribulations realms. After their vital essence was absorbed, the purification speed within his acupoints was noticeably swift, and the resulting negative emotions did not cause him significant discomfort.

Ascending to the peak of the Earthly Position realm marked a massive breakthrough, both in his state of mind and his body’s capacity to endure.

At this level, his body could withstand a greater measure of backlash power.

Musing silently, feeling the changes in his body, Shi Yan’s spirit settled, his sea of consciousness empty and undisturbed by ripples.

Not long after, the familiar, strange energy suddenly surged out from the acupoints across his body.

With a mental nudge, he eagerly sought to govern this exotic energy, intending to guide it toward the core essence orb within his lower abdomen.

Lately, he had been focusing intently on that core essence orb located beneath his navel.

Within that wondrous internal world, the peculiar form of his vital essence—a towering, ancient tree—had its crystalline leaves becoming denser as his essence gathered, filling with more energy.

Vaguely, he suspected that this strange Essence Ancient Tree would undergo a miraculous transformation at some point as the essence within it condensed and filled.

He even sensed that the moment this Essence Ancient Tree changed would be the very key to his realm breakthrough, the moment he entered Nirvana.

Therefore, he had been diligently refining his essence these past few days, gathering more heaven and earth spiritual energy to concentrate within it.

The strange energy flowing from the acupoints throughout his body offered undeniable benefits to strengthening his essence; several times, his essence had surged explosively precisely because of that strange energy.

He trusted that guiding the pure, mysterious energy flowing from those acupoints toward the Essence Ancient Tree would push its transformation to a crucial stage.

What he most wished to avoid was injecting this mysterious energy into the Star Martial Soul housed in his heart.

To him, until he uncovered the secrets of the Star Martial Soul, injecting the mysterious energy into it was currently a waste.

His thoughts shifted, and he attached his consciousness to the circulating mysterious energy, intending to manipulate it toward the essence orb in his lower abdomen.

However, the moment he focused his entire being on this task, his mind abruptly jolted, and a strange ripple passed through his sea of consciousness.

A profound vibration, one that made his very soul tremble, emanated from every muscle in his body. He abruptly fell from his chair, shaking violently in the center of the hall, appearing utterly bizarre, as if seized by a fit.

In his sea of consciousness, his main soul released countless soul threads, connecting with the sea and stabilizing the fluctuations.

His consciousness became vacant, and gradually, he experienced a marvelous illusion of floating high among the clouds, gently drifting with the howling wind.

The chaotic thoughts in his mind seemed to be swept away. He ceased thinking about anything, seemingly entering a wondrous state, his body merely trembling subconsciously with the spasms of muscle groups across him.

The mysterious power emanating from his acupoints, under the force of this trembling, transformed into countless minute points of light, gradually surging toward his right arm.

His consciousness was empty and distant, as if in a state of sublime clarity. He could perceive the flow of the mysterious energy within his body, yet he could not exert any control.

At this moment, this physical body felt as if it no longer belonged to him.

His consciousness could no longer command the flesh; control seemed to have been temporarily usurped by the unseen energies within the body.

Soon, all the mysterious energy flowing from the acupoints surged entirely toward his right arm.

Just as he thought the physical transformation was concluding, one refined strand of the mysterious energy, seemingly possessing sentience, pierced into his essence orb, entering the condensation point of the essence shaped like an ancient tree.

"Boom!"

Innumerable crystal-bright rays of light seemed to be ignited by that mysterious force!

Instantly, the dense foliage of the Essence Ancient Tree erupted with countless streams of crystal light, seeping out like hundreds of thousands of tiny rivers flowing from the ancient tree and vanishing into several meridians in his lower abdomen.

Hundreds of thousands of refined, brilliant essence particles flew out, violently surging toward his right arm.

Some wondrous change seemed to be quietly unfolding...

All the essence flowed out from his lower abdomen; the Essence Ancient Tree gradually shrank, slowly dimming until it finally vanished.

The crystal-bright essence originating from the Essence Ancient Tree transformed into hundreds of thousands of streams of pure light, flowing along his meridians toward his right arm, merging with the mysterious energy already there, and infusing his muscle fibers.

The muscle fibers within his flesh trembled miraculously under the fusion and injection of the essence and mysterious energy.

That tremor resonated throughout his entire body, causing all six hundred and thirty-nine muscle groups to seem to vibrate, as if countless currents of electricity were passing through him.

A purplish-red radiance suddenly emanated from his right arm. These purplish-red lights emerged from the muscle masses, growing brighter and brighter with the rhythmic jumping and trembling of the muscle fibers.

His entire essence was drained; the essence orb in his lower abdomen suddenly dimmed.

The Essence Ancient Tree within it gradually disappeared, seemingly returning to nothingness, requiring repeated essence refinement to manifest again.

The essence, fused with the mysterious energy, completely vanished into the muscle fibers of his right arm, filling his muscles with a heart-stopping power.

The shaking of his body intensified; he thrashed his arms and legs in the hall, looking like someone possessed by a demon, oblivious to his own actions.

"Boom!"

A muffled roar sounded in his mind. His swaying body suddenly froze, as if held by a binding technique, holding an unnatural posture, utterly motionless.

All thoughts and ideas in his mind ceased instantly.

Only his right arm remained dazzlingly bright, quietly undergoing some strange transformation.

...

The sky was beginning to lighten faintly.

Outside the manor, two young figures, bickering, appeared together.

Xia Xinyan, who had been meditating among the flowers early in the morning, could not help but offer a wry smile when she saw the two peeking around the gate. She stood up and looked toward them from a distance, frowning, "What brings you here again?"

"Ha," Ye Changfeng seized the opportunity to walk forward, smiling at the servant posted by the door, "I told you, we know the people inside. Now we can finally enter."

Lin Yaqi followed inside without ceremony.

"Why are you here?" Xia Xinyan asked again.

"The official council doesn't start until tomorrow; today, there’s the most exciting auction. This is the Spiritual Treasure Grotto of this place, specially organized after consulting the Three God Sect. I heard many extraordinary spiritual objects will appear at the auction. I came to find Shi Yan to check it out together, and perhaps discuss a few matters with him," Ye Changfeng said with a grin.

Lin Yaqi wandered around by herself, exclaiming, "This place is much better than where we were staying. If we had known they were here, we should have come last night."

"Uh, I’ll discuss that with Shi Yan later; we'll move into quarters here tonight," Ye Changfeng replied with a smile.

Lin Yaqi nodded, wearing an expression that suggested this was only right.

In the distance, a subtle, elegant small building hidden among the trees—on the third floor, a window was suddenly pushed open. At the window, Cao Zhilan stood with her arms spread wide, her slender waist arched backward, languidly stretching. The exquisite curves of her chest were fully revealed with the stretching motion.

"Oh!"

Lin Yaqi gasped, pointing at Cao Zhilan in the distance as if she had discovered a new continent, "She’s here too?"

Ye Changfeng was also momentarily stunned, then chuckled sinisterly, nodding repeatedly in admiration, "That kid Shi Yan is truly remarkable; I’m impressed, truly impressed."

Xia Xinyan’s expression soured. She glanced coldly toward that spot and asked, "You know her too?"

"No," Ye Changfeng shook his head.

"We just met yesterday," Lin Yaqi said, looking toward the window, then back at Xia Xinyan. As if realizing something, she clapped her hands and laughed, "I know! You’re fighting over a man? How interesting!"

Xia Xinyan blushed deeply, glaring at her angrily.

"Where is Shi Yan?" Ye Changfeng inquired.

"I don't know," Xia Xinyan's anger hadn't subsided, and she still held a slight petulance when mentioning Shi Yan. "He should be coming out soon."

At her words, Ye Changfeng and Lin Yaqi didn't press the matter, conversing with her there while they waited.

...

In the hall.

Yitian Mo, Zha Meng, and Kabba stared with solemn expressions at Shi Yan, who was slumped on the ground, seemingly unconscious.

"What happened?" Kabba's face looked dreadful. "I was on guard all night, didn't detect anyone entering the manor, nor any soul vibrations approaching. Why is he like this?"

"Old Yi, did you notice anything last night?" Zha Meng also had a grim look.

"Nothing," Yitian Mo shook his head, his tone grave. "Unless someone a full realm higher than us bypassed our soul defenses directly, we shouldn't have missed it. Surely there isn't anyone of that caliber on this island, right?"

"Then what is this?" Kabba exclaimed, alarmed.

"It must be a cultivation deviation," Yitian Mo gazed deeply at Shi Yan, quietly releasing his divine sense to probe. "He's fine; the Master's Sea of Consciousness is normal, even the main soul is safe and sound. It’s just that the main soul... seems to have entered some marvelous state, giving a feeling of being empty and beyond grasp. This might be... some kind of secret cultivation technique."

Zha Meng couldn't resist stepping forward, placing his hand on Shi Yan’s chest and channeling power to investigate. His expression changed drastically: "All his vital essence is gone."

"What?!"

This time, Yitian Mo and Kabba’s faces blanched. They rushed forward to investigate and truly found that Shi Yan's entire reserve of vital essence had miraculously vanished.

"What happened?"

The three exchanged bewildered glances, their faces ugly, unsure how to handle the situation.

"Could it be that he exhausted all his essence fighting someone last night?" Zha Meng rubbed his hair uncertainly.

"In such a small area, if he had fought anyone, how could we not have noticed?" Yitian Mo snorted coldly, then suddenly took a deep breath, pushing his soul exploration deeper, slowly sinking toward the main soul within Shi Yan's Sea of Consciousness.

However, the moment his soul consciousness entered Shi Yan's Sea of Consciousness, the Five Demons, seemingly asleep within, suddenly sprang into motion.

Five malevolent auras erupted from the Five Demons, and amidst a terrifying tide of soul surges that made the heart race, the Five Demons lunged directly at the soul consciousness Yitian Mo had entered.

Yitian Mo’s expression changed drastically, and he quickly retracted his consciousness.