Ye Changfeng stared at the massive, thousand-meter-long skeletal ship gliding out of the dense darkness, letting out a startled cry, his face a mask of sheer horror and disbelief.
Within the inky, suffocating black clouds, that colossal bone vessel was startlingly conspicuous. An aura of world-shattering devastation rushed toward Shi Yan from a distance of ten thousand meters, chilling his core and instilling a profound sense of utter powerlessness.
After his initial cry, the light in Ye Changfeng’s eyes flickered rapidly. After only a moment’s hesitation, he urgently addressed Lin Yaqi beside him: “Senior Sister, we must leave immediately.”
Liny Yaqi’s expression was heavier than ever before. She nodded slowly, letting out a soft, drawn-out "Mm."
“What is this Demon Emperor Divine Vessel?”
Shi Yan’s face shifted drastically, and he couldn't help but ask. Upon reaching Linda, he saw the sudden cosmic shift above. Without a second thought, he had tried to flee with her, only to drag her back to the group a moment later.
When Linda returned, she appeared somewhat timid and fearful, glancing nervously at Xia Xinyan before lowering her head, too intimidated to speak.
Linda hailed from the Keler Family on Snow Dragon Island, a minor, unremarkable clan in the Endless Sea, merely an outer faction of the Three God Sect, nowhere near as significant as the Fu Family.
Beyond the immense gulf in status, Xia Xinyan was noble, beautiful, and possessed profound cultivation, wielding the miraculous Samsara Martial Soul.
All these factors combined to breed a deep sense of inferiority in Linda when facing Xia Xinyan; she dared only shrink close to Shi Yan, afraid even to meet Xia Xinyan’s gaze.
Xia Xinyan looked slightly puzzled, wondering how Shi Yan knew Linda, but given the bizarre circumstances, she asked no more, instead watching Ye Changfeng with an equally astonished expression, awaiting his explanation about the Demon Emperor Divine Vessel.
“The Demon Emperor Divine Vessel is the flying palace of the Scarlet Yan Demon Emperor. However, this vessel has existed since antiquity; several Demon Emperors preceding Scarlet Yan also possessed this flying palace. It is rumored to be tempered from the complete skeletal remains of a ninth-level demon beast from the Demon Realm. Not only is it immense, but it also possesses terrifying, world-breaking might.”
Ye Changfeng’s expression was grave. “The Demon Emperor Divine Vessel has always served as Scarlet Yan Demon Emperor’s cultivation abode. Since it has appeared in the Endless Sea, the Scarlet Yan Demon Emperor must be aboard. Scarlet Yan is a powerhouse at the Third Heaven of the God-Through Realm, halfway into the True God territory. With such a formidable figure descending, this Sun Island likely cannot be defended. Everyone, look out for yourselves.”
“Impossible!”
Shi Yan’s face contorted with shock. “A powerhouse of the Demon Emperor Scarlet Yan’s caliber—how could he physically enter the Endless Sea? They are absolutely bound by the rules. Until the Corpse Soul Bridge fully forms, it should be utterly impossible for them to descend completely!”
“I don’t know either,” Ye Changfeng shook his head. “Legend holds that as long as the Demon Emperor Divine Vessel is present, generally, Scarlet Yan will be too.”
“We must leave at once.”
Xia Shenchuan paused for a moment, then decisively declared, “Regardless of whether Scarlet Yan is truly aboard, if they dare to invade so brazenly when Sun Island is filled with masters, these demons must have some contingency; otherwise, they wouldn't risk such an adventure.”
At this pronouncement, the others nodded in agreement. Even Shi Yan conceded to his proposal.
Just then.
The thousand-meter-long skeletal vessel tore through the layers of demonic clouds, fully revealing itself, and slowly began to bear down upon Holy Light Mountain.
The faint light of the sun reappeared five thousand meters above Sun Island, and a colossal, circular protective barrier snapped into sudden clarity.
Within this barrier, layers upon layers of sunlight stacked up like ocean waves, radiating a strange solar glow across the dim sky. The barrier resembled a massive, inverted bowl, enveloping all of Sun Island, preventing any unauthorized entry.
The Great Sun Holy Light Sky Curtain!
This was a miraculous barrier formation that had existed on Sun Island for hundreds of years. Legend stated that throughout its long history, the Great Sun Holy Light Sky Curtain had shattered only three times. Even God-Realm experts attacking continuously for days might fail to break it.
But today, the Great Sun Holy Light Sky Curtain was destined to shatter for the fourth time.
From the tapered prow of the thousand-meter-long colossal bone ship, a peerless, abyssal black light suddenly shot forth. Millions of streaks of this black light rapidly coalesced amidst sizzling sounds, instantly forming a terrifying, crescent-shaped scythe imbued with a power capable of annihilating all light, a force that seemed to make the entire world tremble.
This gigantic, horrifying scythe, black and translucent, glinting with an eerie, demonic cold light, was driven by the colossal bone ship, slamming violently against the Great Sun Holy Light Sky Curtain.
The barrier, unbroken for centuries, erupted in countless motes of light upon impact. These spots transformed into billions of fireflies that drifted slowly across the sky above Sun Island like falling snow.
The Great Sun Holy Light Sky Curtain twisted dreadfully, and a fissure slowly appeared. The instant the crack manifested, a tall figure suddenly emerged from the foremost part of the thousand-meter-long skeletal vessel.
“Uncle Xiao!”
Shi Yan was aghast, his whole body jerking violently. He couldn't help but cry out in alarm.
Xia Xinyan also stared at the figure emerging from the bone ship, her beautiful eyes wide with astonishment.
That person was none other than Xiao Hanyi. When Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan first arrived in the Endless Sea, they were ambushed mid-journey by a skeletal avatar of the Po Xun Demon Emperor. Xiao Hanyi, trying to shield them, was seized by a massive bone claw and dragged directly into the Demon Realm. Later, Yang Qingdi became deeply trapped in the Heaven Demon Sealing Array partly because he attempted to rescue Xiao Hanyi, though he failed and found himself encircled instead.
Now, the Asura King Xiao Hanyi, who held significant weight in Shi Yan's heart, had appeared strangely right at the front of the Demon Emperor Divine Vessel. This sight made it impossible for Shi Yan not to be shocked.
While Shi Yan was consumed by his astonishment, the Xiao Hanyi above flew out from the Divine Vessel, plunged directly into the tear in the Great Sun Holy Light Sky Curtain, and then his hands abruptly transformed into terrifyingly massive, hideous claws. With astonishing force, he brutally ripped the Sky Curtain even wider.
Upon his appearance, waves of terrifying demonic energy surged from Xiao Hanyi, reaching towards the heavens. His eyes shimmered with astonishing black orbs of light, resembling mysterious black holes in the cosmos, seeming capable of devouring all light. Wherever his gaze fell, the sunlight emanating from the Great Sun Holy Light Sky Curtain bizarrely vanished into the depths of his pupils.
In just a short time, all the light emitted by the Great Sun Holy Light Sky Curtain was completely consumed by his eyes.
Heaven and earth plunged back into darkness.
“He is not human. To be precise, he only possesses a human body; his soul has long been refined,” Ye Changfeng sighed softly after a mere glance upward. “This fellow’s physical body has been tempered, and his soul wiped clean. He has become a temporary vessel for the Scarlet Yan Demon Emperor. Since Scarlet Yan cannot fully manifest in the Endless Sea, he is using this body, attaching his soul to it, to show himself here. It seems the demons had planned this long ago.”
Shi Yan’s imposing frame shuddered violently. His eyes never left the figure of "Xiao Hanyi" suspended like a demon god above. His expression gradually calmed, but his gaze became utterly venomous.
“Howl!”
A heaven-shaking roar suddenly erupted from the rear of the Demon Emperor Divine Vessel. Immediately following, a humanoid monster covered in spikes, possessing a gaping maw filled with rows of gruesome fangs, appeared hideously beside "Xiao Hanyi," seemingly communicating with him telepathically.
“Xiao Hanyi” nodded and waved a hand, signaling the creature to act.
The humanoid monster’s cruel, eerie green eyes cast a cold glance downward, and it roared again.
Suddenly, from the seawater surrounding Sun Island, cruel demonic beasts surfaced. In the sky above Sun Island, numerous massive demonic beasts furiously lunged upward, intending to pierce through the Great Sun Holy Light Sky Curtain and descend directly onto the island, slaughtering every living soul there.
Shi Yan stared dumbly at the humanoid monster, as if struck by a fatal blow. A soft pop echoed in his mind; it seemed a peculiar soul contract had been torn apart.
The first to breach the Holy Light Sky Curtain and descend directly above Sun Island, the eyes of "Xiao Hanyi"—those black-hole-like orbs—fixed coldly on Shi Yan across ten thousand miles, holding a faint trace of ridicule.
“Little human brat, an existence of Ghost Fang’s caliber is not something you can possess.”
A powerful consciousness pierced through everything and detonated directly above Shi Yan’s head. This consciousness was incredibly potent; after erupting, it fractured into thousands of strands, invading the souls of humans in all directions.
“Master, be careful!”
Yi Tianmo, Zha Meng, and Ka Ba cried out in alarm, instantly releasing their soul power to form a triple soul barrier, intercepting the assault above Shi Yan’s head.
“Hiss, hiss, hiss.”
Strange sounds emanated from the void above Shi Yan. Immediately, the bodies of Yi Tianmo and the other two shook. They concentrated their soul power again to the utmost, barely managing to hold back the evil consciousness attempting to invade Shi Yan’s mind.
“Ah!”
A piercing scream suddenly rang out beside him. Shi Yan’s expression changed, and he couldn’t help but look towards Linda.
Linda’s seven orifices were bleeding, her beautiful eyes dulled, and two streaks of blood ran from her eye sockets down to her neck. She stood motionless, her soul utterly extinguished.
Xia Shenchuan clutched his head, screaming in terror, desperately scrambling towards Xia Xinyan, Ye Changfeng, and Lin Yaqi. As he moved, he too began to bleed from his orifices, the tremors in his sea of consciousness gradually fading into silence. Before reaching Xia Xinyan, he collapsed limply, his vital essence slowly draining away.
Lin Yaqi, at some unknown point, had donned her purple headscarf. The scarf emitted strange halos of light, forming a multicolored umbrella-like covering that sheltered her and Ye Changfeng. Xia Xinyan, being close to them, was pulled in by Ye Changfeng just in time, thus avoiding the terrifying soul-erasing power from above and escaping disaster.
At this moment, Xia Xinyan’s beautiful eyes were filled with tears. She struggled violently, trying to pull Xia Shenchuan under the umbrella, but Ye Changfeng and Lin Yaqi held her back fiercely, preventing her from leaving the coverage of the purple scarf. Ye Changfeng understood that if she stepped outside that encompassing range, she would instantly be erased by the evil consciousness.
The entire vast manor—nearly a hundred guards and slave girls of the Three God Sect—had their souls wiped out in an instant. They remained frozen in their original postures, but their life force was completely gone.
An extremely faint essence, and an extremely potent one, flew out from Linda’s and Xia Shenchuan’s bodies, instantly pouring into Shi Yan’s acupuncture points.
“No! I don’t want this!”
Shi Yan screamed in a lost daze, wildly tearing at his clothes, frantically covering his acupuncture points, trying to stop the inflow of Linda’s vital essence.
It was useless; he had seven hundred and twenty points. His attempts to cover them achieved nothing. In the blink of an eye, Linda’s entire essence vanished into his body.
Xia Shenchuan, thanks to his Heavenly Position cultivation, lost his essence much more slowly, but it was still beyond his ability to stop. As he shrieked soundlessly, Xia Shenchuan’s vital essence also slowly drained away, all entering his meridians.
Screaming and desperately covering his points to no avail, Linda and Xia Shenchuan quickly became two shriveled corpses, their souls and vital essences completely gone. Kaka-kaka!
After "Xiao Hanyi" first arrived above Sun Island, the Demon Emperor Divine Vessel from the Demon Realm slowly broke through the layers of obstruction and entered Sun Island. It finally came to rest quietly within the swirling clouds atop the peaks of Holy Light Mountain.
“I am the Demon Emperor Scarlet Yan. This fertile land can no longer accommodate your kind. From now on, the Endless Sea belongs to us demons. You are merely the livestock we herd.” From the summit of Holy Light Mountain, the voice emanating from "Xiao Hanyi," devoid of emotion, echoed across heaven and earth, reverberating in every corner of Sun Island.
As the voice faded, the Demon Emperor Scarlet Yan stepped into the void, slowly approaching Shi Yan’s location from the direction of Holy Light Mountain. “The Yin Ghost Clan, one of the four major branches of the Nether People, your three Nether Kings will descend to this realm soon. As a branch of the Nether People, the Yin Ghost Clan has the right to enjoy this fertile land. If you agree, one of the five great sea regions of the Endless Sea will be yours.”
As he spoke, countless savage demons poured out from the thousand-meter bone ship. Some demons, possessing terrifying auras, descended upon Holy Light Mountain and began attacking the God-Realm experts there. More demons rushed into the various corners of Sun Island, bloodthirstily and crazily beginning to hunt down and slaughter the martial artists on the island.
“This is not our homeland.”
Yi Tianmo looked up at the Demon Emperor Scarlet Yan walking through the void step by step. “We must return to our ancestral lands; we will no longer meddle in the disputes here. We depart today.”
“The Wing Clan of Snow Dragon Island formally rejoined my Eight Demonic Clans three days ago. The thousands of Wing Clan and Yin Ghost Clan members there are getting along very well with us. Even Di Shan and Yu Rou have submitted. Do you three still insist on being obstinate?”
The Demon Emperor Scarlet Yan advanced step by step, the face belonging to Xiao Hanyi utterly expressionless. He said calmly, “I am very fond of the three little ones, Yi Cuibi, Zha Ji, and Kato. The Abi Nether King has already promised that if you three submit, he will take good care of your future descendants. What do you say?”
The thin bodies of Yi Tianmo, Zha Meng, and Ka Ba trembled slightly, their strength seeming to be slowly drained away, their faces growing paler.
Yi Cuibi, Zha Ji, and Kato were their respective children. Furthermore, all the clansmen of the Yin Ghost Clan and the Wing Clan had been subdued. What else could the three of Yi Tianmo do?
Shi Yan looked up at the Demon Emperor Scarlet Yan like a wild beast, breathing heavily, his gaze venomous.
Linda was dead, Xiao Hanyi had been refined, and Snow Dragon Island had fallen. The world had been utterly overturned in an instant. The descent of the Demon Emperor Scarlet Yan had effortlessly shattered all of Shi Yan’s beautiful future prospects.