Shi Yan’s aura surged like a rainbow.

The surrounding ambient spiritual energy drifting over the nearby sea was drawn by the vital essence vortex within him, pouring in ceaselessly and frantically injecting itself into his body.

Under this vast, suffocating deluge of spiritual energy, the strange space at the core of his vital essence vortex revealed that colossal Spirit Ancient Tree once more, desperately sucking down the rapidly converting essence.

The Saint Spirit God, that singular form of life, inherently possessed a magical ability to absorb nearby spiritual energy. After integrating with the Profound Ice Cold Flame and the Earth Core Fire, this ability was significantly enhanced. The amount of spiritual energy it absorbed in an instant rivaled the dense demonic qi gathered by the Boundless Demonic Blade in a short time.

With the influx of massive spiritual energy, Shi Yan’s desiccated vortex brimmed with vital essence. Tens of thousands of wisps of essence infiltrated the strange space, causing his Spirit Ancient Tree to suddenly swell wildly.

That incomparably massive Spirit Ancient Tree, bolstered by this fresh supply of essence, manifested crystalline, translucent structures across every branch.

Vital Essence Solidification!

At the same moment.

His legs, shattered from executing the Lightning Speed Transformation, were being repaired by the formidable restorative power of the Undying Martial Soul. Tendons reconnected, flesh regenerated, and in the briefest span, both legs were restored as if new.

“Boy, you are quite formidable.”

Mo Qituo, his terrifying demonic form a hundred meters tall, hovered in the sky above the island, grinning viciously as he watched Shi Yan from afar. Wielding the Boundless Demonic Blade, he roared, “Pity I won’t grant you space to grow!”

A black streak of demonic light, hundreds of meters long, shot down diagonally from the Boundless Demonic Blade like the black water cascading from the Ninth Heaven River. This black light carried a weight exceeding ten thousand jun, imbued with the force of myriad mountains. It was like an ancient dragon emerging from the abyss, an ancient demonic beast diving with its full might, its aura terrifying and shaking the heavens and earth.

Shi Yan’s expression shifted dramatically.

Under the sheer oppressive might of the Boundless Demonic Blade, his Sea of Consciousness convulsed violently once more. His main soul seemed on the verge of collapse, unable to withstand this heaven-shattering pressure.

The Five Demons within his Sea of Consciousness, spotting the dire situation, swiftly transformed, becoming five shadowy specters that instantly retreated deeper into the Sea.

The previously oscillating Sea of Consciousness finally ceased its rocking and overflowing once the Five Demons anchored themselves, allowing Shi Yan’s main soul a momentary jolt, regaining exquisite control over his body.

Seeing the demonic blade blaze forth with a blade light stretching for hundreds of meters, hearing the tearing sounds echoing from the void, a ferocious madness flared in Shi Yan’s scarlet eyes.

The Blood Pattern Ring immediately erupted, shooting out rays of golden light that enveloped the sky like a canopy, forming a terrifying colossal egg that completely shrouded Shi Yan’s minuscule frame.

“Crack!”

The hundreds-of-meters-long demonic blade light descended from above, splitting the sky and tearing the earth, hacking down onto the giant egg condensed from the rainbow light.

The giant egg abruptly warped, where the blade light struck, it deeply indented, pressing down toward Shi Yan’s head. Yet, it halted precisely ten meters above him.

A ripple of scarlet undulated outward from the giant egg. As this ripple spread, the entire desolate island disintegrated, instantly splitting into more than a dozen pieces.

Shi Yan was aghast.

Mo Qituo was equally stunned.

“Buzz buzz buzz! Buzz buzz buzz! Buzz buzz buzz!”

A marvelous sound suddenly emanated from the Blood Pattern Ring, as if an ancient soul, provoked by the demonic blade’s strike, unleashed a resonance of arrogance dormant for hundreds of millions of years.

As the Blood Pattern Ring chimed, the ancient, intricate patterns on its surface began to spin mysteriously. Ancient glyphs manifested on the ring’s face; each glyph seemed a world unto itself, wherein life teemed, mountains trembled by the billions, and countless divine abilities were being conceived.

A boom echoed in his mind.

Shi Yan’s consciousness momentarily blurred, his soul seemingly entering a bizarre dimension within the ring’s surface. He beheld an ancient god, ten thousand meters tall, with his head touching the heavens and his feet stamping the earth. This ancient god was tightly bound by primordial divine dragons, which permeated his body like sinews. Brilliant, dazzling divine light erupted from every acupoint, and within each point, all forms of life existed.

The seven hundred and twenty acupoints seemed to conceal seven hundred and twenty distinct worlds, each independent, manifesting the true meaning of life through organic evolution. Countless powerful beings perished and were born, presenting the past and future imprints of history in the most visceral way, accelerating their revelation.

“Howl!”

The terrifying ancient god, situated in a boundless, chaotic world, let loose a howl of unwillingness deep into the universe, the sound shaking countless worlds and rushing toward the cosmic terminus, the edge of existence.

“Boom!”

A searing pain shot through Shi Yan’s brain. His main soul suddenly expanded wildly in his Sea of Consciousness, and billions of streams of spiritual sense forcefully flooded the area. A crack, invisible to the naked eye, appeared on the surface of the Blood Pattern Ring, and immediately, the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame was violently wrenched out, seemingly like a form of nourishment, directly thrown into his Sea of Consciousness.

The Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame shrieked in utter terror. This ranked third peculiar Heavenly Fire appeared to recognize the shackles of fate, feeling the threat to its existence, and struggled with all its might to break free from the pull of some force within Shi Yan’s Sea of Consciousness.

However, no matter how much it struggled or resisted, it proved utterly futile against the strange power emanating from Shi Yan’s Sea.

Ultimately, the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame descended into the Sea, guided by that power, merging directly into Shi Yan’s main soul, becoming a part of it—transforming into the third eye of his main soul, instantly refined within his brow center.

Pain beyond endurance radiated from his Sea of Consciousness, and Shi Yan clutched his head, letting out a bestial howl.

During this process, Mo Qituo continued to condense and gather strength, swinging the Boundless Demonic Blade for another strike.

The scarlet giant egg protecting Shi Yan’s entire body intercepted this blow once more, but now countless spiderweb cracks began to appear on its surface, as if it might shatter at any moment.

Shi Yan howled. The other Illusionary Void Ring on his hand simultaneously shattered. Its contained beast cores flew out, exploding above his head, transforming into beams of pure energy that were injected into the scarlet giant egg.

Receiving these beast cores, the cracks on the giant egg’s surface instantly vanished, restored by streams of flowing light.

Mo Qituo roared and snarled in fury, swinging the demonic blade again.

Shi Yan writhed, enduring superhuman agony under the protection of the giant egg, experiencing the fusion of his main soul and the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame as his Sea of Consciousness churned with terrifying waves.

The Five Demons who had retreated into the Sea of Consciousness seemed to sense a tremendous change, daring not to emerge, instead hiding themselves cautiously.

At the center of the vital essence vortex, within that strange space, Shi Yan’s Spirit Ancient Tree grew rapidly, every branch becoming as lustrous as jade crystal, solidifying, and brimming with energy so vast it made the heart tremble.

...

Several thousand miles away.

Tang Yuannan, Cao Zhilan, Gu Xiao, Wu Qin, Man Gu, and the others, watching this scene unfold through a crystal, were dumbfounded, their expressions frozen in shock, as if under a paralysis spell.

The group stood with their mouths agape, the image in the crystal reflected in their pupils, rigid as wood, having forgotten who they were.

The magnitude of the mental shock stunned them; they seemed to have even forgotten to breathe, merely staring blankly at the vivid scene displayed in the crystal.

After a long pause.

Tang Yuannan’s body jerked, awakening from the immense terror. He paused only briefly before ceasing to look at the others and flying away.

Once Tang Yuannan left, Gu Xiao, Wu Qin, Cao Zhilan, and Man Gu instantly snapped back to attention. The four exchanged glances, recognizing the profound terror in the eyes of the others.

“The Yang Family produced Yang Qingdi, but now there is an even more terrifying Shi Yan. If this brat survives today, no one in the Boundless Sea will be able to suppress him in the future,” Gu Xiao murmured for a long time before looking at Cao Zhilan and stating grimly, “When this kid truly matures, even your grand-uncle, Cao Qiudao, won’t be able to hold him down!”

Cao Zhilan’s delicate body trembled, her beautiful eyes filled with regret. Only now did she realize what she had let slip away.

The most captivating emotional investment of her life, she had so casually discarded it herself...

Cao Zhilan was near tears, consumed by deep regret for her blindness, for missing out on such a world-altering, future titan.

“If he does not die today, in a decade or so, the Boundless Sea will likely operate entirely under his rule,” Wu Qin sighed silently, looking at Cao Zhilan, then toward the east, muttering to herself, “Zhongli Dun, ranked first on the Battle Board, doesn’t even have the right to carry his shoes. The Yang Family truly is a place that breeds heroes...”

“We must save him!”

Cao Zhilan’s delicate body quivered. She suddenly exclaimed, “Even for the sake of the Boundless Sea, we must save him! He might be the key to dealing with the demonic people in the future.”

“Sister Lan...” Man Gu shook his head with a complicated expression.

Wu Qin and Gu Xiao’s faces were similarly clouded, and they remained silent.

“You all...” Cao Zhilan paused, instantly understanding, and sneered, “Are you afraid?”

“If he doesn’t die, even if the demonic people leave, we won’t escape calamity,” Gu Xiao kept his head down, not daring to meet Cao Zhilan’s gaze, his voice chillingly low. “We all once joined forces against the Yang Family. If Shi Yan lives and grows powerful, he will certainly seek bloody revenge... Your Cao Family will not escape his reckoning either. If you don't wish to become vassals of the Yang Family later, you best stand by and watch coldly.”

“He is too formidable; the Boundless Sea may not be able to contain him,” Wu Qin also shook her head and sighed. “If Cao Qiudao and Yang Yitian learn that the Yang Family has produced another such figure, they will probably be happy to see him dead early. For the sake of their families, for the sake of the Martial Soul Hall, neither of them will allow Shi Yan space to continue growing.”

“He must die!” Gu Xiao muttered under his breath.

“Sister Lan, the Boundless Sea truly cannot accommodate him...” Man Gu also shook his head and sighed. “If he lives, it benefits no one. We all know the Yang Family’s arrogance and tyranny; we have all confronted them jointly. If he lives, he will surely make our families fall one by one.”

Confusion shone in Cao Zhilan’s beautiful eyes. She stared blankly at the crystal, wavering.

“Chime!”

Suddenly, a bracelet on her arm emitted a signal.

Cao Zhilan startled, immediately touching the bracelet, which then revealed the communication crystal linked to the Cao Family in her palm.

A mere soul communication was enough. Cao Zhilan’s face immediately turned pale, then she sighed with desolate realization, murmuring, “My family seems to have learned about the events over there as well. Just as you said, they... they also don’t wish Shi Yan to live...”

Saying this, Cao Zhilan wearily sat down, no longer clamoring to save Shi Yan, merely staring blankly at the crystal before her, watching Shi Yan within it.

Shi Yan, within the crystal, had, at some unknown point, risen to his feet. Suspended above his head was a mysterious colossal sword.

On the sword’s body, countless closed eyes began to open, one after another.

Endless malevolence seemed to descend from some mysterious domain through those opening eyes.