After a long silence, a strange light flickered in the Corpse King's eyes, as if it had grasped some profound understanding.

Immediately afterward, the Corpse King suddenly took flight, darting through the stone caverns of the Silent Mountain Range where Yin Wood Coffins were placed. It seemed to be awakening the corpse slaves within each coffin, dissolving the soul shackles imposed by the cultists of the Corpse God Sect.

Before long, numerous Yin Wood Coffins ascended, seemingly drawn by the Corpse King's power, soaring toward the west.

The two Celestial Corpses appeared to have established a subtle connection with the Corpse King and followed suit, heading west together. Soon they reached the western sea-mouth of Yin Wind Island, where they witnessed a Yin Wood Coffin sink into the water. The Corpse King flew and perched atop the foremost coffin.

The two Celestial Corpses also flew toward two other Yin Wood Coffins. Those coffins, belonging to them, suddenly split open, and the two Celestial Corpses lay down inside.

Once they had settled into their respective coffins, the Corpse King shrank its body and descended into its own coffin.

Then, rows upon rows of dozens of coffins were seen floating on the sea surface, silently drifting westward, moving at an astonishing speed.

These coffins floated across the sea, heading due west, towards the main headquarters of the Corpse God Sect.

Along the way, any martial artists who glimpsed this bizarre scene quickly gave way, their expressions filled with terror.

The lines of coffins glided through the seawater entirely on their own, without any visible manipulation by Corpse God Sect cultists. This sight chilled the heart of every martial artist who witnessed it, leaving them bewildered about what had befallen the sect to make these corpse slaves behave so strangely.

At the Gu Family’s "Ten Thousand Swords Peak."

At this time, Ten Thousand Swords Peak had become the main base camp for the various forces in the Yuanluo Sea Domain targeting the Fiend Race.

Gu Xiao, Wu Qin, the Eastern Family Head Dongfang Kuai, and others were all present. Even Cao Zhilan and Man Gu had brought factions loyal to them and were temporarily stationed at Ten Thousand Swords Peak.

In recent days, centered around Ten Thousand Swords Peak, masters from every major sea domain had gathered to jointly discuss the details of engaging the Fiends in battle.

The expanse of sea before Ten Thousand Swords Peak had become the intense battleground between the Fiends and the martial artists confronting them. For half a month, numerous martial artists had been committed there, fighting desperately against the Fiends of various races, with both sides expending massive resources. Every day saw the demise of both Fiends and martial artists from the Endless Sea.

On this particular day, Gu Xiao, Wu Qin, Dongfang Kuai, and the others were celebrating a small recent victory in the skirmishes.

Recently, Cao Qiudao, the head of the Cao Family, and Yang Yitian, the Hall Master of the Martial Soul Hall, had finally given their official response: they were setting out from the Tuta Sea Domain and the Azure Sky Sea Domain, bringing the martial artists of their respective forces, prepared to truly enter the Yuanluo Sea Domain.

The response from Cao Qiudao and Yang Yitian invigorated everyone. Gu Xiao and the others were acutely aware of the immense power wielded by these two figures, knowing that their arrival would bring a seismic shift to the situation in the Yuanluo Sea Domain.

The ferocious slaughter inflicted by the Fiends upon the Galuo Sea Domain and the Yuanluo Sea Domain seemed to have finally ignited the wrath of these two leaders. These two, who had not communicated for decades, appeared to have unified their purpose—to jointly annihilate the Fiends in one swift strike.

Perhaps even the Fiends sensed this change; their offensives had seemingly slowed in recent days, as if they too were awaiting something.

The calm before the storm.

The Yuanluo Sea Domain was enveloped in the tension of a grand power convergence. Experts from all sides were assembling, the supreme powers of the major sea domains were showing themselves, and they were all beginning to converge. After days of fighting, the combined forces at Ten Thousand Swords Peak had secured victories, slaying several thousand Fiends, including three Fiends at the Celestial Rank.

Everyone was elated, seeing a glimmer of dawn for victory, and began discussing how to proceed with the final counterattack.

Just as everyone was excitedly discussing plans, Qing Ming, the Heavenly Empress, and the Earth Emperor appeared together. Their eyes were sunken and grim, as if they had lost their children, materializing in the grand hall below Ten Thousand Swords Peak.

“Qing Ming, that brat Shi Yan is dead, right?” Gu Xiao, seated atop a divine sword, smiled faintly. “You previously sent word that you were absolutely certain of eliminating Shi Yan. With the three of you joining forces, plus the illusory realm created by the Heavenly Empress’s Martial Soul, you should have effortlessly erased that young punk, shouldn't you?”

Wu Qin and Dongfang Kuai also turned their gaze toward the trio. Seeing the look in their eyes, they frowned, displaying expressions of surprise.

Cao Zhilan sat among the Cao Family contingent, while Qu Yanqing stood behind Wu Qin. Hearing Gu Xiao’s question, both women showed focused interest, their beautiful eyes turning simultaneously toward Qing Ming and the other two.

Qing Ming, the Heavenly Empress, and the Earth Emperor sat down in silence after arriving, finding their own places. Their eyes were dark and sinister. Under everyone’s gaze, they all sighed deeply at once.

The crowd froze, their expressions suddenly becoming strange, sensing something amiss, and they paid even closer attention to the trio.

“Qing Ming, don’t tell me you failed to kill him?” Gu Xiao stammered, clearly in disbelief. “Even if that brat relied on external power to briefly possess strength comparable to a Divine Realm martial artist, he surely couldn’t escape the combined might of the three of you? I know your Corpse King is also on Yin Wind Island, Qing Ming; we know the might of the Corpse King. The Corpse King alone should have been able to obliterate that brat? Could there really have been an accident?”

Upon hearing the Corpse King mentioned, Fan Xiangyun and the Earth Emperor’s faces twitched violently, as if stabbed, their complexions turning extremely unsightly.

A look of intense hatred suddenly flashed in Qing Ming’s eyes, as if a raw wound had been exposed. He stood up abruptly, glaring fiercely at Gu Xiao.

Gu Xiao was taken aback, suddenly feeling awkward and unsure of what to say. “What happened?”

“The Corpse King escaped Qing Ming’s control.” The Earth Emperor shook his head with a bitter smile, his expression one of sorrowful resignation. “Who knows how it happened. That brat struck a palm blow directly into the Corpse King’s body, and the Corpse King instantly betrayed us, turning to attack Qing Ming. Having no choice, the three of us had to flee…”

“Flee!?”

The heroes of the Endless Sea Domain gathered in the hall seemed to have heard something utterly preposterous. Their expressions froze stiffly.

Cao Zhilan’s delicate body trembled, and she secretly gritted her teeth, her beautiful eyes wide with unconcealed horror.

Qu Yanqing was also stunned, staring blankly at the grim-faced Qing Ming trio, momentarily unable to process what had occurred.

More martial artists screamed out loud, denouncing the story as absurd, believing Qing Ming and the others had gone mad and were speaking nonsense.

“Eh, Heavenly Empress, Xiangyun, your body?” Wu Qin of the Heavenly Pool Holy Land suddenly noticed something, her eyes shining brightly as she looked intently at Fan Xiangyun, exclaiming in surprise, “What is this?”

Fan Xiangyun was wearing a dress the color of jade green. Her chest, which normally elicited envy from every woman, had somehow deflated…

…and it wasn't just slightly deflated; it was utterly flat!

What in the world was this situation?

The celebrated beauty of the Endless Sea Domain, whose ample figure drove men wild and women jealous, where had her massive twin peaks vanished?

All the martial artists in the hall, alerted by Wu Qin, turned their attention to her. Their expressions became exceedingly peculiar, as if they had discovered a new continent, muttering in surprise and disdain internally.

Fan Xiangyun’s charming face instantly turned ashen, as if poisoned. Her features contorted into a terrifying grimace, losing every trace of soul-captivating beauty, becoming utterly chilling.

The martial artists who had been staring at that area felt a sharp stinging in their eyes. Some weaker cultivators suddenly clutched their heads, rolling and howling on the ground.

“Heavenly Empress, what have you done?!”

Dongfang Kuai’s expression changed drastically. His voice roared like a legion of beasts, shattering the illusion in the hall instantly. Looking at the blood oozing from the corners of his subordinates’ mouths, Dongfang Kuai sprang to his feet, his gaze sharp and menacing, and shouted.

Fan Xiangyun’s face twisted. She gritted her teeth, panting softly like a cornered beast, seemingly suppressing immense rage.

“Let’s stop talking, stop fighting amongst ourselves.” Wu Qin, seeing the situation deteriorate, quickly moved to mediate. She then turned to the Earth Emperor, who appeared slightly calmer among the trio. “What exactly happened?” The Earth Emperor repeatedly shook his head and sighed, his face also grim. He glanced at Fan Xiangyun, who looked ready to unleash a massacre, and then at the Corpse God Sect Master, whose eyes threatened to spill forth Corpse Fire. He let out another long sigh and shook his head. “It’s all because of that Shi Yan’s mischief.”

“Shi Yan?”

Everyone in the hall softly echoed the name, their eyes filled with dread, and a tempestuous wave of shock surged through their hearts.

How was this possible?

How could a mere youth, who barely possessed strength comparable to a Divine Realm martial artist by relying on external power, manage to make the three long-renowned experts of the Endless Sea Domain return in utter defeat and such a wretched state?

Even the Heavenly Empress’s proud peaks were blasted away? Was this true?

The gathered martial artists in the hall suddenly fell silent, as if an invisible sound barrier had enveloped the great hall, making it so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

“Um, could you perhaps explain the situation in more detail?” Gu Xiao hesitated, carefully choosing his words, fearful of provoking Qing Ming and Fan Xiangyun. He asked cautiously, “If we don’t know the methods that brat used, we might still fail to eliminate him next time we try.” The Earth Emperor glanced at Qing Ming and the Heavenly Empress. Seeing their distressed expressions, he sighed inwardly. “In short, that brat’s methods are bizarre. That giant sword covered in eyes seems capable of breaking through anything, tearing apart every barrier. What is most terrifying is how he managed to wrest control of the Corpse King. Because of the Corpse King’s sudden rebellion and the failure of the Heavenly Empress’s psychic Martial Soul, we were forced to flee. Alas, it was a humiliating experience. If you encounter that brat, be extremely cautious. This individual cannot be judged by conventional standards.”

At these words, many powerful figures changed their expressions dramatically.

“If this individual is not eliminated, even if the Fiends leave, you will never know peace!” Fan Xiangyun, silent for a long time, gritted her teeth, her voice like that of a malevolent ghost, dripping with venom.

Qing Ming assented with a nod, his voice sharp. “I suggest we temporarily slow down the engagement with the Fiends and prioritize eliminating this brat! He absolutely cannot be allowed to live! If he leaves the Endless Sea Domain and evades our pursuit, within a hundred years, when he returns, we will all be wiped out! No one can withstand his edge! Not even Cao Qiudao or Yang Yitian! At this point, he appears even more terrifying than Yang Qingdi!”

“I agree!” Fan Xiangyun hissed hatefully.

“I agree too!” the Earth Emperor concurred.

The assembled group sat like statues.

After a long pause, Gu Xiao looked toward Wu Qin and Dongfang Kuai. In their eyes, he saw profound apprehension; clearly, Wu Qin and Dongfang Kuai were also beginning to fear.

“Very well. We will temporarily suspend action against the Fiends. We will focus all our efforts on searching for Shi Yan’s whereabouts and eliminate this brat first!”

Gu Xiao took a deep breath and finally made his decision.