Chapter 107: Reinforcements

To the east of the Dead Silence Marsh, a slender figure soared through the void, carrying a person in their arms.

Below, two towering men, like enraged black bears, charged swiftly, each bound leaping over ten meters through the air.

In the vast marshland surrounding them, a monstrous figure covered in scales was half-submerged in the muck, moving swiftly like a giant mud eel. His ferocious eyes gleamed coldly as he stared intently at the sky beyond the marsh, fixating on the slender figure flying overhead.

Farther off, a furious roar echoed. A man, seething with rage, shouted wildly as he spread his divine sense, covering a wide area.

The strange happenings to the east of the Dead Silence Marsh sent shock through many martial artists operating in the area. Those engaged in hunting beasts paused, gazing skyward in stunned bewilderment, uncertain of what was unfolding.

Numerous beasts within the marsh seemed to heed their master’s call, leaping out and racing toward the east.

In an instant, chaos engulfed the eastern Dead Silence Marsh, everyone gripped by dread.

At the same time—

Chi Xiao, Zuo Shi, Wu Yunlian, and their party emerged from the Abyssal Yin Valley, traversing the exposed flatlands of the valley basked in sunlight.

The Abyssal Yin Plain no longer bore the eternal shadowy qi that once cloaked it.

Under the blazing sun, all vegetation on the plain had withered and died.

The beasts that once roamed there were either dead or fled—none remained.

The vast plain had become a land of deathly silence, devoid of life, with not a leaf nor branch in sight.

“Master, do you think Shi Yan is alright?” Zuo Shi asked anxiously.

“I don’t know,” Chi Xiao shook his head, sighing softly with a hint of guilt.

He feared the worst for Shi Yan. Though the Dead Silence Marsh was vast, Bei Ming Shang, Zhua Qi, and others were all cultivators at the Heavenly Rank realm. Not only could they soar through the skies, but their divine sense was overwhelming.

Unless Shi Yan was matched by a cultivator of the same level, it would be nearly impossible to elude their pursuit.

Chi Xiao had promised Shi Jian at the Shi family to protect Shi Yan at all costs.

Yet now, faced with Shi Yan’s greatest peril, Chi Xiao could only watch helplessly. Whenever Zuo Shi asked about Shi Yan’s fate, Chi Xiao’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but there was nothing he could do.

“Why are those two women following us?” Wu Yunlian frowned, glancing back with suspicion. “They seem to have come with the Bei Ming family.”

“Ignore them,” Chi Xiao said coolly, casting a glance behind.

Mu Yudie and Di Yalan trailed the group slowly, faces clouded with deep gloom.

Though Zou Zihe had not revealed his identity, the two women had guessed he was the lord of Dark Nether. Though he was not present now, once Shi Yan’s situation was settled, he would surely come to seize Mu Yudie.

He did not bother with her now because he was confident she could not escape his grasp.

Mu Yudie and Di Yalan knew this all too well.

The blow Shi Yan had dealt them in that strange space was already severe. With the grim fate awaiting them, they felt restless and uncertain of their path.

“Xiaodie, do you think Ding Yan will be alright?” Di Yalan murmured with a heavy heart.

Mu Yudie’s delicate face grew icy as she snorted coldly. “He’s doomed. Bei Ming Shang himself has taken action. Unless he can fly, there’s no escape from his grasp. Not only will he die, but the Shi family will be dragged down with him. Bei Ming Shang is furious—he won’t let this go easily.”

“I don’t know why, but I feel he’ll be fine. He always manages to surprise people,” Di Yalan whispered, shaking her head softly.

“Surprise?” Mu Yudie’s expression hardened. “There won’t be any surprises this time.”

Suddenly, Chi Xiao looked up sharply and his face changed dramatically. “Azure Blood Demon Bats!”

“Azure Blood Demon Bats?” Zuo Shi blinked and looked up, too. “Huh, they really are giant bats. Master, what’s wrong? Are these bats dangerous?”

“Azure Blood Demon Bats are beasts capable of continuous evolution. Their bones are as hard as steel, and their strength immense. They delight in devouring human flesh, especially the blood and flesh of martial artists. They are extremely savage. Even at level three, they are formidable. The ones in the sky are all at least level three, and there are fifty of them at once. Something’s very wrong,” Wu Yunlian whispered, eyes fixed on the sky.

“All these bats have people riding them, and those people are even more powerful, at least at the Hundred Tribulations realm!

Most are at the Status or Nirvana Nest realm!” Chi Xiao inhaled deeply, his expression grave. “The leader’s cultivation is unfathomable; even I cannot sense his true strength. In this region, I can’t imagine any force that could deploy so many experts at once. Even the royal families of the Flame Empire or the Divine Providence Empire would struggle to muster so many at once!”

Upon hearing this, Wu Yunlian’s face drained of color.

“They’re descending!” Chi Xiao’s heart sank. “Little Shi, stand by me and don’t move!”

Mu Yudie and Di Yalan also noticed the unusual activity in the sky. They looked up anxiously at the seven- or eight-meter-long Azure Blood Demon Bat, its eyes glittering with cruel and violent light, slowly swooping down. Both were filled with unease, uncertain of what was happening.

Atop the leading Azure Blood Demon Bat sat Xiao Han, the Asura King of the Yang family, dressed in a golden robe, looking down haughtily at the group below. His hoarse voice called out, “Who here knows Shi Yan?”

“Shi Yan!”

“Shi Yan!”

“Shi Yan!”

Chi Xiao, Zuo Shi, and Mu Yudie exclaimed in surprise. No one understood why these people were searching for Shi Yan.

“Hmph, Shi Yan has indeed offended many,” Mu Yudie snorted, assuming that Xiao Han and his party were powerful enemies Shi Yan had provoked.

Chi Xiao’s expression shifted slightly, but he did not answer immediately. He cupped his hands respectfully and said, “I do not know why you seek Shi Yan, elder.”

Chi Xiao recognized Xiao Han’s unfathomable cultivation and saw that most of the Yang family’s Asura Blood Guards aboard the Azure Blood Demon Bats were at the Status or Nirvana Nest realms.

He was deeply shocked and dared not underestimate them, speaking with unprecedented respect.

“Elder?” Zuo Shi, Wu Yunlian, Di Yalan, and Mu Yudie all froze, stunned beyond belief.

Chi Xiao was a Heavenly Rank cultivator from the Misty Mountains, one of the few elite in the Divine Providence Empire, Flame Empire, and the Commerce Alliance. Rumored to be a centenarian, he was a famous senior figure in the three kingdoms. Yet here he was, addressing someone else as elder!

Everyone was dumbfounded.

“Shi Yan is the great-grandson of Yang Qingdi, the head of the Endless Sea’s Yang family. We have come to bring him back to the Endless Sea. Do you know where he is?” Xiao Han’s tone softened slightly upon seeing Chi Xiao’s respectful attitude, no longer displaying his earlier madness.

Endless Sea? Yang family? Great-grandson of the family head?

Xiao Han’s words stunned everyone speechless.

Especially Mu Yudie and Di Yalan, whose expressions twisted with bewilderment. They had never imagined Shi Yan held such an identity.

“So he is a grandmaster from the Endless Sea,” Chi Xiao nodded, raising his head to scrutinize Xiao Han closely. Noticing the man’s impatience, he said, “Shi Yan acquired a treasure from the Heavenly Gate and suddenly vanished from there. He should now be on the outskirts of the Dead Silence Marsh. Several Heavenly Rank cultivators are currently searching the marsh’s perimeter for him. If you want to find him, you must hurry. The longer it takes, the grimmer his chances.”

“Grimmer chances!”

A sudden wave of intense bloodlust erupted from Xiao Han, spreading like a shroud, suffocating the air and nearly overwhelming those present.

“If Shi Yan meets an untimely end, the nations involved will perish alongside him!”

With those words, Xiao Han slapped the Azure Blood Demon Bat’s flank. “Spread out and search the entire Dead Silence Marsh. Report immediately if you find him!”

The Yang family’s Asura Blood Guards scattered swiftly atop their demon bats, vanishing without a trace.

“Master, is this man very powerful?” Zuo Shi asked in amazement.

“Even the combined strength of the three Bei Ming Shang wouldn’t stand a chance,” Chi Xiao said gravely, casting a meaningful glance at Mu Yudie and Di Yalan. His voice was neither too loud nor too soft. “The Bei Ming family is doomed. Those on the Azure Blood Demon Bats could sweep through the Commerce Alliance’s five great families in one fell swoop. Bei Ming Shang’s fate is sealed!”

Mu Yudie’s face went pale, her body suddenly weakening as she collapsed to the ground.

“Xiaodie!” Di Yalan cried in alarm. “What’s wrong?”

Mu Yudie’s expression flickered with complex emotions—half tearful, half smiling, she appeared dazed.

After a long while, her expression gradually hardened. She suddenly stood up and declared, “Let’s go find Shi Yan!”

“Why bother?” Di Yalan asked incredulously.

“I will do everything to become his woman! Whatever he asks, I will agree!” Mu Yudie said, her eyes burning with resolve.

“Ah!” Di Yalan covered her mouth in shock, unable to believe it.

Meanwhile, Xia Xinyan clutched Shi Yan tightly as they hurtled through the void, rushing east across the Dead Silence Marsh.

Suddenly, a dense, impenetrable darkness began to congeal beneath the clouds ahead.

An endless aura of darkness rippled out, enveloping Xia Xinyan’s form and abruptly halting their flight.

“Stop,” a cold voice emerged from the darkness. “I am the Lord of Dark Nether. I have no desire to make enemies with the Endless Sea. Release that boy now, and you may go.”

Xia Xinyan floated in space, her face cold and expression indifferent. “You’d best not meddle. Our people will arrive soon. You know you possess a Heavenly Rank cultivation at the first level, but to oppose us is far beyond your reach. In the Endless Sea, a cultivator of your strength can only serve as a minor attendant in a great family, not even a core attendant! If you want to continue acting arrogantly here, don’t interfere.”

Rather than fear, Xia Xinyan even dared to threaten.

“I want that item on the boy precisely because I seek to break free from fate,” the voice from the darkness continued. “Do not force me! To obtain it, I am willing to abandon Dark Nether. When I reach the Divine Realm in the future, I can rebuild Dark Nether anywhere—even in the Endless Sea!”

Xia Xinyan’s expression shifted. She suddenly realized that words alone would not persuade this adversary.