"Chen Tianqiong, this guy’s soul avatar..."

After the initial excitement, Xu Yang’s expression grew tense.

But the violent sounds of battle outside crashed into his ears, making him instantly regain his composure.

He couldn’t afford to think too much at this point.

If he suppressed the two now, even if Chen Tianqiong really had a soul avatar outside, it wouldn’t be a problem for a while.

A thought flashed by. Under his control, the Cyan Flame Boat silently appeared above the two men.

Swish!

Cyan radiance flashed.

"What is that?"

"Watch out!"

Xi Hai’s face changed; though he hadn’t seen clearly, he shouted at once.

Chen Tianqiong’s sense of danger erupted; without hesitation, he unleashed his spirit mark.

At the same time, a spirit mark appeared out of thin air.

"Lock!"

Bang!

The entire area froze in an instant.

Xi Hai and Chen Tianqiong’s spirit marks were forcefully suppressed.

Their eyes nearly popped out, faces twisted with incredulous dread.

"Damn it, who’s there?"

"Someone’s ambushed us!"

Xi Hai roared hoarsely, springing into a frenzy.

"Hmph!"

Xu Yang snorted coldly, spirit mark surging, unleashing his power in a wild torrent.

"Chaotic Void Celestial Saber!"

The Asura Blood Saber howled, sweeping a storm of bloody carnage downward.

Puff! Puff!

Xi Hai and Chen Tianqiong screamed miserably, blood gushing out of their mouths.

Immediately after, the heaven-locking intent within engulfed the pair.

It wasn’t over yet!

Clang!

The saber’s edge thundered, Heaven-Crushing Divine Saber erupting in might.

Though not his full force, under the suppression, Xi Hai and Chen Tianqiong’s eyeballs nearly burst with agony before this slash.

Boom!

The surrounding wasteland exploded, dense dust and energy billowing high.

Swish!

A flash of bright green lightning vanished without a trace.

In the distance.

When two True Monarchs noticed the disturbance and rushed over, there was nothing left but devastation—Xi Hai and Chen Tianqiong had completely disappeared.

Outside the island.

The middle-aged Shenxiao realm powerhouse was still dueling the Ink Sovereign Fish.

No winner could be decided any time soon.

He had no idea the Xi Hai and Chen Tianqiong he was supposed to protect had already been crushed and taken away.

The island’s edge.

Xu Yang shot a suspicious look toward a certain area.

The next moment, without hesitation, he flashed over at lightning speed.

A mouth of a cave appeared before his eyes.

Suffocating, surging spiritual qi swirled within the cave.

Xu Yang’s body quivered, and he blurted out, "What incredible spiritual energy."

He slipped inside in a flash.

Moments later, he reached the bottom.

It was a massive underground cavern.

Brilliant spiritual light dazzled everywhere, so dense it made his eyes ache!

There, piled high, were countless supreme-grade spirit crystals—their overflowing light condensed into substance, gathering into a tide.

Gulp!

Xu Yang couldn’t hold back a swallow, his eyes lighting up.

"It’s actually a supreme-grade spirit mine!"

"No wonder they chose to hide here."

Forget other treasures—even just this mine would let the prodigies of Guanglong Island and Three Gods Island cultivate for years without worrying about resources, their cultivation soaring ever upward.

Xu Yang acted without courtesy, summoning the Asura Blood Saber, hacking away ruthlessly.

Swish, swish, swish!!

Radiant light burst forth, saber shadows spinning wildly.

Chunk after chunk of supreme spirit crystals vanished into his Storage Ring.

The deeper he went, the bigger the spirit crystals—some the size of fists, others as large as millstones, each as valuable as dozens or even hundreds of regular pieces.

Xu Yang was practically drooling.

Several breaths later.

The uppermost layer of supreme spirit crystals was stripped clean.

Translating those to normal spirit crystal size, there had to be at least several hundred thousand!

Glancing over the undisturbed lower strata, Xu Yang secretly sighed, "Such a pity," then whirled and left without hesitation.

He couldn’t delay any longer.

Rushing from the cave, he ran straight into a True Monarch-level expert.

But it was only a high-tier True Monarch!

"Who are you?"

"Where are Xi Hai and Chen Tianqiong?"

The man glared at Xu Yang, roaring in anger.

Xu Yang answered with a single saber strike.

"Courting death!"

Rumble!

A deafening boom shook the land, shattering an area hundreds of meters across. The cave collapsed, and a savage wave shot toward the sea outside the island.

"Impossible!"

The man was appalled—his foe’s power was actually a match for his own.

How could someone at True Monarch Initial Realm wield such terrifying strength?

Xu Yang’s whole body trembled, his tiger’s mouth numb, but he looked up and grinned, "So this is all a high-tier True Monarch amounts to!"

As soon as the words fell, he unleashed the Cyan Flame Boat!

Swish!

He could’ve fought the man, but there was no more time to linger.

"Stop right there!"

The man’s face darkened, shooting skyward.

But the Cyan Flame Boat’s burst was nearly that of a Shenxiao Great Monarch—he struck out, but hit nothing. There was not even a trace remaining.

The middle-aged man fighting the Ink Sovereign Fish suddenly changed expression.

He’d sensed a fluctuation at the ’equal realm’ level.

"Xi Hai and Chen Tianqiong..."

"Damn it!"

The man’s face turned gloomy, realizing something was wrong. He erupted without hesitation, viciously repelling the Ink Sovereign Fish, and broke from battle, charging toward the area he’d sensed.

"My lord, Xi Hai and Chen Tianqiong are gone!"

A roar echoed out from the island.

Rumble!

The middle-aged man smashed a thousand li of the void in rage.

But there was not a trace!

Xu Yang, as soon as he boarded the Cyan Flame Boat, pushed to full power—pouring spirit crystals in madly, and in just a few breaths, he’d already escaped this sea at a speed rivaling a Shenxiao Great Monarch.

Edge of the Storm Sea.

The Cyan Flame Boat flickered in and out beneath the waves.

Xu Yang stared down at the comatose Xi Hai and Chen Tianqiong, his expression shifting uncertainly.

After some pondering, he stripped the two of their Storage Rings.

After sorting through the spoils, most things were useless to him.

But as for supreme spirit crystals—the harvest was immense.

Xi Hai carried nearly three hundred thousand supreme spirit crystals; Chen Tianqiong had even more, around five hundred thousand.

Counting the ones from the mine, Xu Yang now possessed over a million supreme spirit crystals!

Just this number could keep the Cyan Flame Boat at full speed, non-stop, for several days.

And that speed—that was on par with a Shenxiao Great Monarch.

He’d gotten rich overnight!

Xu Yang licked his lips, eyes glinting, and suddenly slammed his palm onto Xi Hai’s head.

Bang!

His body trembled, letting out a dull, unconscious groan, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

His soul’s minghuo was smashed to fragments!

As for Chen Tianqiong—Xu Yang considered, then focused his will, sent his own minghuo through his body and stabbed lightning-fast into Chen Tianqiong’s brow.

Chen Tianqiong, unconscious, jerked—his awareness snapped awake.

Within his divine palace, he stared in horror at the bizarre minghuo, his consciousness trembling, facing imminent doom!

Chen Tianqiong could feel it—this seemingly weak flame carried a pressure and threat beyond compare.

He had no power to resist!

"Who—who are you?"

"Are you from Ten Thousand Swords Island?"

His consciousness gave out a terrified interrogation.

"Where are all your soul avatars?" Xu Yang asked directly.

Chen Tianqiong’s mind fell into despair. He gave a maniacal laugh: "You think I’d tell you?"

"As long as one soul avatar still exists, I can survive."

"Hahaha!"

Chen Tianqiong laughed madly, his consciousness boiling over.

"Lock!"

Within the minghuo, a spirit mark emerged—heaven-locking intent erupted, pinning Chen Tianqiong’s consciousness firmly in place.

Xu Yang had already expected Chen Tianqiong would choose self-destruction!

That was why his actions were so meticulously planned.

After self-destruction, it would be almost impossible to track any connection between his main body and his avatars.

But, sealed by heaven-locking intent, there was a slim chance.

Swish!

The black minghuo fluttered up, inch by inch boring into Chen Tianqiong’s awareness.

He endured such agony his soul nearly burst, his body convulsing, but he couldn’t muster even a single scream.

His consciousness spasmed in ceaseless misery; the invisible torment almost made him faint.

Xu Yang restrained his minghuo, searching bit by bit through his awareness like a carpet sweep.

At a certain instant—

Xu Yang’s mind jolted. "Found it."