Chapter 117: The Transformation of the Divine Stone

Shi Yan awoke from his slumber. In the bridal chamber, Mo Yanyu lay sprawled across the bed, unconscious. Ling Shaofeng, his expression twisted and grim, was held up by two Shura Blood Guards at the bedside, his eyes filled with venomous, boundless hatred as he glared at Shi Yan.

"Young Master Yan," one of the Shura Blood Guards whispered.

Shi Yan waved his hand, signaling them to remain silent. "I need to meditate for a while," he said calmly. "Guard me." With those words, he sat cross-legged beside Mo Yanyu’s naked form and slowly closed his eyes. At the final moment of release, the strange energy within his acupoints had split into three parts: one surged into his heart, which held the Star Martial Spirit; another flowed into the Essence Qi sphere in his dantian; and the final, faint trace, mixed with his own essence, poured into Mo Yanyu’s body.

Nourished by that strange energy, the Star Martial Spirit caused Shi Yan’s heart to glow, emitting faint starlight. The spirit had transformed his heart, making it look as though it were studded with stars, resembling an ancient celestial map. Deep in the night, the starlight of the vast firmament quietly seeped into his body, absorbed by the Star Martial Spirit in his heart, making those pinpricks of light shine ever brighter. In his dantian, the Essence Qi sphere contracted, and a thick, powerful energy began to ripple outward, flowing through his meridians along a specific trajectory. The Essence Qi flowed like clear, agile lake water through the channels of his body; each time it completed a cycle and returned to the sphere, the sphere would shrink slightly, yet the power contained within it grew increasingly potent. With his eyes closed, Shi Yan looked inward, observing his body as if reading the lines on his own palm; every minute detail could not escape his inner vision. As the Essence Qi circulated, the sphere in his dantian grew smaller but glowed with increasing brilliance. It became like a small sun, radiating light and heat, possessing a vast and unparalleled aura.

Refining it over and over, the Essence Qi sphere continued to shrink, eventually becoming half its original size. The surrounding heaven and earth energy seemed drawn to Shi Yan, gathering slowly and slipping through his pores to converge into the sphere. After an indeterminate amount of time, wisps of cool energy suddenly began to overflow from the sphere. This cool energy flowed along his meridians into his brain, moving slowly through his skull and giving him a sudden sense of mental clarity. Strange light flickered in his mind, and the essence within his brain, nourished by this cool energy, began to expand. As his consciousness shifted, Shi Yan discovered that he had suddenly generated a form of mental energy. This energy was almost tangible, extending outward from his body like ripples. As his mental energy stretched, he could clearly sense the mountain-like, surging life force of the two Shura Blood Guards, perceive the suppression of Essence Qi within Ling Shaofeng’s body, and observe the subtle changes in Mo Yanyu’s form. It was as if he had grown an extra pair of eyes, ones connected to his mental energy; as long as that energy extended, he could detect the fluctuations of life around him and gauge the strength or weakness of those vibrations. *The Hundred Tribulations Realm.* Shi Yan felt a surge of joy, immediately realizing this was the sign of a breakthrough. He focused even more intensely, driving the Essence Qi sphere to release more of that cool energy into his brain to strengthen his mental power.

Time passed, and Shi Yan eventually stirred from his trance. Opening his eyes, he appeared dazed for a moment before clarity returned. He smiled and asked the two Shura Blood Guards how much time had passed.

"Almost a night," the guard replied, his expression shifting. After a moment of hesitation, he asked tentatively, "Young Master Yan, have you... have you stepped into the Hundred Tribulations Realm?"

"Just now, I sensed wisps of mental energy radiating from you. It seemed as if you were observing us with it," the other Shura Blood Guard added, clearly astonished and full of doubt.

Not long ago, in the Dead Silence Swamp, Shi Yan had used an Undying Creation Pill to advance from the second level of the Human Realm to the first level. Barely half a month had passed; logically speaking, no matter how extraordinary one’s talent, it was difficult to break through in such a short time. Advancing from the first level of the Human Realm to the Hundred Tribulations Realm required more than just sudden enlightenment; it required a foundation of thick Essence Qi.

In half a month, unless one consumed supreme treasures or mysterious pills, it was impossible to make up for the lack of Essence Qi and reach the threshold of a breakthrough. The Shura Blood Guards had been with Shi Yan for the past two weeks and knew he hadn't taken any such medicine. No matter how they looked at it, it seemed impossible for him to advance again so quickly. Yet, they had truly sensed his mental energy—a trait only possessed by those in the Hundred Tribulations Realm. Their confusion prompted the question.

"Hmm, it seems I have indeed entered the Hundred Tribulations Realm," Shi Yan replied with a smile. His face remained calm as he lied, "Perhaps the medicinal power of the Undying Creation Pill wasn't fully absorbed before, and this time, my body happened to absorb the remainder, allowing me to advance." The origins and mysterious, wicked nature of his martial spirit were his greatest secrets; he would not reveal them to anyone. This was the only explanation he could give. The two guards looked at him with strange expressions, clicking their tongues in wonder, but they did not press for details.

"What is the current situation?" Shi Yan asked, changing the subject.

"The Ling family and the Zuo family are finished. Both family heads and the experts within their clans have been slaughtered. The Poison Man Bu Bo of Poison Dragon Valley was also killed by Lord Xiao. By now, the Lord and the experts of your Shi family should be wreaking havoc in the Beiming family; perhaps it is already over."

"We and the seven other blood guards were ordered to stay behind to protect you, Young Master Yan. This place has become a death zone. Since you are awake, we can return to the Shi family to await the Lord’s return and prepare to head to the Endless Sea together."

"Good," Shi Yan nodded, stepping off the bed with composure.

"Young Master Yan, what about these two?" one of the guards asked, seeking his opinion. Shi Yan frowned, glancing at the hateful Ling Shaofeng and then at the unconscious Mo Yanyu, whose face still bore traces of resentment.

After a moment of contemplation, Shi Yan walked toward the exit. With his back to the two guards, he said coldly, "You know what to do."

Outside, the seven Shura Blood Guards of the Yang family were sitting atop Green-Blooded Demon Bats. Xia Xinyan, her face veiled, was among them. Seeing Shi Yan emerge from the bridal chamber, a cold light flashed in her eyes, and she let out a faint, dismissive huff. Shi Yan’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly approached a Green-Blooded Demon Bat. He leaped onto the creature, glanced at Xia Xinyan, and asked coolly, "Why are you still here?" Xia Xinyan frowned, huffed again, and refused to answer, her eyes filled with disdain. Shi Yan shook his head, said nothing more, and patted the beast, ordering the guards, "Return to the Shi family."

"Yes!"

The rider kicked the neck of the Green-Blooded Demon Bat, and it surged into the air, carrying Shi Yan toward the Shi family estate.

Xia Xinyan watched Shi Yan, who had shrunk into a tiny black dot, her eyes complex. She sighed softly, lost in thought. Under the bright moonlight, Shi Yan sat atop the beast, flying toward his home. As they soared through the clouds, the Star Martial Spirit in his heart suddenly rippled with circles of starlight. In an instant, Shi Yan became a source of light, as if a star were constantly erupting with brilliant radiance.

That starlight formed a screen, which seemed tangible as it slowly descended toward the massive extraterrestrial meteorite in the Divine Stone Plaza.

"Huh?" The Shura Blood Guards on their own mounts gasped in shock, staring at the Divine Stone below.

*Boom!*

A massive roar echoed in Shi Yan’s mind. The next moment, he felt the starlight energy absorbed within his heart slip out of his control, pouring into the starlight screen.

The screen expanded, moving to envelop the meteorite below. The moon was bright, and strands of lunar essence condensed into cool, visible rays of light, falling onto the starlight screen by the hundreds. Bearing this lunar energy, the starlight screen erupted with brilliance and slammed into the Divine Stone. The moment the tangible screen touched the stone, it was as if rainwater had fallen onto a sponge, completely absorbed. The Divine Stone, having swallowed the screen, began to glow with a crystalline, brilliant light, shimmering with the cool purity of the moon. Shi Yan, perched on the beast, stared in astonishment at the legendary meteorite, a chill running through his heart. The Divine Stone was definitely related to the One God Sect. He immediately realized that since his Star Martial Spirit originated from the Star God of that sect—who possessed such vast power that he had forged the martial spirit into a source seal—the Star God must have interfered with the stone as well. The fact that the starlight energy in his heart was actively forming a screen to pour into the stone confirmed the deep connection between the two.

"Young Master Yan!"

The nearby Shura Blood Guards turned pale, as if they had suddenly remembered something. "On the Divine Stone... the Moon God Seal of the One God Sect!"

"Moon God Seal?" Shi Yan frowned. He noticed that, sure enough, crescent-shaped patterns were suddenly appearing on the stone, flickering with strange light and shifting slowly across its surface. The massive stone suddenly began to crack, and even more brilliant light erupted from the fissures.

"Young Master Yan, watch out!" one of the warriors shouted, roaring, "Move!" Beams of lunar light shot out from the stone like divine weapons, shattering the stone towers of the five great clans in the plaza as if they were made of paper. The light pierced the earth, carving deep, bottomless trenches. Shi Yan’s expression changed drastically; startled, he hurriedly drove his Essence Qi to form a shimmering black light shield.

*Crack, crack, crack.*

The Divine Stone continued to emit massive cracking sounds. This mysterious meteorite, which had stood in the City of Heaven for a thousand years, seemed on the verge of shattering completely.