Chapter 143: The Island of Immortality

"Reincarnation Martial Spirit!"

Chen Feng's expression shifted drastically as he let out a startled cry, staring blankly at the cyan beam of light that Xia Xinyan had transformed into, which gradually vanished beyond the horizon.

Dongfang He and Gu Jiange instantly wore grim expressions, while Huo Yanqing furrowed her delicate brows and let out a soft sigh, looking rather troubled.

"Jiange, didn't you say this girl's background was unknown?" Dongfang He asked with a cold face, glaring at Gu Jiange. "Well, this is just wonderful. She turns out to be from the Xia family. It would have been fine had she perished here, but now that she has escaped alive, the Xia family will undoubtedly come to settle accounts."

Chen Feng drew a deep breath, his face filled with apprehension. "The Xia family is one thing, but what about the Yang family..."

At the very mention of the Yang family, the members of the four major factions all turned ashen, their expressions souring considerably.

"You all know very well how arrogant and ruthless the Yang family is. Even when people mind their own business in the Endless Sea, those madmen still roam around provoking trouble. If anyone accidentally crosses their people and gives them an excuse, they routinely slaughter entire bloodlines, leaving not even a chicken or a dog alive. If the Yang family really decides to make an issue of this, our four factions are likely to suffer catastrophic losses," Chen Feng sighed.

Earlier, when dealing with Shi Yan and the girl, Chen Feng had been arrogant and condescending, acting as if he held the entire world in contempt. Yet now, the mere mention of the Yang family reduced him to deep sighs and nervous dread, transforming him instantly into a frightened child, as though he had provoked demons and monsters.

"Although the Yang family and the Xia family are allies, the Yang family holds the dominant position and generally doesn't interfere in the Xia family's affairs," Huo Yanqing said after a brief silence, suddenly speaking up. "Why did she say the Yang family would intervene as well? Logically speaking, unless something catastrophic befalls the Xia family, the Yang family wouldn't get involved."

"That brat..." Dongfang He drew in a sharp breath, suddenly saying, "Could that brat be a member of the Yang family?"

"Ah!"

At these words, everyone cried out in alarm, their complexions turning livid.

"If he truly were a member of the Yang family, why would there be no experts accompanying him? Every single rising talent of the younger generation in the Yang family is utterly arrogant; none of them know the meaning of restraint. If that brat belonged to the Yang family and we treated him that way, he would never have been so submissive. He would have undoubtedly used soul transmission to spread the news and then stood his ground against us," Chen Feng shook his head.

The younger generation of experts from the Yang family were all proficient in soul transmission techniques. Even when traveling alone, very few members of other factions would ever dare to kill a young Yang family expert.

This was because once a young member of the Yang family sensed danger, they would immediately use soul arts to transmit their plight. If any mishap befell them, the Yang family members would inevitably track down the culprit. The Yang family was renowned throughout the Endless Sea for taking vengeance for the slightest grievance; if anyone killed one of their scions, that faction would be utterly exterminated, and their entire sect erased from the Endless Sea.

Therefore, even when young members of the Yang family traveled alone, unless one could obliterate them in a fraction of a second before they could execute a soul transmission, even hostile factions would not dare to act rashly, terrified of provoking the endless and terrifying retaliation of the Yang family.

"Let us hope he is not a member of the Yang family. Otherwise, our four factions truly must prepare for a bloody battle," Huo Yanqing sighed wistfully.

"He was dragged into the cavern by the Mystic Ice Cold Flame. I fear he is being subjected to the flame's soul-seizure. Once the Mystic Ice Cold Flame secures a suitable vessel, it will surely find a secluded place to complete the possession. During the process of possession, the chill of the Mystic Ice Cold Flame will drop significantly—that will be the optimal moment to strike," Dongfang He frowned, pondering for a moment before continuing, "We can give it a try."

The others slowly nodded. Before long, the group arrived at the cave entrance. Gazing at the frozen cavern, the members of the four factions pooled their strength in an attempt to breach it. Various attacks rained down simultaneously upon the cave opening, yet the cavern remained as hard as iron. No matter how much power the four factions exerted, they could not shatter the cave.

Three days later, the chilling aura on Monro Island gradually dissipated. The frozen island saw its ice and rocks slowly melt.

Half a month later, glaciers were no longer to be seen on Monro Island. The freezing mist that had lingered over the island vanished without a trace, while several previously suppressed volcanoes stirred back to life, spewing molten magma.

"The Mystic Ice Cold Flame is no longer on Monro Island."

Hovering in the sky, Chen Feng sensed the surroundings carefully before shaking his head with a sigh, "Having obtained a vessel, it has certainly left via the ocean floor to find a secluded spot and complete the possession. With it gone, the island's chill has vanished as well. Even if reinforcements were to arrive now, finding the Mystic Ice Cold Flame would likely be extremely difficult."

"A Heavenly Flame's life form is different from ours. As long as it conceals its aura, even a Divine Realm expert nearby would find it hard to detect with divine sense. It seems this trip was truly in vain, and on top of that, we've offended both the Xia family and the Yang family. Our luck is truly wretched," Dongfang He forced a bitter smile, cupping his fists. "We will take our leave. If you are still inclined, feel free to continue searching."

"We are leaving as well."

Realizing that the disappearance of Monro Island's chill meant the Mystic Ice Cold Flame had long since departed, and knowing they could no longer hope to find it, the members of the four major factions stopped wasting time and successively left Monro Island.

Half a year later.

The Endless Sea, Jialuo Sea Area, Undying Island.

The Jialuo Sea Area was one of the five major sea areas of the Endless Sea, containing tens of thousands of large and small islands. The largest and most renowned among them was Undying Island—the headquarters of the Yang family.

Whether referring to the sea or the island itself, Undying Island was a wondrous place.

Hundreds of peaks, varying in size, stood proudly across the island. Every single peak radiated spiritual energy and contained all sorts of rare heavenly treasures. There were no ordinary mortals on Undying Island; everyone belonged to the Yang family's cultivators. Every peak was inhabited by Yang family members, and the island was crisscrossed by hundreds of thousands of restrictive formations, with guards patrolling the outer perimeters day and night.

Unless one was a member of the Yang family or a close ally on intimate terms with them, outsiders found it extremely difficult to set foot on Undying Island. Undying Island could well be described as the sacred ground of the Jialuo Sea Area. Every so often, the dozens of cultivator factions within the Jialuo Sea Area were required to come to Undying Island to pay tribute in supplies. The leaders of all these factions had to report the conditions within their respective territories. If the Jialuo Sea Area were a country and the dozens of cultivator factions were feudal lords, then Undying Island would be the imperial capital, and the Yang family, the supreme ruler of the Jialuo Sea Area.

Even though the Heavenly Evil Grotto-Heaven and the Xia family dominated their respective territories within the Jialuo Sea Area, in the hearts of everyone, the Yang family was the true overlord—a sentiment shared even by the people of the Heavenly Evil Grotto-Heaven and the Xia family.

Because of the existence of the Yang family, cultivators from the Jialuo Sea Area walked with their heads held high in other sea areas. Whenever they mentioned that they belonged to the Jialuo Sea Area and were affiliated with the Yang family's branch cultivators, a deep sense of pride would well up within them.

The Yang family was notorious throughout other sea areas for being bellicose and domineering. For centuries, in order to expand the territory of the Jialuo Sea Area, the members of the Yang family had fought in numerous campaigns across the south and north, plunging the neighboring sea areas into endless misery, seemingly never pausing their conquests. Amidst countless battles, the Yang family always acted as the vanguard, charging into the fray and fighting fiercely on all fronts.

Whether it was the Yuanluo Sea Area to the northwest or the Heishui Sea Area to the northeast, both had been targets of the Yang family's campaigns. Even the Cangqiong Sea Area to the southeast was frequently provoked by them. Over the centuries, the Yang family had made enemies everywhere, yet they stood unshaken, their territory expanding steadily and their familial power growing ever stronger.

The profound depth of the Yang family's strength was evident for all to see.

On this day, at a secluded cove on the edge of Undying Island, a small boat slowly approached. Standing gracefully on the bow was a slender, exquisitely proportioned woman wearing a veil. Her bright eyes held a lingering trace of sorrow as she slowly stood up.

"Whoosh!"

The sky above the cove flashed abruptly, and a figure clad in heavy black armor suddenly emerged from behind a massive boulder. Encased in heavy armor and wielding a black spear, the guard's gaze was sharp as he demanded, "Who goes there?"

"Xia Xinyan of the Xia family."

Gathering her sorrow, the woman spoke in an indifferent tone, "I have information regarding the Asura King Xiao Hanyi, and I need to report it."

"Wait here." The black-armored guard frowned slightly. He produced a black horn and spoke a brief report into it. Shortly thereafter, the guard's expression shifted slightly, and he said, "Lord Mo wishes to see you."

Xia Xinyan nodded. "Lord Mo and Lord Xiao fought side by side for many years. It is fitting that I report the situation directly to him."

The armored guard raised a hand, and a flash of lightning swept across the void. The thick rock wall at the corner split open, revealing a narrow pathway.

Lowering her head, Xia Xinyan guided the boat through the narrow path and stepped onto Undying Island.

At the summit of a peak several thousand feet high, a haggard-looking middle-aged scholar stood gazing into the horizon with a furrowed brow, his fingers gently rubbing a section of pale white beast bone in deep contemplation. On the summit stood only a crude thatched cottage, in front of which lay an elliptical, otherworldly formation.

Rings of silvery, exotic light flashed continuously from within the strange formation.

A moment later, a dazzling beam of light swept past, and Xia Xinyan's figure materialized within the formation.

Mo Duanhun, the foremost of the three Asura Kings, continued to look up at the sky without turning his head. He said indifferently, "Girl, I heard you have news of old Xiao?"

"Greetings, Lord Mo." Xia Xinyan bowed respectfully, then recounted every detail of their encounters in that distant sea area, from beginning to end.

As Xia Xinyan narrated the events, Mo Duanhun's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. When she finally finished, he shook his head and let out three slow sighs. "And where is Young Master Yan? Why do I not see him?"

"Shi Yan... also met with disaster." Xia Xinyan gritted her teeth, forcing herself to speak through her tension.

"Met with disaster?"

Mo Duanhun's lips parted into a grimace, revealing a set of white, gleaming teeth. "What happened?"

"The Lingbao Grotto-Heaven, the Tianchi Sacred Land, the Dongfang family, and the Gu family forced us into the cavern of the Mystic Ice Cold Flame. Shi Yan was targeted by the Mystic Ice Cold Flame for soul-seizure and was dragged into the cavern. His whereabouts are currently unknown..." Xia Xinyan lowered her head, moisture welling up in her eyes as her voice choked slightly.

"Lingbao Grotto-Heaven, Tianchi Sacred Land, the Dongfang family, the Gu family..."

Mo Duanhun nodded at each name, speaking calmly, "I will report this to the Family Head. This is a matter for the Yang family; your Xia family need not get involved. Here is a Heaven-Mending Pill; keep it."

"Lord Mo, Shi Yan encountered this calamity alongside me. Even if the Xia family chooses not to get involved, I personally wish to contribute whatever strength I can," Xia Xinyan said, taking the Heaven-Mending Pill and gritting her teeth.

Mo Duanhun looked slightly surprised. He stared at her for a moment before slowly nodding, "As you wish."