Chapter Thirty-Five: Blocking the Door

Shi Yan slowly opened his eyes, gazing with a smile at Di Yalan, who was still lost in her astonishment and joy. “Congratulations, Sister Lan.”

Having finally unraveled the mysterious power of his enigmatic martial spirit, Shi Yan was just as thrilled. Di Yalan had merely spent a few days messing around with him and had reaped enough benefits to break through to the Human Level—a testament to the boundless marvels of his mysterious martial spirit.

“Thank you,” Di Yalan replied, her beautiful eyes brimming with gratitude.

She was well aware that all the recent changes in her body were thanks to Shi Yan. Over these days, she had genuinely felt the benefits.

“Perhaps it’s related to the medicinal energy within me, but it was also Sister Lan’s own diligent cultivation that brought about the result.” Shi Yan’s expression was calm as he said, “Now that you’ve reached the Human Level, why not check whether your ‘Blue Demon Flame’ martial spirit has changed?”

Di Yalan smiled radiantly, like a flower in bloom, and gracefully extended her left hand. In her palm, a mass of blue flame suddenly ignited.

The flame, about the size of a watermelon, gradually enveloped her entire left hand. The blue flame seemed almost sentient, transforming into serpentine strands that slithered around her smooth wrist.

With every shift in Di Yalan’s thoughts, the wondrous ‘Blue Demon Flame’ morphed into various forms: now an agile serpent, now a soaring bird, each so vivid it seemed any moment it would leap from her palm and take flight.

“The moment I broke through to the Human Level, I felt the ‘Blue Demon Flame’ change. My martial spirit grew stronger…” Di Yalan’s lips curled in a wide smile. “Not only did it grow from the size of a fist to that of a human head, but it also gained the ability to take shape. This is its second stage.”

A martial spirit that can materialize objects?

Shi Yan nodded, immediately realizing that Di Yalan’s ‘Blue Demon Flame’ was indeed extraordinary. “Then I must congratulate you again, Sister Lan.”

“All thanks to you,” Di Yalan replied, her eyes sparkling, a playful hint of affection at the corners of her mouth.

“How is this possible?” Mu Yudie, up in the tree, was openly incredulous, her delicate face full of disbelief. “It’s only been ten days! How could Sister Lan break through to the Human Level so quickly? I remember you only reached the Third Heaven of the Innate Realm half a year ago, right?”

“That’s right,” Di Yalan replied, visibly pleased and rather proud. “It was only half a year ago that I entered the Third Heaven of the Innate Realm. Even I never expected to break through to the Human Level so soon. I originally thought it would take at least three to five years of hard training. Who would have thought…” She laughed.

Mu Yudie rolled her eyes, rendered speechless.

Could it be… that man’s… really has the miraculous effect of divine elixirs?

At this thought, Mu Yudie blushed, silently berating herself and not daring to dwell on it any longer.

...

Another five days passed.

The trio continued to move cautiously through the Dark Forest.

For the past five nights, the forest had been alive with noise—beastly roars mingling with the dying screams of warriors and mercenaries, sending chills down the spine of anyone who heard them.

Shi Yan realized that someone must have provoked high-level demon beasts. Each night, he carefully chose a quiet, safe place to rest and never set foot outside after dark.

He avoided both the demon beasts and passing mercenaries, always opting to hide. Thanks to this caution, though they didn’t cover much ground in five days, they also never faced any serious threats.

Fortune favored Shi Yan in another way as well. He occasionally stumbled upon fallen warriors, killed by demon beasts. Once the beasts left, he would harvest the lingering essence from their bodies.

For safety, he always waited until the beasts had been gone for some time before emerging.

Though each harvest was small, the accumulation gradually strengthened the ‘Petrification Martial Spirit’ within him.

At this point, Shi Yan could, by sheer will, petrify his entire body in an instant, his skin turning a deep brown, and his defensive power slowly increasing.

Nor did he neglect his training of the ‘Berserk’ technique during these days.

However, the final barrier was especially difficult. Whenever he attempted to stir the negative energy within the acupoint on his head, an excruciating pain would tear through him. When his energy reversed its flow, the agony was so intense he would pass out instantly.

Despite several days of effort, he made no breakthrough in this last stage of ‘Berserk’. After fainting several times, he suspected he might be using the wrong approach. He decided to pause, rethink his method, and try again later.

...

Another deep night.

The three of them huddled inside a dim cave in a mountain valley, the entrance obscured with shrubs and leaves, conversing in low voices.

Outside, the sounds of demon beasts passing by came in wave after wave, their low growls and howls filling the night. It seemed as if countless beasts were on the move.

“Something’s off tonight,” Di Yalan said, frowning. “It seems as though every demon beast in the Dark Forest is active. That’s very unusual. Even if mercenaries have been stirring things up, the beasts at most cause trouble for two or three days. It’s unheard of for so many to be out at once. Who knows what’s happened?”

“With such an uproar, there must be a high-level demon beast orchestrating things,” Shi Yan said grimly. “The Thunderwing Silver Wolf is a seventh-level demon beast, equivalent to a Sky Level warrior. Not only does it have a demon crystal within it, but its intelligence rivals ours. If it’s taken the lead, things are truly serious.”

“Good thing we’ve been so cautious, not worrying about how much ground we cover but only about safety. Otherwise, we’d be in real trouble.” Di Yalan nodded.

Thud, thud! Thud, thud!

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside. From the sound, it was clear that human warriors were on the move.

With demon beasts everywhere, for humans to be out at this hour could only mean trouble—likely being chased by the beasts.

“Should we go out and take a look? Maybe we can help,” Mu Yudie suggested gently, seeking the others’ opinions.

Shi Yan and Di Yalan exchanged glances but remained silent.

“What, are you really going to just watch people die?” Mu Yudie’s brows knitted, a hint of anger in her voice.

“With demon beasts everywhere, it wasn’t easy for us to find a hiding place. If we expose the cave, we’re doomed. Besides, how do you know those people outside aren’t trouble themselves? If they covet your beauty, who knows how much trouble they could bring. Best not to meddle,” Shi Yan snapped, blunt and unyielding.

Mu Yudie was not foolish; she understood all these risks. She simply couldn’t bear to let people be slaughtered by demon beasts in front of her.

Yet, having Shi Yan scold her so coldly made her unable to save face. She snorted, head held high, and muttered, “Heartless! Not a shred of human kindness. So you’re just afraid of death after all—I thought…”

“That’s not fear of death; that’s courting death!” Shi Yan retorted coldly, grinning. “Miss Mu, you’ve saved me twice, but I believe I’ve already repaid that debt. Remember, the only reason I’m still here isn’t because of you, but because of Uncle Luo’s instructions.”

He paused, then continued sternly, “I’m not your servant. Don’t take out your young lady’s temper on me. If you really push me, I’ll just leave, and you can do as you please.”

“You!” Mu Yudie felt wronged, her eyes misting over as she choked back tears. “You’re always bullying me!”

“All right, all right. We should stick together now. We’re all heading to the Merchants’ Alliance, and it’s safer if we cooperate. Let’s stop arguing,” Di Yalan urged.

“Something’s wrong!” Shi Yan suddenly stood, his face darkening. “They seem to know there’s a cave here—they’re coming this way!”

“No way!” Di Yalan exclaimed, quickly grabbing her short sword and standing beside Shi Yan at the entrance. “What do we do?”

Roars and howls of demon beasts echoed from outside, growing louder as more and more gathered, seemingly converging on their location.

“Block the entrance!” Shi Yan’s expression changed. He pressed his hand against the rock blocking the cave mouth. “Help me hold it! Don’t let anyone in! If someone gets inside, the beasts will know something’s up and won’t leave us alone—we’ll be in mortal danger!”

When Shi Yan first entered this cave, he had not only covered the entrance with leaves and shrubs but also wedged a stone inside to block it, precisely to prevent such a situation. He hadn’t expected it would come in handy so soon.

“Got it!” Di Yalan, startled, quickly reached out to help Shi Yan brace the stone blocking the entrance.

...