The next morning.

At sunrise, the sun slowly began to climb.

Immediately, the morning light broke through the dawn, piercing the thick, dark clouds to stab down upon the Cyan Lotus Volcano mountain range.

Gradually, more and more sunlight illuminated the Cyan Lotus Volcano range, with the main peak receiving the most brilliant rays.

"KEEE..."

"KEEE... KEEE..."

"KEEE... KEEE... KEEE..."

As Fang Yang watched, the main peak of the Cyan Lotus Volcano range let out a pained, almost human cry, like the call of a fish or the shriek of a bird.

It was at this exact moment that roiling magma first spewed from the main peak’s crater, triggering the other volcanoes to erupt in flames as well.

In that instant, the world lit up, the sky filled with sulfur, and the violent explosion was powerful enough to kill a Tier Four cultivator!

Yet Fang Yang merely activated his Sea of Fire Skill, adding a layer of a faint, fiery shield to his body that blocked everything.

His Eighteen Layers of Fire Realm already contained the Cyan Lotus Earth Core Flame, so blocking the disasters brought by a volcanic eruption was a simple matter for him.

"Hm?!" Suddenly, Fang Yang’s gaze sharpened.

He felt his Soul tremble slightly. This wasn’t fear, but excitement, as if some rare treasure was attracting him.

And so, he followed the pull, walking slowly toward the center of the volcanic magma.

One step, two steps, three steps... His pace was extremely steady.

Finally, he stopped and stretched out his hand.

The next moment, a brilliant, fiery-red treasured light appeared in his palm.

The light faded, revealing its true form.

[Volcanic Soul Marrow]

It was shaped like a miniature version of the Cyan Lotus Volcano range, so vivid it seemed to be alive.

But Fang Yang knew it was not a living thing.

Volcanic Soul Marrow, a special Tier Five treasure of the Soul Dao and Fire Dao.

Legend has it that all things have a spirit, and the birth of every Volcanic Soul Marrow is a masterwork of heaven and earth’s creation.

Refining it would strengthen one’s Soul Foundation and increase the refiner’s comprehension of the Fire Dao and Soul Dao!

’This is a treasure capable of forging a prodigy. Its special effects are comparable to some Tier Six Sacred Materials.’

’Treasures of the Soul Dao are truly extraordinary.’

Fang Yang smiled faintly and carefully put it away.

The next moment, he patted his beast-taming pouch, and the White Feathered Eagle appeared, hovering in the air.

With a carp’s leap, he landed gracefully on the White Feathered Eagle’s broad back.

Then, obeying his command, the White Feathered Eagle beat its wings and soared high, heading straight for the Hunshun River.

「An hour later.」

The temper of the enraged Cyan Lotus Volcano range had subsided slightly.

Meanwhile, Erzhu Yao, after rushing frantically, finally arrived at the main peak of the Cyan Lotus Volcano range.

"All things have a spirit, a soul treasure to follow..." Erzhu Yao formed a hand seal, trying to summon the Volcanic Soul Marrow.

After failing again and again, his face turned ashen as he finally accepted reality.

But he was unwilling to accept it.

Afterward, he gradually dug for clues and finally pieced together part of the truth. He even learned the direction the person had taken, but he didn’t dare to follow.

Finally, a storm of shock and anger raging within him, he waited until the Cyan Lotus Volcano range quieted down before frantically unleashing his techniques, destroying one peak after another.

...

「Meanwhile.」

In the Frost-Mist Phantom Sea, on the eastern ocean.

Just as Fang Yang was storing the Volcanic Soul Marrow, Minghai Nanyu, Lin Yan, and the others were also waiting for a destined opportunity to manifest here.

SPLASH... The darkness dissipated, and the dawn arrived.

The figures of the group of four gradually materialized, becoming clearer and clearer.

The men were handsome, the women beautiful.

In the eastern ocean, a brilliant treasured light suddenly erupted.

The light from this treasure surged, sweeping mightily in all directions.

Lin Yan’s face lit up with ecstasy. "This aura... it’s Tier Five! No, it might even be Tier Six!"

Minghai Nanyu’s brow furrowed slightly. "That’s an illusion! Don’t let your mind be deceived!"

Finally, the brilliant treasured light faded, and a thirty-six-petal, water-blue lotus flower appeared on the surface of the sea.

"A Qingyuan Water Lotus? No, it’s just the lotus seed," Minghai Nanyu said with a trace of regret.

A Qingyuan Water Lotus of exceptional quality has the potential to reach the level of a Tier Six Sacred Material.

But a mere lotus seed from a Qingyuan Water Lotus, while valuable, wasn’t worth nearly as much, as it was only a Tier Four Spiritual Object.

The gap between a Tier Four Spiritual Object and a Tier Six Sacred Material is immense.

If one wanted to cultivate the Qingyuan Water Lotus seed to perfect maturity... heheh, the difficulty would be even greater than becoming a perfect Spirit Body!

"No, it’s not just the lotus seed." Lin Yan’s eyes were feverish as he gazed into the distance.

Seeing the look in Lin Yan’s eyes, Minghai Nanyu’s heart skipped a beat.

This was the Frost-Mist Phantom Sea, a sea of illusions. Its greatest danger was its ability to amplify a person’s greed and cause them to sink into depravity.

If things went wrong, one could even perish here.

What was worse was that trials like the Minglong Assessment had a death quota!

"Lin Yan, don’t go!" Nanyu snapped angrily.

But how could Lin Yan possibly listen to Nanyu now? Insatiably greedy, he frantically activated his techniques and charged forward, rushing toward the inner sea.

Nanyu and the other two, caught in the formation, were dragged forward against their will.

Just as she had feared, the thing Nanyu worried about came to pass.

Two Blood Shark Ten Thousand Beasts Kings suddenly appeared and began to hunt them!

What enraged Nanyu even more was that Lin Yan, who had come to his senses, actually attacked his two allies in succession before fleeing on his own.

He was following the mortal principle: when a bear comes, you don’t have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun your friend.

"AHHH—" Nanyu roared, her heart feeling as if it were being sliced by a knife.

When Lin Yan tried to drag her down with him, she turned the tables, furiously blowing his head off with a single spear thrust.

However, she had also suffered grievous losses in the process and could only watch helplessly as the Blood Shark Ten Thousand Beasts Kings destroyed the Qingyuan Water Lotus seed.

At that moment, Nanyu suddenly recalled her brother’s advice: "In the Thunder Saint Academy, good people don’t die, and bad people don’t die. Only fools die!"

...

FLAP, FLAP.

At Fang Yang’s command, the White Feathered Eagle beat its wings, soaring through the sky.

Along the way, they encountered no shortage of terrifying Fierce Beasts, such as a Cloud He Thousand Beasts King and a Golden Arrow Griffin Ten Thousand Beasts King.

But every time a wisp of lightning sparked from Fang Yang’s fingertip, these Fierce Beasts would consciously back away.

As he was now, he could easily slay the Cloud He Thousand Beasts King.

And if he went all out, he could even use the power of the Yimu Sacred Spear to slay the Golden Arrow Griffin Ten Thousand Beasts King.

Of course, that was his trump card, so he wouldn’t use it.

But the lightning, tempered by the Yimu Sacred Spear, was more than enough to frighten these Fierce Beasts away.

Finally, with the White Feathered Eagle soaring freely, Fang Yang arrived high above the Hunshun River.

However, it seemed things were not peaceful downstream on the Hunshun River.

"ROAR..."

"AHH..."

Within the great river, a dense horde of beasts was crowded together.

They roared ferociously, surging forward in an endless stream, charging toward the very front.

This horde of Water Beasts was centered around a school of swordfish, for Fang Yang spotted a silver, swordfish-like Ten Thousand Beasts King!

What surprised Fang Yang even more was that this horde of Water Beasts was frantically attacking a warship.

Onboard the warship, Dongfang Xuezhi, Dongfang Moran, Cyan Aura, and Lin Tianxue were working together to fight off the enemy, frantically activating the treasures given to them by their family elders.

’Did these people commit some heinous crime? How else could they be besieged by a beast tide?’ Fang Yang wondered, his eyes narrowing in confusion.