Zhi Xuan stepped onto the Seven Star Boat, which was now fully extended, ready to shoot off. The night wind began to blow harder, carrying the whispers of the Law of Fire and pure essence from afar.

  Fei Sheng followed him with an elegant movement, though his crystal eyes were filled with deep concern. Feng Yi, whose fire aura now burned brighter, leaped onto the deck with fervor, her sword already unsheathed in her hand.

  "Be ready," Zhi Xuan said, his tone flat but his will absolute. He focused his essence into the Seven Star Boat.

  WHUSSHH!

  The boat shot off again, this time not to flee, but to approach danger. The starlight around the boat shone brightly, piercing the dense darkness of the night. The Crimson Star Volcano, which was previously only a giant silhouette, now grew larger before them, radiating a burning Law of Fire aura and abundant spiritual essence.

  Fei Sheng immediately activated his Law of Wind, forming a transparent shield around the Seven Star Boat. His wind was not only a shield but also a detection tool, scanning every essence fluctuation around them. The Crimson Star Volcano was a magnet for high-level Spiritual Beasts and other ambitious cultivators.

  "Many Consciousness Transformation cultivators and Spiritual Beasts," Fei Sheng whispered, his eyes narrowing as he processed the data from his Law of Wind. "There are at least five cultivator groups, each with a Consciousness Transformation leader. And three peak Azure Kings—one Earth Dragon Fire Beast, one Raven Thunder Beast, and one Titan Bear Earth Beast."

  "And they are all... fighting," Feng Yi added, her voice filled with a horrifying excitement. From her position, she could already see flashes of fire, lightning, and thunder in the distance, around the peak of the Crimson Star Volcano. "A fight to claim the spiritual vein peak."

  Zhi Xuan narrowed his eyes. He steered the Seven Star Boat to approach the Crimson Star Volcano from the side opposite the battle. He did not want to get caught in the chaotic crossfire. His goal was to absorb pure essence, not to harvest cores again—at least for now.

  "We will ascend to a sufficient height to absorb the essence without drawing attention," Zhi Xuan said, his tone calculative. "Fei Sheng, make sure your Law of Wind suppresses all our traces. Feng Yi, be ready to fight if anyone approaches."

  The Seven Star Boat shot up, penetrating the clouds of volcanic ash floating around the mountain peak. The higher they went, the thicker the spiritual essence became, feeling like oppressive water. Zhi Xuan could feel his meridians throbbing, ready to absorb the pure energy.

  They finally reached a hidden crevice on the side of the mountain, far from the battle's commotion. From there, they could see the energy flares from the peak, which was shrouded in fire and thunder.

  "This is the spot," Zhi Xuan whispered. He turned off the Seven Star Boat's engine, allowing Fei Sheng's Law of Wind to stabilize the artifact in the air.

  Zhi Xuan immediately sat cross-legged on the deck, closing his eyes. He activated the Heavenly Cycle of Samsara Wheel, rotating his Law of Four Seasons, and began to absorb the abundant spiritual essence from the Crimson Star Volcano. The essence was pure, rich, and radiated a strong Law of Fire.

  Fei Sheng also sat cross-legged, activating his Law of Wind, creating a gentle yet efficient vortex to absorb the essence. His Consciousness Transformation foundation immediately responded, and the spiritual aura around him pulsed with a stable rhythm.

  Feng Yi, on the other hand, sat cross-legged beside Fei Sheng, her spiritual sword standing next to her, her sharp divine sense scanning the darkness of the night. She was a warrior, and even while absorbing spiritual essence, her instincts told her that danger could come anytime, from anywhere.

  Zhi Xuan felt the spiritual essence flooding his meridians. It was an amazing experience. The Law of Spring and Summer in his Heavenly Cycle of Samsara Wheel spun quickly, absorbing the Fire essence and transforming it into purer Black Jade essence. The key to control that Ruo Xianxue had given him worked perfectly; he could manage the massive energy flow without feeling overwhelmed.

  In his sea of consciousness, the Ancient Devil Monument trembled softly. The runes on the eight remaining chains flickered, as if the Ancient Devil was enjoying a feast of spiritual essence. Zhi Xuan felt a slight tremor of satisfaction from Ruo Xianxue, a confirmation that he was on the right track.

  Hours passed in tense silence, broken only by the faint sounds of battle on the mountain peak and the whispers of the night wind. Zhi Xuan felt his foundation strengthening. His Black Jade essence became denser, and his Law of Four Seasons became more harmonious. He could feel that he was approaching the stability of the peak Blood Transformation realm.

  Just as Zhi Xuan thought the greatest danger had passed and he could harvest spiritual essence peacefully, the calmness of the night was snatched away by a terrifying manifestation of Law.

  A giant shadow, made of the Law of Fire and Thunder, suddenly split the night sky. The shadow was the Raven Thunder Azure King, one of the three peak Beasts that Fei Sheng estimated were fighting. It fled the mountain peak at a frantic speed, its body stained with black spiritual blood, and one of its thunder wings was almost severed.

  The Raven Thunder Azure King was not alone. Chasing it was an arrogant peak-level Consciousness Transformation cultivator. He was a man in black robes with a sharp Law of Thunder aura, his eyes radiating boundless greed. Just one step away from Five Element cultivation.

  "Get back here, foolish Raven! Your core belongs to me!" the black-robed cultivator roared, his voice containing a Law of Thunder shockwave that split the air.

  However, the injured Raven Thunder Azure King was not heading for the peak. In its despair and exhaustion, it sensed a calmer spiritual essence fluctuation in the crevice where Zhi Xuan and his companions were hiding. Instinctively, the Beast thought the crevice was a safe place to hide and recover.

  SRAKK!

  The blood-stained Raven Thunder Azure King crashed into the rock wall above the Seven Star Boat with destructive force, creating a storm of volcanic dust and falling rock debris. The fluctuation of the Beast's Law of Thunder immediately flooded their hiding crevice, disrupting Fei Sheng's Wind vortex and forcing Zhi Xuan to stop his cultivation.

  "Damn it!" Zhi Xuan hissed, his eyes snapping open, radiating a flash of Black Jade essence. He immediately stood up, his cold aura spreading to hold back the chaotic Law of Thunder.

  Fei Sheng immediately stood up, his eyes radiating suppressed anger. "We are discovered! Brother Zhi Xuan, we must leave!"

  Feng Yi did not wait. Her combat instinct took over. Her spiritual sword was already in her hand, and Phoenix Fire erupted from her body, forming a crimson shield that burned the air. "We cannot run! That cultivator will catch up in an instant!"

  Above them, the blood-stained Raven Thunder Azure King crawled among the debris, staring at the trio of cultivators below with yellow eyes filled with terror and exhaustion. The Beast was too injured to attack, but it also would not give up its remaining life.

  However, it did not take long before the black-robed cultivator, flying on a flying sword, arrived at their hiding crevice. His sharp eyes immediately focused on the collapsed Raven Thunder Azure King, then shifted to the Seven Star Boat and the three cultivators below.

  The cultivator, who looked to be around his thirties, had a black lightning sect symbol on his robe and a peak-stage Consciousness Transformation aura. His eyes swept over Zhi Xuan, Fei Sheng, and Feng Yi, and a sneer appeared on his face.

  "Ha! Lucky small sect kids," the man scoffed, his voice full of contempt. "You found my prey. Hand over that Azure King, and perhaps I will let you go with one cheap Organ Transformation core."

  Fei Sheng, whose face turned pale again from the situation, tried to maintain etiquette. "Senior, we did not intend to steal your prey. We were merely cultivating. We will leave immediately."

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  "Leave?" the black-robed cultivator's laugh sounded hoarse. His eyes fixed on Feng Yi, whose Phoenix Fire aura was very conspicuous, and the Seven Star Boat that radiated a subtle starlight. "Quite an interesting Fire Phoenix girl. And a good boat. No, I do not think you will be leaving. I will take this Azure King, your cores, and perhaps you too."

  The cultivator raised his hand, the Law of Thunder beginning to gather, forming a deadly lightning blade.

  Zhi Xuan let out a long, cold sigh, allowing pure frustration to envelop him. They had tried hard to avoid conflict, but the Secret Realm was a jungle where the strong always preyed on the weak. His boredom and mental exhaustion suddenly lifted; now there was only sharp calculation.

  "Fei Sheng, Feng Yi," Zhi Xuan said, his voice calm, ignoring the threat of the peak Consciousness Transformation cultivator above them. "This Raven Thunder Core is worth twice the Lightning Leopard's. We will take it. But do not let him attack. He will destroy the boat."

  Zhi Xuan stepped forward. He channeled his essence into the Ocean-Shattering Thunder Sword, a half-broken Heaven-Grade artifact. The jet-black blade of Ancient Thunder Wood immediately appeared in his hand, resonating with his Black Jade essence. The sword radiated an aura of primordial darkness, far deadlier than the black-robed cultivator's Law of Thunder.

  "Senior Brother, please advise," Zhi Xuan said in a low, cold tone, his voice filled with sharpness, fully in control of his inner self. Zhi Xuan dared to take out this artifact, not to summon Thunder, but as a cold trap.

  The black-robed cultivator above them, whose main focus was the injured Raven Thunder Azure King, was slightly surprised to see the deadly Thunder Sword in the hands of the Blood Transformation youth. However, his surprise quickly turned into a sneer of contempt.

  "Oh? A Blood Transformation brat dares to show a Heaven-Grade Artifact to me?" the man scoffed, the Law of Thunder in his hand spinning into a denser blade. "Good Artifact! It will be mine. You do not even know how to control an Artifact of that grade, you foolish monkey!"

  "I know how to control it," Zhi Xuan replied flatly. He did not channel his Black Jade essence into the sword to attack. Instead, he channeled it to suppress and lock the Thunder. "I just do not want to use it. It is too harsh."

  Zhi Xuan clenched his jaw, his blue eyes radiating sharp calculation. He was well aware that the Ocean-Shattering Thunder Sword was a deadly double-edged knife; it could kill the enemy, but it could also explode the Seven Star Boat, damaging the unprepared essences of Feng Yi and Fei Sheng.

  "Feng Yi! Create a Phoenix Fire storm around us! Do not attack, just defend!" Zhi Xuan shouted, his voice containing absolute cold authority. "Fei Sheng! Protect the Seven Star Boat from the Thunder above! Do not let him touch this flying artifact!"

  Feng Yi did not argue this time. She felt absolute sharpness in Zhi Xuan's voice. Phoenix Fire erupted from her body, forming a spinning Crimson Fire dome, holding back the volcanic dust and debris of the collapsed Raven Thunder Azure King. The dome radiated extreme heat, but it was controlled.

  Fei Sheng immediately manifested the Law of Wind into a spiral shield over the boat deck. The Wind Shield was not only physical defense, but also a vibration absorber, dampening every Law of Thunder shockwave that would be manifested. The black-robed cultivator, furious at being ignored by a Blood Transformation cultivator, released his dense Thunder blade.

  KRAKK!

  The Thunder blade shot out, splitting the air with a deafening roar. However, instead of attacking Zhi Xuan, the blade was aimed at the Seven Star Boat, the most fragile point in their defense.

  "Destroy your artifact!" the man roared. The Thunder blade struck Fei Sheng's Subtle Wind Shield. The Law of Wind and Thunder clashed, producing a sharp ringing sound. Fei Sheng's Wind Shield managed to hold, but the resulting vibration made the Seven Star Boat shake violently. Fei Sheng hissed in pain, his essence churning.

  Just then, the injured Raven Thunder Azure King above them saw an opportunity. With its remaining strength, the Beast thought the black-robed cultivator was distracted, and it released its remaining dark Law of Thunder, attacking the cultivator from behind.

  WHUMP!

  But it was not that easy, the divine sense of a peak Consciousness Transformation cultivator was not something that could be fooled by a hidden attack, the black-robed cultivator turned and released a thunder blade towards the Raven Thunder Azure King.

  KRAKK! BOOM!

  The Thunder blade released by the black-robed cultivator struck the Raven Thunder Azure King with the full force of peak Consciousness Transformation. The dense and focused Law of Thunder pierced the already weakened spiritual defense, and the Beast screamed in agonizing pain. Black spiritual blood spurted out, staining the volcanic rock and debris around them. The Raven Thunder Azure King, whose wing was already almost severed, now collapsed completely, its body twitching wildly among the debris.

  The black-robed cultivator laughed hoarsely, a winning sneer appearing on his face. He had subdued his prey, and now he could refocus on the smaller, more promising prey below. He did not see any danger coming from the three cultivators on the Seven Star Boat.

  "Now, you all. Hand over that Thunder Artifact and your Beast Cores, or—"

  That was when Zhi Xuan moved. It was not a devastating Thunder attack, but a cold, efficient, and deadly action.

  "Fei Sheng! Control the air around him!" Zhi Xuan yelled, his voice containing absolute command.

  Fei Sheng, despite being shocked by Zhi Xuan's initiative, immediately responded. He rotated his Law of Wind to the extreme, not for defense, but to strike and compress the air around the black-robed cultivator at a frantic speed.

  WHUSHH!

  The sudden and brutal air pressure—the Law of Wind manifested as a giant grip—clutched the body of the peak Consciousness Transformation cultivator. His movement slowed for a fraction of a second, his robe sticking tightly to his body, and the air around him whistled loudly. One second. That was enough.

  Zhi Xuan waved his hand, the Ocean-Shattering Thunder Sword returned to his storage bag, now the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron appeared and immediately grew larger, enough to swallow the size of a small house. With a momentary surge of essence, Zhi Xuan threw the divine furnace towards the black-robed cultivator.

  DING! DING! DING!

  The Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron shot out at a frantic speed, propelled by Zhi Xuan's Black Jade essence and the momentum of the vicious throw. Its small house-sized physical form and its small mountain-equivalent weight struck the air already compressed by Fei Sheng's Law of Wind.

  The black-robed cultivator, who had just recovered from the shock of the Raven's Thunder attack and Fei Sheng's Wind grip, only managed to raise his hand. He tried to manifest a Law of Thunder shield, but he was too slow. The force of Fei Sheng's Law of Wind, although lasting only a fraction of a second, was enough to destroy his momentum.

  BOOOOOM!

  It was not the sound of a burning spiritual explosion, but the sound of an ancient metal collision—the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron—striking the peak Consciousness Transformation cultivator with incredibly harsh, pure throwing force.

  The cultivator's body recoiled, the Thunder shield he tried to manifest shattered into pieces. Spiritual blood gushed from his mouth. It was not just a physical collision; the Law of Four Seasons engraved on the furnace immediately resonated, disrupting the essence circulation and Law of Thunder in the man's body.

  The cultivator was thrown into the rock wall behind them, creating a small crater in the mountain crevice. The man collapsed next to the half-dead Raven Thunder Azure King, his body twitching wildly. He was not dead, but his spiritual foundation was severely shaken, and the Law of Thunder in his body had been alternately frozen and melted by the Law of Winter and Summer from the furnace.

  "Soul... Artifact... Throw?" Feng Yi muttered, her previously controlled Phoenix Fire now spinning erratically in shock. She had seen the Heavenly Destroyer Palm, but using a Soul Artifact as a pure projectile, with deadly efficiency, was a much more brutal and unexpected strategy.

  Fei Sheng, whose Law of Wind was still compressing the air around the victim, nodded slowly, his face pale. "An un... unethical maneuver, yet incredibly efficient. He did not give him time to react with Law."

  Zhi Xuan did not just stop, seeing the opportunity where two major enemies were momentarily distracted, with a brief surge of essence. Zhi Xuan raised both his hands and materialized ten demon blood sword blades, the sword blades quickly shot towards the Divine Furnace spinning in the air. Gripping the furnace like a slingshot about to be launched again.

  SREK! DING! DING!

  Zhi Xuan roared loudly, pulling the divine furnace which weighed hundreds of jin, the furnace with a ringing sound that reflected the shockwave, pulled and spun as Zhi Xuan rotated it to find momentum. The ten demon blood threads gripping the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron tightened like bowstrings pulled to their limit.

  Zhi Xuan's Black Jade essence pumped brutally, ignoring the pain and the threat of exhaustion; he only focused on the deadly momentum. Cruel impulsiveness had taken over, leaving no room for doubt.

  "Now!" Zhi Xuan roared, his voice containing a cold madness. He released the demon blood threads. The Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron shot out again, not towards the shaken Consciousness Transformation cultivator, but directly at the body of the already helpless Raven Thunder Azure King.

  SRAKK! THWACK!

  The collision produced a deafening sound. The furnace struck the Consciousness Transformation Beast hard, leaving no chance for the Beast to react. The Raven Thunder Azure King, already severely injured, collapsed completely, its body twitching once before falling silent.

  This brutal collision produced a shockwave much worse than the first collision. Fei Sheng, whose Law of Wind was still compressing the air, felt his Wind shield tremble violently.

  "He killed it! With a Soul Artifact!" Fei Sheng hissed, his shock beyond limits; the Raven Thunder Azure King was his target.

  The Beast's Thunder Core, which was forcibly snatched from its shattered body, hovered for a moment, before being snatched at a frantic speed by the same demon blood threads, which immediately pulled it back to the deck of the Seven Star Boat.

  The Divine Furnace immediately shrank down to the size of a jade-gold bead, quickly floating back to Zhi Xuan's hair. The Raven Azure King Thunder Core was immediately caught by Zhi Xuan, he felt a piercing exhaustion as if he had drawn a bow weighing hundreds of jin.

  He turned momentarily to the black-robed cultivator who had collapsed on the rock wall. The man, whose face was stained with spiritual blood, could only watch his prey be killed and its Core stolen in the most brutal and efficient way. He rose from his position staggeringly, his eyes showing cruel vengeance.