On the boundless ocean, there was an isolated small island.
Xiang Mantang sat cross-legged on the sandy ground, staring blankly into the pitch-black sky.
Behind him, the shadow that had spread a Dark Realm capable of devouring everything seemed to have completely become his own shadow.
After leaving the Mesopotamian Plain, Xiang Mantang didn't dare to return to his country, nor did he dare to go to crowded places. In the end, he set foot on the sea and came to this isolated island.
Here, he wouldn't harm anyone, and he could slowly reflect on how exactly he could rid himself of this ghastly state!
"Paradise Lost, Omniscient, you should be thankful that I don't know where your headquarters are..."
Xiang Mantang, thinking of the reasons that led to his current plight, was enraged once more.
After several days of contemplation, Xiang Mantang had come to realize that the so-called Garden of Eden and Tree of Life were all false. They were fabricated by the Omniscient to guide him to the Folded Space within the Mesopotamian Plain, where many demons were imprisoned!
Then, someone from Paradise Lost came forward to guide him to explore, and in the end, he struck a deal with the devil, completely unleashing these endless demons!
Xiang Mantang hated himself for being foolish and manipulated, but he was absolutely determined to take revenge on these people!
However, with his current state, it was not feasible to traverse the world and kill members of these two organizations!
"Why exactly do they want to do this? What benefit does it bring them?"
Xiang Mantang couldn't understand how turning a peaceful world into hell would benefit anyone.
"I also don't know how Senior Brother, Sister-in-law, and Godmother are doing now..."
Afterwards, Xiang Mantang thought of Mu Jinyu and the others in the Capital City, and felt a wave of guilt.
"Forget it, continue to cultivate. I'll strive to control this ghost shadow behind me as soon as possible. Then I'll be free!"
Xiang Mantang sighed deeply, then, looking at the Vermilion Phoenix pattern on his arm, he whispered to himself.
He also belatedly realized that the True Vermilion Phoenix Blood refined by the Blood Phoenix Slaughter Art could actually hinder the erosion of the demons.
It seemed that when he was possessed by the ghost shadow, his consciousness surrendered. The reason he later regained consciousness and regained control of his body was due to the activation of his bloodline.
The people from Omniscient and Paradise Lost probably did not expect that, according to their calculations, he should have died completely, with his body controlled by the devil. Yet, because of his bloodline, their plan had gone awry!
Xiang Mantang now felt an urgency; he must cultivate the Blood Phoenix Slaughter Art quickly to refine more True Vermilion Phoenix Blood, to fully control the ghost shadow behind him.
Then, he could return to inform everyone of the conspiracies of Omniscient and Paradise Lost and fight against them together!
All he hoped for now was that everything was not too late!
Xiang Mantang closed his eyes and once again plunged into deep cultivation.
As he circulated the cultivation technique of the Blood Phoenix Slaughter Art, suddenly, the dense crimson lines on the surface of his body, outlining a Phoenix tattoo, began to emit an even more intense crimson glow.
As the glow brightened, the ghost shadow attached to Xiang Mantang's back began to twist and struggle, but since it had already fused with Xiang Mantang's shadow and had not successfully seized his soul, it couldn't sever itself from the body to escape Xiang Mantang.
Over time, it was slowly being refined by Xiang Mantang into his own shadow!
On the sea's surface, Jian Ruyan, holding a long sword, moved anxiously across the waves, searching for Xiang Mantang's whereabouts.
Initially, she was able to follow the traces swallowed by the Shadow Ghost Domain to track the departed Xiang Mantang.
But as Xiang Mantang stepped onto the sea, the traces of ghost shadow erosion were completely swallowed by the ocean, and she completely lost track of Xiang Mantang, having no idea where he had gone.
However, perhaps because Xiang Mantang had completely freed himself from the suppression of his bloodline, to counter the suppression of the ghost shadow, Jian Ruyan was faintly able to sense where the other person was when she released the Ice Phoenix Bloodline Power.
"Brother, where on earth are you!"
Jian Ruyan swung her sword and split a crazed shark, that wanted to attack her, into two, and continued to rush forward!
Afterward, Jian Ruyan gritted her teeth and once more began to form hand signs for the spell, then at her brow, the pattern of an ice-blue phoenix appeared again.
As the ice-blue lines intertwined into an Ice Phoenix pattern, Jian Ruyan vaguely felt the fluctuation of someone connected by bloodline, not far ahead.
Seeing this, Jian Ruyan quickly dispelled the Ice Phoenix Bloodline Power.
After dispersing the bloodline power, she did not immediately step forward to catch up.
Instead, she hugged her arms around her body, trembling and standing in place as her teeth chattered, with her eyebrows and hair now completely covered in frost.
The sea waves under her feet were directly frozen by the power she had released earlier, turning into a solid ice field within a hundred miles!
Jian Ruyan did not possess the God Realm strength like Xiang Mantang; every time she used her bloodline strength, she suffered backlash.
Of course, if she rested properly for a while after using her bloodline power, the side effects would not be too severe.
But Jian Ruyan, in order to find Xiang Mantang as soon as possible, used her Ice Phoenix Bloodline nearly every half day to track him, causing the backlash she suffered to become stronger and stronger.
It made her pain grow more and more intense.
A good while passed.
Eventually, Jian Ruyan managed to endure the torturous pain as if plunged into an icy hell, with a pale face and veins bulging in her hands gripping the sword, she leaned on her weapon and took slow steps forward on the ice field.
Once she crossed the hundred-mile ice field, Jian Ruyan barely caught her breath and then continued to summon her strength, racing against the furious waves towards the location she had sensed!
"Brother has not moved at all, I wonder if something has happened, I must find him quickly!"
Right now, both Jian Ruyan's physical and mental states were very poor, with her only thought being to find Xiang Mantang.
A considerable time passed.
During this period, Jian Ruyan encountered many dangers, and due to her poor mental state, she almost lost her life to some mutant sea beasts several times!
Fortunately, she managed to get through these situations with close calls.
Finally,
Just when Jian Ruyan could hardly resist passing out, she finally saw a desolate small island ahead, shrouded in a layer of black mist unlike any above the void...
"Brother..."
With a shiver, Jian Ruyan gathered her spirit and hurried towards the small island!
Due to her extremely poor mental state, she had already forgotten that the ghost shadow attached to Xiang Mantang could devour all nearby things!
Jian Ruyan thus carelessly stumbled and rushed toward the small island enveloped by darkness!