The third layer of Devil Domain was undoubtedly filled with danger. After all, this was a place with Devil Emperors and Devil Sovereigns. Although Xiang Shaoyun was capable of keeping himself alive here, it did not mean that he would be able to protect the Han Clan sisters as well. They understood that and could only agree to his request.

"Alright. This is your antidote. In case I get myself killed, you won't have to be afraid of the poison anymore," said Xiang Shaoyun as he handed them two pills.

Back at the Skeleton Gang, Xiang Shaoyun had once lied to them that he had poisoned them. Naturally, this antidote was a lie as well. The two women were unaware of that, but they were overjoyed to see that Xiang Shaoyun was willing to relinquish his grasp on them. Finally, they were free.

Just as Han Xuewei was about to swallow the pill, Han Qianwei stopped her and said, "Hold on, little sister."

"Why?" Han Xuewei asked in confusion. Instead of saying anything, Han Qianwei stared at Xiang Shaoyun suspiciously.

Xiang Shaoyun did not mind. He shrugged and said, "Eat it if you want. I'm going."

He then ignored the two and left alone. After he left, Han Xuewei swallowed the pill.

"Why are you in such a rush? What if this is yet another poison?" Han Qianwei asked anxiously.

"Big sister, I know you don't like Xiang Shaoyun, but if he really wishes us ill, why would he save us? Does he even need to use poison if he wants to harm us?" asked Han Xuewei. She had been able to view everything in a rational manner, which caused Han Qianwei to feel both shame for not being able to see what her little sister saw and guilt for suspecting him.

"Since he is our savior, I will say something nice on his behalf after meeting Uncle Pojun," said Han Qianwei.

"Uncle Pojun might be strong, but I don't think he will be of much help to Xiang Shaoyun," said Han Xuewei with a sigh.

...

Xiang Shaoyun advanced alone, and before long, he was met with the attack of some devils. These devils were only Kings, and he had not much problem dealing with them. But the deeper he went, the more pressure he felt.

Powerful peak Devil Kings and Devil Emperors were starting to appear. He hadn't even gone far, yet the devils he encountered were already much stronger than the ones in the second layer. From this, it was evident that he would encounter even more Devil Emperors the deeper he went.

Instead of charging ahead blindly, Xiang Shaoyun started killing the devils in the area. He would first gather enough contribution points before thinking of anything else.

In that manner, five days passed.

His contribution points had increased greatly. His Nether Soul Domain and ghostrunes had played a great role in helping him accumulate that many contribution points.

Escape was nearly impossible for any devilish beasts trapped in his Nether Soul Domain. He would only release the Nether Soul Domain when he faced more than 10 devils at a time. Any devil killed in the Nether Soul Domain would be considered his kill, awarding him contribution points even if the ghostrunes were the ones doing the killing. There was nothing surprising about that since the ghostrunes resided in his personal domain. One could even consider the ghostrunes his personal cheat.

Presently, Xiang Shaoyun was resting in a cave he had snatched from a Devil Emperor blackstone beast. His body was covered in injuries, and his aura seemed to be in disarray as well. It was obvious he had just ended an intense battle.

"I need to spend some time and refine the devil edge grass and increase my offensive prowess before doing anything else," said Xiang Shaoyun to himself as he started the refining process.

The reason Xiang Shaoyun had waited until now before refining the devil edge grass was because he was now laden with injuries, the perfect condition to use the devil edge grass. The devil edge grass could strengthen his meridians and body, and in his current condition, he would be able to better absorb the power of the devil edge grass.

When he dissolved the devil edge grass in his astral cosmos sea, strands of sharp energy started coursing through his meridians and acupoints, torturing him with an intense pain as if he was being sliced from within. He did not make a single sound as he resisted the pain and continued the refining process.

He was one who had survived numerous lightning strikes, and he had also undergone the pain of being burned by unique flames. He possessed a far higher endurance than an ordinary person.

He understood clearly that this pain was a sign of the devil edge grass working on his body. If he could endure it, his meridians would become more tough and durable. His acupoints would expand in size, while his flesh and bones would also become much tougher. This was a process of forceful strengthening that few Kings could endure. Any carelessness could result in one's meridians and acupoints being destroyed during the process.

After an unknown amount of time, the devil edge grass's power started weakening. At this time, Xiang Shaoyun suddenly sensed a devil blade power coursing in his blood, and a scene of a unique blade energy flying around at an odd trajectory appeared in his head. The blade seemed to be something formed by nature, possessing a boundless might.

He focused on observing the trajectory of the blade and etched it in his brain. The trajectory revealed to him the usage method of the Devil Severing Edge. One generally needed to use devilish energy to power this attack, but a human could also use it with dark energy.

Xiang Shaoyun met both requirements and could fully comprehend this technique. He woke up from his meditation and formed a blade with his palm before hacking sideways.

Bang!

A blade of devilish energy formed and sliced the nearby stone into two before leaving a deep cut on the ground.

"Is this the power of Devil Severing Edge? It is not weaker than any emperor technique. In fact, it is much stronger. This is a strength of a technique formed by nature!" Xiang Shaoyun exclaimed in admiration.

Half a month passed. Xiang Shaoyun had spent the time battling the numerous devilish beasts while heading toward the location Meng Gansu had told him of. Xiang Shaoyun had also recently completed the fourth wall of his Six Goldplate Manual, fully mastering the second stage. Ordinary Emperors would no longer be able to break through his defenses.

If he continued growing and completed all six walls, transforming the walls into a platemail, he would be able to fully master the emperor technique. Presently, he was at the mid seventh-stage Skysoar Realm. His growth had been rapid.

Xiang Shaoyun knew the reason for his rapid growth. When refining the silver lightning core and yin devil wind, his nine stars had been fully activated.

He traveled while he cultivated, and without realizing it, he was nearing his destination. Suddenly, a humanoid devil appeared before him. The devil stared at him greedily with a pair of lustful eyes, as if the only thing the devil wanted was to strip him naked.

"Kekeke, what a sturdy human. I like it," said the devil.

When Xiang Shaoyun saw the devil, he shivered and cried out in alarm, "A yang devouring devil!"