Everyone sank into silence upon hearing Luo Ying's words. Since the yin shadow stone came from Hu Ruhai, was he aware of the stone's function? As an outsider, it wasn't proper for Xiang Shaoyun to comment on Hu Ruhai's character. However, this was a good opportunity for him to split with Jiang Qi and the others.

He picked up the yin shadow stone and said, "Watch. The shadow devouring devils will definitely appear again. With this stone in my hand, you'll see if they will instead chase after me."

"How can we do that? Just throw the stone away. Don't put yourself in danger," Jiang Qi hurriedly said.

"It's fine. Perhaps there's a conspiracy at play. I'll take it on for you guys," said Xiang Shaoyun in a carefree manner.

"No, don't do that. I trust you," said Luo Ying. She felt like crying.

"Enough talking. More shadow devouring devils are coming. Stay away from me," warned Xiang Shaoyun when he sensed more shadow devouring devils approach.

He then dashed away, giving the disciples a good look at what would happen next. Jiang Qi and the rest wanted to give chase, but Xiang Shaoyun told them to stay put through voice transmission. He did not want to be distracted by them. Sure enough, shadow devouring devils appeared and surrounded him.

"Take care. I'm leaving," said Xiang Shaoyun as he rushed away. The shadow devouring devils chased after him, completely ignoring everyone else.

Luo Ying cried bitterly, "How can this happen? How could Hu Ruhai lie to me like this?"

"Are you sure he lied to you?" questioned Jiang Qi.

"Definitely. He gave this to me a day before he left. I couldn't bear to hurt him, so I accepted it. Who would have guessed that this would happen?" said Luo Ying.

"We need to go looking for Hu Ruhai. This is unacceptable," said someone.

"Looking for him here is like fishing for a needle in the sea. Let's just focus on heading to the third layer. Don't put all of Shaoyun's effort in helping us reach this far to waste," said Jiang Qi.

She understood why Xiang Shaoyun insisted on leaving. He merely didn't want to be burdened by them. To be precise, he wanted to move alone. With his strength, the shadow devouring devils wouldn't pose a threat to him.

Jiang Qi understood that. She also agreed that they should stop holding him down. After all, her friendship with Xiang Shaoyun wasn't that deep. There was a limit to how much she could make use of their friendship for her benefit.

And thus, she had decided not to persuade him to stay. The other Sacred Deer Academy disciples weren't too happy about his departure, but it wasn't their place to say anything either. The group resumed their journey to the third layer.

Without Xiang Shaoyun's protection, their advance became like walking on thin ice. Everything seemed much harder than before.

Meanwhile, Xiang Shaoyun started fighting the shadow devouring devils after leading them to somewhere else.

He was finally able to fight freely. He boldly used all sorts of techniques, fully displaying the might of each technique, dealing the shadow devouring devils a crushing blow.

However, the shadow devouring devils were no pushovers. Two of them were high-level Devil Sovereigns. They moved undetected, displaying extraordinary agility. The wind blades they released were also dreadfully powerful.

Under the onslaught, Xiang Shaoyun was struck many times, and his blood spilled. After three days and nights of fighting, he finally killed the group of over 200 shadow devouring devils. After the battle, he laid his weary body onto the ground and activated his nine stars one after another to replenish his energy.

Even when lying on the ground, he circulated his cultivation method, not allowing himself to slack for even one second. This was the best time for him to strengthen himself, and he did not wish to let go of this opportunity.

After each full circulation, the energy within his meridians, acupoints, and stars recovered and grew. Eventually, he reached late third-stage Soul Foundation Realm, a step away from the peak of the third stage.

Once he was almost fully recovered, he took out the yin shadow stone and studied it. The yin shadow stone was fatally attractive to shadow devouring devils, and there had to be a reason for it.

However, he couldn't find anything from studying the stone. Thus, he gave up and tossed the stone back into his astral cosmos sea. He wasn't afraid of being chased by more shadow devouring devils. He would kill however many that came.

Xiang Shaoyun resumed his journey. As he traveled, he gathered a considerable amount of devilish materials, and his contribution points rapidly grew. He wasn't even aware of how many points he currently had, as he had never checked. After choosing a direction, he traveled in a straight line.

Time passed as his life revolved around killing devils. It reached a point where he became completely jaded toward his current lifestyle. One day, he arrived before a certain lake. The lake's surroundings were strangely quiet, and not a single devil was to be found. At this discovery, he grew vigilant. The quieter a place seemed, the more dangerous it could be.

After scanning his surroundings and making sure that there were no hidden dangers, he stretched his senses toward the lake. He found something. There seemed to be some movements within the lake. Either devils or something else was inside.

He swept his saint soul's senses over to get a more precise look only to discover a humanoid silhouette, causing him to be stunned. The person inside was actually an old acquaintance. He had once met her in similar circumstances. It seemed like history had repeated itself.

Within the lake was an extremely beautiful woman washing her body. She only had her underwear on, covering only certain parts of her body. Her long black hair cascaded down her waist, looking like a graceful waterfall. Her enchanting figure was flawless, and her skin was as smooth as ivory. In fact, her skin almost seemed translucent, and it mesmerized all who looked at her.

She had sharp senses. The short instant Xiang Shaoyun was stunned, she discovered him. She slapped the water surface, creating a massive wave that obstructed the view before putting her clothes on. She then dashed toward Xiang Shaoyun. She was astonishingly fast, as fast as a peak Sovereign. In the blink of an eye, she arrived before Xiang Shaoyun.

Xiang Shaoyun recovered from his shock and said, "Lady, I'm only passing by. I saw nothing."

In a fury, the woman said, "I have yet to settle the previous incident with you, and you're doing the same thing again? You're a peeping pervert, and your sin is unforgivable."