Hei Shan, who already had thoughts of fleeing, hid in the shadows to observe the battle, looking for a suitable moment to break out and escape. They were just a few subordinates; as long as he, a Rank 45 Spirit Ancestor, remained alive, rebuilding a new camp would be as easy as turning over his hand.
"Hmph, a rat hiding its head but showing its tail."
Seeing Hei Shan hiding in the shadows without coming out, Xiao Wu, in her Moon God Possession state, controlled the Moonlight Energy to spread out in all directions with her as the center. When the moonlight passed through Hei Shan's hiding spot, Xiao Wu sensed a different feeling coming from that location.
Hei Shan was merely using the power of his spirit ring to hide in the shadows, not completely merging with them. As the Moonlight Energy swept across his hiding place, it naturally detected Hei Shan lurking there.
Hei Shan, who was quite confident in his Second Spirit Ability, Shadow Strike: Stealth, didn't move when the Moonlight Energy swept over him. He was still observing the surroundings, looking for an opportunity to escape.
A portion of the Moonlight Energy quietly attached itself to Xiao Wu's fist, forming a spiked gauntlet.
Another part of the Moonlight Energy condensed into chains. Having sparred and exchanged insights with Yu Yan every day, Xiao Wu was better at controlling chains than other objects.
Immediately after, Xiao Wu vanished from her spot with a Teleportation and appeared behind Hei Shan's hiding place. The Moonlight Energy Chains pierced forward, successfully Binding Hei Shan, who was hiding in the shadows.
The moment he was bound by the chains, a terrified Hei Shan hastily used his Fourth Soul Skill. Black Scorpion-style armor began to appear on his body.
Just as the Black Scorpion armor was about to cover Hei Shan's entire body, Xiao Wu's fist landed on his chest, followed by a second punch, a third... Xiao Wu never held back against such heinous villains. Moreover, Spirit Masters had great vitality; these few punches wouldn't kill him, so it wouldn't interfere with Yu Yan's experiment... "My... my spirit power, my spirit power!!!"
Waking up again and unable to feel his spirit power, a look of terror appeared on Hei Shan's face. For a Spirit Master, nothing was more terrifying than being completely unable to feel one's own spirit power.
"Shut up."
Yu Yan, who was having another Spirit Master help him experiment with a new idea, slapped Hei Shan across the face to physically calm him down while slightly loosening the restriction on his spirit power.
Feeling the pain on his face, the Profound Ice Chain wrapped around him, and the spirit power he could now feel in his body, Hei Shan calmed down slightly. He looked at the youth standing in front of him, wanting to see what he actually intended to do.
Having calmed the guy behind him, Yu Yan looked back at the Spirit Grandmaster who was circulating spirit power according to the method he had described. His eyes flickered with golden light; with the other party completely defenseless, the path of their spirit power circulation was clearly displayed before Yu Yan.
Xiao Wu sat on a nearby table, eating fruit bought in Häagen-Dazs City, watching the busy Yu Yan with interest.
About ten minutes later, the spirit power inside the circulating Spirit Grandmaster suddenly became violent and chaotic, and a mouthful of blood sprayed from the Spirit Grandmaster's mouth.
"Failed again?"
"However, the initial approach was completely correct, which proves I'm not on the wrong track. As long as I keep trying, I will eventually succeed."
After muttering to himself, Yu Yan took out a notebook and recorded the person's condition.
The correct approach was a viable path found after more than 30 experiments. Every subsequent step forward would be thanks to the contributions of these evildoers.
After recording what happened to the Spirit Grandmaster, Yu Yan turned his gaze toward the awakened Hei Shan. A Rank 45 Spirit Ancestor was a perfect experimental subject.
"You, what do you want to do?"
Seeing the miserable state of the Spirit Grandmaster with damaged Meridians and a withered aura, Hei Shan's voice trembled as he watched Yu Yan approach him.
"Circulate and compress your spirit power according to the method I describe."
Arriving in front of Hei Shan, Yu Yan took out a recently modified method for compressing spirit power and held it before Hei Shan, signaling him to circulate his spirit power according to the provided method.
"I am a retainer of Count Xilu, you cannot..."
Having witnessed the miserable state after circulating spirit power that way, Hei Shan naturally didn't want his Meridians damaged. Being under someone's control, he quickly brought up his backer, hoping Count Xilu's name would intimidate the young man before him.
Before Hei Shan could finish speaking, Yu Yan gave him a backhand slap.
"I don't care what Count you serve; even if you were a Duke's retainer, you'll have to honestly follow my words today."
Not a single member of the Hei Shan Group could escape today. Xiao Wu had dealt with Hei Shan, Yu Yan had captured all the Spirit Masters of the Hei Shan Group, and Spirit Cat Wu Xue prowled the perimeter, killing all the Spirit Scholars and ordinary people who tried to flee.
Since they chose to join the Hei Shan Group to do evil, they couldn't blame Yu Yan for being ruthless and pulling them up by the roots.
Knowing that he would inevitably lose his value if he circulated his spirit power as told, Hei Shan was unwilling to cooperate with Yu Yan no matter what and tried to negotiate terms for his release.
"I'll ask you one last time, are you going to cooperate or not?"
Losing patience, Yu Yan prepared to use some measures on this guy to make him cooperate willingly.
"My friend, as long as you are willing to let me go, I can introduce you to Count Xilu's father. His father is a Duke with real power in the Heaven Dou Empire. You will surely gain more benefits then."
As if he hadn't heard Yu Yan's words, Hei Shan continued to talk about vague benefits, bringing up Count Xilu's ducal father.
The noble Ranks in the Douluo Continent are Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, and Baron. There are only a few Dukes with real power in the entire Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires.
"Noisy."
Yu Yan placed his index finger on Hei Shan's shoulder, and a wisp of icy blue energy and a wisp of red energy entered Hei Shan's body, erupting within him.
These two wisps of energy were the toxins of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the blazing apricot cactus simulated through the Ice Fish and fire fish. They weren't fatal but caused an unbearable, intense pain.
The Ice and Fire Twin Fish could simulate these two toxins primarily because of the two Immortal Herb patterns on their bodies, which were left behind when they consumed the Immortal Herbs.
The two wisps of energy rampaged through Hei Shan's body, causing him extreme agony as blue and red colors alternated on his face.
"I'll cooperate! Stop it quickly, please, I really am willing to cooperate."
Being willing to serve as a Count's "black glove," Hei Shan was naturally not someone of firm character. After only a minute of torture, he surrendered to Yu Yan, expressing his willingness to cooperate.
"It would have been better if you'd done this from the start instead of wasting my time."
After grumbling at Hei Shan, Yu Yan handed him the Spirit Power Compression Method he had written and undid the Seal on his spirit power.