The departure of Yan Chi, Bing Jie, and Jing Yuwan did not affect the others; the leaders and chiefs of those minor factions remained rooted to the spot.

They all remained behind the circle of crimson lines, gazing toward Shi Yan from a distance, their expressions etched with profound shock.

Among them, one man’s face was exceedingly strange, his eyes wide with sheer terror, muttering a low, drawn-out whisper.

This man was Aifu from Shattered Star City, who had once engaged in transactions with Shi Yan. Aifu placed immense value on the Thousand-Layered Lotus and had even dispatched subordinates to watch Shi Yan, perfectly tracking his every move within the Shattered Star Domain.

Back then, Aifu, relying on his grandfather who was an Initial God realm expert, could truly command the winds and summon the rain in the Shattered Star Domain. Shi Yan’s actions there, which led to the domain's collapse, naturally caused the disintegration of Shattered Star City, leaving Aifu burning with hatred, even contemplating revenge.

But then Shi Yan vanished within the Shattered Star Domain.

The Blood Demon, years ago, had dispatched formidable experts who purged the factions that had previously targeted Shi Yan; however, Aifu managed to escape.

Due to the colossal shift in the Mara Star Field, Aifu, leveraging his grandfather's connections, also arrived on the Demon Blood Star. His grandfather had deep ties with Divine Radiance, granting Aifu a decent standing even here.

"Is that him?" Aifu's grandfather inquired softly.

Aifu nodded, his gaze bleak. "It is him."

"Do not provoke him!" Aifu's grandfather strictly warned.

"How dare I?" Aifu forced a bitter smile.

After so many years, Shi Yan was no longer a figure Aifu could possibly gauge. The old matters of the Shattered Star Domain now felt unreal to Aifu.

That year, relying on his grandfather's ties with Divine Radiance, he managed to procure vast amounts of warship materials and peddle them around Shattered Star City, achieving considerable success.

That year, Shi Yan was merely a minor figure, just starting to show his potential, not quite worth Aifu's notice.

Today, Shi Yan's name resonated throughout the Mara Star Field, nearly leading to the tragic death of Bing Jie, the Ice Clan Chief, and commanding the apprehension of Yan Chi.

Aifu felt as if he were caught in a dream, sighing inwardly without end.

He clearly recognized that the distance between himself and Shi Yan was an insurmountable chasm; he would never catch up to Shi Yan’s footsteps in his lifetime.

With Yan Chi and the others gone, Fu Wei, Feng Han, and Lin Xin remained. They descended from the heavens, halting just outside the periphery of the blood-colored halo.

The trio also adhered to the rules established by Shi Yan, not daring to cross the boundary, merely conversing quietly on the outer edge.

Suddenly, the leaders of those minor factions seemed injected with adrenaline; they scurried to gather around Fu Wei, Feng Han, and Lin Xin, their faces beaming with ingratiating smiles, eagerly trying to curry favor. This group included Aifu's grandfather...

Fu Wei, Feng Han, and Lin Xin exchanged glances, their minds perfectly clear. They understood that those people had been utterly awestruck by Shi Yan’s power. By associating with them, these minor leaders were implicitly declaring their alliance allegiance.

The difficult problem that had troubled Fu Wei for so long seemed to dissolve instantly with that single sword strike from Shi Yan. The trio felt a surge of secret joy.

They looked towards the impassively seated Shi Yan from afar, overcome by a sense of profound mystery. Shi Yan, who had been gone for ten years, now possessed eyes deep with the weight of experience, as if he had suddenly matured. This caused a spark to dance in Fu Wei’s beautiful eyes, and her heart fluttered involuntarily.

Crack, crack, crack!

In the blood pool, the Blood Demon’s entire skeleton emitted a sound like popping dried beans. Sooty, black residue seeped from his pores. The Blood Demon's Profundity Altar spun, cycles of Life and Death Profundities manifesting alternately, causing the sea of blood to boil incessantly.

His powerful flesh and blood essence grew increasingly terrifying, and his divine body quickly transformed into the shape of Undying Flesh, covered in eerie, menacing spikes, utterly hideous.

His divine body underwent a quiet metamorphosis; the Undying Demon Blood ignited, and the Profundities within the altar slowly surged toward a climax.

Shi Yan watched the Blood Demon with grave concentration, not daring to relax for even an instant.

He knew the Blood Demon was at a critical juncture; a moment of inattention could lead to unforeseen dangers.

Gute and Bass also watched the Blood Demon with focused tension, never looking away, silently standing guard.

After a long, long while, the Blood Demon solidified into a blood cocoon, lying dormant in the unique manner of the Undying Demon Race. The terrifying fluctuations within his body slowly subsided into calm.

Shi Yan, Gute, and Bass finally let out a collective breath of relief.

They understood in their hearts that once the Blood Demon broke the cocoon, he would be an Initial God Third Heaven realm expert, possessing exponentially more terrifying combat strength.

The onlookers, too, felt their spirits lift, secretly thrilled. The way they looked at Shi Yan’s group was now filled with utter reverence.

An Initial God Third Heaven realm expert—the known pinnacle existence, possessing immeasurably profound power—the birth of such a powerhouse meant they had a better chance of victory against the Divine Race, filling them with ecstatic joy.

"Initial God Third Heaven, is that the ultimate realm?" Shi Yan suddenly inquired.

Gute and Bass were startled. The two old dragons considered this, and then Gute spoke, "It shouldn't be the ultimate. I once heard a traveler from another star field say that beyond the Initial God realm comes 'Immortal.' I don't know if that’s true."

Bass nodded. "We have certainly never seen an expert surpass the Initial God realm. Perhaps it's just a legend, something that might not even exist."

"Immortal?" Shi Yan narrowed his eyes, his expression thoughtful.

"That person said that in the vast universe, some have indeed broken through to the Immortal realm. Take the current Divine Race Patriarch, for example... it is rumored he is an Immortal realm being," Gute relayed.

"What is Immortal? Never perishing?" Shi Yan asked gravely.

Gute and Bass shook their heads together. They only knew that transcending the Initial God realm led to Immortality, but they were ignorant of the profound secrets of that state. Within the immense Mara Star Field, no one had ever surpassed the Initial God realm to step into the Immortal one; there were no historical records of such advancement in any race on the Mara Star Field.

The Mara Star Field was sealed off from the outside world, making their knowledge limited and vague regarding many external matters.

"Why don't I see the others? Where are Gui Liao, Mai Ji, Gu Mo, Xia Xinyan, Zi Yao? I don't see a single one," Shi Yan momentarily setting aside the topic of 'Immortal,' asked again.

"They are all in closed-door cultivation," Gute replied. "Juniors like Gui Liao and Mai Ji still have room for improvement. Recently, we took out cultivation materials we’ve treasured for years, allowing them to boost their power levels. With the Divine Race invasion looming, the Mara Star Field itself might not be safe, so we’ve stopped worrying about the future. We are not sparing any rare heavenly treasures; we’ve given them all to those youngsters, forcing them into rigorous cultivation. They won’t emerge until the Divine Race is repelled."

"Our old bones are stuck at bottlenecks, breakthroughs that won't happen quickly, so we aren't wasting time," Bass added.

The Demon Race, the War Alliance, and Divine Radiance were all formidable powers within the Mara Star Field, possessing accumulations spanning hundreds or thousands of years, hiding countless cultivation treasures they had originally cherished, reluctant to use them unless for a critical, direct breakthrough.

The arrival of the Divine Race disrupted their plans, forcing them to deploy the accumulated resources meant for later generations.

Juniors like Gui Liao, Mai Ji, Gu Mo, Xia Xinyan, and Zi Yao, who had growth potential, naturally benefited, all required to engage in strenuous closed-door practice, using those precious materials to enhance their strength in preparation for providing greater aid during the war against the Divine Race.

Those Yang family members, Yang Mu and Yang Zhuo, who possessed Undying Demon Race bloodlines, were viewed as kin by the Blood Demon and were also forcibly subjected to intense cultivation, fueled by the treasures the Blood Demon had collected.

This situation led to Shi Yan, upon his arrival, finding the auras of those he knew hidden deep underground and within the bellies of many mountains, many sealed by restrictive barriers, making his perception hazy, leading him to suspect something terrible had occurred.

"Shi Yan..."

Fu Wei, standing outside the crimson circle, suddenly called out softly. Her bright eyes fixed on Shi Yan, and she smiled gently. "Can we talk?"

"Go ahead. Fu Wei is now the mistress of the Medicine and Artifact Pavilion, the soul of our alliance here. Over these ten years, she has exhausted herself defending against the Divine Race invasion. Several times she put herself in mortal danger, nearly killed by the Divine Race. This little girl... it hasn't been easy," Gute sighed.

"Indeed, this girl is truly remarkable. She expended immense effort to finally gain control of the Medicine and Artifact Pavilion, and before she could even catch her breath, the Divine Race tore open the void passage and arrived. Had she not tirelessly worked to consolidate forces everywhere these years, the Divine Race might have already overrun the Mara Star Field. She spared no effort in sending out the Medicine and Artifact Pavilion's reserve warships, delivering them to all defensive forces without taking a single coin. That is what stalled the Divine Race's advance. This girl... she is certainly an exceptional person," Bass praised similarly.

Clearly, Fu Wei's actions had earned the sincere recognition of the two old dragons.

Shi Yan felt a touch of surprise, nodded toward Fu Wei, and took a step forward, moving like lightning across ten thousand meters in an instant. He exited the blood-colored halo and stopped before Fu Wei, Feng Han, Lin Xin, Qi Ze, Feng Yan, and Tuo Bo.

Feng Han and Lin Xin, who had been conversing with the minor faction leaders, immediately and decisively stopped speaking upon seeing him approach. They gestured with their eyes, signaling the minor leaders to temporarily withdraw. Aifu’s grandfather was among those being ushered away. Though they desperately wished to stay and listen, they dared not, so they obediently retreated, leaving the space for these true apex powers.

"You've finally returned," Fu Wei said with a gentle, clear smile. "It's wonderful that you are back."

Feng Han and Lin Xin, meeting Shi Yan for the first time, remained silent beside her, meticulously observing every movement Shi Yan made, trying to ascertain exactly what sort of person he was. Hearing reports from their subordinates was insufficient; they needed to form their own judgment.

"You've worked hard these ten years," Shi Yan replied with a faint smile.

"Hehe, without the Holy Canon you provided, I couldn't have become the Pavilion Mistress. It is all thanks to you," Fu Wei murmured softly.

Feng Han and Lin Xin were secretly moved. Fu Wei, as the owner of the Medicine and Artifact Pavilion, was arguably the most powerful woman in the current Mara Star Field. When facing Fu Wei, even Feng Han and Lin Xin felt pressured, as her high status imbued her every word and action with authority, leading many to avoid direct eye contact. Over time, this fostered a subtle air of arrogance in Fu Wei that most people rarely noticed.

Yet, facing Shi Yan now, Fu Wei displayed no trace of that arrogance; she appeared instead like a simple young girl, her speech even carrying a hint of nervousness. This caused Feng Han and Lin Xin to exchange strange glances.

They suddenly recalled Bing Jie’s sharp, caustic words: that Fu Wei and Shi Yan were romantically involved.

Looking at them now, it seemed... Bing Jie might have been right.

Feng Han and Lin Xin were both astonished.

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