Zha Duo stared fixedly at Shi Yan, not daring to shift his gaze for an instant, memorizing the slightest change in Shi Yan's brow.

He needed to confirm that the Soul Altar of Shi Yan was still revolving, to be certain the defensive line had not been breached, for once that defense crumbled, the Demon Blood Star would be completely exposed.

—Zha Duo had no knowledge of any reinforcements existing.

Suddenly, a glimmer of astonishment lit Zha Duos eyes. Unprepared, his body trembled, and he exclaimed, "You... you've regained consciousness?"

The Blood Demon, Fu Wei, and the others, who had been standing in strict readiness, all felt their spirits lift. Seeing Shi Yan open his eyes, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

Shi Yan’s status and standing in their eyes were entirely different today. For the person who could shake the entire Star Sea to suffer misfortune on the Demon Blood Star... they feared they would face the wrath of the entire Star River.

"How is it? Are you hurt?" the Blood Demon demanded in a low voice.

"No injuries to me; it's Belo who is wounded," Shi Yan rubbed the nape of his neck, exhaling a plume of turbid air. "Everyone can relax now. Belo absolutely won't have the energy to cause trouble again anytime soon. We just need to wait for the Gods to charge in head-on."

Everyone was utterly astounded.

"You mean... you severely wounded Belo?" Lin Xin asked, disbelief etched on her face.

Shi Yan offered a faint smile, electing not to elaborate on the details. He drifted down from the clouds, vanishing in an instant.

The group exchanged bewildered glances, all sporting extraordinarily strange expressions, unsure whether to believe his words.

"He definitely isn't speaking nonsense; it must be Belo who was gravely injured; there is no doubt about it," Zha Duo suddenly explained. "When a soul confrontation between masters of Spatial Profundity begins, there is never a possibility of a safe withdrawal; it invariably concludes with one side paying a terrible price. Since he is unharmed, then... Belo must have been severely wounded."

At these words, everyone turned pale with fright, unable to stop their gasps.

"How is that possible?"

"Belo is at the second level of the Initial God Realm! Or... a Soul Battle?"

"He could even challenge someone above his level in a Soul Battle?"

"What a time to be alive."

They all shook their heads with wry smiles, feeling a profound sense of defeat, as if deeply struck. Most of them were in the first or second level of the Initial God Realm. If Shi Yan could instantly put Bing Jie at a disadvantage, and now he could defeat Belo through a soul clash, didn't that imply he could defeat the vast majority of those present?

The God Race Fleet.

Keda, supporting a weak and pale Belo, approached Fike, Lannote, Bai Can, and the others. Keda knelt on one knee, head bowed in silence, his face dark with suppressed emotion.

Fike’s eyes blazed with a chilling light. "Rest assured, we will definitely avenge Belo. Anyone who dares to strike Belo, I swear I will make him taste the deepest anguish of the mortal world before he dies."

Keda nodded heavily, saying in a deep voice, "Your subordinate thanks you, Clan Leader."

"Who was the assailant?" Lannote frowned.

"That Undying Demon Race youth who fused with the Primordial Fruit." Belo’s lips were pale and bloodless, moving slightly as his voice trembled weakly. "His mastery of Soul Profundity was unbelievably potent... He used a type of flame to incinerate my soul consciousness..."

"A terrifying youth," Lannote stated, his expression grave. "I truly hadn't expected him to return to the Maya Star Domain. It seems... we are quite fortunate."

Lannote’s slender eyes flashed with a cold, biting glint. He bared his teeth in a sinister grin. "He hasn't broken through to the Initial God Realm yet. Once he is annihilated, the Ancient Continent he belongs to will also gradually lose its miraculous effect. This endeavor will earn us great merit."

The expressions of the numerous God Race clansmen became invigorated, their morale soaring at Lannote's words.

"We had planned to approach the Demon Blood Star slowly, but now we must change our attitude," Fike suddenly stood up. "As long as we can kill that brat, this expedition will be worth any price we pay! Mobilize those secret weapons within the clan to transmit orders to all ship captains—adjust your crystal cannons to maximum firepower. Furthermore, send people to infiltrate the barrier entrance, destroy the barrier, and force our way through the outer blockade directly into the depths of the Demon Blood Star."

"This child cannot be allowed to live!" Lannote declared his stance.

The two great Clan Leaders reached a consensus and immediately implemented countermeasures for the greater glory of the God Race.

In a city of densely packed stone towers, named Divine State City, established through the combined efforts of numerous martial artists from the Divine Grace Continent.

Shi Yan landed on a high pavilion in Divine State City, observing the crowds in the streets below with a calm and composed demeanor.

Within Divine State City moved people of many different races: Human, Demon, Monster, Ghost-Pattern, and Dark Spirit. There were forces from Yun Hao’s Church of Light, the Demon Race members Bao Ao and Jie Ji, as well as Long Zhu and others—all migrants from the Divine Grace Continent.

The energy of the Demon Blood Star was abundant. Because of Shi Yan, Fu Wei of the Medicine and Artifact Pavilion had transported a large quantity of cultivation materials here, benefiting all factions in Divine State City.

Those who migrated from the Divine Grace Continent had undergone years of recovery and recuperation, and their strength and realms had broken through immensely; for many, the description of 'soaring to the heavens' was an understatement.

Those who managed to reach the True God Realm on the energy-depleted Divine Grace Continent possessed a state of mind, wisdom, and talent no less than the Initial God experts of the Maya Star Domain. With overflowing celestial energy and sufficient materials for nurturing, their realms had all advanced by leaps and bounds.

The true master of Divine State City was the Yang family. Yang family descendants held positions of great prestige in both Divine State City and on the Demon Blood Star; they were the undisputed owners. This was because they carried the bloodline of the Undying Demon Race, making them kin to the Blood Demon. The Blood Pool that the Blood Demon had meticulously constructed over many years was exclusively for those Yang family members possessing the Undying Demon Blood; others did not share this honor.

On the pavilion, Shi Yan deliberately concealed his presence and released his divine sense to scan the surroundings.

Familiar faces began to appear within his divine sense: Long Zhu, Yang Zhuo, Yang Mu, Cao Qiudao, Cao Zhilan, He Qingman, Yun Hao, Tang Yuannan... All these acquaintances were cultivating peacefully. The improvement in their realms astonished even him. Long Zhu had actually reached the Origin God Realm, and Yun Hao was at the second level of the God King Realm. Cao Zhilan and He Qingman were True Gods. In such a short time, every one of them had progressed.

His grandfather, Shi Jian, had also broken through to the God King Realm, his divine power extremely pure.

His divine sense continued to wander.

Before long, he locked onto a life signature. With a flicker of intention, he appeared in a spacious residence in the southwest of Divine State City.

This belonged to the Zuo family.

He materialized in Zuo Shi's cultivation chamber like a phantom, causing her delicate body to jolt, and she involuntarily cried out, "Who is it!"

Immediately after, Zuo Shi froze, a look of sheer delight spreading across her apple-like face as she exclaimed happily, "Brother Shi Yan."

Shi Yan smiled faintly, narrowing his eyes as he looked at her, nodding silently.

Zuo Shi had startlingly broken through to the Void God Realm!

From Zuo Shi's divine body, he detected an extremely unusual surge of vitality, as if an ancient fierce beast lay dormant within her bones and blood, providing her with an endless stream of life force, allowing her to continuously strengthen her physical body and condense divine power for further breakthroughs.

He understood clearly in his heart: that was the essence blood of the Black Tortoise Sacred Beast. Zuo Shi possessed a pure Sacred Beast bloodline within her.

Gute and Bas were descendants of the Celestial Monster Race, and their blood was not pure. Yet they could benefit from the changes on the Divine Grace Continent. Zuo Shi, flowing with the pure blood of a Sacred Beast and having come from the Divine Grace Continent, certainly possessed a greater advantage than Gute or Bas.

He had come here specifically to confirm this matter. Seeing Zuo Shi's current realm and vigorous life force, he immediately felt certain.

Just moments ago, during his battle with Belo, when he withdrew the energy of his secondary soul's Heavenly Fire and returned it to that soul, he keenly perceived a peculiar phenomenon: he could easily discern those possessing Celestial Monster Race bloodlines within the Demon Blood Star. Those individuals seemed to illuminate in his mind like pinpricks of starlight.

Initially, he didn't grasp the meaning of those starlights, so he followed the nearest and brightest one, discovering it led him to Zuo Shi.

He finally understood completely.

Having merged with the origin of the Divine Grace Continent, he was the sole deity of that continent. As the birthplace of the Celestial Monster Race, the Celestial Monster Race and the Divine Grace Continent—which was him—shared a subtle connection.

Every individual possessing the Celestial Monster Race bloodline could be easily located by him within a certain range, their life fluctuations much sharper, faster, and more precise than detection by divine sense. Those people manifested in his mind as stellar points; one star represented one individual carrying the Celestial Monster Race bloodline. The brighter the star, the purer and more potent the bloodline.

"Why did you suddenly come back?" While he was lost in thought, Zuo Shi had chattered excitedly for a while, like a little bird. Finally, seeing his silence, she stopped her flurry of words and asked the crucial question.

"The God Race is launching a massive invasion; naturally, I have to return," Shi Yan smiled. He no longer needed to ask Zuo Shi if her cultivation speed had been rapid lately; he had the answer the moment he saw her. "I stopped by to check on you. You must cultivate diligently and not waste the exquisite essence of the bloodline within you."

Zuo Shi nodded sweetly.

"I have other matters; we'll talk next time," Shi Yan patted her delicate shoulder, his form gradually blurring until he vanished.

He reappeared moments later in the valley where the Tyrannosaurus Race was stationed.

This was because he had discovered that on the Demon Blood Star, another person registered in his mind as a star point... was actually several shades brighter than Zuo Shi's. He was intensely curious who it could be.

Zuo Shi possessed the pure bloodline of the Black Tortoise Sacred Beast, which would not be inferior even when compared to Cang Yun. The Four Sacred Beasts were the most ancient generation of the Celestial Monster Race. He couldn't imagine what Celestial Monster Race member could possess a bloodline stronger than that of their descendants.

He arrived at the Tyrannosaurus Valley and followed the star point in his mind until he located a cave.

The cave entrance was covered with heavy restrictions, sealing and obscuring every aura within. He could only confirm from his mind that someone was inside, but at the entrance, he couldn't penetrate the restriction seal to confirm if there was a surging vitality or any activity within.

He frowned slightly.

This was the Tyrannosaurus Race's stationing ground. Many Tyrannosaurus tribesmen were scattered across various mountain ranges, and numerous gigantic warships lay dazzling and ornate, like ferocious demonic beasts.

He prepared to break the seal to determine the identity of the hidden occupant. Someone capable of isolating all fluctuations with a restrictive barrier, making even him unable to sense their aura, only heightened his curiosity.

Just as he was about to act, the sound of sharp cracks and shattering erupted from inside the cave. The stone blockage at the entrance suddenly pulverized and exploded outward.

A fierce roar echoed from within, and a figure slowly emerged from the dim entrance—it was Gui Liao.