The Ancient God Continent—this was the ancestral star of the God Clan, the place in the vast cosmos where the energy of heaven and earth was most abundant and concentrated.

Vast tracts of the continent were shaded by ancient trees, mountain peaks pierced the sky, and the lakes were so clear their bottoms could be seen. Numerous magnificent God Clan grand halls stood imposing and majestic; this was the heartland dominating the universe, the birthplace of the God Clan itself.

At the continent's center, colossal temples towered, rooted atop continuous mountain ranges, wreathed in soft, beautiful mists and swirling clouds.

There were thirteen great mountains in total: twelve peaks encircled a main central peak. Each of those twelve main peaks represented a single family of the God Clan, while the encompassed central peak served as the sacred ground of the God Clan, where the God Clan Elder Council resided year-round.

The God Clan Elder Council was the very soul of the God Clan. Every member of the Council was an unparalleled powerhouse recorded on the Heavenly God Scroll. Some had vanished for years, others constantly roamed the star rivers, and a select few maintained permanent vigil over the main peak—Heavenly God Peak—safeguarding the interests of the God Clan and wielding its supreme authority.

The Elder Council held the power to direct all forces belonging to the God Clan; once the Council made a decision, the patriarchs of the twelve great families were strictly bound to obey.

In truth, the members of the God Clan Elder Council were often the patriarchs and elders from several preceding generations of the twelve families—they were the oldest, most knowledgeable figures within the God Clan.

The God Clan Elder Council held absolute, supreme authority within the clan.

The main hall of Heavenly God Peak, forged from the highest-grade Divine Crystal, radiated astonishing energy fluctuations, appearing like black jade. Within the hall, statues of the God Clan ancestors were enshrined. A mystical aura of profound mystery flowed from these statues; each one stood a hundred zhang high, radiating martial majesty and sanctity, like titans of heaven and earth gazing down upon the world, startlingly lifelike.

The walls of the sacred hall were carved with countless intricate and mysterious patterns, chronicling the glorious history of the God Clan—the process of their rise was inscribed within those arcane markings. Should anyone stare too intently, visions would surface in their minds, detailing the clan's ascent.

Naturally, only those flowing with true God Clan bloodline could perceive these marvels.

Those qualified to enter this hall were the members of the God Clan Elder Council, the patriarchs of the twelve great families, or those within the clan who had displayed exceptional talent.

Heg could once count himself honored to sit and meditate here for five years, mastering the subtle essence of the God Clan’s Light Profundity, earning him the designation of a future leader handpicked by the Elder Council.

Hasson, Mia, and Philp were also geniuses from their respective families, but alas… they too lacked the qualification to enter.

Now, a faint trace of Lannot’s soul essence drifted from within this mysterious hall, carrying the sound of his conscious call.

The towering, hundred-zhang ancestor statues inside the hall suddenly emitted a terrifying, heart-stopping aura—deep and surging like distant stars, powerful and overwhelming like a celestial river.

The hall was empty.

Yet, following the arrival of Lannot’s soul trace, the shadowy eyes of those ancestor statues flickered with a strange light, and waves of soul fluctuation emerged.

The God Clan Elders, hidden somewhere beyond sight, were transferring their souls into the ancestor statues one by one.

Above the heads of the God Clan ancestor statues, soul altars gradually materialized. The Elders arrived via soul projection, positioning themselves in various corners of the hall.

A single, resonant soul voice suddenly demanded, "State your purpose."

Lannot, having arrived via a secret art, was merely a fleeting projection of his soul, not anchored to an altar. His shadowy soul form wavered as he urgently released his conscious thoughts, detailing everything he and Fick had encountered and experienced in the Marya Star Field, scattering these memories as thought-projections received by the Elder souls anchored at their altars millions of miles away.

Soon, Lannot finished his account, his soul cry echoing, "We require aid from the clan. This battle concerns our reputation. Should we lose, all the surrounding star fields will believe our clan is declining and harbor dissenting ambitions. This fight absolutely cannot be lost! That inheritor of the Bloodthirsty lineage must also be slain!"

The soul altars—some dark as ink, others brilliantly luminous, some mysterious and profound—listened silently, none interrupting during the narration.

Only when Lannot finally fell silent did a soul voice respond, "Currently, only half the Elders in the Council can soul-link to the Divine Punishment Altar. The power of the Divine Punishment will be significantly weakened; it cannot instantly annihilate Demonblood Star and all its inhabitants, only shatter those sealing barriers."

Lannot’s soul figure trembled momentarily. "Reinforcements from the great star fields are drawing near; we…"

"The main objective of this battle is to eliminate that Bloodthirsty inheritor. Once his demise is confirmed, the Elder Council will open the 'Bridge of Heaven' specifically for you. The Marya Star Field is too distant; dispatching a full army might be too late. Use the 'Bridge of Heaven' to withdraw temporarily. The severe retribution against the other star fields will commence after your departure," the voice continued.

Lannot agreed, "Thank you!"

"Ensure that youth is slain!" the voice commanded coldly.

The soul altars hung suspended above the statues, looking down upon the soul-form of Lannot like indifferent gods or enlightened ascetics long withdrawn from the world. Their auras gradually faded, and the altars began to blur.

"Pfft!"

Lannot spat out a mouthful of pure blood, his face pale, yet his eyes shone with piercing light.

His fine robes were stained red with blood, a fact he seemed oblivious to. He merely grinned coldly and let out a dry chuckle, "Contact established."

Fick, Mia, and Philp were all invigorated.

"What did they say?" Fick demanded.

"Divine Punishment will be enacted," Lannot wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. "It’s a shame that half the Elders are too distant, or perhaps in deep seclusion or self-imposed dormancy. The Divine Punishment’s power will be greatly reduced; it won't instantly erase Demonblood Star entirely, only destroy all its seals and barriers."

"Sufficient!" Fick’s eyes gleamed.

"The Elder Council issued a clear directive: we must kill that youth of the Demon-Blood race. As soon as his death is confirmed, the Elder Council will immediately open the 'Bridge of Heaven' for us. Once we return safely, our clan will launch an all-out offensive across the star fields—all twelve families will move simultaneously!" Lannot declared forcefully.

Fick and the others looked overjoyed.

Bai Can from the Dead Bone Star Field, however, wore a complicated expression.

He knew what Divine Punishment was. It was the ultimate weapon of the God Clan, wielded by the Elder Council members—a supreme artifact of the clan whose method of forging was unknown, but whose power was formidable enough to destroy heaven and earth.

In the past, when the God Clan invaded numerous star fields, if they encountered a place like Demonblood Star that could not be swallowed whole in one bite, they would petition the Elder Council to deploy Divine Punishment.

Once Divine Punishment descended, unless it was the Ancient Continent itself, no other renowned life-bearing star could escape instant incineration.

Along with it, all living beings sheltering on that planet would be pulverized in a single breath, their soul imprints wiped from existence, their spirits scattered forever.

The God Clan's Divine Punishment was infamous throughout the universe; every star field spoke of it with dread, because to this day, not a single life-bearing star had ever evaded it or remained unharmed after the attack.

It was one of the God Clan’s grand weapons of mass destruction.

Above the cloud layer of the Demonblood Star's sky—

Warships of various races were moored, and the leaders of numerous factions stood poised, all watching the layers of barriers, observing the energy beams spat out by the God Clan warships’ crystal cannons.

Suddenly, all the God Clan warships ceased their bombardment, their firing systems going instantly dark.

On one warship, Shi Yan frowned and turned to Fu Wei. "Do the God Clan crystal cannons lack the capability for sustained fire?"

Fu Wei looked surprised. "They shouldn't. Even the crystal cannons forged by our Medicine Pavilion can fire continuously as long as we supply sufficient Divine Crystals."

"Absolutely impossible," An Liya murmured, her brow furrowed. "The God Clan's warships and cannons are world-class; they shouldn't encounter such an issue. Their cessation of fire must have another reason."

Shang Chen nodded. "They are likely acting based on another calculation."

The moment he finished speaking, a bone-chilling coldness shot through Shang Chen from a piece of azure jade pressed against his chest. He shivered violently, his expression instantly becoming extremely strange.

"What is it?" An Liya, standing close beside him, immediately sensed the biting cold emanating from him and couldn't help but ask.

Shang Chen didn't reply. He held one hand over his chest, frost gathering on his eyebrows, as he listened intently to the fluctuations within the jade. This azure jade… had been personally given to him by Frielit of the Bloodthirsty lineage, and it possessed the ability to transmit spiritual messages—soul-thoughts—across realms.

He listened with solemnity, his face gradually turning grim, horror dawning in his eyes.

The others were baffled, all staring at him in confusion, wondering why he appeared so odd at this moment.

Only An Liya looked grave. She vaguely knew that the azure jade on Shang Chen’s chest was a strange object, a treasure of the soul. Shang Chen shared few secrets with her, and that jade was one of the few. He had never mentioned its origin or purpose to her. She sensed the situation was far from ordinary.

Indeed…

After a long moment, Shang Chen took a deep breath, calming the shock surging within him, and suddenly stated, "I need to speak with Shi Yan alone!"

His words were spoken with absolute finality, brooking no refusal. He was usually easygoing and carefree, rarely showing such seriousness, which stunned everyone.

"Fine!"

Blood Demon was decisive and immediately withdrew to give them space.

With him taking the lead, Feng Han, Fu Wei, Lin Xin, Bass, Gute, and the others also stepped away. An Liya hesitated for a moment, then seeing Shang Chen make no move to stop her, sighed softly and was the last to leave the area.

Shang Chen kept his gaze fixed on Shi Yan. Once everyone was dispersed, he suddenly snapped, "You must leave Demonblood Star first!"

Shi Yan knew something unusual was happening and didn't waste time. "Give me a reason."

"The God Clan is about to unleash Divine Punishment!" Shang Chen uttered, each word weighted.

Shi Yan’s expression shifted violently.

He had struggled for years in the 'Wasteland,' fighting alongside Shang Yingyue, Cecilia, Mo Fu, Wu Feng, and others. Through careful probing and questioning, he had developed a profound understanding of many hidden methods of the God Clan, and he knew what Divine Punishment entailed.

The descent of Divine Punishment usually meant the complete erasure of a life-bearing star—a star that required eons to form would vanish into nothingness, and every soul upon it would be scattered to the winds.

It was the God Clan's ultimate weapon!

"We leave together," Shi Yan hesitated slightly. "I can open a passage directly to the Continent of Divine Grace!"

"No, that's unnecessary. This Divine Punishment is limited; it can only shatter the outer sealing barriers, it won't actually destroy Demonblood Star. I will stay; I intend to teach the God Clan a lesson," Shang Chen stated.

"Then why ask me to leave?" Shi Yan suddenly felt a wave of relief.

"The Divine Punishment was brought upon by you! The Elder Council has issued orders for the two great families to kill you at any cost! Circumstances have changed, and Sha’ai might not make it in time. You must depart; you are their primary target!" Shang Chen stressed.

"I don't need to leave."

Shi Yan suddenly smiled. "Belo's soul is severely wounded. While many of them might be able to defeat me, they lack the sheer power to kill me. If I choose to leave, no one here can stop me."