Shedding distracting thoughts and purifying his mind, Shi Yan began his journey from the Gloomy Forest.

He exerted no profound mysteries, walking solely with his physical body, his steps faltering as if drunk. From the Gloomy Forest, through Tianyun City, across the Dead Swamp, over the Boundless Sea, through the Dark Magnetic Mist, and onto the vast land of Shenzhou...

He retraced his entire path across the Continent of Divine Grace. The areas where he had battled, the singular points where he had broken through cultivation realms—these replayed in his mind like unfolding scrolls, and he immersed himself completely, regardless of how much time elapsed.

He journeyed until he reached the Demon Domain, the same place from which he, Bao Ao, and Jie Ji had once fled. There, he halted before the statue of the Origin Demon God, the source of the profound mystery inheritance of that remnant Demon Domain.

This place was the Demon Domain, connected to the Continent of Divine Grace, a small realm within a larger one. All the demon clansmen who had resided here had been relocated by him; now, it stood utterly deserted.

The teleportation array that had sent him, Bao Ao, Jie Ji, and Bo Ruo into the Blazing Starfield had been shattered and was coated in thick dust. He settled down right there in the dust, closed his eyes, and sank into deep contemplation.

This teleportation array marked the conclusion of his life on the Continent of Divine Grace. From this point onward, he would depart, step beyond the confines of the domain, enter the Blazing Starfield, and commence a new existence.

The surroundings were desolate and dead silent, devoid of any living fluctuation, mirroring his own state. His Soul Altar seemed to fall dormant, and the vigorous vitality within his body gradually ceased. Finally, even his heart stopped beating, rendering him like a corpse. Even the surrounding environment was affected by him, growing lifeless and still. Every tenacious wild grass nearby withered and died simply because he had sat down.

Gradually, the entire Demon Domain became steeped in a deathly hush because of him. It turned into a place favored by the God of Death, where not a single plant survived, and not a flicker of life could be sensed.

Even the energies of heaven and earth seemed to abandon this locale, quietly dispersing.

The Demon Domain where he sat completely transformed into a place of ultimate stillness—eventually losing light, losing the flow of air, silenced of every movement...

He, too, seemed to truly become a dead man.

In a remote corner of the vast and boundless Star River.

Deep within the dim cosmos, there was an immense, deep cyan ocean, situated amidst layers of pitch-black, dense fog. This ocean could only be glimpsed by piercing through the mist.

Floating above that deep cyan ocean were tens of thousands of meteorites. Some were as small as a fist, while others were the size of continents. These meteorites were scattered across every corner of the deep cyan ocean, yet they were not stationary; instead, they seemed to drift along with the seawater.

A dazzling curtain of light hung suspended above the deep cyan ocean, stretching toward an infinitely distant point. This light curtain was riddled with spatial fissures, emitting violent fluctuations, as if countless meteors were streaking by—a force so terrifying that even a Primal God roaming within would likely be shattered to pieces.

If Shi Yan were present, he would have noticed that the brilliant path of light suspended above the ocean bore a striking resemblance to a place he knew.

The Outer-Domain Heavenly River!

Back in the Blazing Starfield, he had activated the power of the Illusory Crystal and been pulled into that Heavenly River. Within the river floated multi-colored stones of varying sizes, but the water of that river was murky gray and turbid. The Heavenly River’s surface was also covered with paths of light riddled with spatial fissures, and he had once discerned the mysteries of space within it.

At that time, he, Feng Rao, Bao Ao, and the others had fallen into the Outer-Domain Heavenly River. From Feng Rao, he learned that one end of the river was relatively close to them—a dead star near the Land of Divine Punishment. They had chosen to go to that dead star then, ultimately escaping the Outer-Domain Heavenly River.

As for where the other end of the Outer-Domain Heavenly River led, and what wonders it concealed—even Feng Rao couldn't clearly explain at the time, stating that no one in the Blazing Starfield could reach the other end.

Back then, the far end of the Outer-Domain Heavenly River remained an unsolved mystery.

They would never know that the terminus of the Outer-Domain Heavenly River, its other end, was a deep cyan ocean, upon which floated countless outer-domain meteorites. These meteorites were all moving, as if they were living things, or perhaps some form of grand celestial formation.

On this day, upon a meteorite in the deep cyan ocean at the end of the Outer-Domain Heavenly River—a meteorite vaster than the entire land of Shenzhou—several human figures faintly materialized.

They were none other than the elder generation of the Heavenly Demon Clan.

At the center of that meteorite were enormous, abyss-like pits, deep and bottomless, faintly emitting a terrifying power.

That power was world-shaking, causing the entire ocean at the Heavenly River’s end to tremble incessantly, as if that fluctuation originated from the very depths of the deep cyan ocean.

Many regions of this massive meteorite bore deep claw marks, incredibly huge and terrifyingly ferocious, as if imbued with the majesty capable of destroying all living things.

The several elders of the Heavenly Demon Clan knelt at various points around the profound abyss, gradually transforming their demonic forms: one into a radiant golden Qilin, another into a celestial serpent tens of thousands of meters long, a Three-Legged Golden Crow hovering in the void, and a Blazing Phoenix consumed by flames.

They chanted softly at the corners of the abyss. Beneath the Three-Legged Golden Crow lay a mangled corpse—it was none other than Bai Can, the patriarch of the Bai Clan.

Innumerable cryptic symbols began to float down from the spatial fissures above the Outer-Domain Heavenly River. There were billions of them, colored in myriad hues; some resembled mountains, others seas, still others forests and vegetation, each possessing its own profound and peculiar nature.

The billions of symbols descended from the spatial fissures like raindrops, all plunging into the abyss.

The water of the deep cyan ocean seemed to boil, surging violently and emitting gurgling bubbles, accompanied by earth-shattering reverberations.

Many smaller meteorites promptly exploded, their fragments dissipating into the ocean. Brilliant cyan light occasionally flashed from within the ocean, washing over it in waves, making the sea appear as if it possessed a living pulse.

The terrifying commotion continued for a long time. The four old demons of the Heavenly Demon Clan finally quieted down, resuming human form. They appeared exhausted, as if they had expended significant energy.

However, their eyes shone with unusual clarity, and they waited silently for something.

Time sped by.

After an unknown period, the deep cyan ocean settled down. The Outer-Domain Heavenly River seemed to have sunk entirely downward, as if half of its water had evaporated.

The four old demons of the Heavenly Demon Clan knelt, their gazes fixed unblinkingly on the largest abyss...

Finally, a violent cough echoed from within. A frail, white-haired elder struggled out of the abyss, panting heavily.

"Saint Ancestor!"

The four old demons of the Heavenly Demon Clan shouted in unison, their joy undisguised.

The gasping elder had snow-white beard and hair, but his pair of cyan eyes were exceptionally bright. He waved a weak hand and said, "I have only just awakened and need to replenish energy. Alas, immortality, immortality—only the soul is eternal; the physical body, without energy support, remains frail."

As he spoke, a flicker passed through his eyes. Billions of symbols were swirling within his pupils—the very symbols that had flowed down from the countless fissures above his head.

The elder looked up at the sky, opened his mouth, and inhaled. The threads of pure celestial energy he had hidden within those spatial fissures flowed into him like small streams. As the streams entered his mouth, the spatial fissures above his head exploded and shattered; at least half of the fissures ceased to exist.

His withered, aged body rapidly regenerated, like a dead tree coming back to life in the spring. The wrinkles on his face gradually vanished, and his skin regained a vibrant sheen.

In just a few dozen breaths, the old man close to the grave transformed into a vigorous middle-aged man. He still shook his head, remarking, "Still not enough, far from it. It seems I must leave."

The four elders of the Heavenly Demon Clan hung their heads in deep reverence. The one with the human head and snake body said, "The Ancestor Star has merged with the Origin Fruit. Our clan will rise again and await the Saint Ancestor's guidance."

"Go to the Maya Starfield first," he commanded after a moment of contemplation.

Though the demons were puzzled, they offered no objection and nodded in unison.

Maya Starfield, Demon Dragon Star.

Cang Yun and the members of the Heavenly Demon Clan were all temporarily residing on the Demon Dragon Star. Through Cang Yun's explanation, Bass and Gute had learned of the connection between the Demon Clan and the Heavenly Demon Clan, and also that their recent cultivation advancements were due to the bloodline of the Heavenly Demon Clan within their bodies.

Cang Yun had not revealed the specific link between the Continent of Divine Grace and the Heavenly Demon Clan bloodline, only informing them that the Demon Clan's greatest opportunity had arrived, and all those possessing the Heavenly Demon Clan bloodline would benefit.

Bass and Gute treated the Heavenly Demon Clan members as honored guests, and nearly all the Demon Clan inhabitants of Demon Dragon Star showed the utmost respect to these newly arrived Heavenly Demon Clan members.

There was only one exception.

Gui Liao flatly refused to acknowledge them. If he hadn't had a dedicated cultivation ground on the Demon Dragon Star, he wouldn't have even bothered returning.

He did not meet with Cang Yun. After returning to the Demon Dragon Star, he immediately entered seclusion in his private cultivation valley and refused to see anyone, ignoring even Gute's personal request.

Gu Mo visited several times, only to be forced back each time by the restrictive formations he had set up. Gu Mo was frustrated, yet her affection for Gui Liao was deeply rooted. She could only cultivate in a nearby valley, waiting for him, paying no mind to Cang Yun or the Heavenly Demon Clan members; her entire focus was on Gui Liao.

Cang Yun, temporarily settled on the Demon Dragon Star, listened as Gute and Bass inquired about the movements on the Demon Blood Star. He had arranged with those on the other side that they would notify him immediately if Shi Yan returned.

He was waiting patiently.

Of course, he was not idle. He constructed a space teleportation array on the Demon Dragon Star, capable of piercing directly into the Outer Domain. This array was complete; he merely needed to assemble it.

One day, that space teleportation array suddenly illuminated.

Cang Yun’s expression jolted. He immediately sensed it, flashed away, and appeared directly to guard the array's mouth.

A faint halo emerged, and several old demons of the Heavenly Demon Clan stepped out. Cang Yun bowed respectfully, murmuring, "Elder Wu Ge, Elder Na Da, Elder Tian Yin, Elder Ao Gu... Wait! Saint Ancestor!" As his words trailed off, Cang Yun suddenly knelt, his face alight with ecstasy, and he cried out in disbelief as he looked at the middle-aged man emerging.

The middle-aged man addressed as the Saint Ancestor smiled kindly, patted Cang Yun’s head, and said, "Well done."

Cang Yun trembled all over, filled with emotion.

Only the lineage of the Four Sacred Beasts of the Heavenly Demon Clan was qualified to be called a Saint Ancestor. The White Tiger perished in the 'Wilderness'; Shi Yan had once seen the remains of the Vermilion Bird; the legacy of the Black Tortoise was held by Zuo Shi. Therefore, this Saint Ancestor was naturally the Azure Dragon Saint Ancestor, one of the progenitors of the Heavenly Demon Clan.

The Sacred Beast Azure Dragon’s soul remained undying, having survived countless eons and great catastrophes to endure to this day.