The cracked Soul Altar had fully healed; his three Profound Meanings were now nearing perfection, leaving him only one step away from entering the Prime God Realm.
After years of contemplation on the Divine Grace Continent, seated quietly, he had gained a renewed understanding of the Profound Meanings of life and death. He had advanced further in the Profound Meanings of life and death, successfully reaching the cusp of a breakthrough.
However, breaking through to the Prime God Realm required an abundant supply of Heaven and Earth energy, the only way to transmute the Void Realm and allow it to condense into the Origin Realm.
He emerged from the Demonic Domain and, in a flash, arrived at the center of the Divine Grace Continent. He plunged into the Abyss Battlefield where he had once fled, entering its depths from an abyssal opening that led straight underground.
Ten thousand miles beneath the surface, within a colossal crystal, Shi Yan’s Secondary Soul had merged with the Primordial Origin Fruit, residing within that crystalline structure.
That was the core of the Divine Grace Continent.
At the core of that crystal originally lay all manner of ferocious Heaven and Earth formations, naturally formed, possessing terrifying and unparalleled might.
Had anyone else dared to venture so deep, even with the cultivation base of an Immortal, they likely would not have withstood the bombardment of those vicious arrays—for those celestial oddities were anchored to the very origin of the Divine Grace Continent; unless the ancient continent perished, those dangerous places would never vanish.
Yet, he traversed unimpeded, successfully reaching the deep core of the earth, arriving at the crystal where his Secondary Soul resided.
Because his soul and the Divine Grace Continent acted in concert, to speak plainly, he was the Divine Grace Continent—every blade of grass, every drop of water, every mountain and river was the physical embodiment of his Secondary Soul. He settled down where he entered the crystal, the Soul Altar manifesting above his head, the Primary Soul within flickering restlessly.
The Void Realm, radiant as a galaxy, slowly expanded, eventually drawing the Soul Altar into itself. Beside him, the Secondary Soul within the crystal danced like a flame, its aura largely similar to the Primary Soul, yet carrying an ancient, weathered charm of its own.
Within the Void Realm, sparse stars dotted the expanse, the sun and moon appeared simultaneously, bringing light and vitality, appearing utterly real.
He immediately drew the aura emanating from the Primordial Origin Fruit and channeled it into his main body, using it to temper his physical form and cleanse his meridians and altar, causing the Void Realm to transform.
In the midst of this process, as his mind shifted, he suddenly achieved enlightenment.
As he condensed the Heaven and Earth energy for his final transformation, he felt a wondrous sensation: he could move the Divine Grace Continent merely by a thought.
It was just like the never-resting Ancient Continent of Huang from before.
As soon as this thought surfaced in his mind, he tentatively tested it. Concentrating on moving the Divine Grace Continent, it actually began to rotate!
He was instantly stunned. This ancient continent drifted through the dark Star River according to his will, moving in an exceedingly stable yet remarkably swift manner!
He became utterly immersed in this exquisite realization…
The Primary Soul within his Soul Altar and the Secondary Soul within the crystal both began to emanate a mysterious, wonderful luster, sending out soul fluctuations that echoed the continent. That fluctuation carried a mysterious energy, seemingly capable of enacting any change across the continent.
The Divine Grace Continent had originally been situated in an extremely remote corner of the Star River, far removed from the major star domains, as if abandoned.
In truth, it was.
The Celestial Demon Clan had suffered a massive defeat. To prevent their annihilation, they were driven into their ancestral star. In the past, the ancestors of the Celestial Demon Clan spared no cost to shift the Divine Grace Continent, taking it to a desolate, remote area via a method akin to sealing, ensuring no life-bearing stars or other cultivators existed nearby to discover it.
But now, this ancient Divine Grace Star, residing in the gloomy wasteland, was slowly beginning to roll…
A strange spatial fluctuation resonated, the power erupting from within the star and instantly leaking beyond the cloud layer. Immediately, a massive void rift was leveraged open, resembling a gaping maw that poured forth streams of extra-domain light, concealing boundless peril.
The Divine Grace Star flew directly into this rift, traversing the outer-domain fissure towards an unknown destination.
Suddenly, the mortals and cultivators living on the Divine Grace Continent became aware of an earth-shattering phenomenon that filled them with dread and unease.
The sun, moon, and stars vanished from the sky, plunging the world into gloom. Intermittently, streaks of light flashed past overhead like shooting stars, conveying terrifying ripples of energy.
Every mortal dwelling on the Divine Grace Continent intuitively sensed that something was terribly amiss; these changes in the heavens and earth filled them with fear.
The cultivators were equally astonished. They found that the Heaven and Earth energy on the Divine Grace Continent had not diminished; on the contrary, the energy of this land continued to surge at an accelerated rate, so dense that they almost shouted their praise to the heavens for this extraordinary favor.
Yet, the permanent darkness caused by the disappearance of the sun, moon, and stars left them deeply unsettled.
They lived in constant apprehension, their focus wavering even during cultivation. Leaders of numerous martial sects gathered, discussing the matter intensely, trying to ascertain what had occurred.
Alas, no one could unravel the mystery.
Yao Long Star.
The Sacred Beast Azure Dragon and the four old demons had vanished. Gui Liao lay prostrate in the valley in his true form, his body still sparking intensely with electrical light.
As time passed, the electrical surges around his demonic body gradually faded, but Gui Liao maintained his posture, continuing to refine the vital blood within him, sensing his own strengthening every second.
He did not know the Azure Dragon’s identity, only that this individual had used the Celestial Demon Clan’s Blood Sacrifice Art to elevate him from Level Twelve to the initial stage of Level Thirteen, granting him strength comparable to a first-tier Prime God—all from a single blood sacrifice, derived from five drops of blood.
He had inherited the lore of the Celestial Demon Mountain Range; he understood the Blood Sacrifice Art, and he knew this person was an ancestor of the Celestial Demon Clan.
This fact filled Gui Liao with profound awe.
For the demons of the Celestial Demon Clan had emerged in the Primordial Era, surviving to this day for perhaps a hundred thousand years, or even longer.
For such an ancient lifeform to endure until now suggested unimaginable power, instilling in Gui Liao a deep reverence for the Azure Dragon.
The five drops of blood completely integrated into his meridians, bones, flesh, and blood, making his demonic body increasingly robust. He knew he had been favored by the Ancestor of the Celestial Demon Clan. Though he didn't understand why this fortune had befallen him, he fiercely grasped this opportunity, striving with all his might to grow stronger.
A corner of Yao Long Star.
Cang Yun’s chubby face was etched with conflict. He looked towards an elder, “Elder Tian Yin, the Sacred Ancestor… why has he delayed performing the blood sacrifice upon me?”
Tian Yin was a close acquaintance. Cang Yun had seen them vanish alongside the Azure Dragon, only for the Azure Dragon not to reappear, while the four of them remained on Yao Long Star. This left Cang Yun subtly confused.
“The Sacred Ancestor has only just awakened; perhaps… his power has not yet fully recovered. Once his strength returns, he will certainly perform the blood sacrifice for you,” Tian Yin replied with a burdened expression, lying out of necessity.
He knew Cang Yun’s temperament. He feared that if Cang Yun learned the truth, his mentality might warp, potentially leading him to act against the interests of their clan. He could only try his best to conceal it.
“Elder Tian Yin, your vitality also seems significantly depleted. I wonder what truly transpired during your last departure with the Sacred Ancestor?” Cang Yun inquired cautiously.
“The Sacred Ancestor lacked physical strength upon waking, so we used our clan’s secret technique to form an ancient array to supplement some of his flesh and blood essence. That is all,” Tian Yin sighed inwardly.
Cang Yun frowned, nodded in doubt, and did not press the matter further.
But a knot had formed in his heart.
Demon Blood Star.
Zuo Shi cultivated diligently in the Zuo Family Manor in Shenzhou City, making rapid progress, now approaching the peak of the Second Heaven of the Void God Realm.
That day, she was absorbed in rigorous cultivation, completely lost to the world.
The Celestial Demon Clan’s Sacred Ancestor, the Azure Dragon, suddenly manifested in her cultivation chamber, gradually shifting from a shadow to a solid form, exhibiting profound mystery.
Zuo Shi, still cultivating, failed to sense the Azure Dragon’s arrival, remaining immersed in her wondrous state.
The Azure Dragon’s deep eyes revealed a flicker of reminiscence. He gazed intently at Zuo Shi, a trace of tenderness in his expression, murmuring inwardly, “She has inherited the Black Tortoise bloodline, making her a descendant of the Black Tortoise. That fellow does have a successor. But it’s a pity she possesses a human body. Should I stimulate her bloodline power, truly transforming her into a member of the Celestial Demon Clan?”
He remained silent, contemplating inwardly, slightly irresolute.
Zuo Shi’s situation was extremely similar to Shi Yan’s: possessing a human physique yet carrying the bloodlines of both the Undying Demon Clan and the Celestial Demon Clan. The day Shi Yan completed his blood replacement, he had effectively become a full member of the Undying Demon Clan, his entire internal bloodline being that of the Undying Demon.
However, like humans, the Undying Demon Clan cultivates based on the Soul Altar, unlike the Demon Race, which possesses only a Demon Soul and focuses solely on cultivating the demonic body as their greatest reliance.
The point of divergence for Zuo Shi was this aspect.
The Azure Dragon hesitated because he was unsure if fully activating the Black Tortoise vital blood within Zuo Shi would cause her Soul Altar to shatter.
This would severely impact her cultivation realm.
As it stood, although Zuo Shi could not form a demonic body, she possessed the true essence of the Black Tortoise bloodline, giving her unparalleled advantages in cultivating Profound Meanings, facing virtually no bottlenecks; as long as the power within her body kept pace, her progress could increase almost infinitely.
She was a hybrid of the Celestial Demon Clan and humanity, another aberration like Gui Liao.
This aberration was discovered when the Azure Dragon’s soul surveyed the surrounding stars. He had been shocked—first by finding Gui Liao, this anomaly, and then by discovering Zuo Shi, who possessed the true essence and inheritance of the Black Tortoise but had not yet formed a demonic body, existing still in human form.
He felt at that moment that the heavens truly favored the Celestial Demon Clan, repeatedly bringing him pleasant surprises, allowing him to witness the burgeoning prosperity of his race upon waking.
“Let’s try it; we shall see what Heaven’s will dictates.” After pondering for a long time, he finally decided to stimulate the Black Tortoise vital blood within Zuo Shi, hoping to see what miraculous peculiarity Heaven had crafted in this miracle of creation.
He opened his mouth and spat out a pale-green ball of lightning. The lightning orb completely enveloped Zuo Shi’s body, and arcs of electricity shot out, stimulating the Black Tortoise vital blood inside her. He then released his own power, accelerating the refining of the Black Tortoise vital blood within Zuo Shi.
The Azure Dragon weakened once more, his face pale, letting out bitter, wry sighs.
A full half-month later, not a single drop of Zuo Shi’s human blood remained; it was entirely replaced by the Black Tortoise vital blood.
Zuo Shi instantly broke through to the Second Heaven of the Void God Realm.
The moment the Black Tortoise vital blood solidified, explosive cracks echoed from Zuo Shi’s body. Strange tortoise scales grew upon her flesh, covering every corner of her form. A primal, ancient aura emanated from her, causing her power to surge instantly.
Yet, she retained her human shape, but the essence of flesh and blood and the power contained within her divine body were now equivalent to that of the Celestial Demon Clan, while her Soul Altar remained unbroken. Instead, her Primary Soul underwent a change, transforming into a peculiar Demon Soul!
Another miracle!