Shi Jian remained unchanged: hot-tempered, straightforward, tough, and fiercely competitive. He chafed inwardly that the younger generation of the Shi family lagged behind the Yang family in cultivation. Knowing that innate talent made a direct comparison impossible, he still stubbornly pushed for contests, enduring repeated defeats yet steadfastly continuing the effort.
The Shi clan’s younger generation lived alongside the Yang clansmen in the City Lord’s Mansion; the two groups mingled harmoniously, treating each other as family.
The Yang family never measured themselves against the Shi family, nor did they ever treat the Shis as outsiders. The juniors were friends bound by life and death, and Shi Jian often drank with the Yang clan members; in truth, his rapport with the Yang family was excellent.
He simply did not want the younger generation to become complacent.
This was because they were in the Maya Star Field, teeming with peerless experts. This was the Demon Blood Star, not their ancestral home.
Upon arriving in the Maya Star Field, their horizons broadened. They understood the sheer immensity of the Cosmos and the terrifying power possessed by so many experts in the world. Having witnessed such things, they finally recognized their own fragility and insignificance…
Because of Shi Yan’s exceptional brilliance, and because Shi Yan hailed from the Shi family, Shi Jian felt he could not allow the Shi clan members to lose face because of him, hence his stubborn insistence! He believed that he and the Shi clan’s youth could achieve more, could genuinely assist Shi Yan in the future.
As he felt his own impotence growing, he loathed the idea of becoming a burden, a person who constantly needed protection.
For this elder with immense pride, being unable to fight alongside his descendants and instead requiring the younger generation to shelter them at every turn felt like a profound disgrace.
“How could I ever forget you, Grandfather? After this trip back, you were the very first person I thought of,” Shi Yan quickly comforted him.
He knew that the single most influential person in his life had been Shi Jian, perhaps even slightly more so than Yang Qingdi.
Since arriving at the Shi family residence, Shi Jian had cared for him ceaselessly. Though his demeanor often appeared stern, even harsh, it was all a careful form of nurturing…
“That battle—why did you suddenly disappear? How is your Divine Body? Were you injured?” Shi Jian suddenly recalled that scene, his brow furrowing. “Where did you go?”
“I made a trip back to my homeland, back to the Merchant Alliance, back to Skyfall City. I went to the Shi residence, retracing my steps through my old haunts,” Shi Yan said, a shadow of recollection crossing his face. He sighed, “Skyfall City was much the same. The Shi family’s presence there is now merely a legend. Our estate still stands, but it is covered in dust…”
He wandered through Skyfall City, reaching the Shi family estate nestled in a corner of the city, unchanged after so many years.
The reason for this stasis was that the legends of the Shi family remained etched in Skyfall City, the legend of… still lingered.
His exploits in Skyfall City back then, the legend of the Shi family eclipsing the North family, had become a favorite topic among martial artists. Because the Shi and Zuo families had relocated to the Boundless Sea so early on, both their estates in Skyfall City stood deserted.
Yet, even now, no current power in Skyfall City dared to occupy the residences of the Shi or Zuo families. The Shi family remained the Shi family.
“You returned to your homeland?” Shi Jian was stunned.
Shi Tianluo and Han Feng, along with the others, also showed surprise. Homeland… that was across star fields, and the world’s energy was depleted. Though they missed it, none wished to return there to cultivate. When they had left, the energy of their homeland was already too thin to support advanced cultivation.
Without rich Heaven and Earth energy, the mines wouldn't yield Divine Crystals, the earth wouldn't nurture Spirit Herbs and rare flora, and many wonders wouldn't manifest—things essential for martial artists to gain deeper insights into the profound mysteries of the universe.
This was the ultimate reason they had left.
“Yes, I returned home. We… we should all go back now,” Shi Yan said seriously.
Everyone looked bewildered and puzzled.
“It’s different now. Our homeland is completely unlike when we left. You will understand when you return,” Shi Yan added with a sigh.
Back when he was on the Divine Grace Continent, his singular goal had been to break free. He fled with Bao Ao, Jie Ji, and the others into the Blazing Flame Star Field, struggling desperately to survive, fighting tooth and nail, all for the sake of a single Life Star—one where he could bring his family from their homeland and truly integrate them into the river of stars, preventing them from being shackled to the Divine Grace Continent and unable to advance their cultivation.
A martial artist’s lifespan was tied to their realm. If their progress stalled on the Divine Grace Continent, they would eventually age and die.
Mu Yudie was an example: stuck at a certain stage, her lifespan was rigidly fixed. Though power remained within her body, her Life Magnetic Field slowly deteriorated and aged, eventually leading to oblivion.
Every time a martial artist broke through a realm, beyond transforming their physical body, their soul and Life Magnetic Field also evolved, increasing their longevity.
Only by continuously breaking through and growing stronger could one eternally retain youthful vitality and avoid depletion from a spent lifespan and a withered Life Magnetic Field.
He endured countless hardships, finally managing to migrate his loved ones to the Demon Blood Star, bringing them into the Maya Star Field where they established Divine Province City and settled into a peaceful life.
But now, everything had to return to the starting point; he had to bring his family back to the Divine Grace Star. Looking back, it felt as if nothing had changed, like a dream woven from mist.
Shi Jian, Han Feng, and the others looked stunned, failing to grasp the deeper meaning, all staring at him blankly.
“You’re finally back.”
A faint shout came from outside, followed by the sound of many breaths. At some unknown point, the powerful figures of the Demon Blood Star had gathered here.
Shi Yan smiled calmly and said to Shi Jian, “Let’s go out and talk.”
In the courtyard of the Shi family residence within the Divine Province City Lord’s Mansion, figures materialized one by one: Blood Demon, Fu Wei, Feng Han, Lin Xin, Yang Qingdi, Liana, Feilan, Cato, Xia Xinyan, Zi Yao, and others who cared for him stood poised in various corners of the courtyard, all gazing deeply at Shi Yan.
Shi Yan had not deliberately concealed his aura. Having returned via the teleportation circle near the Blood Pool, someone naturally reported his arrival.
Shadows congregated, each face wearing a distinct expression—relief, surprise, elation—all focused on Shi Yan, regarding him as the sole center of attention.
“Mm, I’m back,” Shi Yan responded with a carefree smile.
Although the crisis in the Maya Star Field was temporarily resolved, many faction leaders who had gathered there—those forces not aligned with the Medicine and Artifact Pavilion—had departed.
Forces closely tied to the Medicine and Artifact Pavilion, such as Feng Han and Lin Xin, chose to remain on the Demon Blood Star to observe the situation. They would only truly leave once they were certain no further upheaval would rock the sea of stars.
They had been thoroughly terrified by the Gods.
Other racial factions, like Yan Huang and Jing Yuwan, though they had left the Demon Blood Star, dared not venture far. They chose Life Stars close to the Demon Blood Star, maintaining a subtle resonance with it, ready to respond to any sudden crisis that might emerge.
“Congratulations,” Fu Wei murmured, her lips slightly pursed.
“Congratulations.”
“Congratulations.”
“….”
Feng Han, Lin Xin, and the host of other powerful figures offered soft congratulations, their faces alight with pleased astonishment.
Xia Xinyan, Zi Yao, and Feng Rao were also present. The three women wore smiles that stirred the heart, their beautiful eyes rippling with a strange, deep allure.
The moment Shi Yan entered Divine Province City, many strong individuals felt a violent tremor in their consciousness. The surging vital energy emanating from him had reached an unbelievable peak. Everyone understood clearly: he had undoubtedly advanced his realm, stepping into the brand-new territory of the Prime God.
And indeed, that was the case.
The Divine Grace Star, having traversed a spatial rift, spent a brief period before finally entering the Maya Star Field. During this time, Shi Yan’s Soul Altar ascended, his Void Realm stabilized, and he officially stepped into the First Heaven of the Prime God realm, becoming the most dazzling new star in the Sea of Stars.
His brilliance was unmatched.
“I will move this Divine Province City to the Divine Grace Star. I have brought the Ancient Continent here as well,” Shi Yan stated to the Blood Demon.
The Blood Demon jolted with shock, his expression filled with disbelief. He looked deeply at Shi Yan and nodded slowly.
He was one of the few—alongside Miao—who understood the profound secrets of the Ancient Continent. Even Fu Wei, Feng Han, and Lin Xin were unaware of this. Besides Yang Qingdi, the Blood Demon was the only other person Shi Yan had fully enlightened about the Ancient Continent’s mysteries. To bring an entire continent across star fields—what an immense undertaking!
The Blood Demon drew a deep breath, utterly shaken.
“Great-Grandfather, Grandfather, please ask everyone in Divine Province City to temporarily evacuate the city grounds. This city… it should be situated upon the Divine Province land,” Shi Yan commanded with a clear shout.
Yang Qingdi and Shi Jian could barely conceal the terror in their eyes. They exchanged looks filled with complex emotion toward Shi Yan before flying away to relay the orders.
“Why bother with such complexity?” The Blood Demon roared with laughter, spitting out a streak of blood-red light. The light coalesced and transformed in the skies above Divine Province City into a colossal, thousand-zhang giant phantom.
The phantom seemed to envelop every corner of the city, suffused with a powerful life fluctuation. It bellowed like thunder, shaking everything continuously: “All citizens of Divine Province City, temporarily evacuate the inner city! Shi Yan is preparing to set up a grand formation. Please cooperate!”
At the mention of Shi Yan’s name, earth-shattering cheers erupted from every corner of Divine Province City. The citizens rushed out of their cultivation grounds, their faces flushed red with excitement, screaming in the streets.
His name was an immortal legend in Divine Province City.
The citizens of Divine Province City hailed from all the various races and sects of the Divine Grace Continent—the Cao family from the Boundless Sea, the Three Gods Sect, the Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, the Corpse God Sect, the Church of Light from the Divine Province land, the Demon Race from the Eternal Night Forest, the Demon Race, and the Underworld Race members. Some of these forces had even been hostile toward Shi Yan in the past.
But when the Heaven and Earth energy of the Divine Grace Continent began to dry up, and despair set in, Shi Yan had suddenly appeared.
He had transported every single one of them across countless star fields to this place.
This was an immeasurable grace that everyone kept firmly in their hearts, never to be forgotten.
Within Divine Province City, Shi Yan’s moniker was legend, myth, revered by all.
Therefore, upon hearing that Shi Yan had returned to oversee the city’s transformation into a formation array, everyone willingly complied, urging their subordinates and kin to leave the city without a hint of discontent.
Shi Yan swept his divine sense across the area, sensing the orderly departure of every life fluctuation, hearing them chant his name. A warm current flowed through him.
He suddenly realized that his years of struggle had not been in vain.