At the manor gate, Bai Yefeng, Jiao Mu, Mu Wei, and others stepped forward to greet Tie Dun, the head of Black Iron City, and led him inside.

The estate spanned a hundred acres, filled with rockeries and pavilions; within, streams meandered beneath small bridges, and jade stones paved the pathways—an elegant and tranquil sanctuary.

Tie Dun walked with Bai Yefeng deep into the grounds, stopping beside a rockery. He smiled at Bai Yefeng, "Brother Bai, your trip to Black Iron City this time was too secretive; you almost managed to hide it from me."

Bai Yefeng had a history with him. For centuries, Bai Yefeng had represented the Black River Starfield in Black Iron City, making massive purchases of divine weapons, armor, and warships from the Giant Wave Merchant Guild to bolster the Black River Starfield’s strength. Tie Dun, as the city's head, personally hosted him every time.

Mu Wei, the Grand Elder of the Gu God Sect, and Jiao Mu of the Jiao family were not intimately familiar with Tie Dun; their long-term cooperation had previously been with other cities on Giant Wave Star, not Black Iron City.

Tie Dun possessed only the cultivation of the first heaven of the Primeval God realm, specializing in the profound truths of Wind. His gaze swept over Mu Wei and Jiao Mu, and he smiled faintly, his eyes holding a peculiar glint.

"Brother Tie, what brings you here today?" Bai Yefeng pondered for a moment before directly addressing the core issue.

The guards behind Tie Dun had long since retreated. Even Sha Si and Wu Feng were not qualified to be present here. Tie Dun chuckled and said, "I have been entrusted by those above to deliver something."

Bai Yefeng looked utterly surprised.

Tie Dun's expression turned solemn. He took a deep breath and carefully withdrew a jade casket from his sleeve. The casket emanated a faint, ethereal green glow, releasing a mellow fragrance—pleasant and calming to the spirit.

"Heavenly Scent Calming Jade!"

Mu Wei of the Gu God Sect exclaimed in a low voice, astonishment coloring his face.

"Indeed, this jade casket is refined from Heavenly Scent Calming Jade," Tie Dun said with a smile.

Bai Yefeng, Jiao Mu, and Mu Wei all paused slightly, focusing their gazes on the casket wrought from the Heavenly Scent Calming Jade, their expressions deeply stirred.

The Heavenly Scent Calming Jade was a Primordial-grade material, exceedingly precious, originating only from the extremely remote Heavenly Scent Starfield within the vast Astral Sea. This particular jade was the supreme treasure of that starfield.

Because of this jade, the Heavenly Scent Starfield had changed hands several times, now falling under the control of the Divine Race.

The Heavenly Scent Calming Jade was priceless and possessed a unique function: cultivators grasping the profound truths of Heaven and Earth, upon reaching a breakthrough in their realm, could maintain their sanity and ensure their minds remained eternally clear and their spiritual platform untainted, simply by holding a piece of this jade.

A small piece of Heavenly Scent Calming Jade allowed a martial artist to use it repeatedly, significantly boosting the probability of a successful breakthrough.

Among the various forces and races across the major starfields, this jade was incredibly valuable. Even the rising generation of leaders in the great powers rarely possessed such a treasure.

Besides calming the spirit, the Heavenly Scent Calming Jade had another use: items preserved with this jade would never decay.

"Who is this for?" Bai Yefeng, unable to fathom Tie Dun's intentions, instinctively reached out to grasp the casket, speaking casually.

Just as Tie Dun was about to place the casket into his palm, he paused subtly, locking eyes with Bai Yefeng, and stated seriously, "It is for the person you are waiting for."

Bai Yefeng was stunned. Mu Wei and Jiao Mu looked equally astonished, then all their expressions turned grave as they focused on Tie Dun.

"Do not ask me why. I am following instructions from above. They also stipulated that only that person is qualified to open this," Tie Dun smiled, finally placing the jade casket into Bai Yefeng's hand. "I leave it in your care, Brother Bai."

Bai Yefeng stood frozen, frowning deeply.

"That is all. I will not impose further." Tie Dun bowed slightly. "No need to see me out."

He walked straight out, rejoined his guards, and promptly left the manor. His arrival was inexplicable, and his departure equally hurried.

Bai Yefeng held the jade casket in his palm, his face etched with astonishment. He stood grimly in thought, silent for a long time.

Mu Wei and Jiao Mu stared deeply at the casket, their gazes strange.

"The Giant Wave Merchant Guild always acts in bizarre ways. Truly nonsensical!" Wu Lie, the envoy from the Wu family, known for his violent temper, could not help but exclaim. He reached out to snatch the casket, sneering, "I want to see what treasure is so precious that they claim we aren't worthy to look at it, hmph!"

Bai Yefeng was frowning in thought when Wu Lie snatched the casket away unexpectedly. Before Bai Yefeng could cry out, Wu Lie had already moved to lift the lid.

"Rumble, rumble, rumble!"

Wu Lie suddenly stumbled three steps back. The stone ground beneath his feet instantly fractured and collapsed. The entire manor shook three times, and the nearby pavilions crumbled into dust.

His face was a mask of horror, deep terror flashing in his eyes. He stared blankly at the jade casket lying on the ground, his chest heaving convulsively.

Mu Wei, Jiao Mu, and Bai Yefeng were all greatly alarmed, staring at the fallen casket with frightened expressions, then back at Wu Lie, unable to conceal their shock.

Wu Lie was at the second heaven of the Primeval God realm, dedicated to mastering the profound truths of Flame, and was famous as a formidable figure within the Wu family, holding some renown across the great starfield. For someone of his cultivation to be rendered so utterly helpless while trying to open that casket—what kind of situation was this?

"Brother Wu Lie, what happened?" Bai Yefeng asked gravely.

Wu Lie's face was filled with terror. He took a deep breath, looking at the jade casket with profound reverence. "The moment I tried to lift the lid, a tremendous force slammed into my spiritual platform. In an instant, my platform nearly shattered!"

At these words, everyone’s face darkened, and they looked at the jade casket with growing unease.

The spiritual platform was the root of a martial artist's life; its shattering meant the destruction of the soul. Wu Lie, at the second heaven of the Primeval God realm, had nearly had his platform collapsed by a single impact from this object. What, exactly, was inside that casket?

Bai Yefeng's expression shifted uncertainly. After a long hesitation, he cautiously enveloped the stone slab holding the casket, carried it into the manor's main hall, and stated in a deep voice, "Tie Dun instructed us to deliver this to Shi Yanfa, so we shall give it to him. Let us all try to avoid provoking that thing."

The others offered wry smiles and nodded in agreement.

...

In the Central Mansion of Black Iron City, the core headquarters of the Giant Wave Merchant Guild.

The cities on Giant Wave Star had no City Lords; the appointed heads by the Giant Wave Merchant Guild assumed that office. Since the entirety of Giant Wave Star belonged to the Guild, and every city was constructed by the Guild, the Merchant Guild headquarters in each city effectively served as the City Lord's manor.

After parting ways with Bai Yefeng, Tie Dun did not pause. He abandoned his escorting guards and flashed away in continuous movement, returning directly to the Merchant Guild center.

He entered an underground secret chamber, vast in size, in the center of which stood an enormous mirror-like artifact.

A golden light flashed across Tie Dun’s brow, striking the mirror. The scene within flickered, and a hazy human silhouette gradually appeared, indistinct and constantly distorting and swaying.

"The casket has been delivered to Bai Yefeng of the Black River Starfield," Tie Dun reported with perfect reverence, his back bent.

"Mm, keep an eye on them. If there is any abnormality on their end, inform me immediately," came a raspy male voice from within the mirror.

"Yes," Tie Dun affirmed.

The fluctuations inside the mirror vanished, returning to normal. Tie Dun's brow furrowed, and he murmured softly, "What exactly is inside?"

After this self-muttering, he began to cough violently, taking out a pill the size of a longan and swallowing it whole, a fierce glint appearing in his eyes.

Like Wu Lie, the moment he obtained the casket, he couldn't suppress his curiosity and tried to lift the lid to see what was inside. His fate was worse than Wu Lie's; both his arms were nearly shattered by the recoil. If not for his status as a Guild official granting him rich resources, his hands might have been permanently crippled.

He was only at the first heaven of the Primeval God realm, thus his power was naturally less profound and refined than Wu Lie's, and the injuries he sustained were correspondingly more severe.

"The heir of the Bloodthirsty lineage—something the President personally arranged to be delivered. It must be extraordinary!"

Tie Dun took a deep breath, an odd light flickering in his eyes. He hesitated again and again, as if making some internal decision, and reactivated the mirror.

The mirror shone with strange light, and after a short while, an aged face emerged from it. Tie Dun's eyes brightened, and he bowed respectfully, "Elder Feng Jue."

The person revealed was none other than Feng Jue, an Elder of the Divine Race Elder Council, a powerful figure who wielded supreme authority within the Divine Race.

"You seek me out for a reason. Speak. What business is this?" Feng Jue half-closed his eyes. "As long as the information you provide is valuable enough, I will reward you handsomely, just as before."

"The President ordered me to deliver a jade casket to the heir of the Bloodthirsty lineage. That casket is refined from Heavenly Scent Calming Jade and is incredibly peculiar. When I attempted to lift it, I was struck by a fierce, malevolent aura, nearly crippling both my arms," Tie Dun stated, revealing only part of the truth.

He had performed similar actions for years, gaining immense benefits through covert dealings with the Divine Race. He had always managed to navigate smoothly between the Giant Wave Merchant Guild and the Divine Race without arousing suspicion.

Feng Jue listened to his report, and the half-closed eyes suddenly flashed with a piercing light. He pondered for a moment, then promised Tie Dun, "That item you requested last time, I will arrange for someone to send it to you; it will be enough to help you break through to the second heaven of the Primeval God realm. You must keep watching them."

"Understood," Tie Dun agreed instantly.

...

The Ancient God Palace on the Ancient God Continent.

Feng Jue sat beneath a statue and suddenly opened his eyes, his expression solemn.

The members of the Divine Race Elder Council, seeing him awaken, frowned and looked at him.

Feng Jue pondered for a long time, then suddenly addressed Xing Huo, "Xing Huo, you need to make a trip to Giant Wave Star."

Xing Huo glanced at him sideways and replied listlessly, "I have no time."

Feng Jue frowned. "That item our race searched for relentlessly in the past—there might be a clue..."

Xing Huo’s eyes suddenly shone with blinding light. He demanded, "Is that true?"

Feng Jue nodded.

Xing Huo immediately rose and stated coldly, "Very well, I will go there."

"That heir of the Bloodthirsty lineage—do not interfere with him. He belongs to Heige. Only by surpassing him can Heige secure the future hegemony of our race. This must be achieved by him alone; no one can assist him," Feng Jue warned.

Xing Huo snorted, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. His body moved, and he vanished.

Seeing Xing Huo depart, Feng Jue closed his eyes again, his aura completely gone, resembling a stone statue.