In the center of the great hall, Shi Yan sat firmly, showing no intention of moving from his spot. He narrowed his eyes, looking coldly at the incessantly babbling Xing Yu, a sneer playing on his lips, offering no verbal acknowledgement whatsoever.

Xing Ming frowned, his expression slightly displeased. He silently cursed Shi Yan for his lack of manners.

Seeing how obvious everyone else’s attitude was, did Shi Yan truly believe he held a status equal to, or even superior to, the assembled company? Mu Wei, Bai Yefeng, Jiao Mu, Wu Lie, and Sang Ji all looked utterly disheartened.

They kept their heads lowered, pretending not to notice the bizarre atmosphere in the hall, feeling caught in an impossible bind. As the future heir of the Bloodthirsty lineage, Shi Yan had fused with the Primal Source Fruit, meaning he was destined to become a power that would dominate heaven and earth.

They would rely on Shi Yan in many aspects of their future endeavors. And yet, at this critical juncture, their own star system faced a dire crisis.

As members of the Alliance, they desperately sought support from the Thousand Illusions Sect, the Shattered Hall, and the Heavenly Water Palace to help them eliminate the threat of the Divine Race. For them, offending either Shi Yan or the group comprising Gu Lian, Xing Ming, and Layna was an unthinkable risk.

"Xing Yu has been tacitly permitted by the seniors here to take the lead. If the seniors remain dissatisfied, that fellow...

will continue to agitate indefinitely." Gu Ling chuckled softly with ill-concealed glee, glancing sideways at Cecilia and mocking, "Is the person you value truly that even-tempered? Can he sit idly by while being derided and ridiculed by Xing Yu?" She was secretly disappointed.

She had anticipated a good show, but Shi Yan’s lack of a strong reaction suggested cowardice to Gu Ling, who reveled in chaos, earning her utter contempt. "Sister Cecilia, if the person you have chosen only has this much capability...

then he truly isn't as good as Xing Yu," Gu Ling scoffed. Cecilia’s beautiful face was shrouded in frost.

She coldly fixed her gaze on Xing Yu, a chilling murderous intent flashing in her exquisite eyes. "Xing Yu truly doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth," she sneered, a flicker of surprise crossing her features as she looked toward Shi Yan, a hint of expectation stirring within her.

From her understanding of Shi Yan, he was no weak or timid soul, but rather a ruthless and vengeful ambitious figure. She was certain Shi Yan had another plan, a strategy unique to him, so Cecilia watched him intently.

"Shi Yan! You are unworthy to sit in the seat of honor!

I hope you will step down voluntarily and participate in this matter as a junior!" At this moment, Xing Yu stood tall, assuming an air of self-importance and arrogance, shouting loudly with righteous indignation. From the chief seat, Shi Yan, his expression severe, displayed a sharp glint in his eyes before suddenly speaking calmly, "Silence." A surge of grim, icy corpse qi suddenly shot out from a fissure in the hall floor.

This corpse qi acted like a razor-sharp arrow, piercing instantly through Xing Yu’s chest and abdomen. "Pfft!" Blood erupted like a fountain, spraying violently from Xing Yu’s chest cavity and staining the hall crimson.

"Boom!" The floor of the hall abruptly split open with a wide fissure, and a chilling, ominous jade coffin bizarrely floated out, slamming heavily against the corner of the wall behind Shi Yan. The coffin was enormous, about five meters long and two meters high, constructed entirely of snow-white jade that shimmered with an eerie, cold luster.

Thick, sinister corpse qi materialized as pale white mist swirling around the coffin, instantly plunging the hall into a gloom so oppressive it felt haunted by specters lurking in every dark corner. From within the coffin came a grating "kaka" sound, like fingernails scraping against jade, chilling everyone to the bone.

Waves of cold, deadening energy permeated the hall. Every powerful figure within trembled in their soul, snapping to attention with a shiver.

The coffin settled motionlessly in the corner behind Shi Yan, the bizarre sounds from within not ceasing, echoing like soul-devouring demonic music in everyone's minds, instilling deep dread. Even Layna, whose foot was already halfway into the Immortal realm, grew solemn and stern.

She took a deep, cold breath, casting a wary glance at the coffin, and refrained from saying a word. Xing Yu’s chest poured blood; within mere seconds, his entire reservoir of blood drained away, his vitality extinguished.

Xing Ming remained silent, looking as if he hadn't even noticed his nephew’s brutal death, only staring grimly at the coffin, an unreadable light flickering in his eyes. The grand hall fell into absolute quiet.

Gu Ling, standing behind, tightly covered her mouth, terrified she might let out an involuntary gasp, which could shatter the atmosphere and provoke the coffin into unleashing more killing. Cecilia’s bright eyes sparked with a vibrant light.

She looked deeply at the coffin, a mixture of shock and elation on her face. From the chief seat, Shi Yan glanced at the coffin, a cold, satisfied sneer touching his lips.

He then coughed lightly and stated flatly, "If the Shattered Hall has no sincerity in discussing matters with me, it is not too late to leave now." He turned his gaze to Xing Ming, straightening his back slightly as a fierce, baleful aura erupted from his body, his eyes acquiring a hint of scarlet. Xing Ming, confronted by the representative of the Shattered Hall, felt his spirit jolt, suddenly alerted as if pinned by an ancient ferocious beast.

His face shifted subtly, revealing an ambiguous expression. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly chuckled, composedly remarking, "The Shattered Hall has arrived with sincerity.

The junior lacked propriety and has been executed by your side; his death serves him right. If you are still displeased, this old man will apologize on behalf of the Shattered Hall." As he spoke, Xing Ming rose from his seat, bowing slightly toward Shi Yan’s direction in a distant salute.

Xing Ming’s gaze was sincere as he looked deeply at Shi Yan, holding his posture steady, "Please do not hold the junior's rashness against us." Gu Lian of the Thousand Illusions Sect, Layna of the Heavenly Water Palace, along with Xiu Wei and Bai Yefeng—everyone present froze momentarily, then their expressions all shifted to something strangely complicated. The Shattered Hall possessed experts in the Immortal realm and wielded considerable power in the Star Sea, second only to the Four Great Races, remaining a dominant force for years.

As an envoy of the Shattered Hall, Xing Ming had abandoned any concern for his nephew's life and immediately bowed in submission without a hint of hesitation. This old man...

was truly capable of bending and stretching, certainly not a simple character. His nephew, Xing Yu, had been a key trainee of the Shattered Hall, incited by Xing Ming to step forward, and now lay dead on the spot, yet Xing Ming showed no reaction whatsoever.

This man was truly the epitome of callous indifference. Gu Ling bit her lower lip, staring at the bloodless, withered body of Xing Yu.

Her pretty face was pale, and a wave of intense fear washed over her, making her afraid to even look at Shi Yan. She also stopped whispering with Cecilia, terrified that a single misplaced word might bring the same lethal wrath upon herself.

She was genuinely terrified now. "Let this matter drop.

But let there not be a next time." Shi Yan waved his hand, admonishing coldly, "Though my Bloodthirsty lineage is not as mighty as it was ten thousand years ago, we are not a faction that anyone can provoke. The reason we have remained hidden these past years is simply because the time was not right.

The luck of the heavens truly belonged to the Divine Race during this millennium, but since I obtained the Primal Source Fruit, the tide of fortune has turned. The era of the Divine Race is over.

I hope you all make the correct choice!" Xing Ming repeatedly nodded, lowering his head to sit down again. As he looked down, his eyes were chillingly sharp.

However, when he raised his head once more, he immediately resumed his humble and sincere demeanor, as if he had switched faces. "Allow me to ask presumptuously," Layna spoke up suddenly, frowning, "Have you ever visited the sacred land of the Bloodthirsty lineage?

Have you... ascended to that position under the witnessing of the Eightfold Inheritance?" "I will be heading there in a few days," Shi Yan replied casually.

Layna smiled faintly and nodded, then suddenly declared, "I can state the position of the Heavenly Water Palace: if you can ascend to that position in the sacred land of the Bloodthirsty lineage, witnessed by the Eightfold Inheritance, our Heavenly Water Palace will immediately form an alliance with you, cooperating with you wholeheartedly for the next ten thousand years, following your lead." She paused, sweeping a glance over Cecilia behind her, and continued with a frown, "If you cannot attain that position, then... everything is void.

Whether the Heavenly Water Palace and you will be allies or enemies in the future, hehe, is truly uncertain." "I, Gu Lian, can speak for the Thousand Illusions Sect, and I hold the same view. If you reach the summit, you are an ally of the Thousand Illusions Sect; otherwise, it is hard to say." Gu Lian voiced her support abruptly.

"Heh heh," Xing Ming chuckled and nodded, interjecting nothing, his intent perfectly clear. The leaders of the remaining factions all quickly expressed agreement, aligning their endorsement of Layna and Gu Lian’s decision—all linking alliance with Shi Yan’s potential ascension.

Shi Yan frowned, his expression cold, and let out a hum, but he offered no further words. He looked toward the coffin behind him, a strange look in his eyes.

This coffin seemed to have been hidden deep within the estate all along; he hadn't detected any trace of it earlier. When Fielite had sent his soul transmission, the moment Fielite’s soul departed, Shi Yan had sensed a faint, concealed corpse qi rising from the deep underground.

From that moment, he knew Fielite had made other arrangements, knowing there must be a powerhouse positioned deep beneath the surface by Fielite. This was precisely why, from the moment he entered the hall, Shi Yan had not been polite in the least, immediately taking the highest seat.

As the inheritor of the Bloodthirsty lineage, the successor of the lineage that once dominated heaven and earth, being timid and hesitant would be a disgrace to the Bloodthirsty name, allowing everyone to look down on him. He had a distinct feeling that his performance today would not only be observed by those within the hall but also by certain individuals connected to the Eightfold Inheritances of the Bloodthirsty lineage.

Mu Wei and Bai Yefeng were likely soul slaves under the chief master of Soul Cultivation, and that master could witness his demeanor today. The corpse qi from underground was arranged by Fielite’s Corpse Power faction; Fielite might also be observing him secretly.

Every action he took today was being scrutinized from the shadows, possibly influencing his success in ascending the position within the sacred land of the Bloodthirsty lineage. He didn't fully understand this so-called "Ascension," but Fielite had mentioned that Gu Lian, Layna, and the others were also using this "Ascension" as the benchmark for determining whether to cooperate with the Bloodthirsty lineage.

He now understood that the "Ascension" of the Bloodthirsty inheritor was definitely not simple; it must involve many hidden secrets he was currently unaware of. "The alliance formed by the Wu Dong Star Domain, the Mo Te Star Domain, and the Black River Star Domain—what is your view on the invasion of their star systems by the Divine Race?" A string of thoughts flashed through his mind, and Shi Yan coldly changed the subject, "Regarding the invasion of their star systems by the Divine Race, what is your opinion?" "They are allied with us, so naturally, we will take responsibility.

We came here specifically to declare our stance on this matter," Layna stated seriously. "We will treat this matter with utmost seriousness and absolutely will not tolerate the arrogance of the Divine Race!" "We will take responsibility," Gu Lian also affirmed.

Jiao Mu, Wu Lie, and Sang Ji were overjoyed upon hearing these words, realizing that their declaration meant the crisis facing their star system would likely be resolved. Shi Yan nodded slightly upon hearing their statements, feeling momentarily relieved.