In the center of the shattered great hall, rubble piled high, and deep, yawning chasms scored the stone floor, descending into the earth's depths.

Shi Yan’s face was grim, his body slack in the seat, covered in specks of scarlet blood.

His complexion was ashen, his gaze listless. The battle with Hei Ge had left him utterly exhausted, his divine power depleted and far from recovered. To then be targeted by Mu Wei and Bai Yefeng, he had barely managed to break free from their binding with the aid of that Jade Coffin, his soul weak, having sacrificed a significant portion of his essence and blood.

After a moment of contemplation, a flash of blood-red light crossed his eyes. A crystalline, blood-red Blood Essence Stone suddenly materialized before him.

He inhaled, and a streak of crimson light enveloped the stone. The Blood Essence Stone began to spin wildly, strands of vital essence and flesh separating from it, transforming into thin, blood-red threads that permeated his every pore.

The pallor vanished rapidly from his face, an eerie crimson glow emerging beneath his skin, and surging vitality surged anew within his body.

“Truly worthy of being a supreme tonic for replenishing Qi and blood.”

As the Blood Essence Stone pulverized into dust, Shi Yan exhaled a long, stale breath, staring at the empty manor, his brow deeply furrowed.

After a long hesitation, he drew out the Jade Casket, the blood-red light swirling in his pupils as he scrutinized it intently.

Within the Jade Casket rested a severed finger of the Bloodthirsty entity. At this moment, a Blood Pattern Ring was already on that finger. The moment the Blood Pattern Ring recognized the finger, it instantly slipped from his control and fitted itself over the digit. Many years ago, the Blood Pattern Ring belonged on that very finger.

It was the remnant limb of its original master.

Sensing its master's aura, the Blood Pattern Ring had broken free from Shi Yan, severing its connection with him unilaterally, solely to merge flesh and blood with its master, as if preparing to conquer the heavens and earth once more.

Shi Yan’s expression darkened. He gazed at the Jade Casket but dared not open it.

Regarding this Jade Casket, regarding the Blood Pattern Ring, many mysteries plagued him. Until those mysteries were resolved, he dared not act rashly.

This time, the leader of the Soul Control lineage had secretly manipulated Bai Yefeng and Mu Wei with two wisps of soul thought, clearly intending to seize the Jade Casket and claim the Bloodthirsty entity’s severed finger and the Blood Pattern Ring. Yet, despite clearly inheriting the Bloodthirsty legacy, he himself had become a target. This showed that the leader of the Soul Control Profound Mystery lineage did not hold him in high regard.

Connecting this to what Gu Lian and Laina had said, clarity dawned upon him.

The eight profound mystery inheritances left by the Bloodthirsty entity operated independently; there were originally eight lineage leaders. Following the Great War ten thousand years ago and the subsequent demise of the Bloodthirsty entity, several of these leaders perished. However, some leaders still survived; the currently confirmed ones included Xuan He, the leader of Death, and Fielite, the leader of Corporeal Force, as well as the leader who cultivated the Soul Control lineage.

Clearly, the leaders of the eight Profound Mystery Inheritances were not in agreement. The leader practicing the Soul Control Profound Mystery had openly demonstrated his disregard for Shi Yan.

After the Bloodthirsty entity’s fall, the eight Profound Mystery Inheritances became fragmented, each refusing to submit to the others.

It was obviously not an easy task for him, the newly emerged inheritor of the Bloodthirsty legacy, to gain recognition from all factions.

This was also why people like Gu Lian and Laina had not declared their allegiance immediately; they were cautious. Until he proved himself sufficiently qualified, those individuals would never offer a clear endorsement beforehand.

When the Bloodthirsty entity perished back then, the memory encoded in the Blood Pattern Ring was divided into three parts: one was taken by Lao Luo, one was held by Xuan He, and the last by Xuan Shan. Yet, the leader of the Soul Control lineage—the strongest among the Bloodthirsty entity’s Eight Retainers—did not possess a third of the Blood Pattern Ring’s memory. Between this... there must have been some hidden secret.

Given the status, rank, and power of that individual among the Eight Retainers, being the head of the Eight Retainers yet failing to obtain a portion of the memory was undeniably illogical.

He suddenly felt certain there had been internal strife among the Eight Retainers. The original Eight Leaders likely hadn't been entirely harmonious. Before the Bloodthirsty entity’s demise, their conflicts hadn't erupted, but with the Bloodthirsty entity gone, no one remained powerful enough to suppress these tensions. Problems must have arisen among the Eight Retainers.

“It seems incredibly easy for fellows like Fielite and Xuan He to find me, no matter where I hide,”

Shi Yan looked up at the canopy of the sky, his expression gloomy. “Shang Chen has explicitly stated he will no longer relay messages for Fielite. If Fielite wishes to contact me in the future, he will certainly send someone else. I just wonder if this new person can locate me as effortlessly as Shang Chen did. Those fellows... they secretly planned everything for me, making me a puppet, forcing me to advance along the path they charted, as if a leash were tied around my neck...”

A trace of savagery crossed his features. He snorted coldly and made a decision in his heart.

Fine, dense lines split open across his pupils, drawing upon the spatial power surrounding him. In an instant, streaks of void fissures erupted above the manor, spilling forth brilliant, dazzling light. Fierce gales swept through, instilling fear in the heart.

He gazed up into the depths of the firmament, letting out a cold laugh, and plunged into one of the fissures, vanishing in a flicker.

Those void fissures writhed like dragons and snakes, lingering near the manor for a while. The manor seemed to be cut apart by a colossal blade, exploding continuously. Even the thirteen stone towers nearby were affected, instantly shattering into ash.

From one of the stone towers, two figures rushed out in disarray, cursing softly as they rapidly fled.

“That brat has gone mad.” Jilata of the Ming Huang Clan looked dark, frowning as he watched the fissure mouth gradually close. He stroked his chin and muttered, “The domain sea near Jula Star has numerous Void Passages. Those passages are mature and stable; if he wanted to leave, passing through there would be safe and smooth, without any trouble. But now...”

“Mature and stable Void Passages have precise destinations, leading to specific locations. This also means his position can be accurately determined, knowing where he will emerge. But these fissures, torn open by his own spatial profundity, are all unstable, constantly fluctuating. Even an Immortal expert cannot lock onto his trajectory or know where he is going.”

Audrey’s beautiful eyes shimmered with strange, fractured light. She gazed absently at the horizon and sighed softly, “He wants to break free from restraint.”

Jilata scoffed, mocking with disdain, “From the day he inherited the Bloodthirsty legacy, his fate was not his own. Long, long ago, the few leaders who confirmed his existence began arranging his life. Today, he suddenly realized his future path had been mapped out, feeling like a puppet, wanting to break free from everything. Alas, everything was predestined. In this vast universe, there are few places where one can truly hide from so many watchful eyes...”

“Indeed, few. But not truly none,” Audrey nodded slightly.

A strange gleam appeared in her cool eyes. “If he can temporarily vanish, making it impossible for everyone to locate him, perhaps... the leaders of the Bloodthirsty lineage will be alarmed. Perhaps they will realize this Bloodthirsty inheritor is not a puppet whose life they can plan at will, but understand that he is Shi Yan, not another Bloodthirsty entity, not their former master. They intend to build Shi Yan step by step, to make him conform to the Bloodthirsty entity’s will. A change might occur...”

“That would be for the best,”

Jilata chuckled, “Everyone fears the reappearance of another Bloodthirsty entity, rather than the real Shi Yan. If he truly forges his own path, not the path of the Bloodthirsty entity, then things might get interesting.”

“How can you know that the true him wouldn’t ultimately be more powerful than the Bloodthirsty entity?” Audrey asked, surprised.

Jilata showed disdain, shaking his head, offering no affirmation. He had lived through that era, having glimpsed that person from afar. In his entire life, he had never seen anyone more powerful. In his heart, no one could match the Bloodthirsty entity.

“I was not born in that era, nor did I see that person. I have only heard countless tales of his might,” Audrey murmured, her eyes strange. “I only know this person called Shi Yan. I fought alongside him; I saw him defeat Hasen, defeat Hei Ge, defeat all the so-called prodigies of this era who were at his level. Perhaps he lacks the supreme, fierce ruthlessness of the Bloodthirsty entity, but he possesses infinite potential. Perhaps the true him, the real Shi Yan, in the future, will not necessarily be weaker than that person.”

“Ridiculous!” Jilata scoffed, shaking his head.

Audrey pouted and said nothing.

...

A Jade Coffin moved beneath the surface of Jula Star, darting like electricity, its trajectory impossible for anyone to capture.

At the headquarters of the Jula Merchant Guild, deep underground lay a vast and mystical palace known as the Earth Palace. The space within was immense, even larger than several Black Iron Cities, crisscrossed by countless interwoven paths like a giant spiderweb, containing innumerable secret chambers and storage rooms.

Many halls and chambers within the Earth Palace were protected by restraints, some halls having thousands of them, dense and intricate like pieces of magical seals.

The Earth Palace was the core secret domain of the Jula Merchant Guild, storing the rare treasures accumulated over tens of thousands of years. Strong practitioners were stationed there permanently.

The mysterious President of the Jula Merchant Guild also rarely emerged from the Earth Palace, secretly overseeing the Guild’s affairs across the star sea, managing matters in numerous star regions simply through divine sense transmissions and communicating via Shadow Stones.

In the forbidden depths of the Earth Palace, at the center of a hall inscribed with countless restrictive arrays, was a clear pool. Light and shadow crisscrossed the water, dividing it into many different images that constantly shifted, seemingly corresponding to various corners of Jula Star.

The palace walls were covered in numerous mysterious glyphs and array symbols, imbued with some kind of celestial wonder, highly complex and arcane.

On one section of the wall, a rumbling tremor suddenly occurred. The array there abruptly shifted, forming a gate of light coalesced from a flash of green luminosity. As soon as the light gate materialized, a Jade Coffin pierced through and landed beside the pool with a resounding thud.

The moment the Jade Coffin touched down, the scenes within the pool dramatically changed, the numerous images merging to form the ghastly maw of a creature covered in serrated white teeth.

An exceedingly handsome man stepped out from that monstrous mouth; it was unknown where he had been previously or in what space.

In his hand, he held a Jade Casket, identical to the one given to Shi Yan by the Jula Merchant Guild, both forged from Heavenly Fragrance Calming Jade. The carving marks were exactly the same, proving they were refined by the same person as the one Shi Yan possessed.

He looked at the Jade Coffin, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. After a long moment, he sighed softly, spreading his five fingers to remotely grasp the coffin.

He lifted the Jade Coffin and tossed it directly into the pool, where it was swallowed by the monstrous mouth, instantly vanishing without a trace.

A strange light flashed in his eyes. The walls of the palace instantly displayed countless trails of movement and shifting shadows, seemingly corresponding to the domain seas of the major star regions. Scenes, figures, and warships appeared and vanished in a flash.

He watched for a long time, then frowned. The images vanished instantly, returning to countless restrictive mystical arrays.

“Not in the Marya Star Region, not on Blood Demon Star, nor on Divine Grace Continent. Where did he go?” he muttered in surprise.

...(To be continued)