Deep within the earth of the God-Given Continent. Shi Yan opened his eyes, and a brilliance like diamonds shone within their depths, an ethereal aura slowly emanating from him.

His brow twitched slightly, and a marvelous sensation of unity with heaven and earth suddenly flooded his heart. He grinned silently.

In that moment, he felt the wondrous sensation that he himself had become the Ancient Continent, and the Ancient Continent was now a part of his body. Squinting, he observed intently, the smile on his face growing ever wider, his spirit refreshed and clear.

He had finally touched upon the secrets of the Origin Heaven Fire and the Ancient Continent; after the World-Ending Thunder Flame, the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame, and the Profound Ice Cold Flame merged, only four of the ten Heaven Fires remained, all having become part of his auxiliary soul. At this moment, within his auxiliary soul resided the aura of four Heaven Fires, interspersed with billions of scattered light points, those points distributed evenly, like myriad living beings… In fact, those light points were indeed the life forms active on the continent, and having fused with the earth, he could accurately perceive the slightest movements in every corner of the land.

Deep within the core of his auxiliary soul, there were also two marvelous imprints residing simultaneously; one imprint represented the entire lifespan of a formidable life form. This fusion of Heaven Fires had also given him a nascent comprehension similar to what Hegar once possessed, the ability to directly draw upon the energy of the Ancient Continent and wield it as his own.

It was thus that he touched upon a new secret of the Ancient Continent: the imprints formed inside his auxiliary soul held two remnants of the continent's past memories. These memories belonged to those who, like him, had fused all the continent's Origin Flames over vast stretches of time.

The first imprint belonged to the Sacred Beast White Tiger, the one who had first entered the Wilds of the Ancient Continent, attempting to refine the Wilds, only to be slain by it. The second imprint belonged to the Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird; it too had fused all the Heaven Fires of the God-Given Continent and unified with the continent's origin.

It eventually drifted among the starry rivers until its final demise. The two imprints represented the former glory of two progenitors of the Celestial Demon Race; the imprints held no memory, only the profound mysteries of the White Tiger and the Vermilion Bird, along with many powerful Celestial Demon Race ultimate techniques.

If he were a member of the Celestial Demon Race, knowing the exquisite profundity of the White Tiger's and Vermilion Bird's divine abilities, he could instantly achieve a breakthrough in realm and elevate his power to an inconceivable level. Alas, he was not a member of the Celestial Demon Race.

The existence of those two imprints made him realize one thing: if he were to perish, his soul would dissipate, but the Origin Heaven Fires would not vanish. The ten Heaven Fires would transform anew, drifting across the continent, awaiting another destined soul to gather them one by one.

That person, upon fusing with the origin and comprehending all the profound meanings of the Heaven Fires, would not only obtain the esoteric arts of the White Tiger and the Vermilion Bird but would also come to know the marvelous power he himself cultivated. Once a being who fuses with the origin perishes, the Heaven Fires do not disappear; they carry the host's esoteric imprints, passing down through generations.

In the past hundred thousand years, those who obtained the origin of the God-Given Continent and fused all the Heaven Fires within one era were astonishingly only two predecessors of the Celestial Demon Race. He, however, was an anomaly; he possessed no Celestial Demon Race bloodline, yet he had integrated the very source that nurtured the Celestial Demon Race.

Squinting, he quietly pondered the intricacies within his auxiliary soul. The blinking star-points signified individual lives; his auxiliary soul's consciousness extended, instantly spanning the entire continent, roving across the Endless Sea, the Gloomy Forest, the Divine Land, the Dark Magnetic Mists, and even the farthest reaches of the North, South, East, and West Poles.

The continent seemed to shrink billions of times in an instant, scrutinized by him; every blade of grass, every tree, every flower, every leaf, and all subtle intricacies escaped his divine sense, failing to evade his "Heavenly Eye"; he was the deity of the continent. “Oh!” Shi Yan exhaled softly, his gaze gradually turning grim, an icy chill touching the corners of his mouth.

He saw the Celestial Demon Mountain Range, and within the center of that range, there were enormous figures of the Celestial Demon Race; those beings were either prostrate on the ground, squatting in caves, or bathing deep within the ocean. Their sheer size and intensely rich vital essence made them resemble mountains of flesh and blood, inspiring dread.

Inside the Celestial Demon Mountain Range, peaks stood tall, and within these peaks flowed surging waves of energy; the mountain surfaces were etched with numerous mysterious Celestial Demon Race runes. He saw at a glance that this was a marvelous ancient Spirit Gathering Array set up by the Celestial Demon Race; the ambient heaven and earth energy flowing across the God-Given Continent was like trickling streams pouring into the mountains, causing the density of the heaven and earth energy within the Celestial Demon Mountain Range to reach an astonishing and terrifying level!

The spiritual energy of the continent was naturally dispersed across various regions; some peculiar places had relatively richer spiritual energy, while others were weaker, but the gap between them would not exceed tenfold. However, the appearance of the Spirit Gathering Array in the Celestial Demon Mountain Range fundamentally altered the pattern of heaven and earth; the energy that should have been drifting in other regions now flew over and pooled into the Celestial Demon Mountain Range.

This directly resulted in the Endless Sea, which should have been extremely energy-rich, having only the Celestial Demon Mountain Range as an area of extreme saturation, while the energy in the Undying Island and other sea regions was drawn away, making their energy less abundant than he had anticipated. The Celestial Demon Race was forcibly seizing the energy of heaven and earth right under his nose, purely selfishly benefiting only themselves.

Shi Yan snorted coldly and took a step, instantly materializing in the Celestial Demon Mountain Range. He looked at the peaks covered in Celestial Demon Race runes, and with a chilling gaze, he executed a hand seal.

Above the Celestial Demon Mountain Range, a colossal vortex formed of hurricane winds suddenly materialized. As soon as the vortex appeared, it frantically sucked in the energy surging toward the mountain range, drawing the spiritual energy out of the mountains like a pump, and then dissipating it through the vortex.

The manifestation of the massive vortex caused the Spirit Gathering Array within the Celestial Demon Mountain Range to fail; the old demon lords cultivating in the corners of the range roared in fury and rushed forth. Descendants of the Celestial Serpent, Golden Crow, Qilin, and Phoenix bloodlines all appeared like mountains of flesh, their potent demonic aura pressing down like dark clouds, instantly enveloping Shi Yan's position.

“Who dares to be so presumptuous!” Ao Gu, the Fire Qilin, roared, his fiery scale armor trembling, waves of scorching demonic power washing over him, intent on incinerating Shi Yan. Tian Yin, a descendant of the Celestial Serpent, opened his mouth and spewed forth a pillar of acrid, foul-smelling black smoke, laced with all manner of potent poisons, which rushed toward Shi Yan.

Ao Gu and Tian Yin were core bloodlines of the Celestial Demon Race; both old demons were at the pinnacle of the Thirteenth Level, equivalent to the Quasi-Immortal powerhouses of other races, their divine abilities naturally manifested. “Elders, please cease!” Cang Yun suddenly appeared, shouting loudly.

However, Ao Gu and Tian Yin paid him no mind, continuing to move their massive demonic bodies, roaring threats to kill Shi Yan. That Spirit Gathering Array was personally overseen by the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon, and it had taken all the painstaking effort of those old demons to repair.

The array was originally forged by the ancestors of the Celestial Demon Race to benefit their kin. Shi Yan's arrival meant he intended to destroy the array, intending to sever the foundation of the Celestial Demon Race’s power for the next ten millennia; these old demons were instantly enraged, wishing they could tear Shi Yan to shreds and swallow him.

“If not here, any one of you could pose a mortal threat to me,” Shi Yan said gravely while facing the terrifying assaults of the two old demons. “But alas, this is the God-Given Continent, and here, I am the master!” A thought from his auxiliary soul was activated.

Suddenly, the rolling cloud masses in the sky above began to writhe, carrying immense oppressive force, suddenly crashing down like billions of mountains. The attacks unleashed by the demonic bodies of Tian Yin and Ao Gu were instantly shattered under the crushing pressure of the heavens; even the Celestial Demon Mountain Range trembled violently, as if on the verge of collapse.

The faces of the other old demons changed drastically, and without hesitation, they all struck. The Golden Crow let out a sharp cry toward the heavens, seemingly drawing down the sun from the periphery of the God-Given Continent, and scorching sunlight shot down from the far reaches, subtly converging upon Shi Yan.

Sarcasm flickered in Shi Yan’s eyes; he tilted his head to look skyward, and as he did so, the sky instantly dimmed, as if sealed by a curtain. The sunlight shot in from beyond the domain was directly obstructed, completely unable to pierce the barrier to descend.

Shi Yan felt utterly refreshed; this feeling of unification with the continent, freely utilizing all its energy, like being able to do as he pleased in his own primordial realm, was profoundly intoxicating. The Ancient Continent was like the primordial realm of his auxiliary soul; here, he was the immovable deity, capable of employing all the continent's resources in battle.

Having re-fused three Heaven Fires and glimpsed the deeper mysteries of the Ancient Continent, he suddenly developed a confidence: even if the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon were present, on this God-Given Continent, it would be absolutely impossible for it to restrain him again! Na Da, the Phoenix, let out a sharp shriek, her demonic body blooming with radiant divine light, intending to soar into the heavens.

Shi Yan lowered his gaze to look down at her demonic form, a cruel smile twisting his lips. He opened his mouth and spat, and a streak of fire light suddenly materialized, changing miraculously, instantly absorbing the dense surrounding heaven and earth energy, evolving through mysterious means into the flame form of the Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird.

A terrifying aura of primordial antiquity suddenly spread from the body of the Vermilion Bird. Na Da the Phoenix instinctively felt herself become infinitely small, yearning to prostrate in reverence.

Her flame power was drastically diminished, and she stopped in horror, staring blankly at the Vermilion Bird's flame form above her head, crying out, “Sacred Ancestor Vermilion Bird!” “Heh heh,” Shi Yan chuckled ominously. Above him, a colossal, snow-white tiger bearing the aura of ancient times also materialized, like a divine phantom.

Cang Yun’s knees buckled, and he instantly knelt down, his demonic eyes filled with confusion, murmuring, “Old Ancestor…” In every corner of the Celestial Demon Mountain Range, the members of the Celestial Demon Race, some cultivating in human form, all instantly reverted to their true demonic forms, prostrating themselves on the ground, their manic demonic eyes fixed on the phantom image in the void, involuntarily worshipping and calling out, “Sacred Ancestor, both Sacred Ancestors!” Old demons like Ao Gu, Tian Yin, and Na Da were all dumbfounded, momentarily losing their focus, feeling a sense of unreality. The auras of the Vermilion Bird and the White Tiger were primeval and vast, holding a deterrence that reached directly into the depths of their souls, compelling instinctive awe and fear.

They only felt this level of deterrence when facing the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon, only then feeling genuine respect and terror that extinguished any thought of resistance. At this moment, facing the terrifying majesty of the Vermilion Bird and the White Tiger, they all stood frozen, losing all inclination to continue fighting.

Throughout the Celestial Demon Mountain Range, Celestial Demon Race members revealed their true forms, prostrating themselves, offering utmost respect to the phantom bodies of the White Tiger and Vermilion Bird in the void, shouting excitedly. “Sacred Ancestor!

Sacred Ancestor!” “Old Ancestor! Old Ancestor!”