Shi Yan gazed forward, his expression stern, his fingers tracing the Blood-Patterned Ring. He transmitted his voice, "How does one enter the Bloodthirsty Holy Land? What does it mean to reach the summit?"

After leaving the Celestial Demon Mountain Range, he had pondered for a long time, finally resolving not to evade fate any longer. He listened to the words of the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon: if one does not wish to be bound by destiny, one must seize destiny in one's own hand, becoming the master of the Eight Vassals, presiding over the future of the Bloodthirsty lineage—it must be him, controlling the destinies of others, seizing the initiative!

He resolved in his heart to take the offensive, to fight for his own future.

To ascend the throne of the Bloodthirsty Lord, to become the Sovereign Master of the Eight Bloodthirsty Vassals, to hold the eight Bloodthirsty factions in the palm of his hand, and to cast the God Clan down from their altar!

The Blood-Patterned Ring pulsed, bathing the area in a scarlet neon glow. "Once the Blood Edict activates, any registered individual can enter the Holy Land using their mark. The Blood Edict is located inside the Holy Land and is currently open. Since your soul bears a mark, activating it will condense your power and allow you to traverse countless voids, arriving directly at the Blood Sea of the Holy Land."

"How do I initiate the activation?"

"It's simple. Concentrate your spiritual intent within the mark and sense the Blood Edict's summons."

"I'll try."

"Wait a moment," the Ring Spirit interrupted. "Once the mark is opened, you will be immediately summoned into the Blood Sea of the Holy Land. Let me first explain what reaching the summit entails."

Shi Yan’s eyes sharpened, and he said gravely, "Please elaborate."

"Originally, my memory was divided into three parts, guarded by Lao Luo, Xuan He, and Xuan Shan, respectively. Those three bore the responsibility of selecting a successor for the Master. Lao Luo went to the Continent of Divine Grace, Xuan Shan went to the Ancestral Land of the God Clan, and Xuan He journeyed to the Ancient Demon Continent. Only Lao Luo succeeded, drawing your soul from beyond the domain."

"Does reaching the summit relate to this?"

"It does. The so-called summit was determined later by the Eight Vassals. Because when the Master was alive, he believed he would never perish, and never once considered selecting an heir for himself."

"After the Master perished, the Eight Vassals were left leaderless and remembered the need to re-establish a Sovereign Lord. Since Lao Luo, Xuan He, and Xuan Shan held a portion of my memory, they were the most qualified to select a successor for my Master. Because if I cooperated with any one of them, leveraging the power of the Ancient Continent's origin, we could instantly overturn the laws of heaven and earth and bestow the Master's Devouring Inheritance upon the successor," the Ring Spirit explained.

Shi Yan nodded silently.

Back then, Lao Luo carried a piece of the Blood-Patterned Ring's memory, returned to Divine Grace, utilized the origin power of the Continent of Divine Grace, altered the laws of heaven and earth, pulled his soul from another universe, forcibly occupied the body of another Shi Yan, and completed the inheritance in that blood pool.

Xuan He and Xuan Shan had the same mission.

Unfortunately, Xuan Shan dared to venture to the God Clan's ancestral star, the Ancient God Continent, attempting to defy the heavens using the Ancient God Continent's origin power, but was ultimately slain by the combined might of the God Clan's strongest.

Xuan He went to the Ancient Demon Continent, but the origin power there was nearly exhausted, insufficient to draw a soul from beyond the stars. Xuan He could only give up reluctantly, merely preserving the memory held within the Blood-Patterned Ring, leaving traces in the Star Sea, hoping that after the success of the other two, the Ring Spirit could be reintegrated.

"The Eight Chiefs agreed that if Lao Luo, Xuan He, and Xuan Shan all managed to find successors, they would let the three fight, mutually consuming one another, allowing my three memories to unite. This would forge the strongest individual, and only this person would be qualified to reach the summit and become the new Sovereign Lord of the Bloodthirsty lineage," the Ring Spirit continued to explain.

"Xuan He and Xuan Shan both failed; only I remain. What must I do now?" Shi Yan rubbed his nose.

"In the eyes of the Eight Chiefs, the heir must possess a heart of slaughter; only the victor among the three would be qualified to lead them. If three successors emerged, after slaughtering and devouring, the successful one could directly reach the summit. Of course, they also considered a scenario like the present one: if two failed and only one succeeded in obtaining the inheritance, in such a case, this person must gain the recognition of the Eight Chiefs. At least five of the Eight Chiefs must deem this person's will, disposition, wisdom, and realm as meeting the Master's criteria, qualifying them to command them."

"So, to reach the summit, I must secure the approval of five out of the Eight Chiefs?"

"Precisely."

"But currently, among the living Eight Chiefs, only Ming, Xuan He, and Philete remain. How is that possible?"

"The inheritance of the Eight Profound Principles dictates that the strongest current practitioner automatically ascends to become a new Chief. The reappearance of this Blood Edict should be to determine the new Chiefs for each faction. Factions currently lacking a Chief can have those cultivating the same Profound Principle compete. Once the strength of the first successful individual is confirmed, they become the new Chief."

"I understand."

With the Ring Spirit’s detailed explanation, he truly grasped the rules of the Bloodthirsty lineage, unlike his previous bewilderment.

To reach the summit, he needed the recognition of five of the current Eight Chiefs. Since Xuan Shan and Xuan He failed, he could not establish his status through combat; he had to rely on others' acknowledgment.

Xuan He and Philete were maneuvering in secret, likely tending to favor him. That meant two factions of Chiefs were already on his side. If three more factions leaned his way, he could become the new Bloodthirsty Sovereign Lord.

However, he knew it wouldn't be that simple. Ming of the Soul Command lineage was the head of the Eight Vassals, and this person clearly would not align with him. This individual transformed into myriad forms and held the strongest influence within the Bloodthirsty factions, with shadows existing within every power structure in the Star Sea. Overtaking this person to reach the summit would absolutely not be easy.

"Let's enter the Holy Land Blood Sea first. I imagine Xuan He and Philete will have made arrangements," the Ring Spirit transmitted.

Shi Yan nodded.

The sea breeze blew softly, and a mouthful of damp spiritual energy entered his lungs. He settled down, sitting motionless on the reef.

His divine sense retracted, his spiritual thoughts converging into a single point, solidifying at the position of the primary soul's glabella. The scarlet mark, previously vague, suddenly sharpened. He focused his soul-thought, perceiving the fluctuations within the mark. Suddenly, a sensation stirred in his mind—a summoning force that seemed to travel across the boundless void.

Like a mother calling her child home, the sound pierced directly into the depths of his soul, causing him to tremble violently...

In an instant, the divine power within his body surged like an electric current toward his crown. A strange scarlet halo materialized from the scarlet mark on his physical body's glabella, shooting outward.

As soon as the halo appeared, a blood-colored vortex manifested bizarrely in the depth of the void above his head, emanating an intense gravitational pull that sought to draw him away.

Shi Yan cultivated the Profound Principle of Space. Just a glance at the vortex overhead revealed that spatial power flowed within it. The spatial fluctuations were extraordinarily refined—even he, who had reached the First Heaven of the Prime God realm, could not discern its mysteries. The vortex was like the black hole in his mind, utterly mysterious and profound, impossible to describe.

He did not resist. Following the flow, he transformed into a streak of blood-light and shot straight into the scarlet vortex.

After he vanished, the vortex rapidly contracted, as if a giant balloon had its air instantly sucked out, quickly condensing into a single blood-point before disappearing.

The Boundless Blood Sea.

On a bone island saturated with dense traces of death energy, Philete executed a Profound Principle, exhaling clusters of pale clouds that immediately drifted away.

Not long after, Benny on the Island of Destruction, Bang Teng and Feilan on the Island of Corrosion, Torrey and his daughter Liana on the Island of Darkness, and Yang Qingdi on the Island of Chaos, all suddenly started, then noticed clusters of pale clouds approaching, directly drawing them away.

Among them, Benny, Kato, and Yang Qingdi were slightly lower in cultivation, possessing no power to resist, and could only drift along with the cloud clusters.

Feilan, having reached the Prime God realm, watched his face change drastically as he prepared to react.

"It's Lord Philete's Yin Corpse Cloud. Don't panic; he probably wants to summon us for something," said Bang Teng, who cultivated the Corrosion Profound Principle as well.

Feilan was surprised.

"Lord Philete is the Chief of the Corpse Power lineage. Back then, Torrey and I were rescued by him and Xuan He from the Shadow Race. Lord Xuan He and Lord Philete owe us a great debt," Bang Teng stated.

Hearing this, Feilan ceased his movements.

Similarly, Torrey was explaining to Liana, "When your father entered the Marya Star Domain from the place of Fallen Gods in the Blazing Star Domain, your uncle and I were active there. Because we utilized the Profound Principles of Darkness and Corrosion, we were targeted by the Shadow Race and subsequently imprisoned, almost taken to the God Clan. Fortunately, Lord Xuan He and Lord Philete detected it, and Lord Xuan He personally intervened to save us. For these years, we have been cultivating diligently in seclusion under the arrangements of Lord Xuan He and Lord Philete."

Liana nodded lightly.

The clusters of Yin Corpse Clouds brought Yang Qingdi, Benny, Kato, and the others back, depositing them on the Island of Corpse Power. Seeing them arrive, Philete moved his soul and transmitted a message to Xuan He.

Xuan He, who was on the Island of Death, watched his subordinates, who were cultivating in ecstasy after being sprinkled by drops of blood rain. He grinned, moved his figure, and vanished.

The next moment, he appeared beside Philete, looking at Yang Qingdi, Benny, Kato, and the others. "Which one of you knows Shi Yan's whereabouts?"

Yang Qingdi looked blankly confused, frowned, and shook his head, asking sternly, "Why are you looking for him?"

Xuan He smiled kindly. "He is the Bloodthirsty inheritor; he will be our future Sovereign Lord. We seek him to ascend to the position of Sovereign Lord."

He then looked at Torrey and Bang Teng, inquiring, "How is it? The Blood Edict has summoned the inheritors cultivating the Profound Principles of Darkness and Corrosion. Have you encountered any troublesome individuals? Back then, I saved you from the Shadow Race, hoping you brothers could secure the positions of the Dark and Corrosion Chiefs this time. To foster you, Philete and I spared no effort, utilizing how many Primordial-level spiritual medicines and secret treasures—you should know this in your hearts. This matter must not fail!"

Torrey and Bang Teng straightened their expressions and replied respectfully, "We will never fail Your Lord's expectations!"

"Are you confident?" Xuan He narrowed his eyes and smiled.

"We will win!" Torrey and Bang Teng shouted in unison.

"Death, Corpse Power, Darkness, Corrosion—our four factions should be fine. Ming's Soul Command lineage will certainly listen to him. As for the other three: Destruction, Despair, and Chaos... the newly established Chiefs will most likely be Ming's people. That still presents some trouble," Philete frowned.

Xuan He nodded, his gaze drifting over Benny, Kato, and Yang Qingdi. After observing them for a long time, he couldn't help but sigh.

Benny, Kato, and Yang Qingdi were slightly lower in cultivation and likely insufficient to command a faction or ascend as new Chiefs, thereby casting a vote for Shi Yan.