The massive commotion from the Forbidden Isle shook the Blood Sea into a boil, startling every Inheritor who approached.

Xuan He and Feliette had been lingering near the Forbidden Isle, deeply sensing the terrifying movements emanating from within. They exchanged a glance, instantly recognizing the astonishment mirrored in the other’s eyes.

They had ventured inside before and knew of the eight altars housed there, each corresponding to one of the Eight Profound Meanings. In truth, those eight altars could also control the eight islands within the Blood Sea, manipulate the energy fluctuations above, and bestow inheritances—a place of profound mysteries.

Regarding the altars, they knew more or less of certain secrets, yet the divine subtlety of the Bloodthirsty Statue remained entirely unknown to them.

Now, sensing the monumental stir inside the island, both Xuan He and Feliette grew uneasy, fearing unforeseen changes within.

Yang Qingdi, Bang Teng, and Tuo Lei had each descended onto the three islands corresponding to their respective Profound Meanings. Xuan He and Feliette were already making preparations to ensure Yang Qingdi, Bang Teng, and Tuo Lei seized the seat of the new faction leader, strongly advocating for Shi Yan to become the new Sovereign Lord. The reason they hadn't left yet was simply that the time for the competition for the leadership had not yet arrived.

Simultaneously, the members of the Netherworld Royal Clan on the Soul Control Isle also turned pale with horror, gazing toward the direction of the Forbidden Isle from a distance.

He paused for only a few seconds before immediately closing his eyes, using his soul to contact Ming Hao, explaining the movements at the local forbidden ground, emphasizing the turmoil within and the changes sweeping across the entire Blood Sea.

His expression was intensely grim and solemn as he explained his findings without omitting a single detail, then waited for a decision.

After a while, he suddenly turned his gaze toward a member of the Netherworld Clan. That person also cultivated the Profound Meaning of Soul Control, though their realm was not deep, merely the Void God level. They were skeletal thin and utterly unremarkable in appearance.

Under his scrutiny, the Netherworld Clan member flinched, and immediately, a struggle flickered in their eyes, their face contorted in pain, as if their soul had been instantly possessed.

In just an instant, their expression returned to normal, their eyes deep and distant, as if they were an entirely different person.

“We welcome the Soul Descent of the Leader!”

The members of the Netherworld Royal Clan immediately fell to one knee, one hand touching their brow, the other pressed against their chest, observing the special etiquette of the Bloodthirsty lineage, their faces filled with devout reverence.

Around them, numerous cultivators practicing the Profound Meaning of Soul Control simultaneously sensed an immense, majestic presence. Without hesitation, they also knelt, bowing with the same etiquette, and shouted in unison, “We welcome the Soul Descent of the Leader!”

The leader of the Soul Control lineage, who hadn't intended to come, projected his soul consciousness—though his main body was absent—due to the anomaly at the forbidden ground, temporarily possessing the shell of a subordinate to appear at the Holy Land of the Blood Sea.

Ming Hao’s soul descended, his pupils sweeping over the area with a distant gloom, like a wisp of a wandering spirit, before suddenly vanishing.

On the central Forbidden Isle, Xuan He and Feliette were intently watching the central island when, suddenly, a streak of blood-red light pierced through from within. Xuan He and Feliette stiffened.

The next moment, Shi Yan emerged from the forbidden ground and stood before Xuan He and Feliette.

Almost simultaneously, a ghostly figure ripped through the void and materialized instantly beside Xuan He. His eyes cast a cold, distant glance at Shi Yan before his gaze fixed upon the Blood Vein Ring on Shi Yan’s hand. His expression became unpredictable. “The Master’s relic, indeed the core for opening the forbidden ground.”

Xuan He and Feliette’s faces darkened as they simultaneously stared at him and snorted, “Ming Hao!”

Ming Hao’s incarnation manifested into myriad forms; a single thread of his soul could descend upon any being he had enslaved. If he wished, he could, in an instant, appear in different star regions with different spiritual consciousnesses and identities, becoming countless people simultaneously. These people might vary in race and status, but all were anchored by his soul.

This was a delicate manifestation of the Profound Meaning of Soul Control, and the most mysterious and terrifying aspect of the Soul Control lineage.

“Xuan He, Feliette, long time no see. All your painstaking planning was to support this person in ascending to the Sovereign Lord’s throne?” Ming Hao’s voice was soft, cold, and piercing. As he spoke, it seemed he was subtly injecting threads of icy soul power into their minds, manipulating them through soul sorcery without them realizing it.

As Ming Hao spoke, Shi Yan felt a profound chill pervade him, as if unseen soul power had infiltrated his Soul Altar.

He actually experienced a strange sense of enjoyment from Ming Hao’s voice, gradually developing the illusion that he wished Ming Hao would speak forever—that Ming Hao was his soul’s pillar of support…

“Ming Hao!” Xuan He roared, his shout like thunder.

Crack-crack-crack!

In Shi Yan’s sea of consciousness, streaks of blood-red lightning suddenly appeared. The moment these crimson bolts manifested, all the comforting, wondrous illusions within Shi Yan’s mind were instantly scoured away.

The streaks of blood-red lightning contained the artistic conception of life and death, an eternal cycle, seemingly capable of deriving life and demise, infinitely mysterious. The lightning shattered the invading consciousness of Ming Hao, transforming into surges of rich vitality that poured into Shi Yan’s sea of consciousness, purifying his divine sense until it was clean and unsullied.

“He cannot even withstand my voice; he is unworthy of becoming the new Sovereign Lord,” Ming Hao stated dismissively.

Xuan He and Feliette ignored him, both looking deeply at Shi Yan. Xuan He flashed a toothy grin and took the initiative to introduce them. “I am Xuan He, the leader of the Death Profound Meaning. This is Feliette. That insidious being descending via soul is Ming Hao, the leader of the Soul Control lineage—the weakest and most cowardly among our Eight Inheritances, who never dares to fight anyone head-on, only hiding in dark corners to play his wicked schemes.”

Xuan He mocked Ming Hao without restraint, his words sharp and merciless.

“Indeed. They call him the head of the Eight Followers, but we never acknowledged it ourselves. Someone who never dares show his true form and only acts by enslaving soul servants is fundamentally undeserving of being the Master’s Follower. I have never understood why he was granted a seat among the Eight Followers.”

Feliette grinned wildly, his tone of ridicule no less scathing than Xuan He’s.

From the time Bloodthirsty was alive, Feliette and Xuan He had been at odds with Ming Hao; they had been openly and covertly competing long ago, never submitting to him.

When Bloodthirsty was alive, his presence suppressed the conflict between them, forcing them to unite. After Bloodthirsty perished, no one remained to restrain them or mediate their friction.

Consequently, for many years, whenever these three met, sharp words would fly between them, and sometimes even physical altercations were normal.

“I am here today because I intend to enter inside,” Ming Hao said calmly, looking towards the blood-red light barrier ahead. “Hand over the Master’s Blood Vein Ring. You are not qualified to possess it. Only when you reach Immortality and can stand before me honorably can you hold this ring.”

“Even if the Blood Vein Ring must be handed over, it will not be to you, Ming Hao,” Xuan He sneered. “Back then, I, along with Xuan Shan and La Mo, each preserved a fragment of the Ring Spirit’s memory. If anyone is to safeguard it, it should be me.”

“I do not care about your conflicts.”

Shi Yan spoke for the first time. When he did, surprisingly, Xuan He, Feliette, and even Ming Hao fell silent, focusing intently on him.

Very long ago, Xuan He, Feliette, and Ming Hao knew of his existence and knew that he had inherited the Master’s legacy and possessed the Blood Vein Ring. They had all been observing Shi Yan in secret; they could even recount the details of many of Shi Yan’s battles in full.

However, they had never personally shown themselves to meet Shi Yan, nor had they ever exchanged any words with him.

Today marked their first encounter with the Master’s Inheritor.

“I come here hoping to gather his remains. His bones are scattered across every corner of heaven and earth, held by various individuals. As his successor, I have the obligation to reunite his skeleton. And you all are his Followers—do you not share this obligation?”

Shi Yan looked down at the Blood Vein Ring. “He perished many years ago, yet his remains are still incomplete. As his Followers, have you exerted yourselves for this over the years?”

“How do you know we haven’t strived for this?!” Ming Hao’s voice was icy and cold. “Do you think we have done nothing all these years? That we’ve just been hiding here clinging to life? What do you know? The Divine Race has been searching for the Master’s remains; the Thousand Illusions Sect, the Shattered Palace, and the Celestial Water Palace are also searching. We have been searching too! Do you think you are the only one who cares?”

Xuan He and Feliette exchanged wry smiles.

“The Master’s remains are scattered to the ends of the world, and moreover, they are exceptionally unique, not easily found. They cannot be seen, nor can they be sensed by divine consciousness. To find these bones, one must rely purely on fortune. To our knowledge, the Thousand Illusions Sect, the Shattered Palace, and the Celestial Water Palace each hold one or two pieces of the Master’s scattered remains. The Vast Ocean Merchant Guild also has some, as does the Divine Race. Those were obtained right after the battle ended, when the Master’s bones had not yet changed. Those people exhausted every means to acquire them. As for the remains that transformed into special substances, in these ten thousand years, only the Vast Ocean Merchant Guild has obtained any by chance.”

Xuan He shook his head, his eyes dim with (helplessness).

“The Vast Ocean Merchant Guild obtained it purely by accident. Someone was selling a bone relic; it couldn't be seen, nor could divine sense probe it, but it could be touched by hand—a clearly existing rare item. This prompted the Vast Ocean Merchant Guild to deploy a hundred treasure appraisers and personally deliver it to the Guild Master before they finally confirmed it was the Master’s remains. The person who obtained it was drifting in the Star Sea, was inadvertently pulled into a void fissure, and stumbled upon it unintentionally. He didn't know what it was and took it to the Vast Ocean Merchant Guild for appraisal…”

Feliette explained the details of the situation.

“Why are his remains so peculiar?” Shi Yan frowned deeply.

After Xuan He and Feliette’s explanation, he vaguely understood. He had personally witnessed the marvel of those relics and knew that Bloodthirsty’s bones indeed possessed a strange invisibility. Bones that were unseen and untouchable by the soul, and which were mostly scattered in the fissures of the Star Sea—finding them was indeed extremely, extremely difficult.

“Why are they so peculiar…”

Xuan He, Feliette, and Ming Hao all murmured in unison, their expressions incredibly mysterious and complex, as if they were lost in a tremendous enigma.

“The question you ask—the billions upon billions of martial artists in this Star Sea, countless powerful existences, the Divine Race Chief, the Sect Master of the Thousand Illusions Sect, the Hall Master of the Shattered Palace, the Palace Master of the Celestial Water Palace, myself, Feliette, Ming Hao—every expert at the Immortal Realm wishes to know the reason. After the Master perished, throughout the ensuing ten thousand years, the Divine Race Chief, the Sect Master of the Thousand Illusions Sect, the Hall Master of the Shattered Palace, and the Palace Master of the Celestial Water Palace all sought to decipher its intricacies, hoping to grasp that power. Alas, not a single one has succeeded to this day. That power causing the Master’s remains to be special remains incomprehensible to anyone since the Master’s death,” Xuan He stated calmly.

Shi Yan was aghast, his spirit deeply shaken. He recalled the words of the Ring Spirit.

“The Master mastered a power. That energy, among the endless living beings in this world, was understood and mastered by only the Master alone. The reason the Master perished is also related to that energy.”

What kind of power was that?