The Divine Lord, having seized the physical form of Hegg, sat enthroned amidst swirling, milky-white clouds. These clouds were saturated with potent spiritual energy, imbued with vital essences that could be directly absorbed into his divine body to augment his strength.

Beneath the Divine Lord flowed a river of yellow water, upon which danced numerous strange and eerie Netherworld Demon Flowers. Each blossom towered several meters high, boasting thick, powerful stalks, and within the core of every single flower was encased the preserved body of a warrior. These bodies belonged to various races, yet the weakest among them was still at the first heaven of the Void God realm.

Across the expanse of the yellow river, there were thousands of these Demon Flowers, each one tightly binding the life force of nearly ten thousand elite martial artists from various species.

For these warriors trapped within the Demon Flowers, their very flesh was being drained of life energy with every passing second. Their faces were withered, their bodies desiccated, emaciated to the point of resembling mere poles. It was as if a skeleton were draped in a thin layer of skin—a sight too horrific to bear. Their sunken eye sockets were filled only with despair and agony, their expressions vacant and stunned.

The flower buds of the Demon Flowers enveloped them, ceaselessly drawing out and purifying their vitality. This essence rose as faint wisps of milky-white mist, gathering into the clouds beneath the Divine Lord, where he greedily absorbed the life essence.

At the river's edge, several elders of the God Race Council stood with expressions of deep reverence, quietly issuing instructions to the clansmen positioned further out.

At this time, the vicinity of Sky God Peak was host to dozens of the God Race’s Sky God Warships. Numerous crystalline, prism-shaped chariots zipped back and forth, transporting yet more powerful experts from distant star systems to the interior of Sky God Peak, all dedicated to replenishing the Divine Lord’s spiritual and mental power.

Nearly every month, hundreds of experts who had attained the Void God realm were transferred in through the God Race’s Seven Great Sea Domains.

For ten thousand years, the God Race’s march of conquest had never ceased. Deep within many intermediate and high-level star domains lay the God Race’s Sites of Fallen Gods, where powerful experts from subjugated races who refused to comply were imprisoned.

Now, under the orders of the Council, all these individuals had been brought here, solely for the cultivation of the Divine Lord.

Deep within the mountain, the Divine Lord kept his eyes tightly shut, merging with the cosmos—his soul and consciousness established a profound resonance with the planet. His every breath caused the vast expanse of the Ancient God Continent to tremble subtly, its very pulse aligning miraculously with his own.

The surrounding elders of the Council looked upon the Divine Lord with undisguised awe.

In their eyes, the Divine Lord had now effectively become the heart of the Ancient Continent; this seamless fusion with the land surpassed anything the original Hegg could ever achieve.

Each day, they could perceive the steady climb of the Divine Lord’s power. The Great Elder, Feng Jue, felt this most acutely; his cultivation stood a notch above Xing Huo’s, marking him as a true Immortal being.

Yet, when he attempted to probe the Divine Lord’s connection with the pulse of heaven and earth, using his Immortal-level awareness, his spirit would be violently shaken, struck by a fear akin to facing the supreme might of the sea of stars. This colossal disparity in rank was not something that mere amounts of strength could bridge.

The slightest notion of disloyalty that Feng Jue had previously harbored was now utterly annihilated, the memory itself burned away by his arcane power, leaving no trace in his mind.

—He dreaded the thought of the Divine Lord sensing it.

“Great Elder, have those Four Heavenly Kings… perhaps perished in the void between worlds? You sent summons on behalf of the Divine Lord, yet not a single one has returned; could there truly have been an accident?” a newly ascended elder, who was at the third heaven of the Prime God realm, murmured from a remote corner of the cavern, his brow deeply furrowed in confusion.

He had not lived through that ancient era, only hearing legends of the Four Heavenly Kings’ might, yet he had never laid eyes upon them. Over the years, many elders on the Council had harbored doubts about whether the Four Heavenly Kings still existed after such an immense span of time.

Several others, sharing his bewilderment, looked to Feng Jue with expressions soliciting confirmation.

Feng Jue narrowed his eyes, glancing toward Xing Huo before retorting, “Xing Huo hasn’t returned for thousands of years either, yet he lives perfectly well, doesn't he? If even Xing Huo, who hasn't reached the Immortal realm, can survive for millennia, do you truly believe the Immortality of the Four Heavenly Kings is a sham?”

Xing Huo, seated in a corner, let out a cold scoff, glaring at the questioner. “When the Four Heavenly Kings dominated the heavens and earth, I was only at the first heaven of the Prime God realm. Back then, they had already reached the first heaven of the Immortal realm. After ten thousand years, unless they tired of existence and committed suicide, who could possibly slay them?”

The doubters fell silent upon hearing Xing Huo’s assertion.

“The Divine Lord… his current power doesn’t seem as formidable as the rumors suggest, Elder Feng Jue, you…” another person whispered softly.

Feng Jue’s face contorted in fear and deep unease. He dared not look toward the Divine Lord’s direction, merely roaring, “Silence!”

For some unknown reason, a violent tremor of alarm shot through Feng Jue’s mind. As an Immortal of the first heaven, he possessed a miraculous perception of soul fluctuations and vital energy—a sensitivity only dimly accessible to those at the Immortal level, profoundly mysterious.

This unsettling sensation had never surfaced in the past ten thousand years, almost causing Feng Jue to question its reality.

However, in an instant, he knew the source of the feeling. He stared in horror toward a cave entrance, watching a burly man stride in with an air of casual ease. The man’s body trembled involuntarily.

The large man was covered in a thick, full beard, his features rugged and resolute, carved like marble with sharp angles. In one hand, he gripped a massive, fiery-red wine gourd, upon which suns, moons, and stars flickered. He advanced with heavy strides, his eyes cloudy, as if still deeply immersed in strong drink and not yet fully sober.

The man wore coarse homespun cloth—a stark contrast to the opulent attire of the God Race members present. The edges of his garment were untrimmed, and his elbows and knees bore noticeable tears, giving him an air of unkempt slovenliness.

Even as he walked, he took deep draughts from his gourd, humming a tune laced with the thickest rustic flavor—a melody crude, vulgar, and coarse, overflowing with obscenities, creating a drastic contrast with the self-proclaimed noble and elegant high-caste God Race members.

Inside the mountain, the newly promoted God Race elders were draped in the height of luxury, sporting numerous exquisite rings on their hands, each one crammed with immeasurable wealth. They had enjoyed ten millennia of prestige, venerated by the Twelve Great Families of the God Race, truly figures at the apex of universal power and riches.

They looked upon the approaching large man with expressions of shock, a strange sense of disorientation washing over them.

For the man’s appearance, clothing, and very aura were utterly incongruous with their own; he resembled the lowly, coarse rabble from the lower-tier star systems subjugated by the God Race. Furthermore, they could detect not a single trace of powerful energy emanating from the man.

The elder who had just questioned the Divine Lord’s strength, his face hardening, snapped, “How did this wretch get in here?”

Had he noticed the expressions of dread and deference now fixed on the faces of Feng Jue, Xing Huo, and the other senior elders, he would never have uttered those words. For at this moment, Feng Jue and Xing Huo had already risen silently, their bodies slightly bowed in a posture ready for prostration.

“The new generation of elders disappoints me,” the large man stated upon entering, casting a fleeting glance at the speaker.

The hand not holding the wine gourd lifted remotely, and in his palm burst forth a blinding solar radiance, dazzling and pure, spewing forth a waterfall of scorching, world-purifying light that instantly enveloped the elder who had doubted the Divine Lord.

Within three breaths, that elder’s body fractured, exploded, and dissipated into fine ash; even his soul altar was purified, leaving behind not a single trace.

Without sparing a second look, the man took another swig of potent liquor, spat a mouthful of foul saliva onto the floor, and barked at Feng Jue and Xing Huo, “If the newly absorbed elders possess only this level of aptitude, it would be better to feed them to the Master as life elixirs for restoring his divine power, rather than letting them disgrace our clan.”

The surrounding new elders instantly froze, rigid where they stood, daring not to move, their eyes wide with utter terror.

Feng Jue, Xing Huo, and the assembled veteran elders stood respectfully, nodding with strained, bitter smiles, not daring to utter a single rebuttal.

The large man turned his gaze toward the Divine Lord floating in the milky-white clouds in the distance, dropped to one knee, and bowed deeply, “Guangming pays respects to the Master.”

The Divine Lord cracked open a sliver of his tightly shut eyes, fixed his gaze upon the large man, and nodded indifferently, “Where are Xiaoyao, Zizai, and Shenwu?”

“They are all en route back. I was closest to the ancestral star, so I returned first to meet the Master,” Guangming the Heavenly King replied, head lowered.

“My strength is not yet fully restored, so I cannot command across star systems for them. You will instruct Zizai not to return immediately; have him go first to the Nether Sovereign Clan to ascertain Adele’s decisions regarding the clan. Tell Xiaoyao to confirm the choices made by the Thousand Illusions Sect, the Shattered Hall, and the Heavenly Water Palace. Send Shenwu to the Giant Wave Merchant Guild to seek out their President; we require intelligence from the Giant Wave Guild regarding the movements of the Bloodthirsty lineage, the Celestial Demons, and the Undying Demon Race,” the Divine Lord commanded.

Guangming the Heavenly King nodded his assent.

Suddenly, the souls of the three Heavenly Kings—Guangming, Zizai, and Xiaoyao—shot out like three comets, instantly vanishing into the heavens and earth in a flash of light.

Guangming’s divine body trembled three times, and a brilliant light curtain materialized above his head, vast enough to encompass the firmament, brimming with endless mysteries.

Seconds later, the three streaks of light returned, settling back into the nape of Guangming’s neck and vanishing into his body. He held his posture motionless and replied respectfully, “Zizai, Xiaoyao, and Shenwu have changed course. They asked me to convey their greetings to the Master, wishing congratulations upon the Master’s awakening and return to the world.”

The Divine Lord nodded slightly.

Guangming the Heavenly King paused in thought before reporting, “Master, I have located the Bloodthirsty skull. I request your verification.”

A blinding sphere of fierce light, the size of a millstone, enveloped an object that rolled toward the Divine Lord like a small planet.

The God Race elders, upon hearing Guangming’s announcement, erupted in collective shock, staring at the approaching ball of light with rapt, ecstatic gazes. They had spent ten millennia searching and managed to locate only a few fragments of the Bloodthirsty remains. Now, Guangming had returned bearing the Bloodthirsty skull, filling them with intense excitement.

The Bloodthirsty remains held two of the most crucial components: the heart and the skull. These were the most vital parts of the Bloodthirsty divine body, treasures that could drive any supreme expert to madness.

The Divine Lord, seated in the clouds, shifted his gaze, looking toward Feng Jue.

Feng Jue shuddered, then bowed with profound respect. “These are the five segments of the Bloodthirsty bones preserved by our clan; please inspect them, Master.”

Five jade boxes, refined with Heavenly Fragrance Calming Jade, flew out from Feng Jue’s sleeve, drifting toward the Divine Race’s section, poised before the Divine Lord alongside the dazzling beam of light, awaiting his slow contemplation and analysis to decipher their secrets.

“Give Xiaoyao a message: instruct him to demand the Bloodthirsty remains from the Thousand Illusions Sect, the Shattered Hall, and the Heavenly Water Palace. One bone segment can be exchanged for an entire star domain granted to those three factions; consider it advance compensation for fighting alongside us,” the Divine Lord instructed Guangming the Heavenly King, his eyes complex as he regarded the remains of his ancient foe.

Guangming the Heavenly King bowed his assent.

“Continue transporting the life elixirs to me. I must recover as quickly as possible,” the Divine Lord commanded sharply.

Feng Jue and Xing Huo nodded repeatedly.

... (To be continued) Book Website www.RT