Shi Yan and Xiao Yao departed in succession, and Illusion Star gradually returned to calm, yet Ling Xiang, Xi Ze, and Luo Lin all wore grim expressions.

Xiao Yao’s sudden arrival had completely shattered their carefully laid plans, forcing them to hand over the Bloodthirsty Remains to Shi Yan prematurely. They hadn't even managed to finalize the details of the alliance between Shang Que and the Bloodthirsty lineage; it was all rushed through.

Ling Xiang, Xi Ze, and Luo Lin were all at the first heaven of the Immortal Realm. Having reached this stage, ambition flared in all of them—a desire to dominate the heavens and earth. However, Xiao Yao's appearance today was like a thunderclap, shaking their very foundations and unsettling their minds.

"Xiao Yao has reached the second heaven of the Immortal Realm. That means the other three Heavenly Kings of the God Race must also have advanced to this stage, not to mention the God Lord... This truly cannot be underestimated," Luo Lin sighed.

"I didn't expect him to arrive so suddenly, but looking at it now, the outcome isn't bad. Though there were deviations from our projection, it wasn't far off," Ling Xiang mused. "We must transmit this news immediately to the Vast Ocean Merchant Guild. If Shi Yan meets disaster in the Thousand Illusions Star Field, we will all have a hard time explaining ourselves."

"That brat is ruthless, turning against us so callously. Using that woman as a bargaining chip—he really has the nerve," Xi Ze remarked with approval.

"I don't think he'll die that easily," Luo Lin nodded in agreement.

"In the coming conflict with the God Race, we... absolutely cannot be at the forefront. The God Race is too formidable," Ling Xiang murmured softly.

Xi Ze and Luo Lin silently concurred, deeply agreeing. Xiao Yao’s arrival today made them realize that the God Race’s millennium of supremacy was no trivial matter.

The outer edge of Illusion Star.

Shi Yan clutched Ouyang Luoshuang, streaking away like a ray of starlight.

His expression was grave, his eyes blazing with divine light as he constantly scanned their surroundings, daring not to relax for a single moment.

The pressure, like a shadow, was ever-present. Though he couldn't see Xiao Yao, he knew the elder was near, trailing him.

He had already burst out of Illusion Star, but the surrounding space remained sealed. He couldn't pry open even the tiniest seam to instantly retreat into the Divine Grace Continent.

The layers of space were clenched as if by a giant hand. Unless that hand loosened its grip, he couldn't pierce through.

That heavy pressure surged over him in waves, making even his swift flight within the Illusion Realm incredibly arduous. Every second, every moment, he was draining his divine power. A normal journey now required several times the strength due to Xiao Yao's pressure.

Only by truly engaging with an existence at this level did he grasp the meaning of powerlessness. His Star Profundity, Space Profundity, and Life-and-Death Profundity seemed suddenly neutralized due to the fundamental disparity in their realms. None of his techniques achieved their expected effect. If he hadn't been holding Ouyang Luoshuang hostage, Xiao Yao would likely have killed him already.

He finally recognized a helpless truth: compared to those ancient, millennia-old overlords, his realm was still too low.

He profoundly felt that his current cultivation at the Prime God Realm was wholly inadequate for handling the future situation.

He needed to break through as quickly as possible, rapidly advance to a new plane of existence—ideally, stepping into the Immortal Realm!

He discovered a vast, heaven-and-earth difference between the Immortal Realm and the Prime God Realm. The true might and methods of an Immortal expert were far beyond those of a quasi-Immortal at the peak of the Prime God stage.

"Where are you taking me?" Ouyang Luoshuang’s bleeding from her abdomen had stopped. Her divine body’s power was suppressed, but she could speak. "How long do you plan to seal me?"

Shi Yan’s face turned cold, and he snapped, "Silence!"

With that, starlight flowed from his palm like a river, merging into Ouyang Luoshuang’s body, binding even her ability to speak.

After securing everything, he cautiously scanned his surroundings again, as if a pair of unseen eyes were perpetually fixed upon him from the shadows.

He knew Xiao Yao was close by, observing his every move. The moment he showed the slightest relaxation, utter annihilation might follow. If Xiao Yao were to guess from Ouyang Luoshuang's words that Shi Yan wouldn't truly kill her, his fate would be sealed—a tragic death at Xiao Yao's hands.

That was why he had to silence Ouyang Luoshuang.

Since his debut, he had never endured such hardship. The feeling of his life being held in another's grasp choked him, making him profoundly uncomfortable.

Because of Xiao Yao’s pressure, traveling through the Illusion Realm became extremely taxing; nearly every distance covered consumed a portion of his divine power.

He also had to maintain intense focus, carefully guarding against Xiao Yao's strike, maintaining the posture of being ready to kill Ouyang Luoshuang at any second, thus deterring Xiao Yao from reckless action.

This was torment.

Not far from him, Xiao Yao was indeed seated upon the Essence of the Moon, watching his prey silently, like an extremely patient hunter.

He continuously exerted his power, manipulating space itself, ensuring Shi Yan could not tear open a rift to return to the Divine Grace Continent. As long as Shi Yan remained within his sight, he could find an opportunity. The instant Shi Yan let down his guard, Xiao Yao could strike, rescue his disciple, and kill Shi Yan.

He waited for his chance, competing with Shi Yan in patience. He was confident that he, and he alone, would be the ultimate victor.

Xiao Yao, a paramount overlord of the Bloodthirsty Era, a terrifying existence at the zenith of power, possessed millennia of lifespan and had weathered countless vanities and trials. His comprehension of the Profound Arts had immersed him for countless years; his state of mind was honed to near perfection, almost without flaw.

In his eyes, Shi Yan, so young, daring to challenge him, was nothing more than a joke.

He subtly increased the pressure, making Shi Yan’s flight more difficult, draining his divine power and mental energy.

He smirked internally, waiting for Shi Yan to exhaust his strength, for his mental will to collapse, allowing for a single, decisive blow.

Shi Yan was also waiting.

He felt helpless. He understood Xiao Yao's intentions, but he had no alternative.

He had his own strategy: he believed that Xiao Yao's arrival would have been reported by Xi Ze and the others to Xuan He, Philetus, and Ming Hao. He trusted that Xuan He, Philetus, and Ming Hao would not simply watch him die, because Shi Yan now represented the new Sovereign of the Bloodthirsty lineage, carrying its banner. Furthermore, the Blood-Patterned Ring was currently on his hand.

He had to push forward, knowing Xiao Yao was draining him. When he could endure no more, he would have to exert his utmost.

Because he needed time—time for Xuan He and Philetus to arrive. He believed that by dragging things out to a certain point, a turning point would inevitably appear.

He held this belief unshakably.

He continued to expend divine power, pressing onward through the Illusion Realm. Thus began a long process of attrition: one fleeing, the other shadowing silently.

In a contest of attrition, Shi Yan was naturally no match for Xiao Yao, and soon began to falter, his divine power threatening to deplete entirely.

Xiao Yao saw this as a glimmer of hope.

But at that moment, Shi Yan began to activate new reserves: the essence of his flesh and blood, the negative energies within his acupoints, the power of the stars, and other hidden energies began to gradually replace his divine power, fueling his onward movement.

Under Xiao Yao's relentless pressure, Shi Yan completely unleashed himself. Faced with the threat of death, as he burned through his reserves, his spirit and will were tempered. His comprehension of the World's Profound Arts and the refining of his soul were undergoing an elevation in an ineffable manner, subtly improving him.

"The sublimation of the Life Magnetic Field. The boy’s talent is extraordinary; he truly is the successor of that person."

From the shadows, Xiao Yao’s expression shifted slightly, and he murmured, a trace of astonishment flashing in his eyes.

The Life Magnetic Field is the core of the Soul Imprint, the key factor distinguishing superior intelligent races from lower ones. For example, the Life Magnetic Field levels of the Four Great Races are one tier higher than those of ordinary races, granting them an advantage closer to perfection.

The Life Magnetic Field can undergo sublimation and evolve alongside the Soul Imprint, reaching new heights for a living being. However, this evolutionary sublimation of the Life Magnetic Field is not something everyone can touch upon. Only those who have merged with a Source Continent possess the possibility of evolving it, and even then, it requires sufficient talent and fortune—it is profoundly mysterious.

Xiao Yao, serving under the God Lord, knew the subtleties of Life Magnetic Field sublimation because the God Lord had experienced it, describing it as an ethereal comprehension, far more significant than breakthroughs in Realm Profundities.

Most importantly, the sublimation and evolution of the Life Magnetic Field often occur without the subject’s conscious knowledge. They do not lose awareness; they remain completely lucid—in fact, far more so than during the muddled, dreamlike state of realm comprehension.

For this reason, Xiao Yao dared not act rashly, continuing only to observe secretly, filled with surprise.

Shi Yan was unaware of the Life Magnetic Field's sublime evolution. Under Xiao Yao’s pressure, he felt his soul clearing. The three Profundities—Space, Life-and-Death, and Star—flickered in alternation within his Soul Altar. Many obscure and difficult areas suddenly seemed to connect, as if a door had opened.

It was as if a dull-witted person had suddenly become intelligent after drinking a divine elixir that opened his mind.

This was a transformation of the soul, akin to low-intelligence demonic beasts achieving a certain level and suddenly gaining clarity of mind.

He vaguely sensed that this miraculous change reshaping his entire Soul Altar originated from the source he had merged with—from the profound integration of the Primeval Fruit and the Divine Grace Continent...

This was not realm comprehension; it was the metamorphosis of the Soul Imprint. He was still under Xiao Yao’s pressure, yet the fear and anxiety in his heart seemed to have lifted. He continued to speed forward while firmly holding Ouyang Luoshuang, instinctively knowing how to maintain the facade of vigilance, making Xiao Yao believe he was constantly wary. It was like a wild beast surviving for countless years in the forest, developing instincts to anticipate danger and defend in the most perfect state possible when facing a crisis.

In this state, he actually managed to exit the Illusion Realm and arrive in the stellar expanse of the Thousand Illusions Star Field.

The instant he broke free from the Illusion Realm, a sudden realization struck him, as if he had escaped to the heavens, and a turning point was imminent.

The turning point indeed arrived.

A faint ray of light flashed before him. The light instantly expanded, like a mouth, swallowing him whole. Then, the light contracted rapidly, vanishing mysteriously before Xiao Yao could arrive.

When Xiao Yao appeared, Shi Yan was gone without a trace, his aura completely erased, as if he had ceased to exist in the world.

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