At the crystalline wall of the star domain, clusters of lightning gathered, emitting a continuous, crackling zizz sound.

The massive skeleton of the Primordial Thunder Dragon, shimmering with a silvery-white luster, rested beside the crystal wall, resembling a towering, crystal-like mountain, solemn and vast.

Shi Yan sat cross-legged at the dragon's head, his expression grave, his soul-thoughts churning restlessly. He circulated the profound meaning of life, attempting to lure the Thunder Dragon's fragmented soul to coalesce within the skull.

However, no matter what profound laws he employed or how he manipulated the profound meaning of life, he remained utterly incapable of moving the Thunder Dragon's dispersed soul.

Using the profound meaning of life as his core and his own immortal demon blood as the lure, he tried to draw the soul closer. Yet, the moment his soul-thought brushed against the Thunder Dragon's fragmented soul, the sacrificial altar shook violently, as if threatening to explode.

The Primordial Thunder Dragon's fragmented soul possessed an innate resistance. Although its consciousness had not fully reformed and its power could not be utilized to its full extent, it remained overwhelmingly potent—far beyond anything he could casually test.

When the profound meaning of life failed, he shifted to cleaving space itself, using the galaxy as a bridge to refine the fragmented soul.

The result was the same: failure.

After countless attempts, he discovered that all methods proved ineffective. The resurrection of this Primordial Thunder Dragon had become an unsolvable enigma, leaving him deeply troubled.

"You intend to resurrect this monstrous beast?" Ouyang Luoshuang interjected coldly.

She had followed silently, observing without uttering a single word until Shi Yan, after repeated failures, displayed clear dejection and helplessness. Only then did she speak, "Perhaps your direction is wrong."

"Direction is wrong?" Shi Yan frowned, glanced back at her, and said heavily, "What profound insight do you possess?"

"I have wandered the Star Sea alone for many years and have heard much about the secrets of the Four Great Races. This beast… it is clearly the Primordial Demon Ancestor of the Heavenly Demon Race. His demon body and demon soul have been separated for many years. Conventional resurrection methods won't work; you must try something else, perhaps... Origin Power?" she articulated calmly, analyzing the mystery for Shi Yan.

"It seems you know a great deal," Shi Yan felt a stir within him.

"My master… told me many things. Since you have merged with the Origin of the Divine Grace Continent, you should attempt to achieve this using that Origin," she said with detached composure. "The Heavenly Demon Race originated on our ancestral star; they must share a subtle link with the Origin. If your main soul is helpless, perhaps your auxiliary soul can achieve the goal."

"That makes sense."

Shi Yan nodded slightly, then closed his eyes, entering a state of deep meditation like an old monk.

Ouyang Luoshuang's reminder truly gave him a new path to consider. While his main soul remained fixed in place, a wisp of his soul-thought pierced through the vast star domain, heading straight for the Divine Grace Star.

Deep within the core of the Divine Grace Star, inside that wondrous, radiant crystal structure, a ball of five-colored flame quietly flew out.

The flame instantly morphed into a spectral shadow of Shi Yan's true body, flickered twice, and vanished.

In a valley within the Heavenly Demon Mountain Range.

The Azure Dragon Sacred Beast slumbered atop a peak riddled with hundreds of deep stone caves. At this moment, dense celestial energy flowed from these caves. The pure spiritual energy of the nearby sea was sucked in and exhaled by the Sacred Beast within the mountain's belly, refining its demon body, skeleton, and viscera, thereby augmenting its strength.

At the mouth of one cave, Gui Liao squatted in his true form. Tremendous internal agitation wracked his body; the blood within him boiled like hot water—a bizarre phenomenon.

Shi Yan's phantom suddenly materialized in the valley.

Suddenly, the cave absorbing spiritual energy halted its operations, and Gui Liao, deep in his cultivation, jolted violently.

The next moment, Gui Liao transformed into human form—a cold, severe young man. He walked toward Shi Yan, his eyes glowing with an uncanny light. He gazed deeply at Shi Yan's phantom, bowed his head slightly, and murmured, "Shi Yan."

Shi Yan looked at him, his brow furrowing involuntarily. "What will our relationship be from now on?"

The first moment he saw Gui Liao, he sensed that the latter's current realm and power level were extraordinary. This phantom, woven from the flame of the Origin, possessed a profound and mystical comprehension of every blade of grass and tree in this land.

He clearly perceived that Gui Liao had likely reached the intermediate stage of the thirteenth level of the Demon Race, equivalent to the second heaven of the Primordial God realm of his main body.

Without him realizing it, Gui Liao had ascended to an astonishing height of power. Recalling their conversation in the Sea of Blood Nether of the Sacred Land, his heart stirred.

Gui Liao was a hybrid of the Heavenly Demon Race, the Nether Emperor Race, and the Immortal Demon Race—a unique existence currently closest to the Blood Thirst in terms of physical bloodline within the Star Sea.

In previous encounters, Gui Liao had addressed him as 'Master.' This time, however, he used his given name. Shi Yan intended to clarify the implication behind this shift.

Gui Liao, now appearing as a stern young man, bore about sixty percent resemblance to Shi Yan. Gui Liao's eyes were deep and shadowed; he remained silent for a long moment before stating, "The Sacred Ancestor promised that I shall become the future leader of the Heavenly Demon Race. This status cannot be defiled; I can no longer serve as a slave or servant."

Shi Yan's eyes flashed as he glanced aside. There, the Azure Dragon Sacred Beast had also coalesced into human form, its face grim. "The blood flowing in Gui Liao's body is the most wondrous and profound blood in this world. He will replace Cang Yun and take charge of the Heavenly Demon Race's authority from now on, becoming the new clan chief. He is no longer your mount, Shi Yan!"

"I never considered him a mount," Shi Yan's expression became earnest. He turned squarely to Gui Liao, "I have always regarded you as a partner! Always!"

A strange light flickered in Gui Liao's eyes. He bowed slightly, head lowered, "Though we are no longer master and servant, we are the firmest of comrades. As you said, we will be partners, we were, and we will remain so."

He turned his head to the Azure Dragon Sacred Beast and stated coldly, "You cannot interfere with my decision either!"

The Azure Dragon Sacred Beast froze, then offered a wry, bitter smile and shook his head, sighing inwardly.

He hadn't anticipated that after striving for so long, Gui Liao's loyalty to Shi Yan remained so absolute. The imprint implanted deep within his soul and marrow years ago could not be erased so quickly.

The Azure Dragon paused for a few seconds, then smiled gently. "He is the Integrator of the Ancestral Land Origin. Our Heavenly Demon Race's future has no conflict with him; conversely, his strength will benefit the entire race. Therefore, you and he will naturally be partners. Unless he perishes in the Void, this relationship is certain to remain unchanged. This is the arrangement of fate."

Shi Yan looked at Gui Liao and suddenly smiled. He then turned to the Azure Dragon and said, "I am here on official business. In the Thunder Raging Star Domain, I found the skeleton and fragmented soul of the Primordial Thunder Dragon. Someone wished me to resurrect him, and I have been attempting to do so, yet I cannot grasp the crucial point. As the Sacred Ancestor of the Heavenly Demon Race, do you know the profound secret to resurrecting the Primordial Thunder Dragon? My main body is growing impatient. If you have a method, tell me immediately."

The Primordial Thunder Dragon was the progenitor of the Heavenly Demon Race, an immortal existence. The Azure Dragon and other Heavenly Demon ancestors had expended countless efforts searching for him; naturally, they would assist him in resurrecting the Thunder Dragon.

Indeed, upon hearing this, the Azure Dragon became ecstatic. "You actually managed to find him! You actually found him!"

"How do I resurrect him?" Shi Yan cut off the Azure Dragon’s excited cries.

"Resurrect him with the Origin!" the Azure Dragon declared the profound secret decisively, his voice trembling with excitement. "He, like me, was born on the ancestral star and had his flame of life ignited by the Origin. Since you have fused with the ancestral star's Origin and understand the profound meaning of life, you only need to reignite his soul flame. His fragmented soul will naturally reassemble, and you need not concern yourself with the rest; he will awaken on his own!"

"How do I ignite the soul flame?" Shi Yan was taken aback.

"I never fused with the Ancient Continent's Origin, so how would I know? This concept of igniting the soul flame comes from those two fellows. Since you integrated the Origin, you must possess fragments of their memories. Figure it out yourself. On this point, I truly cannot offer much direction, as I do not understand the mysteries of the Origin," the Azure Dragon admitted helplessly.

"Ignite the soul flame, ignite the soul flame…"

Shi Yan muttered softly, frowning in deep thought. After a moment, he nodded to the Azure Dragon and Gui Liao. "This soul manifestation will temporarily depart this place. If this continent is invaded while I am away, it will be difficult for me to watch over it. I entrust it to your care and attention."

"That is only natural," the Azure Dragon replied proudly.

Shi Yan said no more. This phantom gradually faded, slowly disappearing.

Simultaneously, his main body, far away in the Thunder Raging Star Domain, suddenly opened his eyes and murmured softly, "Ignite the soul flame…"

He looked at the Thunder Dragon's fragmented soul. Deep within his pupils, a blurry shadow gradually became distinct, settling above his altar, level with his main soul.

Clusters of Heavenly Fire flew from the corners of his eyes within that auxiliary soul, transforming into streaks of light. They suddenly shot toward the Primordial Thunder Dragon's fragmented soul near the crystal wall. One cluster of Heavenly Fire sought out one cluster of the fragmented soul, releasing its unique Heavenly Fire essence with meticulous precision.

Currently, his Origin Heavenly Fire, after several fusions, remained only four types: the World-Extinguishing Thunder Flame; the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Blaze; the merged fire of the Profound Ice Cold Flame; the Purgatory True Fire; the merged fire of the Vermilion Bird True Fire and the Ten Thousand Year Earth Core Fire; and finally, the merged fire of the Primordial Demon Fire, Yin Spirit Ghost Fire, and Pijue Corpse Fire. The last was the Chaos Sacred Fire, which had not been fused with anything else!

The first three merged fires transformed into clusters of fiery clouds, writhing around the Primordial Thunder Dragon's fragmented soul, attempting to connect the separated essences.

But clearly, this was not the right path.

Only the last one, the Chaos Sacred Fire, transformed into a single small flame. The instant it touched the Primordial Thunder Dragon's fragmented soul, that soul fragment violently trembled…

"Chaos Sacred Fire: the flame naturally formed at the beginning of heaven and earth. Like the powerful life forms of the Primordial Era, it can cultivate itself, create life, and even resurrect the dead by reigniting their flame of life. It ranks first."

He suddenly recalled the definition of the Chaos Sacred Fire!

The Chaos Sacred Fire can resurrect the dead and reignite their flame of life!

He had suddenly found his direction!

With a thought, the other three merged fires were swiftly retracted to the altar. His soul power suddenly permeated and surged out, entirely channeled into the Chaos Sacred Fire. The Origin within his auxiliary soul spread within the Chaos Sacred Fire like seawater, causing the flame to quietly expand, rapidly enveloping the clusters of the Primordial Thunder Dragon's fragmented soul—zizz zizz zizz!

The dispersed soul fragments of the Primordial Thunder Dragon suddenly emitted unusual sounds. Those wisps of remnant soul, separated for years, seemed to spring back to life, revitalized under the nourishment of the Chaos Sacred Fire, as if brimming with new vitality.

Streaks of light appeared where the fragmented souls resided—these were the flames of life!

Simultaneously, immense vital energy burst forth from within the Primordial Thunder Dragon's skeleton. Streaks of lightning shot out, enveloping the bones. Then, it was visible how the surrounding celestial energy of the Thunder Raging Star Domain surged ceaselessly inward. The Primordial Thunder Dragon's skeleton began to sprout flesh and blood upon the bones.

The Primordial Thunder Dragon, its soul flame reignited, was instinctively undergoing self-resurrection!