Deep within the Blood Sea of the Sacred Land. On a corner of the Isle of Deathly Bones, Xuan He stood with a grave expression. Surrounding him were countless Astrolabes, refined into orbs that resembled living stars, like galaxies, forming a dense net that enveloped the area—a miniature cosmos billions of times scaled down.

Each Astrolabe shimmered with a brilliant luster, faint, minute lines subtly connecting them. Not far off, Phillett also frowned, his vicinity similarly strewn with Astrolabes. If viewed from above, the light radiating from these devices would appear as dazzling as a sea of stars; the two men seemed to be situated within the vast, boundless ocean of the cosmos.

Both were in the Second Heaven of Immortality, holding the titles of the Death and Corpse Force Leaders, respectively. At this moment, their vital energy, spirit, and essence were intertwined with the Astrolabes, as if they were divining cosmic transformations, using their thoughts to operate the star sea and oversee the intense battles raging across every sector of the current stellar expanse.

After an immeasurable period, Phillett nervously tugged at his hair, his brow deeply furrowed. “Judging by the current situation, securing victory will not be easy.” Through those Astrolabes, he could roughly discern the state of conflict across the twelve star domains. The situation was undeniably unfavorable for the Bloodthirsty lineage.

The God Clan, through millennia of accumulation, held a substantial lead over the other races in terms of equipment, elixirs, experience, and battle formation refinement. It could be stated plainly: facing the current God Clan, any single faction would find victory nearly impossible. The Underworld Emperor Clan, Celestial Demon Clan, and Undying Demon Clan, though the other three major races, were comprehensively lagging behind the God Clan at this juncture.

From Phillett’s perspective, if the battle remained unchanged, they were set to suffer losses in all twelve major star domains, allowing the God Clan to steadily gain the upper hand and crush them one by one. “Do not fret. Ming Hao has been maneuvering in secret for years; the power currently revealed is not all he possesses,” Xuan He remained calm and composed, offering a faint smile. “If Ming Hao were not confident, he would never have agreed to conflict with the God Clan. We simply need to fulfill our part; he will only bring us surprises.”

Although Xuan He had always viewed Ming Hao as an adversary, he understood the terrifying nature of Ming Hao. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have suffered for ten thousand years, unable to retaliate against him. A recent encounter with Ming Hao, and a conversation they shared, had finally resolved an old grievance for Xuan He. While he still felt displeasure toward Ming Hao, it was no longer the fervent obsession it once was. When viewed objectively, Xuan He knew the role Ming Hao could play in this battle would inevitably surpass his own.

Because of the Soul Command Esoterica, in secretly altering the stellar situation by commanding soul servants, Ming Hao held a natural advantage, one that his Death Esoterica could not compare to. He also knew that ten thousand years ago, during the era before the demise of the Bloodthirsty, Ming Hao was already in command of numerous factions. Through ten millennia of covert operations, the power held by Ming Hao had undoubtedly grown immense. The God Clan had spent these past ten thousand years diligently trying to uncover Ming Hao's true identity to crush his influence.

However, in the end, even the twelve factions of the God Clan combined with the Elder Council failed to ascertain Ming Hao’s genuine movements or hiding places. Ming Hao had remained alive and well, subtly shifting the stellar situation through his influence, instigating conflicts between the God Clan and many star domains. Many claimed that the several severe blows the God Clan suffered over these ten millennia, which prevented them from successfully seizing several crucial star domains, were due to Ming Hao's interference. Because of his existence, the God Clan’s advance had always been restrained, as if tethered by a single rope, unable to stride forward boldly.

As Xuan He and Phillett conversed, they both suddenly narrowed their eyes. In their gazes erupted a brilliant light of utter disbelief. The terrifying activity within the God Body triggered tidal waves in the Blood Sea and caused the vortex above their heads to spin rapidly. “Do you feel it?” Xuan He demanded low. Phillett nodded heavily, his face etched with shock. He gazed towards the boundless, misty zenith. “His aura... this is impossible. He clearly perished back then; how can his aura still exist?” “Inconceivable,” Xuan He agreed, his demeanor extremely serious.

Just then, a strand of a severed soul descended from above. The soul shifted, transforming into a clone of Ming Hao. He looked at Xuan He and Phillett. “It seems you have also sensed it.” Xuan He and Phillett nodded with grim expressions. “He did indeed perish back then,” Ming Hao suddenly frowned. “However, I have never managed to locate his remains. His demise is shrouded in mystery. After ten thousand years of searching, I have still not fathomed the secret. Now, his aura appears in the Fire Rain Star Domain, yet it is distinctly different. I believe we must take this matter seriously.”

Pausing, Ming Hao chuckled strangely. “That brat is also in the Fire Rain Star Domain. To be precise, the sudden appearance of his aura is directly caused by that brat. That fellow is truly a scourge; wherever he is, major upheaval is sure to follow.” “Show us,” Phillett roared impatiently. Ming Hao smiled darkly. “As you wish.”

A wisp of his fragmented soul suddenly changed. A fluctuation split off from within the clone, and with a flicker of his form, Ming Hao, Xuan He, and Phillett abruptly left the Blood Sea of the Sacred Land, appearing on the desolate Ancient Demon Continent. The black hole hung beneath the continent, like a shadowy specter.

After reappearing, Ming Hao, Xuan He, and Phillett raised their hands and instantly condensed a Void Mirror. Within this mirror, the Fire Rain Star Domain was reflected, its scenes clearly manifested.

Before Ming Hao encountered the Bloodthirsty, he was a fellow disciple under Dicaro, specializing in Space Esoterica. He never abandoned his mastery of Space Esoterica. Across the vast stellar sea, the only one capable of rivaling Dicaro in Space Esoterica was Ming Hao himself!

Xuan He and Phillett focused on the Void Mirror, their faces instantly shifting. The scene they witnessed was identical to what the God Clan members were currently seeing...

Vedson charged in a frenzy, emitting terrifying, invisible corrosive poison. His 'Domain Field' spread wildly, engulfing a Life Star. That sixth-level Life Star was slowly dissolving. Under the gaze of the God Clan, amidst Shi Yan’s shock, and watched from afar by Xuan He, Phillett, and Ming Hao, the sixth-level Life Star was erased from the stellar sea.

Fortunately, there were no living beings on that Life Star; they had been evacuated long ago. However, the spirit beasts, insects, and vermin on it dissolved entirely. “The corrosive poison radiating from that person clearly belonged to Jia Duo back in the day, yet he possesses the God Clan’s Indestructible Body and has God Clan blood flowing within him, cultivating the obscure 'Magnetic Field' Esoterica. This person is quite perplexing.” Phillett stared deeply at Vedson, frowning in utter confusion. Xuan He remained silent for a long while before speaking, “That aura is indeed Jia Duo’s. Only when Jia Duo’s corrosive poison merges with his Corrosion Esoterica could it achieve the power to dissolve a Life Star. This person must have a profound connection with Jia Duo. He hasn't cultivated Corrosion Esoterica; the aura of that corrosive poison is imprinted upon his soul and bloodline—this is highly abnormal!” Ming Hao nodded. “It seems we must question him personally to understand clearly what transpired with him.” “He is only in the Second Heaven of Initial God, but now... the power level he displays has reached pseudo-Immortal status!” Xuan He frowned deeply and shook his head. “Something is wrong, profoundly wrong. There must be a subtlety here that we cannot perceive, because even Jia Duo’s bloodline alone shouldn't allow such rapid advancement! There must be something we are failing to grasp!” He looked at Ming Hao, musing for a moment, “Perhaps you should make a trip over yourself.” A strange light flashed in Ming Hao’s eyes. “If I go, our tacit agreement with the God Clan will be broken. A battle between Immortal-level entities in the Fire Rain Star Domain would lead to its outright destruction...”

As soon as these words were spoken, Xuan He and Phillett both frowned. This understanding was not just between the Bloodthirsty and the God Clan; this tacit agreement had existed much longer, like an unwritten law that all beings reaching the Immortal level adhered to.

Because if Immortal-level entities engaged in fierce combat or life-or-death struggles within a high-level star domain, it would inevitably lead to the domain's collapse. In the vast stellar sea, star domains were not infinite. Destroying one domain meant annihilating hundreds of millions of lives and the future upon which countless races depended. This constituted an act of unforgivable tyranny even toward one's own kin.

Star domains are the fundamental core of the universe; losing one means one less. Back when they sought to slay the Bloodthirsty, many star domains vanished entirely. Since then, virtually all beings who truly reached the Immortal level quietly abided by this covenant, choosing to enter domains already annihilated for any necessary, mortal combat.

That place was a strange land, containing no Life Stars, only crushed stellar fragments, countless remnants of meteorites, the decaying bones of the mighty, and chaotic residual cosmic energy—a realm of unimaginable terror... Countless star domains annihilated by supreme existences over eons eventually merged into this peculiar place, known as the ‘Sea of Nothingness’—the cruelest perilous ground in the cosmos. It was endless, boundless, seemingly without end, even more mysterious and strange than the Void Turbulence.

To this day, no one had explored its profound secrets. The origins of the Bloodthirsty, before Ming Hao provided a definitive conclusion, led many to speculate he originated from the depths of the ‘Sea of Nothingness.’ The mysterious power the Bloodthirsty wielded was also speculated by countless others to have stemmed from the ‘Sea of Nothingness...’ There, only those who reached the Immortal level could venture deep; it was the true battlefield for Immortal existences.

The Four Great Heavenly Kings—Light, Free and Unfettered, Divine Martial, and Self-Possessed—who disappeared for thousands of years, had all cultivated in the ‘Sea of Nothingness.’ Xing Huo also cultivated in the outer reaches of the ‘Sea of Nothingness’ for many years before breaking through to the pseudo-Immortal realm. Legend held that Ming Hao’s true body remained hidden within it. More profoundly, some suggested that the Ancient Continent of Desolation currently active across the star domains, along with the other four Ancient Continents, were intrinsically linked to the ‘Sea of Nothingness.’

“I cannot go. Doing so would trigger massive change, and the situation would become uncontrollable,” Ming Hao pondered for a moment before suddenly stating, “Since that brat is there, and this incident originated because of him, I imagine he has already perceived Jia Duo’s aura from that person. We shall observe the changes. I will transmit a soul thought to him, informing him of your doubts...” Xuan He and Phillett considered his proposal and reluctantly nodded.

Meanwhile, Shi Yan, traversing the void in the Fire Rain Star Domain, was not faring well. He was simultaneously being pursued by Vedson and constantly enduring the transformation within his Divine Body’s acupuncture points. Currently, the vortices within his points were spinning wildly, and his entire body was in excruciating pain; the agony of this power purification was a hundred times worse than before. He felt as if his Divine Body was about to undergo some sudden, bizarre mutation.