The fractured void, like a mirror shattered and then painstakingly reassembled, smoothed over, gradually returning to its natural state.

Shi Yan focused intensely, channeling years of comprehension regarding the profundities of space through a myriad of mystical techniques. These materialized as a pair of wondrous hands, capable of connecting spatial dimensions, slowly smoothing and aligning the ravaged expanse.

The space healed like a wound, the torrents of extra-dimensional matter that had poured forth being forcibly sealed back outside.

Streaks of divine sense, sharp as spatial blades, scoured the surrounding sea of stars, causing many fragments of that stellar expanse to shatter and be dragged into the chaotic, extra-dimensional currents.

Half an hour later, the colossal void rift—blasted open by the combined force of his strike and Starfire's—was completely repaired by him, averting the total collapse of the Fire Rain Star Domain.

He surveyed his surroundings, taking in the wrecks of the Divine Race warships, a faint smile touching his lips.

With a subtle shift of his mind, his acupoints acted like colossal whales drawing water, generating an immense suction force!

The boundless energy lingering from the slain Divine Race members—invisible to the naked eye—surged like countless small streams toward his acupoints, rapidly refilling them until a subtle, taut ache began to bloom.

The sensation of his entire being saturated with energy made him feel refreshed and invigorated; he couldn't help but grin and let out a low chuckle.

"Is something that amusing?"

Viederson’s voice sounded eerily close. From the perilous abyss domain far off, his savage physique shot forth, arriving beside Shi Yan almost instantly, his expression deeply displeased.

By now, the surviving members of the Divine Race were fleeing toward the edge of the domain sea, and even the warriors of the Hexagonal Star Land were rushing toward that boundary.

This location. Now, only Shi Yan remained. When Viederson arrived, his eyes blazed with fierce fire, yet he did not strike immediately.

He glared fiercely at Shi Yan, but suddenly, a wave of sorrow and helplessness washed over his features as he looked at the corpses floating in the stellar expanse. Viederson murmured low, "Did all these people die because of me...?"

Those from the Soton branch of the Breaker Family had long been unable to comprehend the exact manner in which Viederson slew his own kin once he descended into madness. Now they finally understood, but at an excruciatingly high cost.

Viederson himself did not know precisely what happened when he went berserk, but upon waking, he could grasp one truth—many had perished due to him.

This time, he saw it more clearly, as this bout of madness had lasted for an exceptionally long duration, so long that he had even managed a fleeting moment of lucidity.

In that single instant, he had comprehended so much...

Viederson was not inherently bloodthirsty. When he realized that his rampage had caused numerous subordinates who followed him to perish one by one, he found it difficult to accept.

Though the gazes they usually directed at him carried scorn and disdain, they were still members of his Sub-God Ship crew, people he had spent years with; he held some affection for them, however slight.

"No, most of those who died because of you were in the perilous abyss domain. That accounts for only about a quarter of the total casualties," Shi Yan replied, frowning slightly but speaking frankly. "The other quarter perished when Starfire and I clashed, causing the void to crack and generating chaotic spatial turbulence. Some of those people died instantly, while others were dragged into the spatial chaos and lost."

"It was you!" Viederson roared like a savage beast. "I know it was you! You invaded my soul-sea like a nightmare demon, constantly pouring in murderous frenzy and desires for slaughter, making me lose control, stirring up that evil power within me! It’s all because of you, because of you that my subordinates vanished!"

Viederson bellowed, a spark of malice spreading like a flame in his eyes, threatening to plunge him back into madness.

"Correct, everything started with me," Shi Yan did not deny it. He even smiled faintly. As he spoke, a thread of his divine sense shot out like lightning.

That sense suddenly darted towards the domain sea of the Fire Rain Star Domain, swiftly crossing layer upon layer of spatial barriers, seemingly traversing billions of miles in an instant.

A Blood Demon, peering intently from a battleship, was frantic, urging haste to cross into the domain sea.

In his view, the Fire Rain Star Domain was on the verge of annihilation, about to be wiped clean from the vast sea of stars. If he could not leave before the domain dissolved, both he and the reinforcements from the Maya Star Domain would be reduced to dust.

This was something he absolutely could not accept!

Suddenly, a familiar thread of divine sense swept past. He perceived Shi Yan's aura within it, and the Blood Demon's expression shifted; he immediately opened his mind for reception.

That divine sense cooperated, lodging itself in his soul-sea and transmitting a divine message.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, the Blood Demon burst into laughter. Ignoring the shock of those around him, he shouted loudly, "Stop! Everyone stop! Return to the Hexagonal Star Land, everyone return! This domain is stabilizing!"

At the same moment, Shi Yan, near the Hexagonal Star Land, wore a grave expression as he fixed his gaze on the restless Viederson, suddenly asking, "Do you believe I can kill you?"

Viederson, on the verge of plunging into violent frenzy, hardened his expression upon hearing this and roared back, "You cannot kill me!"

"Your corrosive power can eat away at space, it can corrode stars, even warp heaven and earth, but it cannot do anything to me, because I can directly devour that corrosive power! This profundity was inherited from Jado; Jado was one of the Eight Retainers, and what I inherited is the Lord of Bloodthirst!"

Shi Yan scoffed, "Don't assume that a mere fortunate encounter with Jado's inheritance allows you to shatter heaven and earth with brute force. You are only at the Second Heaven of the Initial God Realm. Even if you unleash your full strength, under the Devouring Profundity I inherited from the Lord of Bloodthirst, you will be helpless, because my profundity is your ultimate counter!"

At these words, Viederson’s expression flickered with confusion, his eyes wide with blankness. "Jado? Who is Jado? I don't know him at all; I don't know who he is! I don't know what you are talking about..."

Shi Yan frowned, looking deeply at him, his gaze sharp as a blade, as if trying to pierce Viederson's very core.

After a long pause, Shi Yan too grew perplexed, realizing Viederson wasn't lying. This man possessed Barbarian blood, and he wasn't one prone to intricate schemes. This left Shi Yan baffled. "You truly know nothing about the corrosive aura erupting from you originating from Jado, one of my Eight Retainers?"

"I know nothing," Viederson grunted. "And I don't wish to know!"

"Boom!"

A bizarre "Domain Field" condensed and erupted from Viederson’s fist. Within the field, a faint corrosive aura was present, yet it was significantly weaker than when he was frenzied.

The non-frenzied Viederson was merely an ordinary cultivator of the Second Heaven Initial God Realm. It seemed he could not fully release the evil within, thus hindering his ability to manifest Jado's corrosive power over heaven and earth.

This level of attack posed no threat whatsoever in Shi Yan's eyes. He frowned, let out a soft cry of "Imprison," and raised his hand to envelop the "Domain Field." Layers of spatial ripples surged from his palm, directly pinning the "Domain Field" down and rendering it immobile.

He opened his mouth and expelled a river of stars. The river fell toward the domain field, causing countless starlight motes to spray outward.

Viederson immediately perceived that the various powers he had poured into the domain field were rapidly being neutralized by the scattering starlight.

He had not used any negative energy from start to finish, fearful that a surge of negative emotion would once again ignite Viederson's madness. A mad Viederson was ten times more ferocious than normal, and even Shi Yan would find him a headache to manage. Hence, he carefully controlled his strength.

"You killed many members of the Breaker Family aboard the Sub-God Ship; Soton and Pago witnessed it all. To counter you, Soton even used the God-Shattering Leaf, which he was preparing to use to rip apart the Hexagonal Star Land barrier. Do you think you can return to the Breaker Family and still earn Soton's approval?"

Shi Yan's words struck Viederson's heart like ruthless, cold arrows, each syllable icy.

A sharp pain pierced Viederson’s heart, and his eyes filled with fear and unease. He wasn't afraid of Soton or Pago retaliating against him; he feared the Breaker Family destroying the stars of his Barbarian brethren one by one.

—This was precisely why, despite knowing the disdain the Breaker Family held for him, he had to remain loyal to Soton.

Because his Barbarian Star Domain was merely a vassal to the Breaker Family. A single command from Soton would result in his mother and all his relatives being slaughtered like cattle.

He was powerless to stop it. That was why he served Soton with desperate loyalty, hoping that in recognition of his service, Soton might spare the lives of his Barbarian brethren.

Now, hearing Shi Yan’s cruel statement of fact, his heart turned cold, and terror emanated from his soul. Even the thought of revenge against Shi Yan faded; all he desired was to rush back to the star domain of his birth, extract his family, and escape the Divine Race's siege.

Having served Soton for many years, he knew Soton's cruelty intimately. He was certain that once Soton was free, he would immediately issue orders to slaughter Viederson's homeland.

Viederson remained silent for a long time, glared fiercely at Shi Yan, and then bolted towards the domain sea.

He had to rush home, guard his homeland with his life, and find a path to survival for his kin!

A strange light flickered in Shi Yan's eyes. Watching Viederson flee in desperate haste, he said nothing more.

He was certain that Viederson would not catch up to the fleeing Soton and Pago. He was also sure that once Soton escaped back to the Ancient God Star Domain, he would instantly command the slaughter of Viederson's homeland. Soton would need to vent his rage over this crushing defeat.

Viederson had come to the Fire Rain Star Domain via Divine Race escort. If he wasn't a fool, returning home would require him to detour via the Giant Wave Star; he certainly wouldn't go through the Divine Race channels.

This detour would surely make him late.

By the time he returned to his homeland, it would surely be a desolate scene of devastation, slaughtered wantonly by the Divine Race members. He would witness despair, and perhaps, another outbreak of madness.

This was precisely what Shi Yan desired...

Viederson and Jado must have had a close connection before. Moreover, Shi Yan sensed another evil power emanating from Viederson—a power that seemed to carry the scent of bloodlust.

He possessed the Bloodthirsty Bone Remains, had studied them, and carefully sensed the aura emanating from those relics. It bore a distinct similarity to what he perceived in Viederson.

A figure like Viederson could become a potent evil weapon against the Divine Race. If wielded correctly, it could significantly aid the Bloodthirst lineage.

The prerequisite was to make Viederson hate the Divine Race, to direct his flames of vengeance back towards the Divine Race members.

He believed Soton would efficiently help him achieve this goal. All Shi Yan needed to do was provide suitable guidance, leading Viederson slowly into their camp.

...To be continued.. .RT