The Lord God's words hung in the air, leaving the Four Heavenly Kings stunned, their souls buffeted by an unseen tide, undergoing some ineffable baptism.

“Master, are you saying… the Star Domain our lineage has dominated for ten thousand years, the very cosmos we inhabit, is merely someone else’s Origin Realm? Just like our own Origin Realm?” Xiaoyao’s eyes were vacant, lost in thought. Having lived ten millennia, a profound sense of desolation suddenly gripped him.

Zizai, the God King, and Guangming were equally frozen in place.

The Four Heavenly Kings were beings whose status and power were on par with the Eight Great Leaders of the Bloodthirsty Clan. Across the vast Star Sea, each of them was a miracle, an eternal legend, an existence deemed indestructible.

Yet, in this moment, they were utterly shattered, shaken to their very core!

“Precisely,” the Lord God stated coldly. “The message Bloodthirsty left me—I pondered it for so many years, and only now have I truly grasped it. Bloodthirsty… deserved our respect. He had just surpassed the Immortal stage; given a little more time and opportunity, he could have broken through this Origin Realm, escaped the cage, and truly soared free across the heavens.”

He paused. “His ultimate destruction was not wrought by us, but by the true master of this universe, who used us as instruments to strike him down!”

The Four Heavenly Kings remained utterly bewildered.

The Lord God sighed softly and tapped his own head. “If not for my experience in the Desolate Ancient Continent ten thousand years ago, if I hadn't obtained that previous Origin Fruit, how could our race have risen? And how could I have led the strong to slay him?”

At these words, the Four Heavenly Kings were thunderstruck, crying out in unison, “You mean, the Desolate is…”

“It is the Lord of this cosmos. Though it suffers from severe injury and fragmentation, the Desolate is the primary consciousness. This universe was created by it. Our Divine Race and the other three major races were spawned by its four split souls. Within the Desolate lies the source of profound mysteries. All our profound truths are derived from it. It is the rule and reality of this universe, just as we can dictate cataclysm and destruction in our own Origin Realm with a mere thought. It rules over every living being in this universe! It rules over us! However, because its physical form was severed and split into five parts, its consciousness is currently hazy due to severe trauma. Otherwise, Bloodthirsty would not exist, nor would it need to borrow our hands to execute its will…”

Pausing again, the Lord God continued, “Every soul and life born in this universe bears its mark from the moment of birth. This is our tragedy, for we are bound by the rules here, bound by it, because it is the rule—just as we can cause the heavens to collapse and the earth to crack with a single thought within our Origin Realm.”

“Bloodthirsty’s tragedy is also due to being born in this universe, bearing its mark. Otherwise, with Bloodthirsty’s immense power, he would have been able to break free from the cage and soar into the truly boundless cosmos!” the Lord God lamented.

“Bloodthirsty’s Devouring Profundity, and those Eight Great Evil Powers—they never manifested before. Where did he obtain them?” Zizai inquired with confusion.

“The Desolate is a Primal Life Form, but not the only one. The Holy Land of the Bloodthirsty lineage—that Dark Abyss—is also a Primal Life Form. That Primal Life Form takes the form of a cosmic black hole; it is inherently capable of swallowing everything. Have you never noticed? Has that Dark Abyss never consumed the Star of Life?” the Lord God asked.

The Four Heavenly Kings were stunned again, then Guangming spoke, “Then was that not Bloodthirsty wielding the Devouring Profundity?”

“That Dark Abyss is another Primal Life Form. Bloodthirsty’s Devouring Profundity and the inheritance of those Eight Great Profound Truths were all gained from this Primal Life Form. But Bloodthirsty himself was forged from the vital essence blood of our Divine Race, the Undying Demon Race, the Celestial Demon Race, and the Nether Emperor Race. Bloodthirsty was likely originally created by the Desolate, but for some reason, he ended up inheriting profundities from the Dark Abyss. All of this remains a mystery that I have failed to unravel in ten thousand years,” the Lord God shook his head.

“Then what is the purpose of Master summoning us here now?” Xiaoyao asked.

“Aside from the Desolate and the Dark Abyss we already know of, another Primal Life Form has been awakened. This Primal Life Form has always been dispersed throughout the Void Turbulence. When I achieved the third level of the Immortal stage back then, I encountered this entity in the Void Turbulence, but I didn't know what it was. Not until Bloodthirsty perished and told me those words did I spend years pondering and finally understand a fraction of it,” the Lord God explained.

“Another Primal Life Form?” The Four Heavenly Kings gasped in terror.

“This entity is split across various corners of the Void Turbulence. It must have been severely damaged as well, perhaps remaining dormant for eons, unable to awaken. After countless years of slowly accumulating strength, it is gradually rousing its consciousness through its own means. It should have waited until it was fully recovered to awaken, which might have taken several hundred million more years—by then, this universe might be gone, and we might have long since vanished. But now, someone has provoked it and woken it up.”

A flicker crossed the Lord God’s eyes. “Our old acquaintances are currently gathered there, perhaps about to endure its wrath. What we must do is wait patiently for the opportunity. I have recovered for a long time, and now I possess only the strength of the second level of the Immortal stage. If I can slay this Primal Life Form and absorb its Primal Soul, I will not only regain my full power but even surpass the Immortal stage, gaining the true ability to tear through the cage and escape the rule-bound universe of the Desolate! Then, I will be one of the Primal Ones, and even if the Desolate recovers fully, I can truly contend with it!”

The expressions of the Four Heavenly Kings lifted, the divine blood within them igniting like flame, their will to fight surging limitlessly.

… Almost simultaneously. Deep beneath the grand and mysterious palace on the Giant Wave Star, Tian Xie, the President of the Giant Wave Merchant Guild, along with the four Immortal powerhouses—Xize, Lingxiang, and Luolin—were discussing urgent matters.

They were plotting how to pit the Divine Race and the Bloodthirsty lineage against each other in a death match, allowing them to dominate the Star Domain and seize control of the world’s grand enterprise.

Mid-conversation, Tian Xie suddenly began behaving strangely. His eyes shone with an aberrant luster, and writhing runes shifted with miraculous complexity.

Streams of dazzling divine light permeated from Tian Xie’s body, swirling around him like a rainbow, intensely brilliant.

Tian Xie, who had been speaking, suddenly wore an expression of vacant stupor, utterly motionless, as if he could no longer hear Xize, Lingxiang, and Luolin speaking.

“Tian Xie! Tian Xie!” The three couldn't help but call out softly, trying to rouse him to continue their important discussion.

Tian Xie remained completely unresponsive.

Few knew that the Profundity Tian Xie truly mastered was identical to Ziyao’s—it was cultivated by absorbing the divine light from beyond the domain.

In fact, the presidents of the Giant Wave Merchant Guild across generations—Tian Xie’s ancestors—might have cultivated different secondary Profound Truths, perhaps Fire Profundity or Ice Profundity. Indeed, many familiar with Tian Xie only believed he excelled in Fire Profundity. Tian Xie was, in truth, an exceptional Artifact Refiner.

But Xize, Lingxiang, and Luolin knew clearly that Tian Xie hid a Profundity, one that was his true main cultivation path.

That Profundity was the Divine Light Profundity, slightly similar to the Divine Race’s Profundity, yet entirely distinct and mysterious.

At this moment, divine light pulsed around Tian Xie, and mysterious runes writhed in his eyes. He gradually began uttering blurred whispers—a speech in an archaic tone that seemed to penetrate the soul. Even the well-informed Xize, Lingxiang, and Luolin could not understand it at all.

But they knew Tian Xie was profoundly abnormal, as if he were suffering a cultivation deviation from practicing a powerful secret art.

Lingxiang and the other two exchanged grave looks. After a brief consultation, they decided action was necessary.

Just then, it was as if streaks of electricity flashed through Tian Xie’s mind. The confusion in his eyes vanished instantly, and he regained clarity. It was as if he had accepted some unfathomably profound inheritance. He was silent for several seconds, then suddenly stated, “I feel unwell; please allow me some time alone. Wait for me.”

With that, Tian Xie’s figure blurred, and he vanished from the spot.

He materialized in the deepest part of the underground palace, the very place where he had sent the jade coffin away. The walls here were covered in countless intricate and cryptic runic diagrams. In the center lay a deep, mysterious pool where light and shadow interwove, like an indescribable, wondrous gate brimming with infinite secrets.

The moment Tian Xie appeared, he plunged directly into the pool. While submerged, he coughed violently. With every cough, his divine body convulsed, as if invaded by some living entity.

His expression turned utterly frigid and menacing. The look in his eyes was almost identical to Ziyao’s earlier—a cold arrogance that looked down upon all creation, like a deity commanding existence, devoid of a shred of human warmth.

Within the pool where he bathed, many mysterious scenes shifted, and faintly, massive, worm-like shadows could be seen writhing, their destination unknown.

Waves of chilling energy washed out, and brilliant rays of light splashed out from the pool, all sinking into Tian Xie’s body. The fluctuations in his physical form were terrifying; if allowed to spread, they could obliterate the Giant Wave Star.

Countless mysterious runes flew from the walls of this chamber—tens of millions of them—forming a dense net that spread throughout the palace, resisting the shockwaves emanating from Tian Xie.

This terrifying power, capable of destroying the Giant Wave Star, was forcibly contained upon Tian Xie, causing him to shriek in agony, like a desperate, cornered beast letting out a primal roar.

His body exploded, blood splattering everywhere, as if he were about to perish the next second.

He seemed to be undergoing some astonishing metamorphosis!

… In the Void Turbulence Domain. Minghao, Xuanhe, Frielit, Dicaro, and Leidi—five Immortal powerhouses—were jointly exerting their strength to suppress the bound Giant Worm. Their expressions were grave, as if facing the greatest enemy of their lives.

Every time the Giant Worm writhed, the five of them shuddered, as if struck in the chest by a massive hammer, revealing looks of distress.

This level of combat was far beyond Shi Yan’s capacity to intervene. He could only watch from the sidelines, his eyes filled with utter horror. He had never imagined such a thing existed in the world, one that could resist the combined might of five Immortal powerhouses so fiercely.

A deep sense of unease gnawed at him. He felt a creeping crisis approaching, a subtle warning from his secondary soul that made his spirit tremble.

He didn't know what was about to happen. Everything here had surpassed his comprehension. The words spoken by Minghao and Dicaro were sheer demolition of his established common sense.

“Crack!”

Suddenly, a sound came from the Blood Pattern Ring in Minghao’s hand. Minghao had taken the ring back earlier to reseal the Spirit within, but due to the Giant Worm’s struggle, Dicaro had been severely wounded, forcing Minghao to focus entirely on the worm.

It was uncertain if his sealing process had been completed, but now, as the Blood Pattern Ring emitted the abnormal sound, Minghao’s face turned extremely grim.

Shi Yan’s expression also drastically changed. He suddenly recalled what Minghao had said earlier: the Giant Worm seemed to be aiding the Spirit in breaking the seal…