The words of that Progenitor Spirit struck Shi Yan's mind like thunderclaps, shattering within his thoughts. Curiously, he felt an inexplicable agreement with the creature's final statement; he knew what it spoke was true—the Purple Radiance was, in a way, a part of it.

Should it perish, the Purple Radiance would naturally vanish without a trace. The adversary was using this as a lever, forcing his hand, compelling him either to strike Vidson or to tear apart the seals imposed by Ming Hao and Xuan He!

If it were before, he might not have possessed such capability, but now, the fluctuations surging through him were undeniably terrifying, far beyond his comprehension. He was certain that a full-force strike from him held the power to shatter the current balance!

The wondrous power emanating from that Progenitor Spirit had caused his very bones, soul, and Origin Realm to evolve and sublimate, reaching a height that even he found terrifying. "If you agree to aid me, I will grant you an unparalleled opportunity, letting you glimpse a power that only we, the Progenitor Spirits, can touch!" Ziyao coaxed skillfully, every word imbued with a demonic, strange energy, aiming to drag Shi Yan down into submission, thus making him obedient.

"A power only Progenitor Spirits can touch!" Shi Yan's eyes flared brightly; his heart pounded, his very soul seemed to surge outward. He instantly grasped the profound meaning within the creature's words.

That power... perhaps it was the very thing the God Lord, Ling Xiang, Xize, and even Ming Hao and Xuan He’s group had tirelessly sought in vain—the mysterious power that, until now, only Shi Xue had mastered and wielded.

Ziyao's ** felt like a devil assaulting Shi Yan's mind, twisting his expression into something grotesque. Clenching his jaw tight, his features suddenly contorted into a savage mask, as if battling a tenacious inner demon; his eyes slowly began to glow crimson.

After a long pause, he roared toward the heavens, laughing boisterously within his mind: "You cannot sway my heart! You are a Progenitor Spirit; even five Immortal powerhouses combined only dared to seal you for a few decades.

Who can truly make you perish? You cannot die!

That fellow cannot kill you; at best, he can only inflict wounds. You cannot move my heart, nor can you cloud my clear reason!" "Crack!

Crack!" In his mindscape, serpentine dragons formed of stars materialized, weaving into a dense, massive net, a barrier sealing everything, locking down his consciousness directly. He would listen to no words, accept no soul infiltration, shutting his mind off completely.

Ziyao's spiritual fluctuations could no longer penetrate even slightly. The look of tearful pleading in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by cold indifference.

She gazed deeply toward Shi Yan’s direction, murmuring a single, incomprehensible phrase in that unknown tongue before retreating once more into the belly of the giant worm. Immediately, the giant worm seemed to settle, becoming still and obedient.

Its outer surface secreted a yellowish, turbid substance. This substance hardened into a brilliant yellow keratin, cladding its entire body like marvelous armor.

It ceased its violent struggles, no longer forcing the seal; it retracted like a hedgehog, focusing entirely on defense. It was as if it had abandoned resistance.

However, the terrifying corrosive power unleashed by Vidson, though surging and pervasive, found its effect suddenly diminished. The brilliant yellow keratin on the giant worm acted as a marvelous barrier, significantly slowing the rate of corrosion.

Black smoke occasionally still puffed from its body, but it was much thinner compared to before. Clearly, while defending with all its might, the damage it sustained was reduced to a manageable level.

At this moment, Shi Yan, having sealed himself off, found his acupoints still operating relentlessly, continuing to absorb those clusters of cloud-like energy, nourishing and warming his entire being. Ming Hao abruptly ceased his actions, his eyes dark and distant.

"Something is wrong!" "The main body is defending with full force, yet the avatars are still rampaging. When the avatars arrive, how can we possibly stand against them?" Dicalo felt no sense of relief, only deepening gravity and anxiety, his tone heavy.

Ming Hao turned his gaze toward the Void Mirror. Everyone besides Shi Yan and Vidson also looked at the mirror, and immediately their faces darkened with dread.

Across eleven distinct star systems, the eleven giant worms were writhing, having devoured nearly all the martial artists on the eleven Life Stars. Those eleven giant worms, swaying their massive bodies, were now all surging toward the Domain Sea.

The worms moved with astonishing speed, crossing star after star in a flash, as if trampling the boundaries of the void. "Its avatars are using the Domain Sea to return—they are coming for this primary body!" Dicalo exclaimed in terror.

All present looked utterly ashen, overcome by a sense of utter helplessness. Even Ming Hao's face was grim, feeling as if, even after searching through every conceivable method, the grim situation was immutable.

Heavenly God Peak. On the summit, the God Lord's expression was serene; his eyes shifted rhythmically like the alternating cycles of the sun and moon.

He gazed toward the Misty Star Domain, his sight piercing through the void, reaching the infinite territories. Behind him, the Four Great Heavenly Kings—Zi Zai, Shen Wu, Xiao Yao, and Guang Ming—stood silent as mountains.

Further behind them, the elders of the God Clan Council and the patriarchs of the Twelve Houses knelt prostrate, each face heavy with the shadow of impending catastrophic doom, their brows furrowed with inescapable sorrow. In the eleven star systems where the God Clan was engaged in battle with Shi Xue, eleven worm-like entities, vast as planets, lay like demons entrenched upon the central stars, consuming martial artists whole.

Some of those consumed martial artists were God Clan members, others belonged to different factions, but notably, none were from the Shi Xue lineage. Because of the Shi Xue lineage's dominance, the core Life Stars of those eleven star systems were controlled by their clan, garrisoned by their most elite fighting force.

Now, the elites cultivated over ten millennia had become mere sustenance for the giant worms, filling their bellies. This was a devastating blow to the God Clan.

They believed these giant worms were the secret weapon of the Shi Xue lineage, the ancient ancestors from the primeval era of the Celestial Demons. Awaiting guidance from the God Lord, they had all gathered here, waiting for his decision.

Feng Jue represented the Elder Council, and Byers represented the Twelve House Patriarchs, both kneeling and looking expectantly toward the God Lord. This soul figure—who had led them a myriad of years ago, expanding the God Clan's territory by hundreds of millions of times, and who had brought about the downfall of Shi Xue, the undisputed preeminent power in the star domain—would surely lead his people toward a greater future this time.

They believed this without reservation! Every God Clan member who had lived through that era held a genuine reverence for the God Lord, viewing him as a deity.

For the God Lord had never disappointed them! "Old Chairman..." Feng Jue placed both hands over his chest, uttering the title with the utmost respectful etiquette.

The God Lord had been the Patriarch of the God Clan in the previous era. Feng Jue himself was not from one of the Twelve Great Houses, but hailed from a declining minor family within the God Clan.

Yet, he had emerged spectacularly, suppressing the Twelve Houses with dazzling brilliance and then personally establishing the Elder Council, ascending to the Chairman position himself. This established the Elder Council's authority above the twelve great houses, centralizing God Clan power under his sole command and ushering the clan into its zenith of glory.

Upon Feng Jue's call, the patriarchs and elders of the Twelve Houses echoed him in unison. The God Lord gazed into the distance, not turning around, and stated indifferently, "The time is not yet right.

Continue to wait." The Four Great Heavenly Kings turned back, frowning slightly at Feng Jue and the others, their faces hardening. Immediately, Feng Jue and all those kneeling felt a chill in their hearts; they lowered their heads in silence, all becoming quiet.

Suddenly, a beam of light shone from the God Lord’s eyes, transforming into a light screen. Within the screen, six boxes of Heavenly Fragrance An Shen Jade materialized.

Five boxes contained five relics of Shi Xue; the sixth contained Shi Xue's skull—the skull having been found by the Heavenly King of Light. The six boxes floated motionlessly within the light screen; he merely watched them silently, seemingly plotting something.

"Soton." He suddenly called out sharply. "Here!" Soton, the patriarch of the Breaker Clan, felt a cold dread seize him upon hearing his name, responding immediately, assuming the God Lord was about to interrogate him about the failure in the Fire Rain Star Domain, inwardly crying out in distress.

"That half-breed with the Barbarian Clan, Vidson—which of your kin is he, and is he still alive?" the God Lord inquired. Soton paused, then answered truthfully, "He is the son of my uncle, Moya.

My uncle was severely wounded three thousand years ago while pursuing Gru, and was subsequently sent to the Land of Perished Gods to recover, but he succumbed to the residual effects of Gru's chaotic profound principles and was driven to madness and death." "The remains?" The God Lord's eyes brightened slightly. "They are in our family mausoleum, preserved within a Ten Thousand Year Cold Jade Coffin.

Every powerful member of our clan who falls in battle is granted such a coffin. We have strictly adhered to this rule you established when you set the regulations ten millennia ago; it has never changed." Soton replied with deep deference.

When the God Lord waged war across the heavens and earth, he established numerous rules, one of which mandated that the twelve patriarchs must grant honorable burial to every figure who ascended the Heavenly God Tablet. Furthermore, their remains had to be interred in a Ten Thousand Year Cold Jade Coffin, allowing their descendants to pay respects every hundred years, ensuring they never forgot the ancestors who fought to death for the clan.

This practice fostered veneration of the strong, admiration for the powerful, and the spirit that a battle death was the highest honor. "Very good." The God Lord nodded lightly, issuing an instruction: "You will return to the Breaker Clan immediately via the teleportation array and personally bring that Ten Thousand Year Cold Jade Coffin back to me.

I require Moya's remains. Remember, do this with the utmost speed!" He paused, seemingly uneasy, and added, "Xiao Yao, you will accompany him.

Travel there and back at maximum velocity!" Xiao Yao did not utter a single word of dissent, nor did he give Soton time for further dialogue; he seized Soton and headed straight for the nearest teleportation array. Feng Jue and the numerous kneeling patriarchs were filled with confusion, yet none dared ask a question.

They all knew the God Lord never erred; every command issued must carry a profound significance beyond their current understanding. They trusted him unconditionally.

One hour later. A chilling moonlight flashed.

Xiao Yao returned alone, carrying a massive Ten Thousand Year Cold Jade Coffin floating before him, having abandoned Soton in his haste for speed. "Boom!" He set the Ten Thousand Year Cold Jade Coffin down, then stood rigidly to the side, silent.

The God Lord nodded at him with satisfaction. He reached out a hand, and the lid of the coffin flew open.

The corpse of an ancient God Clan elder, frozen in ice, was drawn out. The body was clad in opulent robes, its expression pale, yet showing absolutely no sign of decay—all thanks to the efficacy of the Cold Jade Coffin.

"Forgive my intrusion." The God Lord bowed slightly toward Moya's corpse, offering a salute, then slashed his five fingers. A fissure opened in the abdomen of Moya's icy body.

The six Heavenly Fragrance An Shen Jade boxes, which had been suspended before him containing Shi Xue's relics, suddenly all flew open. The six invisible bones were forcibly stuffed into Moya's abdomen.

Then, he formed seals with both hands, and billions of mysterious, arcane symbols shot forth from his pupils, all falling into Moya's belly. Moya’s corpse rapidly contracted and shrank, like an overinflated ball deflating.

In mere seconds, Moya was reduced to a tiny speck. "Pfft!" Moya's corpse exploded and vanished abruptly.

No one knew where the God Lord had cast the remains.