Shi Yan let out a quiet breath, his face etched with astonishment. He peered down at the object beneath him. "This thing... is it truly a divine weapon from the Primordial Era? Are you certain?"

Evelyn’s expression was strange. "Though I cannot read the Primordial script, I have seen it before. This is definitively Primordial script; there is no mistake! You can perceive Dark Energy, so you must have encountered Primordial beings. How can you not recognize Primordial Runes or know how to refine it?"

He seemed even more perplexed than Shi Yan.

"So, you don't know how to refine it?" Shi Yan asked, deeply disappointed.

"The profound mysteries concerning Dark Energy and Primordial Artifacts are held by only a select few. I... have not reached that level of cultivation," Evelyn replied, cooperating completely, his eyes filled with awe. "With your comprehension and power, perceiving Dark Energy so early means you are destined to become an Ancestor-level existence in the future. I implore your understanding, forgive our abruptness."

His sincerity was palpable.

Adams and Marisha blinked, a sudden realization dawning, and they too quickly offered slight bows, their expressions exceedingly humble.

—They certainly did not want to provoke a powerhouse capable of bringing utter destruction upon the Tianmu Clan!

Within the Tianmu Clan, the three of them were already exceptional figures. They couldn't defeat Shi Yan combined, yet Shi Yan possessed limitless potential for growth, understood Dark Energy, and held a Primordial Artifact. Such an entity was guaranteed to reach the apex of the Star Sea pyramid.

Though Evelyn was ruthless, he understood the bigger picture; some individuals simply could not be offended.

The sudden shift in the Tianmu trio’s attitude left Shi Yan quite stunned. Even a potentially fatal brand couldn't coerce them into submission. He hadn't expected that by merely hinting at Dark Energy, the most stubborn among them, Evelyn, would immediately defect and reveal his most humble side.

The direction the situation had taken entirely caught both him and Audrey by surprise, leaving them momentarily frozen.

"It is best that you secure this Primordial Artifact carefully, or it will bring immense trouble!" Evelyn advised thoughtfully, his tone earnest. "Our strength is not high, and we recognize your might; we harbor no greed. However, the closer we get to the territory of the Scaled Lizards, the more powerful beings we will encounter—certainly some superior to us. If they discover you possess a Primordial Artifact, they will undoubtedly fight fiercely to claim it!"

He paused, a look of envy crossing his face. "As far as I know, in the vast, boundless Star Sea, true Primordial Artifacts are extremely rare, each one capable of world-shattering power and possessing indescribable wonders. Only those Ancestor-level powerhouses can truly wield them without fear of theft. And only they can fully unleash the artifact’s deepest secrets."

"Primordial Artifacts are divine weapons from the Primordial Era. Some say they were tempered by Primordial beings; others claim they formed naturally when the universe was born. They have boundless, miraculous uses and can dramatically enhance a warrior's strength..."

Listening to Evelyn’s explanations, Shi Yan and Audrey exchanged a glance, their expressions deeply moved.

"Refining it might be impossible in the short term. Do you have any way to conceal it, or at least put it away?" Audrey whispered softly.

Shi Yan offered a wry smile. "How can you be so sure this thing... isn't ownerless?"

Their conversation left the three Tianmu members baffled. Marisha hesitated, then asked tentatively, "That Primordial Artifact... doesn't belong to the two of you?"

"If it belonged to us, would we need to question you so much?" Shi Yan held his temples, frustrated.

He felt the despondency of sitting on a treasure mountain yet being unable to mine it. It was undeniably miraculous, right beneath his feet, but he couldn't refine it or discern its inherent mysteries.

"It doesn't belong to you, so why are you with it?" Evelyn paused, then his eyes lit up brilliantly. "This object is currently ownerless? You genuinely haven't seen its master, is that true?"

He suddenly grew agitated, his face flushing deep red. "Rumor has it that Primordial Artifacts possess sentience. It is said they choose their masters themselves, or that acknowledging a master depends on destiny and whether the cultivator's fundamental essence aligns with its attributes. There are countless considerations. It is also said that those favored by fate, those with immense luck, can..."

Adams and Marisha’s eyes also shone brightly. They immediately pictured themselves as the fated ones, the 'virtuous' recipients of the legend. They gathered around the spot where the Primordial Runes had manifested, each releasing their soul fluctuations and urging forth their fundamental essences, attempting to elicit some form of 'resonance' to draw the artifact's notice and bring it into their possession.

At that moment, they completely forgot the immense danger Shi Yan represented. The sheer temptation of the Primordial Artifact was too great to resist, causing them to lose themselves instantly.

However, they quickly recoiled in horror, their faces paling, expressions filled with alarm.

All the soul fluctuations they released vanished into the center of the three-legged jade cauldron; not a single wisp returned. The visible portion of the cauldron merely displayed a few new Primordial Runes etched onto its surface; otherwise, there was no change.

"The thing that pulled and swallowed my soul earlier—was that it?" Adams finally understood.

Shi Yan nodded with a wry smile.

"Stop trying," Adams gritted his teeth and hissed, stopping Marisha and the other Adams from attempting further action. "If you continue, your souls will be depleted!"

"This Primordial Artifact is either damaged or incomplete; otherwise, it wouldn't behave like this," Audrey stated calmly, her bright eyes clear. "I noticed that for every bit of soul energy it absorbs, the runes on the cauldron's surface increase. I observed earlier that the runes on this immense three-legged cauldron are not yet complete. Perhaps only when it absorbs sufficient soul power, transforming them into runes and covering every corner of the vessel, will something miraculous occur."

Hearing her words, Shi Yan looked thoughtful, nodding inwardly.

He shared this suspicion: if the Primordial Artifact truly possessed a spirit, that spirit must be severely injured and dormant. Otherwise, it wouldn't resort to such insidious plots to ensnare living souls, tricking beings into actively exposing their souls to become part of its awakening energy.

"Keep this secret for now!"

Suddenly, Marisha’s bracelet flashed. She let out a sharp cry and hastily explained to Shi Yan, "This is a token issued by the Scaled Lizard Clan. The tokens resonate with each other. There must be others nearby, traveling toward the Scaled Lizard Clan just as we are."

"Indeed. This awakening of the Scaled Lizards has drawn many extraterritorial beings. Our Tianmu Clan is just one faction," Evelyn explained. "The Star Sea is immense, encompassing countless domains. Various races abound; many I might not have even seen, or perhaps never even heard of. Unless you traverse the Void Sea, you cannot grasp the universe's mysterious boundlessness, nor the countless types of higher-level lifeforms."

"We don't need to conceal ourselves; it conceals itself," Audrey stated nonchalantly.

As soon as she spoke, the asteroid beneath them subtly shifted, pulling in nearby debris to actively fill the gaps, making their resting surface appear perfectly normal again.

"They are ahead of us," Marisha said, her expression cautious.

As Shi Yan's consciousness shifted, he reverted to his normal human form, appearing like an ordinary mortal without any distinguishing features.

After a moment, a massive, pale-blue crystal sphere suddenly materialized in front of them.

The sphere was enormous, even larger than the asteroid they stood upon. The outer layer was composed of pale-blue crystal, while the interior held turbulent seawater, within which numerous crystal palaces were constructed. Many handsome men and beautiful women could be seen moving about within these palaces inside the sphere.

The pale-blue crystal sphere resembled a magical super-battleship. The aesthetically pleasing beings inside looked almost identical to humans, only slightly leaner and taller, emitting water vapor fluctuations from within their bodies. They breathed freely within the seawater inside the sphere, seemingly more comfortable there.

"The Aqua Clan."

Evelyn glanced at them from a distance, visibly relaxing. He smiled. "The Aqua Clan members are not particularly belligerent unless provoked. Their men are handsome, and their women are beautiful; they all cultivate Water Essence. They are the closest allies of the Scaled Lizard Clan."

"Very similar to the Sea Clan back where we come from," Audrey murmured.

"That's normal," Marisha smiled faintly and explained. "Generally, Primordial beings don't create life from nothing; they follow blueprints. The races created by Primordial beings in your Desolate Domain might actually exist in the outside universe, within the Void Sea."

"From what I know, many beings from different domains can belong to the same race."

"Oh, and one more thing: in the Void Sea, the Human Race is the most populous. Humans can interbreed with almost any race, forming entirely new ones. The Human Race's capacity for integration is universally recognized as number one. Perhaps for this reason, the appearance of most races is generally similar to humans, with only minor differences in detail—for example, we have an extra eye, or the Aqua Clan's physique holds an abundance of water, making them adept at cultivating Water Essence..."

"It's just as I suspected," Shi Yan murmured, amazed. On continents like Shen'en, star fields like Blazing Flame and Maya, the Human Race always formed the largest demographic. This race possessed astonishing adaptability, capable of thriving in almost any condition, coupled with terrifying reproductive capabilities and superb integration potential, ensuring their dominance everywhere.

It seemed the Human Race of the Desolate Domain wasn't arbitrarily conjured by the Desolate One but was specifically condensed based on the characteristics of the Human Race in the outer universe.

Strictly speaking, even Shi Yan’s current body was originally a hybrid of Human and Undead Demon Race. Only later, as his cultivation deepened and he completed the process of blood exchange, did he gradually transition towards the Undead Demon Race.

But now, after that comprehensive evolutionary transformation, even he couldn't specify what race he belonged to.

While he pondered this, the asteroid beneath him continued its rapid forward trajectory, its path set directly towards the Aqua Clan's crystal sphere. If nothing intervened, it seemed poised for a direct collision... (Zhou took his son for a check-up today; only one chapter today, I'll make it up tomorrow, apologies~~ (To be continued) RQ)