"Soul Clan? Seven Great Races? It seems the Star Sea is filled with many unknowns. Tell me more about it in detail."

On the meteorite, the massive crystal sphere of the Water Race, resembling a floating bubble, shimmered with a blue halo as it quietly drifted forward, its speed gradually increasing. Shi Yan watched intently, then softly exclaimed.

Being new here, he knew very little about the common knowledge of the Void Sea. Without the introduction from Ivlin of the Tianmu Race, the journey ahead could lead to unexpected trouble. Therefore, before entering the territory of the Lizard Race, he needed to clarify the local customs to have a clear understanding.

"Please promise us one thing," Ivlin said solemnly.

"What is it?" Shi Yan frowned.

"I can wholeheartedly answer your questions and tell you everything I know, but I implore you, if one day you can reach the Domain Ancestor realm, accept one member of our Tianmu Race as your disciple." Ivlin's expression was unusually tense as he stared fixedly at Shi Yan, his heart filled with great unease.

Among the vast Star Sea, the Tianmu Race was merely a third-rate race. Their domain was fraught with danger, and their people lived in harsh conditions. Moreover, surrounding their domain were several races no weaker than themselves, leading to frequent skirmishes where the Tianmu Race held no advantage in combat.

Generally speaking, for a race to become powerful and gain recognition from high-level beings and other races, there was only one path.

—The birth of a true powerhouse within the clan!

The Tianmu Race currently lacked any Domain Ancestor-level existence, which was the fundamental reason they would always remain a bottom-tier race. To reach the Domain Ancestor realm, one had to grasp the profound truth of dark energy. Any expert who grasped dark energy would never divulge its mysteries.

Unless one bowed down to such a powerhouse as a subordinate, there was a slim chance, through the expert's instruction and guidance, to grope toward the truth of dark energy and one day ascend to the Domain Ancestor level.

For Ivlin, the advancement of the race was more important than anything else. With the Tianmu Race’s current third-rate strength, it was difficult to catch the eye of truly powerful beings. They could not hope to be accepted as disciples by those who understood dark energy.

But Shi Yan was a promising prospect...

Because Shi Yan’s current cultivation was still low, if this early gamble paid off and Shi Yan broke through to the Domain Ancestor realm in the future, Ivlin would have gained immensely, securing a sliver of opportunity for the Tianmu Race—a chance to become a first-rate race!

Of course, this depended entirely on Shi Yan actually breaking through to that realm; otherwise, all his efforts would be for naught.

Ivlin was astute. He knew that even if this failed, at least he would have eased relations with Shi Yan, ensuring one less enemy in the future. If it succeeded, it would be a monumental blessing for the entire Tianmu Race.

After he finished speaking, Adams and Mahisha’s eyes shone brightly. Trembling with excitement, they simultaneously knelt and kowtowed to Shi Yan, their faces filled with hopeful pleading.

At this moment, Mahisha finally understood Ivlin’s foresight. She grasped why, despite Adams’ penchant for petty schemes, he deferred to Ivlin on major matters.

Ivlin's action today, if it proved correct, would be a great fortune for the entire Tianmu Race, filling Mahisha with profound admiration for her senior brother’s vision.

"The future is too distant. I am currently only at the Initial God realm. Isn't betting on me eventually breaking through to the Domain Ancestor realm a bit too ethereal?" Shi Yan asked, surprised.

Ivlin gave a bitter smile, sincerely replying, "With the strength of our Tianmu Race, we have no right to enter the sight of true Domain Ancestor powerhouses. That is our tragedy. You, at least, offer us a possibility. Though it may be faint, there is still a sliver of hope. That is enough."

"Good!" Shi Yan pondered for a few seconds, then decisively agreed. "I swear here and now. If I ever step into the Domain Ancestor realm, I promise you that I will take one member of your Tianmu Race as a disciple in the future and diligently instruct them in the profound truths of the mysteries."

Ivlin, Adams, and Mahisha all bowed deeply with the great rite of the Tianmu Race, their expressions emotional, as if witnessing a magnificent vision of the future.

"Now, tell me everything," Shi Yan urged.

"As you wish..."

Ivlin's demeanor turned respectful. As the meteorite continued towards the Lizard Race territory, he earnestly explained everything he knew to Shi Yan—the mysteries of the Soul Race and the Seven Great Races, the marvels of the various domains, and scattered legends of the Primordial Beings.

Through Ivlin's account, Shi Yan learned that the Primordial Era ended due to the terrifying battles of the Primordial Beings. In the subsequent ages, many new races and beings emerged in the mysterious cosmic sea. These later beings were never as gigantic as the Primordial Beings, but those who cultivated to the extreme could still reach levels comparable to them.

In the ages that followed, countless races flashed into existence. Many of these races retained some connection to the Primordial Beings; for instance, the Lizard Race was related to lizards, and there were many similar examples. Among these diverse races, many beings were not outstanding in raw strength but possessed unique profundities.

Take the Human Race, for example: their combat power was average, their cultivation aptitude mediocre, yet they possessed the ability to blend the bloodlines of various races to form entirely new beings.

Among the numerous races, a hierarchy could be established: the strongest races, the second-rate races, and the third-rate races. The third-rate races, like the Tianmu Race, were countless. There were several dozen second-rate races, but the universally recognized strongest races numbered only seven: the Soul Race, the Profound Heaven Race, the Black Demon Race, the Ancient Demon Race, the Devourer Race, the White Bone Race, and the Phantom Race.

These Seven Great Races were distributed across the major domains and various regions of the Void Sea, dominating the Star Sea, each possessing its own profound and unique characteristics.

The Soul Race, Profound Heaven Race, Black Demon Race, Ancient Demon Race, Devourer Race, White Bone Race, and Phantom Race were currently the strongest races in the Star Sea, universally acknowledged for their outstanding power. Each race housed Domain Ancestor-level powerhouses, often more than one. Below the Domain Ancestors were numerous Immortal Realm experts, forming a layered and strict hierarchy of strength.

When members of the Seven Great Races traveled through the Star Sea, they were revered by other weaker races. Many second-rate and third-rate races clung to them, considering it an honor to establish ties. They also diligently courted promising second-rate races, striving to make them cornerstones of their own clans.

For example, the powerhouse mentioned by the Water Race member from the Soul Race had a considerable connection with the Lizards. His journey here for the Lizard Race's awakening and feeding was motivated by the desire to persuade the Lizard Race to tighten their relationship with the Soul Race, ideally forming a formal alliance.

Of course, what the Soul Race termed an "alliance" was essentially demanding the Lizard Race pledge allegiance to them, becoming vassals. This way, the Lizard Race would receive the Soul Race's protection, and in times of need, the Lizard Race would be obligated to lend assistance to the Soul Race.

Once Ivlin elaborated on the immense power of the Soul Race, Shi Yan couldn't hide his shock. He couldn't help but offer a wry smile to Audrey. "If we really run into that person, we... we probably won't be able to make a ripple."

According to Ivlin, anything beyond the Immortal Realm was the Domain Ancestor level. Beings that survived from the Primordial Era were Domain Ancestors. This implied that the Soul Race housed at least one or two terrifying existences on the level of Huang or Hui. The foundation of such a race was unimaginable.

Perhaps even Hui or Huang would not gain an easy victory fighting the Soul Race, especially since neither Huang nor Hui was currently in their prime, with Huang still fragmented.

They had personally witnessed Hui’s might—a terrifying power that felt like a nightmare. Even now, Hui had not recovered his full strength. Contemplating that the Soul Race possessed beings equivalent to Hui, perhaps even more than one, made both Shi Yan and Audrey's scalps tingle, suddenly feeling minuscule.

"Don't worry, I will try my best to restrain myself. I'm not an idiot," Audrey replied, her face etched with bitterness.

And so, listening to Ivlin's introduction about the races of the Star Sea, while conversing with him and Audrey, their meteorite sped along. Along the way, they saw several other alien races. Finally, at the terminus of the meteor stream, they saw an incomparably massive planet. This planet was peculiar, riddled with countless pockmarks and holes, appearing almost hollowed out.

"That is the territory of the Lizard Race, Lizard Star. In the Void Sea, you won't find complete celestial bodies. That Lizard Star was also formed by the condensation of countless shattered stars. The Lizards used their innate power to draw in meteorite fragments and debris over many years to form what it is now," Ivlin explained.

Shi Yan’s eyes lit up, confirming the truth. The Lizard Star was enormous, tens of times larger than Divine Grace Star, but its surface was covered in innumerable gullies and fissures—the seams where the meteorites had joined. There were also countless caves, bottomlessly deep.

From the earthy-yellow surface of the Lizard Star, a strong gravitational pull emanated from those countless holes. He realized that centered on the Lizard Star, the surrounding Star Sea was filled with meteoroid flows drifting toward the internal caves of the Lizard Star, like a gigantic mouth swallowing the free matter in the cosmos.

"Just how large is that Lizard's body? What does its 'feeding' refer to? Devouring all those meteorites?" Upon seeing Lizard Star and hearing Ivlin's explanation, Audrey was stunned into silence.

"The Lizard's body is enormous, yes, many times larger than the meteorite we are on, but not truly as vast as the Lizard Star. It resides deep within the Lizard Star and uses its profound mysteries to draw in meteorites. Its feeding is not about swallowing the stones themselves, but the special energy contained within those meteorites, energy it can sense and absorb, which ordinary beings cannot. The meteorites it 'consumes' turn into dust, those without energy explode and become part of the Lizard Star, or they might just be expelled into the void..."

Ivlin smiled faintly, revealing the wonders to them. "We will also enter the Lizard Star. At the entrances to those special caves, members of the Lizard Race will receive us and arrange our transport to the gathering place. We don't need to worry about it."

"What about this thing?" Audrey suddenly paused, looking worriedly at the object beneath them.

On the meteorite they rode, there was a Three-Legged Giant Cauldron. Its origin was unknown, but it was certainly a Primordial Artifact. If it were absorbed into the Lizard’s body along with them, would it cause trouble?

At the very least, they would likely lose any claim to this Primordial Artifact. More importantly, they couldn't refine it or take it away.

"For now, we abandon it. I will leave an imprint on it. What happens afterward depends on fate and luck," Shi Yan decided decisively.