The onlookers remained deeply puzzled.

They could not fathom why, after devouring the soul of Xinge, Ming Hong had chosen not to take Audrey, allowing her main soul to persist.

This defied all logic.

With the power gained from consuming Xinge’s soul, the malevolent spirit could have instantly become the main spirit of the Seven Great Malevolent Souls.

If it could have possessed Audrey’s body, even without fully regaining its peak strength, it would at least have achieved freedom, no longer being tethered to a mere woman.

This was something they simply could not grasp.

Yet, one thing was clear: from this moment on, Audrey would be the Lord of the Malevolent Souls.

All the souls Xinge had painstakingly refined over countless years had now been bestowed upon her.

As long as Audrey wasn’t utterly dull-witted, she was bound to eventually reach the same level of attainment as Xinge in his prime.

If Audrey possessed astonishing talent, this ascent would be incredibly swift, and her future achievements would be immeasurable.

After all, the Soul Clan was one of the Seven Great Clans, and Xinge had been its leader, possessing intimate knowledge of the Soul Clan's profound mysteries.

All of that knowledge would now benefit Audrey, becoming potent nourishment for her growing strength.

The crowd turned their gaze toward Audrey, secretly envious and sighing in awe.

“Who is she? Do any of you recognize her?” At this point, the Lizard Ancestor also noticed the situation and asked in astonishment.

Tu Shiqi and Ya Yun both laughed.

“That brat who found you and told you about the Soul Refining Cauldron’s treachery—he is her man.

Yes, we’ve seen her; this little girl is quite impressive too.

They are a pair,” Ya Yun explained.

The Lizard Ancestor suddenly realized and exclaimed, “Right, where is that boy? I noticed earlier that the masked woman from the Phantom Tribe hasn't let him out of her sight.

Why isn't he here gathering with us?” At these words, Tu Shiqi and Ya Yun also paused, though only for a moment.

Tu Shiqi quickly understood and explained with a wry smile, “He might be afraid you have other designs...” The Lizard Ancestor immediately grasped the implication.

After a long pause, the Lizard Ancestor shook his head with a bitter smile.

“If I’m honest with myself, if he were truly here, it would indeed be difficult for me to make a choice.

He has integrated a partial soul of a Primal Being.

If I were to refine it, I’d be ninety percent certain I could reactivate the memories within that partial soul, thereby grasping the true essence of dark energy and breaking through to the Domain Ancestor realm.

Heavens, I’ve been trapped in this realm for far too long.

I dream of breaking through.

He truly is a potential catalyst.

He is right to keep his distance from me.” “It’s just a pity whether he can escape that woman from the Phantom Tribe.

That woman is terrifying! In some respects, her power might even surpass Xinge’s.

We could fight Xinge evenly, but against her, we were suppressed from the very start.

If it hadn’t been for Shi Yan’s sneak attack, we might still be trapped in the center of that snow lotus,” Ya Yun lamented.

“Indeed, we all owe him a favor,” Tu Shiqi mused.

“Then let’s entrust it to his woman.

Protect her while she stabilizes her realm and takes over everything Xinge left behind.” “You all watch over her.

I’ll go down and look.

That Soul Refining Cauldron might still be around,” the Lizard Ancestor’s mind stirred.

“Don’t waste your energy,” Tu Shiqi chuckled dismissively.

“That Soul Refining Cauldron is a Primal Artifact.

That fellow from the Soul Clan dared to lend it out; wasn’t he afraid of anyone snatching it? Forget it.

A refined Primal Artifact can be sensed regardless of the distance.” The Lizard Ancestor remained unconvinced, ignored him, and swiftly flew towards his territory.

Inside the stone caves within the sea of meteorites, numerous Lizard Clan members gradually emerged.

During the initial fight, the Lizard Ancestor had used his control over Lizard Star to make proper arrangements for his clansmen, ensuring they wouldn't be caught in the crossfire.

Now that the battle was over, they emerged one by one in response to the Lizard Ancestor’s psychic summons.

Following his instructions, those people also began searching for the Soul Refining Cauldron, hoping to locate this Primal Artifact of the Soul Clan.

The Lizard Ancestor’s projection descended, his eyes closed as he sensed the surroundings.

Suddenly, his expression sharpened, and he looked toward a distant meteorite.

That meteorite pulsed with an odd luminescence.

No one sat upon it, yet it was autonomously flying in the direction of the Soul Clan.

On that rock, torrents of terrifying fluctuations were suppressed, seemingly serving only as a warning to deter anyone who dared approach.

Several nearby Lizard Clan members, spotting the soaring meteorite, felt their spirits stirred and moved to intercept it.

“All of you, return!” the Lizard Ancestor roared, ordering his clansmen to turn back.

His face was grim.

“Its master has regained control.

Don't go over there to sacrifice yourselves.” He was filled with reverence and palpable fear.

When a Primal Artifact is wielded by an expert at the Domain Ancestor level, the power it can unleash is terrifying.

The fact that the person refrained from using the Soul Refining Cauldron to annihilate the area suggested he either had reservations or was too far away, resulting in massive energy expenditure, or perhaps for other reasons...

If the Lizard Clan recklessly attempted to intercept the Soul Refining Cauldron, angering the wielder could cause the entire Lizard Clan to vanish from the Star Sea instantly.

The Lizard Ancestor quickly assessed the situation.

With a sigh, he returned to the meteorite where Audrey was seated, joining Tu Shiqi and the couple as they watched her.

Time passed.

Eventually, even the malevolent soul of Ming Hong was drawn into Audrey’s brow, and her main soul settled back onto the altar.

The vortex mark on her forehead vanished, and she naturally opened her eyes.

“Congratulations,” Ya Yun said with genuine admiration and a warm smile.

“If your cultivation realm is undisturbed, you should be able to break through to the triple heaven of the Immortal realm at least.

Heh, you had the best fortune this time.

If that boy knew about this incredible encounter, he would surely be relieved.” Audrey naturally understood the magnitude of what she had gained.

A rare trace of warmth touched her habitually cold expression.

“Thank you all.” Her main soul had been observing the outside events and knew it was due to Tu Shiqi and Ya Yun’s explanation that she had been spared the Lizard Ancestor’s killing blow.

Thus, her gratitude was sincere.

“Hmm, I admit I was rash.

I owe that boy another favor.

If he hadn't broken the Phantom Woman’s trap, it would have been difficult for us to kill Xinge.

How about this…” The Lizard Ancestor hesitated, then produced a pill, flicking it directly into Audrey’s sleeve.

“This is an Immortal Pill.

Consider it my thanks, and please apologize to him for me when you see him.

Yes, I genuinely considered killing him and refining his soul earlier.

So be it.” Audrey felt a mixture of awe and trepidation, her fingers trembling slightly as she held the wondrous pill intended to help Shi Yan reach the Immortal realm.

She knew this pill had been forged from the essence of billions of living beings, mountains, and rivers of a Level Seven life star, personally crafted by the Primal Being ‘Xi.’ This pill was a crucial element of the Lizard Clan’s gathering, and she was astonished that the Lizard Ancestor was gifting one away.

“Once you absorb those souls Xinge left, your future achievements will undoubtedly be extraordinary.

Even now, you possess the power to protect yourself.

You can venture out into the Void Sea Realm, except for a few extremely dangerous areas,” Ya Yun chuckled.

Audrey clutched the Immortal Pill, her eyes flickering as if weighing something.

After a moment, she nodded to the group.

“Farewell for now!” She offered no explanation, nor did she exchange more than a few words with Adams or Mahisha.

She then flew straight out.

Clusters of souls floated from beneath her feet, greatly augmenting her aura to a power fluctuation that was not inferior to the Immortal realm.

“Alas, never mind.

She’s surely upset with us too,” Mahisha muttered with a wry smile.

At the critical moment, Adams had revealed Audrey’s location to save his own life.

Although the situation hadn't become irrecoverable, Adams’ action was undeniably wrong.

Therefore, Mahisha and the others felt they couldn't pursue her and could only watch Audrey depart.

“This is for you,” Tu Shiqi said after a moment’s thought, taking out a jet-black token and handing it to Mahisha.

“If your Sky-Eye Clan wishes to affiliate with our Profound Sky Clan, you may take this token to us, and we will make the arrangements.” At these words, Evelyn, Adams, and Mahisha were overwhelmed with joy.

Mahisha, trembling, held the token.

“Is it...

is it true? Our Sky-Eye Clan can affiliate with your Profound Sky Clan? You are truly willing to accept us?” “It’s for the sake of that boy,” Tu Shiqi admitted frankly, hiding nothing.

Mahisha, Evelyn, and Adams were stunned for a moment before looking toward the direction Shi Yan had disappeared, secretly offering their gratitude.

Generally, a Great Clan like the Profound Sky Clan would only accept affiliations from second-rate races like the Water or Lizard Clans.

The Sky-Eye Clan, being a third-rate race, did not qualify to affiliate with the Profound Sky Clan; they would normally have to choose a second-rate race for allegiance.

Affiliating with the Profound Sky Clan offered numerous benefits.

In future conflicts over resources with other races, they could invoke the Profound Sky Clan’s name, making opponents cautious.

If the Sky-Eye Clan ever faced the danger of extermination, they could seek aid from the Profound Sky Clan, who would certainly not stand idly by.

They must offer protection to their affiliates lest they chill the hearts of others considering allegiance.

Even if their commitment wasn't entirely willing, this at least guaranteed the Sky-Eye Clan would not be wiped out.

Moreover, the Sky-Eye Clan’s adversaries were mostly third-rate races themselves; having the Profound Sky Clan as a backer would make many of their endeavors much easier and smoother.

This prospect excited them more than the Immortal Pill the Lizard Ancestor had given them.

Tu Shiqi’s promise was a security guarantee for their entire Sky-Eye Clan.

They were truly grateful to Shi Yan, understanding that Tu Shiqi’s regard for them stemmed entirely from Shi Yan’s reputation.

“That minor race could just affiliate with our Lizard Clan.

Do you need to go to such lengths?” The Lizard Ancestor landed again on Lizard Star along with Tu Shiqi and his wife, asking in confusion.

“Heh, you don’t understand these matters,” Tu Shiqi smiled.

“If that boy knows we showed him this respect, his good impression of our Profound Sky Clan will deepen.

His goodwill will be incredibly precious in the future; the favor of a Domain Ancestor powerhouse is worth more than a hundred Sky-Eye Clans.” “He has so much he needs to go through to reach the Domain Ancestor realm.

I just worry he might end up dead before he can break through that bottleneck,” the Lizard Ancestor grumbled.

...(To be continued)RQ