Ling Mei stared deeply at Shi Yan, unsure what he was thinking, and suddenly asked, "What is your view on our Xuan Tian Clan?" "I regard Tu Shi-qi and Ya Yun as seniors, and I am very grateful to them both. However, I have no intention of becoming a guest elder for the Xuan Tian Clan, for which I am truly sorry," Shi Yan stated frankly.

The reason he seized this opportunity to speak loosely, following the Enchantress Ji’s lead, was to dispel Ling Mei's thoughts. He understood exactly what Ling Mei was considering.

Through information from Tu Shi-qi, Ling Mei must know his value. Ling Mei, like Tu Shi-qi, recognized his potential and hoped to recruit him to join the Xuan Tian Clan, securing him as a future powerful guest elder to serve their cause.

Tu Shi-qi had already expressed this earlier, urging him to consider it. He wanted to join no clan whatsoever!

"I understand," Ling Mei nodded calmly. "I will relay your decision to Senior Tu.

But I must offer a word of caution: some words should not be spoken carelessly. That Ba Tum...

is no easy character; he will certainly take your life." "Thank you for the reminder," Shi Yan replied with sincere gratitude. Regarding the matters of the Enchantress Ji and Ba Tum, he was naturally clear.

He had no plans to remain in the Sea of Ruin for long. Unless Ba Tum could break through to the Domain Ancestor realm in an extremely short time, Shi Yan was confident he could escape, given the peculiarity of his own profound mysteries.

"Heh-heh," the Enchantress Ji chuckled flirtatiously, subtly shifting her position to create a bit of distance from Shi Yan, lest he press his advantage further. "Even if he were to pledge allegiance, it would naturally be to our Phantom Race.

Ling Mei, Ling Mei, stop dreaming." Ling Mei snorted lightly and turned her gaze toward the green, bubbling water zone, frowning. "What exactly happened here?" Faloni, Ye Bo-le, and Te Le-jia remained silent; the scene from moments before made them all appear rather uneasy.

"Let me explain," Shi Yan interjected once more. Both Ling Mei and the Enchantress Ji turned to look at him.

"It was like this..." Shi Yan explained the situation simply and clearly. "The three of them possessed formidable divine artifacts, which is how they managed to break free.

Otherwise, the outcome would have been the same for them." He paused, then looked at Faloni. "Deep within that seawater, an evil consciousness surged out.

I imagine she felt this most profoundly. You should ask her for the specifics." "I know nothing of the situation," Faloni said coldly, her face grim.

"The Relic of the Primal Era lies beneath the seawater in that green bubble zone. If you wish to explore, go ahead.

But you'd best be prepared, lest you suffer the same misfortune we did." Everyone fell silent. "Is it truly that perilous?" the Enchantress Ji whispered.

Shi Yan's expression was extremely grave. "It is terrifying beyond the ordinary.

If you intend to venture deep inside, you might require secret treasures and profound powers capable of isolating the soul's invasion. Otherwise, do not involve yourselves lightly." Hearing this, the Enchantress Ji's expression grew serious.

Then, she suddenly asked, "How did you manage to find your way here?" Faloni and the others had a reason for coming—they had the correct direction. The Enchantress Ji was certain Shi Yan had no idea how to navigate this area, yet here he stood.

This fact utterly baffled her. Naturally, Shi Yan would not reveal the truth: he had followed the subtle summons from the seabed, tracing that call slowly to this location.

He spoke casually, "I originally just intended to explore the seabed for any potential fortune, and then I noticed these people acting suspiciously. Since I had nothing pressing to do anyway, I followed them secretly." His tone shifted, and his expression darkened.

"What about you? How did you manage to track us here?" "I knew you had entered the water, and feeling uneasy, I came down to look.

On the way, I bumped into Ling Mei and her group, so I followed along," the Enchantress Ji replied with a sweet smile. They exchanged a glance, both knowing the other was withholding information, and both wisely chose not to press the matter further.

"What should we do?" Te Le-jia looked at Faloni. "Should we retreat, or wait a while longer?" Ye Bo-le, standing alone, was also weighing his options in secret, feeling that staying served no purpose; unable to pass through that area, lingering here was merely a waste of time.

Soon, Faloni, Te Le-jia, and Ye Bo-le all decided to withdraw temporarily. Once their resolution was set, they prepared to return the way they came.

A strange transformation occurred at that very moment! Those green bubbles, containing the desiccated corpses, suddenly burst open.

A wave of sinister, eerie energy erupted, rapidly sinking downward. In a very short time, the entire area strewn with green bubbles became devoid of any anomaly.

Ye Bo-le, who was closest, paused, then tentatively moved a short distance into the area. He detected no danger.

His spirit soaring, he immediately plunged in, looking down from that spot. Beneath him, the green bubbles were rapidly sinking, and the exploded corpses dissolved into pure energy, falling like motes of light.

These starlike points of light, during their descent, vaguely evolved into profound, esoteric Primal Symbols. The green bubbles seemed to act as nodes within some ancient Primal Array, and as they fell, a bright halo suddenly bloomed in the unfathomably distant, deep seabed below.

In the depths, a vast complex of grand architecture flashed momentarily. Everyone was stunned, then immediately rushed toward Ye Bo-le's position, looking down themselves and vaguely perceiving the blurred silhouette of the structures.

Simultaneously, Shi Yan's spirit trembled violently. He clearly sensed a powerful call emanating from the deep seabed!

It was the unique, faint whisper of a Primal Being—a sound he had heard once from Hui—and now it echoed directly within his Sea of Consciousness. The sound felt somewhat unreal, its content indistinct, as if beckoning him downward.

His expression shifted slightly, and for the first time, he hesitated. He did not know what lay in the deep ocean trench.

If a Primal Being truly resided there, then no one present would be able to contend with it. Even the weakest Primal Being would be utterly beyond the capacity of anyone here to fight!

From the gruesome deaths of the ancient demon race and Black Demon race members, he was certain that if a Primal Being existed, it was unlikely to possess benevolence. At his level of cultivation, under the crushing blow of a Primal Being, he would likely perish even faster, and even his Spatial Mysteries might not guarantee his escape.

To go, or not to go... "Come on, what are you hesitating for?" At that moment, the Enchantress Ji beckoned to him from afar, ecstatic.

"There really is a Relic of the Primal Era down there—a magnificent palace! Though we can't see it clearly, it must be incredibly spectacular!" Shi Yan pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and decided to venture down for a look, resolving to retreat immediately if anything untoward occurred.

With this thought, even before actually moving, he began making secret arrangements. Where he stood, the seawater rippled, coalescing into something resembling a floating marker.

He carefully probed with his Spatial Mysteries, confirming he could instantly teleport back to that spot. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief before finally moving toward the Enchantress Ji.

The place, once brutal and bloody, grew tranquil. The group paused there for a moment, and then, unable to resist, they began to sink.

The water pressure abruptly intensified. With every moment of descent, the protective shields around them were squeezed and deformed.

Shi Yan gradually began to struggle for breath, feeling as if he were being crushed by mountains and buffeted by countless walls as he sank deeper, his bones aching faintly. He glanced at the Enchantress Ji; she remained unharmed, her vibrant shield clinging tightly to her perfect form, seemingly unaffected.

He hesitated briefly, preparing to activate his bloodline power to initiate the transformation catalyzed by his blood. "Come here, join me.

We should be fine for a short while," the Enchantress Ji suddenly said. Shi Yan paused, then smiled, moving shamelessly toward her.

The Enchantress Ji's brightly colored shield suddenly split open with an aperture, expanding rapidly to envelop and accept Shi Yan inside. The shield became like an egg, the two of them pressed tightly together, shoulders touching.

Shi Yan could smell the subtle fragrance emanating from her body and feel the lush, captivating softness of her form. "You know about Ba Tum?" the Enchantress Ji suddenly asked.

Shi Yan looked utterly bewildered and shook his head. "I do not." "Don't lie to me!" The Enchantress Ji bit her lip slightly.

"When Ling Mei mentioned Ba Tum, you showed no surprise whatsoever. You must have learned of him from Yu Lian.

I am curious: knowing Ba Tum's level of power, why did you still dare provoke me? Aren't you afraid to die?" "To have you as my own, even death would be worthwhile," Shi Yan shrugged dismissively, exuding (elegance/casualness).

"You know that's impossible," the Enchantress Ji replied with a smiling façade, though her aura gradually turned icy, indicating her inner coldness remained. "You actively approached me.

I imagine no man could refuse; if I did, wouldn't that cause you to lose face?" Shi Yan responded calmly and casually. "I don't care who Ba Tum is.

The point is, once I find Audrey, I will leave the Sea of Ruin, perhaps even the Void Sea. Even if Ba Tum possesses power that reaches the heavens, what can he do to me then?" "You want to leave?

Return to the Desolate Domain?" The Enchantress Ji suddenly felt a surge of annoyance deep in her heart. "I haven't settled accounts with you yet, and you're already preparing to leave?" "Settle accounts with me?" Shi Yan’s expression chilled.

He turned to look at her, speaking bluntly, "You may have forgotten the lessons I taught you, but you should know that in your current, unhealed state, attempting to harm me seems to lack something essential." "I certainly haven't fully recovered, but do you truly think I have no means against you?" the Enchantress Ji retorted angrily. Shi Yan let out a cold snort, ceasing the verbal sparring.

Instead, he focused his attention below. Beneath them, a massive light barrier, like a canopy, slowly materialized.

Under the cover of this barrier, the colossal ruins of an ancient structure gradually emerged. Shielded by the light barrier, the ruins were not submerged by seawater.

The surface of the barrier was crisscrossed with numerous blood-red lines, resembling ravines and arteries, emitting a pungent, fishy stench. Shi Yan stared, his expression shifting as he suddenly spoke, "The bloodstains on those red lines belong to those who were just killed.

This... this is a blood sacrifice, a screen activated by blood." "Are you saying that we could enter, and the disappearance of those green bubbles, was because the people who died earlier provided enough blood to activate this place?" the Enchantress Ji grasped the meaning of his words precisely.

Shi Yan nodded. "How do you know?" the Enchantress Ji asked, surprised and confused.

"A feeling," Shi Yan frowned. It was indeed a feeling.

Gazing at the immense, sky-like light barrier beneath him, and the ruins of the ancient structure, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Merely glancing at the streaks of blood across the barrier, he knew instantly that it had been activated via blood sacrifice.

The sensation was strange, yet it felt undeniably factual to him. ...(To be continued)RQ