As the Divine Lord Bryan fell into contemplation, Ming Hao gestured, signaling Shi Yan to ascend high into the air.

Shi Yan nodded, thinking nothing more of it, and headed straight toward the apex of the sky-like light curtain, using their current location as the center.

After a long while, he reached the bottom of the light curtain and looked down upon the underground world. A single glance revealed only shattered ruins and collapsed ancient halls; indeed, only the ancient structure housing Ming Hao and the Divine Lord below remained intact.

Transforming into a streak of starlight, he attempted to pierce through the light curtain.

"Bang!"

It was as if he had struck an invisible sphere; his divine body was forcefully repelled. With surprise etched on his face, he activated his dark energy, concealing his divine form, and charged upward once more.

"Bang!"

He was thrown back again, his entire body aching, his very bones threatening to shatter.

His expression darkened, and he frowned deeply as he examined the light curtain. He noticed that the ripples vibrating across its surface spread only outward, not inward. He could see these ripples, yet they were blocked by the curtain. The seawater above the light curtain stirred strangely, seemingly agitated by his impacts.

A starlight transformed into a hand blade, which he thrust toward the light curtain. "Crack!"

The hand blade disintegrated, showering down as scattered stardust, yet the light curtain remained unbroken.

He knitted his brows and then tried to condense spatial power, attempting to shatter the overhead expanse with a blade of space. However, for some unknown reason, as soon as his spatial blade was about to take shape, it would be affected by an unseen force, suddenly exploding before it could fully form.

After numerous failed attempts, he gradually lost hope, his face growing extremely grave.

"It's very strange; you can only enter, not leave. I tried every method I could think of. I cannot break through the light curtain." He reappeared beside Ming Hao and Bryan, his expression terrible. "I suppose after being trapped for decades, you must have exhausted all possibilities too?"

Upon hearing this, Ming Hao and Bryan's expressions also turned solemn. They gazed silently at the ancient structure covered in Primordial Runes.

After a long pause, Bryan said calmly, "It seems the key remains here. Our direction was not wrong; only by breaking the profound mystery of this ancient structure can we truly find a way to leave."

Ming Hao nodded in agreement.

In the ruins beneath the light curtain.

As soon as Audrey descended, she flew directly toward the location that resonated with her soul, which pinpointed Shi Yan's exact position, without a word.

Meiji, who had been keeping a close watch on her, noticed her apparent destination and secretly formed a plan, quietly following behind.

Ling Mei, Faloni, Yebola, and the others descended into the ruins. For a moment, they were lost, wandering everywhere, marveling at the grandeur of this Primordial Relic.

"This place used to look like an ancient city. I wonder what happened to turn it into ruins," Yebola remarked after circling the area, finding nothing of value. "It’s vast; perhaps if we split up, some of us might gain something. What do you think?"

Faloni and Ling Mei maintained cold expressions. Until something was found, no one wished to instigate conflict prematurely.

They gradually dispersed, moving and wandering through the ruins, hoping for a discovery.

After an unknown amount of time, a gray figure descended from the sky, landing precisely beside Faloni and Telleka. It was an extremely ugly old man, corpulent and shaped like a sphere, his face covered in bumps like toad skin, an utterly repulsive sight.

His eyes were tiny, flashing with a sinister and cruel glint, and he held a rhombus-shaped staff inlaid with gems.

As he landed, he looked upward and said grimly, "You can come down now; there won't be any more trouble. Remember what you promised me."

As the words fell, Tate of the Soul Race laughed loudly and slowly descended from above, accompanied by several other Soul Race members.

An old woman of the Devourer Race followed Tate down, emanating a thick odor of corrosion, her greenish-yellow eyes swirling with a bizarre light as she surveyed her surroundings like a viper.

"Huh!"

Faloni and Telleka’s faces changed simultaneously, and they cried out in shock, staring at the sudden arrivals with astonishment.

They had been exploring this relic for several days without any findings. Now, seeing acquaintances descending, a tremor of fear ran through them.

"Greetings, Senior Batuum!" Telleka blinked, then suddenly laughed, greeting the extremely ugly, corpulent old man.

The spherical Batuum, as hideous as a toad, rolled his eyes toward Telleka and let out a sinister, strange laugh. "You fiends from the Black Demon Race, you are quick indeed. Well, have you discovered anything?"

As he spoke, his eyes roamed over Telleka and Faloni, as if he would not hesitate to strike and seize anything he deemed amiss.

Telleka and Faloni shivered inwardly and instinctively stepped back slightly. Telleka spoke up, "We found nothing, only collapsed palace ruins—nothing of any value at all."

He raised his hands, repeating, "When we arrived, we sought permission from above. The Elder knows our movements, Senior. Surely you won't plot against us?"

"How do you know I would plot against you?" Batuum bared his teeth, his expression menacing and sinister.

"Meiji is here too," Faloni suddenly added.

Batuum’s attention was successfully diverted, and his small eyes instantly lit up. He chuckled, "My woman is inside. Very good, very good. I’ve looked for her several times, and she was never around. So, after returning to the Sea of Annihilation, she came straight here. She is quite proactive, and her sources are clearly well-connected."

"Don't waste everyone's time!" The old woman of the Devourer Race suddenly snorted, glaring impatiently at Batuum.

Batuum’s expression turned cold. "I was invited by Tate; I am not under your command. Stop bossing me around!"

"Please, both Seniors, calm your anger," Tate quickly interjected. "Our goal is the same, and moreover, I have more precise intelligence. Let's not start fighting before we even see anything. My Soul Race has secretly plotted for many years to search this place, losing hundreds of lives in the process, and now we are finally here."

Batuum and the Devourer Race old woman snorted and said no more.

Faloni and Telleka exchanged a look; they both perceived sheer horror in the other's eyes. They finally understood that the information they possessed was likely superficial. The Soul Race had sacrificed hundreds for this relic and had been scheming for years, silently planning. Now that Tate Master had personally come to the Sea of Annihilation, they finally understood the hidden meaning behind their earlier confusion.

They realized that Tate’s Master was likely here for the same reason.

Thinking this, they subconsciously scanned their surroundings, trying to locate the old monster.

Regrettably, they saw nothing.

"Where is my woman?" Batuum glared at Telleka.

Telleka gave a wry smile and shook his head. "She left as soon as she came down. This place is huge; who knows where she is?"

Your woman?

In his heart, Telleka muttered to himself. Remembering the attitude Shi Yan and Meiji had displayed earlier, he secretly felt a perverse anticipation, wondering how mad Batuum would become if he knew the truth.

He dared not reveal the matter, fearing that in his fury, Batuum might disregard the strength of the Black Demon Race and simply obliterate him and Faloni.

"The main business is paramount," Tate said, looking into the distance. "Let us proceed to our destination first."

Batuum and the Devourer Race old woman nodded in agreement. Led by Tate, the group flew toward the direction where Audrey and Meiji had vanished.

Watching them depart in haste, Faloni remained silent for a long time. "It seems we only know a very shallow fraction of what’s going on. Meiji rushed that way immediately upon arrival, and now they are heading in the same direction. This suggests there is something crucial over there. Should we continue wasting time here?"

"Let's go and follow them discreetly," Telleka said helplessly. "At least we'll know what’s happening, and we’ll have something to report when we return."

Deep within the ruins under the light curtain.

Ling Mei and the members of the Xuan Tian Race were searching everywhere, then suddenly looked up overhead.

Batuum and Tate's group swept past above them. Batuum glanced down at her briefly, showing a flicker of surprise, but he did not pause for even a moment.

Ling Mei coughed lightly, gathered her clansmen, and said, "Batuum and Tate have arrived too. Their direction is the same as where Meiji left earlier, and they didn't stop along the way. It seems all those people know something, whereas we are just wandering around aimlessly."

"Please guide us, My Lord!" they commanded.

"We'll go there too!" Ling Mei made her decision and led her clan soaring into the sky. Soon, she noticed Telleka and Faloni stealthily following as well, confirming her belief that this was the correct path.

"If we don't decipher this ancient structure, none of us will be able to get out. This place is the key," Ming Hao murmured, head bowed, resembling an old monk in deep meditation. "I cannot sense the call of this place; the key to unlocking it lies with you two. You figure something out."

"What solution could I possibly have?" the Divine Lord’s tone was stiff. "If I had a solution, I would have left long ago!"

"You couldn't get in?" Shi Yan asked in surprise.

"You might as well give it a try," the Divine Lord replied with unconcealed mockery.

"Let me think first." Seeing that even the Divine Lord had no solution and wasn't even trying actively, Shi Yan found a spot among the scattered rocks not far from the two and sat down, looking up at the ancient structure where the Primordial Runes writhed, frowning in deep thought.

He quietly activated his Soul Altar, circulating the profound truths within the Truth Layer, causing them to change continuously.

The profound truths of Starlight, Devouring, Space, and Death flowed forth, and his aura rapidly shifted—one moment vast and boundless, the next wickedly dark like an endless abyss, then vanishing entirely, or stagnant with deathly energy, formless like water, undergoing wondrous transformations.

He started circulating the profound truth of Life...

Suddenly, an intense pulsation erupted from the Truth Layer. The profound truth of Life surged violently, and his mind became like a boundless ocean, brimming with infinite vitality.

Almost simultaneously, the billions of Primordial Runes covering the ancient structure suddenly shone brightly like stars!

Bryan and Ming Hao stared in horror, looking up at the dazzling ancient structure, frozen for a moment.

At that very instant, Shi Yan suddenly understood the meaning behind those identical Primordial Runes. Each identical rune represented a single meaning—Life!

...(To be continued)RQ