The colossal ancient structure, majestic as a mountain, rose in a pagoda shape, several hundred stories high, pierced by millions of windows. Upon the stone walls of this tiered edifice, countless Primordial Runes pulsed with life.

Every single one of those Primordial Runes symbolized life itself!

Shi Yan focused his spirit, gazing ahead, turning the Soul Altar, circulating the Profundity of Life.

"Hoo!"

His Soul Altar suddenly drifted out from above his head, like a giant cloud mass, ascending toward the apex of the tiered ancient structure.

Shi Yan’s physical body remained seated and still. His normally radiant eyes suddenly lost their divine light, becoming vacant and lifeless.

God Lord Brian and Ming Hao instantly stirred, emerging from the piles of shattered rock. With a mere thought, their spirits followed Shi Yan's Soul Altar skyward, meticulously monitoring for the slightest anomaly.

At this moment, with the altar gone, Shi Yan’s body resembled a stone statue. If Brian harbored ill intent, he could dispatch it with a casual stroke.

Ming Hao remained covertly wary of Brian.

"Stop being so suspicious. He still has value to me; I won't kill him," Brian sneered coldly. "I'm counting on him to fuse the Celestial Fire first, to see exactly what happens. Besides, he clearly triggered the anomaly here; we all depend on him to guide us past this location."

Ming Hao stared deeply at him. After several seconds, he finally relaxed.

Their attention refocused entirely on Shi Yan’s Soul Altar.

The Soul Altar resembled massive, layered clouds. The lowest layer was the Sea of Spiritual Consciousness, an endless, mist-like vast ocean. Above the Sea of Spiritual Consciousness was the Profundity Layer, upon which rested several unique artifacts.

There was a pitch-black cavern that writhed like a gaping maw capable of swallowing everything—that was the Profundity of Devouring.

There was a stretch of galaxy dotted with twinkling stars—that was the Profundity of Stars.

There was a transparent sphere in which life fluctuations ceaselessly surged—naturally, that was the Profundity of Life.

There was a strange mirror reflecting countless divergent spaces—that was the Profundity of Space.

There was a swath of desolate, cold gray zone, densely concentrated with the aura of death—that was the Profundity of Death.

These were the wonders within the Profundity Layer. Upon breaking through to the Immortal Realm, those Profoundities had subtly transformed into peculiar, almost substantial matter, all residing within this layer.

A sea of flame-stars, clustered like stars, was distinctly separate from the Profundity Layer, coexisting on the same stratum, marvelously like the Yin-Yang fish symbol.

Above the Profundity Layer and the Celestial Fire Layer was a vast domain of stars, scaled down by hundreds of millions, containing boundless space and myriad celestial bodies. Upon these stars grew ancient woods, cascaded rivers, and reigned endless death—but no living beings had ever been born there.

This was the Primordial Realm Layer, appearing slightly hazy before it was truly unfurled.

Further above the Primordial Realm Layer was the domain occupied by the Main Soul and the Sub-Soul, hovering like two deities, head bowed, gazing down upon the boundless Primordial Realm beneath, observing the Profundity Layer and the lower Sea of Spiritual Consciousness within it.

The positioning of these two god-like souls was deliberate: the Main Soul stood perceptibly higher, while the Sub-Soul hovered slightly lower, bordering the Primordial Realm Layer, seeming to merge with it, situated just above the Celestial Fire Layer.

At a glance, the Sub-Soul seemed to float directly above the Celestial Fire Layer, blending seamlessly with the Primordial Realm.

This constituted the entirety of Shi Yan's Soul Altar.

Now, the Soul Altar, like layered clouds, slowly ascended until it finally settled atop the immense ancient pagoda.

The lowest tier of the Soul Altar, the Sea of Spiritual Consciousness level, began to undulate with astonishing ripples. The transparent sphere representing the Profundity of Life on the Profundity Layer pulsed with a strange luminescence, exuding vibrant vitality, causing the Sea of Spiritual Consciousness to form layers of halos that enveloped the spire of the giant pagoda below.

Magically and unpredictably, the Primordial Runes on the colossal pagoda began to writhe, merging starting from the very bottom of the structure.

The runes on the lowest level of the hundred-story pagoda were merging into the runes on the layer just above it. It was a bizarre and marvelous spectacle, like earthworms writhing to pour themselves into the body of a small serpent.

Brian and Ming Hao exchanged glances; with their knowledge and experience, neither knew what was currently transpiring.

All they could do was wait—wait for the process to conclude, wait for a result. In the interim, they needed to do their utmost to protect Shi Yan, ensuring both his body and his altar could complete this strange transformation.

"I truly envy this kid. It seems he's found another stroke of great fortune. Last time, he was only at the Initial God Realm, and decades later, he’s broken through to Immortal. He’s getting closer and closer to us," Ming Hao couldn't help but muse.

Brian snorted coldly. "It's all due to the self-serving dominance of the Profundity of Devouring. This wicked technique that disregards the accumulation of sheer power grants him infinite possibilities."

"Having the Profundity of Devouring means he never needs to worry about insufficient power for condensation, but it still requires deep comprehension and exploration of the realms. You and I both know that sometimes, comprehension of the realm is far more arduous than accumulating strength. His reaching this stage today is proof enough—his talent is equally unparalleled," Ming Hao stated calmly.

Brian fell silent.

The facts were undeniable; he had to concede that Ming Hao was not wrong. While his rapid breakthrough to this level was certainly thanks to the mysterious power of the Profundity of Devouring, one could not deny Shi Yan's capacity for realm comprehension. Despite his arrogance and status, he had to admit that in this aspect, Shi Yan was second to none.

The two said no more, simply fixing their gaze on Shi Yan, awaiting further developments.

Ten days passed swiftly.

The Primordial Runes on the massive pagoda’s lower sections had vanished. The runes from the lower layers were continuously merging into the layers above. The merged runes became increasingly bright, increasingly vivid, emitting astonishing life fluctuations.

"What exactly is going to happen?" Ming Hao murmured softly.

The God Lord also waited expectantly, hoping to unravel the mystery of the ancient edifice and break through this location to return to the Barren Domain.

He was the Elder Patriarch of the Barren Domain's God Clan. He knew too well that the Barren Domain must be facing immense hardship due to the awakening of Hui, and he worried for his kin and his homeland. He was eager to depart.

Suddenly, he frowned, looking into the distance. "Someone is approaching."

Ming Hao’s expression flickered, then his eyes lit up, and a slight smile crossed his lips.

Three hours later.

A figure draped in cold, frosty white abruptly materialized. The moment she appeared, her delicate features contorted into an expression of utter astonishment, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "Uncle!" She looked at Ming Hao, a mixture of shock and joy on her face.

Ming Hao smiled for the first time. "Excellent, you found your way here too. I heard you were also looking for..."

He smiled, his eyes darting around, searching for something. He suddenly looked at the shadowy figure lurking on Audrey’s shoulder. His expression shook violently, his body trembling slightly with excitement, and he bowed deeply. "Your Elder is truly still alive."

Ming Hong grinned wildly. "After ten thousand years, you scoundrel have reached such a level! It was not a waste of my regard for you back then!"

Strictly speaking, Ming Hong was Ming Hao's first teacher and an elder of his clan, thus fully qualified to adopt the airs of seniority.

Ming Hao bowed respectfully. "Rest assured, I will certainly free you from the affliction of the malevolent spirit and find an excellent body from the Nether Emperor Clan for you so you can resume your cultivation."

"We'll discuss that later," Ming Hong waved his hand, sitting down heavily, like a miniature person ten times smaller resting on Audrey's shoulder. "What are you all doing here?"

"Whoosh!"

Another figure flashed into existence—Mei Ji's face, capable of overturning cities and states, also materialized.

Even Ming Hao and God Lord Brian were momentarily stunned, their faces registering brief obsession. However, after just a few seconds, both recovered their composure, forcefully severing the confusion in their minds.

Mei Ji glanced at the two. She couldn't fathom what was happening, but the fact that Ming Hao and the God Lord were completely unaffected by her charm techniques truly startled her, causing her internal alarm.

She had deliberately deployed her charm technique just now. With the innate talents of the Phantom Shadow Clan and her cultivation level, this technique, unleashed fully, should have instantly ensnared even Batuum, who could perceive dark energy. It should have been impossible for them to recover so quickly. Yet, Brian and Ming Hao snapped back to normal in an instant.

As far as she knew, not even cultivators who had generally broken through to the Domain Ancestor level could possess such resilience of heart and will.

Mei Ji was inwardly alarmed.

"This place absolutely cannot be disturbed. Any unfamiliar individuals should be immediately slain," Brian stated with cold indifference. "Are you going to act, or shall I?" he asked Ming Hao.

At these words, a chill swept through Mei Ji’s heart. Brian’s inhuman coldness caused her expression to change drastically. She immediately realized this stranger must have committed monstrous massacres, possessing no shred of chivalry. The fact that he still called for her death after she deployed her charm technique revealed just how ruthless he was.

Ming Hao ignored Brian, looking instead at Audrey with a puzzled gaze. "Who is this seductive woman? If she’s unfamiliar, we should kill her to avoid future trouble."

As the leader of the Bloodthirsty Soul Masters, Ming Hao’s hands were likewise stained with gore; killing brought him not only no psychological burden but a certain inexpressible thrill.

"I... I came looking for Shi Yan."

Mei Ji's cultivation level was not inferior to Ming Hao or Brian. Unfortunately, she had suffered a severe injury earlier and had not fully recovered, coupled with the fact that she lacked the millennia of bloodlust experienced by Brian and Ming Hao, whose hands were smeared with the gore of billions of beings. Consequently, her aura was considerably weaker, inducing in her a primal sense of fear and unease.

"Looking for Shi Yan?" Ming Hao’s expression turned peculiar. He glanced back at the Soul Altar atop the pagoda and teased, "A dog can’t change its habit of eating shit. No matter where this brat is, he always attracts beautiful women. Even here, he hasn't lost that old habit."

This remark was meant as a jab at Shi Yan, inadvertently implicating Mei Ji. However, after he finished speaking, he noticed his niece's face also flushed red, causing him to look surprised. "You, you too are involved with him?" Ming Hao gave Audrey a wry smile.

Audrey was utterly mortified.

"Profundity Talisman Pagoda! Primordial Source Talismans!" Just then, Ming Hong, perched on Audrey's shoulder, suddenly shrieked. He spun out like an ugly bat. "I remember! I remember! Singh once made an agreement with Tate—that they would search for something underwater later. It's actually true!"

He looked at the massive ancient pagoda, at the Primordial Runes, consumed by inexplicable excitement and fervor.

... (To be continued) RQ