"Oh!"

As soon as they arrived, the newcomers couldn't help but exclaim, their expressions strange as they took in the scene before them.

"Who are these two? They don't look like they're from the Seven Clans, nor masters from the Sea of Ruin. Strange." Falonie focused her gaze, astonishment dawning in her eyes.

Behind her were Telega, along with Lingmei and others from the Xuantian Clan. They had been trailing behind Batum and Ganfu, and upon arrival, they were momentarily stunned to find Batum and Ganfu already locked in combat with others.

"Where are Tate and his people?" Lingmei's bright eyes darted around, her expression gradually growing solemn and serious. She detected a scent of blood and instinctively looked towards it.

Beneath the area where Ganfu hovered in the air, there was a spread of scarlet blood, still not fully dried...

Lingmei inwardly shuddered. A glance at Ganfu made her instantly realize what had happened. "Everyone, keep back! Don't get too close!" she cautioned her subordinates.

"Mystery Rune Pagoda! Primal Origin Rune!"

Just then, Yebole of the Ancient Demon Clan inexplicably appeared, his face contorted with fanaticism as he stared at the ancient pagoda, shrieking uncontrollably.

This shriek exploded in everyone's minds like thunder. Falonie, Telega, and Lingmei immediately ignored the situation with Batum and Ganfu, their eyes wide, staring at the colossal ancient pagoda in disbelief.

They were all elites from the Seven Clans, possessing extraordinary insight. Even without seeing depictions of the Mystery Rune Pagoda firsthand, they had all heard of its profound mysteries. Upon hearing that the giant ancient structure before them was indeed the Mystery Rune Pagoda, they were instantly and deeply shaken.

The eyes of every single person ignited, burning with fierce flames of greed, fixed unmovingly on the ancient tower.

"Is that?" Lingmei cried out in horror, looking towards the Soul Altar at the very pinnacle of the Mystery Rune Pagoda, unable to suppress her exclamation: "He is merging the Primal Origin Rune?"

Lingmei’s gaze locked onto Meiji.

Meiji’s expression was bitter.

"Ah-ooh!"

Suddenly, Ganfu let out a mournful cry to the heavens, her divine body seemingly being burned by the scorching sun like ice and snow, sweat pouring from her in torrents.

Her Origin World manifested. Within that world, countless poisonous miasmas swirled, beneath which lay patches of multicolored swamps, emanating a corrosive odor that caused the heart and spirit to tremble.

At this moment, Ganfu's Origin World was enveloped in brilliance. The poisonous mists within that world were evaporating, and the swamps were being covered by dazzling light, the colors that represented corrosive power fading little by little. Those swamps gradually became clear, transforming into pristine lakes.

This signified the rapid depletion of Ganfu's corrosive energy!

The Divine Lord’s expression was indifferent, his body radiating light like a celestial curtain, as if bathed in ten thousand rays of glory. The five giant stars of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth revolved incessantly like diamonds, unleashing an awe-inspiring pressure.

Ganfu was utterly unable to resist!

She was unaware that the Divine Lord Brian had battled the Bloodthirsty lineage for ten thousand years, giving him intimate knowledge of all their profound mysteries. After inheriting the wonders of the Desolate One, his Brightness Mystery happened to be the bane of the Bloodthirsty lineage, and thus, it was naturally effective against their Corrosion Mystery as well.

Batum was also finding things difficult.

He cultivated the Storm Mystery; clusters of massive wind masses rolled and converged, forming vast storm zones. The intensity and terror of these storms could annihilate any Initial God expert.

Even those in the Immortal Realm would have their Soul Altars shattered and be torn to shreds by the ferocious winds within his Storm Domain.

However, within that storm domain, Minghao merely needed a single thought to transform, becoming myriad manifestations. Every wisp of his separated soul was like an unquenchable flame, flickering yet refusing to die out. From every wisp, a soul-binding force emanated, wrapping around his soul like chains of the spirit.

Batum's storm domain slowly became clogged, sluggish, and congealed. He roared wildly, attacking every wisp of Minghao's divided soul.

Minghao's sinister mocking laughter surged from all directions, inundating him like an endless tide, striking his soul from every angle.

Batum had experience fighting experts from the Devourer Clan, including those who cultivated the Soul Control Mystery. But the Soul Control Mystery displayed by Minghao far surpassed his comprehension.

In the interim, Minghao’s soul would flicker in and out of existence, as if traversing the cracks in space, effortlessly evading the ravages of the storm.

Batum did not know that Minghao was proficient in the soul mysteries of the Nether Royal Clan, had arduously cultivated the Space Mystery, and only later became a servant to the Bloodthirsty lineage before finally studying the Soul Control Mystery.

Few people knew that the first two phases of his life had influenced Minghao immensely, allowing him to cultivate the Soul Control Mystery to an entirely new height—even surpassing the Bloodthirsty lineage's understanding of it back then, and far exceeding the current practitioners of the Soul Control Mystery among the Devourer Clan.

Although Batum could perceive Dark Energy, his level was not significantly higher than Shi Yan's. Before breaking through to the Domain Ancestor realm, he couldn't properly operate the profound mysteries of Dark Energy, failing to achieve a qualitative leap.

—And thus, he too fell into a disadvantage.

At the very pinnacle of the Mystery Rune Pagoda, Shi Yan’s main and secondary souls pressed down like the firmament. Waves carrying his consciousness were transmitted from the divine sense layer, influencing the Mystery Rune Pagoda.

Those Primal Runes merged layer upon layer, gradually reaching the top ten layers. At this point, the merging speed began to slow down.

With Batum and Ganfu suppressed by the Divine Lord and Minghao respectively, Falonie, Yebole, Lingmei, and the others who arrived later, seeing that even Batum and Ganfu could not secure victory, also calmed down. They dared not seek an opportunity to strike, instead observing the situation in secret, ready to adapt as circumstances changed.

Yebole’s movements were furtive; he stealthily shifted his position, creeping behind a pile of rubble.

Huddled within the stone heap, seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he sneered coldly and took out an eerie, strange eye—clearly a secret treasure for soul communication. Yebole held the bizarre artifact in both hands, aligning his own eyes with it, covertly circulating his thoughts and soul, preparing to contact the true powerhouses of his clan.

"Whoosh!"

A bat-like aberration suddenly materialized before Yebole. He grinned sinisterly, and just as Yebole was about to deploy the secret technique, the aberration suddenly slashed out a claw.

"Crack!"

The eye-like secret treasure instantly shattered. The condensed soul consciousness inside broke into fragments, forming a shockwave that shot straight into Yebole's mind.

Blood streamed from Yebole's eyes, and he leaped up with a piercing scream, like a wounded beast whose tail had been severed, instantly going berserk.

"Kid, stay put and behave. Don't even think about sending messages out casually. Your Soul Altar is already damaged; don't move around unnecessarily," Minghong sneered drily.

He had been keeping an eye on all areas. Upon noticing Yebole sneaking away to prepare a transmission, he hadn't struck immediately. Instead, he waited until Yebole initiated the spell and his soul consciousness was gathered before striking lethally, leaving Yebole with absolutely no means of defense and inflicting a severe blow to his soul instantly.

Minghong had been with Singh for many years and was inherently cunning and vicious. After consuming Singh’s soul, he even learned Singh’s treachery and malice, making his underhanded strikes truly impossible to guard against.

Yebole screamed tragically, his eyes seemingly blinded, blood flowing without stopping. He could only see a vague, murky gray shadow flickering before him. He quickly calmed down, immediately ceasing his screams, and sat down on the spot.

Irregular stones materialized above his head, enveloping his entire body. Each stone secretly contained a terrifying fluctuation of power. These powers were bound together like ropes; it seemed that if even one stone was touched by an attack, a massive explosion would be triggered involving all of them.

Minghong had provoked him with words, wishing Yebole would fly into a rage and attack. Unexpectedly, the boy calmed down so quickly, abandoning all offensive action to focus entirely on defense, even sacrificing a life-saving ultimate treasure.

After staring deeply at the stones for a while, Minghong dared not attempt to forcibly break through them and could only secretly give up, transforming back into an illusion and leaving.

Blood flowed from Yebole's eyes like streams, his appearance terrifying, causing Falonie, Telega, and Lingmei to inwardly tremble, and they dared not take immediate action.

They all focused their gazes on the Mystery Rune Pagoda.

On the Mystery Rune Pagoda, Shi Yan's main and secondary souls hovered like celestial beings looking down from a great height, overlooking the profound mysteries layer upon layer below the Origin World.

Gradually, those Primal Runes drew nearer and nearer to the tower's apex, with more and more merging. The symbols became dazzling, emitting seven-colored halos—magnificent, splendid, and incredibly beautiful.

Waves of surging life force emanated from those symbols, making the world beneath the light curtain seem to burst with vitality. As everyone observed closely, they discovered that in the crevices of many ruined rocks, unknown weeds were stubbornly sprouting—the weeds were lush and verdant, full of tenacious vitality.

"Life Mystery!" Lingmei exclaimed.

Everyone could also see that the Primal Origin Rune represented life and could merge into the mysteries cultivated by those who practiced the Life Mystery.

Audrey, seeing that the fusion was reaching the most critical step, also grew solemn. She collected the remaining fierce souls of Singh and let them drift out, keeping a tight watch on Falonie, Telega, Yebole, and Lingmei, secretly issuing commands.

If any of them dared to make a move, the fierce souls were to immediately strike with full force.

Falonie, Telega, and the others saw that the Primal Origin Rune was about to merge into Shi Yan's mind, knowing that if they missed this step, the rune would truly belong to Shi Yan.

Those individuals struggled fiercely, making secret plans, casting their gazes towards Batum and Ganfu.

They knew that in this final moment, Batum and Ganfu would fight desperately, willing to risk everything for the Primal Origin Rune. They waited, anticipating that these two supreme powerhouses would manage to trap the Divine Lord and Minghao, thus revealing a sliver of opportunity for their own success.

"For the Primal Origin Rune! For the Mystery Rune Pagoda! Let’s risk it all!" Yebole, with blood streaming from his eyes, rose up with a terrifying expression. He opened his eyes and charged fearlessly toward the Mystery Rune Pagoda.

Batum and Ganfu simultaneously let out the roars of cornered beasts nearing death. Batum clenched his fist and struck his own brow.

Above his head, a terrifying storm suddenly materialized, containing billions of wind blades churning within, capable of tearing apart countless living beings—like a monstrous, chewing maw, it lunged towards Minghao’s divided souls.

Ganfu shrieked eerily, spitting out viscous green blood. That essence blood contained terrifying corrosive power. Once released, it dissolved the light pressure exerted by the Divine Lord, even causing the Divine Lord himself to change expression in shock. "Now this is getting interesting!"

"Meiji!" Lingmei cried out sharply, her face grave. "Whose side are you on?"

Meiji looked towards the sky, struggling painfully within, unable to make a choice.

... ps: Second update. Little Ni seeks guaranteed monthly votes from brothers and sisters! Please support!