The Star Domain of the Ancient Gods.

Countless stars, like brilliant diamonds, dotted the deep, dark river of space.

These stars glittered with a bright luster, resembling countless eyes, quietly peering into the vast expanse of the heavens and earth.

Today, the Star Domain of the Ancient Gods had become incomparably vast and boundless, fused from dozens of new stellar domains.

With the barriers between the merged domains gone, warships, flying chariots, divine vehicles, and martial artists traversed the space with ever-increasing frequency.

The Divine Race, the Great Wave Merchant Guild, the Thousand Illusions Sect, the Shattered Palace, the Heavenly Water Palace, and dozens of other deeply rooted powers now all pledged fealty to a brand new deity.

This deity was hailed by them as the "Mother Goddess," with Tian Xie serving as her spokesperson, the Four Heavenly Kings as her devout divine servants, and the patriarchs of the twelve great families of the Divine Race serving as the Divine Guards.

In a forgotten corner of the star domain.

A solitary figure flickered into existence.

He gazed blankly upon the newly forged star domain, an unconcealed sense of loss and vexation clouding his face.

He was the God Lord, Brian.

Ten millennia ago, he had commanded the Divine Race and all the strong entities under the heavens, striking down the Bloodthirsty and ensuring the Divine Race's prosperity for ten thousand years.

Now, the Desolate Domain consisted of only three great star domains: the Star Domain of the Ancient Gods, the Star Domain of the Ancient Demons, and the Star Domain of Divine Grace.

These three domains were named after the Ancient Continent, and between them lay terrifying cosmic barriers.

Even ordinary cultivators at the Immortal Realm found it exceptionally difficult to pierce these barriers to travel between the three domains.

He stood at the peak of the Immortal Realm, having grasped the profound secrets of Dark Energy.

With the passage of time, he was destined to gradually transform his Origin Realm and ascend to the Domain Ancestor realm.

He was, without question, a supreme powerhouse.

After a century’s absence, he returned to the Star Domain of the Ancient Gods, this ancestral land he had personally guided to glory, only to find everything had slipped beyond his control.

The territory of the Star Domain of the Ancient Gods today was vaster than during the Divine Race’s most brilliant era.

The stars scattered like grains of sand, and the beings and cultivators within the galaxy numbered in the hundreds of millions.

Alas, it seemed there was no longer a place for him here...

He remained suspended in a corner of the star river for a long time, deep in thought.

Ultimately, he did not forget the purpose of his arrival.

A bright, sacred light extended from his divine body, and his presence gradually faded from view.

Above the Ancient God Continent, his divine form coalesced as if from shattered stars, piece by piece reassembling, slowly revealing his true self.

He looked down upon the current Ancient God Continent.

Suddenly, his face turned ashen.

It felt as if a sharp knife had stabbed deep into his bone marrow.

The Ancient God Continent below contained not a single member of the Divine Race.

This cradle of the Divine Race, this place of genesis, was enveloped by layers of iridescent, seven-colored halo.

Those unaware of the truth might gaze upon it and deem it exquisitely beautiful, believing the Ancient God Continent was beyond compare in its magnificence.

However, he could see past the neon glow to the reality beneath.

The massive serpentine body of the Primordial Creature, Hui, tightly coiled around the Ancient God Continent beneath that pretty, luminous aura.

Twelve of Hui’s serpentine heads were spread across the twelve regions of the continent, burrowed deep into the continent’s caves, oceans, mountain peaks, and ravines, seeming to devour the land.

The area of the Ancient God Continent had already shrunk by a third.

Many famous mountain ranges and lakes had vanished without a trace.

It was like ferocious beasts feasting; they were consuming the Ancient God Continent, a mere avatar of the Desolate One.

He looked down upon the continent, a chilling cold as deep as the winter settling in his heart, flames of fury swirling in his eyes.

Watching Hui gradually cannibalize the Ancient God Continent, his soul felt a profound sorrow—the lament of the origin residing within his own soul...

He understood clearly that the Ancient God Continent was his primal body, containing lifeforms and bone structures akin to flesh and blood within its depths.

Now, Hui’s twelve serpentine heads were acting like leeches, sucking the primal essence from the continent.

The vanished lakes and mountains were a direct result of the world's vital energy being siphoned away.

“I will not let you have your way.

I have returned, and I will reclaim everything that rightfully belongs to me.” The God Lord murmured, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

His entire being transformed into a fiercely burning sun, radiating terrifying light and heat.

The searing ball of flame blazed brilliantly above the Ancient God Continent, its sacred energy waves scattering outward, startling many powerhouses on the continent below.

“What is that?” “It’s him! He’s returned!” “He intends to harm the Mother Goddess!” “He should never have come back!” Cultivators scattered across the stars surrounding the Continent of Divine Grace watched the fierce flames, their expressions varied—some complex, some scornful, and others deeply melancholic.

Miraculously, the Great Wave Star and the Thousand Illusions Star were also drawn close to the Ancient God Continent, along with the main stars of those powerful factions.

All were pulled in by sheer force, tethered near the Ancient God Continent like planets orbiting a central sun, shielding it to prevent any interference.

On the Great Wave Star, Tian Xie opened his eyes in the underground palace, his expression cold and severe.

“I hadn’t expected you to return.

But what good does returning do? The Mother Goddess cannot be disturbed while she refines the Ancient God Continent.

It seems I must step in and adjust matters…” He vanished from the water pool.

In the next instant, Tian Xie materialized directly above the Ancient God Continent.

“Brian, long time no see.

Returning after only a century; you’re quite fast.

Tell me, did you gain anything from the Primordial Ruins at the bottom of the Sea of Annihilation? The Mistress placed high hopes on you, wishing you would bring back some profound mysteries.” The God Lord’s heart skipped a beat.

“Tian Xie, did Hui send both me and Ming Hao into the center of the Primordial Ruins in the Sea of Annihilation, perhaps so that I...?” His expression instantly contorted.

“The Mistress hoped that you and Ming Hao could retrieve the Rune Tower of Profound Meaning from there.

I wonder if you succeeded?” Tian Xie inquired languidly.

He paid no heed to the fact that the God Lord was continuously releasing light energy, turning himself into a burning sun.

Under the stimulation of Dark Energy, the intense, sacred halo spread invisibly, gradually permeating the neon glow covering the Continent of Divine Grace below, intending to melt away the illusion Hui had manifested.

Brian’s face was grim; he offered no reply.

He finally realized that his entrapment in the Primordial Ruins with Ming Hao had not been an accident, but deliberate action by Hui! Hui had known the Rune Tower of Profound Meaning was there, and deliberately placed them in it, hoping that Brian and Ming Hao would retrieve it.

If they obtained it, they would inevitably return to the Desolate Domain to settle scores with Hui and reclaim what was lost...

Flashes of insight illuminated his mind, and Brian’s expression changed as he grasped the crucial point! —Hui required the Rune Tower of Profound Meaning but could not retrieve it from the seabed of the Sea of Annihilation himself.

So, Hui trapped him and Ming Hao there, anticipating that they would certainly return to the Desolate Domain.

If he and Ming Hao secured the tower, the moment they entered the Desolate Domain, they would be targeted by Hui for plunder! He suddenly understood everything.

“It is a pity the Mistress overestimated you and Ming Hao.

Evidently, both of you failed,” Tian Xie observed, shaking his head.

“You lack that particular aura; you didn’t bring back the Rune Tower.

What a regret.

If you failed, Ming Hao must have failed as well...” Pausing, Tian Xie scoffed and commanded sharply, “Why hide and sneak around? Show yourselves! Go exchange pleasantries with your old master!” A succession of figures materialized around Brian—none other than the Four Heavenly Kings: Xiaoyao, Zizai, Guangming, and Shenwu.

Remarkably, all Four Heavenly Kings had broken through to the third level of the Immortal Realm, and they faintly exhibited traces of grasping the mysteries of Dark Energy.

However, each bore a dark cyan serpentine mark etched upon their foreheads.

The Four Heavenly Kings looked distinctly uncomfortable.

Upon appearing, they all let out a quiet sigh and bowed slightly toward Brian.

“You are all excellent! Excellent!” Brian scoffed, shaking his head.

“You aid the villain and betray your trust, handing over the ancestral land for that Hui to refine.

Have you truly abandoned the future of your race in your hearts?!” “We did it for the continuation of the race,” Zizai Heavenly King sighed deeply.

“If we had not submitted, the Divine Race...

might have been purged from the sea of stars, and all our kin slaughtered.

We had no choice.” “We have failed you,” Xiaoyao and the others hung their heads.

“But now that things are as they are, we hope you...

can continue to forgive us.” Zizai Heavenly King looked resigned.

“If the Mother Goddess is harmed, we all perish.

We must guarantee her safety while she refines the Ancient God Continent.

Therefore...

we are sorry!” “Boom!” Zizai Heavenly King suddenly struck.

Streaks resembling meteors, streaks that allow no return, shot forth as if traveling through the long river of time, piercing the eternal future to strike directly at the chest of God Lord Brian.

Almost simultaneously, Xiaoyao Heavenly King used a crescent moon manifestation of his divine power and spirit.

The crescent flashed faintly in the void, also silently flying towards the God Lord.

Guangming and Shenwu attacked without a word, concentrating terrifying profound mysteries.

Guangming transformed into hundreds of dazzling beams of light, while Shenwu rushed forward like a colossal mountain, both assaults directed at the God Lord.

His once loyal subordinates, joining forces to besiege him today, brought an unspeakable, sour sadness to Brian’s heart.

“Since he failed to bring the Rune Tower of Profound Meaning, he holds no value in being alive.

Four Heavenly Kings, kill him.

Once he is dead, the bonds in your hearts will finally be severed.

Only then can you possibly step into the Domain Ancestor realm in the future,” Tian Xie incited from the side.

Upon hearing this, the momentum of the Four Heavenly Kings intensified, truly displaying the resolve to execute the God Lord to achieve a state of clarity.

Just as Tian Xie described, the God Lord was the demon in their hearts.

This former master was like a mountain range, a dense, dark cloud, perpetually hanging over them.

As long as the God Lord existed, they would feel a constant threat, believing they might one day perish by his hands.

As long as this threat remained, they could never find true peace.

This inner demon shackled their minds and hindered their breakthroughs to higher realms.

Therefore, the God Lord had to die.

The demise and extinction of this former master would sever the fear embedded in their souls! Inside the seven-colored neon halo, atop the former Divine Race’s Heavenly God Peak, a gigantic serpentine head emerged.

Atop this head sat a gorgeous, seven-colored, brilliant throne.

Upon the throne sat a figure of captivating beauty and arrogance—it was none other than Ziyao.

Ziyao now possessed eyes faintly tinged with seven colors, and a light purple gown draped over the throne.

She looked up at the battle between the God Lord and the Four Heavenly Kings, and unlike before, her gaze held a flicker of interest rather than absolute lack of human emotion.

Today, she seemed to be gradually acquiring human sentiments, becoming more and more like the Ziyao of old.

……(To be continued.

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