The Four Heavenly Kings—Guangming, Shenwu, Xiaoyao, and Zizai—attacked in concert, encircling the Divine Lord Brian in the center, ferociously unleashing the Immortal Triple Heaven strength they had only recently attained!

A single icy crescent moon shot forth, as if piercing the heavens, carrying with it the roiling, silver-white waters of the celestial river, surging toward the Divine Lord.

Within a vast, dazzling sea of golden light, the Guangming Heavenly King presided at the core. Countless mirrors within the sea of light refracted and amplified the blinding radiance exponentially. A single beam of light, capable of shattering a continent, merged with others, stabbing down to envelop the Divine Lord entirely.

The Zizai and Shenwu Heavenly Kings transformed into monstrous, towering divine effigies, tearing at the firmament like colossal gods, crushing the very void into dust.

Tian Xie watched coldly from the sidelines, holding back from the fray, strange light waves flickering in his eyes.

One by one, the patriarchs of the Twelve Great Families materialized. These were individuals who had previously submitted to the Divine Lord’s command, but now they emerged, gazing upon Brian with expressions tangled in complex emotion.

At the brow of each family patriarch, and many of the Starting God realm experts, rested a dark cyan, serpentine mark.

It was a Slave Mark!

They were now all servants of the Primordial Being Hui. They had pledged a portion of their souls to Hui, and with a mere thought from Hui, the soul mark could be activated to execute them.

If Hui were to perish, the serpentine marks would detonate, and they too would meet a gruesome end.

The Divine Lord Brian, locked in battle with the Four Heavenly Kings, watched these familiar clan members, noting the snake marks etched on their foreheads. A bitter ache filled his heart. These people were his kin; some were even his direct descendants, those who revered him as an ancestor and took pride in his name.

Yet, today, every one of them had become a thrall of Hui, rising up with outsiders to challenge him.

There is no greater agony in this world than watching loved ones desperately hunt you down. For Brian, this wound to his soul might never fully fade.

“What are you still waiting for?” Tian Xie scoffed coldly. “The Mother God watches you from below. Do you not feel obliged to do something for her?”

Hearing this, the twelve patriarchs instinctively looked toward the Ancient God Continent. High above the original summit of the Celestial Peak, a figure of captivating allure could indeed be faintly discerned, seemingly fixing a gaze upon all of them, sending shivers down their spines.

“The Mother God is refining the Ancient God Continent; she cannot be disturbed during this process. Your very lives and souls are intrinsically linked to hers. Should the Mother God suffer any harm, you will all share the consequence. I believe I have made myself perfectly clear,” Tian Xie stated calmly.

The patriarchs of the Twelve Families fell silent for a few seconds, then gritted their teeth and roared, “All together! We must force him back!”

“Incorrect. Not force back—kill!” Tian Xie corrected, his voice chilling. “If Brian lives, he will inevitably seek trouble for the Mother God, and he will be a constant source of anxiety for you all. Therefore, he must die!”

“Begin the attack,” they murmured, heads bowed, faces grim, issuing the order once more.

Numerous Divine Race powerhouses, joined by the Four Heavenly Kings, unleashed lethal force, all aimed at Brian. Under the deluge of power surges, fire blasts, ice shards, and lightning, Brian, facing hundreds of his own clan’s experts alongside the combined assault of the Four Heavenly Kings, clearly began to falter.

The Four Heavenly Kings, themselves at the Immortal Triple Heaven, understood the manipulation of Dark Energy and the construction of soul-woven sealing barriers. Moreover, Brian had personally instructed them in his earlier days, making them intimately familiar with combined assault techniques. When these four focused their might on a single foe, the resulting power was terrifying.

Under the relentless onslaught of the Four Heavenly Kings, a profound desolation washed over Brian. He was reliving the horrifying scenario he had once endured with Shixue—the ceaseless encirclement by powerful foes, the desperation, the struggle.

He was far more wretched than Shixue had been…

Because today, he was merely at the pinnacle of the Immortal realm, not at the Domain Ancestor level that Shixue had reached. Furthermore, those attacking him were his own Divine Race clansmen; he could not unleash wholesale slaughter, leaving him constantly on the defensive.

“Pfft!”

A mouthful of blood sprayed out as he gazed at the Spear of Guangming impaled in his chest, casting a cold glance toward the Guangming Heavenly King.

The Guangming Heavenly King’s expression was remote, betraying no hint of guilt, only frigidity.

His gaze swept past Shenwu and Zizai, landing upon the younger Starting God descendants of the clan. He saw only icy stares, utterly devoid of any regard for him as their former leader, projecting an eagerness for his demise.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

As various powers hammered against him, Brian’s heart grew colder, his despair deepening. He finally realized: the Divine Race of today was no longer his Divine Race. The clansmen of today were no longer his kin. As his injuries mounted, he slowly grew numb, but the agony of his divine body paled in comparison to the grief tearing at his soul.

“Good! Very good! You are all very good!”

Brian threw his head back and roared with manic laughter, his hair disheveled, the arrogance and aloofness that defined him stripped away. He glared fiercely at Tian Xie, then cast a downward glance toward the alluring figure below who hadn't even bothered to act, and shouted, “I, Brian, swear an oath here today: When I ascend to the Domain Ancestor realm, I shall remember no past affection! I will return to this very place!”

With that declaration, he transformed into a bright streak of light, speeding toward the distant starry barrier.

Along his path, several Starting Gods from the Twelve Families were caught in the blast of his power and instantly shredded into fragments of flesh and bone that rained down.

This was the first time he had taken lives in earnest!

This action signaled his complete awakening; he would no longer view them as kin and would show no mercy.

Brian broke through the encirclement. Tian Xie paused momentarily, then flashed across the multicolored halo surrounding the Ancient God Continent, kneeling respectfully beneath the Ziyao Throne on the Celestial Peak, bowing his head to inquire, “Mistress, how shall Brian be dealt with?”

“Let the Four Heavenly Kings pursue him. This is their conflict, and they should be allowed to reach their own conclusion,” Ziyao said serenely, peering down at Tian Xie. “He failed to bring back the Profound Meaning Talisman Tower; Minghao likely lacks the capacity as well. However, keep a close watch on the Ancient Demon Continent and ascertain the situation there, lest the Profound Meaning Talisman Tower be seized by Shi.”

“Understood,” Tian Xie replied.

He emerged from the Ancient God Continent and addressed the Four Heavenly Kings, “The Mistress commands that you pursue and kill Brian. He is your own heart-demon. Until he dies, none of you will ever advance further in your cultivation.”

The Four Heavenly Kings fell silent. After a long pause, without a word, they shot away.

The direction they flew was precisely where the Divine Lord had clashed. It seemed that for the sake of their own breakthroughs, they had resolved to utterly crush Brian.

...

In another sector of the cosmos.

The equally vast and boundless Ancient Demon Star Domain—a new sector formed by the fusion of the Divine Ze Star Domain, the Ancient Demon Continent of the Undead Demon Race, and numerous scattered surrounding star fragments.

This territory was controlled by the Shixue lineage, where all cultivators practicing the Eight Great Evil Powers were gathered.

On a desolate asteroid, Minghao, Xuanhe, Phelit, Adela, and others assembled, gazing toward the distant Ancient Demon Continent, their faces frozen over with grimness.

In the distance, two continents rested like twin stars, the Ancient Demon Continent enveloped entirely in darkness.

Above that continent, a dark abyss resembled a colossal black hole, radiating darkness that wrapped itself around the Ancient Demon Continent. Minghao sent a wisp of his soul shadow near, discerning the scene within...

Ten thousand years had passed, and life was returning to the Ancient Demon Continent. Mountains and rivers were lush with greenery, the continent restored to its former appearance.

But at this moment, the clouds above the Ancient Demon Continent were thick as ink. It was as if a giant beast had opened its maw, and billions of pinpricks of light on the continent were seen vanishing into the dark abyss.

The continent was shifting from spring to winter: vegetation withered, flowers drooped, rivers dried up, and insects and fish perished one by one, leaving behind only desolation and despair.

If this continent were a person, its vital essence was being siphoned away, drop by drop. The Ancient Demon Continent was slowly marching toward death, toward its finale, fading away to empower the Dark Abyss.

Deep within the Dark Abyss lay an endless sea of blood, within which were the various inherited islands of the Shixue lineage. Currently, the interior of the Dark Abyss was completely sealed; Minghao’s soul shadow could not penetrate.

He withdrew his consciousness and relayed what he had witnessed: “Shi is currently devouring the Ancient Demon Continent. It should not affect the Divine Ze Continent for the time being. The Divine Ze Continent is sealed, and all members of our Minghuang Clan have already evacuated. Our continent should be safe for now.”

“Should we venture to the Forbidden Blood Sea?” Xuanhe inquired.

“That is… Shi’s physical body. Now that Shi has awakened, we don't know what will happen if we enter rashly,” Adela hesitated. “Shi… must be terrifying, right?”

“Shi was severely wounded by the Master back then, forcing it into dormancy. This shows that the Primordial Beings are not invincible,” Minghao shook his head. “Now that it has awakened and is consuming the Ancient Demon Continent, it likely won't have the capacity to deal with us during this process. We should only need to contend with Videsen.”

Hearing his explanation, Adela and the others nodded quietly, finding his reasoning sound.

The group deliberated and reached a decision: they would proceed together toward the Dark Abyss.

Several days later, the group arrived at the edge of the Dark Abyss. Staring at the dense, inky black hole, they felt somewhat helpless. In the past, they could have easily plunged into its depths.

But now, they did not know how to enter. They were gradually realizing that the Dark Abyss was a part of Shi, and entering without being detected by Shi would be incredibly difficult.

Just as they hesitated, clusters of dense, ink-like clouds began to emerge from within the Dark Abyss.

Videsen’s figure was the first to appear. His eyes were demonic, bearing a strange, sinister smile as he spoke in a chilling tone, “I have been awaiting your arrival for quite some time.”

Randolph, Conley, Split, and other warriors under Minghao, Xuanhe, and Phelit were gathered beside Videsen. Their expressions were cold as they watched Minghao, Xuanhe, and their group. Among Videsen’s contingent were many unfamiliar faces, and a single glance from Minghao turned his expression utterly grim.

Those unfamiliar faces were the secret agents he had planted ten thousand years ago, granting them the Eight Great Evil Powers and secretly supporting them as they infiltrated various star domains to act on Minghao’s behalf. They were the elite trained by his Soul Control lineage.

Today, all of them had submitted to Videsen. On the brow of each one, there was a tiny mark resembling a pitch-black cavern—presumably Shi’s unique insignia. This meant they had all defected to Shi, becoming Videsen’s loyal subordinates.

...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to cast recommendation votes or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)RQ