Putai sneered, striding directly toward the meteor stream where Shi Yan remained. Suddenly, a platinum light erupted from the meteorites, each one bright as a diamond!

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

From within tens of thousands of massive meteorites, sharp rays formed from the Profound Truth of Space shot forth. Flickering with starlight, the beams descended like a collapsing galaxy, roaring down from the Ninth Heaven.

A terrifying sense of the heavens and earth caving in, of the void on the verge of annihilation, struck everyone. The power emanating from within the meteorites was simply unprecedented, a terrifying fusion of stars and space.

When assaulted by the countless platinum beams, Putai's expression abruptly shifted. "They've actually merged the Profound Truths of Stars and Space. Worthy of the heir he chose, yet… you are still too weak!"

Under the gaze of everyone present, Putai suddenly split into two, then four, then eight—instantly becoming eight Putais!

The Life Magnetic Fields, Divine Power, and Soul Auras of the eight Putais were completely interconnected. The eight figures leaped simultaneously, landing on the eight islands of Soul Control, Death, Corrosion, Darkness, Chaos, Destruction, Despair, and Corpse Power, respectively. These islands, forged from the inheritance of the eight great evil powers, were skeletal and harbored endless malevolence.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Rolling crimson energy waves surged from the sea of blood, permeating the eight islands. Putai’s divine body gradually swelled, resembling a monstrous, hideous giant. His arrogant and tyrannical voice echoed throughout the world: "You merged the profundities of stars and space, while I have fused all eight great evil powers! Even the Bloodthirster back then barely reached this level. How can you defeat me?"

The eight Putais separately unleashed the eight great profound truths—Soul Control, Death, Corrosion, Darkness, Chaos, Destruction, Despair, and Corpse Power—using the Island of Devouring at the center to bombard the meteor stream.

Clusters of souls bared fangs and sharp edges; intense Death energy condensed into bloody handprints; the Profundity of Corrosion dissolved everything; the Profundity of Darkness severed sight and spiritual exploration; the Profundity of Chaos twisted space. The Profundity of Destruction demolished all things; the Profundity of Despair instilled a sense of crushing helplessness; Corpse Power instigated cold, desolate gloom...

As the eight great evil powers were wielded by the eight Putais, the massive islands rolled through the meteor stream like overwhelmingly dominant grinding wheels, crushing every meteorite in their path into dust.

The platinum-gold beams of stellar space pierced through the eight islands, yet the islands remained utterly unharmed, completely unaffected.

At the center of the eight islands, the Island of Devouring transformed into a dark, swirling vortex, spinning incessantly like the ravenous maw of a monstrous demon awaiting the perfect moment.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

One by one, the meteorites within the stream exploded, dissipating into dust that filled the sky. The sea of meteorites, gathered and manipulated by Shi Yan, was shrinking at an astonishing speed, destined to vanish completely soon.

Within the sea of meteorites, Shi Yan’s eyes flashed with bloodlight as he watched the eight Putais commanding the eight islands, crashing through and pulverizing his meteorites.

Putai’s power was beyond imagination, forcing Shi Yan to concentrate all his focus. The exquisite Profundity of Soul Control allowed Putai to split his soul into eight, integrating the eight souls with the eight islands, unleashing all eight evil powers simultaneously. This gave Shi Yan the horrifying sensation of having to confront eight sovereign powers alone.

"Kaka-ka!"

A massive blood shield assembled piece by piece before him. The shield bore intricate, bizarre lines that writhed like living earthworms. As he watched, the clouds on the shield churned, gradually evolving into a blood cloud. A flash of bloodlight cut through the cloud, and the Blood Sword materialized in a brilliant flash.

The Blood Shield and Blood Sword were the armaments of the Bloodthirster in his earlier years. Before the Bloodthirster ascended to Domain Ancestor, these two treasures were his most trusted divine weapons.

Inherited by Shi Yan, he gradually unearthed the mysterious synergies between these weapons and his Profound Truths, amplifying the might of both the Blood Shield and Blood Sword.

The blood cloud drifted toward Putai. On the Blood Sword, eerie eyes suddenly blinked open, and a blood-colored rainbow thousands of meters long erupted from the clouds, slicing directly toward one of the Putais.

"Hahaha!"

Putai burst into manic laughter. As he laughed, he spread both hands as if to swallow the heavens and earth into his chest, intending to absorb the bloodlight and the shield with his divine body alone.

The Blood-Patterned Ring on his finger flickered, as if summoning something.

The blood cloud and the Blood Sword suddenly trembled violently in the void, as if bound by invisible ropes. They broke free from Shi Yan’s control and flew toward Putai’s chest.

The Blood Sword and Blood Shield abruptly vanished inside one of the Putais!

Immediately afterward, all eight Putais were visibly adorned with ferocious armor. The armor perfectly conformed to their forms, enhancing their imposing and tyrannical presence manifold.

At this moment, looking at Putai, Xuanhe and Fielit felt a momentary disorientation.

Gazing upon Putai, they felt the same sensation they experienced watching the Bloodthirster back then, as if the Bloodthirster had returned to the true void through Putai’s reincarnation.

"Clang! Clang!"

The piercing sound of a snapped zither string exploded in Shi Yan’s mind. A sharp pain shot through his nerves as he realized he had completely lost connection with the Blood Shield and Blood Sword.

Those two weapons of the Bloodthirster, which he had held for so long, had been claimed by Putai and merged into his divine body, becoming a part of him!

"Heh heh, I will be the one to tell you the origins and mysteries of the Blood Shield and Blood Sword. Did you think I left no contingency?" Putai chuckled triumphantly. "I fused all three Ring Spirits of the Blood-Patterned Ring. I know more about the Bloodthirster’s inheritance than you do! Do you know why I needed Vidersen’s body? Because Vidersen’s body now holds little essential difference from the Bloodthirster’s original shell. Vidersen was tricked to death by you all and forcibly stuffed into the Bloodthirster’s remains to deal with Hui, but you didn't realize that having the scattered remains of the Bloodthirster gathered onto one person is equivalent to resurrecting his body!"

"My current body is essentially the body of the Bloodthirster. How could you possibly win by using the Bloodthirster’s own weapons against me? Those weapons, having been separated from the Bloodthirster for ten thousand years, still remember his scent. To have them reclaimed by me, the one who holds all the secrets of the Blood-Patterned Ring, is nothing but effortless," Putai mocked Shi Yan’s ignorance.

As his words fell, the Blood Sword materialized in the hand of one of the Putais.

It was the Putai situated on the Island of Death. Wielding the Blood Sword, he casually slashed, and a blood-colored light tens of thousands of meters long, like a collapsing river of death, surged toward the meteor stream.

Hundreds of massive meteorites exploded; the power condensed from stars and space could not withstand the sharpness of this single strike.

"This Blood Shield and Blood Sword are not artifacts of the Primal Beginning, merely nurtured by the Bloodthirster for years. For those cultivating the eight great evil powers, they possess unparalleled enhancement effects for Profound Truths. It’s a pity I didn’t explain the subtleties to you confidently back then; you would never have been able to unleash their true wonder," Putai declared, slicing with the Blood Sword. Waves of bloodlight shot forth, cutting the meteor stream into shards, their sharpness rivaling that of spatial blades.

At this moment, Putai held a decisive advantage, relentlessly destroying the sea of meteorites, draining Shi Yan's power.

In just a few dozen seconds, only the last meteorite remained of the sea Shi Yan had gathered.

On that final meteorite, Shi Yan sat cross-legged, his gaze cold as he looked upon the hazy, smoky regions where the surrounding meteorites had turned to ash. His expression, rarely seen, was heavy. He stated calmly, "You are indeed formidable. Looking at you, I can imagine the power and prestige of the Bloodthirster in his prime. No wonder no one in the Desolate Domain could match him; you truly are powerful."

"It is good that you understand," Putai roared with laughter. "Don't think I'll show mercy. I will leave you a way out. As long as you willingly allow me to merge with you and surrender all your life imprints, I can spare your Second Soul, the one intertwined with the Desolate Domain. You only need to serve me as your master and become a slave of my Devourer Race. I guarantee you won't be utterly annihilated."

Putai looked at the tribesmen gathered beside him. "Look at them. They live well as slaves and servants, and they will all achieve no small success in the future. The Desolate Domain will become one of the domains of my Devourer Race, and they will all be subject races affiliated with the future greatest race of the Star Sea. It is nothing to be ashamed of. Consider it."

Putai’s excessive arrogance made the visitors from beyond the domains, Xiluo and Mandis, look uneasy. Mandis chuckled, a trace of coldness in her eyes. "Putai’s arrogance surpasses even his father’s. It seems once the Devourer Race conquers the Desolate Domain and reaps all its benefits, they will surely initiate a racial war in the Void Sea."

"The Devourer Race's objective has always been the Void Sea; the Desolate Domain is merely the initial accumulation of their strength," Xiluo of the Bone Race nodded, his expression hostile.

"Putai is too strong, possessing an overwhelming advantage. I fear Shi Yan... may find it difficult to resist," the Shark Emperor beside them frowned deeply. He didn't know Shi Yan well, judging only by the current situation, believing Shi Yan could not match Putai.

This was because Putai occupied the advantages of timing, location, and personnel. Having served as a Ring Spirit, he had secretly spied on Shi Yan for years, witnessing almost every struggle that led to Shi Yan's ascent. He knew all of Shi Yan’s techniques and hidden mysteries.

Knowing the enemy better than oneself ensures victory in a hundred battles. Putai had endured for years, grasping every facet of Shi Yan, while Shi Yan knew very little about Putai.

From the very beginning of this battle, the scales of victory seemed tipped toward Putai.

Even Mandis and Xiluo, who initially believed Shi Yan could contend with Putai, now looked grim, sensing that Putai’s strength might indeed be beyond Shi Yan’s match.

"Serve you as master?" On the last remaining meteorite, Shi Yan sat cross-legged, his face a mask of mockery and disdain. "You are not worthy!"

"Hahahaha!"

Putai laughed wildly, shaking his head as he did so. The eight Putais drove the eight islands, forming an octagon, and suddenly descended.

A terrifying deterrence that locked down the primeval world and annihilated the endless void pressed down from the eight islands. The sheer pressure and restraint shocked even experts of Xiluo and Mandis’s caliber, causing their complexions to change drastically.

At the center of the eight bone islands, the soul vortex formed from the Island of Devouring faced Shi Yan’s head like a giant mouth.

An immense suction force of the soul suddenly surged forth!

Shi Yan’s Soul Altar began to materialize from his divine body under the engulfing pull of the soul vortex. His divine body was completely immobilized, unable to stop the altar from being ripped out.

"The eight great inherited islands have activated the Forbidden Domain Arcanum! Never mind you, even a true Domain Ancestor couldn't move! Succumb obediently and be consumed and refined by me, haha! The Profound Truths of Space, Stars, and Life—I have coveted them for so long! They should have become part of my Profundities long ago!" Putai shrieked excitedly... (Second chapter update, requesting monthly tickets for support!! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.) RQ)