The Mystic Rune Tower was drawn from the deepest ruins at the bottom of the Sea of Annihilation, ruins that were relics of the Primordial Era, containing the profound secrets and representing the splendor of that ancient time.

Now, the brilliance of that age is gone. Many Primordial Beings have perished, and the few remaining have vanished, rarely showing themselves.

Ziyao is a manifestation of the Primordial Being "Hui," a condensation of spirit, will, and soul. It was she who sent Ming Hao and Brian to those Primordial Ruins, hoping they could bring the Mystic Rune Tower back to her, because within that tower was a soul imprint she had left long ago!

That imprint was intrinsically linked to her soul; with it, she could reclaim the Mystic Rune Tower.

“Give it back to me…”

Ziyao’s voice was alluring and gentle, like a lover’s plea, sending a thrilling shiver through anyone who heard it, making them instinctively comply.

“This voice of seduction… how similar it is to ours in the Phantom Race?” Meiji’s expression shifted slightly. For some reason, looking at Ziyao gave her a bizarre feeling, as if there were a profound, mysterious connection between Ziyao and the bewitching arts of her Phantom Race.

The women of the Phantom Race are inherently skilled in the secret arts of mental enchantment. This is not a divine power or profound truth; this enchanting art resides magically within their very souls!

At this moment, Ziyao’s constant calls were strikingly similar to when she unleashed her full might in the art of soul seduction!

Shi Yan’s expression stiffened.

In his mind, it was as if ten million bolts of lightning struck at once. The Mystic Rune Tower slowly floated out from his altar, gradually slipping from his control. Deep within the Mystic Rune Tower, there was a serpentine soul thought, hidden away until now, which he had never sensed before.

Now, it suddenly surfaced, drawn forth by Ziyao’s voice, pulling the Mystic Rune Tower toward her waiting palm.

Ziyao’s seductive voice also bewitched his soul-thoughts, making it difficult for him to rationally focus his spirit and will to control the Mystic Rune Tower.

The Mystic Rune Tower shifted from small to large, fully manifesting above Shi Yan’s head, slowly drifting toward Ziyao’s palm.

Xi Luo, Edgar, Mandice, and the others’ eyes instantly brightened as they stared intently at the Mystic Rune Tower.

Xi Luo and Mandice hesitated, fearing they might inadvertently injure or offend Shi Yan, so they dared not make a rash move.

Edgar, however, cared for none of that.

His eerie green eyes, like a venomous jackal spotting its prey, erupted with terrifying light. Ignoring the purpose of Hui’s arrival, he suddenly reached out and snatched toward the Mystic Rune Tower.

A towering, bloody hand, carrying the power of death, destruction, and chaos, reached out remotely to seize the Mystic Rune Tower. At the center of that bloody hand, swirling vortexes of crimson, black, and grey energy appeared, generating intense suction, like a giant python opening its maw to inhale, dragging the life essence, souls, and divine power of nearby beings toward it.

“Whoosh, whoosh!”

Fierce astral winds rushed madly into the palm of that bloody hand. The Mystic Rune Tower swayed precariously in the void like a giant kite, pulled by two invisible strings—one moment rocking toward Ziyao’s palm, the next toward Edgar.

It was Edgar and Ziyao who were now fiercely wrestling over the Mystic Rune Tower!

“Edgar, did your ancestor not teach you manners?” Ziyao’s beautiful face hardened with frost after several failed attempts to seize it. “I know your ancestor instructed you to seize the Mystic Rune Tower, but in its current state, can it handle the current situation without my help? You dare compete with me? You truly don’t know what’s good for you!”

“I don’t know what agreement your ancestor has with mine, but I know my ancestor desperately needs the Mystic Rune Tower!” Edgar’s eyes were cold. “Therefore, I must seize it! No matter the opponent, if it’s meant to be snatched, I will snatch it!”

“This…”

Mandice was astonished, then let out a crisp, charming laugh, her small face alight with delight. “Let them fight amongst themselves!” she said to Xi Luo.

Xi Luo had intended to compete but feared offending Shi Yan by doing so. Seeing Edgar suddenly intervene, he was happy to relax, and his tension eased.

Shi Yan, assaulted by Ziyao’s bewitching art invading his mind, was fully occupied with severing the wicked thoughts within his Sea of Consciousness and had no spare energy to intervene.

Behind Edgar, in the depths of the dark abyss, thick smoke churned, and a scent of blood drifted out. That entity called “Shi” seemed to have freed its limbs and was plotting something in the shadows…

“You finally arrived,” Rabbit’s voice, filled with relief, echoed from within the dark abyss.

Then, members of the Shi Race began emerging from that dark abyss. Most of these individuals were highly cultivated; the lowest among them were at the first level of the Primordial God Realm, with many more in the Immortal Realm, and one who, like Rabbit, had just broken through to the Domain Ancestor level.

They had been summoned by their Progenitor from the Shi Race territory in the Void Sea and had descended upon this desolate region. There were hundreds of them, forming a solid rear guard for Edgar.

As soon as they appeared, they looked down toward the dark abyss with reverence, worshipping in the unique language of the Shi Race. They then released their soul thoughts, nourishing “Shi” with their own power. The previously constricted abyss slowly began to change under the power gifted by the newcomers.

A roar, like that of a savage, ferocious beast from the desolate (Hong Huang), echoed from the deepest part of the abyss, shaking the souls of everyone present.

Edgar, who had been vying with Ziyao for the Mystic Rune Tower, grinned widely. “The Progenitor is summoning its true body! When my Progenitor’s true body arrives, let’s see how you will contend with us!”

“True body?” Xuan He, Ming Hao, Feliette, and the others looked surprised, confusion clouding their minds. “Isn’t that dark abyss the true body of Shi?”

Hearing Edgar’s words, Ziyao’s expression changed for the first time. She glared furiously at the dark abyss. “You truly dare to bring your true body? Aren’t you afraid—afraid of completely perishing here? If it merges piece by piece within its domain, any one of us—you or me—swallowed and refined by it, there is no escaping, even if one flees to the ends of the void; it will find and refine us!”

“Roar…”

A roaring sound, formed in the Primordial Language, echoed from the dark abyss, reverberating throughout the entire Ancient Demon Star Field.

Thanks to the disruption from Ziyao’s enchantment, Shi Yan finally severed the wicked thoughts in his mind. Listening to that roar composed of the Primordial Language, he immediately understood its meaning: It was severely wounded by the two of you in the past and split into five; now, with an individual entity merging with a living being, it can never truly return to its former state!

This was the message conveyed by Shi’s roar!

Among those present, only those who understood the Primordial Language could hear the meaning of the roar. Ziyao, as Hui’s manifestation, could naturally understand it, and besides her, only Shi Yan. Even Audrey, having not fully integrated the Source Fire, only found the sound familiar, vaguely grasping a few fragments of meaning.

“The Mystic Rune Tower rightfully belongs to me! You truly intend to fight me for it?” Ziyao shouted angrily in protest.

“Roar…”

Another roar sounded from the dark abyss.

“The Mystic Rune Tower was forged by ‘Mei’; it doesn’t belong to you at all. If we are truly calculating, it belongs to the Phantom Race! The current Phantom Race is composed of beings formed from the shattered consciousness and body after Mei perished. How could the Mystic Rune Tower possibly belong to you?”

This was the meaning conveyed by Shi’s roar, which Shi Yan understood, though ordinary people could not.

He was utterly shaken. He suddenly looked toward Mandice, then toward Meiji, and suddenly grasped the origin of the Phantom Race.

It turned out that among the Primordial Beings, there was another named “Mei” who had perished. After her dissipation, her fragmented consciousness and physical form evolved into the members of the Phantom Race, essentially being the source of the Phantom Race’s flesh and soul.

Since the Mystic Rune Tower was actually refined by “Mei,” it truly belonged to the Phantom Race.

“Mei and I were like sisters back then. I contributed vast amounts of material to the refining of the Mystic Rune Tower; it should be considered co-owned by her and me! Since she is dead, the Mystic Rune Tower should belong to me! If you dare fight me for it, I absolutely will not let you have your way!” Ziyao began to respond to Shi in the Primordial Language as well.

Among the crowd, some understood the Primordial script, such as Mandice and Xi Luo, who could read the Primordial Runes. However, they could not hear the Primordial Language, so they were lost, unsure how to respond to the situation.

“You integrated a manifestation of the Desolate One; you should be able to hear the Primordial Language. What are they saying?” Mandice suddenly looked at Shi Yan.

Shi Yan instinctively replied, “They are talking about your origins, about your Progenitor, and that the Mystic Rune Tower should belong to you…”

As soon as this was said, all members of the Phantom Race were astonished. Mandice and Meiji’s eyes glittered brightly. “Be more specific!” Mandice couldn’t help but urge him.

“They said your Progenitor is Mei, that she perished, and her remnant soul and flesh slowly transformed into your Phantom Race, and that the Mystic Rune Tower was originally refined by Mei…” Shi Yan explained.

Mandice and Meiji’s delicate bodies trembled violently.

They themselves did not know their own origins, why the Phantom Race existed, who their ancestors were, or anything about their past—until this day!

They finally knew that the ancestor of the Phantom Race was also a Primordial Being named “Mei,” and that she had refined the Mystic Rune Tower!

“Heh heh, so the Mystic Rune Tower belongs to our Phantom Race—it was ours all along!” Mandice clenched her teeth, her expression sour, urging Shi Yan, “Tell me exactly how my ancestor ‘Mei’ perished! Listen closely, I need to know more details!”

“Do you think coming with your true body will allow you to seize the Mystic Rune Tower? Don’t forget, half of my true body is here right now! If you truly dare to come, I can still suppress you!” Ziyao suddenly erupted in blazing fury.

On the Ancient God Continent, the void suddenly tore open, and the Void Turbulence Domain flashed into view. Six massive pythons vaguely materialized within it. Half of their bodies were connected to the Ancient God Continent. Tremendous roars echoed from within the colossal mountain peaks of the Ancient God Continent, and amidst the shattering earth, terrifyingly huge serpent heads revealed themselves.

One after another, the serpent heads roared into the void, as if to intimidate or frighten some creature, making it fearful and unwilling to easily venture there.

In the center of the Heavenly God Peak on the Ancient God Continent, a Gate of Void was torn open, through which the scene unfolding on the Ancient Demon Continent could be vaguely glimpsed.

It was as if any disturbance on the Ancient Demon Continent would allow Hui’s true body to emerge from the Void Turbulence Domain and merge with the other half of its body entrenched on the Ancient God Continent, thereby reaching the Ancient Demon Star Field directly.