At the end of a tumultuous, shattered starry expanse, countless remnants of warships drifted amidst an endless expanse of floating corpses—the vestiges of an ancient battlefield.
In the present era, this location was a forbidden zone. Even the Domain Ancestor powerhouses of the Seven Great Races seldom dared to set foot here; this was the very fringe of the Nihility Sea.
Where layers of floating corpses, shattered hulls, and clumps of stellar fragments converged, a violent shudder suddenly wracked the mass. From within, an earth-shattering, epoch-making bestial roar erupted, and billions of scattered lights exploded forth as a Primordial Creature, its form vaster than a star and its tentacles like a sweeping meteor shower, began to emerge from the chaotic mass.
At first glance, the creature resembled an octopus magnified billions of times, a massive suction cup with tentacles like countless leeching bloodsuckers. As it writhed, the very space around it warped, seeming on the verge of collapse.
“Hoo… hoo… hoo!”
Beneath this inky-black creature, clusters of profound darkness began to coalesce, forming an abyss.
It slowly sank, gradually vanishing into the depths. The moment it lost sight of, the ancient battlefield where it had lain dormant for countless years exploded.
In the Ancient Fiend Star Domain, within that dark abyss, roars like rolling heavenly thunder shook the void. Terrifying tentacles, thousands of meters long, snaked out like monstrous pythons from the abyss, twisting and clawing.
Egger, Rabbit, and the others of the Devourer Race showed expressions of humble reverence, pressing their foreheads against those tentacles, feeling an immense joy and satisfaction, akin to children embraced by their parents.
“We welcome the Ancestor’s descent!”
“We welcome the Ancestor’s descent!”
“We welcome the Ancestor’s descent!”
Egger, Rabbit, and every member of the Devourer Race cheered from the bottom of their hearts, their eyes brimming with delight.
A chill shot through Shi Yan’s heart. He suddenly felt as if this entire world had been frozen by a malicious, icy will. As the Lord of this Star Domain, he seemed utterly detached from its control.
His expression changed drastically. Hearing the cheers of Egger and Rabbit, he instantly realized the horror of what had transpired: “‘Devour,’ its true form has descended into the dark abyss. It is entirely here!”
Mandiss and Xiluo, realizing something was amiss the moment the dark abyss tentacles emerged, ceased their conversation, their faces growing extremely grave. Xiluo, in particular, felt it deeply and, after a long moment, exclaimed in awe, “What a terrifying Life Magnetic Field!”
“Worthy of a Primordial Creature, an ancient being that has lived for eons. Whatever they have endured, their level of life force is undeniably terrifyingly first-rate,” Mandiss murmured, equally astonished, nodding secretly.
“I see now!” Xiluo’s eyes brightened. “That dark abyss was merely a part of its true body’s mind, similar to its Domain Realm. What has arrived now is the actual body! It is complete now, and… its fluctuations seem far more dreadful than Egger’s.”
“Devour and Hui once fought the Desolate jointly, ultimately causing Desolate to split into five, while Devour and Hui were severely wounded and fell into dormancy,” Shi Yan recalled the scenes in his mind, sighing softly. “Devour’s power has not yet fully recovered now…”
“Its power hasn't recovered?” Mandiss’s lips curled into a faint bitterness.
“You actually dared to come here!”
Just then, Ziyao finally erupted in fury. Flames seemed to burn across her captivating face, and nine streaks of rainbow meteors flashed in her beautiful eyes.
“Hao!”
An equally domineering and savage beast roar echoed from within Ziyao’s divine body. In the direction of Ziyao’s void space, a massive serpent head gradually forced its way through, violently breaking out of the void.
Hui’s true form, composed of twelve gigantic serpent heads, was also about to burst forth in its rage, intending to seize the ‘Mystery Rune Pagoda’ and engage Devour in a fierce battle within the Desolate Domain’s world.
“The Mystery Rune Pagoda can indeed refine Primordial Source Runes, making it wondrously precious. However, for the sake of the Pagoda, these two Primordial Creatures are risking the descent of their true bodies to fight? Isn't that a bit of an overreaction?” Meiji felt a surge of panic, disregarding how others felt, and suddenly gripped Shi Yan’s arm tightly, remarking with surprise.
Having advanced to the Domain Ancestor realm, Meiji had become far more unrestrained, caring little for the gazes of others, acting more and more as she pleased.
“Perhaps there is some profound secret within the Mystery Rune Pagoda that we are unaware of—otherwise, Hui and Devour wouldn’t be reduced to this,” Shi Yan was equally perplexed.
Originally, he believed that by merging with the source of the Divine Grace Continent, he would be able to decipher the mysteries of the Primordial Runes, thus understanding the wonder of the Mystery Rune Pagoda.
The reality was otherwise.
He had merged with one of the Desolate’s avatars, allowing him to hear the Primordial Language and read the Primordial Runes, yet he still could not penetrate the mystery within the Pagoda. It was as if a grand miracle was hidden inside, preventing him from grasping the great secret within.
“This key was forged through untold hardship by myself and ‘Mei.’ We paid too high a price to obtain it; ‘Mei’s’ demise is also related to this. You dare to take what belongs to me, and I will make you pay at any cost!”
Ziyao suddenly became extremely volatile, shouting in the Primordial Language. As her cry echoed, massive celestial serpent heads materialized in the void.
Hui’s true form, which should have been refining the Ancient God Continent in the Ancient God Star Domain, could no longer restrain itself due to the arrival of ‘Devour,’ and it too tore through the void to arrive.
This star domain had already descended into complete chaos due to the manifestation of these two Primordial Creatures.
Shi Yan, having merged with the source of the Divine Grace Continent, found himself gradually losing influence over the rotation of stars in this domain. He realized that before Hui and Devour even clashed, the Ancient Fiend Star Domain was on the verge of collapse.
“Key?”
Shi Yan’s expression shifted, catching an extremely critical word from their exchange.
He could now confirm that the Mystery Rune Pagoda not only refined Primordial Source Runes but was also a critically important key. As for the key’s function, since Devour and Hui did not elaborate further, he could not know.
“What are they saying?” Xiluo and Mandiss pressed.
“Nothing much, just squabbling,” he kept the matter of the key close to his chest, not revealing it to Xiluo and Mandiss.
“Shi Yan!”
The Little Skeleton, unable to interject, approached at this moment, looking up at Shi Yan with supplication.
Xiluo and Guy suddenly realized the intent. Xiluo spoke, “Well? After absorbing so much energy, can you… awaken our ancestor?”
He nodded towards Guy.
Guy channeled his power, and the two coffins smoothly floated over, hovering before Shi Yan.
At this moment, observing the escalating situation in the star domain, Xiluo and Guy realized things were completely beyond their control. They were unsure if the Bone Race would reap any benefits from the ensuing conflict, so securing their primary objective first would allow them flexibility to advance or retreat as needed.
The clansmen of the Bone Race looked on eagerly. Shi Yan pondered for a moment, setting aside the quarrel between Hui and Devour, and said, “I will try.”
Within his acupoints, the Devouring Profound Truth Black Hole surged and churned under his conscious direction, roaring like a smelting furnace. Waves of mysterious, strange power flowed out from his acupoints like springs, pouring into his Genesis Realm. The spherical object formed by his Life Profound Truth rapidly absorbed this energy.
Gradually, the Primordial Source Runes within that Life Profound Truth sphere became saturated, shining like amber energy sources, brimming with unimaginable life fluctuations.
Shi Yan held his breath, his eyes suddenly widening. He roared a command in the Primordial Language: “Life Surge!”
“Boom!”
Two torrents of energy, like oceans of life, erupted from his eyes. The energy was milky white and translucent, appearing capable of creating life and nourishing all things, carrying a vast, fresh, and vibrant life aura. All of it poured onto the two skeletons within the coffins.
These skeletons were originally ashen-white and lusterless, seeming on the verge of decay.
Bathed in the surging life energy, the bones gradually became crystalline and lustrous. Firefly-like sparks flickered within their skeletal structures, as if igniting their soul flames. The sparks slowly flowed, eventually gathering in the center of the skull, pouring into the Altar of Life.
“Thump! Thump!”
The fluctuations of emergent life, though incredibly faint, were clearly perceived by Shi Yan.
Xiluo, a Domain Ancestor at the second level, also immediately detected it and cried out in shock, “It’s done!”
The Little Skeleton was now weeping, its dry, bony hands gently resting on the hand-bones of its parents. In the ancient language of the Bone Race, it whispered repeatedly, “Father, Mother…”
At the same time, on the Ancient God Continent.
As Hui’s celestial serpent bodies withdrew from this place, the surface of the Ancient God Continent was left covered only by layers of ashy-white gas membranes. No living being remained on the continent; mountains had collapsed, rivers had dried up, and not a single blade of grass grew—it was a scene of bleak desolation.
Nearby Life Stars, such as those inhabited by the people of the Twelve Divine Clans, were used by them as living quarters to guard the Divine Grace Continent.
Every one of them bore an indigo celestial serpent mark on their foreheads—they had submitted to a new master, treating Hui as their Mother Goddess. They had lost their faith and betrayed the blood inheritance of their lineage.
At this moment, Chalinth, the patriarch of the Chalinth family, was cultivating on one of the Life Stars when he suddenly felt waves of heart palpitations. He looked inexplicably at the sky above and muttered to himself, “Why do I have this feeling of impending doom, a sensation rooted deep in my soul? How strange…”
He was not alone in feeling this way. All those left behind by Ziyao’s command experienced similar, inexplicable anxiety.
It was as if an invisible dark cloud had settled over the Soul Altar, suppressing their souls into disquiet.
A colossal planet, drawn by swirling cloud masses, suddenly descended above the Ancient God Continent.
Chalinth and the others were greatly alarmed. They rushed out from their respective Life Stars, gazing at the planet in terror.
Hui’s true body had only just departed, having sent its thoughts to its subordinates bearing the celestial serpent mark on their foreheads, instructing them to guard the Ancient God Continent. In the blink of an eye, a massive change had arrived.
Individuals like Chalinth looked on in dread at the descending planet, watching as a figure slowly materialized.
It was Gui Liao!
As he appeared, ice-cold indifference flooded his eyes. “Hui could conceal your souls, but it could not erase the brand I left years ago. Unless he truly merges with the Ancient God Continent, that mark remains effective. Unfortunately, I have already merged with Bryan, and the Desolate Avatar has reconnected. Therefore, you despicable betrayers are destined to be wiped out by me.”
Tens of thousands of beams of bright divine light descended from the heavens, sharp as swords, piercing through the Soul Altars of Chalinth and the others.
Every person bearing the indigo serpent-patterned mark on their forehead was instantly annihilated!
Not long after Hui’s true body departed, the Divine Grace Continent, after an interval of billions of years, reintegrated with the Desolate.
P.S.: First update of the day; there will be four updates today! The final two days are here—please vote with your monthly passes!!!