The most accomplished martial artists across the myriad realms of the Ancient God Star Domain now knelt prostrate, gazing up at the abyssal firmament, their bodies convulsing with tremors.
It was a vibration born deep within the soul!
For those possessing Soul Altars, their very spirits were formidable; yet, at this moment, a devastating dread issued from their core, compelling them to watch the heavens, to watch the Ancient God Continent vanish in the far distance, to watch countless life-bearing stars shatter and explode. They knew a cataclysmic upheaval was tearing through this star domain.
Many mortal stars, barren of vital worldly energy, remained utterly untouched by the titanic shift in the heavens and earth, safe and sound.
But those life-bearing planets of the third tier and above, often teeming with cultivating martial artists who greedily sucked the essence of heaven and earth, saw their inhabitants perish one by one!
Innumerable Soul Altars cracked asunder, shattering into fragments in a manner both incurable and unstoppable!
Multitudes of souls were utterly erased from the Ancient God Star Domain!
The colossal Ancient Continent drifted through the Star Domain like a monstrous tide, its vast bulk casting a terrifying shadow over everything, an oppressive grayness. Wherever it passed, the Soul Altars of numerous powerhouses fractured and exploded.
Above the Ancient Continent hovered a single, sky-obscuring, world-enveloping ancient tree, so vast it seemed to contain the whole land. Standing atop it, Gui Liao was impassive, his gaze ancient and icy, devoid of any semblance of human emotion.
A potent soul-magnetic field radiated from him; he was the source of the collapsing Soul Altars. He was plundering the lives of mighty martial artists, reshaping this star domain, this continent, this world that belonged to him, turning it into his weapon for conquest!
He maneuvered the Ancient Continent, instantly shifting it towards a cold, depleted star, observing it with detached eyes.
He reached out, tearing at the void!
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
That frigid star was sliced apart as if by invisible blades, instantly disintegrating into fragments.
Four figures suddenly shot forth, unleashing their ultimate profound principles, charging toward him without regard for their own lives.
These were the Four Heavenly Kings!
The Four Heavenly Kings, having failed in their siege against the Divine Lord, were returning to the Ancient God Continent when they acutely sensed the danger. They found themselves unable to breach the spatial barriers to return to Hui’s side. They tried every method, desperate to escape the Ancient God Star Domain.
Alas, the Ancient God Star Domain had been sealed entirely!
Gui Liao, having integrated the Desolate, the Ancient Devil, and the Ancient God Continent, was steadily recovering his power. Before making his move, he had already locked down the entire Star Domain.
Even Hui and Shi could not hope to enter now!
This was his domain, the realm he had refined; here, he was the architect of the rules, the sole deity!
The Four Heavenly Kings, unable to flee, could only go into hiding, hoping to weather the storm.
Yet, within the Desolate’s domain, their concealment appeared utterly laughable; none could escape!
When Gui Liao descended, they finally understood that the apocalypse had arrived. With nowhere left to hide, they could only fight with everything they had left.
"You were born because of me, and you will die because of me. This was the fate set for you the moment you drew breath." Gui Liao’s eyes were frigid as he watched the Four Heavenly Kings charge, watching as, midway through their attack, their physical bodies withered strangely, collapsing as if a massive balloon had been abruptly deflated.
The vibrancy in the Four Heavenly Kings’ eyes faded rapidly. Before they could even close the distance to Gui Liao, their Soul Altars pulverized.
Four streams of purest energy dissipated into the surroundings. The towering ancient tree on the Ancient Continent grew noticeably greener.
Gui Liao remained on that ancient tree, continuing to command the Ancient Continent, wandering through the Ancient God Star Domain, searching for concentrations of strong practitioners to carry out his world-ending designs.
The Ancient Devil Star Domain.
Zi Yao’s graceful figure radiated millions of rays of colorful light. She was like a deity woven from sunset clouds, using those very clouds to restrain the Profound Principle Talisman Tower.
Thick, gray lines, resembling tentacles, emerged from the dark abyss. Within them, Shi, the Primal Life Form, roared repeatedly, also vying for the Talisman Tower.
Zi Yao had given no command, so Tian Xie and his followers refrained from slaughtering the Shi Clan members. Just as Zi Yao was preparing to use her true body to intimidate Shi, her expression suddenly froze—this precise moment corresponded to the demise of the Four Heavenly Kings...
Unlike Chalinte and the others, the imprint Zi Yao had left in the souls of the Four Heavenly Kings was significantly stronger. Since the Four Kings were all at the Triple Heaven of Immortality, compelling their willing servitude required a considerable price even from Zi Yao. Thus, when Chalinte and his group perished in the Ancient God Star Domain, Zi Yao felt no corresponding sensation.
The Four Heavenly Kings were different.
The instant their souls vanished, Zi Yao perceived it. She frowned deeply and suddenly shouted into the dark abyss in the Primal Language: "Something is wrong!"
The tentacles within the dark abyss paused. Shi, inside, seemed to recognize that Zi Yao would not speak without cause, and waited silently for her explanation.
Zi Yao halted there, her brow deeply furrowed, and began opening her mind, attempting to tear open space to peer into the situation within the Ancient God Star Domain.
She immediately discovered that the spatial barrier of the Ancient God Star Domain was ten times stronger than usual!
Even she could not casually tear through the spatial barrier, let alone enter the realm. Understanding dawned instantly!
Only the Domain Master could reinforce the domain barrier to such an extreme degree—no one else!
"It has awakened!" Fear surfaced on Zi Yao’s face as she screamed for the first time, "It has awakened! It is already in the process of merging!"
It was then that Zi Yao recalled the strange departure of Shi Yan and his group. Linking the two events, she suddenly realized the gravity of the situation: "The Integrator of the Divine Grace Continent has been killed; the Divine Grace Continent must have been merged. The Ancient Devil Continent disappeared before this—it must have been obtained by It as well!"
"Are you saying it has already integrated two avatars?" Shi’s horrified roar echoed from the dark abyss.
"It must be so!" Zi Yao took a deep breath, her expression becoming incredibly solemn, intensely nervous. "When we joined forces back then, we still couldn't defeat It. If we are equally heavily damaged, and this is Its domain, then..."
Shi, drawn here by the Profound Principle Talisman Tower, immediately declared upon hearing Zi Yao’s words: "We absolutely cannot let It obtain the Profound Principle Talisman Tower!"
"Whoosh!"
The Profound Principle Talisman Tower transformed into a streak of dark light and plunged directly into the dark abyss. This time, Zi Yao did not intervene.
"We must flee this domain immediately. Fighting It here, we have zero chance of winning!" Zi Yao stated gravely.
"Let's go!"
Shi wasted no further words, immediately using soul intent to notify all his clansmen. Then, Shi Clan members began pouring into the center of the dark abyss. That dark abyss, which had existed in the Desolate Domain for countless years, now began to shrink, preparing to vanish.
Zi Yao froze, cursed in the Primal Language, and then tore open the heavens, connecting the passage to the Void Turbulence Domain. She immediately evacuated the area with Tian Xie and his followers.
The Void Turbulence Domain lay outside the Desolate Domain; it was where she had resided previously, a place where she could move freely even when battling the Desolate.
In a very short time, the Shi Clan members, Tian Xie, and Zi Yao's numerous subordinates within the Ancient Devil Star Domain all disappeared.
The Ancient Devil Continent returned to tranquility.
Not long after, in the direction where Zi Yao and Shi had been, an Ancient Continent suddenly materialized.
Aboard that Ancient Continent, atop the massive life tree, Gui Liao stood clearly visible.
Gui Liao squinted, his expression cold and merciless. He realized he was a step too late; he saw that his two sworn enemies had perceived the danger and fled this location prematurely.
"It hasn't fully merged yet. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to leave," he murmured, his eyes turning toward another Ancient Continent—the Divine Radiance Continent.
The Desolate, the Ancient God Continent, the Ancient Devil Continent, the Divine Grace Continent, and the Divine Radiance Continent. The first three were merged, and he had recovered considerable strength. Now only the Divine Grace and Divine Radiance remained. He looked toward the Divine Radiance Continent, closed his eyes to sense, and frowned: "That little girl isn't here. If I don't kill her first and integrate her consciousness, the physical body cannot merge..."
Saying this, he prepared to head toward the Divine Grace Star Domain to complete the final integration.
The Divine Grace Continent.
The spatial teleportation arrays across the continent's various regions flashed desperately with light, and streams of martial artists surged toward them, crowding onto the landmass.
Shi Yan’s power split, traversing the various stars using spatial profound principles, bringing in numerous friends he once knew—Shang Yingyue, Shang Chen, Wu Feng, Wu Bai, Sha Ge, Jiao Mu, and others, all gathered on the Divine Grace Continent under his spatial mastery.
Fu Wei, Blood Demon, Feng Han, Lin Xin, Xuan He, Philete, Ming Hao, Dekalo, and others were also using their unique methods to send those closely connected to them toward the Divine Grace Continent.
All of them were filled with terror and unease, knowing a great tribulation was imminent and that this Star Domain was about to undergo an earth-shattering transformation.
"What exactly is happening? Is it really true?" In a corner of the Divine Grace Continent, Wu Feng and the members of the Wu family gathered, still harboring some doubt regarding Shi Yan’s words.
"If you don't believe it, you don't have to come. We aren't forcing anyone," Shang Yingyue said from the side.
She herself had been somewhat incredulous, unwilling to believe that the vast starry sky could descend into such wholesale destruction as Shi Yan described. But upon arriving here, she saw so many familiar faces gathered, so many world-shattering powerhouses, and slowly began to realize that the situation might have reached its most dire extent.
"If the world is going to end, how can Shi Yan protect us?" Anliya asked Shang Chen, her eyes veiled with a layer of gray, her heart pounding with fear.
Sha Ge, Jiao Mu, and the others looked toward Shang Chen as well, seemingly hoping he could provide them with direction.
At this moment, everyone felt a constant sinking sensation in their bodies and minds, grasping for a life-saving straw, hoping someone could grant them a clear understanding of the future.
"Here is the Divine Grace Continent, the continent where Shi Yan merged his origin. He went to immense lengths, traveling thousands of miles to bring us here; he must have a plan," Shang Chen, who cultivated the profound principle of Destiny, could not see his own fate now. He sensed that the very laws of heaven and earth were shrouded by a massive shadow, obscuring any vision of what lay ahead.
"Senior Xi Luo, Senior Mantis, please protect me! Keep this continent safe from the invasion of the outer void turbulence!" At that moment, Shi Yan appeared in the void, his expression grave as he shouted.
Beside him, Xi Luo, Mantis, Mei Ji, Guy, and many other powerhouses stood solemnly ready, all nodding in understanding.
"Star Rise!"
Suddenly, starlight cascaded from Shi Yan’s body like a waterfall. Immediately, all the stars in the sky seemed to resonate, twinkling like diamonds one by one.
Everyone suddenly realized that the Divine Grace Continent was accelerating rapidly. They saw that the surrounding void was filled with streaks of flowing light, storms of terrifying, dazzling turbulence!
Amidst cries of alarm, the continent seemed to tear through the heavens, instantly plunging into the Void Turbulence Domain, surging forward relentlessly!
ps: Third chapter!! (To be continued)