Xuan He, Phelet, and Ming Hao were in three separate regions, explaining the latest situation to their subordinate martial artists, preparing to settle them down for proper cultivation once the Divine Grace Continent entered the unfamiliar outer realm.

Those individuals, who cultivated the profound secrets of Death, Corpse Power, and Soul Control respectively, had previously been scattered across various areas of the Barren Domain, secretly working for the trio, gathering intelligence—they were their reserve strength.

The change arrived subtly...

Xuan He looked at his subordinates and suddenly noticed the bloody marks on their foreheads slowly fading, as if being wiped away. The scene was exceedingly bizarre.

Then Xuan He observed the gazes of his subordinates toward him—they had also become strange and horrified. He subconsciously pulled out a mirror and looked at himself within it.

The bloody mark between his brows had miraculously vanished.

Xuan He's spirit trembled. He didn't know what had happened. He immediately abandoned his subordinates, seeking out Phelet and Ming Hao to gather and understand the situation.

The same scene unfolded upon every martial artist belonging to the Bloodthirsty lineage; any who possessed the bloody mark found the brand on their brows dissipating!

Xuan He was shaken; Ming Hao and Phelet were equally aghast. Even Yang Qingdi, the Blood Demon, Feilan, and their respective groups were filled with days of dread, gripped by an ineffable sense of fear.

It was the fear of the unknown.

Figures flashed across the skies, converging in one area of Undying Island. These people all originally belonged to the Bloodthirsty lineage. Whether their inherited techniques were granted by the Bloodthirsty one directly or obtained from the Isle of Inheritance within the forbidden Blood Sea, they all bore the identical mark on their brows.

At this moment, everyone’s forehead marks had vanished. What had occurred?

The Blood Demon, Yang Qingdi, Feilan, Liana, Kato, and the others grew even more fearful upon seeing Xuan He and Ming Hao arrive and noticing that they too were now unmarked. "What in the world is happening? Why have everyone's marks all disappeared? Heavens, are we facing some earth-shattering change?" Kato cried out.

On a nearby cliff, Dracula gazed intently at Xuan He and the others. Watching the marks on their brows vanish, his heart was also filled with confusion. He looked far toward the small island where Shi Yan remained silent.

Half a month had passed. What had happened to him during this half-month?

Dracula pondered. His expression gradually grew solemn as he worried that Shi Yan might have encountered some unforeseen disaster.

Just as the Bloodthirsty lineage reached the peak of their apprehension and unease, Shi Yan’s figure materialized amidst them, seemingly condensed from the very air, flickering into existence with inexplicable wonder.

The people under Xuan He immediately surrounded him, their faces anxious, their mouths opening as if to demand an explanation.

"Do you all feel a sense of lightness?" Shi Yan asked first, a smile gracing his lips.

Xuan He, Ming Hao, and Phelet froze at his words. While they had been consumed by immense fear when the marks disappeared, they hadn't carefully considered any other subtle details.

At Shi Yan's reminder, they concentrated on perceiving their inner states, and all showed a slight shock.

They all experienced a feeling of ease and freedom, as if a shackle binding their souls had been thoroughly unbound.

Many felt a surge of liberty; the very air they breathed seemed fresher and more natural than a moment before. Some who had been stuck at a bottleneck for years even felt a sensation of spreading wings, on the verge of shattering their cultivation limits. This realization sent them into raptures, and all their gazes fixed sharply on Shi Yan.

They desperately needed an explanation!

"That mark was refined by the Bloodthirsty one in his later years using a secret art. It is similar to the marks on the brows of Hui's and Shi’s subordinates, but it did not constrain your souls to perish alongside him. Compared to Shi and Hui, the Bloodthirsty one was far more benevolent," Shi Yan said, gazing at them.

"That mark also possessed certain miraculous effects. Through those marks, he could know the movements of every one of you, know your locations, your life or death, and even your thoughts. It was an invisible cage, binding you all."

The faces of the crowd grew grim.

"That is over now. The moment the marks dissolved, you gained complete freedom," Shi Yan smiled. "After his final trace of residual soul dissipated, all the marks turned to dust. Going forward, you will no longer receive energy bestowals from me, but in losing the restraint, your heavens are far broader, and breaking through cultivation bottlenecks will become easier. It is a trade-off, with pros and cons."

"Freedom is more important than additional energy accumulation!" Xuan He was the first to declare.

"Life is paramount!" Phelet nodded in agreement.

"He... that residual soul, did it harbor any intention of possessing you?" Ming Hao asked quietly.

Shi Yan paused for a moment before replying, "No. His final testament was simply for me to refine Shi and Huang. His existence and tragic life were entirely sacrifices made in the struggle between Shi and Huang. He knew that even if he managed to possess me, due to the limitations of his own soul, it would be difficult for him to ultimately defeat Shi and Huang. Therefore, he voluntarily gave up that sole possibility, paying the price of his complete demise, placing his hope upon me to realize the goal he could never achieve in his lifetime—the destruction of Shi and Huang!"

At these words, the faces of Xuan He, Phelet, and Ming Hao fell, sighing with emotion as they lamented the true demise of the Bloodthirsty one.

A peerless sovereign, an unparalleled powerhouse who had looked down upon the Barren Domain for ten thousand years, ultimately relinquished his last sliver of chance for rebirth, entrusting his dreams and goals to Shi Yan to accomplish.

"From this day forward, freed from soul restraint, you can pursue the ultimate heights of profound mystery. Of course, you will require the accumulation of strength, and your time to break through will become extended," Shi Yan stated.

Xuan He and the others lightly nodded, signifying their understanding of the reality, and smiles appeared on their faces.

—They seemed much more willing to accept this outcome.

...

Time flowed like a meandering stream, never pausing, always pressing onward.

The Divine Grace Continent gradually approached the Domain Gate amidst the void's turbulent currents. The martial artists who arrived here were assigned to different islands, each cultivating their profound mysteries and living in contented peace.

During this period, Shi Yan abandoned relentless secluded cultivation. He stepped out of the Endless Sea, his footsteps appearing in the Gloomy Cloud Land, across the Divine Continent, through the Dark Magnetic Mists, along the continent's edges, and to the end of the ocean.

He met many people...

In the Gloomy Cloud Land, he was reunited with Mu Yudie. Happily, Mu Yudie had recovered her graceful appearance. She had broken through the cultivation restriction that bound her lifespan, granting her a much longer existence and a wider future.

However, after many years, although Mu Yudie's cultivation had advanced, the disparity between her and him was now heaven and earth. He treated her merely as an old friend, reminiscing about their first encounter and sharing tales of the past.

That was all.

On the Divine Continent, he visited the Ice Emperor City and met the four mature and alluring women cultivating there: Bing Qingtong, Han Cui, Shuang Yuzhu, and Leng Danqing. While cultivating and occasionally discussing profound mysteries, they would recall him and genuinely laugh.

He stayed in the Ice Emperor City for a time, granting the four women another segment of brilliant, unforgettable memories in their lives, before gracefully departing.

He also met the two Demon Race chieftains, Bao Ao and Jie Ji. They shared wine and conversation, and he explained his insights into profound mysteries, opening a completely new gateway of cultivation for them.

He met Yan Long and the Blazing Golden Lion in the Eternal Night Forest, bringing them the cultivation techniques of the Celestial Demon race and providing them with a direction for the future.

His figure appeared in every corner of the continent...

Every blade of grass, every tree, every flower, every landscape of this continent, the myriad aspects of human life, the myriad phenomena of all beings—he observed them all, contemplated them all, etching them into his heart. This was a complete world.

Through this world, he contemplated the changes that would occur in his future Primordial Realm, the natural rules within, and the marvels that would arise when living beings appeared.

By sensing all sentient life, by experiencing the transformations of all things in the real world, he reflected on the key to the transformation of the Primordial Realm into an Outer Realm.

The Divine Grace Continent moved toward the Domain Gate at a moderate pace; he did not deliberately accelerate it with power. He simply moved quietly across the land, observing all phenomena. In the blink of an eye, another decade passed.

For these ten years, he completely ceased gathering and cultivating divine power, stopped pursuing profound mysteries, and only wandered about, drinking in mortal taverns or weathering the elements deep within the mountain forests.

Until one day, Xi Luo and Mantis appeared before him together, in a very small mortal kingdom, inside a very ordinary tavern...

The tavern was situated in a bustling street district, and from the window seats, one could see the endless stream of people and hear all the clamor.

He leaned against the window, sipping wine, gazing fuzzily at the noisy street, watching the ordinary, lively life. It wasn't yet mealtime, and only a few scattered patrons occupied the tavern, discussing trivialities of daily life.

The proprietor, bored, flipped through the ledger at the counter, occasionally glancing at the young man by the window. This youth had been drinking there every day for the last three months, occupying the same seat for most of the day. The young man looked barely twenty-something, yet he seemed to have experienced the myriad vicissitudes of life; his silhouette exuded an indescribable ancient solemnity.

"Clatter, clatter!"

Light footsteps echoed from the stairway. A beautiful woman, accompanied by a maidservant, came upstairs. The woman carried a gentle and elegant aura, dressed in a long, emerald-green gown, with a graceful figure. After arriving, she sat down with her maidservant directly behind the youth, casting glances toward him, whether intentionally or not.

The proprietor glanced at the woman and sighed inwardly. He knew this woman was the City Lord's daughter, born to noble status, and he knew she held considerable affection for the youth. Thus, she frequented the tavern recently, waiting for the youth to make the first move, knowing her own shyness.

Alas, the youth never showed any inclination to converse, leaving the woman disappointed every day. Yet, the woman never grew angry; the next day she would return with her maidservant, ordering the same wine and the same dishes as the youth...

Even many regular patrons of the tavern could discern the woman's intentions, but the youth seemed too obtuse, never uttering an extra word.

On the same day, the same scene unfolded: the youth sat stoically, overlooking the myriad facets of life below the window, silent.

The young lady sat behind him with her maidservant, her bright eyes fixed on the side of his face, watching his lonely silhouette, an indescribable ache rising in her heart.

"What exactly has he experienced?"

The woman whispered secretly in her heart. Usually sentimental, she felt increasingly sorrowful the more she thought about it, as if her eyes were about to well up with tears.

Suddenly, two lights flashed. A little girl and a skeleton suddenly materialized beside the youth like specters. The skeleton abruptly spoke in a human voice: "Shi Yan, we are almost at the Barren Domain. Everyone is waiting for you."

The youth, who seemed eternally indifferent, displayed a faint, relaxed smile for the first time. Amidst the shrieks of terror and chaos erupting in the tavern, he stood up.

He finally turned back, looking at the woman who had been sitting behind him for over a month for the first time. "Thank you for your regard, but alas, we are not destined. I gift this pill to you. Consume it, and you will maintain your youthful appearance for at least five hundred years. Alas, perhaps we shall meet again when fate allows."

With a light sigh, he, the little girl, and the skeleton transformed into three streaks of rainbow light and shot toward the heavens.

The woman clutched the pill that now diffused a subtle fragrance throughout the entire street. Watching the three rainbow lights fade into the distance, tears quietly welled in her eyes, and for a time, she was utterly lost in a daze... Thank you to the new league leader "Shi Tou Qiang" for your great generosity. On this New Year, Xiao Ni sincerely wishes you and your family joy and good health~~RQ