The hunched elder flashed like a bolt of lightning, closely following Ziyao as she pierced through a dimensional gate.

Guy of the Bone Clan cried out suddenly, repeatedly shouting, "Yuanzu! Yuanzu!"

Yuanzu was also one of the Ten Great Ancestors of the Nihility Sea. What race Yuanzu belonged to was unknown; his identity and origins were shrouded in deep mystery. Guy had only heard of him from Xiluo, who spoke of Yuanzu with great reservation, halting and evasive, as if guarding many secrets.

Though Guy was one of the Ancestors and had lived for tens of thousands of years, he had never seen Yuanzu. He only heard that Yuanzu rose to fame long, long ago, perhaps being one of the very first Ancestors. Rumor had it that even Suolun treated Yuanzu with the deference due to a junior, regarding himself as such when in Yuanzu’s presence.

As far as Guy knew, Suolun’s seniority was comparable to Dracula’s—a powerhouse from an earlier epoch. The fact that Suolun acted as a junior indicated Yuanzu's age was even more profound.

Many times, Guy acted as if Yuanzu did not exist, only to realize today that this figure had persisted throughout, a tangible, undeniable presence.

The hunched elder, Yuanzu, transformed into a streak of lightning and vanished through a dimensional gate with Ziyao.

In that vicinity, dozens of dimensional gates opened to different realms, making it the liveliest nexus point on the Land of Nothingness. Each gate attracted countless powerhouses from the Land of Nothingness, eager to explore within, seeking materials for refinement and insight into profound secrets of the realms.

Tu Shiqi and the couple, Yayun, watched helplessly as the Dragon Lizard Ancestor was entangled and carried away by Ziyao’s true form, their anxiety mounting to a fever pitch.

They looked expectantly towards Shi Yan.

Shi Yan, now returned to his normal form, had the starlight-studded Milky Way—the Fallen Star River—retracted back into his crown.

He began re-evaluating Naphtune and Keith.

Unlike Feireier, Naphtune and Keith were both Ancestor Realm cultivators. Their power and methods were clearly beyond Feireier’s reach. Naphtune and Keith were core members of the Soul Clan and the Ancient Demon Clan, respectively. As the foundational powerhouses of the Seven Great Races, the Soul Clan and Ancient Demon Clan naturally possessed depths that Feireier, who cultivated independently, could not match.

Feireier, having recently joined the Ancient Demon Clan, clearly had not yet gained their full recognition, nor had he fully harnessed their immense foundational power to enhance his own strength. Otherwise, Shi Yan would not have found killing him so straightforward.

Naphtune and Keith, both at the first layer of the Ancestor Realm, displayed powers and possessed techniques that Shi Yan found somewhat troublesome.

The Soul Bridge, connecting to the deep recesses of the Soul Clan, could summon legions of vengeful souls to exert pressure on him.

The Crimson Gold Spirit Ant possessed a marked counter-effect against his Primordial Body. Beyond these, Keith likely still held back numerous unknown methods.

Shi Yan had initially planned to annihilate Naphtune and Keith after dispatching Feireier, and then proceed to kill Rabbit as well. Now, he suddenly realized that on the Land of Nothingness, achieving everything in one go was likely impossible.

After the Dragon Lizard Ancestor was taken by Ziyao’s true form, he paused for a moment’s deliberation. He decided to temporarily set aside the desire to kill Naphtune and Keith. Once he purified and absorbed Feireier’s power, enhancing his own strength, he would seek opportunities to take down Naphtune and Keith one by one.

With his resolve set, he looked towards the dimensional gate through which Ziyao’s true form had vanished, transforming into a streak of starlight, and abruptly fled as well.

“Follow!”

Naphtune, Keith, Rabbit, and others, seeing so many powerhouses depart, reached a consensus and pursued them into the gate.

Guy of the Bone Clan pondered for a moment, then suddenly stated, “Yuanzu is among them!”

Many who had been poised to act calmed down upon hearing Guy’s words. They questioned themselves and realized that even if they entered, they would be unable to contend with the Primordial Beings and gain any advantage.

Many halted, hesitant to follow, choosing instead to remain on the Land of Nothingness to wait.

Only those who deemed their strength supreme—those whose reputations rivaled the Sea Shark Emperor—dared to rush through.

...

It was a vast and boundless realm.

A naturally formed domain, studded with countless stars, many inhabited by ordinary mortals. This place was the complete opposite of the Nihility Sea; it pulsed with vibrant life, imbued with the unique aura of a natural domain.

In this star-strewn realm, on a desolate dead star that had seen nothing for eons, there was not a single blade of grass on the ground beneath a smog-gray sky.

Ziyao’s true form descended, almost entirely filling every corner of the dead star. The immense dead star seemed barely large enough to contain her colossal body, forcing her flesh to coil upon itself.

The Dragon Lizard Ancestor’s physical body was tightly constricted by thick, serpentine flesh tendrils. Ziyao’s avatar sat upon a throne carved from a Heavenly Serpent’s head, smiling sweetly, “Little lizard, be obedient. For the sake of your progenitor, ‘Xi,’ I will only consume your Primordial Essence Blood. I can spare your soul and life essence. How about that?”

The Dragon Lizard Ancestor struggled violently, attempting to break free from Ziyao’s restraint. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he could not escape.

Just as Ziyao prepared to draw the Dragon Lizard Ancestor’s life essence, the hunched elder materialized like a phantom. He appeared beside Ziyao’s avatar, his gaze complex, before sighing softly, “Leave a seed of life for ‘Xi’...”

Ziyao frowned, looking coldly at the hunched elder who had followed her for so long, disdainfully retorting, “Who are you? You dare to meddle in my affairs?”

“Who I am is irrelevant. What matters is that beings from the Primordial Era are now so scarce they are nearly extinct. This Dragon Lizard, though only second generation, still carries some trace of ‘Xi’s’ essence blood within him. That mere trace of essence blood will only restore a small fraction of your strength. For such a minor recovery, are you truly going to erase its final seed of life? Is that not excessive?”

“Xi is long extinct. This creature has a low cultivation level; he cannot propagate the Primordial Essence Blood within him. Letting me absorb it is hardly a waste!”

“Alas, you are as stubborn as ever. Since you insist, I must stop you.”

The hunched elder smiled bitterly. He shook his head, and countless streams of fluid surged forth, washing over the Dragon Lizard Ancestor’s body. These waters were incredibly slick and managed to dissolve the constraint Ziyao’s true form had placed upon the Dragon Lizard Ancestor. Ziyao’s beautiful face twisted in shock, and she cried out, “Who exactly are you?”

“Hui, it has been a long time. Can you not even recognize the aura of an old friend? It seems your injuries are indeed severe, or else you would have sensed my presence back on the Land of Nothingness.” Yuanzu chuckled gently.

A warm, ancient aura emanated from him, soft as a gentle breeze, nourishing the depleted star, bringing a feeling of comfort to all present.

Astonishing divine light flared in Ziyao’s eyes. She fixed her gaze on Yuanzu and suddenly laughed lightly, “So it is you. You skulked away during the great battle of that time, never participating, and then inexplicably vanished. I never expected you to be alive and well in this era.”

“I call myself Yuanzu now, one of the oldest Ancestors of the Nihility Sea. I have existed in this current form, remaining detached from the changes of this age, taking no part in the battles of the Seven Great Races. I am merely an observer, watching the rise and fall of this era and witnessing some interesting events.”

Yuanzu smiled serenely. “Our era is over. Those of us from that time should not forcibly interfere with this one, lest we destroy it as well. I hope you all can calm down. Our time is gone; do not bring disaster into the present.”

“That is the logic of cowards!” Ziyao scoffed, her face full of disdain. “If this age cannot withstand our power, let it be destroyed. A new era will surely replace it, and new races will be born. They may even be stronger, capable of adapting to a more brutal age. Heaven and Earth, from beginning to end, transform through endless conflict. Every living being and race requires the baptism of blood to reach glory, to reach the ultimate!”

She sneered, “In my time, I failed to achieve glory, failed to step into the ultimate, but my pursuit of true eternal goals remains unchanged. As long as I have not completely dissipated, I will continue down this path. I believe... Huang and Shi will be the same as me; they will continue down that road!”

“That is the road of no return! That road destroyed our era!” Yuanzu thundered in anger.

“What does the destruction of Heaven and Earth and the end of an era have to do with me? The cycle of life and death will not cease because of it. Even if all life in this era is annihilated, as long as I survive, as long as I reach the extreme, I can gestate all things anew and forge a new era. No one can stop me!” Ziyao stated coldly.

“What are you two discussing?” Shi Yan’s voice suddenly cut in. He traversed space, manifesting abruptly beside Ziyao and Yuanzu. He glanced at Yuanzu, his expression solemn. “Guy said you are Yuanzu, the oldest of the Ten Great Ancestors, yet your aura is that of a Primordial Being. What should I call you?”

Yuanzu looked deeply at Shi Yan and smiled, saying, “Call me whatever you like. It is a miracle that you managed to condense a Primordial Body in this age. But you must be cautious. If Huang emerges, he will undoubtedly seek you out first. Even as you are now, you are no match for him.”

“Thank you for the warning. I know his threat has always existed; it is the very motivation that forces me to continuously grow stronger.” Shi Yan gave a sincere nod of thanks, then shifted his tone, “Since you are here to stop her, that saves me some trouble. I will just watch from the side, heh heh.”

With that, he actually retreated a short distance, leaving the desolate expanse of the continent to Ziyao and Yuanzu.

“He is called Yuan, like me, a life form from the Primordial Era. However, he is a coward who dares not face reality, only clinging to survival and conforming to the age. Thus, although he has survived safely, his power remains stagnant, frozen at the level of his past self,” Ziyao said, glaring at Yuanzu with a cold smile.

“I am indeed a coward,” Yuanzu replied calmly, showing no anger. “But this coward will stop you today from destroying ‘Xi’s’ seed of life, and he will stop you all from heading towards the Gate of Primordiality. This era must not be brought to an end by your madness a second time.”

...RQ