The iridescent crystal throne, crystalline and shimmering with a kaleidoscopic array of precious light, rested atop the serpent's head. Upon that throne now sat a figure whose eyes, luminous and diamond-bright, held a smile as dazzling as a fully bloomed flower, possessing an unsurpassed, exquisite beauty.

Ziyao was still Ziyao, yet her aura and charisma far surpassed what they had been. In Shi Yan's estimation, her current magnetism was unparalleled; even Mei Ji paled in comparison.

This transformation was entirely due to her successful fusion and absorption of the "Hui," granting her the soul-consciousness of a primordial being, resulting in a complete metamorphosis.

Clad in a pale lavender gown, her skin whiter than frost, she reclined languidly upon the seven-colored crystal throne, speaking to Shi Yan with a gentle smile.

Shi Yan, having reduced his physical form to human size, also sat within the crystal throne, offering a wry smile as he explained that his preceding surge of power was a forcible infusion from Huang.

"I truly thought my soul was about to scatter to the winds, yet unexpectedly, I managed to seize control of its essence instead. Thinking back now, it sends shivers down my spine," Ziyao’s smile was radiant. She bit her lower lip, reached out to take Shi Yan’s hand, and pulled him closer, then leaned against him.

"All this time, I treated my feelings as unrequited affection, believing that in your eyes, in the depths of your heart, there was simply no place for me. Sometimes, watching you grow stronger day by day, I felt truly inadequate, sensing myself drifting further from you, feeling you become increasingly unattainable..."

Her voice softened as she unburdened years of pent-up emotion. "I once gave up. Because I felt I could never keep pace with your strides, that I could offer you no assistance, and could only become the rope tethering you from soaring high. I tried so hard to catch up, cultivating diligently, striving to advance my realm and power."

She tilted her head, gazing deeply into Shi Yan's face. "But your breakthroughs were just too swift, unimaginably fast. I could only watch helplessly as you grew stronger and stronger. No matter how hard I labored, the distance between us only widened. I detested myself for it!"

Shi Yan was left speechless.

Back in the Blazing Flame Star Domain, he had already understood Ziyao's feelings. But at that time, his heart belonged only to Xia Xinyan; he was singularly focused on surpassing his limits to find a sanctuary for the God-Blessed Continent, whose energy was rapidly depleting, and to give an accounting to the relatives and friends who trusted him.

Thus, he had failed to reciprocate Ziyao’s affection. After arriving in the Maya Star Domain, he continued his relentless campaigning, his footsteps never pausing.

At that time, Ziyao too had found another opportunity, becoming a disciple under Lin Xin, and they were separated for many years. Upon meeting again, they hadn't spent much time together before being separated once more by the path of his warfare.

When they met anew, it was true that Ziyao could no longer pursue his pace; she was drawing further away from him.

He had once assumed that her image within his heart was not profound. However, after the "Hui" possessed Ziyao's soul and she was utterly subjugated, he realized that there had always been a space reserved for her in his core. That space had perpetually been imprinted with Ziyao’s image, never once fading.

"Today, you willingly cast aside your life for me, fighting against it recklessly on my behalf. Only now do I truly know that you held a place for me in your heart..."

A smile that Ziyao could barely conceal flickered on her lips, as if, at this moment, years of bitter anticipation had been vindicated.

The form of the twelve-headed great serpent gradually emerged amidst the receding tide in the sea, coiled around the sundered continent. Around them, due to the planet's disintegration, shattered meteorites floated—vast chunks of debris suspended like colossal dust motes in the star river, drifting near their position.

Besides the two of them, there was no trace of other living beings, no vestige of life.

They could finally express the emotions bottled up for so long, savoring this rare solitude, amidst this alien continent, in this unfamiliar star domain, laying bare the unspoken words hidden in their hearts for years...

Time flowed by silently, imperceptibly.

In the dim expanse of the starry sky, many strange and bizarre warships began to appear. Figures of martial artists moved upon these vessels, many possessing profound cultivation levels.

Some martial artists, however, traveled unassisted by any craft or battleship, drifting directly using their divine bodies.

The cataclysmic battle erupting in one corner of the Domain finally alerted martial artists from far distant reaches. Those residing in this Domain, along with powers from adjacent Domains, were drawn by the shockwaves of the fight between Shi Yan and Yuan, which had torn open the Domain barrier, spilling influence into neighboring territories.

Shi Yan and Ziyao sensed the approach of life forms in time, halting their conversation. Ziyao's thoughts shifted, and the surrounding space was suddenly enveloped in thick fog.

Within the dense haze, the twelve celestial serpent bodies were miniaturized into a single, colorful world.

That world slowly shrank until it became a pinpoint of light, vanishing deep within Ziyao's pupils. She and Shi Yan stood side by side, releasing their soul consciousness to sense the surroundings.

Shi Yan's soul expanded like invisible waves, scrutinizing the gathering crowd.

Martial artists of various races and disparate cultivation levels successively appeared before his eyes. Some were adventurers from the Land of the Void, some were native to this Domain, and others hailed from nearby Domains.

Among the thousands of early arrivals, a single figure suddenly drew Shi Yan's attention. His eyes brightened slightly. He abruptly gripped Ziyao’s arm and said, "Let's go."

The moment the words left his mouth, his and Ziyao's silhouettes, like smoke, gradually dissipated.

...

Evelyn stood amidst the crowd with several members of the Celestial Eye Clan, gazing toward the smoke-shrouded area ahead.

He had been journeying through a corner of the Celestial Eye Clan's Domain with a few apprentices, instructing them on comprehending profound truths. He had suddenly detected the spatial barrier nearby being pulverized. Driven by curiosity, he had led his apprentices through the resulting rift into the adjoining Domain.

He knew this Domain was called "Lanyi," neighboring their Celestial Eye Clan's "Linming." The Lanyi Domain also had passages leading to their Linming Domain; in fact, he, along with Ma Xisha and Adams, had previously utilized the Lanyi Domain to enter the Land of the Void and then proceed to the Sea of Destruction.

Upon entering the Lanyi Domain through the fractured passage, he felt the shockwaves of an earth-shattering energy fluctuation.

Even separated by billions of miles, that wave remained tremendously powerful. As curiosity overwhelmed him, he hurried over with his apprentices, eager to discover what momentous event had transpired in the Lanyi Domain.

Upon arrival, they discovered the epicenter of the battle was shrouded in thick mist, entirely obscuring the scene within.

Many others had arrived like him, including several well-known powerhouses from the Lanyi Domain, cultivators at the Immortal Realm. Yet, even those individuals dared not venture deeper, choosing only to observe from afar.

He, too, only dared to watch silently from a distance.

"Master, what level of powerhouse could be fighting?"

A Celestial Eye Clan member, only at the God King realm, watched the front with wide-eyed curiosity. "Why doesn't anyone dare to go take a look?"

"Idiot! Obviously, those people know that a battle of that caliber is not something they can observe, so they only dare to watch from afar!"

A pretty young woman from the Celestial Eye Clan glared at the youth and rebuked him.

"Senior Sister, what caliber are you referring to?" the youth grumbled.

The young woman secretly glanced at Evelyn beside her, stuck out her tongue, and said playfully, "Naturally, beings even more terrifying than Master! Otherwise, why wouldn't Master only be watching from a distance?"

At this remark, the youth was greatly startled. "Master has already broken through to the Second Heaven of the Immortal Realm! Could the people within that mist be even stronger than Master? Peak Immortal?"

"Nonsense!" the young woman snorted.

When Evelyn had first met Shi Yan while journeying with Ma Xisha and Adams in the Sea of Nothingness, he was at the First Heaven of the Immortal Realm, just a hair's breadth away from breaking through to the Second Heaven.

Following the tragic events on Dragon Lizard Star, and receiving some guidance from the Dragon Lizard Ancestor, the Celestial Eye Clan subsequently allied with the Profound Heaven Clan, becoming their vassal race. Evelyn, Ma Xisha, and Adams all benefited considerably. Evelyn seized the opportunity and successfully advanced to the Second Heaven of the Immortal Realm.

Within the entire Celestial Eye Clan, Evelyn was renowned today, for having facilitated their vassal status to the Profound Heaven Clan. His prestige within the clan was immense; even the Clan Leader treated him with great respect.

The younger generation present were all Evelyn’s disciples; in their eyes, Evelyn was already peak existence, a figure of the Domain Ancestor level, which they had never even witnessed.

The entire Celestial Eye Clan had yet to produce a single Domain Ancestor, which was why they remained a third-rate race, not even qualifying as second-rate.

Only when a Domain Ancestor emerged within the race could the entire clan's standing be elevated.

"Xiao Ya, Xiao Ye, you must remember that while my realm and cultivation may be considered top-tier within the clan, they are hardly worth mentioning in the Sea of Nothingness," Evelyn instructed them seriously. "With my cultivation, if I were to fight someone in the Sea of Nothingness, I would have a nine-in-ten chance of perishing. That is a place where the strong gather like stars; there are far more powers surpassing the Celestial Eye Clan than there are stars. You must never slacken!"

Upon hearing this, the two youths, Xiao Ya and Xiao Ye, grew silent with awe, repeatedly affirming their understanding.

Evelyn looked deeply at the two upon whom he pinned great hope and sighed internally. "My capabilities are limited. Even if I impart all my understanding of profound truths to you, you might, at best, only be slightly stronger than I am. As for breaking through to the Domain Ancestor level—alas, without a truly great teacher, it is likely hopeless for your entire lives..."

His greatest dream was for the Celestial Eye Clan to produce a Domain Ancestor, elevating their race's rank.

Even if it couldn't be achieved in his generation, he hoped the next generation could fulfill this dream yearned for by all members of the Celestial Eye Clan. In his view, his two disciples, Xiao Ya and Xiao Ye, possessed extraordinary aptitude; with guidance from a renowned master, there might be a sliver of possibility for them to break through to the Domain Ancestor realm in the future.

However, a master capable of the Domain Ancestor level was something a mere member of the Celestial Eye Clan could never hope to apprentice under. Back then, he, Ma Xisha, and Adams had fully assisted Shi Yan, proposing one condition: if Shi Yan ever broke through to the Domain Ancestor realm, he was to select one person from the Celestial Eye Clan to take as a disciple.

He, Ma Xisha, and Adams had spent all their divine crystals and energy in the Sea of Nothingness trying to find news of Shi Yan.

Only when they heard that Shi Yan had vanished at the bottom of the Sea of Destruction did they disappointedly return to the Linming Domain, believing that their pact with Shi Yan from those years might never materialize.

"Long time no see, Evelyn."

Amidst his wistful, self-doubting sigh, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears. He was first taken aback, and when he saw the person beside him, he was abruptly stunned, his entire body trembling as he let out a sharp cry.

"You... How are you here?"