Evelyn’s eyes gleamed; he had never expected to encounter Shi Yan here. When he learned that Shi Yan had mysteriously vanished from the Sea of Annihilation back then, he had presumed Shi Yan had returned to his homeland. At that time, he, Adams, and Marisha had been deeply disappointed, spending a long time dispirited after returning to the Linming Domain.
Over a hundred years later, traveling with a few disciples outside their domain—and landing in a place that wasn't even the Void Sea—to run into Shi Yan felt like a stroke of unexpected fortune, making him ecstatic.
“I can’t believe you are here too!”
Evelyn’s face glowed with vitality. With a stirring of his consciousness, he suddenly understood. He looked toward the swirling mist and assumed, “You were also drawn here by the immense commotion from another domain? It’s strange, but the intense fluctuations in this Lanyi Domain actually tore at our domain barrier. You must have experienced that as well, right?”
Shi Yan and Ziyao exchanged a smile. “Yes, our domain is nearby too. A corner of it was ripped by the wave, so we came to check things out. We never expected to run into an old acquaintance.”
A strange light flashed in Evelyn’s eyes as he looked intently at Shi Yan and Ziyao, a silent astonishment dawning upon him.
He couldn’t discern the cultivation realm of either Shi Yan or Ziyao!
“The domain of the Celestial Eye Clan isn’t far from here, is it? It’s been a long time since I saw Adams and Marisha. Well, if you don’t mind, would you take us over for a look?” Shi Yan paused, then took the initiative to speak.
This location had attracted too much attention. After Yuan Zu fled, this area would quickly become a focal point, especially since Rabbit and Clark were dead, and Napton, Xiaolie, and Jiani were now taken into Ziyao’s Divine Light Heaven and Earth. This place was bound to draw the Great Domain Ancestors from the Seven Clans.
He had fought Yuan Zu, and his power was significantly depleted. The residual energy from the tragic deaths of Rabbit and the others was absorbed by his massive physical body within a tiny radius, requiring a period of buffering to refine.
Similarly, Ziyao needed to stabilize herself and deal with Napton, Xiaolie, and Jiani.
The Celestial Eye Clan’s domain offered an excellent temporary resting spot, which is why he had conceived this idea.
“Haha, wonderful! I’m sure Adams and Marisha will be overjoyed to see you!”
Evelyn was eager for Shi Yan to visit and immediately agreed, stroking his lips thoughtfully. He then asked, “You don’t want to watch any longer? The magnitude of that disturbance shattered planets—it must have been a battle between Domain Ancestors?” His curiosity about the mist remained strong.
“If it were truly Domain Ancestor level, we’d be asking for trouble by rashly entering. Perhaps it’s better not to?” Shi Yan offered a wry smile.
Evelyn considered it carefully and nodded in agreement. “Very well then. We’ll return the way we came and head to our Linming Domain.”
“Master, who are they?” The young girl from the Celestial Eye Clan, Xiaoya, asked, her eyes shining brightly. She looked at Shi Yan, then at Ziyao, saying, “This elder sister is so beautiful! I’ve never seen such a stunning woman; truly gorgeous!”
Ziyao, having fused the soul power of the ‘Hui,’ possessed an undeniable, dazzling allure. Her breathtaking beauty could elicit admiration even from other women.
Xiao Ye and several other young men from the Celestial Eye Clan looked at Ziyao timidly, fidgeting awkwardly. Their gazes darted back and forth—wanting to look longer, yet fearing Shi Yan’s anger—leaving them quite embarrassed.
Amidst Xiaoya’s genuine praise, Ziyao smiled gracefully. “Little girl, you are beautiful too.”
“And this one is?” Evelyn was inwardly surprised, thinking, Why not Audrey? Has he changed women again?
As he asked, he noticed Shi Yan looked slightly perplexed, while Ziyao’s bright eyes sparkled, watching Shi Yan with a smile, seemingly waiting for Shi Yan to provide a satisfactory answer himself.
“Not an official relationship yet?”
Evelyn was shocked internally and felt rather awkward, thinking he had asked a foolish question.
“Heh.” Shi Yan smiled faintly, offering no explicit clarification of their status. Amidst the envious gazes of Xiao Ye and the other young men, he naturally drew Ziyao close by her slender, snake-like waist.
Ziyao looked pleased, leaning into him naturally, her mood lifted. “I like you very much, little girl. You cultivate the Profound Meaning of Flames, right? Here, take this little trinket.”
With an air of captivating grace, she approached Xiaoya and, to the young girl's astonishment, placed a heart-shaped red crystal into her palm.
Within the heart-shaped red crystal, a crimson flame danced restlessly, possessing an unexpectedly pure life consciousness!
As Xiaoya’s delicate, fair hand held the crystal, she suddenly felt her very Soul Altar sinking into a surging sea of fire. A wisp of pure flame energy permeated directly from the heart-shaped crystal toward her Divine Power Tree. Her tree ignited with a sudden ‘whoosh,’ and crimson energy surged in like a tide.
“Ah!”
Xiaoya cried out in alarm, flinching and hastily tossing the heart-shaped red crystal away. The tiny crystal instantly released a torrent of heat that startled even Evelyn, making his face pale with dread.
Xiaoya was young and inexperienced, but Evelyn possessed the insight to discern the extreme preciousness of such an artifact.
He frantically circulated his power, enveloping the small crystal, securing it with pure energy. After a brief assessment, he shuddered, looking at Ziyao with horror. Holding the red crystal with utmost reverence, he said, “This item is far too valuable; please take it back. Xiaoya… Xiaoya might not be blessed enough to enjoy it.”
The power contained within such a small crystal made him tremble with fear. He didn't know what it was, but he knew it was incomparably precious!
Ziyao smiled calmly and glanced at Shi Yan.
Shi Yan knew that what Evelyn considered a supreme treasure was commonplace to Ziyao. He grinned. “Accept it on the little girl’s behalf. Her current realm naturally cannot fully absorb the flame essence within, but this red crystal is enough to increase her Divine Power accumulation speed tenfold. Even if she breaks through to the Immortal realm, she might not be able to absorb all its power.”
Upon hearing this, the hand holding the flame crystal began to tremble slightly in Evelyn’s grip.
Xiaoya was stunned, and the other members of the Celestial Eye Clan looked on with doubt and apprehension, uncertain if Shi Yan spoke the truth.
Could a small flame crystal truly contain enough power to last until Xiaoya reached the Immortal realm? If it was so valuable, why was it given away so easily? Did these two regard such a supreme treasure as merely ordinary?
A string of questions swirled in the minds of the Celestial Eye Clan members. Being of lower seniority, they harbored doubts but dared not ask, merely staring blankly.
Evelyn pondered for a long time, then reluctantly accepted the gift. He thanked Ziyao profusely and personally led the way, guiding Shi Yan and Ziyao toward the tear in the barrier.
Passing through the rift in the domain barrier, Shi Yan and Ziyao arrived in the Celestial Eye Clan’s domain. Not long after they entered, the torn domain barrier miraculously began to mend, accompanied by layers of spatial ripples.
—Of course, none of the Celestial Eye Clan members knew of this.
The Linming Domain was not vast. Shi Yan extended his soul consciousness, quickly covering half the domain. He swept through numerous stars, gathering a general understanding of the domain’s layout.
“I’ll take you to the teleportation array, to our Celestial Eye Clan’s Holy Land, where Marisha and Adams are!”
After accepting the flame crystal, Evelyn regarded Shi Yan and Ziyao with a degree of reverence, leading them toward the nearest transport point, his expression cautious along the way.
He realized he could no longer fathom the current Shi Yan at all, leaving him completely unsettled. He hesitated, wondering if he should bring up the old agreement—fearing Shi Yan might refuse.
Along the path, Xiaoya, Xiao Ye, and the other young men and women of the Celestial Eye Clan kept whispering amongst themselves, filled with curiosity about Shi Yan and Ziyao, constantly speculating about their cultivation realms. Most guessed they were at the first heaven of the Immortal realm; even the bolder Xiao Ye only ventured a guess of the second heaven.
“Swish!”
Streaks of white light flashed as the teleportation array activated, crossing dozens of planets straight to the Celestial Eye Clan’s Holy Land.
The Celestial Eye Star, viewed from the outside, resembled a gigantic eye—this was the Holy Land, where the clan members had lived, cultivated, and worshipped their ancestors for generations.
The spiritual energy on the planet was decent. Vast, boundless forests covered almost three-quarters of the surface, with the remainder occupied by lakes of varying sizes. The water in these lakes was crystal clear, pure enough to drink directly. Scattered throughout the forests were cities, large and small, bustling with Celestial Eye Clan members coming and going, while highly skilled martial artists soared through the sky.
In the southeast region of the planet, beside seven crystal-like lakes, lay the Clan’s sacred area. Towering statues stood there, each with its third eye wide open on the forehead, emitting five-colored divine light. These statues represented past powerhouses of the Celestial Eye Clan who had made great contributions to the race.
A newly erected statue, ten zhang high, carved from a greenish stone, was unmistakably a likeness of Evelyn. Many clan members stood near the statue, gazing up at Evelyn’s effigy and bowing in respect.
“Not bad, your clan even erected a statue for you,” Shi Yan remarked with a smile as he descended, taking in the sight.
“I am ashamed, I am ashamed,” Evelyn replied awkwardly.
“My master facilitated the connection between our Celestial Eye Clan and the Profound Heaven Clan. Our clan’s ability to rely on the mighty Profound Heaven Clan is all thanks to my master’s merit. He contributed greatly to the race; the Clan Leader and the Elders all believe Master is worthy of the worship of his people.”
One of Evelyn’s disciples, proud of this connection over the past century, bristled at Shi Yan’s teasing and stepped forward defensively.
Shi Yan merely smiled, finding the situation amusing, and calmly walked among the statues. Ziyao followed closely beside him.
Evelyn grew even more awkward. He knew better than anyone that the Celestial Eye Clan’s affiliation with the Profound Heaven Clan was purely due to Tu Shiqi and his wife showing favor to Shi Yan back then. Without Tu Shiqi’s desire to please Shi Yan, the Celestial Eye Clan would never have qualified to become a vassal race to the Profound Heaven Clan.
……RQ