The name of the God of Slaughter, the Sha Shen, echoed across the boundless, vast expanse of the Star Sea. Every race, every powerhouse, during this time, was chanting a single name—Shi Yan!

The Soul Clan, the Devouring Clan, the Ancient Demon Clan, and the Black Devil Clan had gone mad. The surviving powerhouses, including You Yu, Ejia, Beverly, and Rupert, were all deployed, searching frantically for any trace of Shi Yan.

The four clans united, offering a massive bounty for any news of Shi Yan. If anyone could provide his exact location, the four clans were willing to exchange an entire Domain as a reward!

A genuine, natural Domain!

The Star Sea subsequently erupted into complete pandemonium!

Everyone knew the unimaginable catastrophe that had befallen the Soul Clan, the Devouring Clan, the Ancient Demon Clan, and the Black Devil Clan. Shi Yan's furious retaliatory slaughter had enraged the supreme powerhouses of the four clans. Now, they were temporarily setting aside even the matter of the Gate of Primordial Beginning, vowing first to grind Shi Yan into dust!

You Yu, Ejia, Beverly, and Rupert cornered Mandis and Xiluo, aggressively interrogating them about Shi Yan’s hiding spot, determined to find the planet Shi Yan had brought with him back then.

To achieve this, they did not hesitate to declare war against the Phantom Clan and the Skeleton Clan! If Mandis and Xiluo failed to provide a satisfactory response, they were intent on waging a major conflict against these two races.

Even Suolun, who had gathered the top powerhouses of various races to negotiate entering the Gate of Primordial Beginning, lacked the ability to quell this situation.

His persuasion could not calm the fury of You Yu and the others, and the operation to enter the Gate of Primordial Beginning had to be temporarily halted.

Finding Shi Yan became the utmost priority for the four great races, and an obsession for You Yu, Ejia, Beverly, and Rupert.

Among them, Yuan Zu frequently appeared, joining forces with the four of them, explicitly declaring his alignment with the four clans to strike down Shi Yan.

The Star Sea, which had enjoyed years of peace, was thus thrown into massive upheaval. Clansmen of the Soul Clan, Devouring Clan, Ancient Demon Clan, and Black Devil Clan were active everywhere, beginning to advance towards the territories of the Skeleton Clan and the Phantom Clan, preparing to launch a great war.

Mandis and Xiluo, having learned of the devastating losses suffered by the four clans and knowing their powerhouses had suffered countless casualties, were not overly terrified by the alliance of the four. They issued commands to prepare for war, ready to fight the four clans.

Among the Seven Clans, the Profound Heaven Clan, whose leaders Hantian and Judy could not be contacted for the time being, remained unmoved.

Since the Profound Heaven Clan had not suffered Shi Yan’s massacre, this incident became a source of hidden resentment for Ejia and Beverly. They secretly speculated that Hantian and Judy had already reached a clandestine agreement with Shi Yan.

The truth was indeed so.

The boundless Star Sea, ignited by Shi Yan’s frenzied slaughter, was boiling. All races were actively preparing for war, intending to use the opportunity to expand their territorial domains.

As the anxious rage of You Yu and Beverly grew fiercer, conflict between the races was imminent, threatening to erupt across vast areas at any moment.

…… The Phantom Clan.

In a secret chamber deep beneath the earth, Shi Yan sat with his eyes tightly closed, his breathing steady. Waves of tyrannical and murderous aura permeated the entire chamber as white mist billowed forth from his acupoints.

Mei Ji accompanied him nearby.

She sat cross-legged beside Shi Yan, completely nude, her flawless skin forming a layer of frost. A chilling cold radiated outward, piercing to the bone.

After an unknown span of time, Mei Ji awoke, profound joy shining in her bright eyes.

Deep within her Soul Altar, in the Profundity Layer, a Source Talisman was imprinted within a block of ice crystal—it was an Origin Source Talisman, refined and gifted to her by Shi Yan.

With her soul-hand, she caressed the Source Talisman representing the Profundity of Ice, sensing the essence of the divine ability, "Frostbite." As her divine power consciousness touched it, the rock walls and the very space of the secret chamber emitted cracking sounds. Soon, the entirety of the world, substance, and air seemed to solidify into glittering ice.

This was an ultimate divine ability of the Ice Profundity, sealed within the Source Talisman for her to comprehend slowly.

Sometime earlier, Shi Yan had quietly descended upon the Phantom Clan without attracting anyone's notice. He found her directly in this secret chamber, engaged in an intimate act with her, refining his own power, recovering his negative emotions, and then, using the Profundity Talisman Tower first, he refined an Origin Source Talisman of Ice Profundity for her.

This Source Talisman belonged to her, Mei Ji, filling her with immense excitement and joy.

Aided by this Source Talisman, and the surging divine power swelling within her, her current realm and cultivation had reached the critical point of breakthrough. She only needed time to accumulate and meticulously grasp the new divine ability to advance further, stepping into the second tier of the Domain Ancestor realm.

Such rapid progress was something she had never even dreamed of before, yet it was now a reality.

As for Shi Yan's rampage against the four clans, Mei Ji had temporarily put the deep thought aside until now, after integrating the Source Talisman into her altar and stabilizing her Profundity, finally finding the energy to ponder other matters.

It was at this moment that she sensed Mandis had contacted her repeatedly, urging her to emerge from the cultivation chamber immediately.

She gazed affectionately at the sleeping Shi Yan beside her. She knew the power Shi Yan had acquired this time was immense; refining an Origin Source Talisman for her had only consumed a fraction of it. She understood Shi Yan needed more time to fully digest all that energy, and she believed that upon waking, Shi Yan's strength would undoubtedly soar to an unimaginable height.

Smiling faintly, she rose gracefully, looking at her own flushed skin, and somewhat bashfully put on her clothes.

A streak of strange light flashed, and she vanished from the secret chamber, reappearing in the Phantom Clan's main hall where important matters were being discussed.

The moment she emerged, her expression abruptly changed, and she demanded, "What is it?"

In the hall were many unfamiliar faces—owners of different Domains, or clan leaders affiliated with the Phantom Clan. These individuals might not visit the Phantom Clan's ancestral grounds for hundreds or thousands of years, yet now they were all gathered, each wearing an extremely grim expression. Mandis, Candice, and Vandler were among them, all looking deeply serious. Upon seeing her emerge, Mandis let out a slight sigh of relief and said, "Your cultivation time was quite long, but it’s timely enough; you've woken just before war is about to break out."

"War?" Mei Ji looked utterly bewildered. "War with whom?"

"The Soul Clan, Devouring Clan, Ancient Demon Clan, and Black Devil Clan want to wage war against our Phantom Clan and the Skeleton Clan. Hmph, perhaps in the past, we wouldn't have dared fight, but now? This is an opportunity!" Mandis sneered. "Shi Yan took advantage of their peak powerhouses being absent and slaughtered them wholesale, leaving them severely weakened. The power of any single one of those clans is no match for us. Furthermore, the Skeleton Clan's strength has greatly increased since the return of the Dracula couple. Our two clans joining forces against the current Soul Clan, Devouring Clan, Ancient Demon Clan, and Black Devil Clan puts us on equal footing!"

"For what reason?" Mei Ji still couldn't quite grasp the situation.

"They demand we hand over Shi Yan, expose the Cloud Vast Domain, and seek to kill Shi Yan at all costs, destroying the Cloud Vast Domain to retaliate against Shi Yan’s acts of extermination against their races," Mandis’s delicate face was icy. "Don't assume I know Shi Yan's location; even if I did, I wouldn't tell them. I am quite interested in this war. Fight it is. Perhaps after this battle, our Phantom Clan can replace them and become the strongest race in the Star Sea!"

"I believe it will only lead to mutual destruction. I do not approve," a tall, stunningly beautiful woman beside Mandis said quietly, frowning. "We should not start a major war with the four clans for the sake of Shi Yan. It is highly likely that we and the four major races will both decline. It would be better to simply reveal the Cloud Vast Domain to them and let them do as they wish."

Her name was Candice, the Phantom Clan's other Domain Ancestor in the second tier, and Mandis’s younger sister. Her status and standing in the Phantom Clan were second only to Mandis.

"I don't resent Shi Yan for seizing the Cloud Vast Domain, but I also believe this war should not commence so soon," Vandler said sincerely beside Candice. "Once this war begins, it will be hard to stop. If the Seven Clans decline because of this conflict, it benefits no one."

He paused, then looked at the clan members and affiliated leaders below him, stating seriously, "This matter concerns the entire race; I believe everyone has the right to participate. We can use one Domain as a vote to decide whether or not to fight. If the majority believes it is unwise to go to war, then we can abandon those foreign races in the Cloud Vast Domain. I imagine the Soul Clan and the others only care about Shi Yan's people and have no designs on the Cloud Vast Domain itself."

He naturally sided with Candice.

Everyone knew that he resented Shi Yan for driving him out of the Cloud Vast Domain and seizing the Fallen Star River that should have belonged to him, but his point was undeniably reasonable.

The leaders of the other Domains and the clan leaders affiliated with the Phantom Clan began expressing their views one after another, supporting Vandler's suggestion to hold a vote to decide the war.

Mandis listened to the clamor of those below, her heart filled with annoyance. She had already reached an agreement with Xiluo to fight the four clans together. If her subordinates refused, she would break her promise and suffer a complete loss of face.

At this moment, she felt a touch of envy for Xiluo. The Skeleton Clan members were always united and never divided into factions over such matters. When Xiluo spoke with her, the entire Skeleton Clan had already begun preparing for war.

Yet, the Phantom Clan was still debating whether to fight or not.

At this time, the armies of the four clans were drawing closer. If they did not prepare quickly, their situation would become increasingly passive.

"Shi Yan is here," Mei Ji suddenly spoke, pointing downward. "He is in my secret chamber refining power; he has been here the entire time. Moreover, because of him, I have obtained an Origin Source Talisman, and I should not be far from the second tier of the Domain Ancestor realm. I ask only this: if you betray him, have you considered the consequences of the Phantom Clan's ancestral land being massacred by the four clans in the future?"

At these words, all the members of the Phantom Clan were deeply shaken. The clan leaders of the races affiliated with the Phantom Clan involuntarily looked down, their eyes revealing profound fear and reverence.

During this period, Shi Yan's fearsome reputation had spread far and wide. The savagery and bloodlust of the "God of Slaughter" had made every race uneasy.

If he dared to wipe out the Soul Clan, Devouring Clan, Black Devil Clan, and Ancient Demon Clan in one fell swoop, daring to exterminate them completely, what other acts would he hesitate to commit in this world?

……RQ