The Land of the Void was shrouded in thick clouds over Void City, where warriors of various races moved amongst the structures.
News of the conflict among the Seven Clans spread through countless channels, finally reaching the powerful figures of Void City, who could no longer sit idle and began gathering in secret consultations.
The Land of the Void was one of the primary gathering points for the major races in the Sea of the Nihility, holding more influence than even the Sea of Annihilation. Most forces capable of securing a foothold here were inherently strong; races like the Dragon-Lizard Clan or the Earth Ghost Clan, for instance, lacked the stature to survive within the Land of the Void.
Aside from the constant presence of the Seven Great Clans, each with their own exclusive cities, only races whose power ranked just below them, such as the Secret Rune Clan and the Celestial Craftsmen Clan, could manage to hold ground in the Land of the Void.
In a city forged from ruddy copper, many members of the Secret Rune Clan were gathered, deliberating the Clan's next course of action.
“I hear the Seven Clans are locked in fierce combat above the Volcanic Cloud Sea, and several of the Ten Great Ancestors are participating. It seems the Star Sea is about to descend into chaos.”
“Indeed. Perhaps this presents an opportunity for our Secret Rune Clan. Everyone notify the clansmen to prepare; during this internal strife of the Seven Clans, we can seize interests that were previously unattainable!”
“Exactly! A once-in-a-millennium chance—we absolutely cannot let it slip by…” Similar sentiments echoed from the private chambers of other cities. Many powerful figures from the races inhabiting the Land of the Void were secretly making preparations for their respective clans' rise to power.
Unbeknownst to them, strange occurrences were beginning to manifest high above the Land of the Void, within the dense canopy of clouds.
Clusters of dark clouds drifted in from an unknown source. Within these nebulas pulsed an icy malevolence, as if the most terrifying entities were concealed inside. As the darkness spread, it began to consume the light of the Land of the Void’s skies—a realm many believed to be perpetually bright—gradually plunging it into gloom.
People then looked up, noticing the transformation high in the firmament. Those with profound cultivation sensed through deep comprehension an evil spirit emanating an incredibly terrifying surge of life essence.
“What is that? The heavenly evil aura is extraordinarily dense—something is approaching?”
“It’s getting dark…”
“My soul feels deeply uneasy!”
Warriors from every race poured out of their cities—tens of millions of them. Many possessed cultivation levels in the Primordial God or Immortal realms, and a few had even reached the Ancestor Realm.
A chilling, icy, and evil pressure suddenly descended from the depths of the sky. Nine massive, pitch-black abysses slowly settled down, resembling the gaping maws of demons. These abysses seemed refined from liquid ink, broadcasting endless streams of icy, malevolent energy that pierced directly into the Sea of Consciousness of every living being!
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”
An overwhelming force of devouring power emanated from these abysses. A terrifying suction pulled from the heavens, causing many warriors to involuntarily shoot upwards.
“Heavens! This... this is the Devouring Profundity of the Devourer Clan!”
“A Devouring Black Hole! The lost ultimate divine ability—that is, that is the ancestor of the Devourer Clan himself descending!”
“Has he gone mad? Why attack us?”
The warriors in Void City cried out in terror, desperate to flee the area.
However, beneath the destructive ripples of the Devouring Black Holes, the very Soul Altars of these individuals were trapped. The moment they attempted to activate their profound techniques, they were overwhelmed by floods of negative emotions, plunging them into hysterical madness!
Soon, under the shadow of the pervasive negative energy, nine-tenths of Void City’s warriors were affected. Their eyes burned crimson as they devolved into berserk, misguided rage, turning their weapons upon those nearest to them, recklessly expending the power within their divine bodies to strike with their strongest force.
If Shi Yan were present, he would recognize this as the devastating effect of the Blood Soul Sea Profundity, a technique derived from the Profundity of Death used to bewilder souls, pushed to its extreme limit.
Void City descended into absolute chaos!
Every warrior in Void City suddenly had their deepest, negative desires ignited. Reason was forgotten; the only thought remaining was the compulsion to kill!
Void City became a purgatory. Warriors perished every second, and Soul Altars exploded with every passing moment.
The nine dark abysses hung high in the sky like gigantic, black whirlpools, swallowing the heavens and the earth, slowly siphoning the life force, divine power, and Soul Altars of the warriors below, thereby augmenting their own strength.
Among the myriad creatures of the Primordial Era, only one possessed the ability to enhance its power and recover from injury by slaughtering other lesser races—She!
This was akin to how ordinary warriors cannot absorb energy from killing enemies to recover but must rely on specialized crystals or elixirs to boost their strength. Even the mighty Zi Yao or Yuan Zu required specific crystals, such as Primordial Blood Crystals, to restore their power and heal their wounds.
—This is because the primary Profundities cultivated by Zi Yao and Yuan Zu are not those of Devouring.
She was different; it was the only entity among the Primordial Era creatures capable of recovering its strength by obliterating the lives of the warriors of this era!
After returning to the Devourer Clan’s territory, it had secretly slaughtered numerous powerful figures with the aid of its kin to recover strength. Originally, it intended to continue this slow, inconspicuous recovery process, bit by bit.
However, once the conflict among the Seven Clans truly erupted, it recognized that the most brutal battle of this age had arrived. Perhaps the contention of the Seven Clans would lead to the end of the current era. Since most of the Ten Great Ancestors of the Seven Clans were occupied in the Volcanic Cloud Sea, leaving them unable to attend to it, She finally could not restrain itself and chose the Land of the Void as its first stop—the first station for energy recovery!
The nine dark abysses operated violently, bringing devastation upon the Land of the Void. Warriors slaughtered one another, and lives were continuously extinguished.
She hid in the center of the nine dark abysses, using the heaven-swallowing horror of its profound ability to butcher the races and beings of the Land of the Void, turning them into nourishment to augment its own strength.
In this epoch, the only entities that could truly pose a threat to it were those at the level of the Ten Great Ancestors. Since the Land of the Void lacked such powerhouses now, the newly emerged Ancestor Realm existences were, in its view, nothing more than the most delicious potent tonic, entirely incapable of halting its ravenous consumption!
...
The Soul Clan.
The Phantom Clan, the White Bone Clan, and the experts from the Cloud Vast Domain were all screaming in cheers, moving amidst the treasure mountain. Inside the peaks that had been peeled open, the dazzling array of cultivation materials drove everyone into a frenzy as they excitedly celebrated, searching for the elixirs and secret treasures best suited to enhancing their own strength.
Shi Yan hung calmly in the sky, observing their clamor and witnessing their ecstasy.
After a long period, he noted that most of the distant Soul Clan members had been annihilated. The several Devouring Black Holes he had positioned within the Soul Clan territory had successfully gathered a significant amount of power, and he nodded to himself in quiet approval.
In the Phantom Clan, he had broken through to the second level of the Ancestor Realm. Beings had begun to manifest within his Sea of Origins, and races imprinted with him were gestating. This breakthrough in cultivation resulted in a comprehensive sublimation of his Profundities, a surge in divine power, and the expansion of his Soul Pond!
He now possessed complete confidence to contend with any powerhouse in the heavens and the earth!
Even if Huang himself were to arrive, he would not be without the means to fight back. He believed that if he faced Yuan again, he could force Yuan to exert his full strength, without needing any assistance from Huang’s power.
He harbored a subtle feeling that the memories and knowledge contained within the sub-soul, condensed from the origin souls of the Divine Grace Continent and the Divine Marsh Continent, were gradually coming alive. It felt as if with just one more step in his cultivation, he could integrate that massive reservoir of Profound Knowledge, transforming it into the miraculous foundation and accumulation needed to further elevate his Profundities.
He even developed a premonition that he might, in the future, merge his main soul with the sub-soul, provided his cultivation reached the necessary height for such integration.
That sub-soul originated from the souls of two of Huang’s avatars. Huang had once been at the peak of the Ancestor Realm; if Shi Yan’s main soul could reach that level, or very close to it, the two independent souls would have a chance to merge, forming an entirely new soul!
Therefore, he absolutely needed to continue accumulating power and Profound Knowledge. The accumulation of power demanded the sacrifice of countless lives.
Presently, the Star Sea Universe was undergoing massive shifts, with the major races mobilizing for the ultimate war. His intense thirst for power guided him to the focal points of every battle, ensuring he could absorb and refine as much energy as possible, aiming first to quickly saturate his Divine Power Ancient Tree and reach the threshold for breaking through to the third level of the Ancestor Realm.
“It’s not enough. Without the Nether Prison and the elite Soul Clan members, the clansmen’s power is too weak—far from sufficient…”
He recalled the several hidden Devouring Black Holes and sensed the energy they had devoured. It was merely a drop in the bucket, yielding less than his gains during his previous visit.
“Time is tight; I cannot afford to waste more here. Every moment wasted is a moment of lost strength.” After a moment of contemplation, he solidified his objective, narrowed his eyes, adjusted his Profound Abilities, focusing on Space as the core force, and once again pierced through two spatial passages!
Two passages, directed toward the Ancient Demon Clan and the Dark Demon Clan, respectively!
These two passages materialized in this region. He let out a sharp shout, drawing the attention of Mei Ji, Audrey, Ming Hao, Emal, and the others. He then stated, “The Ancient Demon Clan and the Dark Demon Clan have also stabilized their space using secret methods, just like the Soul Clan. Therefore, I can only transport you to the peripheries of their territories. Whether you can breach their barriers and cause widespread slaughter within their domains depends entirely on yourselves.”
“Where are you going?” Mei Ji asked with concern.
“I am heading to the Volcanic Cloud Sea; that is where the fighting is most intense,” Shi Yan replied, his eyes gleaming. “The Devourer Clan should not follow. The Primordial creature She resides there. Even if I went myself, it would be difficult to gain anything significant right under its nose. If you go, you will only suffer losses and be devoured and refined by it.”
“Shouldn’t we also head to the Volcanic Cloud Sea first?” Ling Lu inquired.
“No need. If you can turn the heartlands of those three clans upside down, it will be far more useful than appearing directly in the Volcanic Cloud Sea,” Shi Yan shook his head. Then, without elaborating further publicly, he transmitted a soul message to Ming Hao, Sea Shark Emperor, and Xuan He, cautioning them about necessary precautions before tearing open a gate of light and vanishing before the astonished eyes of the group.