Zi Yao, Han Tian, Mantis, Xiluo, and the others were all there, having never strayed far, gathered in the Cloud Vast Domain.

The heavens were not infinite, and the domain posed no barrier to him. He quietly sensed it, then let out a soft chuckle.

His laughter truly drew everyone's attention.

"You're finally awake." Mei Ji let out a sigh of relief.

"How long has it been?" Shi Yan asked with a smile.

"Thirteen years, counting from when Huang left," Mei Ji replied.

"Oh, that's not too long then." Shi Yan nodded. Deep within his pupils, starlight could faintly be seen twinkling, as if two vast rivers of stars were hidden in the depths of his eyes, lending his gaze an immense depth and mystery.

"How was it?" Zi Yao smiled lightly. "Judging by your appearance, you must have succeeded in breaking through, right? Your soul... has it truly merged?"

Shi Yan narrowed his eyes.

The power contained within one of Huang's avatars was almost unbelievable to him; the surging might far exceeded his expectations! Aided by that avatar of Huang, the strength of his Primordial Body had more than doubled! The memories, life insights, and understanding of profound principles within the Primordial Essence Blood had all integrated into his Soul Altar, elevating his realm to a new level.

However, that subsidiary soul had still failed to completely merge with the main soul, which also surprised him. He had assumed that the moment he stepped into the third heaven of the Domain Ancestor realm, the two souls would become indistinguishable, completely coalescing into one. Reality proved him wrong.

"I obtained some interesting things, but the two souls haven't blended yet. It doesn't matter; it's sufficient enough..."

Smiling, Shi Yan looked at the crowd, sweeping his gaze over each face, leaving everyone feeling inexplicably puzzled. After a pause, he stated, "Those in the first heaven of the Domain Ancestor realm still lack sufficient strength; it’s best not to venture into the Endless Abyss yet. As for those who have reached the second heaven, gauge it for yourselves whether you should make the trip."

At these words, everyone's eyes brightened. However, Mei Ji, Gai Yi, and the others started to protest.

"Why can't we go?" Gai Yi demanded.

Mei Ji looked at him with confusion as well.

"He means well for you," Zi Yao frowned, her expression chilling slightly. "Never mind that you are merely in the first heaven of the Domain Ancestor realm; even if you break through to the second heaven, venturing deep into the Endless Abyss carries a mortal threat. Before the Gate of Primordial Truth, countless skeletons lie scattered. How many astounding prodigies from our era perished there?"

"I imagine Suolun, Shi, and Yuan Zu wouldn't bring along their clansmen from the first heaven of the Domain Ancestor realm either," Shi Yan said calmly.

"You won't take me?" Mei Ji looked at him pleadingly.

Shi Yan shook his head and sighed softly, "If you delve too deep, it will disrupt the plans between Mantis and me. I won't be able to protect you then."

Mei Ji fell silent.

"We don't need to concern ourselves with Suolun," Shi Yan announced loudly, looking at the rest of the group. "Five years. I give everyone five years to settle matters within your respective clans, or to fulfill the regrets in your lives. Five years from now, we reconvene on the Tianyan Continent, and together we will head for the Gate of Primordial Truth. Whether we live or die will be up to fate."

"Good!"

Han Tian, Xiluo, and Mantis all voiced their agreement.

Without further questioning, Shi Yan opened the Domain Gate and took everyone to the Tianyan Continent. These experts from various clans departed one by one through the Tianyan Continent, returning to their respective tribal gathering points.

Mei Ji also left in a huff, shouting before departing, "In five years, maybe I too will have broken through to the second heaven!"

Shi Yan smiled as he watched her leave.

Soon, only those who had previously fled the Barren Domain remained on the entire Tianyan Continent. Ming Hao, Xuan He, Fei Liete, and others, along with the Sea Shark Emperor, were scattered across different regions of the continent, either cultivating in silence or imparting the profound truths of their insights to their clansmen, helping them advance their cultivation.

"Chhh, chhh!"

Shi Yan's palm cracked open, and drops of blood-red liquid floated out like gemstones. Each drop was saturated with an intensely concentrated energy, strangely swelling and transforming, gradually shaping into new figures of Shi Yan. These figures, condensed from his vital blood, bore his soul imprint and looked exactly like him. They were true avatars, or in a sense, Shi Yan himself. Under Zi Yao's gaze, these Shi Yans smiled faintly, then soared away towards various regions of the Tianyan Continent and the Cloud Vast Domain.

Some went to the Yang family, the Shi family; some sought out Xia Xinyan; some went to find the four women—Bing Qingtong, Han Cui; some went to drink and revel with Jie Ji and Bao Ao; some went to Feng Rao; some traveled to Shang Yingyue's cultivation ground...

One by one, the Shi Yans departed from his main body, branching out to each of those loved ones, the confidantes with whom he had shared affection, and the sworn brothers with whom he had fought side by side.

His main body remained stationary in the desert restricted zone of the Tianyan Continent, sitting opposite Zi Yao.

"You too will take five years to mend the regrets of life and fully savor its excitement and joy?" Zi Yao's smile was radiant.

Shi Yan nodded. "Mending life's regrets is also a form of cultivation, a process of grasping human nature. I have just broken through to a new realm and require a new cycle of realization, a sequence of different memories..."

Zi Yao frowned, pondering for a moment. "You are afraid. You fear that once you enter the Gate of Primordial Truth, you might never return. Are you... sensing something ominous?"

Shi Yan gave a bitter smile. "I am indeed afraid. Not just me; everyone is afraid. Han Tian, Xiluo, Mantis—who isn't afraid in their heart? Even you? Are you truly without fear? No one knows what truly lies beyond the Gate of Primordial Truth? Could it be the end of the universe, the destruction of heaven and earth? Who has the answer?"

Zi Yao fell silent.

Shi Yan closed his eyes and said no more. His physical body remained, but his soul consciousness drifted out, moving around each of the various figures. He went to experience the beautiful lost scenes of life, to remedy the regrets abandoned in the pursuit of martial might, to compensate those few who waited patiently.

On an ordinary continent within the Cloud Vast Domain, Mu Yudie, her beauty restored, clad in a verdant green dress, cultivated alone in a jungle resembling the Gloomy Forest. She sat in the bamboo house she had built, her jade-like fingers plucking and strumming the strings of a zither, cultivating tranquility within her heart.

Amidst the melodious music, a figure walked out of the woods. With the soft rustling of footsteps, Mu Yudie looked up and was instantly entranced by the person before her.

On another continent in the Cloud Vast Domain, Feng Ke and Feng Rao stood on a mountain peak, gazing at the boundless sea of clouds in the distance. Feng Ke said lightly, "What is past is past. He is now beyond our ability to reach or surmise. Between you and her... there is a vast chasm. He has probably forgotten you."

Feng Rao looked distant, murmuring, "He has just been busy..."

"Busy?" Feng Ke asked in surprise, sighing softly, and said no more.

"He said that... he held a place for me in his heart," Feng Rao muttered to herself.

A figure descended from the sky, sitting right down on the mountain peak, next to Feng Rao, with utter suddenness and no warning. Feng Rao started, turned her head, and was instantly overwhelmed with tears.

Feng Ke froze, then bowed respectfully before quietly withdrawing.

"Drink! Drink!" At another end of the Cloud Vast Domain, Shi Yan held a wine jar, drinking heartily with Bao Ao and Jie Ji, discussing all the events of the past. Regardless of how the world turned upside down, regardless of life or death in the future, they drank only to become intoxicated.

...

His figure appeared beside one familiar person after another, drinking and making merry, recounting the past, and charting the future, making amends for past regrets.

Similarly, after returning to their clans, Han Tian, Xiluo, and Mantis recorded their understanding of profound principles, selected worthy clansmen, taught them their insights, and settled many clan affairs.

All was done in preparation for the future.

Time flew by; five years passed in a flash.

Five years later, it was still the center of the desert on the Tianyan Continent. Shi Yan's main body was covered in sand, resembling an ancient statue.

Zi Yao remained motionless, sitting silently opposite him for five years, also covered in sand, her usual radiance gone.

Figures walked out from the depths of the void: Han Tian, Xiluo, Mantis, Dracula, Judy, the Sea Shark Emperor... They came to Shi Yan's side, honoring their agreement. They had settled their clan matters, erased their regrets, and held life and death in disdain.

They spoke no words, simply sitting down quietly to wait after arriving.

The Shi Yans, one by one, flew in from the Tianyan Continent and the Cloud Vast Domain, and to the astonishment of the others, they merged into the main body...

After a while, Shi Yan finally opened his eyes. His eyes shone brightly, and all the sand on his body shook off. He grinned, turning to Zi Yao before him. "It is time to set off."

Zi Yao's eyelashes fluttered. She rose with a graceful smile, and layers of glazed light rippled over her, instantly washing away the dust. She regained her radiant glow and nodded. "It is indeed time to go."

A river of magma suddenly poured down from the void. The magma abruptly transformed into the likeness of the Dragon Lizard Ancestor. He grinned heartily, "Lucky timing! I made it just in time, ha ha ha!"

"Oh!" Han Tian's eyes lit up, and he nodded, praising, "I didn't expect you to break through so quickly. That's quite a surprise, very impressive!"

The arriving Dragon Lizard Ancestor curbed his laughter and respectfully bowed to Zi Yao. "Thank you. Thank you for telling me the cultivation ground of my ancestors; otherwise, I would never have broken through my realm so quickly."

Zi Yao nodded slightly.

"What about Mei Ji? Did she break through her realm?" Shi Yan grinned, asking Mantis.

"I don't know," Mantis shook her head. "She didn't return to the clan with me; she left on the way. I heard these past few years that she was at the bottom of the Sea of Destruction, killing Ricardo there. As for whether her realm broke through, that I cannot say. If her realm advanced, I believe she would have come..."

"Ricardo's realm was not weak. If she could kill Ricardo, it seems likely she might have broken through her realm," Shi Yan mused, then suddenly closed his eyes to search the heavens and earth!

After a while, he opened his eyes, his smile peculiar. "She is on her way. Heh heh, she really did manage to break through."

Everyone was surprised.

When Mei Ji first met Shi Yan, she was struggling with comprehending dark energy, far from reaching the Domain Ancestor realm. How much time had passed? Mei Ji could actually break through to the second heaven of the Domain Ancestor realm, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Mantis, Xiluo, and Han Tian?

The others pondered this and couldn't help but look at Shi Yan, their gazes strange.

They knew clearly that Mei Ji's fortune to reach this point was absolutely due to latching onto a high branch like Shi Yan. Otherwise, given Mei Ji's talent, accumulating divine power alone would have taken thousands of years.

Shi Yan was not only a miracle himself; he could create miracles!