"Hmph." Lei Dong swept his right hand through the void, gathering the True Essence within his body into a vast Nether Ghost Qi, unleashing another strike—the Black Dragon Roar. Amidst the howling dragon cries, this black dragon swelled to dozens of zhang in size, its whiskers flaring, terrifyingly lifelike. With an impassioned roar, the black dragon coiled and twisted, shattering the void before manifesting directly in front of Ji Ziyan.

"No, you are not Yan Chixing." Ji Ziyan’s expression sharpened, and she abruptly snapped out of her trance. She raised a hand to strike the dragon's head, unleashing a Void Palm Seal. The powerful black dragon was shattered by the blow, dissolving into countless wisps of dark energy that dissipated into the sky.

Ji Ziyan’s demeanor grew stern as she fixed her gaze upon Lei Dong, as if trying to discern some clue from his face. Her heart was a complex, agonizing knot. This young human was certainly not that heartless wretch, Yan Chixing. Yet, his very aura and every detail were startlingly similar to Yan Chixing when he hadn't yet reached his zenith. The same stubbornness, the same aloofness, even the deep-seated arrogance lurking in his soul.

Even the Di Mo Zhong that surfaced on his forehead during combat was identical. And that Chaos Pagoda that flew out to automatically shield its master during his tribulation—everything was achingly familiar. Every scene with Yan Chixing from the past flashed before her eyes, both slowly and swiftly: moments of joy, of emotion, of delight, and countless sorrows. Their differing stances meant that their love was destined to be a tragedy.

"So, you are Yan Chixing's successor." Ji Ziyan gazed deeply at Lei Dong, letting out a long sigh. "Go, I do not wish to make things difficult for you. However, try your best not to appear again. Otherwise, those in the Three Realms who wish to kill you are as numerous as carp crossing a river."

"Return my wife to me," Lei Dong remained cold, his resolve absolute. "Otherwise, death."

Those words caused a sharp pang in Ji Ziyan’s heart. She recalled that day; she too had been pregnant. At that time, she tried to persuade Yan Chixing to retreat with her, to abandon the ambition of dominating the Three Realms and opposing the Supreme Being and the Mother of All Spirits. But Yan Chixing had ignored her. This man before her, though Yan Chixing's successor, seemed distinctly different. His obsession with his wife was so profound; his threat of "death" likely meant fighting to the last breath, a battle of 'you die or I die.'

"Alas!" Ji Ziyan glanced at Ding Wanyan, who remained unconscious, and sighed mournfully. "If it were in the past, I could return her to you. But you don't know how difficult it is to find a Celestial Spirit Fetus among humans, let alone the most suitable female vessel. Time is already too short. I am sorry, child. But do not worry too much; we only intend to borrow the fetus while the Celestial Spirit is gestating for reincarnation. That person's status is extremely high, and they will recognize you as their father and this woman as their mother afterward. From then on, you can roam freely within the Three Realms. You will suffer no loss; why cling to this?"

For anyone else, Ji Ziyan would never bother explaining such matters. But this person was not only Yan Chixing's successor, but his actions and willpower also earned her a degree of admiration. Thus, she patiently explained the situation.

"Nonsense. 'Borrowing the body for reincarnation' merely? You are clearly erasing the will of the infant in the womb, snatching its life and replacing it!" Lei Dong's coldness broke into a furious roar. "I will absolutely not agree to this." Lei Dong himself had been reborn through a similar method, carrying the indelible imprints of his previous life’s memories. Naturally, he understood the premise and the reasoning. Though Lei Dong didn't know why he had been reincarnated, he felt immense guilt for the infant whose divine soul he had erased and whose body he had usurped before birth.

Perhaps he could coldly observe others committing such acts, but he could never tolerate his own flesh and blood—that precious little life gestating in his beloved wife’s belly—being taken over via borrowed reincarnation. In Lei Dong's view, even though the child was unborn, life had already taken form; it was his child, his direct offspring, the crystallization of his years of deep affection with Wanyan. Indeed, both Wanyan and the unborn child were more important to him than his own life.

Lei Dong had already vaguely guessed the identity of the one requiring the body snatching. But regardless of who it was, Lei Dong could never agree, not even if compliance promised him promotion and dominance over the Three Realms.

"Child, you must have guessed it by now. Yes, it is the great existence, the Mother of All Spirits, who requires reincarnation," Ji Ziyan saw that speaking plainly had somewhat eased his tension and tried to persuade him. "The Mother of All Spirits is the common mother of our Divine Beast race and your Human race; in fact, perhaps only you humans are her true children. We are merely her creations. Otherwise, the Mother of All Spirits would never selectively recruit human spirit fetuses for rebirth. For her sake, can you not offer this small sacrifice? Furthermore, the child only develops its divine soul in the final stage before birth. Reincarnating into the womb now does not count as seizing a body. Do you know that without the existence of the Mother of All Spirits, the Immortal and Demonic races would completely destroy our Divine Beast race, and you humans would be unable to escape a great calamity?"

"No matter how eloquently you speak, it will not change my mind," a cold, murderous aura surged in Lei Dong’s eyes. "I believe Wanyan holds the same view as I do. If the child cannot escape the fate of being stolen before birth, I, Lei Dong, would rather send her on her way with my own hands right now than let your wicked scheme succeed."

Having spoken, Lei Dong stomped his foot, shattering the space around him, and vanished from everyone's sight. Immediately, he reappeared before Ji Ziyan and threw a punch. But his target was Wanyan’s abdomen while she was still unconscious. His brow was etched with profound heartache, as if his heart were being carved by a knife.

"Stubborn fool!" Ji Ziyan grew enraged and blocked Wanyan with her own body, condensing a Raging Flame Palm Seal and blasting Lei Dong away with a single slap.

Peak Integration Stage, one of the Ten Great Masters of the Three Realms—he was indeed far beyond what the current Lei Dong could handle.

But Lei Dong paid it no mind. Spitting blood, he continued to charge forward.

Ji Ziyan desperately wanted to kill Lei Dong now to end it all. But looking at the Di Mo Zhong on his forehead, she found herself unable to strike a fatal blow. She could only execute a powerful Dharma Seal. With a deep rumble, the very space cracked into fragments, twisting into a Great Void Tunnel.

The Great Void Tunnel, a dark, rotating vortex, gaped like a monstrous void beast, swallowing everything in its path. Others only knew it as the Great Void Tunnel; low-level cultivators had never even seen one. But Lei Dong had witnessed this thing in his previous life. And it was something that struck fear into the hearts of all who saw it.

A Black Hole.

That was the name his past life's knowledge provided for this terrifying object—something that would consume anything that entered, light included.

"This Palace Master will use the Great Void Tunnel, refined personally by the Mother of All Spirits, to banish you to the ends of the Savage Lands," Ji Ziyan stated coldly. "Whether you live or die will depend on your own ability. After sending you off, I will use a Time Array to seal your wife. Ten thousand years from now will be the day the Mother of All Spirits completes her possession. If you manage to return, feel free to come and save her. Great Dragon Seizing Hand, move!"

Ji Ziyan raised her hand and grasped, condensing a claw print formed of raging flames, snatching Lei Dong, armor and all, and tossing him into the Great Void Tunnel. Instantly, the dark, swirling vortex of the Great Void Tunnel slowly closed, the sky returning to clear blue.

Staring at the calm, glassy void, Ji Ziyan could only heave a long sigh. She never expected to become entangled with that person’s disciple in this lifetime. Even Ji Ziyan herself didn't understand why she had told him that there was still a full ten thousand years before the Mother of All Spirits would complete her rebirth.

Perhaps it was due to a faint glimmer of sympathy in her heart. Perhaps it was out of respect for Yan Chixing. Or perhaps, deep down, she harbored a secret hope that this young man might truly create a miracle.

But mostly, Ji Ziyan knew, it was merely a small measure of empathy and pity for this wretched child, providing him with some fighting spirit and courage to survive in that desolate wilderness. Otherwise, surviving in such a wild and untamed expanse of heaven and earth was nearly impossible.

...

In an extremely distant region of the cosmos, a place so far removed that the beings of the Three Realms called it the Savage Lands.

In the void, skeletal remains of colossal beasts drifted everywhere, having weathered untold eons. These bones still exuded potent and domineering auras, testament to their grandeur and power in life.

Some remains stretched for a thousand or even several thousand zhang, magnificent as mountains. Others were merely about a zhang long, or even less than one. But invariably, they emanated a faint luminosity. If any living being familiar with the skeletal structures of various species were present, they could recognize that some shattered remnants belonged to the Immortal Clan, others to the Demonic Clan, as well as Dragon bones, Phoenix feathers, and even the remains of powerful humans, Winged Gods, and the Asura Clan.

Broken stars and worlds littered the landscape; it was a desolate place permeated by the scent of death.

All of this existed because several Primal Chaos Origins had once manifested in this region known as the Savage Lands, attracting greedy jackals.

A fragmented star, permanently scarred by a spatial rift, glided silently through the void, only to be sliced into pieces as it passed through a jumble of spatial fissures nearby.

And not far off, a fleet of gigantic, pitch-black warships, studded with barbs bearing the aesthetic of war, was pursuing and annihilating a group of creatures desperately fleeing. These beings were exquisitely beautiful, closely resembling human females, save for their emerald green hair and eyes, and a pair of crystalline wings on their backs.

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