The three great commanders of the Shadow Spectre Tribe bowed their heads before Shi Yan, reluctantly, but they did so nonetheless.

From this moment on, the destiny of the Shadow Spectre Tribe rested solely in Shi Yan’s hands.

Di Shan and Yu Rou exchanged a glance, the corners of their mouths curving slightly, as if they had known all along that these three from the Shadow Spectre Tribe would be unable to escape the might and imposing status of Shi Yan.

Shi Yan remained in a daze, looking at the three commanders with a slightly lost expression, a sense of unreality washing over him.

It was this simple?

No resistance, no haggling, not a single sign of defiance—the three supreme leaders had just submitted?

Shi Yan cracked a strange smile, looking at the trio. “Are you serious?”

Yi Tianmo, Kaba, and Ya Meng all nodded in resignation. Though feeling helpless, they acknowledged Shi Yan’s authority.

“Very well, I believe we have reached an understanding,” Di Shan stated, knitting his brow with a cool tone. “Only we know of this matter. Until the time is right, do not reveal it to anyone else. I suspect our clansmen will not immediately comprehend our decision and commitment. Only when Master proves his true strength one day will they genuinely accept him.”

Di Shan looked toward Shi Yan.

Understanding dawned in Shi Yan’s heart, and he nodded with a smile. “I won’t mention this to anyone either.”

“Everything proceeds as before, but in private, everyone must still adhere to the established rules,” Yu Rou offered with a slight smile. After a brief hesitation, she added with a touch of gravity, “I believe our most pressing task right now is figuring out how to escape this place.”

“The Celestial Ladder has appeared; our way out is before us,” Di Shan declared, looking up with full confidence. “We can begin arranging the evacuation. We don’t need to linger in this space any longer, but time is still pressing, so we should move quickly.”

“Master, we will descend now to make the arrangements.”

The three—Yi Tianmo, Kaba, and Ya Meng—bowed respectfully, looking to Shi Yan for his approval.

Shi Yan was momentarily stunned, unaccustomed to this change in their demeanor. After a short silence, he waved his hand dismissively, a hint of helplessness in the gesture. “You handle it. I’m not very familiar with the situation here yet. To be frank, my strength is limited, and my experience is insufficient. Do whatever you deem appropriate; there’s no need to seek my clearance in the future.”

This declaration caused a flicker of surprise in the three Shadow Spectre commanders, as well as in the two Winged Clan leaders, Di Shan and Yu Rou, who watched Shi Yan with unconcealed curiosity.

They had assumed that Shi Yan, having just established his status and being so young, would naturally have his own perspectives and assertions.

Young people always seemed keen to assert themselves and offer directives, even if it meant paying a price; wasn’t that the path every formidable leader had trodden?

The five of them—Di Shan’s group—had prepared themselves to listen to Shi Yan’s insights, then voice their own opinions to guide him toward the correct path.

They had not anticipated Shi Yan’s complete lack of posturing, so much so that he seemed utterly unexcited about suddenly becoming the commander of their two tribes.

Either this fellow was too foolish or lacking in confidence, or he had already weathered enough storms to possess a profound, unruffled composure, having truly understood his own standing.

Which one was Shi Yan?

“I know nothing about this place, so I have no right to dictate anything,” Shi Yan stated, shrugging under their gaze with a casual smile. “I just want to leave here alive as quickly as possible. If you can achieve that, I will be grateful. Furthermore, I suspect the time we have left is not much.”

He had already discerned that far in the distance of this region, the vast, hazy land was gradually dissolving into nothingness.

This strange, unique space—whatever it had endured—seemed to be vanishing according to some predetermined trajectory, truly and thoroughly collapsing.

Shi Yan’s words jolted Di Shan and the others, who instinctively scanned their surroundings. The five exchanged no further words but nodded slightly toward Shi Yan and then swiftly departed.

“Form ranks and climb this Celestial Ladder together. No matter what you see, keep going.”

“This Celestial Ladder is the exit to the outside world. Hurry up; do not linger.”

“All members of the Black Wing Tribe, heed my command…”

After the five departed, Di Shan immediately flew high into the air, descending upon the areas under their command, either shouting loudly or swiftly relaying their orders.

Before long, the clansmen of the two tribes were alerted, and they began forming lines exactly as commanded.

“This… this is…”

Cao Zhilan’s pretty face showed a hint of unease. Gazing toward Shi Yan, the only one still standing below the Celestial Ladder, she began to worry that she might be abandoned.

Although she could activate her Spirit God Martial Soul, she dared not move under the watchful eyes of so many powerful Shadow Spectre members.

However, being perceptive, she dimly grasped something from the brief exchange between Di Shan, Yi Tianmo, and Shi Yan.

Those alien leaders seemed… seemed highly respectful of him? How was that possible?

“Father.” Yi Cuibi suddenly called out sharply and quickly walked toward Yi Tianmo.

“Hmm?” Yi Tianmo frowned, sounding slightly impatient as he was busy making arrangements. “What is it?”

“What about them?” Yi Cuibi gestured toward Cao Zhilan and the warriors from the Boundless Sea confined in the cages. “Do we take them along, or do we leave their fate to chance?”

Yi Cuibi held no affection for Cao Zhilan and the others. Her soul refinement was extraordinary, allowing her to easily detect the ripples emanating from their souls; she knew these people were constantly plotting, always contemplating something.

Since childhood, Yi Tianmo had taught her that humans from the outside world were deceitful, lacked integrity, ignored rules, and harbored intense hostility toward their tribe, reacting with innate repulsion.

The information Yi Tianmo had fed her left Yi Cuibi with zero goodwill toward outsiders, which was precisely why she had captured Shi Yan without hesitation upon discovering him.

“Them…” Yi Tianmo pondered for a moment, uncertain of the best course of action. He glanced up toward Shi Yan, still standing below the Celestial Ladder, and quietly transmitted a probing wave of soul energy.

Shi Yan, who was extending his divine sense to observe his surroundings, acutely perceived the subtle soul fluctuation from Yi Tianmo. Initially startled, Shi Yan feared Yi Tianmo was about to attack him stealthily and prepared to defend with all his might. He then realized the soul wave carried no malice, no danger whatsoever.

Frowning, he carefully analyzed the fluctuation, and the tight crease on his brow relaxed. He nodded faintly toward Yi Tianmo from a distance.

Yi Tianmo understood. Though a thousand meters separated them, he bowed slightly, then replied to Yi Cuibi, “Take them all. They might still be useful alive. You are responsible for arranging them and ensuring they also ascend the Celestial Ladder.”

Yi Cuibi was puzzled; she couldn't fathom how her father had managed to communicate with Shi Yan in that fleeting moment.

Despite her confusion, Yi Cuibi followed the command, nodding silently before beginning to relay instructions to Yi Feng and the others.

No one noticed that Cao Zhilan’s beautiful eyes suddenly shone brightly, a deep shock flashing in the depths of her pupils.

Due to the unique nature of her Spirit God Martial Soul, even without deliberately releasing it to probe anomalies nearby, she had still detected a faint soul fluctuation emanating from Yi Tianmo’s body, given the short distance between them. The direction this faint wave traveled was terrifyingly aimed straight at Shi Yan.

She clearly saw Shi Yan quietly nod toward Yi Tianmo across the thousand-meter gap, only then did Yi Tianmo agree to spare their lives.

What was this situation?

No matter how Cao Zhilan tried to imagine it, she couldn’t believe the truth she sensed and witnessed.

The Great Commander of the Shadow Spectre Tribe seemed to be seeking his opinion?

Could this be real?

What on earth transpired between them?

Cao Zhilan’s heart sank to the bottom.

…

Shi Yan hadn't noticed Cao Zhilan’s astonishment. He remained at the base of the Celestial Ladder, silently watching the end of it extending into the vast clouds, wondering what powerful, ferocious entity had laid down such intricate restrictions in this forsaken land.

The Abyss Battlefield, the Land of Abandonment—by whose hand were all these things created?

If his arrival was truly predestined, who was it that seemed to have calculated everything in advance?

Doubt after doubt swirled in his mind, and Shi Yan desperately sought clues, only to realize he had nothing substantial to grasp.

After all, he wasn't even from this realm to begin with.

…

“It’s about time,” Yu Rou chirped, lightly flapping her snow-white wings as she gracefully approached Shi Yan. Her voice was soft. “The collapse of the outside world has begun. I think we should start climbing now. I am truly looking forward to it—looking forward to that ancestral land with sun, moon, and stars. I have already seen the wonders of that place in my dreams…”

Yu Rou’s words were filled with longing. Born on this abandoned continent, everything she had witnessed was confined to this land, yet she harbored a dream.

Every member of the Shadow Spectre Tribe and the Winged Clan shared one dream: to go home.

“Good.”

Shi Yan smiled. Although Yu Rou offered no explicit explanation, he understood that the clouds directly above the deep reaches of the Celestial Ladder were the exit from this place.

Thinking this, he also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Despite acquiring the Flowing Cloud Heaven-Piercing Shuttle, he still had no idea how to use such a wondrous artifact.

If he truly had to rely on the Shuttle to lead these two tribes out of this sea of suffering, who knew how long that would take?

He knew that discovering the secrets of the Flowing Cloud Heaven-Piercing Shuttle would require significant time and energy, and clearly, he didn't have an abundance of time available right now.

With these thoughts, Shi Yan began ascending toward the end of the Celestial Ladder, the first to step into the deep clouds.

Yu Rou, the chief of the White Wing Tribe, smiled softly and followed closely behind Shi Yan as she ascended the Celestial Ladder, placing her steps on the rungs rather than relying on flight to shoot toward the sky.

Shi Yan led, Yu Rou followed close behind. Under the gaze of thousands of Shadow Spectre and alien tribesmen, the two slowly made their way to the pinnacle of the Celestial Ladder, gradually vanishing into the dazzling light, step by step disappearing from this world that had been abandoned for ages unknown.

…V