Malicious Existence, Resources in Hand, and Rush to War (2)

Listening to Ari narrate this ancient mystery, Ji Chen's mind surged with waves of curiosity.

These pieces of information seemed to correspond with some of what he knew.

Having the knowledge from Earth, certain terms were quite comprehensible.

A crack appeared in the sky, and malevolence descended upon the world—did this mean that some kind of entity invaded this realm?

The being known as the Sand Spirit, probably a deity, drove these malevolent entities out of the world but exhausted its power in the process. It created a few large oases with its last ounce of strength and then "departed."

Did these deities not willingly leave but rather expend their power resisting the invasion, forcing them to abandon their divine realms and people?

At this moment, he recalled the words of the ghost ship.

"They" were about to return.

So, did "they" refer to the malevolent entities that had invaded in the past?