...The Heavenly Soldiers of the Three Immortal Islands of the East Sea and the Yaksha Tribe of the Northern Barbarians clashed almost immediately. A chaotic, yet subtle, battle erupted. Dozens of Heavenly Soldiers from both sides engaged, their divine souls swirling like great clouds around the "Yin Peak," their dazzling spiritual attack techniques manifesting one after another. Hidden in a remote corner, Ji Changkong watched with immense satisfaction.

Ji Changkong had never witnessed a soul battle on such a large scale before. Now, with nearly a hundred divine souls from the East Sea Three Immortal Islands and the Yaksha Clan locked in combat, the desolate, dead silence of the Tianshu Star was suddenly injected with vibrant energy.

The vicinity of the "Yin Peak" was alight with blinding points of light. Soul combat lacked excessive flourishes; only the attacks possessing the greatest destructive power could gain the absolute advantage. Souls without defense mechanisms were often at a severe disadvantage in this type of battle. After just a few waves of spiritual assault, those defenseless souls erupted into beautiful displays of light, much like fireworks.

Each brilliant, firework-like burst often signified the utter annihilation of a divine soul. The number and overall strength of the masters from the East Sea Three Islands and the Yaksha Clan were relatively equal. Neither side held back from the outset, fully utilizing their soul skills to destroy the other. Consequently, the demise of some souls was inevitable.

The plan to lure the Yaksha masters to this "Yin Peak" had been conceived by Ji Changkong for a long time. In recent days, he had provoked the Yaksha Clan repeatedly, successfully igniting their fury. Only when he sensed that rage had stripped the Yaksha Clan of all reason did he drive them toward this location.

The Heavenly Soldiers of the East Sea Three Immortal Islands occupying the "Yin Peak" had also been persistently harassed by him. Acting as the catalyst, he had made ample preparations beforehand. The moment the two factions made contact, he knew that these two forces, driven to madness by his goading, would inevitably engage in a fight to the death.

Reality confirmed his judgment without the slightest error. The East Sea forces and the Yaksha Clan fought with reckless abandon, both suffering heavy losses. At this juncture, even if Ji Changkong were to reveal that this was all a misunderstanding, the bloodshed over lost comrades and friends meant they would continue fighting regardless.

Deeply pleased with the large-scale soul war he had orchestrated, Ji Changkong, hidden in a corner of the "Yin Peak," silently observed the engagement between the two major powers. He meticulously recorded the various strange and miraculous soul skills they employed, paying particular attention to any skill that could shield a divine soul from harm.

The Star Cloud Refining Soul Art possessed many soul skills with devastating destructive power. However, apart from the soul splitting technique that allowed for an unhurried escape, the Star Cloud Refining Soul Art lacked any other defensive soul skill. Perhaps its creator believed that with the sheer might of the technique, defensive measures were unnecessary.

In a one-on-one soul confrontation, if a soul of the same rank faced Ji Changkong, it would indeed be forced onto the defensive under the sinister and vicious soul skills of the Star Cloud Refining Soul Art. However, if many souls pursued him simultaneously, he would be forced into a defensive posture. In such a scenario, a soul skill capable of blocking some of the incoming damage would prove invaluable.

In Ji Changkong’s view, only a divine soul proficient in both offense and defense could truly dominate the Endless Star Field. Relying solely on relentless, malicious soul attacks placed one at a disadvantage in large-scale soul battles.

From the clash between the East Sea Three Immortal Islands and the Yaksha Clan, Ji Changkong verified that his assumptions were correct. A Heavenly Soldier from the East Sea Three Islands, rich in offensive techniques but lacking proficiency in subtle soul defense, had his divine soul scattered by the massive tide of killing intent from three Yaksha soul masses, ultimately being consumed by them.

Although the East Sea Three Immortal Islands occupied the "Yin Peak," they possessed no inherent advantage in the battle against the Yaksha Clan. The "Yin Peak" was completely unlike the mountains on the Five Elements Continent; as divine souls, they could not leverage the terrain of the "Yin Peak" to pressure the enemy as if they were physical bodies.

The "Yin Peak" was utterly barren, containing only the eternal dark brown substance and the gentle starlight drawn to it, neither of which served any purpose in the soul battle.

The Yaksha Clan's soul skills were sinister; by consuming divine souls, they could replenish some of their expended spiritual energy. Thus, as the battle dragged on, the Yaksha Clan, capable of enhancing their spiritual power through soul devouring, gained sustained combat capability.

Every time a Heavenly Soldier from the East Sea Three Immortal Islands had their soul annihilated, it invigorated the spiritual energy of the Yaksha devourers. Consequently, the Yaksha Clan soon gained the upper hand, forcing the East Sea Heavenly Soldiers who were initially stationed on the "Yin Peak" to retreat.

"Let's go! These Yaksha fiends are too ferocious. We know the location of this 'Yin Peak' anyway. Next time we return, we will summon the Elders and certainly annihilate these Northern Barbarian villains!"

"Quick retreat! Quick retreat! We will have our vengeance next time!"

"Withdraw! Withdraw!"

The divine souls of the East Sea Heavenly Soldiers cried out, fleeing in all directions centered around the "Yin Peak."

The Yaksha Heavenly Soldiers, who had initially pursued Ji Changkong all the way here, only realized their true objective—hunting Ji Changkong—after seeing the East Sea forces fleeing the "Yin Peak."

"Huh? Where is that brat? Did anyone see him during the fighting?" Galo's message rippled everywhere.

The Yaksha masters near his divine soul quickly sent transmissions indicating they had not encountered Ji Changkong during the conflict. They were certain they hadn't met that star cloud-shaped divine soul, as it was easily recognizable. Once everyone confirmed they hadn't seen the star cloud, Galo suddenly seemed to grasp the situation, his soul enraged, his spiritual sense surging.

"Damn it, we were clearly tricked by that kid! That brat cultivates the Star Cloud Refining Soul Art; he must be a Heavenly Soldier from the Western Region. We just massacred a host of East Sea Heavenly Soldiers, likely solving his problem for him."

"Young Master is absolutely correct. The people from the East Sea Three Immortal Islands clearly aren't aligned with him; otherwise, given the audacity he showed recently, he wouldn't have hidden during the fight. But it's not a total loss. Our Yaksha Clan is meant to be the soul hunters of Tianshu Star. Gaining such a high kill count among the East Sea forces is an unexpected bonus."

"But we lost six men!" Galo's divine soul raged.

Zhou Dan's divine will vanished, and the other Yaksha Heavenly Soldiers offered no further comment.

Seeing no reply, Galo’s furious soul curses spread outward. "Brat, I have you marked, the star cloud-shaped soul. Next time I meet you, I will certainly kill you!"

"When we next meet, it remains to be seen who lives and who dies!" A faint, ethereal soul message drifted from an unknown source, detonating near Galo. A powerful wave of information instantly imprinted itself deeply upon all the divine souls present.

"Brat, show yourself! Where are you?" Galo, frantic with anger, shot his divine soul outward, circling the "Yin Peak" swiftly, but he couldn't locate any trace of Ji Changkong.

"Young Master, this person has now mastered the technique of concealing his soul and then detonating it. This individual's future threat to us might grow immensely!"

"Young Master, this 'Yin Peak' belongs to the East Sea Three Immortal Islands. Since we killed so many of their people this time, those who escaped might very well summon their Elder sect members. If an Eight Trigrams Heavenly Soldier's soul descends here, we will be unable to resist!"

"Let's go! This 'Yin Peak' is indeed no place to linger. The Soul Mysteries we cultivate advance faster by devouring others' souls; there's no need to stubbornly hold onto this 'Yin Peak'!" Galo’s soul message arose again.

"The Young Master’s decision is brilliant!"

These Yaksha people did not intend to occupy the "Yin Peak." They too feared the arrival of the masters from the Three Immortal Islands, especially since they had wiped out over a dozen Star Manifestation Realm Heavenly Soldiers in one go.

After Galo led the Yaksha Heavenly Soldiers away, Ji Changkong's divine soul reappeared from some hidden corner, quietly settling back onto the "Yin Peak." He greedily began absorbing the surrounding starlight entwined with the peak.

Ji Changkong had long desired to cultivate on the "Yin Peak," where the starlight was dense, but the Heavenly Soldiers of the Three Immortal Islands had always blocked him. His entire reason for bringing the Yaksha Clan here was to incite mutual slaughter between the two sides.

The outcome was unexpectedly convenient. Although the Yaksha Clan gained the upper hand and drove the East Sea Heavenly Soldiers from the "Yin Peak," they also suffered several casualties. The East Sea Heavenly Soldiers were even worse off: not only did they suffer massive losses, but they were also forced to evacuate the "Yin Peak," making a swift return unlikely.

Until the Heavenly Soldiers of the East Sea Three Immortal Islands returned, this "Yin Peak" was temporarily ownerless. Due to his cultivation of the Star Cloud Refining Soul Art, Ji Changkong's star cloud-shaped soul possessed an extraordinarily strong capacity for absorbing starlight. As long as he seized this window of opportunity to aggressively absorb some of the starlight clinging to the "Yin Peak," he stood to gain immense benefits.

Monopolizing the "Yin Peak," Ji Changkong devoted his full power to drawing in the starlight around the peak while the East Sea Heavenly Soldiers were absent.

After an unknown period, Ji Changkong’s divine soul suddenly perceived an intensely attractive, strange power emanating from a location far beyond the scope of absorbing the "Yin Peak's" starlight. The flow of starlight, which had been moving like a rushing current, influenced by his star cloud-shaped soul, suddenly slowed down manifold the instant his concentration wavered.

Far ahead of the "Yin Peak," a violent fluctuation erupted from a massive deep pit. The ground shuddered silently and intensely, the already uneven, cratered surface heaving and trembling continuously.

Specks of starlight, like shattered fragments, emerged from that deep pit, glittering dazzlingly like broken, minuscule crystals, scattering everywhere like quicksand.

Star Dust Sand! Ji Changkong’s divine soul trembled with excitement. He immediately abandoned the absorption of the "Yin Peak’s" starlight and propelled his soul with full force toward the deep pit from which the Star Dust Sand was billowing. (To be continued. For future developments, please visit [Website/Platform Placeholder for more chapters and support].)