The chill derived from the Cold Ice Cave brought immense fortune to Ji Changkong in the initial stages; it reshaped his physique and tempered his willpower. Later, it helped him escape death on several occasions. The icy energy hidden within his eyes often granted him the upper hand in combat, allowing him to strike unexpectedly and inflict damage.

It can be said that without this icy energy from the Cold Ice Cave, Ji Changkong would never have survived this long, and even if he had, he certainly would not have reached his current heights!

However, as Ji Changkong's strength and cultivation realm continuously advanced, the assistance he received from this acquired icy energy dwindled. He had never cultivated the Han family’s Bing Xuan Gong, meaning he could never fully unleash the power of the coldness lodged in his pupils.

Now, having broken through to the Seven-Star Heaven realm, his reliance on this cold energy grew minimal. The opponents he now faced were often experts in the Seven-Star Heaven or Eight Trigram Heaven realms. While the coldness in his eyes could still affect their attack speed, it was no longer capable of instantly killing them.

Since he couldn't truly wield the full power of the icy energy, even while possessing it, it could no longer serve as the decisive, game-ending factor it once was.

But if this icy energy resided within Han Hai, the situation would be entirely different. Han Hai meticulously cultivated the Bing Xuan Gong; with the icy energy, he could unleash its true power, perhaps even integrating it into his own Yuan Qi, causing his cultivation to surge instantly!

Over the years, Han Hai had served the Ji family diligently, and Ji Changkong felt he owed him nothing less. Keeping the icy energy served little purpose for him, but gifting it to Han Hai would drastically boost his cultivation. The higher Han Hai’s cultivation, the stronger the Ji family’s power became. Why not oblige?

To Han Feng, as long as the icy energy left by the Han family ancestors could be inherited by a Han family member—whether it was him or Han Hai—it made no difference. Although Han Feng harbored numerous grievances against Han Hai, Han Hai was, after all, his only son and the sole heir to the Han bloodline. Han Hai's advancement in cultivation would likely bring Han Feng more joy than his own progress.

Han Feng had always assumed Ji Changkong never intended to return the cold energy to the Han family. Deep down, he never believed anyone would willingly surrender power that enhanced their own cultivation. When he realized Ji Changkong genuinely intended to do so, he suddenly felt that Han Hai staying with the Ji family all these years might not have been a mistake after all.

Therefore, deeply moved, Han Feng spoke without much thought, immediately volunteering his service to the Ji family.

Although Han Feng had been cultivating bitterly under the Xiao family, he was never their dependant. He maintained his independence; his relationship with the Xiao family was purely one of cooperation. This meant that for all these years, Han Feng had never truly considered himself one of the Xiao family.

However, from the moment he offered his life in service to the Ji family, he lowered his stance, binding his interests tightly to theirs.

Ji Changkong hadn't expected that gifting the icy energy to Han Hai would earn the unwavering loyalty of an Eight Trigram Celestial Master. Seeing the solemn expression on Han Feng's face, Ji Changkong knew he was serious. Suddenly, Ji Changkong understood that Han Feng deeply valued Han Hai. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so emotionally moved and eager to serve the Ji family just because Ji Changkong gifted the icy energy to Han Hai.

"No need! Absolutely not!!" Ji Changkong quickly waved his hands. "This is a matter between Uncle Han and myself; it has nothing to do with you. I only gifted the icy energy to Uncle Han because he took exceptionally good care of me and the Ji family back then. You don't need to express anything specific."

"Stop the nonsense!" Han Feng said with a stern face. "What I said, I won't take back. From this day forward, if the Ji family requires anything, just command me. I will willingly give my life for your family!" Before Ji Changkong could reply, Han Feng stepped forward, grabbed Han Hai—who was already closing his eyes to absorb the icy energy—and with a sudden burst of speed, vanished with him into the cave where Han Hai had been cultivating recently.

"Uh..." Ji Changkong let out a wry smile. He hadn't anticipated Han Feng’s stubborn temperament, insisting on remaining with the Ji family as a retainer. He suddenly found that while Han Feng's temper was peculiar, it was curiously endearing.

After Han Feng left with Han Hai, Xiao Xing, Gui Rong, and the others exchanged strange looks. Xiao Poshang let out a continuous grunt, muttering indignantly, "That old rogue! Whatever you wanted all these years, I procured it for you, yet you never offered to serve my Xiao family. This kid barely looked at you, and you’re shamelessly trying to stick around. Truly pathetic!"

"This..." Ji Changkong felt a bit awkward. Han Feng had arrived with the Xiao family and had previously assisted them against external enemies. Now, Han Feng suddenly declared loyalty to the Ji family—didn't that count as poaching talent from the Xiao family?

"Forget it," Xiao Poshang waved his hand, puffing out his beard in exasperation. "It has nothing to do with you; the old rogue is just being cheap!"

He paused, and Xiao Poshang’s gaze sharpened suddenly as he looked intently at Ji Changkong. "Kid, did you deliberately show favor to Han Hai because you knew his son was his weak spot? Was your goal to make Han Feng obediently stay in Xuanyuan Valley?"

"No! No!!" Ji Changkong quickly waved his hands, standing straight and righteously. "My intention was purely to repay Uncle Han for his kindness to me and the Ji family. I absolutely had no deliberate intention of showing favor to Han Feng." For some reason, as he said this, Ji Changkong felt a faint prickle of guilt; he couldn't be entirely sure whether that thought had subconsciously crossed his mind.

Xiao Poshang gazed deeply at Ji Changkong for a moment before nodding lightly. "Who knows what you were thinking, but Han Feng staying in Xuanyuan Valley saves us a huge headache. Now that he's helping your Ji family, it helps Xuanyuan Valley, which benefits our Xiao family too. So, regardless of your inner motives, this outcome satisfies everyone. Hmph, although I'm unhappy about it, I have to admit you kids have incredible luck. Damn it, I treated that old rogue so well, and he never once bowed down to me. You rascal, you’ve truly stumbled into dog-shit luck!"

Xiao Poshang grumbled incessantly, clearly feeling unbalanced. Gui Rong and Gui Hai, however, wore smiles. They had initially intended to apprehend Han Feng, so seeing him pledge loyalty to the Ji family naturally pleased them. On one hand, they didn't have to resort to force; on the other, Xuanyuan Valley gaining such a powerful expert was a blessing for the Ghost Sect and Xuanyuan Valley alike.

Mu Luo remained silent, standing respectfully behind Ji Changkong, awaiting his instructions.

"Let's continue. Setting up the Star Sea Grand Array will take a very long time; we need to get it finalized quickly." Ji Changkong gestured to Mu Luo, and the two of them—along with Jia Ge and Qi Nian—dared not slack off or rest, driven by the need to recreate the Astral Sea Ancient Array of the Aoluo Divine Cult.

While Ji Changkong and Mu Luo were busy, the members of the Ji family, Ghost Sect, and Xiao family were not idle. To gather the required heavenly materials and earthly treasures, the three factions utilized their respective networks. The Ji family contacted the Divine Archer Gate and the Western Regions Aoluo Divine Cult through Mo Yunyi and Han Hai. The Xiao family reached out to the Northern Barbarians and the Eastern Sea regions.

The Ghost Sect, being newcomers, were not well acquainted with the major powers of the world. However, no one was more familiar with the terrain of the Grey Mist Mountain Range than they were. Several Ghost Sect members returned to the mountains, leveraging their advantage in controlling vengeful spirits to move throughout the area, collecting various rare ores found there.

With the combined efforts of the three factions, they strove to restore the 'Star Sea' Ancient Array in Xuanyuan Valley. Ji Changkong and Mu Luo spent their days within the valley, integrating the scarce materials continuously delivered from all corners of the realm.

One day, as Ji Changkong and Mu Luo were carving intricate patterns onto a towering stone pillar, Ta Ji rushed in, looking flustered.

"The east side, the bottom of the east side is cracking open... It's split open into a huge gap, and dark-green magma is bubbling out!" Ta Ji exclaimed with surprise, immediately shouting upon arrival.

Having studied the Western Regions language with Ayiguli for so long, Ji Changkong couldn't speak it fluently yet, but he could understand it. Hearing this, Ji Changkong paused, saying strangely, "Dark-green magma..."

Mu Luo frowned, his face grim. "What exactly is going on? The east side isn't far from us. If there were underground activity, logically, the Cult Master and I should have sensed it. Why is dark-green magma emerging?"

"Elder, you should go see for yourself," Ta Ji said with a wry smile. "I don't know what's happening. The Cult Master asked us to patrol and watch out for intruders. When I reached that eastern area, I saw the ditch we had dug tearing apart, and then dark-green magma started spewing out, rolling waves of heat."

"Let's go see," Ji Changkong was quite curious. With a leap, his body moved like lightning and thunder, rushing towards the east.

Mo Yunyi, Xiao Xing, Xiao Poshang, Gui Rong, and Gui Hai all arrived shortly after hearing the news. They gathered there and were marveling, pointing at the widening fissure and discussing animatedly.

Upon seeing Ji Changkong and Mu Luo approach, Xiao Poshang immediately called out, "Kid, what's going on? Is the Star Sea array already taking effect?"

"No, the Star Sea Grand Array is far from complete; this abnormality shouldn't be happening," Ji Changkong shook his head. He walked over to Xiao Poshang and the others, looked down at the massive fissure that continued to split open, and watched the dark-green fluid bubbling out. Confusion clouded his eyes.

This dark-green fluid carried rolling heatwaves, within which sparks seemed to flash. Aside from the unusual color, it was indeed consistent with magma erupted from a volcano. However, Ji Changkong observed it closely and carefully sensed it with his Divine Soul, discovering a very strong Five Elements Wood energy within the dark-green fluid.

En! he thought with a start. Ji Changkong's Divine Soul spread out, forming threads invisible to the naked eye that drilled into the boiling dark-green fluid. He found the fluid saturated with Five Elements Wood energy, giving off a marvelous sensation of vitality.

As the dark-green fluid poured out onto the grass in Xuanyuan Valley, it curiously failed to dissolve or wither the weeds. On the contrary, after being irrigated by the dark-green fluid, the weeds seemed to deepen in color, appearing invigorated and suddenly flourishing.

"The characteristics of this fluid... I think I've heard someone mention it somewhere before," Gui Rong frowned, watching the dark-green fluid flow over the grass, a look of deep concentration on his face.

After a moment, Gui Rong's face suddenly paled, and he exclaimed, "This kind of fluid is found deep within the Nether Ghost Domain! It's scalding like magma, yet it possesses a marvelous nurturing power for plants and flowers. This fluid seems to contain abundant Five Elements Wood energy, capable of bestowing vigorous life force upon flora!"

After Gui Rong’s cry, he looked at the slowly splitting giant fissure with some panic, murmuring to himself, "What... what is happening? Could this place be connected to the Nether Ghost Domain? Or... or have those two Ghost Demon Kings overcome the restriction of the Scorching Sun Body and pursued us from the Nether Ghost Domain into Xuanyuan Valley?"

His words caused Gui Hai to look equally panicked, nervously scanning their surroundings as if the two Ghost Demon Kings hidden deep in the Nether Ghost Domain had suddenly descended.

"Nether Ghost Domain? Ghost Demon Kings?" Xiao Xing looked puzzled.

"From the Nether Ghost Domain..." Ji Changkong was momentarily stunned, then he smiled, reassuring Gui Rong and Gui Hai. "No matter where it comes from, it seems this dark-green fluid is harmless; in fact, it benefits the plants. As for the other two Ghost Demon Kings, haha, don't worry. If they dare to cause trouble in Xuanyuan Valley, I will ensure they never return."

Recalling the experience of Ji Changkong effortlessly absorbing a Ghost Demon King last time, Gui Rong and Gui Hai felt slightly relieved upon hearing his words. However, given the profound damage the Ghost Demon Kings had inflicted on the Ghost Sect over the years, their expressions remained somewhat unnatural.

"Capable of making plants and flowers more vibrant..." Xiao Poshang muttered, then suddenly laughed. "Damn it, this is a good thing! It means we can cultivate various rare spiritual herbs and flowers in Xuanyuan Valley and accelerate their growth to maturity! Haha, this is an auspicious sign!"

"Indeed, it is an auspicious sign!" Ji Changkong also smiled. He considered for a moment. "I'll go down and see where this dark-green fluid is coming from, and check if anything we previously placed here has been damaged."

"Master, let me do it," Mu Luo stepped forward, intending to take Ji Changkong's place in descending.

Ji Changkong waved his hand and laughed. "I'll go personally. I don't know why, but when my Divine Soul first entered this dark-green fluid, I felt a sense of peace and comfort. I want to see if submerging my body inside will bring the same marvelous feeling."

Saying this, Ji Changkong, under the watchful eyes of everyone, jumped into the crevice while still wearing his clothes.

As his body dropped into the subterranean fissure, the oily, dark-green magma instantly engulfed Ji Changkong. Suddenly, Ji Changkong's spirit jolted, and a profoundly wondrous sensation washed over his entire being...