The Star of the Dipper, the most ancient star, was also the boundary level of Ji Changkong's divine soul, the Qixing Yaomao Chen Xiaojie. The layers were interconnected, and the divine soul could only proceed further after undergoing previous tempering; otherwise, not only would the realm fail to advance $\text{nb;nb;}$ but there was also a risk of regression.

After the battle at Tianshui City, while arranging the Star Sea Ancient Formation in Xuanyuan Valley, his divine soul had never ceased its cultivation. He channeled all his spirit and energy into the construction of the Star Sea Ancient Formation, consciously integrating himself with Xuanyuan Valley, allowing his divine soul to commune with every blade of grass, every tree, and the primordial energy within the valley.

The Tai Xu Secret Records were incredibly profound. Even during the process of arranging the Star Sea Ancient Formation, his divine soul advanced slowly through miraculous means. $\text{nb;nb;}$ On the day the Star Sea Ancient Formation was completed, he allowed his divine soul to roam among the Seven Stars $\text{nb;nb;}$ and rapidly absorbed the power of the stars, pushing his realm a step further.

The myriad paths of cultivation in this world are ever-changing. $\text{nb;nb;}$ Progress is not achieved solely through relentless ascetic practice. At times, by pinning one's spirit and energy onto a single endeavor and borrowing from the natural elements of the world, one can temper and purify the soul $\text{nb;nb;}$ achieving breakthroughs in the state of mind of the divine soul.

In Xuanyuan Valley, there were twelve individuals whose divine souls could roam the Seven Stars of the Fu Heng Star, including Ji Changkong. These twelve encompassed members from the Ghost Sect, the Xiao Family, the He Family, the Star Stone Sect, and major factions from Blood Rain Mountain.

The twelve divine souls flew out of Xuanyuan Valley together, piercing the celestial confinement. They traveled across the Five Elements Continent, passing Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Tian Ji, and Tian Quan stars, arriving at Tian Heng Star, with each soul expending a measure of spiritual energy.

Spiritual energy is the power of the divine soul. Once depleted, it must be restored using flesh and primordial force only after the divine soul has returned to the **body.

Once the divine soul leaves the physical body, even the slightest movement consumes spiritual energy. In the Endless Star Domain, the spiritual energy of the divine soul is constantly being depleted.

Therefore, the divine soul cannot remain indefinitely in the Endless Star Domain. If the spiritual energy is exhausted and the soul lacks sufficient power to support its return to the (physical form) $\text{nb;nb;}$ it will quickly wither in the Endless Star Domain. Without the protection of spiritual energy, even a slight fluctuation in the Star Domain could plunge the divine soul into an abyss of eternal damnation.

Those with profound realms, such as the Eight Trigrams Heavenly Masters, possess immensely deep spiritual energy in their divine souls and can remain in the Endless Star Domain for ten years, eight years, or even longer. Those with relatively lower realms, such as Heavenly Masters who have just entered the Seven Stars Heaven realm, can only stay in the Beidou Star Domain for one or two months before their spiritual energy can no longer sustain them, forcing them to return to their bodies to recover.

In the Endless Star Domain, there is only one way for the spiritual energy of the divine soul to recover: by devouring the divine souls of others, appropriating their spiritual energy for one's own use.

This is precisely the method the Yaksha Tribe of the Northern Barbarians uses to rampage unchecked across the Beidou Star Domain for extended periods.

The Beidou Star Domain is fraught with peril. Divine souls either coexist peacefully, or if conflict erupts, one side is annihilated, their mark of life completely erased from existence. Generally $\text{nb;nb;}$ divine souls of comparable strength in the Beidou Star Domain avoid direct soul battles. Only groups operating en masse, like those from the Northern Barbarians or the Eastern Sea, which possess overwhelming numerical advantage, attack wantonly without reservation.

After suffering several losses in the Beidou Star Domain due to being outnumbered, Ji Changkong suddenly relaxed because he was accompanied by eleven fellow masters from Xuanyuan Valley.

Upon arriving at Tian Heng Star, those eleven Heavenly Masters from Xuanyuan Valley were all diligently cultivating, absorbing the pervasive starlight to integrate with their divine souls, allowing their souls to acquire the aura and divine abilities of Tian Heng Star.

Unlike them $\text{nb;nb;}$ upon arrival, Ji Changkong did not immediately resort to absorbing the ambient starlight. He released his divine soul $\text{nb;nb;}$ allowing his consciousness, centered on the soul, to extend in all directions, searching for everything and every life fluctuation he could sense.

Having experienced cultivation at the Du Ba Gong Feng (Lone Dominating Bow Peak), he knew that finding a true cultivation treasure spot on Tian Heng Star could multiply their progress. $\text{nb;nb;}$ The effect of anchoring his divine soul at the Gong Feng for cultivation was more than ten times faster than aimlessly seeking starlight for refinement.

The divine soul drifted uncertainly, like a candle flame flickering in the wind, threatening to extinguish at any moment. Wisps of consciousness fluctuations, invisible to the naked eye, subtly extended in all directions, their speed increasing relentlessly.

In the Beidou Star Domain, the resistance encountered by the extension of the divine soul was minimal; the speed and range of consciousness diffusion far surpassed that experienced on the Five Elements Continent.

His mind was tranquil, yet his soul perpetually stirred. His consciousness flowed outward like a gentle stream in all directions.

Gradually $\text{nb;nb;}$ Ji Changkong’s divine soul became increasingly relaxed and unfettered. He could quickly register subtle anomalies in the surrounding distant regions within his mind. In this state, he felt as if he were situated high above, viewing everything below with a pair of giant eyes from the heavens, absorbing all conditions within his extended awareness.

Those who came with him from Xuanyuan Valley were wholly engrossed in absorbing the relatively thin starlight, fearful of insufficient spiritual energy. Only he wasted his spiritual energy on external scrutiny, neglecting the 'proper business' of cultivation.

His consciousness continued to stretch outward.

A faint life fluctuation suddenly drifted from one direction.

It was a form of life with a rather peculiar nature, appearing in swarms—minute, almost bacterial in size, carrying an extremely faint, Yin-like aura, exquisitely delicate. They seemed capable of condensing and combining with each other, merging into one another, and then rapidly separating and dividing. Their movement was agile.

He roughly sensed that this collective life numbered in the tens of thousands, clustered together in the shape of a flying shuttle.

With a stirring of his intent, the consciousness he had sent forth swiftly returned to his divine soul along the thread of spiritual energy.

"Young Master Ji, any findings?" Old Ghost Seven transmitted telepathically, his soul drifting to Ji Changkong's side.

Old Ghost Seven was an elder of the Ghost Sect. He was the first Ghost Family member Ji Changkong encountered when entering the Ashen Mountain Range. Over the years, due to the cooperation between the Ghost Sect and Xuanyuan Valley, Old Ghost Seven had cultivated extensively in Xuanyuan Valley and regarded Ji Changkong as one of their own.

"Some findings. I've discovered a peculiar organism—the only life form I've encountered in the Beidou Star Domain that isn't human. I'm curious and wish to investigate."

"Let me accompany you. We should have a safeguard," Old Ghost Seven suggested.

"Young Master Ji, is something the matter?" Xiao Yunduan’s divine soul floated over immediately upon seeing Ji Changkong and Old Ghost Seven preparing to move. The Xiao Family and the Ghost Sect had always maintained a close relationship with the Ji Family. Before coming to the Beidou Star Domain, Xiao Yunduan had been explicitly instructed by Xiao Poshang to protect Ji Changkong well, so he dared not relax his guard.

"As expected, it's my own kin who care most about my movements," Ji Changkong mused internally. The intimate relationship between the Xiao Family, the Ghost Sect, and himself led him to subconsciously regard the people from the Xiao Family and the Ghost Sect as family. In contrast, the arrivals from the other sects and families of Blood Rain Mountain had become completely absorbed in their cultivation upon reaching Tian Heng Star, paying no attention to him. Comparing the two sides made the difference instantly apparent.

A sphere of light moved slowly in a triangular formation, heading toward the location of the anomaly.

Ji Changkong, Xiao Yunduan, and Old Ghost Seven moved, one by one. The remaining nine individuals, who had been cultivating peacefully, were immediately alerted. They merely glanced, then instantly mobilized their divine souls, following closely behind Ji Changkong.

"Young Master Ji, is there something wrong?"

"Why the sudden departure? Have you made a discovery?"

"Young Master Ji, next time you have something to attend to, please notify us in advance. Since we all came from Xuanyuan Valley together, it's best if we move as a group."

The nine souls clamored amongst themselves. Whether sincere or not, it indicated they recognized Ji Changkong and the others as their own.

"En, I just wanted to go check out a place. Seeing how focused you all were on cultivation, I didn't dare to disturb you," he replied briefly to the nine, before continuing to move rapidly with Old Ghost Seven and Xiao Yunduan, their divine souls darting through the threads of starlight.

Those Seven Stars Heavenly Masters from Xuanyuan Valley ceased their inquiries and followed closely behind.

As they neared the target, the pervasive starlight in the air grew increasingly dense, resembling countless fine strands of seaweed, densely filling every direction.

As the group’s divine souls navigated through such concentrated starlight, they could distinctly feel fine threads of subtle radiance gently merging into their souls. When the starlight entered the divine souls, it imparted a feeling of richness and wonder.

"Young Master Ji, you truly have a knack for choosing a location. Not only is the starlight here incredibly dense, but the stellar power it nurtures is also extremely rich. Cultivating here is many times better than where we were before!" praised Lan Xingyun of the Star Stone Sect.

Lan Xingyun and Baili Ke of the Star Stone Sect were fellow disciples. Previously, due to the growing dominance of Xuanyuan Valley, Lan Xingyun harbored some resentment toward it. This time, because everyone was uniting to cultivate in the Beidou Star Domain, he naturally joined Ji Changkong and the others in coming to Tian Heng Star.

"Old Lan, Young Master Ji is no ordinary person; otherwise, why would I insist on following him? Ah, I truly didn't follow the wrong person! Young Master Ji is blessed with great fortune; following him is definitely the right path!" exclaimed Huang Xun of the Huang Family, sounding delighted.

The Huang Family had been closely aligned with Xuanyuan Valley for a long time. Among the many factions of Blood Rain Mountain, the Huang Family was one of the few with no underlying estrangement from Xuanyuan Valley. It was because of this that Xuanyuan Valley often gave the Huang Family preferential treatment, always sending notifications when holding discussions on cultivation or trading spiritual treasures.

Lan Xingyun and Huang Xun exchanged soul messages, but Ji Changkong paid them no mind, continuing to delve deeper ahead.

Suddenly, an extremely piercing scream of a divine soul echoed in everyone's ears.

"Be careful!" Ji Changkong's consciousness surged, and he instantly perceived the sudden change ahead. He abruptly released a wave of spiritual energy, forming a shield of murky grey soul-light.

"Soul Devouring Fungus! The Soul Devouring Fungus is here!" A soul, constantly twisting and distorting, burst through the dense starlight ahead, fleeing desperately toward them, trembling as it transmitted the message in all directions.