The captured human soul, instantly losing all bearings, its ball-like form swaying violently as it was struck by Yin Dao's soul-light. Its spirit was severely damaged, and its mental energy was draining at an alarming rate. If he didn't return to his main body quickly, even if Ji Changkong ceased his attack, given enough time, he would exhaust his mental energy and his soul would scatter in the Tianya Star.

The soul drifted listlessly, the person within seemingly weighing his words carefully.

“You’d best be careful what you say! I can sense every single movement of your soul. Whether you're lying or not, I can detect it from the fluctuations in your spirit. If you dare try to deceive me, humph!” Ji Changkong threatened.

“The Soul-Devouring Fungi are indeed creatures from the deep underground! They feed on human souls; I’m truly not lying to you! You just saw them cover a person’s soul and devour it completely in moments!” the man exclaimed.

“I understand that Soul-Devouring Fungi can consume souls, but can they really gather starlight? I suspect these small stones you obtained from them are the true source of collecting starlight, aren't they? What exactly is the deal with the Soul-Devouring Fungi and these little stones?” Ji Changkong scoffed.

“These little stones are also Soul-Devouring Fungi!” The man, realizing the longer he delayed, the worse it would be for him, suddenly spoke faster. “Those little stones are dead Soul-Devouring Fungi; their corpses clumped together to become these miraculous stones capable of gathering starlight.”

“The living Soul-Devouring Fungi can multiply rapidly by consuming souls, but their lifespan is very short, and they die off quickly. After death, the fungi gather together, slowly forming these hard little stones.

The living fungi have no ability to gather starlight, but the fungi that turn into these small stones after death can indeed collect starlight from the vicinity!”

“I only used you because I wanted these deceased Soul-Devouring Fungi. I hope to use these little stones to gather more starlight. These small stones are quite magical; they can repel starlight not only on Tianya Star but also on several other celestial bodies.”

“Now they are in your hands. I’ve told you everything I know; please let me go! I beg you, my divine power is draining too fast. If I delay leaving any longer, I fear I won't be able to return to my body forever!” the man pleaded desperately.

Staring intently at his soul, Ji Changkong felt its essence flowing and shifting, seeing beyond the outer halos of the spirit. After observing for a short while, Ji Changkong was certain the man was not lying.

After a moment of thought, Ji Changkong mused that without this person appearing, he wouldn’t have obtained these marvelous little stones. Considering that these stones could also gather stellar energy on other stars, Ji Changkong felt rather pleased.

“Fine, I will spare your life. Be gone!”

The man’s soul felt an immediate release, sensing the oppressive aura that had locked onto him vanish. Fearing Ji Changkong might change his mind, the man hesitated not at all, accelerating to his fastest speed and flying away, heading outside Tianya Star. He seemed intent on returning to the Five Elements Continent to recover using his main body’s vital essence and primal force.

In the time it took, the dense starlight that had been concentrated at the center of the Soul-Devouring Fungi's activity gradually drifted toward Ji Changkong’s location. Unknowingly, a considerable amount of stellar energy had accumulated around him.

What a treasure! he exclaimed inwardly. Just as he prepared to summon Ghost Old Seven and Xiao Yunduan to cultivate, he suddenly sensed the distant Soul-Devouring Fungi beginning to move! Sensing carefully, he couldn't help but be startled. The fungi, deeply hidden far away, were moving toward his area again. It seemed they had detected his location through the concentration of stellar energy.

Even Ji Changkong felt a prickle of unease when facing creatures that fed on souls. He immediately wrapped the little stones tightly with his divine soul and flew rapidly away.

After a good while, Ji Changkong sensed the locations of Ghost Old Seven and Xiao Yunduan, changed direction, and flew towards the area where they were situated.

“Young Master Ji! Young Master Ji, are you alright?” Xiao Yunduan was the first to detect his returning soul fluctuations and immediately sent a joyous mental message.

“I’m fine! Let’s go, we’ll talk elsewhere!” Ji Changkong’s mental message was urgent. He didn't linger after arriving but continued to sweep forward.

Ghost Old Seven, Xiao Yunduan, and the other Heavenly Scholars who came from Xuanyuan Valley were perplexed, but they knew following Ji Changkong was the right choice, so they followed closely.

After flying for an unknown duration, Ji Changkong finally came to a halt.

Within his nebula-like soul were embedded grains of small stones, shimmering with a soft light. At a glance, Ji Changkong’s soul resembled a miniature galaxy, and those small stones, twinkling with a gentle halo, were like countless stars in the stellar river—absolutely radiant.

The stellar energy lingering in the void, drawn by those marvelous little stones, rapidly flowed toward this area. By the time Ghost Old Seven, Xiao Yunduan, and the others arrived, the region surrounding Ji Changkong’s soul had already gathered a significant amount of stellar energy.

The small stones, condensed from the corpses of the Soul-Devouring Fungi, gathered stellar energy from all directions. The starlight continuously condensed and intertwined, and from it, Ji Changkong extracted wisps of faint yet utterly pure stellar energy! A joy rose in his heart as Ji Changkong realized he had likely struck gold.

These small stones could not only gather starlight from all directions but could actually transform that starlight into the purest, most flawless stellar energy! These strands of stellar energy flowed toward the small stones, but upon entering Ji Changkong’s nebula-like soul, it was like trickling streams merging into the ocean, rapidly absorbed by his soul structure.

Compared to the power gathered from starlight to temper and purify the soul, this pure energy transformed by the small stones was virtually flawless, requiring no extra effort from Ji Changkong to expel impurities. He could use this pure energy directly to refine and cleanse his soul.

A thread of coolness flowed through his soul like running water. Ji Changkong felt an instant relaxation in his spirit. Those delicate wisps of pure stellar energy were slowly purifying his soul, causing his soul and the Tianya Star to connect in a marvelous way.

Starlight from all surroundings gathered, and in a short time, the density of starlight in this area was comparable to the location where Ghost Old Seven and the others had been cultivating earlier.

“What, what is happening?” Lan Xingyun asked, filled with confusion, though obvious joy resonated in his soul thought.

Ghost Old Seven, Xiao Yunduan, and Huang Xun were all equally puzzled. They could perceive that the stellar energy gathering from all directions was clearly being attracted by Ji Changkong’s soul, but what they couldn't comprehend was—why could Ji Changkong’s soul attract the stellar energy of Tianya Star?

“The Soul-Devouring Fungi! Didn't they say only the fungi could attract starlight? Why, why can Young Master Ji do it too?” Lan Xingyun’s mental message was surging with agitation.

The souls of everyone gathered around Ji Changkong’s soul, which resembled a miniature galaxy. They could clearly sense subtle, almost invisible forces slowly flowing along those dense light rays into his nebula-like soul, moving slowly within it.

“You can all use this stellar energy to cultivate, don’t be shy!” At this moment, Ji Changkong sent out a wave of soul thoughts.

Everyone paused, stunned for a moment, then gathered beside Ji Changkong and began using the stellar energy for cultivation.

By relying on these small stones, Ji Changkong’s soul could obtain the purest energy, an advantage incomparable to others. But for Ghost Old Seven, Xiao Yunduan, and the others, even without the absolute purest energy, the stellar energy here was far richer and more wonderful than in other places.

And as time passed, more and more stellar energy continued to converge here. For Xiao Yunduan, Huang Xun, and the others, utilizing the gathered stellar energy had already brought immense benefits to their souls.

In this area, Ji Changkong could finally cultivate in peace, using the magical small stones within his soul to absorb the purest energy from the starlight to temper his spirit, allowing his soul to accept the stellar energy contained within this star.

Time flowed silently away.

Unconsciously, the area centered around Ji Changkong, thanks to the function of those small stones, had gathered increasingly dense starlight. The density of stellar energy in this region far surpassed that of other places.

Precisely because of this, some cultivators occasionally passing by began to linger quietly on the periphery, much like when Ji Changkong and his group cultivated around the perimeter of the Soul-Devouring Fungi cluster. These occasional passersby also quietly stayed outside, secretly stealing the richer stellar energy to cultivate.

These people were very cautious, daring not to venture deep into the central area where Ji Changkong and his group were located.

Ji Changkong had long noticed their presence. Seeing that they were not greedily encroaching upon the center, merely utilizing the starlight on the outer edges to cultivate, Ji Changkong was magnanimous and did not object, allowing them to benefit.

However, his kindness did not bring good returns! Those cultivators gathered on the periphery were well-behaved at first, but slowly, their greed grew, and they began to approach the center little by little.

These cultivators gathered on the fringe included people from the same sect and lone rogue cultivators. As they approached the center, they seemed to communicate, secretly reaching some kind of joint agreement.

When they had approached to a certain distance, Ghost Old Seven and Xiao Yunduan were the first to be alerted. Their souls stirred, and they immediately woke up the other nine Heavenly Scholars from Xuanyuan Valley.

“Something isn't right! Some hostile individuals are moving toward us,” Ghost Old Seven snorted coldly.

“Don't rush. Let them come. I want to see what these people are trying to do,” Ji Changkong’s mental message was chillingly cold as he waited calmly.