The Asura King frowned, flicking his hand lightly, summoning Te Bashen Guang, the giant dog, whose arrival tore the sky apart.

A faint 'hissing' sound came from the arc of electric blue light. It didn't seem to contain much World Origin power, yet Ji Changkong’s expression shifted drastically in horror. The hand he had extended toward the Yaksha King's spirit immediately retracted. He swiftly employed the Thousand Shades of Nether Inception from the Oro Divine Sect, blurring his form until the sky was filled with dancing copies of Ji Changkong, making it impossible to discern the real one.

Ji Changkong’s panic seemed excessive. The blue arc of light summoned by the Asura King appeared not to be aimed at him at all. As the light moved toward the Yaksha King, it formed a sapphire-colored shield that enveloped the Yaksha King's spirit.

The Yaksha King, previously disoriented by the influence of the Tian Yuan Orb, regained consciousness the moment the blue light enveloped him. His spirit stopped trembling violently. Within the confines of the light shield, the Yaksha King remained true to his nature, shouting incessantly at Ji Changkong: "I will kill you! I absolutely will!"

Ji Changkong, having retreated to a distance, was filled with regret. The spirit of a Nine Palaces Heavenly Scholar was far more potent than all the spirit power he had collected previously; it was equivalent to the combined might of all the Yaksha King's evil spirits.

Had this energy flowed into the Tian Yuan Orb, it would have undoubtedly provided it with a massive boost, perhaps even causing it to manifest another divine weapon or spiritual treasure. One World-Ending Gauntlet was already overwhelmingly powerful, and Ji Changkong keenly anticipated the emergence of the other two treasures within the Orb.

He lamented the Asura King’s untimely interference, which had halted his grand plan and prevented him from successfully absorbing the Yaksha King’s spirit.

The Asura King, being one of the most supreme beings in this world, might not be able to utterly annihilate the Ghost Demon King, but killing Ji Changkong would be effortless. Even if Ji Changkong unleashed the power of the World-Ending Gauntlet again, he had no confidence in surviving a direct confrontation with the Asura King.

Thus, despite his reluctance, he decisively withdrew immediately.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Unexpectedly, the nine demonic dragons that had shredded the Yaksha King's body suddenly lunged forward again. The nine dragons coiled around the blue arc shield, surging torrents of demonic qi crashing against the sapphire barrier, causing it to develop hairline cracks.

Ji Changkong, who had already retreated, felt a surge of delight and silently flew back from afar.

As the cracks on the sapphire shield multiplied, Ji Changkong summoned the Tian Yuan Orb once more. The intense radiance emanating from the Orb enveloped the Yaksha King again.

"I knew you wouldn't let me off the hook. So, all I can do is deny you that opportunity," Ji Changkong said with a slight smile, grasping the Tian Yuan Orb and pulling it sharply toward himself.

Held by the Orb's light, the Yaksha King was restrained by an invisible force, and his spirit rapidly flew toward Ji Changkong. With a flash of light, the Yaksha King’s spirit, filled with terror, was swallowed by the Tian Yuan Orb, vanishing instantly.

The moment the Tian Yuan Orb consumed the spirit of the Nine Palaces Heavenly Scholar that was the Yaksha King, the intricate patterns on the Orb became clearer. A profound, miniature depiction seemed to be taking shape. "Hmph!" The Asura King’s face darkened suddenly, followed by a cold snort: "You don't know what's good for you!"

No one knew to whom he directed those words, but he did not attack Ji Changkong, who had secured the Yaksha King’s spirit. Instead, he instantly appeared beside Ji Haotian.

The nine demonic dragons rolled forward, fiercely charging toward the Asura King. However, before they could even approach him, they were encased in a supreme, overwhelming field of brilliant protective energy. No matter how wildly the nine dragons struggled, they were firmly trapped within the barrier and could not break free.

Ji Haotian, having succumbed to demonic transformation, had been rampaging unchecked since his emergence, with neither the Yaksha King nor the Northern Barbarian masters able to subdue him.

Now that the Asura King had intervened personally, Ji Haotian's frantic slaughter was finally brought to a complete halt. With all nine demonic dragons contained, the Asura King’s massive figure merely flickered before he materialized next to Ji Haotian.

Ji Haotian finally recognized a powerful adversary. Rolling demonic qi erupted from him recklessly, engulfing the surrounding area in its entirety.

The Asura King plunged directly into the center of the surging demonic miasma.

Within the boundless demonic energy, extremely intense surges of primal energy fluctuated. All Heavenly Scholars in the vicinity sensed the violence and savagery of these energy waves and swiftly retreated from that area.

In that specific region, dozens of spirits were drifting about, desperately trying to flee the area.

These were the Heavenly Scholars killed by Ji Haotian earlier.

Ji Changkong, having secured the Yaksha King's spirit within the Tian Yuan Orb, moved his mind and once again released the power of the Primal Energy Pillar, utilizing the Soul Calming Chant to lure the errant spirits. Once those spirits fell into the soul storm created by the Six Roots Primal Energy Pillar, they immediately found the Tian Yuan Orb hovering silently, waiting for them.

Once enveloped by the Orb's light, these spirits could no longer escape and were devoured one after another, transforming into power within the Tian Yuan Orb.

The spiritual power within the Tian Yuan Orb grew increasingly dense, and the miniature drawing on its surface became clearer and clearer. From the Orb, an intense spiritual force capable of affecting everyone began to radiate, causing all the surrounding Northern Barbarian Heavenly Scholars to grow mentally hazy.

Suddenly, a cry echoed from the Origin Poison within the Tian Yuan Orb: "Kongkong, save me!"

Startled, Ji Changkong did not hesitate. He released his soul consciousness, establishing contact with the Origin Poison's spirit inside the Orb, and asked, "What happened?"

"The space within the Tian Yuan Orb is constantly being opened up, and many areas are extremely perilous. I am trapped inside and temporarily cannot get out. Stop the Tian Yuan Orb for a moment so I can emerge!" the Origin Poison urged.

Ji Changkong's expression remained unchanged, his eyes gleaming sharply. He slowly manipulated his soul using the Nebula Soul Refining Art, attempting to align his soul power with the changes occurring within the Tian Yuan Orb.

After a while, a deep sense of connection through soul and mind washed over him. In an instant, he and the Tian Yuan Orb seemed to merge into one entity, and his soul consciousness was abruptly drawn into the Orb. Inside the Tian Yuan Orb, a vast, boundless world began to continuously unfold.

It was an indescribably mysterious world, dim and devoid of luster. The sky was filled with countless vortices, similar to the energy swirls he generated within his body when executing the Heavenly Thunder Force. These mysterious vortices permeated every corner of this boundless realm, and within each one seemed to reside another arcane domain.

He attempted to send his soul consciousness into one of the vortices, only to find a resisting force suddenly emanating from it. The restriction within the vortex seemed to be triggered, instantly flashing brightly before vanishing from the sky.

The sky was filled with these vortices—no less than tens of thousands of them—embedded in the heavens. Each vortex contained a restriction; once Ji Changkong's soul touched one, the vortex would contract and disappear from the sky.

The dim ground was covered in muddy swamps, from which bubbles occasionally rose. When the bubbles burst, multicolored smoke would fly out. This colored smoke slowly ascended and seeped into the swirling centers in the sky, which seemed to absorb the vivid, multi-hued smoke... (The transmission breaks here due to corruption, but the intent is clear: absorption.)

The entire boundless world repeated this process, yet Ji Changkong’s soul could sense the boundaries of this world constantly expanding.

A familiar figure suddenly appeared in Ji Changkong's vision.

It was the Yaksha King, swallowed by the Tian Yuan Orb!

After his spirit entered this mysterious world, the Yaksha King's soul was gradually being decomposed. The energy of his soul dissipated swiftly like light smoke, being absorbed bit by bit by the numerous sky vortices.

Just like the Yaksha King, the spirits of several Northern Barbarian Heavenly Scholars who had recently entered suffered the same fate. Once inside the Tian Yuan Orb, their souls were broken down into wisps of smoke—the energy of their souls—all consumed by the vortices.

The Origin Poison was also among the victims. Unlike the others, the Origin Poison possessed a physical body and was not in the sky but rather in the bubbling swamp, submerged in the strange water.

He struggled desperately within the swamp like a drowning man, attempting to pull himself out, but his limbs were tightly entangled by the power of the swamp. Even the Origin Poison seemed unable to break free from its grasp.

Ji Changkong’s soul consciousness finally located the Origin Poison. Following the Nebula Soul Refining Art, his soul slowly coalesced into a faint phantom body, hovering above the swamp where the Origin Poison struggled. He projected his thought: "Why didn't you emerge as a phantom body?"

The Origin Poison's face lit up with joy. Staring at Ji Changkong, he shrieked, and after his excitement subsided, he explained with a wry smile: "You saw the fate of those people up there. Any soul form that enters the Tian Yuan Orb is slowly stripped of its power by those vortices. If I materialized fully, my soul energy would also be vulnerable to the vortices' absorption!"

"Why am I unaffected? And why were you fine before?" Ji Changkong asked, astonished.

"Your soul operates according to the Nebula Soul Refining Art, so it is immune to the effects here. You are essentially a half-master of the Tian Yuan Orb, naturally unharmed," the Origin Poison explained with a bitter smile. "This place doesn't always change like this either. The world you see now is not the true state of the Tian Yuan Orb. Only when the spiritual essence inside reaches a certain threshold do those vortices appear in the sky, transforming the entire world within the Orb into this state."

Ji Changkong was stunned. He had never considered that the world inside the Tian Yuan Orb could change so drastically. However, this was not the time for detailed inquiries. After a brief pause, Ji Changkong immediately asked, "How can I save you?"

"Stop the changes in this damned place, or get me out of here!" the Origin Poison replied.

Ji Changkong’s soul, inside the Tian Yuan Orb, began using the power of the Nebula Soul Refining Art to try and halt the Orb's alterations, but he frustratingly found he had no way to influence them. He attempted to summon the World-Ending Gauntlet, and immediately, several sky vortices combined to form a colossal vortex. From that enormous vortex, the World-Ending Gauntlet, larger than an entire city on the Five Elements Continent, slowly emerged.

The moment the World-Ending Gauntlet appeared within the Tian Yuan Orb, the Orb instantly filled with the Gauntlet's ferocious power. Alas, being merely a soul form, even though Ji Changkong had summoned the Gauntlet, he could neither wield it nor use it to stop the transformations within the Tian Yuan Orb.

"Forget it. Just get me out... You are only a half-master of the Tian Yuan Orb; you probably cannot alter the rules inside. Kongkong, use your soul to bind me, temporarily merge my physical form and spirit, and take me out of the Tian Yuan Orb first!" the Origin Poison finally urged after watching Ji Changkong struggle fruitlessly to change the Orb's internal structure.

"Alright, alright," Ji Changkong said, sounding slightly hesitant. He swiftly wrapped his soul around the Origin Poison, injecting his soul essence into the physical body of the Origin Poison.

Miraculously, the moment the Origin Poison's body was filled with Ji Changkong's essence, the tenacious suction from the binding swamp immediately vanished. The Origin Poison easily freed himself from the mire and, together with Ji Changkong's soul, rapidly flew upward.

"How do we get out?" Ji Changkong suddenly asked. When his soul consciousness first entered the Tian Yuan Orb, it was effortless—he simply focused his soul and charged into it, as the Orb was visible to him.

But now, his soul was inside the Tian Yuan Orb, and all he perceived was this vast, boundless world, which felt completely self-contained. He could not find the path back.

"Sense your physical body, and then fly toward it using that connection. When your soul's speed reaches a certain peak, you will instantly pierce through the confines of this space. I used to leave this way," the Origin Poison instructed.

Before the Origin Poison finished speaking, Ji Changkong's soul vibrated intensely. Relying on the thin thread connecting him to his physical body, Ji Changkong accelerated his soul's speed to its maximum as instructed.

Suddenly, his soul experienced a moment of dizzying faintness as it seemed to pierce through a mysterious channel. In a flash, he realized he had torn through the spatial barrier, and his soul had returned to his body.

The Origin Poison also emerged from the Tian Yuan Orb, collapsing weakly onto his shoulder, gasping, "That was close!"

His soul returned to his body, but before he could assess his surroundings, he noticed an intense beam of light erupting from the Tian Yuan Orb, instantly enveloping his entire being. The depiction on the Orb was lifelike; upon close inspection, it was exactly identical to the trajectory of the Nebula Soul Refining Art in operation!

That profound stellar chart manifested on the Tian Yuan Orb, and strands of supremely pure soul energy began to pour out. This energy was entirely different from the power Ji Changkong had borrowed from the Orb previously.

The power he borrowed before was like a consumable force, similar to World Origin Energy or the primal energy in his body. He could use it, but he couldn't absorb it; much of it would be depleted after a battle, and what remained in his body would return to the Orb.

However, the wisps of power now overflowing from the Orb were pure soul energy. These thread-like lines of soul power immediately integrated into the soul sea within Ji Changkong, continuously strengthening his soul power. The Nebula Soul Refining Art also began to operate along a different trajectory.

His soul, indeed, started to transform slowly.