Ji Changkong, his cultivation now ruined, was filled with sorrow and worry as he faced the venerable Gu Ya. Hearing Li Hentian speak, he looked up sharply at him and demanded, "What is it?"

"The Nine Luster Life Tree!" Li Hentian stated in a deep voice.

"Hentian!" Gu Ya glared at Li Hentian with reproof, sharply admonishing him, "Nonsense! That Nine Luster Life Tree is intensely scorching; the divine souls of ordinary people would be melted merely by drawing near it, let alone bringing it back to the Five Elements Continent!"

"Sect Master! Only that Nine Luster Life Tree can restore you completely. I have now reached the Ninth Palace Heaven realm and can no longer enter the Heart of the Sun. Otherwise, I would risk my life to try!" Li Hentian declared fiercely.

"I know what you intend." Gu Ya sighed softly, looking affectionately at the moved Ji Changkong. "Changkong, your grandfather is quite content as I am now; there is nothing to trouble over. Living leisurely like this for another century would be more than enough. I truly no longer desire to gain any more power or such things." Ji Changkong gazed at Gu Ya, then slowly nodded after a long pause. "Grandfather, I understand."

Gu Ya was startled, scrutinizing him closely, and then suddenly gave a wry smile. "You child, the meaning in your eyes is so clear, do you truly think your grandfather cannot see it? Promise me, do not go searching for that Nine Luster Life Tree in the Heart of the Sun. When your grandfather was at the peak of the Eight Trigrams Heaven realm, I also went there, and returned empty-handed. Your grandfather does not want you to take that risk."

"Sect Master, if you and I cannot do it, it does not mean Changkong cannot!" Li Hentian argued stubbornly. "Changkong, as the new generation Xuanyuan, his achievements far surpass previous generations. Moreover, his body contains not only the blood of the Azure Dragon Holy Beast, but also the vital essence of the Vermilion Bird Holy Beast! The extreme fire attribute of the Vermilion Bird can resist the scorching power of the Nine Luster Life Tree. Changkong truly has a chance!"

"Say no more!" Gu Ya snorted coldly, clearly angered. "The Nine Luster Life Tree forms once every millennium. This particular one has existed for fifteen hundred years, yet no one has managed to obtain it. The experts who can enter the Heart of the Moon are not limited to just us on the Five Elements Continent. Experts at the Eight Trigrams Heaven level from so many neighboring continents covet the power of the Nine Luster Life Tree! In these fifteen hundred years, how many powerhouses have emerged from those continents? Has anyone managed to bring the Nine Luster Life Tree out of the Heart of the Sun?"

Hearing this, Li Hentian glanced at Ji Changkong and finally nodded helplessly. "Forget it. I will say no more."

Gu Ya's gaze swept over the assembled members of the Heavenly Mountain Qiankun Sect kneeling before him. He smiled faintly. "My grandson has come to visit this old man. You all may leave. Rest assured, your master won't be dying anytime soon."

These powerhouses of the Qiankun Sect, hearing Gu Ya’s words, nodded one after another and quietly withdrew.

Li Hentian hesitated for a moment, then slowly departed as well, leaving only Gu Ya and Ji Changkong behind.

"Promise your grandfather, do not go to the Heart of the Sun seeking that Nine Luster Life Tree. You have a far vaster expanse ahead of you; in this world, your future achievements will surely surpass your grandfather's by far." Gu Ya looked directly at Ji Changkong and spoke in a deep voice.

Ji Changkong’s expression was heavy, and after a long pause, he softly nodded.

Gu Ya was still uneasy and made Ji Changkong repeat his assurances several times before saying, "Very well. Your grandfather will now discuss the matter of the peak Ninth Palace Heaven realm with you. After my battle with the Asura King, I finally gained some insights regarding breaking through to the Ten Directions Heaven realm. It is likely your grandfather has no hope of entering the Ten Directions Heaven realm in this lifetime, but you have an excellent opportunity."

Ji Changkong remained silent, listening intently to Gu Ya's narration.

"At the Eight Trigrams Heaven realm, the divine soul needs to wander among the sun and moon, utilizing their power to cultivate the body and soul. The essence from the Sun and Moon realms must be channeled through the divine soul back into the Five Elements Continent to repeatedly temper the body, only then can one break free from constraints and enter the Ninth Palace Heaven realm."

"I mentioned to you last time, when at the Ninth Palace Heaven realm, one must collect more Star Essence from the Endless Star Field; the divine soul needs to venture further. The human body has seven hundred and twenty acupoints, and the cultivation of a Ninth Palace Heaven expert revolves around these seven hundred and twenty acupoints. Only when the divine soul has collected the Star Essence from seven hundred and twenty stars, injecting them separately into the seven hundred and twenty acupoints of the body, and when the divine soul can fully communicate with the Star Essence in all seven hundred and twenty acupoints, can one be considered to have reached the peak of the Ninth Palace Heaven realm."

Star Essence—Ji Changkong was not unfamiliar with it; it was the purest, most special power within a star. It might only be a small piece of rock.

However, the power contained within a single piece of Star Essence was more than a hundred times stronger than the light or other energies emanating from a star. The amount of Star Essence required for the cultivation of just one acupoint for a Ninth Palace Heaven expert was even significantly greater than the piece Ji Changkong had acquired previously. Star Essence is the foundation of a star, and a star cannot form too much of it.

On the many continents surrounding the sun and moon, such as the Five Elements Continent and the Hailan Continent, there were not a few experts at the Ninth Palace Heaven realm. Each one required Star Essence to cultivate their acupoints. Over the years, they had nearly exhausted the Star Essence from the stars in the surrounding star systems. Eventually, these Ninth Palace Heaven experts were forced to venture into much more distant star fields to collect Star Essence, increasing both the difficulty and the danger. If the divine soul traveled too far, even crossing several star systems, even a Ninth Palace Heaven expert could suffer a depletion of spiritual power, causing their soul to fall eternally into the Endless Star Field.

Perhaps due to this very reason, there were far more Ninth Palace Heaven experts in ancient times, as there was an abundance of Star Essence in the nearby star systems then, allowing them to confidently collect it to cultivate their acupoints.

However, Star Essence is not inexhaustible; its formation is exceedingly difficult. As time passed, the Star Essence in nearby star systems grew scarcer, and some stars had their Star Essence completely harvested. New Star Essence had not regenerated yet.

Under these circumstances, the cultivation of Ninth Palace Heaven experts faced a crisis. They had to send their divine souls flying to farther star fields to collect Star Essence for cultivation. After several thousand years, as new Ninth Palace Heaven experts continually emerged, the Star Essence in even farther star fields began to be depleted. This meant the Ninth Palace Heaven experts had to constantly expand their search, and the difficulty of cultivation gradually increased. Those with insufficient spiritual power among the Ninth Palace Heaven experts could be eliminated.

Due to the scarcity and difficulty of collecting Star Essence, fierce struggles often broke out among Ninth Palace Heaven experts in the Endless Star Field over it. Many Ninth Palace Heaven experts vanished in the Endless Star Field this way, their divine souls forever unable to return to their bodies.

"Cao Xuanqi, the Asura King, Youlan, and I, after several hundred years of arduous cultivation and luck, have integrated the Star Essence of seven hundred and twenty stars into all our seven hundred and twenty acupoints. Among the four of us, only Holy Mother Youlan's divine soul has not merged with the Star Essence in all seven hundred and twenty acupoints. By calculation, Youlan's cultivation is the shallowest, so when I fought her last time, my condition was even more severe than hers."

"Cao Xuanqi, the Asura King, and I have achieved full comprehension between our divine souls and the Star Essence in all seven hundred and twenty acupoints. But even so, there are degrees of strength and weakness. If we are to speak precisely, Cao Xuanqi and the Asura King are slightly stronger; I must admit that."

"How do you distinguish between stronger and weaker? Don't all of you use the Star Essence from seven hundred and twenty stars in the heavens to cultivate the seven hundred and twenty acupoints corresponding to seven hundred and twenty stars in the heavens?" Ji Changkong asked, puzzled.

Gu Ya smiled and nodded. "That is what is said, but the power of stars also has degrees of strength and weakness. Generally speaking, the larger the star, the more powerful its Star Essence. If a Ninth Palace Heaven expert's seventy-two hundred pieces of Star Essence are all derived from such enormous and mighty stars, then the power within that expert's body will naturally be greater than that of Ninth Palace Heaven experts who used smaller stars to refine all their acupoints. The possibility of this type of Ninth Palace Heaven expert breaking through to the Ten Directions Heaven realm is also greater."

"You mean that the Star Essence acquired by Cao Xuanqi and the Asura King comes from those larger stars? That's why those two are a bit stronger?" Ji Changkong exclaimed in surprise.

Gu Ya nodded. "That's right. Cao Xuanqi and the Asura King are in precisely this situation. Not only have they refined all their acupoints with Star Essence, but that Star Essence also came from some more distant, massive stars. Therefore, on the Five Elements Continent, Cao Xuanqi and the Asura King truly stand at the pinnacle."

"Since Cao Xuanqi and the Asura King have reached this level, why have they not been able to advance to the Ten Directions Heaven realm for so long?" Ji Changkong inquired further.

"No one knows." Gu Ya chuckled. "Cultivating to the peak is one thing; breaking through is another. Over so many years, very few have managed to break through to the Ten Directions Heaven realm. The Xuanyuan lineage of the Ji family has always hovered at the peak of the Ninth Palace Heaven realm, yet no one has been able to advance further. This step requires overcoming many unknown factors; without finding the right method, one simply cannot proceed. Cao Xuanqi, the Asura King, and I are all blocked by an invisible barrier. We are just one step away from breaking through, but before that, we must shatter that barrier."

A thought sparked in his mind, and Ji Changkong became somewhat excited. He exclaimed, "Grandfather, are you saying you have found a way to break that barrier?"

Gu Ya smiled. "I don't know for sure. But when I fought the Asura King, I grasped something. I think... he should also have a feeling and understanding in this regard."

Gu Ya paused, his expression growing serious. "I feel that if one could make all the acupoints in the body come alive, like the changes in a star field, and allow them to move throughout the body, that might be a method! If one's own body becomes a star field, and the acupoints tempered by Star Essence move within the body like stars, perhaps that is the way to shatter that barrier. However, since I have lost all my strength, I don't know how to achieve the movement of all acupoints like stars in a star field."

"So you mean the Asura King might actually be the first to break through to the Ten Directions Heaven realm?" Ji Changkong's excitement faded, and his expression changed slightly.

"Who knows? I realized this method during my battle with him. Because... the situation was bizarre at the time, he should also have known about it. I just don't know if this method is correct. If it truly is so, the Asura King is indeed the one among us with the greatest hope of breaking through to the Ten Directions Heaven realm," Gu Ya admitted.

"I will not let him have his wish. I will kill him sooner or later," Ji Changkong ground out through clenched teeth.

Gu Ya looked at Ji Changkong, sighed softly, and hesitated before saying, "I do not resent him. The battle between him and me was fair; he defeated me openly and honorably, and I accepted my defeat wholeheartedly. Remember this: if you fight the Asura King in the future, do not worry about him resorting to schemes or wicked tactics. But, if your opponent is Youlan, be extremely cautious! Her malicious methods are endless; she will never fight openly or abide by any rules. Her sole objective will be to ensure her opponent dies!"

"Whether it is the Asura King or that Holy Mother Youlan, I will face them sooner or later," Ji Changkong nodded, his expression resolute.

"I do not object to you fighting them, but you must act according to your capabilities. Do not take risks before you have sufficient strength," Gu Ya cautioned, then added, "You may go out now and summon Hentian in; I need to delegate some Heavenly Mountain matters to him."

"What matters are there in the Heavenly Mountain? I can help," Ji Changkong offered proactively.

Gu Ya smiled and shook his head. "Nothing major. You just focus on managing the Xuanyuan Valley well. You don't need to worry about my affairs. If anything truly arises, the Heavenly Mountain and Xuanyuan Valley are so close; I will send someone to relay word to you."

Only then did Ji Changkong agree. He offered Gu Ya a few more words of caution before finally departing from the mountain belly.

"Old Li, tell me about the Nine Luster Life Tree in the Heart of the Sun," Ji Changkong said immediately to Li Hentian, who was sitting coldly on the ice and snow, as soon as he stepped out of the mountain belly.

Li Hentian seemed entirely unsurprised by Ji Changkong's question. "The Heart of the Sun, like the Heart of the Moon, is located deep within the Sun. And the Nine Luster Life Tree is in the 'Sea of Heavenly Fire' inside the Heart of the Sun! Remember this: your divine soul has not been tempered by the Vermilion Bird's Fire, so absolutely do not go within a step of the Nine Luster Life Tree! Only after you have obtained the blood of the Vermilion Bird Holy Beast and had your divine soul tempered by the Vermilion Bird's Fire can you attempt to take the Nine Luster Life Tree!"

Vermilion Bird's Fire, the blood of the Vermilion Bird Holy Beast. Ji Changkong slowly nodded. "I understand. I will do my utmost to explore the secrets within my body!"

Among the Four Holy Beasts, he had already obtained the blood of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise. Obtaining the blood of the Vermilion Bird Holy Beast would complete his merit.

Li Hentian nodded slowly, looking at him. "You must be careful; the Heart of the Sun is fraught with peril. If you truly go to retrieve the Nine Luster Life Tree, remember you must first use the power of the Heart of the Sun to temper your divine soul. Only when your divine soul can withstand the burning of the Heavenly Fire will there be any hope of success. Remember this!"

Ji Changkong nodded solemnly. "Rest assured, I will be extremely cautious!"

"Mhm, I am going to see the Sect Master now. You go ahead." Li Hentian stopped speaking further and turned to leave for the belly of the mountain.

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