Fierce, surging currents flowed throughout the entire sphere, ceaselessly active. The sphere was scorched red, devoid of any vegetation. There was no life, nothing but rock of the same elemental attribute.

This was above the Sun.

As soon as Ji Changkong and Meng Gang approached the Sun, they were tormented by the astounding waves of heat. Fortunately, their souls were merely incorporeal projections; otherwise, they could never have withstood the Sun's might.

Even so, upon arriving above the Sun, the spiritual energy consumed by their souls every second was several times faster than it had been on the Moon. To linger here required substantial spiritual reserves.

Rolling billows of air, driven by the Sun's movement, condensed into omnipresent thermal winds. The moment their souls reached the solar surface, they were buffeted and thrown about by these ever-present currents, forcing their souls to concentrate more spiritual energy just to maintain a stable stance.

Ji Changkong, having already tempered his soul once in the Fire Flame Mountain and having absorbed the flame power of the Vermilion Bird, did not feel overly distressed upon reaching the Sun.

Meng Gang, however, was different. Upon arrival, he immediately utilized his spiritual power to condense a protective aura around his soul projection, using this mental shield to ward off the Sun’s scorching heat and flame energy.

After arriving above the Sun, Meng Gang suggested they first find a secure location to temper their souls thoroughly, allowing them to slightly adapt to the solar environment before pursuing any other goals.

Ji Changkong naturally agreed. He was eager to master the techniques for controlling celestial fire and urgently needed a suitable place to cultivate. Hearing Meng Gang’s suggestion, he readily accepted, and the two began to drift across the Sun’s surface, diligently avoiding the direct gusts of hot wind while searching for areas where the sunlight and heat were less overwhelmingly intense, in order to acclimatize first.

This place was unlike the Moon or the Big Dipper Star Field.

Generally, Heavenly Scholars whose souls had cultivated to the early stages of the Seven Star Heaven or Eight Trigrams Heaven realms would first seek out locations rich in stellar essence or lunar essence upon reaching the stars or the Moon. This allowed them to rapidly boost their soul power, forcing their projections to refine themselves swiftly using the reservoir of stellar or lunar energy.

However, those arriving above the Sun did the exact opposite. On the contrary, everyone newly arrived above the Sun sought out regions where the Sun's power was comparatively sparse, rather than those where the true solar fire was most intense.

The reason for this was that the Sun’s flame energy also exerted an enormous influence on the soul. An Eight Trigrams Heaven realm scholar entering this environment who chose to cultivate in an area dense with true solar fire might find their soul unable to endure the power before they could adapt, being utterly destroyed and burned to ash by the terrifying destructive force of the true solar fire.

Therefore, the first priority for Ji Changkong and Meng Gang upon reaching the Sun was to locate an area where the true solar fire was thin, allowing their souls to first acclimate to the Sun’s intense heat and scorching presence.

Their souls darted and weaved among the surrounding heat waves, striving to avoid being swept up by the rolling, turbulent winds. They extended their senses while moving slowly, daring not to move too quickly.

Unlike other locations, here, the Sun harbored various dangers capable of annihilating one's soul. One misstep could lead to a Heavenly Scholar’s soul being utterly annihilated, and even powerful cultivators at the peak of the Eight Trigrams Heaven realm, who had already tempered themselves with the true solar fire, could potentially be destroyed by the Sun's myriad perils.

Suddenly, Ji Changkong cried out, "Be careful! A solar flare is forming ahead, retreat quickly!"

Hearing this, Meng Gang backed away from the front as if scalded, quickly retreating to the side with Ji Changkong, terrified of being caught in the impending solar flare.

A solar flare was an exceedingly terrifying solar activity above the Sun. It resembled a spot shattering and gradually brightening on the Sun’s surface. Upon reaching a certain intensity, it would instantaneously explode. The time from the flare’s appearance to its eruption was extremely short, ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes; it could manifest rapidly and vanish in the blink of an eye.

Flares were not large, perhaps only the size of a fingertip—a tiny bright spot—yet their explosion was comparable to a cataclysmic detonation!

The weakest flare explosion was equivalent to all the power released by a volcanic eruption on the Five Elements Continent. If dozens of flares erupted on a small celestial body, they could instantly obliterate it!

Although it was just a small bright spot, its explosion was the most terrifying spectacle above the Sun. Forget Heavenly Scholars at the peak of the Eight Trigrams Heaven realm; even the souls of powerful figures in the Nine Palaces Heaven realm, if caught at the exact epicenter of a flare explosion, would instantly disperse, leaving nothing behind.

Consequently, every scholar above the Sun regarded solar flares as the most dreadful hazard. The moment a flare was detected forming, all cultivators would abandon everything and flee the area immediately, lest the ensuing explosion instantly vaporize their souls.

Ji Changkong was no longer the novice who arrived at the Moon. In the Xuanyuan Imperial Library, from the mouths of the ancient masters in the valley, he had learned long ago about the dangers and terrors of the Sun.

The accumulated experience of those old masters taught him that above the Sun, one must remain constantly vigilant. The moment a flare was spotted forming nearby, everything one was doing must cease, and one must immediately distance oneself from that location.

During this process, one must also pray—pray that the flare’s eruption cycle is long enough to allow sufficient time to escape; otherwise, even immediate flight might not prevent one from being destroyed by the flare.

Ji Changkong and Meng Gang nervously retreated from the area where a flare was forming, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the impending blast. At this moment, they both sensed the presence of other cultivators. Nearby, five other Eight Trigrams Heaven realm scholars, likely of a similar cultivation level, were also flying frantically in their direction, perhaps having also sensed the flare’s formation, pushing their spiritual potential to its limits, fleeing faster than lightning.

Silently, a brilliant light erupted behind the five individuals. An incredibly terrifying explosive force suddenly manifested, surging outward in all directions like a tidal wave.

Ji Changkong and Meng Gang had fled swiftly and detected the flare in time; their souls were merely thrown back a great distance by the terrifying blast. However, the five Eight Trigrams Heaven scholars behind them lost three lives. The souls of those three were instantly vaporized, becoming part of the Sun’s energetic currents.

Of the remaining two, one soul was heavily injured and the other lightly. The heavily injured one, through a moment of carelessness, was swallowed by a massive thermal vortex, dragged directly into the center of the swirl, suggesting their fate was likely grim.

The sole survivor, his soul wobbling precariously, barely managed to escape the vortex formed by the heat waves. This person fled in a panic, rushing toward the location of Ji Changkong and Meng Gang. It was a tall, reasonably attractive young woman. She had clearly noticed the presence of the two men and cried out in desperation, "Don't kill me, I beg you! If you spare me, I'll do anything!"

As she spoke, the young woman made her features clearer: her waist was slender, and her heavy breasts swelled prominently. Though only an incorporeal projection, she was captivating enough to ignite desire, making one long to consume her utterly.

The woman’s beautiful face was etched with sorrow as she looked imploringly at Ji Changkong and Meng Gang, pleading, "If... if you are willing to let me go, I can... I can align my soul with yours and serve you until you are satisfied before I leave."

Above the Sun, many knew the method of slaying others to absorb their spiritual energy; indeed, this method had become a fundamental survival skill.

Cultivators above the Sun expended spiritual energy every moment. Danger lurked everywhere, with various unique solar hazards capable of swallowing a cultivator’s life or draining their spiritual energy entirely at any instant. Here, even scholars with profound spiritual reserves could not withstand the constant, enormous consumption and could not last long.

If one could seize another’s spiritual energy here, a cultivator could remain longer, using that extra time to temper their soul several times over, helping them better adapt to the dangers of the Sun.

Thus, the practice of killing others and seizing their spiritual energy was the most common occurrence above the Sun.

Before this woman was injured by the flare, the depth of her soul energy might have been slightly stronger than Meng Gang's—which explained why she was the only one out of the five to survive. However, after being wounded by the flare, she had already expended most of her spiritual power.

Encountering Ji Changkong and Meng Gang at this moment was surely a dead end for her. Therefore, to save her life, she was willing to surrender her soul projection, preferring to utilize the advantage of being a woman, especially a beautiful one, to bargain for her survival.

"You may go," Ji Changkong frowned, glancing at the beautiful woman, and said plainly.

Meng Gang let out a lewd chuckle. Having already harbored ill intentions, he blurted out when Ji Changkong spoke, "Such a good thing delivered right to the door—why refuse it, little brother? In this life, one must know how to enjoy, especially since this kind of thing costs her nothing."

"If you want her, then I won't interfere. We part ways here," Ji Changkong stated.

Meng Gang was momentarily silenced. After hesitating, he reluctantly waved his hand, saying, "Go! Hurry up and go! The sooner the better! I’m afraid I won't be able to resist in a moment!"

"No, I’m not leaving," the beautiful woman said, looking suddenly at Ji Changkong, then timidly moved to stand beside him. "It’s too chaotic above the Sun lately. If I leave now, it’s only a dead end. I might as well stay with you."

Having said that, the woman smiled charmingly at Ji Changkong and continued, "I am willing to be with you, provided you protect me. This is a transaction, not coercion. How about it?"

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