Ji Changkong stared blankly at Zhou Miaoshan for a long moment before finally saying, "Don't worry. I won't ask you to do anything else! Before... that was a misunderstanding. I never intended to demand anything from you."

Zhou Miaoshan was astonished. She seemed perplexed, unable to grasp why Ji Changkong would utter such words. After a lengthy pause, she murmured, "Thank you... Thank you. I truly don't know how I can ever repay you."

"I don't need your gratitude," Ji Changkong hesitated, forcing an excuse. "It's just... just a sudden whim. I only wished to fulfill a mother's desire to see her daughter. Don't overthink it."

Zhou Miaoshan nodded slowly. She was profoundly different from her demeanor on the Five Elements Continent; here, she was so subdued, even bordering on self-effacing.

"Can you tell me about your husband? How did he die? And how did you break through to the Eight Trigrams Heaven Realm and come to cultivate here?" Ji Changkong was intensely curious about her journey. The last time he saw her on the Five Elements Continent, she was merely a Six Harmonies Heavenly Master. To have advanced to the Eight Trigrams Heaven Realm in such a short period defied logic.

Zhou Miaoshan hesitated before slowly replying, "On the Five Elements Continent where I lived, my husband and I were part of a relatively prominent aristocratic family. Because of some issues concerning my daughter, our entire clan became implicated..."

Once the Ye family learned that Zhou Qiangwei was in Xuanyuan Valley and had become involved with Ji Changkong, they desperately hoped she could actually marry him.

After all, Ji Changkong was at the zenith of his power, and the might of Xuanyuan Valley was unparalleled. When the Ye family discovered his connection to the Ancient Pagoda, their focus on this matter intensified. In their view, Ji Changkong was far more valuable to court than Zhongli Jing of the Southern Barbarians.

, right

It was precisely for this reason that the Ye family not only blamed Zhou Qiangwei for acting independently and fleeing the marriage arrangement because of Ji Changkong but also dispatched the couple, Ye Hongru and Zhou Miaoshan, to Xuanyuan Valley, hoping to finalize the union. However, due to Ji Changkong's personal circumstances and the unique situation within Xuanyuan Valley, the Ye family did not achieve their goal.

The Ye family did not give up and deliberately sought opportunities to broker this match again.

Yet, the Ye family was situated within the Tianwu Kingdom. The Wu family, the royal power of Tianwu Kingdom, as well as the remnants of the Du family forces, held significant grievances against Xuanyuan Valley. When Ji Changkong transmitted the news of him killing the three Grand Elders of the Kunlun Origin Returning Sect in the Eastern Sea back to the Tianwu Kingdom, the Origin Returning Sect remained silent, but the Heavenly Master circle of the Tianwu Kingdom erupted in national fury.

The Heavenly Master circle of the Tianwu Kingdom had always looked to the Origin Returning Sect as their leader, regarding the sect as the nation's guardian deity. With all three Grand Elders killed by Ji Changkong, it was interpreted by the Tianwu Heavenly Master circle as a provocation from Xuanyuan Valley against the entire Tianwu Kingdom.

It was under this pressure that Cao Xuanqi's disciples were compelled to step forward, arriving at Xuanyuan Valley alongside Shi Qianjie, hoping to quell the storm.

Amidst this prevailing trend, the Ye family's leaning toward Xuanyuan Valley—their staunch focus on connecting with the sect through Zhou Qiangwei—suddenly made them a universal target. The Wu family of Tianwu Kingdom, joined by numerous other Tianwu families, began to aggressively suppress the Ye family.

The Ye family, being the head of the Seven Great Clans of the Central Lands, possessed immense inherent strength, and their members had always been arrogant, completely disregarding the threat posed by the Wu family. They even felt they had the power to replace the Wu family.

Inevitably, a battle erupted between the Ye and Wu families. This confrontation was devastating. Although the Ye family's strength was not insignificant, it was only equal to the Wu family's. Once other Tianwu families sided with the Wu family, and when certain ill-intentioned individuals from the Origin Returning Sect became involved, the Ye family finally suffered a crushing defeat.

In the end, the Ye family sustained heavy losses, many of their top experts were slain, and the family completely withdrew from the Tianwu Kingdom, scattering their forces across the nations and territories where they held influence worldwide.

The tragic defeat of the Ye family made Ye Hongru and Zhou Miaoshan realize the peril they were in. As the catalysts, they naturally could not escape the pursuit of the Tianwu Heavenly Master circle. During their flight from the Tianwu Kingdom, they faced several ambushes, ultimately resulting in the unfortunate death of Zhou Miaoshan's father as well.

Zhou Miaoshan's father was also a formidable Eight Trigrams Heavenly Master. Before his death, he used his unique method to infuse his years of cultivation and spiritual consciousness into Zhou Miaoshan. Ye Hongru also benefited substantially. Ye Hongru, already at the peak of the Seven Stars Heaven realm, perhaps spurred by the shock or benefiting greatly from the infusion, successfully broke through to the Eight Trigrams Heaven realm.

Due to the distinct cultivation technique of Zhou Miaoshan's father—the ability to transfer a portion of his power and consciousness to the next generation upon death—Zhou Miaoshan received her father's strength and awareness. She and Ye Hongru went into secluded cultivation, hoping to advance quickly and avenge the Ye family.

They cultivated assiduously and broke through rapidly in a very short time, soon reaching the Eight Trigrams Heaven realm.

Eager for rapid results, they rushed to this location before their foundation was truly solidified on the Moon. Only upon arriving at the Sun did they discover that their spiritual power lagged far behind others.

Here, dangers lurked everywhere, and the two, with their weak spiritual power, quickly became targets. In one instance, Ye Hongru was tragically killed while saving Zhou Miaoshan. Bereft of her husband's support and handicapped by low spiritual power, Zhou Miaoshan was forced to hide and scurry about on the Sun, living in extreme distress.

After Zhou Miaoshan finished recounting the rough sequence of events with a sorrowful expression, Ji Changkong felt a deep pang of regret. He never imagined he was indirectly the architect of the couple's tragic fate.

Without him and Zhou Qiangwei, the Ye family would not have clashed with the Tianwu Kingdom; without that conflict, the subsequent chain of events would not have occurred. Zhou Miaoshan and Ye Hongru would not have struggled to reach the Sun with insufficient spiritual power, meaning Ye Hongru would not have died, and Zhou Miaoshan would not have... would not have had that happen with him.

A string of thoughts flashed through his mind, and Ji Changkong immediately resolved to protect Zhou Miaoshan at all costs. He felt he bore an undeniable responsibility for the state she was in.

He informed Zhou Miaoshan to wait aside for a moment, then instantly teleported next to the maniacally chuckling Manganese Steel. "She's staying with us. I'll let her go once her spiritual power is strong enough."

Manganese Steel was startled, then chuckled slyly, "Little brother, looks like you're addicted, hah! I knew someone who had never tried it before couldn't forget it once they experienced it. How was she?"

The connection... the affair... it was extremely complicated! "In short, I told her I am from the Sea Wave Continent. You must help me maintain this lie; I don't want my identity exposed." Ji Changkong didn't elaborate, only insisting that Manganese Steel be careful and ensure the lie held up so Zhou Miaoshan wouldn't suspect anything.

Manganese Steel always obeyed him, and this time was no exception. Though deeply perplexed, he didn't press for details. He deduced from Ji Changkong’s troubled and worried expression that his relationship with Zhou Miaoshan on the Five Elements Continent must have been significant. He understood the proper attitude to adopt toward Zhou Miaoshan from now on.

In the ensuing period, Ji Changkong continued to cultivate his Divine Soul, delving into the profound mysteries of employing Heavenly Fire. Manganese Steel, like him, spent his days diligently refining his Divine Soul.

Occasionally, the two would find "killable targets" to fight, splitting the acquired spiritual power, and giving the remainder to Zhou Miaoshan. With Ji Changkong, Zhou Miaoshan never encountered any danger. By the time she could intervene in a fight, the battle was usually already over.

Even the remaining spiritual power they absorbed was excessively abundant for Zhou Miaoshan. Soon, she not only replenished all the spiritual power she had lost but also began utilizing the surplus to temper her own Divine Soul. Gradually, even Zhou Miaoshan’s strength started to see significant improvement.

A Heavenly Fire slowly coalesced in his palm. Ji Changkong moved, injecting several times his normal spiritual power into the single orb of Heavenly Fire. The fist-sized flame moved slowly, continuously releasing terrifying heatwaves.

He expanded his Divine Soul consciousness, testing to locate the light spots originating from the solar flares. Using his spiritual power, he enveloped the specks of light formed after the flare eruptions, drawing them bit by bit into the Heavenly Fire.

Every time a speck entered the flame, the Heavenly Fire underwent a strange transformation, struggling violently as if growing larger. The addition of one speck caused the flame’s volume to increase incrementally.

After all six specks were absorbed, the Heavenly Fire, originally the size of a fist, had grown to the size of a human head.

While the volume of the Heavenly Fire had only expanded a few times with the addition of the six specks, the terrifying power contained within had increased by dozens of times! The integration of the six specks surpassed his imagination in the magnitude of power amplification.

Feeling the horrific might emanating from the Heavenly Fire, Ji Changkong was certain that if he encountered another Nine Palaces Heavenly Master like the Yaksha King, this head-sized flame could incinerate them to ash, leaving absolutely no chance for escape!

After some more time, Ji Changkong’s mastery over the Heavenly Fire technique had become flawless. Moreover, his Divine Soul, having endured rigorous tempering, could fully adapt to the Heavenly Fire, and his spiritual power had deepened to an entirely new level.

With a continuous influx of spiritual power support, Manganese Steel's strength soared, elevating him into the ranks of the top experts on the Sun.

At this juncture, Ji Changkong knew he should be ready to enter the Heart of the Sun to seize the Nine Luminaries Life Tree for his maternal grandfather.

Therefore, Ji Changkong planned to have a frank discussion with Manganese Steel. If Manganese Steel was unwilling to proceed, they would have to part ways. Ji Changkong's current strength was sufficient for him to protect himself on the Sun, so he didn't need to worry about Manganese Steel’s safety.

The only person who still caused him a degree of unease was Zhou Miaoshan. If you wish to know what happens next, please log on to [website address]. More chapters, support the author, support legitimate reading!