Billows of searing flames. They were perfectly aligned, each flame identical in size and imbued with terrifying power. That sea of fire spread out in all directions, the individual flames occasionally colliding to fill the gaps between them.

At a glance, the flames seemed boundless. From the very center of this fiery expanse, earth-shattering explosions erupted intermittently. The energy released by these detonations surged into the surrounding flames, making the pure, heavenly fire even more deadly.

Eight dark-red areas marked the eight corners of the Heavenly Fire Ocean, arranged without obvious order. From each of these dark-red zones, channels formed of Heavenly Fire snaked into the greater sea of fire.

Every time a power explosion occurred within the Heavenly Fire Ocean, that energy rushed into the individual flames. The power already contained within those flames, affected by the explosion, would overflow. This excess energy would then flow along the channels toward the Eight Heavenly Acupoints.

The power that overflowed from the Heavenly Fire was usually not overwhelmingly strong. While this energy entering the Heavenly Acupoints was enough to churn them into turmoil, it was insufficient to cause total destruction.

The top Eight Trigrams Celestial Masters from various continents, hidden within the Heavenly Acupoints, could sense and absorb this power. If they employed the right methods, they might even luckily acquire incredibly peculiar strengths, or, by observing the changes these forces underwent within the Acupoint, grasp the true essence of the Heart of the Sun’s power.

Whether gaining the true meaning of the Heart of the Sun’s power or acquiring one of its strange energies, it represented an immense opportunity for those Celestial Masters cultivating within the Heavenly Acupoints.

Every master who broke through to the Nine Palaces Celestial Realm had cultivated within the Heart of the Sun. They had each accessed a Heavenly Acupoint and, through it, obtained some form of power derived from the Heart of the Sun. Thus, a long-held belief stated that to advance to the Nine Palaces Celestial Realm, one must first undergo cultivation within a Heavenly Acupoint.

Only those who achieved significant gains within the Acupoint could return to their home continent and utilize the power or profound insights gained to shatter their current bottlenecks and enter the Nine Palaces Celestial Realm!

Ji Changkong, Meng Gang, and Teng Ye finally arrived at this miraculous region. Guided by Teng Ye, the former two managed to avoid many detours. They navigated the journey with surprising ease, bypassing natural disasters and arriving here safely.

The hidden masters lurking in the shadows, upon detecting the terrifying aura radiating from Teng Ye, were instantly silenced. Each one feared provoking him, scrambling to hide rather than dare to issue a challenge.

Ji Changkong and Meng Gang only needed to remain wary of the natural calamities. Teng Ye, intimately familiar with the area, minimized the dangers, successfully leading them here and fulfilling his promise.

Before even seeing the Heavenly Fire Ocean or the Heavenly Acupoints, Ji Changkong suddenly tensed, immediately focusing all his mental energy. He warned Meng Gang, “Be careful!”

He suddenly sensed numerous formidable Eight Trigrams Celestial Masters lying in wait nearby. He couldn't see them, but he could feel wisps of faint auras—the owners of these auras were vastly stronger than the so-called experts on the Sun. Several of them were even comparable to Teng Ye!

Teng Ye smiled faintly, glancing at Ji Changkong and nodding lightly. “Boy, what did you figure out?”

“Hmm, it seems not just inside the Acupoints, but the area surrounding them is extremely perilous,” Ji Changkong stated gravely.

“Naturally!” Teng Ye chuckled. “Many people desperately want to enter the Heavenly Acupoints, but feeling their current strength is insufficient, they linger around the periphery, waiting for a chance.”

Saying this, Teng Ye showed slight irritation. “I was one of those outsiders back then. That old wretch Li Hentian shamelessly barged into an Acupoint and left me stranded outside. I waited for that old ghost to emerge for many years. The selfish man only thought of me after he’d stuffed himself full.”

“Why didn’t you find an Acupoint yourself?” Ji Changkong asked.

Teng Ye’s words abruptly stopped, and he gave a dry laugh. “Well, my strength wasn't enough back then. I wasn't as monstrous as Old Man Li, so I could only watch from the outside.”

“Why didn’t you enter together? Weren’t you allies?” Meng Gang inquired.

“Impossible! Due to the unique nature of the Heavenly Acupoints, if two souls occupy one inside, the Acupoint becomes highly attractive. It will continuously siphon terrifying energy from the Heavenly Fire Ocean into the Acupoint housing the two souls. If both souls remain inside for a certain period, both will be severely affected by that influx of power,” Teng Ye warned them, looking at the pair. “Remember this! If you intend to seize an Acupoint, do not linger inside for too long. You must force one person out as quickly as possible, otherwise, after absorbing too much energy from the Heavenly Fire Ocean, that Acupoint will completely detonate!”

“The explosion from one detonating Heavenly Acupoint is equivalent to dozens of solar flares combined! Forget Eight Trigrams Celestial Masters; even peak Nine Palaces Celestial Realm experts would be utterly annihilated!”

At these words, both Ji Changkong and Meng Gang looked alarmed. Ji Changkong secretly resolved that if he entered an Acupoint, he would immediately drive the occupant out, or strike decisively, eliminating them with maximum speed.

“Do those lurking outside just wait for the person cultivating inside the Acupoint to leave before they rush in?” Meng Gang asked.

“Not entirely,” Teng Ye explained. “Cultivating inside a Heavenly Acupoint isn't without risk. Many who try may fail to gain any insight into the Heart of the Sun’s profound truths. If unlucky, and the Acupoint has absorbed too much residual energy from the Heavenly Fire Ocean, their soul can be burned to ash within.”

“At that point, naturally, a newcomer will compete to enter and take their place. There is another scenario: cultivation inside the Acupoint consumes immense spiritual power. Lurkers nearby might sense that the cultivator inside has exhausted their reserves, seeing an opportunity to attempt a desperate fight. They will then rush in to fight for it.”

“Of course,” Teng Ye sneered at this point. “Those who try to fish in troubled waters usually meet a gruesome end. The supreme masters who manage to fight their way into an Acupoint always reserve a portion of their strength, constantly prepared to deal with these opportunistic sorts. Under normal circumstances, it’s often the hustlers who end up killed by the cultivator inside, inadvertently replenishing the latter’s spiritual energy.”

After Teng Ye’s brief explanation, Ji Changkong and Meng Gang’s expressions grew distinctly grim. If what he said was true, this vicinity was perhaps the most dangerous place on earth, where death could occur at any moment, and everyone secretly plotted against everyone else.

Here, without sufficient power, there was only a dead end.

A graceful figure suddenly emerged from one of the Heavenly Acupoints. This beautiful woman possessed exquisite features and a tall, slender build. Her eyes, like icy pinpricks of light, shimmered with a piercing, cold glare.

The moment she appeared, several auras Ji Changkong had previously detected vanished without a trace. Those lurking in the shadows seemed deeply fearful of her, completely suppressing their presence and retreating as far away as possible.

“Meng Gang?” The stunning woman actually recognized Meng Gang. She glanced at him and said coldly.

Meng Gang swallowed hard and stepped forward obediently to salute. “Greetings, Miss Shang.”

Shang Bingjie nodded slightly. “You provided valuable intelligence regarding the Ghost Demon King’s weakness last time; I recall you.”

“It is my profound honor that Miss remembers Meng Gang!” Meng Gang bowed and scraped, adopting the demeanor of a mere servant, as if addressing an inviolable goddess—a stark contrast to his behavior on Moon Heart or the Sun.

Ji Changkong frowned, sensing Meng Gang’s deference was perhaps excessive, but he understood that Shang Bingjie’s family must wield immense influence on the Hai Lan Continent, where Meng Gang intended to reside. Submitting now was necessary.

Shang Bingjie scrutinized Meng Gang deeply, her tone icy. “Meng Gang, the Heart of the Sun is no place for you. You should retreat quickly. While I am watching, no one will dare trouble you if you leave now. Go!”

“This… this…” Meng Gang looked embarrassed. He glanced secretly at Ji Changkong before hardening his resolve. “I appreciate Miss’s kind intentions, but I made this arduous journey. I have no other purpose than to observe for a short while, and I’ll be leaving soon.”

“Suit yourself. But once I enter the Acupoint, I won't be responsible for your fate,” Shang Bingjie huffed, then fixed Teng Ye with a look. “You’ve returned. Are you trying to provoke people again?”

Teng Ye jumped, quickly shaking his head and chuckling dryly. “I submit! I truly submit! I’m only here to guide them; I have no intention of competing for an Acupoint with you.”

Shang Bingjie studied Teng Ye for a moment, completely ignoring Ji Changkong. “That’s for the best. Regardless, if anyone dares enter my Acupoint, I will kill them instantly without preamble! A new explosion will occur at the center of the Heavenly Fire Ocean soon, injecting fresh power into the Acupoints. I won't show mercy at that time!”

With that, Shang Bingjie’s soul aura swept across the entire area, issuing a clear warning to all hidden schemers. She then spared Meng Gang one final glance before silently re-entering the Heavenly Acupoint she occupied, never to reappear.

“Brother, that Miss Shang wields too much power on our Hai Lan Continent. I cannot bring utter destruction upon my entire sect; I apologize,” Meng Gang said helplessly, looking troubled at Ji Changkong.

“You accompanying me this far is more than enough. I understand your concerns; I won’t blame you,” Ji Changkong nodded, acknowledging Meng Gang’s difficult position.

“Listen, brat, you decide what to do! There are eight Heavenly Acupoints, and in each one resides a monster far more powerful than I am. If you plan to cultivate inside an Acupoint, you must be prepared to die!” Teng Ye regarded him seriously. “Honestly, I suggest you cultivate in the vicinity first. Although it’s not as good as the Acupoints, it can still improve your soul realm. Back when I was waiting for Old Man Li, I cultivated secretly nearby and made considerable progress.”

“No need. I will choose an Acupoint and forcibly enter it!” Ji Changkong shook his head, rejecting Teng Ye’s advice. He released his mental awareness, letting his consciousness stretch out toward the corners beyond the Acupoints.

“Boy, what are you trying to do?” Teng Ye was startled.

“I’ve already selected my target, but before entering that Acupoint, I need to restore my spiritual power to its peak state!” Ji Changkong casually replied to Teng Ye, then suddenly shot toward a crater spewing sparks of fire, vanishing instantly.

“That boy is quite ruthless,” Teng Ye murmured, watching the direction Ji Changkong disappeared. He then suddenly turned to Meng Gang. “Do you think he can succeed? Those lurking in the shadows, although not as powerful as those inside the Acupoints, are still elite Eight Trigrams Celestial Super Masters from various continents. This boy… nothing will happen to him, right? Old Man Li and I fought side-by-side back then, and this boy saved that little rascal Teng Yang. I…”

“Just do whatever you want to do; can you stop nagging?” Meng Gang interrupted Teng Ye’s monologue impatiently.

“Fine, I’ll lend him a hand. I can only help him here, though. If he insists on entering the Acupoint, there’s nothing I can do.” Teng Ye nodded, seemingly having made up his mind, and prepared to fly in the direction Ji Changkong had gone.

Just then, from within that crater, a violent wave of soul-shaking fluctuation suddenly erupted, and an intensely mournful soul-thought traveled out.

Teng Ye, who was just about to go offer help, froze, his expression odd. He could sense that the extremely sorrowful soul-thought clearly did not originate from Ji Changkong.

In other words, Ji Changkong had managed to handle things in this incredibly short span of time!

“Old man, it seems… he doesn’t need your help,” Meng Gang said, a sly smile playing on his lips.

Teng Ye was stunned, left speechless for a moment.

Soon after, Ji Changkong emerged from the crater. His spiritual power had indeed recovered to its zenith. He released his powerful soul aura, broadcasting it to all corners to intimidate those with malicious intent.

He was showing them his strength! A warning for them to be cautious in the future and not attempt to contest anything with him! Soon, he would enter an Acupoint to engage in a decisive battle with a peak expert from another continent. Regardless of the outcome, this fight would consume significant spiritual energy. Only by demonstrating his dominance and ruthlessness beforehand could he ensure the others remained wary, hesitant to challenge him even when he was weakened!

It’s the third update again, maintaining the pace for a long time. Everyone please give some monthly ticket support—Little Ni begs you.