…Mo Ru recounted his conversation with Cao Xuan, successfully striking a nerve just as Ji Changkong was at a crucial juncture. Mo Ru suddenly shouted Ji Changkong's true name, catching him off guard, and in that instant of shock, struck swiftly, interfering directly. He then used the ball of demonic energy within Ji Changkong to completely engulf his soul.

No one knew how this Mo Ru came to know Ji Changkong's name, nor why he had learned it from Cao Xuanqi. This master from the Demon Cave achieved immediate, remarkable success with his very first move.

Shang Bingjie’s exquisitely beautiful face instantly turned ashen with alarm. Just as she prepared to extend aid to Ji Changkong, she found the ugly woman from "Flying Flowers" and the disgusting old man from Joyous Union Valley moving in tandem, surrounding her from left and right.

The Heavenly Fire, divided into four portions, continued to pursue the four powerhouses from the different continent. Regrettably, the three Heavenly Fires could only follow the silhouettes of the four, unable to directly strike their forms. It was precisely because of this that the quartet still retained the capacity to fight.

"Little girl, you hail from the Shang family, do you not? Heh heh, the Shang family has developed rapidly these years. As one of the Eight Supreme Powers, you are quite famous even in the Solar Star Domain. Little girl, if you strike a friendship with this old man, I guarantee I can serve you until you are completely satisfied! I have mastered all the techniques of Joyous Union Valley—I promise you won't be disappointed!" The disgusting old man from Joyous Union Valley cackled sinisterly, his soul phantom slightly curled, the poisonous tumor on his head swelling even more prominently.

As he spoke, the old wretch contorted his hunched body into various seductive poses, subtly releasing waves of soul fluctuations that could bewitch the mind.

The ugly woman from "Flying Flowers" let out a delicate laugh, lightly fanning her Hundred Blossom Fan. A garden of a hundred flowers, condensed purely from soul energy, suddenly manifested within the Celestial Aperture. Amidst the soaring flames, a hundred blossoms erupted, and within the riot of flowers, the ugly woman stood subtly, a stark discord against the surrounding scenery.

That Hundred Blossom Garden, woven from pure soul mental energy, was lifelike. The flowers bloomed rapidly, creating a power that intoxicated the soul, compelling one to let down their guard and making mental focus difficult, significantly diminishing the potency of one's soul techniques.

As the six strands of Heavenly Fire arrived, they plunged into the Hundred Blossom Garden. The six fires burned fiercely, igniting the flowers one by one. However, as soon as one flower was incinerated, the woman applied her mental energy to the garden, and new blossoms sprang forth. The six Heavenly Fires burned ceaselessly, yet could not immediately annihilate the Hundred Blossom Garden.

At this moment, the ugly woman gently swayed the Hundred Blossom Fan in her hand, and the flowers within the garden instantly took flight, shooting toward Shang Bingjie with extreme sharpness.

Shang Bingjie gazed coldly at the ugly woman and scoffed. Suddenly, she extended one hand, and a slender, crystalline, ice-cold sword materialized in her delicate grasp. The transparent sword merely trembled slightly, and a chilling aura surged violently toward the ugly woman. The incoming barrage of flowers all shattered midway.

Shang Bingjie shot a look of disgust at the repulsive old man and said coldly, "You are courting death."

With a sweep of her fine sword, a streak of brilliant light, twisting like an ice dragon, snaked toward the old man to bite him. Midway, the ice dragon suddenly burst apart, transforming into countless ice silkworms that spewed out icy soul threads, instantly entangling the disgusting old man.

Shang Bingjie pulled her pale left hand back, and the ice silkworms flew back to her. The threads spat out by the silkworms suddenly tightened, severing the old man’s soul-manifested limbs.

The old man from Joyous Union Valley shrieked. His injured soul writhed and contorted as he grabbed the severed soul limbs and violently stuffed the fragmented appendages back into his soul phantom. Severely weakened, he retreated, screaming, "Cold Cicada Soul Sword!"

The ugly woman holding the Hundred Blossom Fan also saw her expression change slightly upon hearing the old man’s cry. She exclaimed in disbelief, "Cold Cicada Soul Sword!"

Shang Bingjie sneered, holding the crystalline, slender sword, and moved with cold arrogance toward the ugly woman. The Cold Cicada Soul Sword flashed, and countless cold cicadas flew out, spitting fine silver threads that forced the ugly woman into a steady retreat.

Just then, the Hundred Blossom Garden could no longer restrain the six strands of Heavenly Fire pursuing Ji Changkong!

The six Heavenly Fires surged forth, blazing brightly, chirping joyously as they merged together. Once fused, the six strands of Heavenly Fire instantly incinerated the Hundred Blossom Garden created by the ugly woman, leaving nothing behind.

Seeing the six Heavenly Fires coalesce, Shang Bingjie’s face shifted again. She sensed that the intense heat within the Heavenly Fire subtly restrained her Cold Cicada Soul Sword, and she made an instant decision to recall it.

A humanoid Heavenly Fire, burning fiercely all over, its dense flame power overwhelmingly concentrated, suddenly let out a bizarre shout: "Ugly woman, die!"

The humanoid Heavenly Fire formed from the six smaller fires bore a slight resemblance to Ji Changkong’s appearance. This fused humanoid fire not only possessed immense power but also seemed much faster. It instantly caught up to the ugly woman and seized her soul.

Hiss! Hiss!

As soon as the ugly woman's soul was grasped, faint wisps of smoke began to rise from it. The woman shrieked continuously, but she could no longer escape the Heavenly Fire’s encroachment. Under the might of the merged Great Heavenly Fire, her soul’s mental energy was rapidly depleted. Without mental energy to shield her soul, it was quickly being incinerated.

Seeing that the ugly woman was now entangled by the Great Heavenly Fire, Shang Bingjie knew the woman was likely doomed under the fire’s power. She felt relieved and turned to search for the whereabouts of the old man from Joyous Union Valley.

Having suffered a loss, the old man from Joyous Union Valley knew he was no match for Shang Bingjie. He immediately drifted toward the mass of eerie ghostly fire. Standing behind the Dead Soul, which manifested as pure ghost fire, he forced a dry laugh: "Friend, this woman is formidable. Why don't the two of us join forces?"

The Dead Soul from the Death Pact offered no reaction; its soul form of ghost fire radiated only an intimidating coldness and murderous intent that warned living beings away.

The old man from Joyous Union Valley was slightly alarmed. He slowly put some distance between himself and the strange Dead Soul but dared not drift too far.

Shang Bingjie observed from afar. Upon noticing that the old man from Joyous Union Valley had secured a backer, she did not attack immediately but turned her gaze toward Mo Ru, the emissary from the Demon Cave.

Invisibly, Mo Ru seemed to have gained the upper hand. The ball of demonic energy he released appeared to possess an extremely fierce soul adhesiveness, enveloping Ji Changkong and rapidly draining his mental energy. Once Ji Changkong's mental power was completely exhausted, Mo Ru could instantly execute him.

The six strands of Heavenly Fire pursued Mo Ru from behind, yet the Mo Ru appeared calm. His small frame fled with incredible speed; the Heavenly Fire could not keep up.

"Heh heh, boy, you never expected me to know you so intimately, did you? I know your name is Ji Changkong, I know what you've been up to on the Five Elements Continent, and I even know about your relationship with Cao Xuanqi. Want to guess how I know?"

"Haha, apologies, I forgot. I forgot you can't afford to be distracted right now! Let me tell you then: the Mani Cult on your Five Elements Continent is actually a branch of our Demon Cave, one of our outer forces. A hundred years ago, the Mani Cult finally realized this fact. The current leader of the Mani Cult, Saint Mother Youlan, officially returned to her ancestral roots while in the Solar Star Domain, becoming a member of our Demon Cave. Through the Mani Cult, we have complete intelligence on every move made on the Five Elements Continent!"

"Boy, let me tell you, with our assistance, the Mani Cult will become the most powerful force on the Five Elements Continent! The Guiyuan Sect, the Asura Imperial Clan, and your Xuanyuan Valley—all will eventually be replaced by the Mani Cult. That Oro Divine Cult will soon be utterly crushed by the Mani Cult. Above the Moon, above the Sun, our masters from the Demon Cave will deploy everywhere, slaughtering the divine souls of all cultivators belonging to sects hostile to the Mani Cult outside their bodies!"

This Mo Ru from the Demon Cave boasted boastfully to Ji Changkong about these secrets. In his mind, Ji Changkong was surely already dead.

However, he failed to notice that once he had finished speaking, the six strands of Heavenly Fire that had been pursuing him suddenly stopped. They slowly coalesced and merged in the void. When he realized the Heavenly Fire was no longer attacking him, he halted, preparing to blast Ji Changkong and seize the Nine Radiance Life Tree.

"Everything worth saying has been said. It seems you are no longer of much use," a cold voice suddenly emerged from within the ball of demonic energy.

The next instant, Ji Changkong’s soul abruptly split apart.

Ji Changkong’s life aura vanished in a flash. Shang Bingjie was violently startled, and a faint, sorrowful emotion suddenly bloomed in her heart. She couldn't help but gaze toward the location of Ji Changkong’s soul, wanting to see what had truly transpired. She harbored the intent to kill Mo Ru for revenge.

At that moment, Ji Changkong’s vanished life aura began to coalesce bit by bit, rapidly strengthening.

Shang Bingjie seemed to sense something and looked on in horror.

"Undying Soul!" The Dead Soul, which had remained silent until now, suddenly transmitted violent soul tremors. Without even glancing at the old man from Joyous Union Valley, it rapidly flew toward Ji Changkong.

Specks of soul light flickered and condensed. Very quickly, Ji Changkong used these split motes of soul light to reassemble his soul phantom. He looked calmly at Mo Ru and said, "I hate people from the Mani Cult the most. Everyone connected to the Mani Cult will meet a thorough death!"

The Great Heavenly Fire, which had been pursuing Mo Ru, instantly transformed into Ji Changkong’s likeness. On the other side, another Ji Changkong, entirely engulfed in flame, slowly approached. Coupled with Ji Changkong’s main soul, at this moment, three distinct versions of Ji Changkong appeared around Mo Ru!

"I am from the Demon Cave; how dare you touch me!" Mo Ru finally panicked.

"It is precisely madmen like you that must be slain!" Ji Changkong roared with laughter. With a thought, the two Heavenly Fire clones attacked first. The sky was dyed crimson by the vast expanse of firelight as the two nearby seas of flame were casually seized by the fire clones and hurled directly onto Mo Ru.