In the Great Celestial Aperture, six towering figures from other continents remained; five were gone. Where was the last one? In Ji Changkong's grasp!

When that master from the Death Pact departed, Ji Changkong was too preoccupied to notice him. By the time he regained his senses, the person had vanished without a trace, likely frightened out of his wits and unwilling to linger in the Celestial Aperture another moment. The Sister Ru from the Demon’s Den and the disgusting old man from the Joyous Union Valley had both been reduced to ashes by the Heavenly Fire; the hideous woman from before had died even earlier.

Suddenly, within this Celestial Aperture, only he and Shang Bingjie remained.

Ji Changkong finally let out a breath of relief. With a flicker of thought, the strange essence emanating from the twelve Heavenly Fires flew out from the two fused Heavenly Fire avatars, descending into the divine souls that now manifested as three flames, becoming dazzling adornments at the core of the flame spirits.

Only after that peculiar essence settled within his soul did the two Heavenly Fire avatars separate again, reforming into the twelve ethereal Heavenly Fires. At this moment, Ji Changkong distinctly sensed the scorching heat of the flames atop the twelve Heavenly Fires rapidly weakening.

Indeed, the energy of these Heavenly Fires was not everlasting. Once the fires lost their life consciousness, they would revert to their natural state and quickly dissipate.

Under Ji Changkong’s gaze, the twelve fires, now mindless, were like beautiful yet fleeting fireworks, blooming one last time in the Celestial Aperture with resplendent brilliance, gradually scattering their energy throughout the space.

In the distance, the exquisite face conjured by Shang Bingjie's illusion began to flush a crimson red, as if bleeding. Shang Bingjie seemed oblivious to her condition, maintaining her cold and haughty demeanor as she gracefully moved closer.

He only glanced at Shang Bingjie once before immediately noticing something was wrong, startling him into exclaiming, "What's wrong with you?"

"What?" Shang Bingjie asked in surprise, tilting her head. "Nothing's wrong with me. Oh, right, I owe you one just now. I truly didn't expect that Dead Soul to be so terrifying, actually capable of wielding the intent of death within the Heavenly Fire Ocean—I was almost... almost finished by him."

"Your face, why... why is it so red? Aren't you just an illusory body manifested by your soul? What is going on?" Ji Changkong ignored her thanks, asking with a strange expression.

Shang Bingjie finally noticed the anomaly surrounding her. After examining the blush creeping across her arms and neck for a moment, her long eyelashes fluttered violently. Shang Bingjie was clearly flustered, her delicate brows tightly knitted, her soul transmission notably unstable. "This is bad!"

"What exactly is happening?" Ji Changkong asked curiously.

Shang Bingjie suddenly looked up, staring at him with eyes like sharp beams, her crimson cheeks radiating heat like branding irons. In that moment, she appeared almost like a body of fire, continuous warmth surging from her soul. This was drastically contrary to her usual temperament; clearly, something had gone awry.

"I fear I've... I fear I've been poisoned by the Joyous Union Valley's soul aphrodisiac." Shang Bingjie hesitated for a moment before finally revealing the cause.

Ji Changkong froze, stunned for a beat, before asking with a bizarre expression, "Soul aphrodisiac poison? There's such a toxin? What kind of effect does it have on your soul?"

The crimson on Shang Bingjie’s face deepened. She tried to force her expression into one of sternness, but her continuously twitching eyebrows betrayed her; she was incredibly tense!

"It works like a regular aphrodisiac, except... it targets the soul! This toxin is a unique soul technique of the Joyous Union Valley. When paired with the Joyous Union Valley's Divine Seed Elixir, it can completely control the thoughts of a soul. Even though that old man is dead, this poison doesn't recede. It will... it will make me lose control of myself." Shang Bingjie trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

She didn't need to elaborate further. From her words and expression, Ji Changkong grasped the precise effects of this soul aphrodisiac poison.

Ji Changkong fell silent.

"Ahem," Shang Bingjie glared at him, a strange light flickering in her eyes, and she feigned composure as she asked, "Um... do you have any good suggestions?"

Ji Changkong broke into a cold sweat, quickly shaking his head and hastily declaring, "No! I don't have any good suggestions! You handle it yourself!"

A hint of exasperated shame flickered in Shang Bingjie's eyes, and she insisted sharply, "You must give me a suggestion!"

"Ah! Um... is there any way to detoxify it? As long as I can help, just ask. I will absolutely do my best!" Ji Changkong said, forcing himself to be cooperative.

"Detoxify?" Shang Bingjie scoffed. "As far as I know, there is only one method to counteract it: the fusion of soul with soul! Other than that, I truly don't know of any other solution. Ji Changkong, if you have a better way, feel free to share it."

"No," Ji Changkong replied with a wry smile.

He secretly glanced at Shang Bingjie, thinking that this girl was perhaps one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, her looks comparable to the nation-toppling beauty of Ayiguli. Unfortunately, this woman hailed from the Hailan Continent and was the successor to the Shang Family, one of the eight supreme powers of the Solar Star Domain. Her background was too formidable, and she was too cold and arrogant. Now that the Nine Luminaries Life Tree was secured, the enemies were dead or fleeing. He realized there was no need to become further entangled with Shang Bingjie. This woman was difficult to handle; mishandling the relationship with her would put him in an extremely passive position.

Thinking this, Ji Changkong kept his gaze lowered, eyes on his nose, nose on his heart.

"Why are you suddenly acting so timid? Didn't you say you 'already fell in love with me'?" Shang Bingjie looked at him coldly, suddenly erupting in anger. "Were the things you said before all lies? Ji Changkong! If you dare deceive me, I will mobilize the might of my Shang Family to execute everyone from your faction on the Moon and the Sun! I know you hail from that Xuanyuan Valley; if I wish to deal with you, I have countless ways!"

"I truly do like you!" Ji Changkong was startled inwardly and quickly declared his stance. "But I know you don't like me. Even though you’ve been poisoned now, I don't want to take advantage of your state to defile you. I don't want to burden you, so... so I don't know what to do..."

"Don't want to take advantage of you?" Shang Bingjie gazed deeply at him. "Then you want me to slowly waste away from this aphrodisiac poison? Or do you want me to break down later, weeping and begging you, begging you to consummate this with me?"

"No!" Ji Changkong cried out.

"Then come here." Shang Bingjie forcefully suppressed the shyness and annoyance in her heart, pretending to remain calm.

"What for?"

"I said, come here!!" Shang Bingjie roared, hating the duplicitous Ji Changkong fiercely in her heart.

"What am I coming over for?" Ji Changkong asked timidly, a mix of anticipation and apprehension in his voice.

"There's truly no one else, and I don't want to die. I’ll just have to make do with you." Shang Bingjie gritted her teeth, glaring at him fiercely a few times before murmuring softly, "Anyway, I never planned on finding a man in this lifetime. For my main body... I have never broken my vow. This one occasional infidelity of the soul—consider it... consider it a perfect, untraceable true dream for me as a woman!"

As soon as she spoke, without waiting for Ji Changkong to respond, the enchanting, voluptuous body manifested by Shang Bingjie’s soul suddenly coiled around Ji Changkong like an octopus. Shang Bingjie willingly released her soul, passionately pouring her soul's emotions into Ji Changkong's mind, sharing the most exquisite moments between souls.

Unlike her usual cold arrogance, Shang Bingjie in this moment was active and passionate. She seemed to treat this experience as the only one in her life; she cherished it, relentlessly demanding more, opening her heart completely, abandoning everything about her soul's ethereal form, coiling around Ji Changkong like a serpent, demanding again and again, releasing all the emotions suppressed for many years.

After a cold volcano erupts, the ensuing energy is even more terrifying!

It was like the deepest, most genuine dreamscape! A breathtaking battlefield of the flesh that made one reluctant to awaken, the mingling of water and fire creating an intensely bone-gnawing pleasure that both would never forget.

After a long, long time.

Ji Changkong suddenly woke up to find Shang Bingjie’s enchanting soul-form still tightly wrapped around him. Shang Bingjie's flushed cheeks were dewy and beautiful, blooming with intoxicating colors like petals in the morning light.

In that moment, Shang Bingjie was no longer cold; her beauty was irresistibly captivating, dazzling to the eye.

The miraculous feeling of intimacy slowly receded like a tide. Ji Changkong, regaining his senses, looked at Shang Bingjie and suddenly felt a stirring of emotion. Perhaps it was because Shang Bingjie was exceptionally beautiful, or perhaps because their souls had already merged so deeply...

The bone-gnawing wonder had left indelible traces deep within his soul. He believed he would never forget that feeling for the rest of his life!

When Shang Bingjie surrendered completely, she was frenzied, burning hot! Once she released all her passion, the ensuing torrent of carnal fervor unleashed by the cold volcano nearly destroyed all of Ji Changkong's rationality!

Still savoring the memory of that stormy, wild soul experience, he stared blankly at Shang Bingjie, suddenly feeling lost and unsure of what to do. He realized he could no longer treat Shang Bingjie as he would an ordinary person. The deceitful words he had spoken to her seemed... gradually turning into truth!

He vigorously shook his head, secretly admonishing himself to stay calm. He warned himself that Shang Bingjie was no ordinary person; people from two continents were destined not to end up together. He resolved to firmly hold onto his original intentions.

Just then, Shang Bingjie slowly awoke. Her dazzling eyes held a trace of bewilderment. She stretched languidly, then suddenly realized she was wrapped around Ji Changkong like a water snake. Shang Bingjie’s expression shifted instantly, and she immediately turned cold.

She moved away from Ji Changkong without making a sound, looked deeply at him, and stated calmly and distantly, "The fate between you and me ends here! Furthermore, I do not wish to hear any rumors about us spreading throughout the Solar Star Domain! Otherwise, I will not let you off!"

"I..." Ji Changkong hesitated, then let out a long sigh, murmuring softly, "I understand."

Shang Bingjie resolutely turned her back to him and whispered, "With your strength, you should be capable of leaving the Sun. I won't see you off. Goodbye!"

With that, Shang Bingjie tore through the barrier of the Celestial Aperture and vanished into the Heart of the Sun.

Tri-Chapter update complete. Continuing to humbly request monthly votes; the goal for this month is five hundred votes! Only five days left; I hope everyone can help me! (To be continued)