The defensive power of the Great Heaven Aperture had returned to its normal level; the lingering essence of Siming had dissipated, and Shang Bingjie had vanished from the Great Heaven Aperture, leaving Ji Changkong alone in the vast space.

The spiritual energy left behind by the cultivators of the Huanhe Valley and the Demonic Cave still lingered in the Great Heaven Aperture, and Ji Changkong certainly wouldn't be polite about it. Without hesitation, he absorbed every trace of spiritual energy within the Great Heaven Aperture. In just a short time, all the spiritual power present was entirely drawn into him.

When the spiritual energy in the Great Heaven Aperture completely vanished, Ji Changkong's own spiritual power had recovered to eighty percent of its peak state.

Only then, tightly clutching the Nine Luminaries Life Tree, did he turn his gaze towards the direction Shang Bingjie had disappeared. After a long, long while, he let out a soft sigh.

Shang Bingjie's departure left him with a sense of loss. Towards this woman, he now held a strange feeling—a strong desire to see her again, mixed with a degree of fear. He understood that with her departure, the chance of meeting again in the future was slim; in the boundless Solar Star Domain, whether they would ever cross paths again was truly an unknown variable.

Shang Bingjie’s aura had completely vanished from the Great Heaven Aperture. She, having also received the strange power of the Sun this time, likely would not return to the Heart of the Sun as he wouldn't. Shang Bingjie was very likely to break through to the Nine-Character Celestial Realm, and though her future cultivation grounds would remain within the Solar Star Domain, the specific star she chose would be hard to predict.

Shaking off the chaotic thoughts in his mind, Ji Changkong, holding the Nine Luminaries Life Tree, suddenly noticed that the various energies within the Great Heaven Aperture were becoming increasingly unstable, seemingly on the verge of explosion at any moment.

A sudden shock jolted him; he realized the Great Heaven Aperture was undergoing another transformation. Given the current situation, it might not be long before the aperture split again, perhaps reforming into eight, seven, or even six new, smaller Heaven Apertures.

The energy unleashed when the Great Heaven Aperture exploded would be unimaginably terrifying. Anyone caught inside at that moment would surely face a dead end.

With this thought, Ji Changkong dared not linger in the Great Heaven Aperture any longer. His objective had been achieved. He immediately seized the Nine Luminaries Life Tree and, before the defensive power within the Great Heaven Aperture could fully strengthen, he hastily flew out.

Emerging from the Great Heaven Aperture with the Nine Luminaries Life Tree in hand, he instantly sensed extremely violent fluctuations in the divine soul auras of several Celestial Masters lurking in the shadows. In an instant, the attention of every Celestial Master intending to enter the Heaven Aperture focused entirely on him.

More precisely, it focused on the Nine Luminaries Life Tree in his hands!

Anyone who cultivated at the Heart of the Sun understood what the Nine Luminaries Life Tree signified. Such a miraculous object, one they hadn't dared to dream of obtaining, suddenly appearing in Ji Changkong’s hands drove many into a frenzy.

Ji Changkong didn't need to deliberately release his soul to perceive the naked greed brewing in those hearts.

With a cold snort, Ji Changkong condensed three Celestial Fires using his mental power. These three Celestial Fires, possessing a degree of self-awareness, shot out towards the first three lurking Eight Trigram Celestial Masters who had most clearly revealed their auras. These three possessed the strongest avarice and were the boldest, having gradually closed in on Ji Changkong.

The flight of the three Celestial Fires instantly incinerated the greed within their hearts. Amidst three piercing shrieks of soul tremor, these three ill-intentioned individuals were caught by the Celestial Fires. In just a short moment, they were reduced to cinders!

The three Celestial Fires were not recalled. Under the control of Ji Changkong’s thoughts, they swept towards the nearest remaining lurkers. Before long, two more fellows whose reason had been clouded by avarice met their doom, burned to ash by the power of the Celestial Fires.

Five lurking assassins were killed instantly by the Celestial Fires, possessing almost no ability to fight back. Such brutal methods immediately stunned those who remained hidden.

Those who had begun to gather, now terrified, dared not approach any closer and instead retreated towards the more remote corners of the Heart of the Sun. The spiritual projections released nearby significantly diminished.

All this happened in the flash of an eye. Meng Gang and Teng Ye, who had been observing from a distance, sensed Ji Changkong’s soul aura, but before they could reach him, the battle had already concluded. The souls of five nearby Eight Trigram Celestial Masters had already been incinerated by the Celestial Fires.

"Foolish Meng Gang, what are you waiting for?" Teng Ye cursed softly.

Meng Gang only paused for a moment before letting out a strange, cackling laugh and moving immediately toward the spot where those five souls had perished, seizing the opportunity to absorb the residual spiritual energy of the five. Teng Ye was not idle either; he offered Ji Changkong a dry, forced smile and immediately followed Meng Gang, joining forces with him to devour the rapidly dissipating spiritual energy within the Heart of the Sun.

Ji Changkong smiled faintly, standing there holding the Nine Luminaries Life Tree, calmly watching Meng Gang and Teng Ye operate. The moment he detected anyone daring to approach the pair, he instantly commanded the Celestial Fires with his mind to intimidate those who also wanted to pick up scraps.

Under Ji Changkong’s intimidating presence, the dozen or so hidden profiteers were unlikely to gain even a sliver of benefit. One by one, they departed resentfully.

In a short while, Meng Gang and Teng Ye had absorbed enough spiritual energy and reconvened beside Ji Changkong. Teng Ye's old eyes glittered as he stared fixedly at the Nine Luminaries Life Tree in Ji Changkong’s hand, clicking his tongue in amazement: “Boy, is that really the Nine Luminaries Life Tree you’re holding? I didn't believe Meng Gang when he said your goal was the Life Tree in the Sea of Celestial Fire, damn it, you truly surprise people!”

“Brother, how did you manage it? For so many years, countless peak experts from other continents have tried to retrieve the Nine Luminaries Life Tree from the Sea of Celestial Fire, yet not a single one succeeded. How on earth did you do it?” Meng Gang was equally astonished, appearing utterly subdued. He kept exclaiming, “And brother, weren't there several peak experts from other continents inside that Heaven Aperture? Teng Ye and I watched for a long time, and only saw two come out. Where are the rest?”

“Dead,” Ji Changkong stated calmly.

“How did they die?” Teng Ye and Meng Gang exclaimed in unison.

“I killed them,” Ji Changkong smiled faintly.

Teng Ye and Meng Gang froze, struck dumb. Especially Teng Ye, whose soul tremors were visibly erratic. He seemed deeply provoked, shouting loudly, “How is that possible? Damn it! Though I wasn’t in that Heaven Aperture for long before that little girl Shang Bingjie forced me out, I know how terrifying the others in the other apertures were. I couldn’t even handle one of them, how could you have eliminated them all! Heavens! Even a Nine Palace Celestial Master probably couldn't manage that!”

After his initial shock, Meng Gang calmed down. Having experienced much alongside Ji Changkong, he was aware of the strange nature surrounding him. He stared intently at Ji Changkong for a while. Meng Gang sensed a new energy emanating from Ji Changkong’s soul and slowly nodded. “Brother truly has his ways! I initially thought your entry into the Heart of the Sun would be incredibly difficult; who knew you were leaving the difficulty for everyone else!”

Ji Changkong smiled, offering no further explanation, but instead looked at Meng Gang and asked, “Meng Gang, how much do you know about that Shang Bingjie? I want… I want to know things about this Shang Bingjie!”

“Miss Shang…” Meng Gang was momentarily taken aback and said strangely, “Did something happen between you and Miss Shang in that Heaven Aperture? Just now, when Miss Shang was leaving, she also told me that when I return to the Sea-Lan Continent, I should visit her Shang family. She said she wanted to have a good talk with me… about you.”

“Ah?” Ji Changkong couldn't help but exhale lightly, releasing his soul to sense Shang Bingjie’s aura, only to find no trace. He secretly chided himself for overreacting.

Regaining his composure, he explained with a serious face, “In the Heaven Aperture, Shang Bingjie and I joined forces. We allied against the cultivators from the other apertures. We are… comrades, nothing more!”

“What do you mean, nothing more? Boy, are you trying to hide something?” Teng Ye was displeased, grumbling, “I think you and that girl definitely have something you can’t tell anyone! When that girl came out, she was clearly flustered, her soul fluctuations were very unstable. That girl is no pushover; she knew you had the Nine Luminaries Life Tree and didn't make a move—that’s completely unreasonable! Moreover, when she left, she kept glancing back at the Heaven Aperture, looking reluctant to depart. I think…”

Teng Ye stretched out his voice but didn’t finish his sentence, yet the meaning he intended to convey was already very clear.

Meng Gang’s mouth dropped open, and he stared blankly at Ji Changkong, saying with admiration, “Brother is truly amazing. Miss Shang is practically a goddess in our Sea-Lan Continent. Every young person cultivating the Celestial Way regards her as an idol. So many youths in our continent are crazy over Miss Shang, yet she has always treated all men as nothing. To think that here, she actually formed… well, a relationship with brother.”

Meng Gang only said ‘relationship’ without elaborating further.

However, upon hearing that word, ‘relationship,’ Ji Changkong’s imagination began to run wild, and he suddenly felt a pang of guilt, as if he were hiding something. He inwardly cursed Meng Gang for his lack of decency, while outwardly maintaining a façade of propriety: “Nonsense! She and I were just comrades. Don’t you two jump to conclusions!”

“Brother, if you truly have no connection with Miss Shang, that would be best!” Meng Gang suddenly became serious too, his expression grave. “However, if you have other ideas, I still advise you to give up on them quickly. Although your strength is astonishing, the power behind Miss Shang is far too great. Furthermore, the forces behind her have already mapped out her path in life. In her life’s trajectory, there is no subplot involving romance. So, brother… you should give up!” (To be continued)