A line of five figures, entirely shrouded in pitch-black robes that concealed them completely, proceeded slowly across the scorching desert.

Suddenly, the one leading the group halted. He stared towards a bizarre, howling expanse in the distance, watching the ferocious wind carry sand high into the sky, while listening to an utterly strange whistling sound echo in his ears.

Towering before them were massive pillars formed from solidified sand. These colossal stone columns writhed like the bodies of dragons, dotted with flickering flames that erupted between heaven and earth, scattering the surrounding Yuan Qi.

Through the swirling yellow sands, two distinct auras faintly emerged: one intensely hot, the other chilling to the bone, making the scene profoundly uncanny.

The group advanced a few more steps and discovered the ground was littered with bleached bones. Many were enormous, some stretching over ten meters long—remnants, perhaps, of some mighty, primeval fierce beast. The bones crunched and groaned underfoot with every step.

Suddenly, one of the figures gasped in alarm, pointing ahead: "How is this possible?"

Just ahead, the sky on one side glowed with intense flames, a terrifying, overwhelming heat threatening to incinerate everything in existence.

On the opposite side of the sky, an abyssal cold permeated the air, with massive slabs of solid ice suspended motionless overhead, directly opposing the fiery sky opposite.

It was utterly bizarre!

A wave of heat and a current of cold air intersected violently in the sky before them, generating an immense vortex. The heat and chill pouring from this vortex caused the surrounding air to detonate, sending terrifying ripples of power surging out in every direction.

Having just stepped into this area, four of the five figures immediately retreated in panic, their eyes wide with alarm.

The leader slowly drew down the veil covering his face, revealing a peerless countenance in the howling sandstorm. He glanced at the four retreating figures and chided softly, "What are you panicking about? Only the power at the vortex's core is truly terrifying. The energy dissipates as you move outward. As long as none of you dare venture into the center, you will be fine."

"Master, why are we here? Weren't we supposed to be going to the main temple of the Ouroboros Divine Sect?" Paridai asked, his confusion clear after removing his own veil.

The other three also cast off the heavy black veils covering their faces—revealing themselves to be the Great Strength, Wisdom, and Brightness Dharma Kings of the Manichaean Sect. These three Dharma Kings all possessed kind, benevolent faces, yet they stood silently, listening to Youlan's explanation.

"That brat Ji Changkong won't cause trouble for much longer. I will go and eliminate him. But before that, there is something we must do," Youlan said, a smile playing on her lips as she looked toward the giant vortex formed by the clashing currents of cold and heat. "We must open a path for our allies."

"This is the Spatial Turbulence Domain. Normally, entering it is a dead end because no one knows where it leads. The highest probability is being sucked into a desolate land devoid of any spiritual energy, where you can only slowly deplete your Yuan Qi until you finally perish within the turbulent currents of an alien space."

"However, while cultivating on the edge of the Solar Star Domain, my divine soul encountered a Senior Brother from the Demon Continent. After conversing with him, I learned the true connection between our Manichaean Sect and the Demon Cave of the Demon Continent."

"That Senior Brother possessed considerable means. He said the Demon Cave has a method to traverse the Spatial Turbulence Domain. If there is a Spatial Turbulence Domain anywhere in our Five Elements Continent, within a certain radius, they can enter our domain from theirs, allowing their physical bodies to directly enter our Five Elements Continent!"

"Of course, we first need to make arrangements in our local Spatial Turbulence Domain so they can pinpoint the exact location of our domain. I have come here specifically to set up those arrangements before I go kill that boy Ji Changkong," Youlan explained.

"Master," Paridai hesitated, looking at Youlan, "are we truly descended from the line of the Demon Cave on the Demon Continent? Bringing experts from the Demon Cave to our Five Elements Continent... will we have to defer to them later? And what benefits will we gain from this?"

The Great Strength, Brightness, and Wisdom Dharma Kings simultaneously raised their heads upon hearing this, staring blankly at Youlan with expressions of bewilderment.

Youlan nodded with a faint smile. "We are indeed connected to the Demon Cave lineage. The Manichaean Sutra we cultivate originates from the Demon Cave; I have verified this fact. Rest assured, the Demon Cave and we are one body—they are our own people. The reason I am allowing them into the Five Elements Continent is so that I may secure greater benefits for my teaching."

She paused, then continued in a low voice, "Within our Five Elements Continent, there exists a power that can allow your master to break through to the Ten Directions Heaven Realm in a short time! However, relying on myself alone, I cannot obtain that power. Therefore, I must borrow external aid. Be assured, once I gain that power and reach the Ten Directions Heaven Realm... all of you will also share in the spoils. Breaking through to the Ten Palaces Heaven Realm quickly, or even the Ten Directions Heaven Realm within ten years, will no longer be a dream."

"What power?" Paridai looked astonished and curious.

"Do you know why Ji Changkong managed to enter the Nine Palaces Heaven Realm so quickly?" Youlan asked the three. "It is the power of the blood of the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon! Every generation of the Ji family's Xuanyuan lineage has been so formidable precisely because of the power of the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon's blood!"

"If just the blood of the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon can forge such might in the Xuanyuan, can you imagine the full potential of the Sacred Beast itself?"

"Master, you mean... you intend to borrow external power to seize the strength of the Four Sacred Beasts to achieve the Ten Directions Heaven Realm?" Paridai cried out in shock.

"Precisely. The visitors from the Demon Cave are also extremely interested in the power of the Four Sacred Beasts. The power of the four beasts can establish at least four Ten Directions Heaven masters! I have already reached an agreement with them: our Manichaean Sect will arrange the Spatial Turbulence Domain, and along with the peak experts of the Nine Palaces Heaven Realm coming from the Demon Cave, we will sweep away all the experts currently on the Five Elements Continent, and then seize the power of the Four Sacred Beasts!"

Youlan gave a cold laugh. "Since they come from the Spatial Turbulence Domain, no matter who it is—Cao Xuanqi or Asura King—under our numerical advantage, they will all be annihilated! By then, the power of the Four Sacred Beasts will allow me to break through to the Ten Directions Heaven Realm!"

"After I leave the Five Elements Continent, this continent will forever belong to our Manichaean Sect! And you will all receive the benefits I bestow. I will give you the vital essence blood of the Four Sacred Beasts, enabling you and your descendants to become figures as powerful as the Ji family's Xuanyuan! Sooner or later, you too will enter the Ten Directions Heaven Realm and rendezvous with me in the Endless Star Domain!"

"We swear to follow the Cult Leader to the death!" The three Dharma Kings, their eyes shining with sudden delight, immediately knelt and bowed in homage.

Paridai paused for a moment, then also knelt before Youlan, bowing his head: "Your disciple strictly follows the Master's command."

"Good, very good!" Youlan nodded in satisfaction, then commanded, "The four of you remain outside to guard me. During this time, do not let anyone approach. If you see anyone coming, kill without question!"

The four responded with a single, resounding affirmation.

Youlan gave them a few more instructions on points to be careful about. Seeing that they understood everything, she finally felt reassured, and began walking step by step towards the massive vortex, gradually disappearing within it.

The Main Temple of the Ouroboros Divine Sect.

Seated cross-legged on the circular platform within the main temple, looking down upon the towering shrines, Ji Changkong released his mind, attempting time and again to merge with the surrounding heaven and earth energy. Yet, after numerous tries, he found he could no longer grasp that sensation.

Back when he fought Yao Kui amidst the thicket near the Manichaean Sect, an impulse of pure benevolence had unexpectedly drawn in the heaven and earth Yuan Qi from the entire western region for a thousand miles around. In that miraculous state, his soul merged seamlessly with the ambient energy. Under that influence, merely the sheer coercive power of the heaven and earth Yuan Qi had terrified Yao Kui into fleeing.

In retrospect, Ji Changkong realized that the power he could unleash at that moment was comparable to that of an expert at the peak of the Nine Palaces Heaven Realm!

This location, the Main Temple of the Ouroboros Divine Sect, was protected by all the sect's restrictive formations, and the various temples held immense residual power left by their ancestors. Here, even if Youlan came in person, he was confident he could rely on the power of the Ouroboros Main Temple to contend with her.

While he could certainly borrow the strength of the various Ouroboros temples here, he could no longer sense the ambient energy of the world outside the sect as he had previously.

To counter Youlan, he had considered every possibility, even communicating with the Primal Poison. He had also urged the Celestial Winged Dragon to accelerate the digestion of the Blood Emperor's power, hoping it would be useful when Youlan arrived.

Even so, he still lacked certainty in facing Youlan; he only felt he could barely manage to shelter himself within the main temple of the Ouroboros Divine Sect.

Therefore, he desperately craved the aid of the ambient world energy. He believed that only by grasping the profound insight of merging with the heaven and earth Yuan Qi could he truly stand a chance against Youlan. Attempting repeatedly and failing each time, he remained persistent, trying again and again, hoping to earn the recognition of the world's Yuan Qi to receive their assistance at the critical moment.

In the state of 'No Self,' his divine soul became one with heaven and earth, forgetting everything—even himself. He drifted in a hazy stupor.

She is in the center of the Extreme West Desert, in the Spatial Turbulence Domain. You must stop her! You must stop her!

Suddenly, segments of consciousness formed in Ji Changkong's mind, gradually bringing him back to awareness.

"Who are you?" Ji Changkong asked blankly.

"The White Tiger of the West!"