Second, the ability to fly. Purely walking was certainly too slow; the continents here were vast, and traveling on foot would consume dozens of times the amount of time required for flight.

Watching one massive demon flash past after another, vanishing into the distant horizon beneath the starry night sky, Ji Changkong could only press forward with greater speed, occasionally having to strike out against the audacious plants that dared to impede him.

It had to be said that the flora on this unfamiliar continent was ferociously savage. Even for Ji Changkong, who had reached the Ninth Palace Heaven realm, dealing with these plants required some effort. Not only were they ferocious, but every species possessed strange and unique methods of attack.

Some plants possessed an almost immortal vitality; even after their roots were severed, or they were utterly destroyed, they could still reassemble themselves through sheer tenacity, restoring their original form within moments.

When confronting flora with such extreme, tenacious life forces, Ji Changkong had no choice but to invoke the power of the Samadhi True Fire, burning them directly to ash, leaving not a speck behind. Only this way could those plants be prevented from resurrecting to cause him further trouble.

Along his journey, he witnessed countless bizarre plants, each wielding terrifying power. On the Five Elements Continent, some of these plants could easily slay masters of the Eight Trigrams Heaven realm.

The immortal-type plants, in particular, possessed a strange ability to corrode the soul. If not for the Samadhi True Fire capable of incinerating them, Ji Changkong would truly have found them difficult to handle.

If only the headaches caused by these plants were the extent of his troubles, the demons who discovered him along the way would also attack him with frenzied intent.

It was unclear how these demons had evolved, but each possessed terrifying strength comparable to the Heavenly Pipa Wyvern. Even more formidable demons emitted soaring waves of demonic and fiendish energy, the power contained within them capable of tearing mountains apart. Their sheer physical might far surpassed that of the three-headed hound demon ridden by the Demon Sovereign.

The demons proved to be a greater nuisance. He engaged in battle with three of them, expending considerable effort just to kill the trio, which in turn depleted much of his own energy, costing him more than half the vital energy within his body.

Walking forward into the region where the demons congregated, Ji Changkong gradually sensed an intensely strong demonic aura emanating from that area. The closer he drew, the thicker the demonic energy became, unsettling his mind and even stirring intense urges for slaughter within his thoughts.

It was only then that Ji Changkong suddenly realized why such strange plants and terrifying demons could exist on this unfamiliar continent, a place seemingly devoid of World Origin Qi.

It was the effect of the demonic qi!

Demonic qi, much like World Origin Qi, possessed the terrifying ability to refine energy. Demonic qi was a form of World Origin Qi, and some even claimed it was merely another manifestation of it. However, demonic qi affected one's divine soul, causing a person to become obsessed, transforming them into mere killing fiends. Since this strange continent possessed such potent demonic qi, any living creature tainted by it for long enough would inevitably undergo transformation, evolving into these astonishingly powerful demons.

Plants were no exception. Flora that rarely saw sunlight, nurtured by the ambient demonic qi of heaven and earth, would mutate over years, eventually transforming into vicious, bizarre species, possessing terrible power and brutal temperaments just like the demons.

The closer he approached the gathering place of the demons, the more intensely he could sense the pervasive World Demonic Qi. Releasing his soul, he slowly probed, discovering that the concentration of World Demonic Qi in that area far exceeded his understanding.

There must be a unique location there, certainly emitting terrifying World Demonic Qi. The demons were clearly flocking there, obviously seeking to cultivate and enhance their strength using the World Demonic Qi.

Before his soul even neared that area, a savage vitality, one that sent a shudder through him, was suddenly sensed—a life force so potent it was the strongest he had ever encountered! It might even surpass that of Cao Xuanqi, who had reached the peak of the Ninth Palace Heaven realm!

His expression drastically altered, Ji Changkong dared not probe further. He swiftly withdrew his soul's aura from that location, not daring to hesitate for a second.

A creature possessing such immense life force must be an absolutely terrifying entity. He knew his soul had not even reached the center of that region; there could be even more horrifying beings dwelling within.

A single, immensely powerful creature like that was far beyond his current capacity to handle. If there were several more life forms of this caliber, venturing there rashly would be tantamount to suicide.

He halted in place, frowning as he sensed the vital energy within his body. He realized that after battling the three demons and those plants, less than half of his internal power remained.

The vital energy in the heaven and earth of this unfamiliar continent was extremely scarce, perhaps weaker by more than dozens of times compared to the Five Elements Continent. Conversely, the demonic qi was overwhelmingly abundant—dozens of times stronger than on the Five Elements Continent.

This world was almost the exact inverse of the Five Elements Continent. Here, he attempted to utilize the surrounding World Origin Qi to recover his strength, only to find the recovery speed agonizingly slow, truly comparable to a turtle's pace.

Sitting down, he took a deep breath. To recover using the scant World Origin Qi here would take an age; perhaps ten years wouldn't be enough to restore himself fully relying on the local Origin Qi.

Fortunately, his Qianzi Pouch remained intact, containing a vast supply of Origin Stones from the Five Elements Continent. These stones held the Origin Qi of heaven and earth, condensed within the rock. Some top-grade Origin Stones contained immense quantities of energy, sufficient for him to restore his power.

Temporarily setting aside thoughts about this continent, Ji Changkong took out handfuls of Origin Stones from his Qianzi Pouch, wrapping them with the power in his body to absorb the heaven and earth origin energy within.

Several hours later, dozens of top-grade Origin Stones disintegrated into dust. Ji Changkong stood up again. Feeling his spirit restored, he finally relaxed, then resumed his advance toward the region where demonic qi surged skyward.

Unable to soar through the void, his speed was indeed slow. Along the way, he encountered even more strange plants and even more formidable demons.

The flora and fauna closer to that central area of surging demonic qi were slightly stronger than those he had previously faced. Ji Changkong plunged once more into fierce battles. Fortunately, his power had recovered to its peak, allowing him to hold his own amidst the clashes with demons and peculiar plants.

With no sun or moon visible to mark the time on this strange continent, Ji Changkong traveled, pausing to fight, killing over a dozen increasingly powerful demons and crushing innumerable strange plants.

After every battle, he would immediately retrieve the mass of Origin Stones from his Qianzi Pouch, absorbing the heaven and earth origin energy to restore his strength. As soon as his power was fully replenished, he would immediately press onward.

He fought and rested intermittently, using hundreds of Origin Stones from his Qianzi Pouch. If he hadn't possessed such a large store of top-grade Origin Stones, they might have been completely depleted before he even reached the target area.

Touching the Qianzi Pouch, Ji Changkong frowned, musing inwardly, This won't do. If I continue this way, the Origin Stones might run out before I even get there.

Once the Origin Stones were gone, his vital energy could not be recovered. On this strange continent devoid of celestial light, he couldn't draw on the sun or moon for restoration. If his vital power couldn't be replenished and his internal strength was completely exhausted, facing those demons next time might result not just in death, but potentially at the hands of the demons themselves.

Thinking this through, Ji Changkong began to worry. He had about a hundred Origin Stones left, and the demonic qi cluster was still at least a thousand li away. At the previous rate, those stones likely wouldn't last that long.

He couldn't afford to waste even a sliver of power; every strike had to be clean and decisive, ensuring no trace of vital energy leaked outward. Only by doing so could he kill the attacking demons using the minimum amount of vital energy.

He suddenly recalled what Youlan had once said—that both he and the Demon Sovereign had not yet fully mastered the immense power within them, causing them to alter the rules of heaven and earth during combat, leading to natural changes in the Western Regions. However, his maternal grandfather and the Asura King had fought for over ten days, yet the Northern Barbarian lands remained safe, not transforming into a hellscape. This was precisely because both understood how to utilize their strength, allowing not a single trace of power to spill outward, thereby not affecting the rules of heaven and earth.

Only when power does not leak out can it be used without waste. Only then can one slay the invading demons at the lowest cost.

What he needed to do now was learn how to control the power within him, ensuring absolutely no waste, releasing the energy with the highest possible concentration to inflict maximum damage upon the demons.

With this thought taking root, he did not rush forward. Instead, he found a relatively secluded spot and began delving into the best method for mastering the power within his body.

Only once he achieved some insight would he emerge to test his skills on the omnipresent murderous plants surrounding him. He experimented again and again, constantly changing the way he utilized his internal power. Each strike focused the energy into a single point, transforming it into a highly condensed attack akin to a soul-light beam.

Changing methods repeatedly, continuously searching for a superior way to exert force, he steadily progressed, reaching a new height in his mastery over his internal energy.

Leaping high, he landed on the back of a demon resembling a golden eagle, possessing seven feathered wings. He lightly tapped the demon's head with his hand, then sprang back to the ground.

The demon, three times larger than a Heavenly Pipa Wyvern, had its internal bones explode in succession, its flesh and blood being annihilated from within.

The demon convulsed twice in the air before violently shattering into pieces.

"Hmm, that's close. I can kill a demon that previously required nine parts of power using only two parts now. This way, I save several times the vital energy, which should be enough to reach that region," Ji Changkong said to himself, looking up at the towering peak shrouded in demonic qi, standing starkly under the dim sky.

He knew that through this refinement, he had become continuously stronger.

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