Behind him, the monster’s scales shone brilliantly. Its speed was astonishing, closing the distance between them rapidly. The beast traversed the void, its scales continuously blazing with starlight, deflecting all manner of power drawn from the stellar domains that struck it.

As the creature drew ever nearer, Ji Changkong felt a pounding headache. That couple had already proven to him that soul skills of their kind were useless against this monster; none of their techniques could harm it. It was highly probable that most of Ji Changkong’s own soul skills would prove equally ineffective.

With the monster closing in, Ji Changkong was forced to unleash his various Star Nebula Soul Refining techniques. Soul Glare, Negative Sea, Annihilation Net, Command—one soul skill after another rained down upon the monster behind him, yet it remained utterly unharmed, its approach even accelerating slightly.

“You cannot escape. Dealing with mere ethereal Heavenly Masters like you is too easy for us Dark Star Clan. Without physical bodies, your soul attacks are useless. Let’s see what tricks you have left!”

Playing with its prey like a cat with a mouse, the monster maintained an unhurried pace, even finding leisure for idle chatter during the pursuit.

“Physical attacks. Only attacks with substance will work. Heavenly Fire!”

While the primary use of Heavenly Fire is refining souls—burning them to ash—it is, after all, one of the Three Ultimate Fires of Heaven and Earth. Even if it lacked the all-consuming power of the True Samadhi Fire or the other Ultimate Fires, it still possessed the ability to incinerate physical matter.

With this realization dawning, Ji Changkong instantly transformed his soul form. In a single moment, his soul manifested as three flames, immediately beginning to condense Heavenly Fire. Even as he fled, his soul gathered the celestial blaze. Soon, billows of Heavenly Fire coalesced around his spectral form.

Two Heavenly Fire avatars suddenly took shape.

The main soul continued to distance himself from the monster, while the two Heavenly Fire avatars abruptly halted. As the creature lunged close, the two avatars suddenly rushed forward, violently enveloping the monster’s body.

Hiss! Hiss!

It was effective! The Heavenly Fire avatars instantly entangled the monster, igniting a fierce blaze that began to burn even the body forged from the essence of stars. In that instant, the monster’s form was utterly cloaked in Heavenly Fire.

The monster stopped dead, letting out a shriek brimming with absolute resentment. Terror was now evident in its eyes. It clearly had never anticipated that Ji Changkong’s soul could take the form of fire, a flame that could genuinely harm it.

Ji Changkong ceased his retreat.

Seeing the Heavenly Fire’s effectiveness, he instead spun around, channeling his spiritual power. More and more Heavenly Fire erupted from his soul, continuously surging toward the monster, wrapping it layer upon layer in consuming flame.

“Damn you, Heavenly Master! I will kill you! I swear I will destroy you!”

The monster roared madly within the firestorm, its scales erupting with bursts of starlight. Beams of dazzling stellar light suddenly shot out from the scales on its body, hurtling toward Ji Changkong.

Startled, Ji Changkong realized that even under the heavy smothering of the Heavenly Fire, the monster could still attack. This greatly exceeded his expectations. Fearing a strike from the monster’s stellar beams, Ji Changkong hastily evaded, putting significant distance between himself and the creature. He had not anticipated such formidable resilience; despite being completely covered in Heavenly Fire, the monster could still launch a furious assault. It seemed these Dark Star Clan beings were indeed terrifying.

With a physical body as tough as the corpses of the Purgatory Ghost Race, this Dark Star Clan monster appeared to be another high-tier race from the Endless Star Domain, much like the ghosts. Such advanced races usually possessed intelligence comparable to humans, and their methods of cultivation were always unique.

Moreover, their lifespan likely surpassed that of humans by millions of years!

Over their long continuation as a race, they had developed various profound insights into power tailored to their cultivation, insights that might even surpass some of the secret techniques practiced by Heavenly Masters, aligning closer to the natural laws themselves.

Clearly, this monster belonged to such a high-tier race, not a mere unintelligent demon.

Purgatory Ghost Race, Purgatory Ghost Race…

The thought of the Purgatory Ghost Race suddenly triggered a memory of their Soul Calming Dirge. That dirge was a secret technique specifically designed to annihilate souls. Since the Dirge could suppress even the immensely strong physical form of a ghost corpse, could the eerie soul skills mastered by the Purgatory Ghost Race be effective against this Dark Star Clan creature?

The moment the thought surfaced, Ji Changkong immediately began to experiment. He was in the Endless Star Domain and could not use the vital energy within his body to condense pillars of vital energy. However, having gradually grasped the true essence of the Soul Calming Dirge, he knew that pure spiritual power channeled from the soul could also condense Soul Pillars.

The condensation of Soul Pillars required immense spiritual power and a far more complex process. Back on the Five Elements Continent, he had always relied on Vital Energy Pillars, but now, being in an ethereal state, it was less convenient...

Fortunately, he had cultivated to the Ninth Palace Heaven Realm, and the monster was presently enveloped by layers of Heavenly Fire. He possessed sufficient spiritual reserves to deploy the Soul Calming Dirge.

Dedicating half his spiritual power, Soul Pillars, condensed purely from his soul, manifested one after another. Inscribed within these pillars, miraculous symbols appeared, emitting an aura of esoteric mystery.

The wondrous melody of the Soul Calming Dirge resonated within his soul. Six Soul Pillars abruptly shot out, arranging themselves in a six-pointed star pattern, instantly enveloping the monster.

As the uncanny tune of the Soul Calming Dirge sounded, the mystical symbols within the six Soul Pillars seemed to awaken, dancing around the monster.

“The Soul Calming Dirge of the Purgatory Ghost Race!”

The monster’s expression shifted drastically. He who had been arrogantly pursuing now showed the first sign of utter panic in his eyes. With a loud cry, the creature abruptly abandoned its attack on Ji Changkong. Ignoring the searing pain of the enveloping Heavenly Fire, it fled frantically into the distance.

It actually recognized the Soul Calming Dirge of the Purgatory Ghost Race?

Ji Changkong froze. From the monster’s reaction, he instantly understood that the Dirge likely held a devastating, fatal power over it.

Joy surged within him. Finally, I’ve found a way to deal with you!

The scene shifted instantly. Ji Changkong, who should have been the hunted, suddenly became the pursuer, dogging the monster’s heels.

The Dark Star Clan monster, which had been relentlessly chasing Ji Changkong, was terrified when it realized its foe could perform the Purgatory Ghost Race’s Soul Calming Dirge. It immediately turned tail and bolted toward a remote stellar sector rarely trod by travelers.

“Heh, so there is something you fear. Now, let’s see how far you can run!”

Ji Changkong sneered, using his soul to maneuver the six Soul Pillars, relentlessly following the fleeing creature.

Originally, the monster’s speed surpassed that of Ji Changkong’s soul, but under the scorching assault of the Heavenly Fire, its scales were forced to resist the flames’ power. Consequently, the monster’s velocity slowed noticeably, falling behind Ji Changkong’s spiritual movement.

With the two Heavenly Fire avatars clinging to it and new waves of fire incinerating its surroundings, the six Soul Pillars followed closely, preparing to cast their net over the target from afar. Further back, Ji Changkong’s expression was cold, and the unique, eerie melody of the Soul Calming Dirge filled his soul as he commenced the relentless chase.

One fleeing, one pursuing—in moments, they traversed over a dozen dead stars, weaving through dense fields of asteroids larger than the lands of Shui Yun Kingdom. These rocks were packed tightly, leaving only narrow fissures between them, from which shards of splintered light constantly shot out.

The shrapnel from these speeding asteroids contained a power capable of exploding souls. The monster plunged directly into this barrage. Being in its physical state, it was largely unaffected.

However, when Ji Changkong’s soul navigated the crevices, any fragment of light that struck him caused a sudden, sharp pain in his spirit, leaving his divine soul momentarily paralyzed.

Clearly, the monster was intimately familiar with the surrounding stellar terrain, knowing how to leverage the geography against Ji Changkong. It darted nimbly through the explosive debris, untouched by the shards, while Ji Changkong was forced to divide his focus to counteract the disruptive light.

Because of this diversion, the distance between them actually began to grow again. Despite being shrouded in Heavenly Fire, the monster’s scales, forged from the essence of stars, were alarmingly resilient. The fire had burned it for a long time, yet it had failed to penetrate its body or breach its soul.

Although the gap widened, Ji Changkong could still precisely track the monster’s location. The two Heavenly Fire avatars maintained their connection to his consciousness; as long as the avatars remained engaged, the monster could not truly escape his pursuit.

After an unknowable length of time, suddenly, all the asteroids vanished from his soul’s sight. The path ahead cleared dramatically. He had burst through the ocean of debris.

Freed from the constraint of the asteroid field, Ji Changkong’s speed immediately increased. The Heavenly Fire avatars were still affixed to the monster, and Ji Changkong sensed the creature was not excessively far ahead.

Accelerating to top speed, Ji Changkong let out a cold snort and surged forward.

Living stars, rich with the essence of stars and conducive to cultivation, suddenly manifested in his soul’s vision. These luminous orbs were scattered across the expanse ahead, each one brimming with stellar essence.

Overjoyed, Ji Changkong instantly recognized this place as a supreme treasure trove for cultivation!

It seemed this area must be the monster’s domain, perhaps where the stellar essence within its body was sourced.

A rough calculation revealed that the living stars shimmering within his spiritual sight numbered in the hundreds—more than enough to refine and open all his remaining acupoints!

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