The Dark Star race monster stared blankly at Ji Changkong, frozen in place. The power of the living stars from the desolate star domain continuously flowed into the scales covering his body, restoring the fiery red armor plate by plate to its normal color.

While speaking, the Dark Star monster recovered rapidly. Unbeknownst to him, he had already regained more than half of his lost power.

Yet, even so, the Dark Star monster dared not make any rash moves. Despite seeing Ji Changkong looking dazed, he refused to attack or attempt to flee.

This was because a cluster of Heavenly Fire still swirled around him, and two Heavenly Fire Avatars watched him from within the flames. The fiercely incinerating power of the Heavenly Fire had not diminished in the slightest over this long period.

He was certain that if any ill intention crossed his mind, the two Heavenly Fire Avatars, which had only just calmed down, would instantly surge forward and engulf him once more in the flames of incineration, forcing him to relive that agonizing experience between life and death.

And that was not even what frightened him the most.

What terrified him most were the six Soul Pillars. He recognized them as the unique soul-destroying technique of the Purgatory Ghost race. The Purgatory Ghost race was a formidable lineage infamous throughout the Endless Star Domain. Although their numbers were sparse now, every single Purgatory Ghost alive held notorious renown for their brutality across the domain.

The Requiem of the Purgatory Ghosts was a terrifying mastery of profound truth that made major races tremble at the mere mention. He knew in his heart that if this Requiem unleashed its full power, it would be far beyond his capacity to handle.

In fact, in a mere moment, the Requiem of the Purgatory Ghosts could utterly annihilate the soul he protected with the Star Essence Armor.

Once the soul was destroyed, no matter how great his abilities, recovery would be impossible. He was afraid, and thus, he dared not move.

But he also found it extremely strange. Why hadn't Ji Changkong moved to kill him? Why hadn't this human erupted in fury after being cursed at so relentlessly? Why would someone possessing the terrifying power of the Requiem capable of instant annihilation willingly listen to his rambling?

The more bewildered he became, the more hesitant he was to act.

After a long, long wait.

Just as his impatience began to mount, his internal Star Scales were completely restored, and the lost power surged back into his body. Finally, he could not hold back. “Hey, you damned Celestial Master, what exactly do you want?” Ji Changkong, immersed in some profound state, slowly awoke. He glanced at the monster with slightly vacant eyes and asked curiously, “Why are you still here?”

“Why am I still here?” The creature grew even more perplexed. He stared blankly at Ji Changkong. “What do you mean? If I weren’t here, where would I be?”

“I’ve already decided not to kill you. What are you staying here for? Must I finally eliminate you before you’re satisfied?” Ji Changkong’s expression was calm.

“What?” The monster’s sharp, piercing voice rose. “What did you say? You won’t kill me? If you aren’t going to kill me, then why did you trap me with the Purgatory Ghost Soul Pillars? If you weren’t planning to attack, why surround me with all that fire?”

“My apologies, I forgot to recall them.”

He replied casually. With a flicker of thought, the Heavenly Fire Avatars dissolved into pure flames, vanishing into the expanse of heaven and earth. The Soul Sense and strange power contained within the Avatars returned to his body.

Simultaneously, the six Soul Pillars disappeared as well. The marvelous symbols attached to the Soul Pillars flashed briefly within Ji Changkong’s soul phantom.

All offensive measures were instantly retracted. Maintaining a distance from the Purgatory Ghost race monster, Ji Changkong rested his hands behind his back. “It’s nothing now. You may leave.”

“Leave?” The monster looked utterly incredulous. “You truly are letting me go?”

Ji Changkong nodded, waving his hand. “Go on. I won’t kill you. Go wherever you wish. Get out of here!”

“But, this is my territory. I am the master here!” The monster’s fierce eyes were filled with strange colors. He seemed slow to process the situation, muttering to himself, “If I leave here, where should I go? This was always my home. Should I really leave…?”

“I forgot. This was your territory,” said Ji Changkong, whose soul seemed to subtly shift. Only now did he react, looking slightly embarrassed. “I should be the one to leave.”

Saying this, Ji Changkong prepared to depart.

Had it not been for the monster’s words, Ji Changkong would have killed him and seized this location.

However, listening to the monster’s speech, he suddenly grasped the essence of a natural rule. Ji Changkong felt that Celestial Masters, like himself, seemed profoundly wrong in many aspects.

In contrast, this monster, and his race, appeared to be the benevolent species within the Endless Star Domain. At the very least, they did not destroy the stars of the Endless Star Domain one by one.

Feeling a pang of shame regarding himself and the Celestial Masters, Ji Changkong decided against wiping out the monster. He felt that, based on the insights gained today, he ought to change some of his future rules of conduct.

He resolved that if he returned to the Five Elements Continent, he would absolutely share today’s realization with all his friends, urging them to understand the relationship between Life Stars, Living Stars, and Dead Stars, hoping they would grasp the immense difference between a Living Star and a Dead Star.

If possible, he would even restrain the Nine Palaces Celestial Masters, forbidding them from completely stripping a Living Star of all its Star Essence, leaving behind the seeds for its continued development, thereby preventing the life-bearing stars of the Solar Star Domain from being destroyed by natural decay.

From this monster, he had gained much useful intelligence, which greatly enlightened him, altered some fundamental perspectives, and led to a certain sublimation of his soul.

Deep down, he felt a measure of gratitude toward this monster. Putting himself in the other’s shoes, he recognized that although the monster’s methods might also be flawed, they were an effective way to prevent the Celestial Masters from destroying the Endless Star Domain. While grieving for humanity’s actions, he desired to change the situation within the Solar Star Domain.

“Wait a moment!” the monster called out.

Ji Changkong, who was about to leave, froze, looking back at the monster strangely. “What is it? Do you have something else to say?”

“I want to know why you could have killed me, but didn’t,” the monster stared directly at him. “There are hundreds of Living Stars in my area. According to the methods of you humans, you should have killed me and then gathered more experts to completely harvest the Star Essence from these Living Stars, turning them into Dead Stars. You always do this. Why? Why didn’t you?”

“I think perhaps we Celestial Masters can also change our ways, perhaps become like your Dark Star race, taking only a portion of the Star Essence from a Living Star, leaving behind the seed of life. At least, I will do so from now on; I will not arbitrarily drain the Star Essence from one Living Star after another.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes. If I have the ability, I will even stop others from endlessly harvesting the Star Essence from Living Stars. When I return to my continent, I will try to act on this. As a high-ranking race in the Endless Star Domain, we humans also have an obligation to maintain the balance of the domain, not to destroy it indiscriminately.”

The monster fell silent, studying Ji Changkong with profound curiosity for a long, long time before speaking. “You are different from ordinary humans. Many humans, though they understand this truth, still drain the Star Essence due to the desires in their hearts. They believe the Star Essence in the Endless Star Domain is inexhaustible.”

He paused, a hint of sorrow surfacing in his eyes, and murmured, “My ancestors told me that during the last Great Extinction, the Endless Star Domain was ruined precisely because of the greed and endless desires of certain races. The entire domain became dead and silent. Eventually, nearly all the stars exploded, and almost every race was annihilated. Only a very few of the most ancient beings and races, having foreseen the great explosion in time, managed to survive by hiding in the most concealed places.”

Though his murmurs were soft, Ji Changkong heard every word clearly. Recalling the Four Sacred Beasts of the Five Elements Continent and the intentions communicated by the great ancient tree within the Heart of the Sun, Ji Changkong’s mind stirred, and he seemed to grasp something.

“I will do my best to restrain those around me, hoping to use my meager strength to make them understand these fundamental truths,” Ji Changkong said solemnly, looking at the Dark Star race monster.

“If that is the case, you are not the enemy of our Dark Star race. On the contrary, you are our friend!”

The monster suddenly became animated. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “If that is truly so, then our Dark Star race can actually help you. Not only have we always insisted on not destroying Living Stars for cultivation, but we also possess a method to turn Dead Stars into Living Stars! It’s just that you humans are too greedy and selfish. Wherever you are present, it is difficult for us to implant Star Essence into the stars, which is why…”

“Implanting Star Essence into a Dead Star to turn it into a Living Star, and then restoring a Living Star to health in just a few hundred years?” Ji Changkong was stunned, then delighted. “Can this method really make a Dead Star revitalize and become a Living Star again? So it’s that easy? Ha, why didn’t I think of that?”

“It’s not as simple as placing a piece of Star Essence into a Dead Star to make it a Living Star. There are many profound secrets involved. Among the numerous high-ranking races in the Endless Star Domain, only a very few understand this method; it’s not as easy as you imagine.”

Seeing Ji Changkong’s excitement, the monster dampened the mood. “Our Dark Star race’s cultivation methods are quite unique. To turn a Dead Star into a Living Star, besides requiring Star Essence, we also need the unique methods of our Dark Star race. Otherwise, the Star Essence from other Living Stars, when placed within a Dead Star, will have its energy dissipate quickly, achieving no real effect.”

“So that’s how it is. Right, where I come from, there are many Dead Stars. If you are willing, you can transform all those Dead Stars into Living Stars. If you lack enough Star Essence here, I know another place with even more—an unexplored star region. I can take you there.”

Ji Changkong, who had initially intended to guard that precious locale, suddenly changed his mind. Under the monster’s influence, his mind broadened, and he became generous.

Following Ji Changkong’s detailed description, the monster nodded repeatedly. After a while, he said, “I am aware of that area of Dead Stars. I am working to transform it. However, I truly didn't know there was another region of Living Stars beyond that Dead Star area…”

He paused, then continued, “Transforming that Dead Star area is not easy, because occasionally, other Celestial Masters from different star domains, like the two before, will accidentally intrude. Once they enter, all our efforts to change things are immediately undone. That’s why the moment I see them, I must kill them immediately.”

“If they manage to return to their star domains alive, it won’t be long before more Celestial Masters arrive. That entire star region was originally a Living Star region, which was discovered by a Celestial Master faction several thousand years ago, causing it to become a Dead Star area. To prevent such things from happening, we try our best to eliminate all subsequent Celestial Masters; we dare not leave any survivors.”

“I… I understand.” Ji Changkong managed a bitter smile inwardly.

“You are very powerful. If you truly intend to change all this, I can take you to the Mother Star of our Dark Star race, to meet our kin. We can cooperate. You can help us, and we can help you. As long as we share a common goal, cooperation is possible.”

The monster hesitated for a long time before finally making up his mind and saying this to Ji Changkong.

“I would gladly go, but my spiritual energy is currently depleted. I need to return to my main body. As you know, we Celestial Masters are different from your Dark Star race people; being away from the main body for an extended period is extremely dangerous.” Ji Changkong was initially tempted but checked his spiritual power reserve and could only refuse with regret.

Chasing this fellow for so long, deploying the Heavenly Fire Avatars, and manifesting the Soul Pillars—all of these had consumed a significant amount of his spiritual power.

This area was too far from his main body; it probably spanned an entire star domain. If he hadn't absorbed the spiritual energy of that couple, returning now would be difficult.

“Is that so? Then I will accompany you back to see it. I want to see the Living Star area you mentioned, and check if the Star Essence from those Living Stars can actually be transplanted for use. You might not know, but the Star Essence from every Living Star cannot be transplanted to Dead Stars.”

“That sounds wonderful. Then come with me to have a look,” Ji Changkong agreed happily.