The desolate island north of the Hailan Continent was a place of emptiness, where whirlpools spun and jagged rocks danced wildly within the vortex. This was a spatial turbulence zone of the Hailan Continent. Within this chaos, those who knew the proper methods could utilize this turbulence to access other life-bearing stars.

Tuohui and Changmei, along with two others, swept in from a distance. Tuohui’s face was grim, and he remained silent, seemingly deep in thought. Changmei, aware that his own actions prevented him from connecting with Xuanyuan Valley, also kept quiet.

The other two Nine Palaces Celestial Masters were from the Libie Heavenly Sect. Fury burned in their eyes as they continually plotted how to exact revenge on Xuanyuan Valley and on Ji Changkong. Finally, the group of four arrived before the spatial turbulence zone. Tuohui snorted coldly, preparing to manipulate the movement trajectory of the turbulence within the chaotic field.

Just then, the two Nine Palaces Celestial Masters who had been injured by Ji Changkong and Li Hentian suddenly coughed up large mouthfuls of blood, their complexions flickering between ashen and pale.

They collapsed to the ground in agony, clutching their throats, thin streams of crimson blood oozing out between the gaps in their fingers.

"Mmm... ngh," they groaned in pain. They tried to speak, but no complete sounds could escape.

Tuohui and Changmei’s expressions shifted drastically. They clearly perceived that something was terribly wrong with the two men. Changmei, burdened by guilt, moved to help them up.

"Don't go near them!" Tuohui roared, yanking Changmei back, and simultaneously summoned a Glazed Light Barrier that enveloped both of them.

Thump!

The two Nine Palaces Celestial Masters who were groaning in pain suddenly swelled violently before abruptly exploding, sending gore flying as they died instantly.

Their splashed blood filled the air with a pungent, acidic stench.

As their flesh and blood hit the ground, they emitted wisps of faint blue smoke. In just a short while, all the scattered remains had completely decomposed.

Two flickering, ethereal souls screamed hideously in the void, gradually dissolving into smoke, transforming into the purest energy of the world, vanishing swiftly between heaven and earth.

These two masters from the Libie Heavenly Sect, despite their injuries, should logically have been far from death’s door. Yet, before they had even left the Hailan Continent, they perished in such a bizarre manner.

Tuohui, Changmei, and the others were utterly stunned.

Judging by the manner of their deaths, both men had clearly been poisoned. However, during the previous skirmish, neither Tuohui nor Changmei had noticed anyone employing poison, and even the victims themselves hadn't been aware of it until they reached this desolate place, at which point the toxins activated.

It was too strange!

Tuohui and Changmei felt a creeping fear. They were certain the deaths were connected to Ji Changkong’s group, but they couldn't fathom how the act was carried out.

"Senior Brother, let's go back and find them!" Changmei’s face was a mask of indignation and grief.

Though Tuohui was equally enraged, he calmly shook his head, his expression dark. "We couldn't gain the upper hand before; now... there’s even less hope. Moreover, the Shang Family, Feihua, and those from Jinwang Mountain will certainly aid them. Returning now would be walking into a trap!"

"I can't swallow this insult!" Changmei shook his head in anguish, immense killing intent brewing within him.

Tuohui took a deep breath, suppressing the towering rage in his heart, and suddenly declared, "We are going to the Demonic Evil Continent!"

"Senior Brother?" Changmei paused, uncertain of Tuohui's intent.

"If you cannot swallow this anger, then I won't let them die in vain. Since the Shang Family, Feihua, and Jinwang Mountain have allied, we will join forces with the Demon Lair! We must annihilate Xuanyuan Valley, the Shang Family, Feihua, and Jinwang Mountain!" Tuohui looked up, his face contorted with ferocity.

With that, Tuohui seized Changmei and plunged directly into the spatial turbulence zone he had altered, disappearing into a dark tunnel that flickered open within it.

The Demonic Evil Continent.

The sky was gloomy, and thick demonic energy shrouded the land like heavy black clouds. Great, bottomless ravines scarred the earth, their depths unknown.

Giant demonic beasts flew overhead, letting out heart-palpitating roars.

Within a massive abyss spanning hundreds of miles, hundreds of demons were gathered, attacking a single figure frantically.

The man’s demonic aura surged toward the sky like wisps of smoke, his eyes burning scarlet, akin to the purest darkness. Nine massive demonic dragons coiled and danced around him, blasting any attacking demons into scattered dust.

In this colossal demon abyss, thousands of demons were annihilated one after another, ripped apart in horrific ways.

Above the abyss, a group of about ten experts from the Demonic Evil Continent, who had cultivated profound demonic arts, watched him with blazing eyes as he slew the demons.

"He has completely succumbed to the demonic path. Only the 'Tranquility Nirvana Pill' might restore his clarity," a bald old man muttered, looking down at Ji Haotian in the abyss, his tone grim.

"The Lord of the Demon Lair is injured, Xiao Yu is in a coma, and Canlang and Hantian were killed together. Elder Brother, we can seize this opportunity to eliminate the Demon Lair and replace it in the hierarchy of the Demonic Evil Continent! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!" a hideous, ugly man with bright green hair and pockmarked skin exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Elder Brother, the Lord of the Demon Lair immediately entered seclusion upon return; he is clearly at a critical juncture!" seeing the bald old man remain silent, the ugly man urged again.

"I am merely contemplating whether this fellow is worth expending our very last 'Tranquility Nirvana Pill' on," the bald old man hesitated, frowning. "We only have this one left, and I fear that even if he consumes it and regains consciousness, he will still be merciless to kin and willing to commit fully to the demonic path... Xiao Qi is a thorough madman; I fear we won't be able to control him." "But Elder Brother, wasn't it said that the Tranquility Nirvana Pill can influence the mind?" the ugly man asked.

"It can influence the mind," the bald old man conceded, then offered a wry smile. "But it depends on the person. Generally, those who suffer qi deviation during cultivation, if they take the pill, I have a grasp on controlling them. However, this one seems to have entered the demonic path voluntarily. Such individuals are hard to manage. I fear that after the pill clears his mind, he might destroy us all."

"Let's try it. Replacing the Demon Lair's position on the Demonic Evil Continent has always been your desire, hasn't it? This rare opportunity is right before us; it would be a terrible waste not to try!" the ugly man incited.

The bald old man fell into deep silence for a while, finally nodding. "Very well, let us give it a try."

A dark green pill floated slowly from the bald old man's hand. The pill drifted down into the demon abyss, and just as it neared Ji Haotian’s head, it suddenly shattered, dissolving into a fine, misty rain that washed over him.

Suddenly, Ji Haotian's body began to smoke as if engulfed in fierce flames, and he let out roars like a savage beast.

He writhed and rolled within the abyss, crushing the bones of the surrounding demons into powder with sickening crunches, his expression terrifying, like a demon god come to end the world.

A terrifying shockwave erupted from him. Under the pressure of this wave, the entire abyss seemed unable to withstand it and exploded suddenly. In moments, the abyss sank another hundred zhang deeper into the earth.

Ji Haotian, caught in the violent blast, vanished, buried deep underground without a trace.

The group of Demonic Evil Continent experts stared blankly at the depths of the abyss below, seemingly awaiting something.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The nine demonic dragons suddenly blasted away all the debris and soared up from the deep earth. Behind them emerged Ji Haotian, his expression bewildered. As he emerged, he kept his head down, murmuring only, "Ling'er, Ling'er."

Piaomiao Island.

Under the gaze of the assembled group, Ji Changkong spoke with impassioned fervor. "Knowing that the Demonic Evil Continent will surely move against us, why not strike decisively while they are weakened? Waiting for them to attack us on our doorstep doesn't seem like a sound strategy, does it?"

In the grand hall, few factions possessed the power to truly contend with the Demon Lair of the Demonic Evil Continent. Those lacking strength simply bowed their heads in silence.

The bald monk from Jin Gang Mountain hesitated. "We have never advocated for attacking others first; we only strike when provoked to the point of self-preservation. This..." He appeared troubled.

The old matriarch of the Shang Family frowned. "The Demonic Evil Continent harbors too many sinister ways, far more than just the Demon Lair. If we were to launch a full-scale invasion, we would provoke resistance from the entire continent. The manpower required would vastly exceed what we have assembled here."

"Feihua dares to go," Lan Fen pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled sweetly. "Young friend, you have spirit, wanting to take the fight to the Demonic Evil Continent to settle scores with the Demon Lair masters. Indeed, this is a good plan, especially now that the Demon Lair Lord is injured."

"Lan Fen, provoking all the sinister elements of the Demonic Evil Continent is not wise," the old matriarch shook her head, clearly unimpressed by the notion.

"We could perhaps ally with those evil factions to deal with the Demon Lair Lord. I imagine there must be others on the Demonic Evil Continent who are very interested in the Demon Lair’s location?" Ji Changkong slowly remarked, his gaze subtly sweeping across the people from the Hailan Continent in the hall.

Earlier, under the influence of the Star Essence, these individuals had already shown signs of wanting to break away from the Shang Family's leadership. It seemed that no authority was absolute.

When faced with sufficiently large incentives, many were ready to take desperate risks.

"We never ally with evil or unorthodox forces," the two younger monks from Jinwang Mountain stated righteously.

The Shang Family matriarch also nodded with a frown. "To join hands with them would be to descend into depravity. What difference would that make between us and them? We might even be betrayed by them for their own gain. It’s better not to go."

Damn it! Ji Changkong cursed inwardly. He glanced at the three monks of Jinwang Mountain, then back at the Shang Family matriarch, and finally understood why these few factions ranked at the bottom among the eight supreme powers of the Sun Star Domain.

Knowing the enemy will emerge, yet not doing everything possible to crush them, instead clinging to rigid rules—the result is that they will suffer losses. These people had not low cultivation bases, but they seemed unable to think past a single, inflexible principle.

Gu Lang noticed that Ji Changkong seemed about to erupt and subtly signaled him to restrain himself. Then, Gu Ya stood up. "I suggest everyone take time to reconsider. We still have time; let's revisit this discussion in a couple of days, shall we?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, signifying they would take the suggestion under advisement.

Following this, the focus shifted to inquiring about the Star Essence from Dick, which was their primary concern. They urgently needed Dick to clarify matters regarding this resource, hoping for an immediate supply for cultivation.

However, when Dick meticulously explained the relationship between the living stars, dead stars, and life-bearing stars, and stated that transforming a dead star into a living one might take several centuries, or at least a century, the assembled group went numb.

After a pause, their interest shifted to the seeds of Star Essence Dick possessed, asking if he could provide those to tide them over, allowing them to quickly acquire Star Essence for cultivation and rapidly break through to the peak of the Nine Palaces Celestial Master realm.

Ji Changkong remained seated, observing the eagerness of these people with cold eyes, noting their impatient gazes as they schemed to solicit Star Essence from Dick to relieve their immediate needs.

Suddenly, Ji Changkong realized his mistake: he had still underestimated human selfishness. The majority of these individuals had no intention of planning for their descendants. They only desired their own rapid advancement to the peak of the Nine Palaces Celestial Master realm!

As long as they could secure enough Star Essence for their own meridian cultivation, they would be satisfied. The future successors of the Sun Star Domain were entirely outside their sphere of concern.

They only wanted Dick's Star Essence seeds, unwilling to wait even a moment longer!

Feeling a wave of disappointment, Ji Changkong stood up and announced, "We are tired. We will find a place to rest now. We will remain on the Hailan Continent for a few days; there will be ample time later to discuss these matters. Let us conclude for today."

"Bingjie, arrange their lodgings," the Shang Family matriarch nodded, gesturing toward Shang Bingjie.

Shang Bingjie stood up and approached Ji Changkong. "Follow me."

Ji Changkong glanced at the people in the hall, a deep sadness in his heart, and followed Shang Bingjie mechanically toward the white jade pavilions built atop the scattered rocks behind Piaomiao Island.

Shang Bingjie had been relatively courteous when arranging quarters for Gu Yu and Li Hentian. After settling them, she suddenly turned to Ji Changkong with icy formality. "You, follow me. I have something to say to you!"

"I'm not going," Ji Changkong, already irritated, refused outright.

"You!!" Shang Bingjie gritted her teeth, glaring at Ji Changkong in annoyance, her long eyelashes trembling, clearly angry.

"Not in the mood," Ji Changkong retorted, oozing resentment.

"Feeling that those people are short-sighted and greedy? Thinking they are selfish and not clever enough, is that it?" Shang Bingjie stared at him for a moment, then suddenly asked.

Her thoughts having been read, Ji Changkong felt no surprise, merely nodding with a soft sigh. "My goodwill might just have gone down the drain."

Gu Lang and Li Hentian had been in the same building. As Shang Bingjie and Ji Changkong spoke, they slowly walked out and headed toward the building where Dick was being housed.

Shang Bingjie's delicate ears twitched. Once she heard Gu Lang and Li Hentian move away, she stepped closer to Ji Changkong, looking at him coldly. "You are too self-assured. Do you think everyone is like you? I'm telling you, your original plan is absolutely not going to work!"

Shang Bingjie strode with her long, straight legs toward Ji Changkong, her eyes suddenly turning sharp. "Ji Changkong, why did you come to the Hailan Continent?"

"I was drawn in by chance."

"Drawn in by chance? Then why did you come to our Shang Family?"

"Certainly not for you!"

"You! You scoundrel!"

Shang Bingjie cursed, then quickly resumed a cold expression, sneering. "I didn't realize you were quite the ladies' man; you seem to have so many confidantes."

"In our Five Elements Continent, countless beauties weep and clamor to marry me," Ji Changkong declared proudly, tilting his head back.

It was only at this moment that Ji Changkong finally understood the conversation his maternal grandfather and Li Hentian had had outside Piaomiao Island.

This Shang Bingjie, to some extent, did care for him—at least, not as utterly indifferent as she presented herself.

"Tsk!" Shang Bingjie scoffed, fixing her eyes on Ji Changkong's and lightly spitting out two words: "You're boasting."

"Believe it or not," Ji Changkong shook his head with a wry smile. "I'll be leaving soon anyway. We likely won't have another chance to meet. I’ll go back to my romantic life, and you can continue your arduous cultivation."

"You are forbidden to leave!" Shang Bingjie repeated the previous phrase, grinding her teeth. "We haven't settled our scores yet!"

"What scores do we have?" Ji Changkong looked genuinely perplexed, unaware of any debt owed to her.

"You!" Shang Bingjie pointed at him, her delicate body trembling with resentment. "At the Heart of the Sun, you violated me! You are not allowed to leave until this debt is settled!"

"Miss, please get it straight!" Ji Changkong was caught between laughter and tears. "At the Heart of the Sun, it was you who violated me, wasn't it? Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say you actively seduced me."

"You despicable, wicked thief!" Shang Bingjie roared with sudden fury, reaching out and placing her hand on Ji Changkong's chest, covertly injecting spiritual energy.

Peng!

A tide-like force surged into Ji Changkong’s body, bombarding and rampaging within him.

With a muffled grunt, Ji Changkong became enraged too. "You venomous, heartless woman—"

He reached out, forming a pale blue Heavenly Thunderbolt, but just as it was about to strike Shang Bingjie, Ji Changkong noticed the shyness in her eyes and the blush rising on her neck, and his heart suddenly softened.

"Come on, strike me," Shang Bingjie tilted her neck up, challenging him, seemingly certain Ji Changkong wouldn't follow through.

Slap! Slap-slap!

The Heavenly Thunderbolt vanished, but Ji Changkong's large hand landed hard on Shang Bingjie's ample posterior. "You asked for it!" he snarled in anger.

Sincere thanks, thanks to all the brothers and sisters who voted with their monthly passes yesterday. Thank you all so much. It is because of you that I feel all my efforts were not in vain. Truly, thank you from the bottom of my heart! (To be continued)