Er Shuiwa, Lan Fen, and the others were filled with surprise, their eyes shining with excitement and joy.

The Ancient Nine Transformations Grand Array was a malevolent formation existing before the Great Cataclysm, rumored to possess the formidable power to slay any Ten Directions Celestial Master. This dread array featured nine distinct, bizarre transformations, each capable of inflicting immense destructive force.

According to Ji Changkong’s explanation, merely mastering three-tenths of the Ancient Nine Transformations Grand Array’s might, becoming proficient in two or three of its changes, would allow it to serve a pivotal role against the Heavenly Slaughter Master and the Death Pact Sovereign.

Even in its damaged state, the array was beyond the capability of ordinary individuals to handle. While the Heavenly Slaughter Master and the Death Pact Sovereign might be top-tier figures within the Solar Star Domain, compared to the true powerhouses of the Dead Star Domains, they were still just "ordinary people." Should they fall into the Ancient Nine Transformations Grand Array, they were guaranteed to suffer grievous injury!

Ji Changkong’s words were nothing short of a divine revelation to Lan Fen, Shang Bingjie, and the rest. They recognized the soaring ambition burning within him. After the initial shock of elation, their doubts about his pronouncements vanished entirely. They proceeded exactly as he directed, beginning to dismantle one of the Oro Divine Cult’s temples, stacking the obsidian stones that formed its structure one by one.

Through the combined efforts of Lan Fen, Shang Bingjie, Dick, and the others, a temple collapsed, and the foundational stones were gathered, only to be directly pulled into the Void Illusory Realm under the force of Ji Changkong’s spiritual energy.

Since breaking through to the Ninth Palace Heaven realm, his comprehension of the profound mysteries of various powers had ascended to a new echelon. Consequently, his command and understanding of the Void Illusory Realm had reached unprecedented heights.

For him, the Void Illusory Realm had long transformed into a domain exclusively his own. Beneath the exertion of his power, he could now draw physical matter from the Five Elements Continent world and transport it directly into his internal illusionary space.

Admittedly, fusing matter from two separate worlds demanded a portion of his strength; he had to carve out a special, separate space within the Void Illusory Realm solely for receiving materials originating from the Five Elements Continent.

As long as sufficient power sustained the effort, this particular obstacle was not insurmountable.

Consuming one-third of his internal primordial force, he successfully carved out a dedicated storage space within the Void Illusory Realm. He then painstakingly shifted the temple foundation stones—those painstakingly disassembled by Lan Fen, Shang Bingjie, and the others—one by one into this specialized zone using immense magical power.

The individual who constructed the Oro Divine Cult’s central temple clearly possessed power far exceeding that of a mere Ninth Palace Celestial Master. The stones forming the central edifice were sourced from extraterrestrial stars, a peculiar rock known as Star-Moon Tearstone, which possessed the ability to gather Heaven and Earth vital energy, storing a portion within itself.

The very reason the Oro Divine Cult’s main temple could sink a thousand fathoms beneath the earth, and resurface five centuries later, was entirely due to these Star-Moon Tearstones. Over vast epochs, they ceaselessly absorbed ambient Heaven and Earth vital energy, fueling the descent and subsequent rise of the Grand Temple.

Star-Moon Tearstone was also a unique raw material required for refining the Ancient Nine Transformations Grand Array. He needed to exploit the stone’s strange properties for the refinement process, specifically magnifying its innate ability to absorb and store vital energy by a hundredfold through specialized secret arts.

Soon, all the Star-Moon Tearstones that constituted the temple were safely deposited within the space he had erected inside the Void Illusory Realm. Taking a deep breath, feeling the slow ebb of power within his body, Ji Changkong declared, "That should be enough. We have sufficient Star-Moon Tearstones. Let's move locations."

"Where to?" Shang Bingjie inquired.

"Xuanyuan Valley." He gazed toward the distant horizon, a smile playing on his lips. "That is my home. And only there can we gather all the necessary materials to refine the Ancient Nine Transformations Grand Array."

"Is that where all your numerous confidantes reside?"

"Uh..." Ji Changkong was left speechless, offering only an awkward chuckle.

"Hmph! I want to see just what is so remarkable about those women!" Shang Bingjie snorted, her chin held high with arrogant defiance.

Lan Fen glanced at Shang Bingjie, then at the nervously chuckling Ji Changkong, and couldn't help but smile sweetly. "You two little things are truly amusing. At a time like this, you still haven't forgotten to bicker. Honestly."

"It's none of your business!" Shang Bingjie shot back, finding Lan Fen irritating as well.

Lan Fen merely smiled, shaking her head, and said no more.

"Let's go, to Xuanyuan Valley. We don't have much time. Only by settling things quickly can we amass the strength needed to confront the Heavenly Slaughter Master and the Death Pact Sovereign." As he spoke, Ji Changkong had already taken to the skies. After orienting himself, he flew directly toward Xuanyuan Valley.

"Why are you so intent on eliminating the Heavenly Slaughter Master and the Death Pact Sovereign? I find it peculiar. If you simply brought those people from East Heaven Peak to the Five Elements Continent, without the interference of the Spatial Turbulence Zone, you wouldn't have to worry about them at all. Why the urgency?" Lan Fen softly moved beside him, gazing intently into his eyes with a charming, knowing smile.

"It’s simple; they are my enemies." He responded calmly. Glancing at Lan Fen, Ji Changkong added, "We can't hide in the Five Elements Continent forever. Sooner or later, we will be cultivating our divine souls back in the Solar Star Domain. Since conflict is inevitable, we must deal with them with every ounce of strength we possess."

"Whoever becomes your enemy will likely suffer for it," Lan Fen nodded in agreement.

The Five Elements Continent, Xuanyuan Valley.

After returning from the Oro Divine Cult’s central temple, Ji Changkong settled in Xuanyuan Valley. Utilizing the valley's influence over the continent, he began to scrutinize all the recent major developments.

Within Xuanyuan Valley, he quickly learned the continent’s new status quo following their departure.

The turmoil at the Land of Chaos and Disorder had almost entirely reshaped the Five Elements Continent’s landscape. You Lan and Heavenly Martial King were gone, having journeyed to the Sea Ripple Continent. Meanwhile, Cao Xuanqi, Shi Qianjie, Asura King, and Demon Kui had vanished without a trace, never reappearing on the Five Elements Continent.

Some figures from the Demon Cave, along with his father, Ji Haotian, were also absent. They were either annihilated by the massive explosion in the Chaos Land or had entered various bright spaces to travel to other life stars.

In essence, every person swept into the vortex and transported to the extraterrestrial Land of Chaos and Disorder had failed to return to the Five Elements Continent.

Through Xuanyuan Valley’s intelligence network, he discovered that after the disappearance of the continent’s top experts, chaos erupted across the lands. Various factions that previously remained hidden in the shadows began to emerge.

For instance, in the Northern Barbarians, due to the absence of Asura King and Demon Kui, certain tribes that had pledged allegiance to the Asura Royal Family now harbored ambitions to replace them, initiating challenges to the Asura Crown and striving to become the new ruling dynasty of the North.

In the Western Regions, following the departure of Holy Mother You Lan, sects and factions that had been rigidly obedient under the iron fist of the Manichaean Sect were now restless. Battles erupted as they launched crusades against the Manichaean Cult. In recent times, skirmishes between Celestial Masters in the West had become commonplace.

The followers of the Oro Divine Cult, who had previously dared not act, were slowly regrouping under the command of Batu'er and Muluo. These two had recently been secretly plotting, intending to leverage Xuanyuan Valley’s strength to launch an invasion into the Western Regions and crush the Manichaean Cult in one fell swoop.

The most drastic changes occurred in the Heavenly Martial Kingdom. With the Heavenly Martial King slain, the Sacred Land of Kunlun vanished outright, and both Ninth Palace Celestial Masters, Cao Xuanqi and Shi Qianjie, disappeared. This drastically hollowed out the Heavenly Martial Kingdom's power base.

Sects and families that had sworn fealty to the Heavenly Martial King were now locked in bitter conflict with Cao Xuanqi's disciples. The Heavenly Martial Kingdom was engulfed in warfare; piercing screams frequently echoed across the wilderness—a contest between Celestial Masters, once begun, showed no sign of stopping.

The Eastern Sea and Southern Yi remained relatively stable. The Celestial Masters in these regions, fearful of the Ghost Demon King’s lingering threat, avoided open conflict, remaining constantly vigilant against the King’s potential reappearance.

The Great Chu Kingdom and the Water Cloud Nation were equally tranquil.

Especially the Water Cloud Nation; although he and Gu Qi’s group were gone, Xuanyuan Valley was teeming with masters of the Eight Trigrams Heaven realm. Coupled with the tight connections between Xuanyuan Valley and the Chen and Duan families, and the Moon Radiance Sect, after all other major powers lost their super-experts, Xuanyuan Valley, joined with the Heavenly Mountain faction, had implicitly become the single strongest force on the continent.

This combined power base now far exceeded the strength of any single family or nation!

During this period when paramount experts were absent, the fact that the Ghost Demon King had not resumed his rampage provided some small comfort. After listening to Xiao Xing and the others recount the continent's recent situation, Ji Changkong fell silent for a moment before detailing the progress of his group’s insertion into the Sea Ripple Continent.

Xiao Xing, Mo Yunyi, Gui Rong, Gui Hai, and the other masters were overwhelmed with joy and surprise. They could scarcely believe the harrowing experiences their comrades had endured, nor could they fathom that they had all physically traversed to the Sea Ripple Continent. When Ji Changkong introduced Lan Fen and Shang Bingjie’s contingent one by one, their astonishment deepened further.

Especially when facing Lan Fen, these men seemed momentarily flustered and unsure how to act. Though their cultivation only reached the peak of the Eight Trigrams Heaven realm, having once cultivated under the sun, they were familiar with the "Flying Flower Pavilion," one of the Solar Star Domain’s eight paramount powers.

Now, the courtesan-in-chief of the Flying Flower Pavilion stood before them—a renowned powerhouse of the Solar Star Domain—appearing right there in their Xuanyuan Valley. It was momentarily difficult for them to accept the reality.

"Stop making such a fuss. In a few days, the head of the Shang family and the bald men from Golden Net Mountain will all arrive. You all better get accustomed to it," Ji Changkong stated with utmost seriousness.

"Changkong, since you still plan to travel to the Sea Ripple Continent, what should we do here?" Xiao Xing offered an awkward laugh before immediately pressing for necessary action.

"Gather the strength of the entire world to search for all the rare materials. I must refine the Ancient Nine Transformations Grand Array!"

"How should we proceed?"

"I will prepare a list. You instruct the Chen family, the Duan family, and the forces from the Southern Yi and Eastern Sea to collect the materials. Send me what you currently possess immediately, and if you lack something but know where it exists, search for it at once."

As he spoke, Ji Changkong produced a special writing slate and recorded every single requirement for the Ancient Nine Transformations Grand Array that flooded his mind.

He then handed this slate to Xiao Xing, instructing him to copy it several times and distribute the copies separately to the Chen family, the Duan family, and all other powerful entities allied with Xuanyuan Valley, including the Great Chu Kingdom.

"For the materials listed here, unless it involves murder or arson, I want you to seize them if necessary," Ji Changkong added after a moment of thought. "If you encounter anyone difficult to handle, relay the message to Xuanyuan Valley, and we will deal with it. To defeat Tianlu and the Death Pact, it is worth being the villains this one time." By now, Xuanyuan Valley possessed absolutely that strength!

Never mind that Cao Xuanqi and Asura King were absent from the Five Elements Continent; with the current combined might of Xuanyuan Valley, even if they were present, they could not impede Xuanyuan Valley’s actions!

With Gu Bang and Li Hentian present, alongside the three peak Ninth Palace Heaven experts—Bian Ke, Shang Bingjie, and Lan Fen—in terms of sheer numbers of supreme masters, Xuanyuan Valley had attained a height unreachable by any other faction. Which power in the current Heavenly Court would dare oppose Xuanyuan Valley?

Receiving this assurance from Ji Changkong, Xiao Xing nodded resolutely. "Very well, we shall play the villain for once then."

Xiao Xing departed immediately to organize the task. He understood the urgency; these materials needed to be amassed in the shortest time possible.

Once Xiao Xing left, Ji Changkong addressed Lan Fen, Shang Bingjie, and Bian Ke’s group. "You all will remain here in the valley for the time being. Should any real trouble arise here, we may need you to step in."

"No problem," the three agreed instantly.

Lan Fen and Shang Bingjie now treated the Heavenly Slaughter and Death Pact as mortal enemies. Shang Bingjie, in particular, had family on the Sea Ripple Continent and was determined to follow Ji Changkong's directives faithfully.

"Kong Kong, what about you?" asked Ben Yuan Zhi Du.

"I need to rest first. I must complete the preparatory work before the refinement can begin. Don't worry about me; I will emerge when the time is right," Ji Changkong replied. After arranging a few final matters within the valley, he directly plunged deep into the earth beneath Xuanyuan Valley.

Gathering the components for the Ancient Nine Transformations Grand Array, even with Xuanyuan Valley's current world-sweeping power, might only yield the majority of materials within a few days. However, refining the entire array in just a few days was certainly beyond his individual capacity.

Even with the assistance of the other Ninth Palace Celestial Masters like Lan Fen, completing the process within days was impossible.

He required another source of power.

The might of the Four Sacred Beasts!

Only the formidable power of the Four Sacred Beasts could possibly accomplish this feat!

Therefore, he needed to communicate directly with the Four Sacred Beasts and secure their aid. Without their backing, his entire plan remained infeasible.

Ten thousand fathoms beneath Xuanyuan Valley rested the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon. He first had to gain the Azure Dragon’s recognition and secure its assistance.

Having mastered the power of Earth in the Five Elements Heaven realm, his body could now seamlessly integrate with the earth, allowing him to sink directly to profound depths.

In the past, his realm was insufficient; he could only descend a thousand fathoms before the lack of supporting power became debilitating. Now, having broken through to the Ninth Palace Heaven realm, the constraint of a thousand fathoms no longer applied.

Under the influence of his internal energies, the earth treated him as if it were air, exerting no influence. His true form plunged downward, continuing his descent until he reached nine thousand nine hundred and fifty fathoms, where he finally encountered a potent barrier—a field of immense power preventing further penetration.

Only fifty more fathoms remained, yet the obstruction here had become incredibly luminous. This substance, bright as flawless jade, was clearly not common earth or soil; it was Primordial Crystal, formed by primordial energy condensed to its absolute peak—a treasure far surpassing even top-grade Primordial Stones.

The dazzling Yuan Crystal, shining with brilliant, diamond-like splendor, was immensely vast, appearing as a single, integrated mass. Rich primordial energy perpetually coiled around it, completely enveloping the colossal form of the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon resting fifty fathoms below.

Ji Changkong planted his feet upon the Yuan Crystal, absorbing the dense wave of vital energy emanating from it. He slowly opened his spiritual sense, striving to perceive the body of the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon fifty fathoms beneath his boots.

As his soul extended, a gigantic silhouette gradually materialized in his mind's eye—and...

What an immense, ancient life form this was!

From Xuanyuan Valley, through the Heavenly Mountain range, across the Grey-Dark Mountain range, all the way to the East Heaven Peak, the body of the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon stretched onward. Though not seen by the physical eye, through the communion of the soul, he understood that the Azure Dragon’s serpentine form spanned at least ten thousand miles!

A body stretching ten thousand miles—what did that signify?

It meant the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon’s physique was vastly larger than the entire Water Cloud Nation. This ancient life form was terrifying; on the Five Elements Continent, this Sacred Beast clan, along with the White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise, likely occupied fully one-tenth of the continent’s total surface area!

Carefully calculating the scale, Ji Changkong felt a profound shock. He finally grasped the sheer magnitude of the Sacred Beasts’ physical presence.

No wonder ancient history held so many supreme masters desperate to acquire the power of the Four Sacred Beasts, to make their abilities their own. Such terrifying ancient beings, throughout their long lifespans, must possess comprehension of celestial power far exceeding that of humanity!

If the Sacred Beasts before the Great Cataclysm were all this massive, how incomprehensibly powerful must they have been in their prime?

Only when they were gravely wounded would those covetous individuals dare to scheme against them, surely? In their full glory, who would dare lay a hand upon such colossal, terrifying primordial organisms?

Considering this, Ji Changkong drew a deep breath, slowly regulating his soul, and guided his consciousness toward the location of the Azure Dragon’s head, intending to initiate communication.

"...For thousands of years, we have nurtured generation after generation of Xuanyuan descendants, yet not a single one has ever returned from that place. Your ancestors perished in the Ancestral Demon Land; the former collaborators of the White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise all met their end. For millennia, you are the only one able to return alive. You have surpassed all who came before you."

The soul of the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon abruptly manifested the image of that benevolent, white-browed old man, standing before Ji Changkong’s spirit, gazing at him with a gentle smile. "It seems you can advance even further, perhaps even possessing the potential to eradicate the Ancestral Demon for us. We truly did not misjudge you!"

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