Lan Fen and Shang Bingwa seemed not to grasp Ji Changkong’s true meaning until this moment. Previously, the two felt that Ji Changkong only intended to force back the Lord of Tianlu and the leader of the Death Alliance, but now, hearing his words, they realized Ji Changkong’s ambition stretched far beyond that.

It was at this time that Lan Fen began to seriously consider his intentions, suspecting he held other, deeper goals concerning the Lord of Tianlu and the leader of the Death Alliance.

Lan Fen suddenly felt that the young Ji Changkong could not be underestimated. She no longer viewed him as an impulsive, reckless junior, but instinctively began treating him as an opponent on the same level.

The Ancient Nine Transformations Absolute Array possessed infinite power. One-tenth of its strength was enough to imprison the Lord of Tianlu and the leader of the Death Alliance; three-tenths would be sufficient to execute them both!

If the Lord of Tianlu and the leader of the Death Alliance, along with the experts under their command, were all killed on Misty Island, the landscape of the Solar Star Domain would drastically change!

Having lost those top experts, the two major powers of Tianlu and the Death Alliance would find it nearly impossible to maintain their supreme status in the Solar Star Domain. At that moment, the Lord of the Demon Cave was still heavily injured and out of commission.

A smile curved Lan Fen’s lips, spreading like ripples, growing wider. She seemed to have conceived of something wonderfully exquisite.

Xiao Xing, Mo Yunyi, and the others relayed the conditions of the continent to him while placing various strange substances within the valley.

When all this was accomplished, under his signal, experts like Xiao Xing and Mo Yunyi, those who had reached the Eighth Level of the Heaven’s Mystery Realm, began to disperse from the bottom of the valley—some moved to the peak of Tianqi Mountain, and others took positions in various corners of the valley, acting as guardians.

“Eh, you, you are?” Suddenly, a clearly flustered, delicate voice drifted down from the summit of Tianqi Mountain. Zhou Miaoshan had appeared there at some unknown point. She looked down into the valley and immediately spotted Meng Gang below.

While on the sun, Ji Changkong and Meng Gang had been together. Ji Changkong had shared a somewhat awkward experience with Zhou Miaoshan. Although he had deliberately altered his appearance while on the sun, Meng Gang’s appearance had remained unchanged.

Zhou Miaoshan recognized Meng Gang and immediately spotted him where he absolutely should not have been on the Five Elements Continent. She looked utterly astonished, staring at him muttering, “Impossible, how, how is this possible?”

Meng Gang stood right beside Ji Changkong, and as Zhou Miaoshan looked at Meng Gang, she certainly must have noticed Ji Changkong next to him.

His expression remained unchanged, but within his heart, tidal waves surged. Did she—did she discover something? No! She absolutely could not be allowed to find out, or the reunion they would have on Hailan Continent would be incredibly awkward, potentially causing a massive mess!

A string of thoughts flashed through Ji Changkong’s mind, yet his face showed no reaction. He subtly signaled Meng Gang with his eyes, urging him to cover for him.

Zhou Miaoshan descended, approaching Meng Gang, gazing at him blankly. Her charming face slowly flushed red. “Do, do you recognize me? Up there on the sun, you and someone else, you once, you once saved me?”

Meng Gang frowned, glancing at Zhou Miaoshan. He pretended to ponder for a moment before exclaiming with sudden realization, “Oh? It’s you? I remember, I remember my friend saved you, and he also…”

“Is it really you?” Zhou Miaoshan interrupted Meng Gang’s next words with a sharp exclamation, then hurriedly asked, “Why are you here? And, is your friend here too?”

Meng Gang shook his head. “I came here accidentally. My friend... he died on Hailan Continent. You probably won’t have a chance to see him again.”

At this statement, Zhou Miaoshan immediately froze, her expression deeply complex. It was as if a burden had been lifted from her soul, yet there was also a trace of sorrow, as if something precious had been permanently lost. She seemed lost in recollection.

Ji Changkong remained silent, even subtly moving away from Meng Gang, fearful that Zhou Miaoshan might deduce something from the distance between them. Since Zhou Miaoshan was also in the Eighth Level of the Heaven’s Mystery Realm, her soul power was formidable; if she perceived anything from the minute details, trouble would ensue.

“Ji Changkong!” Zhou Miaoshan murmured his name after a moment of quiet contemplation.

“What?” Ji Changkong jumped, calling out.

Zhou Miaoshan looked at him suspiciously, asking strangely, “Why are you making such a fuss?”

“Cough, cough, no, nothing...” Ji Changkong smiled awkwardly, taking a deep breath to steady his mind, and said calmly, “Is there something you need?”

“This time, you must help our Ye Family. The Ye Family was ostracized by the Celestial Master Realm of the Tianwu Nation and previously suffered a joint attack from them. Now the Tianwu Nation is in chaos, and our Ye Family wishes to reclaim everything that belongs to us. We need your help. As long as you assist our Ye Family, the Ye Family will honor Xuanyuan Valley above all else from now on!” Zhou Miaoshan said seriously.

Honor Xuanyuan Valley above all else?

This meant the Ye Family would henceforth accept the direction of Xuanyuan Valley, perhaps even be constrained by it, awaiting orders from Xuanyuan Valley on certain matters, just like the Xiao Family and the Chen Family.

This implied that the Ye Family would essentially become a vassal of Xuanyuan Valley, forming an external force around it. This was quite valuable, after all, the Ye Family was once the head of all great families, and even severely wounded, their foundation remained intact.

Furthermore, since Zhou Qiangwei was still within Xuanyuan Valley, Ji Changkong bore an undeniable responsibility for the Ye Family’s miserable situation. Thinking this through, Ji Changkong’s expression grew heavy, and he asked, “Is this your own intention, or the intention of the Ye Family elders?”

“It is my intention, and the intention of the Ye Family. As long as Xuanyuan Valley helps our Ye Family reclaim everything that is ours, the Ye Family will forever be bound to Xuanyuan Valley, awaiting, awaiting Xuanyuan Valley’s commands.” Zhou Miaoshan nodded earnestly.

“Good.” Ji Changkong smiled easily, nodding toward Xiao Xing on Tianqi Mountain. “Uncle Xiao, I trouble you to help the Ye Family resolve their issues.”

“I know what to do.” Xiao Xing was delighted and said with a smile to Zhou Miaoshan, “If you don’t mind, we can deal with your Ye Family’s matters right now.”

Zhou Miaoshan had already been impatient. Hearing this, she hesitated no longer, merely casting one last strange glance at Ji Changkong before moving beside Xiao Xing to discuss the Ye Family’s affairs.

“Changkong, you need to be more careful in the future. Sometimes, a woman’s intuition is terrifying,” Meng Gang quietly approached him and whispered a warning. He had already sensed the issue and offered a timely reminder.

Ji Changkong nodded secretly, indicating he understood.

Two days later, Gu Pu, Dick, and the Celestial Master from the Feihua lineage finally appeared in the distance.

The noble lady from the Feihua lineage seemed slightly injured, her complexion pale. After joining Lan Fen, she quietly explained the situation, her expression filled with horror.

The scales on Dick’s body were dull, but Ji Changkong could sense starlight gathering on them, slowly restoring the star power within his armor. Dick had clearly expended immense energy, but it seemed he would not suffer any serious long-term harm.

Gu Pu, like Dick, had depleted a significant amount of his Yuan Power. Upon arrival, he immediately sat cross-legged, without a word, beginning to draw upon the Heaven and Earth Qi here to recover, not wasting a single moment.

Dick eventually walked over and said, “It was the same strange creature. He became even more formidable. The main thing is, the three of us couldn't kill him; we could only engage in a stalemate. Fortunately, he eventually retreated.”

Dick briefly recounted the events, explaining that after he and the noble lady from Feihua, who was at the peak of the Ninth Palace Celestial Master Realm, entered the Gray Ridge Mountain Range led by Gui Rong, they immediately discovered the battle between Gu Pu and the Ghost Demon King.

At that time, Gu Pu’s strength was already considerably depleted. Had it not been for the addition of him and the Feihua noble lady expert, Gu Pu might truly have encountered danger.

However, once they arrived, Gu Pu was no longer in peril. Although the three of them combined their power, they still failed to execute the Ghost Demon King, only forcing him to retreat. Afterward, the three jointly located and destroyed the spatial turbulence zone, confirmed its elimination, and then came here.

“That fellow’s life form has changed again, becoming, becoming slightly stronger than before. You must be careful,” Dick said, the light in his eyes flashing, his tone grave. “Even now, I haven't found his weakness, and I don't know how to thoroughly eliminate him. He seems unable to die.”

Nodding, indicating he understood Dick’s meaning, Ji Changkong was about to mention that he would deal with the Ghost Demon King when his expression suddenly changed, and he snorted coldly, “You followed the three of them up here stealthily? Ghost Demon King, are you here to court death?”

A faint shadow suddenly materialized in the empty space a thousand meters behind Gu Pu. It was the Ghost Demon King manifesting in a special form.

The Ghost Demon King still harbored apprehension toward Ji Changkong and dared not approach this area, hovering distantly. He spoke in an icy voice, “I followed only to see what you are doing, Ji Changkong. I tell you, I will be able to kill you very soon. That day won’t be long.”

“Oh, is that so?” Ji Changkong sneered. Just as he was preparing to summon the Soul Suppressing Melody of the Purgatory Ghost Clan, a peculiar idea struck him. “Ghost Demon King, I’ll offer you a great opportunity—a chance for a massive killing spree!”

With that, without waiting for the Ghost Demon King’s reply, his Second Soul and the Vast Star Sea Chart shot out simultaneously, hovering instantly above the Ghost Demon King’s location.

Immense power immediately radiated from the Vast Star Sea Chart. Before the Ghost Demon King could react, a colossal luminous aperture materialized out of thin air. Concurrently, six Soul Pillars descended from all directions, trapping the Ghost Demon King with nowhere to retreat, forcing his soul to instantly splinter into thousands of threads.

While splitting his soul under the influence of the Soul Suppressing Melody, a powerful suction force suddenly erupted from the luminous aperture of the Vast Star Sea Chart, violently pulling the Ghost Demon King into it, causing him to vanish from the Five Elements Continent for the second time.