The man was Zhang Hai. He had been sent to this area to scout things out, to see if anything was amiss.

But the moment he arrived, Zhang Hai froze, staring dumbfounded at the powerfully built big man and exclaiming, "How are you here? Li—"

After that sharp cry, Zhang Hai's expression shifted slightly. Surprise morphed into confusion as he murmured to himself, "No, it's not quite right; that fellow was a bit thinner. What in the world is going on?"

Ji Haotian remained impassive, observing him with curiosity before asking, "Who are you? Have you seen me somewhere before?"

"No," Zhang Hai shook his head, his gaze strangely fixed. "However, we did have someone arrive here. He looks remarkably like you. When I first saw you, I actually thought you were him!"

Ji Haotian frowned, staring hard at Zhang Hai for a moment before querying, "What place is this?"

"The Tuoman Continent!"

"The Tuoman Continent? What kind of place is that?"

"Uh... you don't know the Tuoman Continent? Then where did you come from? You must have escaped through the spatial turbulence of another life star to avoid the three masters of the Yin Demon Clan, right?" Zhang Hai sounded completely certain of his assumption.

"I did not," Ji Haotian’s face suddenly darkened, a demonic gleam flashing in his eyes as he demanded, "How far is this place from the Five Elements Continent?"

"The Five Elements Continent!" Zhang Hai exclaimed suddenly, his expression growing even more bizarre.

"You know the Five Elements Continent?" Ji Haotian instantly lit up with excitement. His figure blurred, and in a flash, he was in front of Zhang Hai. With a massive sweep of his hand, Zhang Hai was instantly trapped and immobilized by Ji Haotian's binding force, subject to an immense gravitational pull.

Zhang Hai was a cultivator of the Eight Trigrams Heaven Realm, yet before this man, he didn't even have a sliver of opportunity to fight back.

A profoundly bizarre energy, like a burrowing earthworm, violently shot into his body. In an instant, it seemed to seize control of his physique, rendering him utterly motionless. Even his thoughts felt sluggish.

"Speak! What do you know? Which way should I go to reach the Five Elements Continent?" Ji Haotian pressed.

"I... I don't know the exact route, but I know the Five Elements Continent. The Xuanyuan Valley there is the strongest force in the Solar Star Domain. And... and there are masters from the Five Elements Continent here right now! They can definitely take you back!" Zhang Hai felt his mind slipping beyond his control, his soul sinking toward an unseen abyss.

"Oh?" Ji Haotian suddenly became energized. "Good. Take me there. I want to see exactly who is here!"

Ji Haotian hauled Zhang Hai along, following the direction Zhang Hai indicated, speeding toward the location of the "Dark Star."

Ji Haotian was already terrifyingly powerful, but after obtaining the Twelve Heavens Demon Banner, his physical body had been reforged, and his internal strength had multiplied several times over. In the sky, Ji Haotian moved like a meteor chasing the moon, his speed virtually impossible for the mortal eye to track.

Pushing his full momentum, it wasn't long before he rapidly approached the "Dark Star."

"Eh?" Just then, Ji Changkong, who was near the "Dark Star," looked up with a gasp, immediately rising to his feet, his face etched with gravity.

He sensed an incredibly potent soul fluctuation approaching at breakneck speed—a power no less imposing than the Ghost Demon King of old, instilling in him a deep sense of unease.

His eyes alight with sharp brilliance, Ji Changkong took a deep breath, preparing himself for an imminent clash.

Suddenly, Ji Changkong’s pupils contracted, his face contorting in utter horror as he shrieked, "You... how are you here?"

Smack!

Zhang Hai’s body was flung carelessly aside as Ji Haotian’s massive frame suddenly materialized directly in front of Ji Changkong. He glanced at Ji Changkong with a look of genuine confusion. "You recognize me?"

Ji Haotian studied Ji Changkong intently. A faint, familiar sensation stirred in his own heart, but whenever he tried to grasp it, the memory remained elusive.

"You... you can speak now?" Ji Changkong’s voice trembled, his mind reeling from the shock.

"What? Have you truly seen me before?" Ji Haotian grew more curious.

Taking a long, slow breath, Ji Changkong forcibly suppressed the surging emotions within him. He closed his eyes and remained silent for a long moment before murmuring softly, "I... I am Ji Changkong. Do you... do you remember?"

"Ji Changkong, Ji Changkong, Ji Changkong..." Ji Haotian knitted his brows, concentrating. After a moment, his body jolted violently, his face splitting into an expression of disbelief and ecstatic joy as he stared fixedly at the other man. "Changkong? It's you? This... how is this possible? How is this possible!"

Two streams of hot tears escaped Ji Haotian’s eyes uncontrollably. Still grasping at the unknown, he kept murmuring at Ji Changkong, "How could it be? How could you possibly be here?" At these words, Ji Changkong’s eyes also reddened. He looked at Ji Haotian with a complex expression, stumbling over his words, "You're awake. You're finally awake..."

"Why... why are you here? What in the world is going on?" Ji Haotian’s voice quivered.

"It's a long story," Ji Changkong offered a bitter smile and began to meticulously recount everything he knew to Ji Haotian.

Across the vast Star Domain, two "Light Stars" continued their swift voyage.

Aboard one of the "Light Stars," the Zakk leader suddenly sneered, "The Dark Star has stopped moving. He can't escape now."

"My Lord, should we prepare something in advance?"

"Yes, prepare. We will temporarily halt the 'Light Star' outside the planet—don't descend directly. First, we will annihilate every living thing on that planet!"

"Eh, My Lord, there are many Human Celestial Masters gathered on that star! Heavens! There are several thousand Celestial Masters! What is happening?"

"Hmm? Several thousand Celestial Masters!" The Zakk leader was also startled. He observed the compass before him for a while, his pupils filling with strange colors. "Bizarre. Indeed, there are several thousand Celestial Masters, and they all appear quite formidable."

"My Lord, could it be that the target knows we are pursuing him and has set a trap here?"

"Possible, but even this many Celestial Masters will be utterly scattered by the bombardment from our 'Light Star'! Hmph, as long as they aren't Ten Directions Celestial Masters who can flee the life star, we have nothing to fear!" the leader declared.

"My Lord, shall we commence?"

"Prepare!"

"Understood!"

Rumble! Boom!

A tremendous roar erupted from the other "Light Star." A shocked voice carried over from that vessel: "What was that?"

"What's wrong?"

"We're under attack!"

"What is it?"

The targeted "Light Star" suddenly spewed massive fire-serpents, from within which beams of intense light shot out, spreading in all directions.

Under the glare of this fierce light, three Three-Headed, Six-Armed Yin Demon Clan masters suddenly materialized.

These three formidable Yin Demon masters were hovering directly in the star domain, their bodies occasionally flickering with sparks, seemingly unaffected by the planet's gravity.

The grotesque features of the Three-Headed, Six-Armed Yin Demons were all twisted with brutal ferocity. Without a sound, they began hammering the underside of the "Light Star."

The fire-serpents spat out by the "Light Star" seemed to have no effect upon them, but whenever the arms of these three Yin Demon masters struck the "Light Star," earth-shattering roars echoed out.

"Yin Demon Clan! Heavens! What are these things doing here?"

The leader aboard that "Light Star" shrieked in alarm. "Three-Headed, high-tier Yin Demons! What terrible luck, running into these creatures!"

The leader snapped in agitation, "Descend! Halt the attack on that planet immediately, and drop down onto the surface! The Three-Headed Yin Demons possess unimaginable strength, and their bodies can withstand direct exposure. We cannot afford that!"

"Understood!"

The "Light Star" being assaulted by the three Yin Demons suddenly erupted with an intensely violent surge of energy. Under a furious impact, the ship staggered and swayed, managing to break free from the Yin Demons' attack and plummeting toward the Tuoman Continent below.

The other "Light Star," where the leader was, showed no hesitation. Propelled by beams of intense light, it too began its descent toward the Tuoman Continent.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In their haste, the two "Light Stars" collided head-on with a mountain peak before they could finally halt their descent.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The three Yin Demon masters tore through the chaotic, disordered space, descending from the heavens. Seemingly locking onto their targets, they relentlessly attacked the two "Light Stars."

The Zakk masters inside the vessels hadn't even managed to emerge before they were being tossed about in disarray.

"These Yin Demon maniacs! If we don't show them what we're made of, do they really think the Zakk Clan is a pushover?" The Zakk leader roared in fury, finally flying out of the "Light Star." His dark-gold armor instantly projected a protective barrier the size of a military shield.

The Zakk leader’s dark-gold eyes swirled rapidly, and a vast soul fluctuation suddenly emanated from his body.

Instantly, a silver iron sphere, about the size of a watermelon, flew toward the center of the three Yin Demon masters. It emitted no discernible energy, but upon reaching their nexus, it exploded violently.

Space was torn open, and razor-sharp spatial blades erupted outward in a savage spray, moving too fast for any creature to react.

Under the impact of the spatial blades, the bodies of the three Yin Demon masters were pierced with visible rents. One Yin Demon suffered the worst fate, having both of its heads cleanly severed by the spatial edges.

With only one head remaining, it glared savagely at the Zakk leader and roared, charging forward in a frenzy.

"Eh? There's fighting over there, with incredibly strong power fluctuations!" Ji Changkong, who had only just reunited with his father, didn't have time to reflect before his expression changed. He closed his eyes to sense the situation and exclaimed, "The Zakk Clan and the Yin Demon Clan. Damn it, what a coincidence!"

"Interesting. Let's go take a look!" Ji Haotian closed his eyes, sensed the conflict, and grinned, suddenly finding the situation engaging. (To be continued) <>H