The myriad pinpricks of light within the 'Bending Enclosure Disk' were dense; a rough count revealed nearly a hundred 'Residences!' These lights were not uniform, presenting as blue-green hues, the manifestations of two distinct life forms.

The instant the anomaly in the disk manifested, Ji Changkong knew they were in trouble.

Directly ahead, a patch of space indicated a battle was raging. Without a doubt, the combatants had to be the Zake race and the Yin-Mo race! It was a fierce engagement! In his disk, the lights would occasionally wink out one by one; every time a pinpoint flickered uncertainly before slowly extinguishing, it signified the end of a life.

Clearly, in the conflict ahead, someone was dying every moment! Having previously encountered both the Zake and Yin-Mo races, he knew that every member of these two high-tier species possessed considerable strength. The Zake excelled in soul power, while the Yin-Mo specialized in ferocious assaults and possessed extremely tough physical bodies.

Masters of two high-tier races clashing in such an area—the fighting was brutal. Under such circumstances, venturing forward rashly would be courting death! Worse yet, would the people over there detect their 'Light-Reflector' vessel?

A thought suddenly struck him, causing Ji Changkong’s expression to shift slightly. He immediately began adjusting his life fluctuations, completely concealing his aura in hopes of avoiding detection by the enemy masters.

He wasn't worried about the Yin-Mo strongmen. While terrifying, the Yin-Mo were extremely weak in soul exploration, which was one reason he and Hong Mandun had been able to move freely within the Yin-Mo domain.

But the Zake were another matter. This 'Light-Reflector' vessel originated from the Zake race. The disk within the 'Light-Star' could detect life fluctuations ahead; wouldn't the other Zake masters within their own 'Light-Star' be able to detect them as well?

Thinking this through, Ji Changkong grew even more cautious, hastily communicating with Hong Mandun, "We've run into trouble."

Hong Mandun merely furrowed his brow before replying, "It seems our luck isn't so great. Hm, I always knew this trip wouldn't be smooth sailing; stumbling into trouble is normal. Let’s be careful and avoid getting too close for now. Hopefully, we won't be discovered."

Ji Changkong nodded, then refocused his spirit, sinking back into the disk, guiding the 'Light-Star' towards a relatively remote area within the soul-sense map.

A cold, desolate dead star suddenly appeared in his spiritual perception.

A flicker of joy crossed Ji Changkong’s mind, and he immediately stopped hesitating, maneuvering the 'Light-Star' directly toward that dead star.

Upon approach, he realized the area held more than just one dead star; in front of and to the sides of that solitary body were dozens more dead stars.

This discovery filled Ji Changkong with even greater delight; he felt they could temporarily hide upon the dead star and perhaps evade the confrontation between the two major races.

Gradually, the 'Light-Star' drew nearer to the dead star. Their souls stretched out, subtly sensing the surroundings.

"No life signatures. It should be fine," Hong Mandun said after sensing the area for a while, his eyes closed.

With his cultivation at the Ten Directions Heaven Realm, his attainment in soul matters was no less than that of the Zake masters. Hearing his assessment, Ji Changkong, who also sensed nothing amiss, finally relaxed, fixing his attention on a small, raised hillock.

Soon, the 'Light-Star' penetrated the dead star's atmosphere, materialized above it, and guided itself accurately toward that small rise.

Concealing their auras, Ji Changkong and Hong Mandun silently let out a breath of relief.

"What rotten luck, stumbling right into the Zake territory. It seems this trip will be troublesome," Ji Changkong sighed helplessly. "By the way, how do you plan to proceed? Wait until the two races finish fighting?"

Hong Mandun sat still, the light in his eyes flickering incessantly as he pondered.

After a moment, Hong Mandun spoke, "Let’s wait for half a month. If the two races are still fighting by then, it means this battle will last a long time—maybe a year or two before ending. In that case, we’ll just charge through, consequences be damned. Of course, if there are signs of a lull, we can wait longer."

"Mm, let's wait for a while then. I hope they finish within half a month," Ji Changkong agreed.

Ten Wuhou.

While cultivating the 'Heavenly Derivation Ancient Art' secretly within the 'Light-Star', Ji Changkong suddenly felt a profound shudder deep in his heart, an unsettling feeling that some malevolent entity was quietly closing in.

This sensation was exceedingly mystical; it wasn't a direct manifestation of divine sense, but rather felt like an intuition...

Suddenly snapping out of his cultivation, Ji Changkong frowned deeply and let his soul-sense expand, searching the surroundings.

Nothing seemed out of place, nor did he detect any life aura.

Yet, that uneasy feeling persisted, refusing to dissipate, which made him feel even more certain that something was wrong.

He had been diligently cultivating the 'Heavenly Derivation Ancient Art' during this period. In practicing this miraculous technique, he vaguely felt his soul undergoing a form of sublimation. Though he couldn't pinpoint the exact outcome, he knew it was a positive development.

It seemed his 'Supreme Void Secret Record' was also giving him a new sensation, subtly altering his soul without him realizing it.

This inner disquiet seemed to stem from years of arduous training and insight. Although his divine sense hadn't registered any anomaly, the feeling of unease remained stubbornly present.

"Something isn't right," he suddenly stood up, opening the entrance/exit of the 'Light-Star,' intending to step outside and observe.

Hong Mandun opened his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know why, but I have a persistent feeling that danger is approaching. I released my divine sense but couldn't detect anything unusual, so I want to go out and check."

"Stop being jumpy. If any real threat materialized, I would feel it. Since I haven't felt anything, there shouldn't be any issue," Hong Mandun dismissed it casually.

"It’s better to be cautious," Ji Changkong shook his head. It wasn't that he distrusted Hong Mandun, but he trusted his own intuition more. On a dead star like this, if danger were brewing, preparation was best done early.

"Suit yourself. I’ll stay here."

Ji Changkong emerged from the 'Light-Star,' hovering above it, looking around for any irregularities.

The view was one of boundless desolation and stillness. The dead star was covered everywhere in strange rocks. Life-bearing stars were all unique, but dead stars were mostly the same, composed entirely of peculiar stones, many of which were meteorites from beyond their world.

Wherever his gaze fell, there were endless stones, revealing no other traces. Was he truly being overly sensitive? Or was his intuition malfunctioning? Shaking his head, Ji Changkong cast aside the doubt in his heart and manifested the vast Star Sea Map from his Demonic Body and soul.

He attempted to drive the Vast Star Sea Map with his spirit power. Only after confirming the map showed no issues and successfully inscribing the surrounding dead stars onto the new chart did he feel somewhat reassured.

The nearby celestial bodies flickered into existence within the Vast Star Sea Map. The map being operational meant he could use it to immediately depart in case of danger. With this safeguard in place, his tension eased slightly.

He began to feel the surrounding energies, missing no trace or wisp of aura.

A cold, chilling corpse aura flickered momentarily on the dead, silent star. Ji Changkong’s pupils contracted; he seemed to realize something suddenly.

Without the slightest hesitation, Ji Changkong darted back into the 'Light-Star,' not uttering a word to Hong Mandun, and immediately began manipulating the disk.

Rumble! A tremendous roar erupted from the 'Light-Star.' Fire streams sprayed out from the external vents. The 'Light-Star' slowly lifted off the dead star once more.

"What are you doing?" Hong Mandun snapped. "The time hasn't come yet! The Zake and Yin-Mo races are still fighting out there; this is hardly a good time to leave."

"It is now, or I fear we won't be able to leave at all," Ji Changkong gave a wry smile, then added, "Even leaving now, I don't know if it's too late..."

Hong Mandun's expression immediately turned grave. "What did you discover?"

"I think I spotted an acquaintance—no, a familiar corpse... Damn it all, this is bizarre! Why would that fellow be here!" Ji Changkong exclaimed wildly.

"What exactly is going on?" Hong Mandun clutched his long sword tighter, his tension rising.

"Years ago, I went to the East Sea, intending to destroy the Ghost Demon King. There was a place there called Yin-Si Pass—the ghostliest spot with the heaviest Yin energy in our Five Elements Continent. The Ghost Demon King cultivated there back then. But in Yin-Si Pass, I found more than just the Ghost Demon King; I found an Ice Stone Coffin, and inside that coffin was a corpse from the Purgatory Ghost Race!"

Ji Changkong’s face was full of astonishment. "That Corpse was allegedly a super-weapon forged by the Purgatory Ghost Race. Back then, it seemed to be summoned by some force, flying away from Yin-Si Pass, presumably returning to its Purgatory Ghost Race creator. Just now, I sensed a surge of corpse energy—if my feeling is correct, it came from that Corpse!"

"I have heard of the Purgatory Ghost Race, but never of the Ghost Corpse... Why can't I sense it?" Hong Mandun asked, confused.

"The Ghost Corpse has absolutely no life fluctuation; it’s an inanimate object. Of course, you can't sense it," Ji Changkong grimaced.

"Is that Ghost Corpse very powerful?" Hong Mandun continued to probe.

"The Purgatory Ghost Race is renowned as the most warlike race in the Endless Star Domain. Back then, many races couldn't gain the upper hand against them, supposedly because the Purgatory Ghost Race had the Ghost Corpse aiding them. I don't know how powerful the Ghost Corpse is, but I imagine it's not weak..." Ji Changkong admitted.

Hong Mandun fell silent, then after a long pause, said, "Then we should leave quickly. Better not stir up trouble."

Bang! Suddenly, a violent impact struck beneath the 'Light-Star.' A great force erupted from below. Just as the two were speaking, a bulge appeared right beside them.

"Damn it!" Ji Changkong yelled, immediately stating, "It must be that fellow! He must have seen us, which is why he suddenly appeared!"

With just that one strike, the 'Light-Star' showed a bulge. If he struck it a few more times, wouldn't the 'Light-Star' fall apart?

Thinking this, Ji Changkong didn't hesitate. He immediately retrieved the smaller piece of Purple Gold Star Crystal he possessed and embedded it into the central groove of the 'Ice Magnetic Wave Pattern' artifact beneath the disk.

Connecting his soul to the 'Ice Magnetic Wave Pattern' artifact, Ji Changkong wasted no time and activated it.

A strange energy magnetism dispersed outward, striking in all directions. An aura of extreme cold enveloped the surroundings, forming an inscrutable magnetic field.

Crack, crack, crack! The rock near them emitted strange sounds, followed by layers of ripples spreading outwards, impacting everything around them.

Almost instantaneously, everything affected by those ripples turned to dust and vanished.

The 'Ice Magnetic Wave Pattern' operated for only three seconds. Ji Changkong quickly pried out the now-dimmer piece of Purple Gold Star Crystal, then violently activated the 'Light-Star,' hurrying upward.

A piece of crystal the size of a millstone suddenly materialized in the center of the disk. Ji Changkong manipulated it and showed it to Hong Mandun. "This is the view outside."

Hong Mandun took one look and was instantly stunned speechless.

Below was nothing but gray dust; smoke and debris obscured the lower section of the 'Light-Star.' But through the haze, he could see that the small hillock where they had been parked and the nearby dead volcanoes had completely vanished.

That entire area looked as if it had been ravaged by an earth-shattering explosion; all the rock had been reduced to fine powder, scattering in the wind.

This was no longer the place where they had been parked moments before; it looked like a desert piled high with gray sand!

"That thing caused all that?" Hong Mandun gasped, then glanced at the 'Ice Magnetic Wave Pattern' artifact with residual fear. "Can this thing even kill a Ten Directions Heaven Master?"

"I don't know, but that thing is terrifyingly powerful," Ji Changkong forced a dry laugh.

"It’s not a little terrifying, it’s extremely terrifying!" Hong Mandun sucked in a cold breath and murmured, "No wonder you said there was a chance to break through from there. If we have this thing clearing the path, we truly can slay gods and destroy buddhas!"

"Don't dream about it. The two pieces of Purple Gold Star Crystal you gave me can, at most, power it for thirty seconds."

"That’s enough. Thirty seconds is ample time for us to accomplish a lot. Let’s go, we’re departing!" Hong Mandun said excitedly. "You little rascal, you had such a treasure and didn't tell me? If I'd known you had this gem, we wouldn't have needed to hide from those Zake brutes."

"Ah!" Ji Changkong suddenly shrieked, pointing at the crystal disk. "Look!"

Hong Mandun glanced over and also cried out, "He’s not dead! What kind of monster is this!"

Amidst the swirling dust below, a skinny, skeletal mummy, riddled with wounds, was wriggling its body in the grit. It slowly managed to stand up and tilted its head toward the sky. Its pair of lifeless eyes seemed to pierce through the distance, through the crystal disk, and land upon the two of them.

A chilling sensation shot through both men the moment those numb eyes fixed upon them.

A: Weakly begging for Monthly Tickets, uh, Recommendation Tickets, clicks, and rewards are also fine—just let me know you are still reading this book... (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next F)