Under the threat of the eerie woman behind him, Ji Changkong piloted the Guangchen directly into the Zak clan's gathering point. The Zak tribesmen, upon seeing the Guangchen charging towards them, showed absolutely no friendliness and immediately began to attack it en masse.

It seemed the Zak people were not fools; they knew the pilot inside was not one of their own.

Intense beams of light, shot from various artifacts, blasted forward, aiming to annihilate the Guangchen piloted by Ji Changkong and Hong Mandun.

Ji Changkong was already prepared.

The dim, purplish-gold Star Crystal was pressed once more into the artifact known as the Ice-Magnetic Wave. The Ice-Magnetic Wave, having just quieted, once again unleashed a magnetic field energy that radiated in all directions.

Every incoming artifact attack seemed unable to withstand the energy field projected by the Ice-Magnetic Wave. Under the sweep of this powerful current, all the incoming attacks dissolved into nothingness.

In that brief moment, Ji Changkong guided the Guangchen to plunge into the center of the Zak clan's territory. Taking advantage of the lingering aftershock of the Ice-Magnetic Wave, he charged forward recklessly.

"Five, four, three..." he silently counted down the remaining time sustained by the purple-gold Star Crystal. He held another Star Crystal in his palm, ready to replace the one currently in use at any second.

One hundred meters behind him, the woman from the Purgatory Ghost Clan seemed to awaken from a daze and pointed a hand forward.

All the members of the Hidden Demon Clan charged forward in a continuous wave, assailing the Zak tribesmen. Leading the charge for the Hidden Demon Clan was the Ghoul Corpse.

With a sound like breaking timber, the Ghoul Corpse smashed into an Anchen, tearing a massive hole clean through it. The Ghoul Corpse paused inside the Anchen for only three seconds, during which the Zak tribesmen within shrieked in excruciating agony as their lives were extinguished.

The Ghoul Corpse emerged from the wrecked Anchen, dripping with blood. It exerted force, dragging the ruined vessel, and slammed it violently into a nearby Guangchen. The Guangchen immediately erupted with a deafening roar; fire snakes spraying from it intertwined with the wreckage of the first Anchen. This seemed to trigger the energy artifacts on the wrecked Anchen, causing it to explode in a massive blast.

The fierce explosion engulfed the adjacent Guangfan, tearing gaping holes in its hull as well. The Ghoul Corpse seized the opportunity and burrowed inside.

Amidst a string of screams, the Hidden Demon masters aboard that Guangfan gradually fell silent.

The Ghoul Corpse once again emerged from the Guangfan, using unimaginable strength to drag this ship, too, toward another Guangchen beside it...

Using the same brutal method, the Ghoul Corpse managed to destroy five Anchen vessels in just a few minutes, resulting in the death of all the Zak tribesmen inside three Guangchen ships! With the Ghoul Corpse paving the way, the morale of the Hidden Demon Clan soared, and they flooded into the Zak gathering area, viciously attacking the Guangchen and Anchen ships, inflicting heavy damage upon the iron vessels carrying the Zak people.

With the Ghoul Corpse leading and the Hidden Demon warriors pressing from behind, the Zak iron ships were repeatedly smashed to pieces. Left without the protection of their vessels, the surviving Zak tribesmen could only flee in terror toward the nearest dead stars.

The fearless Hidden Demon warriors gave chase relentlessly. In a short while, the Zak clan suffered catastrophic casualties, with many more killed inside their Anchen and Guangchen vessels by the Ghoul Corpse itself.

The Tianchen ship continuously emitted powerful beams of Ice-Magnetic Wave light, attempting to strike down the Ghoul Corpse. However, the previously accurate Ice-Magnetic Wave beams seemed to lose their lock as soon as they targeted the Ghoul Corpse. Out of ten beams fired, perhaps only one or two managed to connect.

More critically, the Ghoul Corpse did not perish under the Ice-Magnetic Wave attack. The deathly miasma swirling around its body seemed capable of obstructing some of the Ice-Magnetic Wave's assault. This development finally caused the most powerful Zak masters aboard the Tianchen to erupt in shock and fury.

Suddenly, a Zak tribesman clad entirely in golden armor burst forth from the Tianchen.

Unlike the other Zak members, this master's armor was entirely a brilliant, dazzling gold. The subtle fluctuations emanating from this armor were also distinctly different from those of the typical Zak tribesman.

What was even more astonishing was his ability to hover directly in the vacuum of space, utterly unaffected by the various impact forces present. Clearly, this gold-armored Zak tribesman was the true powerhouse of the Zak clan.

As soon as he appeared, he immediately flew toward the Ghoul Corpse, gripping a gleaming golden light blade, his entire presence radiating fierce, sharp intent.

"Good, let them fight it out!" Ji Changkong sneered, pulling out another purple-gold Star Crystal and forcefully embedding it into the peculiar device emitting the Ice-Magnetic Wave.

The Ice-Magnetic Wave emanating from the Guangchen he piloted—which had only just quieted—began to unleash aimless, devastating bombardments in all directions once more.

Both the nearby Hidden Demon warriors and the Zak iron ships immediately scattered upon seeing the wild spray of the Ice-Magnetic Wave, terrified of being caught in the bombardment.

Under the cover of the Ice-Magnetic Wave, Ji Changkong steered his Guangchen straight toward the center of the Zak territory. The high-grade Tianchen ahead flickered, suggesting a strange power was being projected, attempting to interfere with the Guangchen Ji Changkong controlled. Ji Changkong immediately sensed this, let out a cold snort, and prepared to maneuver around it, wishing to avoid any contact with the Tianchen carrying the Zak clan's true master.

The Tianchen was a tool of a higher tier than the Guangchen. Who knew what artifacts designed to counter the Guangchen might reside within it? Cautiously, Ji Changkong sought to evade it, wanting to exit this area as quickly as possible.

Tinkle-ring! Tinkle-ring! Suddenly, a strange sound emanated from the control disc he manipulated. The disc flared with intense light, and the crystal viewing screen suddenly shattered.

From the nearby Tianchen, a peculiar resonance echoed, seemingly affecting his Guangchen continuously, instilling a sense of unease in him.

Crack! A fissure split open across his control disc. The flames erupting from the Guangchen's exterior instantly ceased their spray, and even the embedded energy ore stones stopped glittering.

"Damn it!" Ji Changkong started, instantly realizing this must be the influence from the nearby Tianchen. The higher-grade Tianchen indeed possessed some form of restraint over the lower-grade Guangchen. With the Guangchen immobilized at this moment, he was surrounded by Hidden Demon masters on one side and formidable Zak warriors on the other, with the Ghoul Corpse lurking menacingly afar, and the eerie woman of the Purgatory Ghost Clan secretly watching—what was he to do?

His main body had not yet reached the Ten Directions Heaven Realm, and he had never attempted to traverse the sea of stars relying solely on his physical form. If he could not depend on the Guangchen, would he be confined here? If this Guangchen were destroyed, wouldn't his physical body suffer the same fate?

A series of these thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind, and Ji Changkong suddenly conceived a plan.

The Vast Star Sea Chart manifested behind him. He released his spiritual consciousness, and the nearby dead stars became visible within his soul imprint.

As those dead stars appeared in his awareness, the Vast Star Sea Chart gained new, strange dots—each dot seemingly corresponding to a surrounding dead star.

With this layer of defense established, his heart settled somewhat. Ignoring Hong Mandun's surprise, he began to examine the control disc beneath him.

The disc was cracked, clearly damaged. The moment the disc fractured, the Ice-Magnetic Wave clamped beneath it ceased its frantic discharge. The light within the purple-gold Star Crystal still glowed; it appeared the energy within the crystal had not yet been fully exhausted.

After closely inspecting the disc, Ji Changkong frowned and then sighed, "It's irreparable. I'll have to seize one from another Guangchen, otherwise, this Guangchen might not be able to move."

While he was speaking, the Ghoul Corpse, covered in gore, was slowly approaching. The Zak master in the golden armor had already become a corpse, floating in space, completely devoid of life force.

Ji Changkong’s expression shifted drastically. "How is this possible?"

He had witnessed the battle between the Zak master and the Ghoul Corpse just moments ago. By his estimation, the golden-armored master was many times stronger than the ordinary Zak tribesmen—a fact evident simply from his ability to hover freely in space.

When they fought, Ji Changkong had paid close attention and thought the master’s power was roughly comparable to the Ghoul Corpse's. He had expected them to clash for a considerable time; he never anticipated the Ghoul Corpse would finish things so quickly.

Wait! Ji Changkong released his spiritual sense, giving him phantom eyes in the void. He saw deep, parallel scratch marks across the corpse of the Zak master. The marks resembled gouges made by fingernails. These scratches had torn through the master’s armor and penetrated deep into his body.

Scratches? They must have been inflicted by the fingernails of that eerie woman from the Purgatory Ghost Clan! Ji Changkong instantly understood and his face paled. "Be careful! That Purgatory Ghost Clan woman might already be nearby!"

"Ah!" Hong Mandun gasped. He had been preparing to dash out and snatch a replacement disc but immediately settled down, asking, "Are you certain that woman is close?"

"The Ghoul Corpse is here; she... shouldn't be too far," Ji Changkong replied with a wry smile.

"No, you must get another disc, or you are certainly doomed!" Hong Mandun took a deep breath, setting aside his concerns. "Open the hatch, and I will go out to grab one."

As far as Hong Mandun could see, Ji Changkong only possessed the cultivation of the Nine Palaces Heaven Realm. Once this Guangchen was destroyed, Hong Mandun, relying on his Ten Directions Heaven Realm cultivation, might survive in space. But Ji Changkong’s physical body certainly could not withstand the impacts of the strange forces in the void.

"Don't go out. I have another way," Ji Changkong said, seeing Hong Mandun’s loyalty, and decided to hide nothing further.

Under the influence of his power, the Vast Star Sea Chart suddenly displayed a glowing aperture. As the aperture appeared, Ji Changkong immediately called out, "Get in with me!"

"Where is this taking us?" Hong Mandun asked, surprised.

"Don't worry about it; I certainly won't harm you," Ji Changkong urged quickly.

At this moment, the Ghoul Corpse had reached the exterior of the Guangfan, beginning to tear at the Guangchen's entry point. It looked as if it could breach the hull at any second. Simultaneously, a profound sense of spiritual unease flooded Ji Changkong’s entire being.

She's here! Ji Changkong realized without thinking that the strange woman of the Purgatory Ghost Clan had arrived.

Even Hong Mandun seemed to sense the danger and hesitated no longer, leaping into the glowing aperture with a muffled thud.

As soon as Hong Mandun was through, Ji Changkong hurriedly flew in after him.

The light aperture sealed silently behind them, instantly condensing into a single pinpoint of light, which then vanished completely.

Moments after their figures disappeared, the Ghoul Corpse finally tore open the entrance to the Guangchen. Its dry body slipped inside, and its hollow eyes rotated blankly, seemingly searching for something. Alas, it found nothing.

Beside the Ghoul Corpse, marvelous ripples spread out, and the eerie woman of the Purgatory Ghost Clan materialized.

She inhaled lightly, moved to the spot where Ji Changkong should have been, and sensed the air for a moment. Then, she murmured in the common tongue, "He must be a descendant of our God Clan. Anyone who can perform the God Clan Soul-Quelling Chant must possess their bloodline. This brat ran fast, but... I will definitely find you!"

After speaking, her form blurred once more, and she vanished along with the Ghoul Corpse from inside the Guangchen.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The Guangfan that Ji Changkong and Hong Mandun had occupied suddenly exploded, flames soaring high, completely shattering the vessel.

Concurrently, a scream of utter terror erupted from the Tianchen carrying the Zak master: "It's a member of the Purgatory Ghost Clan!"

"What do we do? With that woman present, we certainly cannot win!" the first speaker commanded, and strange cries echoed from the Tianchen. Nearby Anchen and Guangchen ships began to flee rapidly.

Though the Tianchen fled last, it vanished in an instant, disappearing abruptly from the void.

"They fled quite fast..." The Purgatory Ghost Clan woman suddenly appeared where the Tianchen had dissolved, murmuring softly, "The Zak Clan, hmph. It seems I must annihilate their entire lineage."