Li Xing appeared profoundly panicked. He understood that the so-called cooperation among them held little binding force; only by proving his worth could he secure anyone's assistance.

Li Xing had managed to survive this long solely because the Wood Clan intended to wear him down slowly. They planned to eliminate him without incurring any cost, a process that might be slower but would certainly be safer.

With the arrival of Zou Tao, Huo Feng, and their group, the Wood Clan realized their original plan was untenable and prepared to finish Li Xing off as quickly as possible. Under these circumstances, if Li Xing failed to gain aid, the likelihood of his immediate execution was immense. “I know the direction of the Life Vortex!” Li Xing screamed, scrambling and crawling backward into the thicket of thorny woods.

Beside him, the colossal Shoe Trees, manipulated by the Wood Clan, moved almost like puppets, launching attacks against Li Xing. When he let his guard down, branches from the Luring Trees would snake out, snagging his waist and legs, whereupon more tenacious branches would coil around him.

Li Xing wildly swung a saber in his hand; streaks of ethereal light crisscrossed the void, severing the foliage, as he desperately retreated backward.

Upon hearing that Li Xing knew the Life Vortex's location, the four—Zou Tao and Xiao Han included—whose intention was already to save him became noticeably more energized. They rushed toward Li Xing, ignoring even a heavily injured Wood Clan member nearby, terrified that Li Xing might be instantly obliterated.

Ji Changkong was the only one who remained motionless. He stood beside the corpses of two Wood Clan members, a strange expression flickering across his face.

The bodies of the two Wood Clan members slain jointly by Xiao Han and Zou Tao lay like discarded mud. Their souls, upon death, slowly drifted out, seemingly drawn by some irresistible force, and shot upwards before swiftly flying in a single direction.

Normally, at this level of cultivation, even if the physical body perished, the soul would not dissipate; it would retain sentience and could potentially be re-ensconced in a new body for rebirth if the right methods were employed.

However, things were different in this particular location. After the two souls emerged, they were clearly visible yet utterly vacant-eyed, as if devoid of their own consciousness. Pulled by some unseen power, they flew straight toward an area emitting a powerful soul-sucking resonance, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Releasing his divine sense, Ji Changkong clearly perceived that beyond the souls of these two Wood Clan members, other souls were emanating from that same direction. It seemed an entity constantly drawing in souls existed there, absorbing every spirit that died nearby.

Suddenly, he grasped what Zou Tao had said earlier: the manifestation of the Life Vortex required the souls of living beings as fuel—this was the reason the Blood Clan had brought so many Heavenly Scholars here. The Life Vortex!

Ji Changkong closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, immediately confirming that the direction indicated was indeed where the Life Vortex lay. Yet, even with the slight potency afforded by the Spiritual Void Fruit, his perceptive power had only recovered minimally; pinpointing the exact location of the Life Vortex remained difficult.

As he pondered this with surprise, the battle between the Wood Clan and Zou Tao's group had already erupted elsewhere.

Perhaps due to the formidable strength of Xiao Han and the others, the Wood Clan decisively abandoned the pursuit of Li Xing, dragging Tian Yue deeper into the living thicket.

Tian Yue looked on in despair, held tightly by her neck tendrils by one Wood Clan member; a single squeeze would instantly snap her neck.

Zou Tao, Xiao Han, and the others seemed solely concerned with Li Xing’s fate, apparently disregarding Tian Yue, whose clothes were tattered beyond recognition.

The Wood Clan swiftly retreated. Tian Yue’s look of despair and sorrow flickered in and out of view within the undergrowth. Witnessing all this, a sense of helplessness washed over Ji Changkong.

When Xiao Han and Zou Tao realized Tian Yue had fallen into the enemy's grasp, they clearly made no move to rescue her; her fate seemed sealed.

Though two Wood Clan members were dead, their strength could not be underestimated. Even if Ji Changkong wished to intervene, without the cooperation of Xiao Han and Zou Tao, he was powerless. Thus, he watched helplessly as Tian Yue was dragged away, feeling utterly resigned. “Swish, swish!”

Strange, snake-like branches suddenly shot forward amidst an odd sound. The branches twisted and, catching Ji Changkong off guard while he was distracted, instantly coiled around both his legs.

A surge of great force struck, making his body lurch violently, and he immediately tumbled to the ground.

The serpentine branches wrapped around his legs, yanking him forcefully into the thicket. With a rustling sound, they dragged him away rapidly. He had been ambushed by the Wood Clan! “Not good!” Xiao Han glanced over accidentally, instantly spotting Ji Changkong’s predicament, and shouted, “Damn Wood Clan!”

With a sharp cry, Xiao Han ceased paying attention to Li Xing and rushed toward Ji Changkong’s location. Huo Feng paused for only a moment before also charging over with a grim expression. Zou Tao and Qiu Yun hesitated, not immediately moving forward, seemingly weighing their options. “Rustle! Rustle rustle!” His body, enveloped by those strange branches, slid along the ground, and soon he appeared amidst the Wood Clan members, where he also saw Tian Yue, imprisoned by them. “Sark, why bother grabbing this boy?” one of the Wood Clan members asked impatiently. “Hmph,” another retorted, “He’s just a Heavenly Scholar in the Minor Refinement realm. Why waste energy on something so trivial? Have the guts to capture those others. There’s no benefit in keeping this one. What are you thinking, Sark?”

Sark, gripping the root of the branch wrapped around Ji Changkong, snapped back furiously, “Those people killed my brother! I want to kill their people one by one! This kid is just the beginning!”

“Don't delay the main business!” the first Wood Clan member grunted. “Avenging my brother is my main business!” Sark gritted his teeth and violently tugged the branch, which tightened its grip, pulling Ji Changkong ever closer to him.

Tian Yue, similarly imprisoned, watched him blankly, her eyes showing no emotion, only a wry, self-mocking sneer playing on her lips. She had initially hoped for rescue, only to find Ji Changkong being dragged back instead. She found her own unrealistic fantasy amusing. “Let me go! Let me go! I have nothing to do with it! Your brother wasn't killed by me!” the captive Ji Changkong shouted, looking utterly panicked. “Anyone associated with those people deserves to die! Kid, you are just the start!” Sark snarled, his eyes bloodshot with brutality. He yanked hard with both hands, and Ji Changkong flew up, heading straight toward him.

Whether he used too much force or misaimed, Ji Changkong, who should have flown toward Sark, suddenly veered off course midway, flying instead toward the Wood Clan member who held Tian Yue captive. That Wood Clan member frowned and scoffed, “Sark, have you lost your mind from anger? Why are you pulling people toward me?” As he spoke, the Wood Clan member reached out, seemingly intending to grab Ji Changkong and toss him back toward Sark. “Crack, crack, crack!”

Unexpectedly, a streak of lightning-infused flame suddenly shot out from Ji Changkong’s arm, striking the completely unprepared Wood Clan member. The flame flashed through his body once, and then the Wood Clan member let out a ghastly, wolf-howling shriek. “Rumble!”

A tremendous thunderous sound erupted from within the Wood Clan member’s body. Blood streamed from his eyes, and his body shriveled rapidly, as if all its moisture had been instantly evaporated. “Wumeng!” Sark cried out in alarm and tried to yank the branch violently, intending to pull Ji Changkong back toward him. “Crack, crack, crack!”

Flames erupted again, licking around the tough branches until they were instantly incinerated to ash. Sark's body trembled, and he involuntarily spat out a mouthful of blood.

The restraints on Ji Changkong were burned away by the "Heavenly Thunder Sacred Fire." He rolled close to the ground, reaching Tian Yue’s side. A wisp of flame darted to the branches binding Tian Yue, releasing her constraint as well.

In this bizarre region, the Wood Clan could only use their innate divine abilities for imprisonment. Therefore, there were no other binding forces within Tian Yue. Once the branches were burned clean by the "Flame Thunder Sacred Fire," Tian Yue immediately regained her mobility. “Kill these two!” Sark shrieked and lunged forward. “Go!” the other Wood Clan member roared. “Let’s settle revenge next time! The others are coming!” With that, he didn't wait for Sark and retreated first.

Sark froze for a moment, then spotted Huo Feng and Xiao Han appearing. He stomped his foot viciously and yelled at Ji Changkong, “Kid, I will definitely slice you into ten thousand pieces!”

Sark plunged into the thorny woods, quickly vanishing alongside the other Wood Clan members. The moment they entered the thicket, their speed increased dramatically, far outpacing the pursuit speed of Huo Feng and Xiao Han. “Are you alright?” Xiao Han approached, sneering, “Why were you so careless to get caught like that!” “Was I?” Ji Changkong smiled, stood up, stretched his limbs leisurely, and said, “I’m perfectly fine. Heh heh, even if you hadn’t come, I would have gotten free eventually.”

“You’re fine?” Zou Tao and Qiu Yun approached from a distance, both looking utterly astonished at Ji Changkong. Ji Changkong shrugged, smiled, and said no more. “Thank you.” Tian Yue tidied her clothes, took a calming breath, her eyes showing deep gratitude.

Her clothing was disheveled, but the subtle changes in her otherwise ordinary face made her look quite delicate. Her waist was slender like a willow leaf, and her skin was fair; standing there thanking him so demurely gave her an air of fragile beauty that was deeply pitiable. “Tian Yue, are you alright?” Zou Tao gave an awkward, strained laugh, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Tian Yue’s expression turned cold, and she let out a low snort, saying coldly, “Is this the mutual support you spoke of earlier?” Zou Tao became even more awkward, unsure of what to say. “If I were the one imprisoned, and you were safe, would you risk saving me?” Qiu Yun knitted her delicate brows, looking squarely at Tian Yue, and asked earnestly. Tian Yue was momentarily stunned, pondered for a moment, then shook her head and sighed softly.

“We only formed a hasty alliance; we are not close friends. If we could save someone easily, we certainly wouldn't hesitate, but if it meant risking our lives, that’s another matter,” Qiu Yun snorted, murmuring, “No one is that noble.” “Indeed,” limping Li Xing walked over with a bitter smile, advising, “We don’t need to argue over this. Just remember the common goal.” “What goal?” Xiao Han was too impatient for pleasantries.

“Follow me,” Li Xing nodded. Without pausing to rest, he took the lead. However, when encountering strange herbs and flowers, he would pick some and consume them directly. Immediately, his injuries came under noticeable control and showed signs of rapid healing.

Along the way, Xiao Han, Zou Tao, and Qiu Yun found quite a few peculiar ores. Each begged Ji Changkong to use his "Flame Thunder Sacred Fire" to fuse those ores into their divine weapons, naturally offering him some compensation for the service.

When Tian Yue and Li Xing discovered Ji Changkong possessed this formidable ability, they too were overjoyed and offered him the rare ores they had found, asking him to refine them. Naturally, they also presented their tributes.

Especially Tian Yue, perhaps wanting to repay Ji Changkong, actually handed him a piece of Nether Spirit Yin Stone as payment.

The Nether Spirit Yin Stone is an exceedingly rare and precious ore. In the outside world, a single piece of Nether Spirit Yin Stone is priceless, seldom exchanged for Primordial Crystals.

The Nether Spirit Yin Stone is not only one of the primary materials for forging a Second Divine Soul but, when integrated into a divine weapon, it imparts the power to disrupt souls. Once a Nether Spirit Yin Stone is fused into a weapon, that weapon gains a soul-attacking effect upon striking.

The victim would hear piercing, soul-rending screams, their divine sense perception would drop drastically, affecting the release of certain secret techniques and soul skills.

Because of this, the Nether Spirit Yin Stone is so valuable. It was unclear where Tian Yue obtained it, yet she offered this stone as payment just to have Ji Changkong fuse a Wind Chant Crystal into her divine weapon. Although the Wind Chant Crystal is also valuable, it pales in comparison to the Nether Spirit Yin Stone.

Ji Changkong expended little effort, merely reaping the rewards. Using only the power of the "Flame Thunder Sacred Fire," he managed to exchange for several suitable ores from Tian Yue and Zou Tao, fusing them one by one into the Dragon Glory Long Saber. Specifically, a piece of Soft Soul Jade from Li Xing greatly increased the saber’s tenacity, allowing the once rigidly fierce blade to bend significantly.

Besides these precious ores, he also consumed the Purple Spirit Fruit, the Seven-Colored Rainbow Ganoderma, and the Dragon Whale Essence—three rare exotic fruits—and faintly felt he was on the verge of breaking through to the next cultivation realm. And this was all before even entering the Life Vortex.

One day. “Look!” Li Xing suddenly pointed to the sky, his face ecstatic. “The Vortex! That’s the Life Vortex!”

Ji Changkong looked up and saw a massive vortex in the sky. Within the vortex, countless vacant souls streamed rapidly; under the vortex's pull, these souls were slowly decomposed, and wisps of soul power diffused into the swirling air. The vortex itself was becoming increasingly distinct.

A: Ugh, I got a fishbone stuck in my throat during dinner tonight, and it’s agonizing. I just got back from the hospital to have it removed. It’s four degrees below zero outside; I nearly froze to death. So, only one chapter today. I am very sorry. I will make up for it tomorrow and speed things up later on.