Subtle Perception, Nirvana, Ruyi, Godly Attainment, Chaos—these are the five realms of the Heavenly Scholars of the Ten Directions. With the entry into each realm, one steps into a new heaven and earth, gaining additional divine abilities.

These sayings have been passed down since antiquity, yet not everyone truly grasps the distinctions between these realms. Only those Heavenly Scholars who have genuinely stepped into a new level, after prolonged exploration, can gradually comprehend the profound mysteries of the different stages. Of course, guidance can significantly shorten the time spent in this exploration.

Within that swirling vortex of flame, he knew that some kind of transformation had occurred within him. While the change was undoubtedly beneficial, he dared not be certain; after all, the Nirvana Realm was not one to be entered lightly.

Xiao Han’s eyes rolled back, clearly exasperated by Ji Changkong’s delayed realization. She shot him a fierce glare and snapped, “Has a strange mark appeared within your Sea of Souls? And within that mark, are scenes from your entire life scrolling past?”

Ji Changkong froze for a moment, then intently focused his awareness inward to examine.

Indeed, within his Sea of Souls, there was a newly formed, circular, peculiar mark. It was refined from the surrounding flames, and within the mark, it seemed as though countless rolling mirrors displayed the experiences of his past, cycling over and over… He was certain this mark had not been present before. “That’s right, there is indeed such a mark in my Sea of Souls. What is it?” Ji Changkong asked, astonished.

“That is the Soul Mark, indicating you have officially stepped into the Nirvana Realm. It means you can almost never truly die,” Xiao Han huffed, murmuring, “I don’t know what kind of rotten luck you stumbled into to have all the good fortune fall on you! What’s the use of a Soul Mark?”

“The existence of the Soul Mark ensures that even if your soul vanishes, that mark will not be extinguished. Instead, it will descend into reincarnation, granting you the ability to be reborn carrying all your memories and insights from cultivation. The Nirvana Realm is the very meaning of rebirth!”

Xiao Han’s face grew cold. “Unless you face a master at the Chaos level, no one can completely erase your Soul Mark. This means that even if your soul and body are utterly destroyed, you can still be reborn. If you are lucky, you can step back into the Nirvana Realm within a thousand years because your memories and comprehension of power’s profound truths remain. If you continue cultivating, you will encounter no bottlenecks before reaching Nirvana again. Understood?” “Uh, understood.” Ji Changkong nodded, a smile beginning to play on his lips.

“But you must also remember, once you are reborn through Nirvana, you cannot Nirvana again. If you are killed during reincarnation, your Soul Mark will vanish completely. In essence, the Soul Mark merely grants you one extra life compared to others.” Xiao Han stated coolly. “Heavenly Scholars of the Nirvana Realm have only one chance at reincarnation, but those in the Ruyi Realm have two chances, and those in the Godly Attainment Realm have three!” “What about those in the Chaos Realm?” Ji Changkong inquired curiously.

“For Heavenly Scholars of the Chaos Realm, the Soul Mark will never perish. Generally speaking, masters of the Chaos Realm are already invincible. Very few methods exist to truly destroy them; even methods of suppression or confinement are exceedingly rare. Figures of this caliber are countable on the fingers across the entire Endless Star Domain. They are immortal; they can survive even if the Endless Star Domain undergoes another great annihilation,” Xiao Han sighed. “Those are truly divine beings.”

“Are you quite finished marveling?” The Fire Phoenix appeared ghost-like beside Xiao Han and Ji Changkong, staring coldly at Ji Changkong. “You’re not dead yet?” “Hehe, I have great fortune and a tough life, currently riding high on luck,” Ji Changkong chuckled dryly.

Bina of the Ice Clan, who had originally come to deal with the Fire Phoenix, hesitated upon seeing the Demon Fire Clan and the Blood Clan arrive, and then noticing the Fire Phoenix standing alongside Ji Changkong and Xiao Han. The three great elders of the Blood Clan encircled the black vortex, each looking as excited as if they had ingested potent elixirs.

The members of the Demon Fire Clan, upon arrival, marched directly to surround Ji Changkong, Xiao Han, and the Fire Phoenix in the center. They seemed unaware of the Blood Clan’s excitement, viewing the trio simply as enemies. “Be careful!” Elder Vixge of the Blood Clan shouted toward the Ice Clan members. “Move back! Get away from there!” “What’s wrong?” an Ice Clan member asked, completely bewildered.

Suddenly, a thread of black smoke emerged from the black vortex. The smoke, thin like a viper’s tongue yet incredibly swift, instantly pierced the Ice Clan member’s body and violently dragged him into the black vortex. A life was extinguished in an instant.

More strands of black smoke, like grasping arms, continuously surged out of the black vortex, shooting toward the Ice Clan, Demon Fire, and Blood Clan members in all directions.

The black smoke seemed sentient, its reach quick, and its power terrifying; even the bodies of the Ice Clan members could not withstand it, being pierced instantly.

In the blink of an eye, several Ice Clan members, two Blood Clan members, and two members of the Demon Fire Clan were instantly slain. A colossal suction force erupted from the black vortex. Several smaller vortices nearby, seemingly drawn by a life-force energy, were pulled into the great black vortex, vanishing without a trace. “Get back! Everyone clear out!” Vixge of the Blood Clan repeatedly shrieked, “Do not approach the vortex, clear out!”

The three great elders of the Blood Clan evaded the black smoke shooting from the vortex but kept their eyes fixed upon it, as if some power within it held value for them.

The Demon Fire members surrounding Ji Changkong also scattered to the sides, looking at the black vortex with slight terror, shouting, “Vixge, what is inside there?”

“Nothing,” Vixge snorted, remaining with the other two Blood Clan elders around the vortex. Although he concealed the excitement in his eyes, everyone could sense his urgency.

“There must be something strange in there!” Xiao Han scoffed. “The Blood Clan wouldn't keep staring at that vortex without some benefit. There must be something inside that vortex attracting them.”

Another slightly smaller vortex, drawn by the black vortex, swiftly emerged from a distance and rushed straight toward the main one.

A Demon Fire member, while dodging an attack from the black vortex, accidentally brushed against the smaller vortex. That Demon Fire member, whose body was ablaze with surging flames, was instantly frozen solid, all signs of his life essence extinguished. “Oh!” Bina, the female leader of the Ice Clan, cried out, a look of wild ecstasy suddenly flashing across her face.

A wisp of ghostly blue, cold flame flickered across the frozen Demon Fire figure before instantly sinking back into that smaller vortex.

Xiao Han’s face also bloomed with sudden ecstasy. She abruptly grabbed Ji Changkong’s arm and spoke incoherently, “Release the Flame-Thunder Sacred Fire! Hurry and release the Flame-Thunder Sacred Fire! I need your help! I brought you here hoping you would assist me at this moment!” “What?” Ji Changkong looked at her, puzzled. “You want me to release the Flame-Thunder Sacred Fire? Why?” “Don’t ask so many questions, quickly! I’m begging you!” Xiao Han urged.

Ji Changkong frowned, looking at Xiao Han’s urgent expression, unsure whether he should help her. He wasn’t certain if Xiao Han intended him harm, or what chaos releasing the “Flame-Thunder Sacred Fire” might invite now. “Quick! You can benefit too!” Xiao Han urged again. Ji Changkong gave a slight nod, finally making up his mind.

A thread of “Flame-Thunder Sacred Fire” suddenly leaped out into his palm. Within the lightning-entwined flames, a marvelous fluctuation he could sense sharply emerged, the living “Flame-Thunder Sacred Fire” seemed to be calling out to something.

Just then, the vortex that should have been rushing toward the black vortex suddenly emitted a similarly marvelous fluctuation. It seemed some life force within it had been triggered. The vortex that had frozen the Demon Fire struggled, and astonishingly, began to slowly drift toward Ji Changkong. “Good! Good!” The female leader of the Ice Clan, Bina, was filled with ecstasy, her excited body trembling slightly.

“Don’t let that woman get it!” Xiao Han quickly cried out. “The Ice Clan harbors the same covetous desire for the Netherworld Cold Flame! You absolutely cannot let the Ice Clan obtain it!” “The Netherworld Cold Flame?” The Fire Phoenix was startled. “Xiao Han, is that your objective for this journey?”

Xiao Han’s face darkened as she nodded. “Yes! My adventure into this place was solely for the ‘Netherworld Cold Flame.’ I failed to obtain it last time; I absolutely cannot miss this opportunity again. Just one wisp of the ‘Netherworld Cold Flame’ will allow me to break through to the Ruyi Realm. I will never let this chance pass!” “That’s mine!” Bina shot a cold glance at Xiao Han and gritted her teeth. “Stop scheming.”

It was strange: although both the Ice Clan leader and Xiao Han coveted the potential Netherworld Cold Flame within the vortex, neither dared to rush into it rashly, for unknown reasons.

Conversely, under the call of the “Flame-Thunder Sacred Fire,” the “Netherworld Cold Flame” seemed to develop a dependence on Ji Changkong, actually flying toward him voluntarily. However, another mysterious force was restraining it, preventing its speed from increasing too much. This situation suddenly became peculiar.

Between Ji Changkong and the black vortex lay the vortex containing the “Netherworld Cold Flame.” Around these three entities, the masters of the Blood Clan, Demon Fire Clan, and Ice Clan were all silently on guard, appearing wary of something—perhaps some crisis that might erupt suddenly. Suddenly, a wave of violent fluctuation emanated from within Ji Changkong’s body. Not good!

Focused on manipulating the “Flame-Thunder Sacred Fire,” his heart leaped, and he intended to suppress the unstable Heavenly Origin Bead inside him. However, before he could act, the Heavenly Origin Bead, which had always been deep within his abdomen, suddenly floated out from his waist and lower abdomen, releasing a dazzling halo.

“The Heavenly Origin Bead!” Vixge of the Blood Clan roared, his face etched with ghastly terror. “How is this possible? How can this be?!”