Annihilation! It truly did that! In the vast mist, wherever its colossal, hidden body passed, stars were crushed.

Ji Changkong could not see what happened farther away, but in the visible area, every star turned into dust, vanishing into the river of history. The sudden change occurred too swiftly for him to even process it! Under the movements of that terrifying creature, stars were destroyed one after another, and everything existing within this endless sea of stars was completely wiped clean without a trace.

Soon, in his sight, not a single star remained. The terrifying creature writhed, flickering in and out of view within the mist. Stars dissolved into powder, hovering below.

After an unknowable amount of time, the creature’s body seemed to begin disintegrating, splitting into countless pieces, and a formless, ineffable power began to germinate in the dead-silent starfield. The fragments of stars drifting in the void began to reorganize under this power; new stars coalesced one by one. As the stars reformed, new species were born—creatures myriad and strange.

There were all kinds of humanoids, winged fowl, ancient lifeforms... The pervasive mist gradually thinned under the power emanating from those stars. Mountains and rivers began to appear on the stellar surfaces, and all manner of elemental forces emerged...

After who knew how long, everything was restored. Innumerable stars shone brightly. New life had been born; heaven and earth reappeared.

This seemed to be the world Ji Changkong was familiar with. The scenes kept multiplying. The newly birthed species began to fight on their respective stars.

Some creatures were innately physically powerful, others possessed strange blood, and still others held various innate divine abilities. Some even grasped the profound truths of the cosmos, constantly evolving themselves... The new species grew stronger through evolution.

Species that could not adapt were extinguished, illustrating the absolute truth of worldly law. During this process, time flowed on rapidly. After an indeterminate period, some extremely powerful species evolved to an unimaginable degree.

With a mere gesture, these beings possessed the power to destroy stars. In the most potent among these beings, without exception, lay the very aura of that terrifying creature! At this point, time seemed to halt; no further change occurred in the vast star-realm.

Having witnessed all of this, Ji Changkong absorbed every change into his heart from start to finish. He seemed to have fathomed a certain profundity of the cosmos. Unconsciously, the cultivation technique, "Heavenly Evolution Ancient Art" (Tian Yan Gu Jue), seemed to become an inherent part of the mysteries imprinted in his mind.

Just then, he sensed the aura of the Tian Yuan Orb. The scene shifted again! The stars vanished one by one, like reflections in water.

The vortex above spun urgently. The mist was gone, replaced by the appearance of marshlands bubbling up like ‘foams’ on the earth... Familiar scenes flashed into view one after another.

Suddenly, he understood: He was inside the Tian Yuan Orb! A black vortex churned within the Tian Yuan Orb. Pulled by the forces of the celestial vortices above, the various energies within the black vortex were drawn out and dispersed into every vortex in the sky.

Finally, in the region of that black vortex, a cluster of seven-colored radiance appeared. That light cast a soft, prismatic glow. With just a flash, the seven-colored radiance entered Ji Changkong’s mind, merging with the soul imprint in his sea of consciousness.

The ‘Fusion’ (Rong) technique from the Grand Void Secret Record (Tai Xu Mi Lu) activated autonomously. He immediately fell into a state of utter selflessness. In this state, all the preceding changes began to unfold within his sea of consciousness.

Unknowingly, the soul imprint in his sea of consciousness gained a seven-colored halo. The energy cyclones within the world of the Tian Wu Orb released minuscule, almost imperceptible wisps of energy, injecting them into his body. Under the state of selflessness, Ji Changkong’s body reverted to its original form, passively accepting everything.

Time sped by. After an unknown duration, he slowly opened his eyes. A seven-colored rainbow glow flashed deep within his pupils—the color of the soul imprint in his sea of consciousness.

Floating quietly in this world, he was momentarily disoriented, lost in deep contemplation. The true essence of all worldly mysteries flashed through his mind. In a daze, he seemed to grasp so much—the true nature of all existing powers in the world.

His sea of consciousness could become boundless with a mere thought, and as his divine sense shifted, every cell in his physical body became acutely aware. At some point, his acupoints filled with pure essence. Observing one acupoint with his divine sense, he suddenly realized that within that single acupoint, there were also swirling energy cyclones of varying sizes.

As those cyclones spun, the essence within the acupoint became purer and purer, as if every acupoint had become a self-sufficient world. In that world, the cyclones provided an inexhaustible supply of energy, and that energy could transform into pure essence for his use! With a thought, he transformed again, taking on the appearance of the Purgatory Ghost Clan.

His entire body was covered in eerie, sharp spikes, clad in strange whale-scale armor. Every scale bore an uncanny pattern, subtly identical to the scales on the small fraction of the terrifying creature’s body that had been revealed. Even the bizarre markings were exactly the same.

In his blood, that strange aura grew more intense—an aura strikingly similar to that of the terrifying creature! He knew his body had changed, and he knew this change must be extremely beneficial to him, yet he still didn't fully grasp what had happened! The moment the thought of leaving crossed his mind, he instantly appeared amidst flowing water, the Tian Yuan Orb floating quietly before him.

With a casual grasp, the Tian Yuan Orb vanished from his hand, settling back into its place below his abdomen. The Orb was connected to his flesh, blood, and meridians, and a feeling of absolute unity arose. At this moment, he realized the Tian Yuan Orb had become an inseparable part of his body.

This was a new sensation, as if the Tian Yuan Orb had become his heart, an organ, and the previous discomfort was gone. He immediately understood: only now had the Tian Yuan Orb truly merged with him! Although the Orb had been inside his body before, it had never possessed this marvelous feeling, this miracle of becoming one.

The Tian Wu Orb returned to his body, but the Demonic Body remained inside the Tian Yuan Orb. Every moment, he felt the Demonic Body being infused with mystical power within the Orb, seemingly undergoing subtle transformations. Layers of doubt swirled unresolved in his mind, offering no answer.

Then, a name suddenly surfaced in his consciousness—Gu Di! It was time to find Gu Di and demand a clear explanation. His divine sense moved, like lightning, instantly spanning the barrier of the flowing water and manifesting directly in the core world below the surface.

Beneath the sphere of light and air in the core world, he gazed down intently. He saw that the lava pool where the Flame Demons lived and the extremely frigid land of the Ice Clan seemed to no longer exist. The two realms appeared to have merged.

As his gaze extended, he saw only an endless expanse of water below, vast and boundless. His sight stretched for ten thousand miles? Ji Changkong blinked, suddenly realizing the strange change in himself.

When he first entered the Life Vortex, his vision extended only about ten miles. Now, standing in the sky, he could take in the entirety of the landscape within ten thousand miles! He immediately knew he was vastly different from before.

He released his divine sense, and every surrounding fluctuation was reflected in his sea of consciousness. His sense continuously extended, probing into the distant reaches. There was not a single life fluctuation!

The areas where the Flame Demons and Ice Clan should have resided were devoid of any life, as if they had all perished. Extreme astonishment filled his heart. After only a brief hesitation, he flew toward the domain of the Blood Clan.

As he channeled his internal power to speed onward, he noticed the cyclones within his acupoints spinning rapidly in unison. He reached the Blood Clan settlement, the area where the ancient fortress once stood, at a speed a thousand times faster than before. It was utter devastation.

The fortress was gone. The core world was ravaged, as if it had endured an unimaginably terrifying battle. Everything was reduced to collapsed ancient trees and broken, bizarre flora.

The elemental forces of this realm had become incredibly thin. There was no one! Neither the Blood Clan nor the Three-Eyed Clan remained; it was unknown if they had all left or died.

What happened? Ji Changkong was filled with confusion but had no one to ask. In this vast core world, it seemed only he remained alive.

Wherever his divine sense passed, life signatures were extinct! He searched the entire core world but found not a single person. It seemed the Ice Clan and the Flame Demon Clan had also vanished entirely.

The energies of the core world were no longer dense; this place no longer seemed suitable for cultivation. Realizing he would never find answers here, he finally decided to leave. Soon, he located the colossal cavern entrance where he had descended.

That entrance was long shattered, seemingly sealed completely. However, the rock blocking the cavern, though massive, was no obstacle for him now. Transformed into the Purgatory Ghost Clan form, his sharp, pointed claws sliced through the rocks blocking the opening like tofu, which then fell into the depths below.

Using this method, after an unknown amount of time, he finally saw the light of day again, standing firm on the surface of this star. Gazing at the starry sky, he felt a sense of rebirth. He used his divine sense to search the world again, but still found nothing, unable to detect any life signs.

Helpless, he decided to depart. Taking one last look at this strange star, the scenes of the core world flashed rapidly through his mind. He vaguely deduced that he must have spent many years inside the Tian Yuan Orb, otherwise, the outside world would not have changed so drastically.

Tian Nan Star! He recalled the words Xiao Han had spoken: the Tian Nan Star, where the Shang merchant family resided, was nearby. Shang Bingjie might be there, and perhaps Xiao Han too.

If he could see Xiao Han again, maybe she could provide some answers, tell him where the Blood Clan's Augustus family went, and lead him to Gu Di, who could unravel these mysteries. With his resolve set, he followed Xiao Han’s guidance and headed toward the Tian Nan Star. pa: There is a Golden Keyboard Award on the Qidian page.

Although I know I definitely won't be listed, I still hope everyone can give a little support. Well, I just don't want to look too bad, after all, I’ve been writing diligently for a year, and my attitude is quite earnest.!H