Lord of Ice Rock City, Tuk! Without a second thought, the name flashed in Ji Changkong’s mind. With cultivation at the Divine Manifestation Realm, and coincidentally residing within the City Lord's Mansion—who else could it be but Tuk?

Tuk's divine sense transmitted a surge of fury, an anger like a sharp sword that traversed all distance, piercing directly into Ji Changkong’s sea of soul, as if intending to shatter it. His heart skipped a beat. Ji Changkong dared not delay, instantly splitting the sliver of divine sense that had infiltrated the City Lord's Mansion into countless tiny motes, sinking in hundreds of different directions simultaneously.

Tuk's attack followed the established connection between his divine sense and Ji Changkong's sea of soul. Once Ji Changkong’s sense fractured, the link to his soul sea was immediately severed—a unique and profound technique from the Grand Void Secret Record!

Tuk's divine assault, following the fragmentation of the invading sense, suddenly lost its target. It was about to plunge into the counter-attack of the soul sea when it abruptly stalled mid-flight, transforming into a probing force desperately searching for its quarry. “Go!” Gripping Huo Feng tightly, Ji Changkong did not wait for her struggle, transforming into a streak of electric light, vanishing from the spot instantly.

Tuk’s divine sense searched outside the City Lord's Mansion for some time, finding no target. After lingering briefly, that probing thread of divine sense was retracted. "What's wrong?" A thousand li north of the City Lord's Mansion, along the long street, Huo Feng frowned. "Did you run into a master?" "It was Tuk," Ji Changkong nodded, his expression grave.

"Are you hurt?" Huo Feng’s fair face showed surprise, and she instinctively looked into Ji Changkong’s eyes. "Is your divine sense severely damaged? Tuk is a Divine Manifestation Realm expert. Once he detected your sense, the part you sent out surely couldn't escape. Can you still hold on?"

Ji Changkong felt a warmth in his heart and smiled. "It's fine. I split my divine sense in time. Besides consuming a bit of mental energy, there were no other injuries."

If anyone else had said this, Huo Feng would certainly not have believed it. Escaping a Divine Manifestation Realm expert's divine sense with only a slight drain of mental energy—that was not something someone at the Will Projection Realm should be capable of. However, since these words came from Ji Changkong, Huo Feng believed him.

In her view, Ji Changkong possessed too many mysteries; adding one more to the list was hardly surprising.

"That Shang family’s Ice Slave should, barring accident, be inside the City Lord's Mansion. But with an expert like Tuk, at the Divine Manifestation Realm, guarding it—you still plan to sneak in and probe?" Huo Feng pondered for a moment. "If Tuk is there, you have absolutely no chance. Why don't we wait until Tuk leaves before you make your move? How about that?" "Mm, I was thinking the same thing," Ji Changkong nodded, then added, "First, we need to find out Tuk’s recent itinerary. Only then can we act with a plan."

"I'll only help you gather intel on Tuk’s recent arrangements. I certainly won't accompany you into the City Lord's Mansion to court death." Even if Tuk weren't present, the City Lord's Mansion would certainly be heavily guarded with restrictions. Experts at the Will Projection Realm would surely be numerous. Even if I were at my peak, I wouldn't dare take such a risk," Huo Feng snorted coldly. Ji Changkong nodded, signaling his understanding of the difficulty.

Huo Feng was clearly more familiar with the situation on Fire Prison Star than he was. They agreed to split up to gather news. However, when they reconvened at the agreed spot three days later, Ji Changkong had failed to acquire any useful intelligence—neither news about Shang Bingjie nor Tuk’s schedule. But Huo Feng had secured everything he wanted to know.

Shang Bingjie was indeed within the City Lord's Mansion. Not only that, but in ten days, she was scheduled to become Tuk’s seventeenth concubine. Tuk would be leaving on a trip six days from now to attend to some matters on Misty Cloud Island, and he would return before the wedding ceremony.

Shang Bingjie must have learned the information through some means, but when she relayed the news, she seemed somewhat gleeful, as if eager for Shang Bingjie to become Tuk's concubine soon. Ji Changkong’s expression turned terribly grim, and he remained silent for a long time.

A quarter of an hour later, seeing Ji Changkong still saying nothing, Huo Feng proactively inquired, "What now? Are you still planning to go to the City Lord's Mansion? Even if Tuk isn't there, you can't succeed in bringing that woman out. Furthermore, even if you saw her, what then? This vicinity is Tuk’s sphere of influence. Do you think you can snatch someone away from under Tuk’s nose?" "Thank you, Huo Feng. This matter has nothing to do with you," Ji Changkong looked up at Huo Feng. "If I survive, I will remember your help. Farewell." With the words spoken, his figure flickered, and he vanished from Huo Feng’s sight.

An hour later, he appeared in the center of a gorge on the far north of Mystic Ice Island. After excavating a section of the cliff face in the gorge, he burrowed inside. Taking out his Soul Resonance Bell, he released the White Bone Skeleton, then retrieved the medicine bottles containing the Nirvana Pill, the Will Projection Pill, and the Divine Manifestation Pill from his dimensional pouch. Among the treasures he obtained from the Nine-Story Pagoda back then, these three types of pills were the most precious. All three possessed miraculous effects for advancing cultivation and realms, corresponding respectively to the Nirvana, Will Projection, and Divine Manifestation realms. However, to maximize the efficacy of the three pills, dozens of rare medicinal ingredients were required for auxiliary refinement. It was precisely for this reason that he had always been reluctant to use them.

Yet, within the Vortex of Life, he had spurred himself on in one go, breaking through from the Subtle Insight Realm to the Nirvana Realm. The fusion of the Heavenly Mandate Bead and the black vortex had unexpectedly caused another transformation, directly propelling him from the Nirvana Realm into the Will Projection Realm.

The breakthrough in realms had been too rapid; he hadn't even needed to use the Nirvana Pill. After emerging from the Vortex of Life, he had been entirely focused on finding Shang Bingjie, lacking sufficient energy to collect all the materials needed to assist in refining the Will Projection Pill, so he had kept this pill unused.

Now, preparing to venture into the tiger's den where life and death were uncertain, he considered using the Will Projection Pill. Not collecting all the auxiliary ingredients might not even be a bad thing in his view; it would significantly shorten the time needed for refinement, allowing him to reach his peak state faster. Since the change in his physical body's bloodline, the alterations to his physique had been extraordinarily bizarre. During his time in the Vortex of Life, he had ingested some spiritual herbs and discovered that his body's rate of assimilation and digestion of spiritual medicine far surpassed that of Earthly Sages of the same level.

It was precisely because of this that he believed a few days would be enough to refine the Will Projection Pill into his body, bringing his strength to its optimal state.

Once the decision was made, he hesitated no longer. He sealed the cave entrance, issued a command to the White Bone Skeleton, and released his Demonic Body to ensure his safety. Only then did he take out the plump, tender green Will Projection Pill. As the luminous green pill emerged, a fresh, earthy scent of vegetation permeated the cave.

A faint, hazy green light suddenly flashed from the Will Projection Pill. Within the pill, water patterns suddenly appeared, rippling like a small, clear lake. Mist rose from the lake, the mist taking on a pale green hue, evoking a feeling of vitality and the resurgence of all life.

This water seemed capable of nourishing all things. Holding the Will Projection Pill, before even swallowing it, the blood within his body stirred restlessly, giving rise to an intense desire for possession. His internal blood seemed to recognize that this Will Projection Pill was a supreme treasure!

The Will Projection Pill transformed into a green streak of light and finally disappeared into his mouth. Once inside his abdomen, the blood in his body instantly boiled, wrapping around the Will Projection Pill in layers.

The Will Projection Pill ruptured, and its exotic essence merged into the blood. His blood immediately gained a fresh aura, while the incomparably domineering and strange energy contained within it unleashed immense power. In that instant, his blood radiated thousands of faint, thread-like strands of bizarre energy, which permeated every one of his cells.

A refreshing power suddenly surged into his sea of soul. The sea of soul instantly transformed, as if becoming the clear lake within the Will Projection Pill in a single moment. This fresh power originated from the blood, from the Will Projection Pill, and finally converged upon the Seven-Colored Soul Seal within the sea of soul.

Upon receiving this fresh power, the Seven-Colored Soul Seal began to change. Various divine abilities and profound concepts that he had previously struggled to grasp suddenly seemed simple and clear. Whether it was the elevation of his realm or the transformation of his soul sea, the nine profound divine abilities that had been confusing before suddenly became illuminated.

In total, there were thirty-six divine manifestations. After initially comprehending the "Heavenly Fire Rages," he then comprehended fifteen more manifestations. Twelve of these fused to become the "Myriad Heavens Star River Art." Now, having comprehended nine new manifestations, these nine combined with the original three variations underwent further transformation. The profound concept of the earliest understood "Heavenly Fire Rages" divine ability was among them.

Little figures reappeared within his mind, each figure evolving into various manifestations, just as the process of his comprehension of the "Myriad Heavens Star River Art" began to repeat…

This repetition continued for a long time. The little figures in his mind continuously overlapped and merged, finally leaving only one. Then, that single figure began to evolve various profound concepts, and he suddenly awoke!

Opening his eyes, he saw his demonic forest.

He immediately understood that time had passed. Tuk should have already departed the City Lord's Mansion in Ice Rock City. If he wished to rescue Shang Bingjie, he had to act quickly, or else when Tuk returned, his demise would be certain.

He shot to his feet abruptly, shook his Soul Resonance Bell to recall the White Bone Skeleton, used the Heaven's Mystery Bead to collect his Demonic Body, pushed aside the rock blocking the entrance, and flew directly toward the City Lord's Mansion of Ice Rock City.

Within the Seven-Colored Soul Seal in his sea of soul, the little figure manifesting all the changes continued its movements. Every time the figure moved, the imprint relating to this new profound concept deepened within his heart. This was a chaotic profound concept named "Primal Unity" (Hunyuan). The deeper his understanding of "Primal Unity" became, the more profound his command over various strange energies grew, including the "Source Fire"!