"Shriiiik!" The blood cocoon burst open, and Ji Changkong emerged, his expression hazy, as if he hadn't quite grasped the situation. "Transcendent Realm!" Lu Teng shrieked.

The onlookers nearby took a closer look and also cried out in alarm, variously shouting, "He directly broke through to a transcendent realm! Incredible!" and "So powerful!" The young maiden cheered, her expression full of delight.

Tongtian Ghost Mother nodded again, muttering, "Finally, the blood I prepared was not wasted."

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The moment he stepped out of the blood cocoon, it shattered, dissolving into faint wisps of blood mist that vanished. In just a short while, the cocoon was gone without a trace.

Ji Changkong was severely emaciated, skin clinging to bone, resembling a dried corpse, exuding an aura of intense ferocity.

On his body, numerous strange points of light were active, like distant stars in the heavens, revolving according to a specific pattern, immensely mysterious.

His entire being radiated malice, and his eye pupils glowed with a bizarre, ghastly green. As his eyes moved, they seemed like a ferocious beast selecting its prey, utterly dangerous.

However, Tongtian Ghost Mother appeared quite satisfied, smiling faintly, "It seems we need to purge the residual malice clinging to him first."

As the words fell, Tongtian Ghost Mother beckoned, and a strange spatial tunnel materialized out of thin air. Without another word, she pointed a finger at Ji Changkong, and he was drawn into the tunnel.

This was a star infested with rampaging demons. The entire celestial body was filled with savage fiends, perpetually slaughtering one another in what seemed like an endless cycle.

Upon arriving at this star, driven by the surging malice within him, Ji Changkong instinctively began to cleanse it of these demons.

With every movement of his hand and foot, a world-shattering force surged forth. Mountains collapsed, rivers were leveled, and demons whose strength rivaled that of experts at the Ten Directions Heaven Realm were annihilated under his grasp, their life essence completely extinguished.

This star held countless demons, yet following his arrival, they were rapidly diminishing. Demons charging forward were instantly slain; sometimes, with a mere sweep of his hand, he could shatter the essence of thousands of demons.

Those points of light flowing within his body were, in fact, his acupoints. These acupoints now circulated in a specific pattern within him. With every shift in their configuration, the power within him seemed to grow stronger. Supported by the surging internal strength, the demons on this star were quickly wiped clean.

It was at this moment that the majority of the internal malice dissipated, and his consciousness gradually returned.

Tongtian Ghost Mother seemed to feel this was still insufficient.

Another spatial tunnel formed in the void, and he was hurled onto another unfamiliar star. On this world, too, there were countless demons, creatures born of the ambient demonic energy, possessing little true intellect, their sole focus being the extermination of all else. Upon his arrival, before he could even act, these demons swarmed toward him, intent on his destruction.

Guided by the lingering internal malice, he began the slaughter of the demons on this star almost without hesitation.

Perhaps due to a deeper comprehension of the power within him, this attempt was even smoother. He floated up from the surface of the star, and with a shift of thought, lightning bolts hammered down from the sky. In mere moments, every demon on the holy star was annihilated.

He seemed unsatisfied still, even driving external meteorites to crash into the star, bombarding it with massive celestial debris. Amidst cataclysmic roars, the star was utterly destroyed. In the vast starry expanse, a stellar explosion occurred; the celestial body perished.

During this process, the Tianyuan Pearl, deeply embedded within him, flew out without any command from him and absorbed the soul power of all the slain demons.

At the very moment the star shattered, he snapped fully awake, finally recognizing his situation. "Return now." Another spatial tunnel opened, and a voice issued forth—it was Tongtian Ghost Mother's voice.

Hesitating briefly, Ji Changkong plunged inside. As streaks of bizarre and beautiful colors faded, he found himself standing once more on the isolated island within the sea of blood.

"What happened?" Ji Changkong frowned, staring at Tongtian Ghost Mother. "I feel like I just endured a nightmare, suffering all manner of torments from the depths of hell. I experienced death and rebirth countless times. I don't know what truly transpired, but my body has changed. What is this circulation of acupoints inside me?"

"The basic manifestation of the Transcendent Realm," Tongtian Ghost Mother replied coolly. "All the acupoints within the body flow like stars within the galaxy. Only experts who have reached the Transcendent Realm can achieve this. The change in your internal acupoints signifies your breakthrough to the Transcendent Realm!" "The Transcendent Realm!?" Ji Changkong exclaimed. After a long pause, he added, "How could it be so easy?"

"Easy?" Tongtian Ghost Mother's expression turned strange. "You stayed in the Blood Marrow Pool for one hundred and twelve years. During that time, you endured agony that ordinary beings could never face. The Nine Tribulations—in the history of our clan, only the most supreme experts of the Royal Family ever reached it. Yet you not only underwent the Nine Blood Refinements but also absorbed all the marrow from the pool. I don't know how you achieved this, but I can say that your future accomplishments will certainly not be inferior to mine!" Ji Changkong was stunned.

"Do you feel the marvelous sensation contained within the blood?" Tongtian Ghost Mother smiled. "After the Blood Refinement, the power of your blood has increased more than tenfold. Do you know what that means?" "No."

"Heh heh, I'll keep you in suspense for now. You will know eventually, as long as you can meet the High Priest. He will tell you more of what you wish to know; it is more fitting for him to explain certain matters, as that is his duty." Tongtian Ghost Mother smiled again. "Now, you may attempt to sense the High Priest."

"Sense him? How do I sense him?" Ji Changkong asked blankly.

"You know how," Tongtian Ghost Mother replied.

"I don't."

"The soul power of the High Priest exists throughout the vast starry sky, omnipresent. However, the soul power of the High Priest is not something an ordinary person can sense. Even I, being in the Chaos Realm, can barely detect the High Priest's soul presence. But you can! You have cultivated the latter volume of the Soul Locking Melody, which allows you to sense his aura, because the High Priest, like you, has cultivated the Soul Nourishing Melody." "Why should I look for him?" "He can give you further guidance, and you need to obtain the upper volume of the Soul Nourishing Melody from him." "Uh, I'll try," Ji Changkong replied.

After a moment's hesitation, Ji Changkong nodded in agreement and attempted to use his divine sense to perceive the aura of the supposed High Priest. As his divine sense moved, he suddenly shrieked, "Eh, my blood!?"

He looked inward into his body with his divine sense and discovered that his blood was gone, replaced instead by tiny blood crystals, inlaid within his physical form like strange, shattered gemstones.

"After the Blood Refinement, the blood solidifies into blood crystals; this is the characteristic of the tenfold condensation of blood power. There's no need to be so alarmed. If you wish, the blood crystals can instantly transform back into blood, providing inexhaustible power to your flesh." Tongtian Ghost Mother explained. "Is that so—"

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!" Suddenly, a strange buzzing sound came from beyond the sky. Countless figures resembling blood-sucking bats swirled overhead, seemingly carrying some message.

Tongtian Ghost Mother, who was speaking with Ji Changkong, frowned slightly, opened her mouth, and uttered the single character, "Open!"

The sound of this character resonated and echoed across the sky, seemingly triggering the external restrictions. The void suddenly tore open into a massive fissure, and a strong current of air surged out. Within this current, an elderly Blood Race member with sharp fangs, hunched over, materialized.

"Guti, what brings you here?" Tongtian Ghost Mother asked with a hint of impatience and coldness. "Didn't I tell you? Do not come to this place unless it is of vital importance." Guti?

Ji Changkong's expression shifted slightly. Focusing his gaze, he observed that the elderly Blood Race man indeed possessed the cultivation of the Transcendent Realm. His face was pale, and his frame was slender. If not for the noticeable fangs at the corners of his mouth, he would have resembled a learned scholar, entirely disconnected from the bloodthirsty and ferocious Blood Race.

Guti, the patriarch of the Augustus family. Back in that underground world with the Life Vortex, Guti remained in slumber, and Ji Changkong had never met him, though he had heard of this old vampire's terrifying nature from figures like Vix.

"Divine Mother, forgive me." Guti bowed in apology upon arrival, glancing curiously at Ji Changkong before speaking. "The Ice Emperor has emerged from his frozen confinement. This time, for unknown reasons, the Ice Emperor has become even stronger. The moment he appeared, he began besieging our Blood Race. After battling him, I barely escaped with my life. I was forced to seek your aid, Divine Mother; it is not that your old servant fears death, but rather I fear messing up the task you assigned, so..."

Guti spoke with an air of extreme apprehension.

"Idiot!" Tongtian Ghost Mother scoffed coldly. "The Ice Emperor escaped from my grasp alive, naturally gaining new insights. I told you long ago to find him for me, yet you never did, and now you let him break free from the ice again! Now he causes further trouble. Hmph!"

"Your old servant deserves death," Guti repeatedly apologized.

"Ji Changkong, you have successfully completed the Blood Refinement. It is time for you to stretch your limbs. Go with Guti and deal with the Ice Emperor," Tongtian Ghost Mother mused for a moment, then suddenly commanded.

"Ah?" Ji Changkong's face changed. "What does this have to do with me?"

"This is your responsibility!" Tongtian Ghost Mother's expression suddenly turned solemn. Without waiting for Ji Changkong to argue further, she waved her hand. "Go. Guti will explain the situation to you. You should also know the historical relationship between the Blood Race and our Divine Race." "To serve the Divine Son is my old servant's greatest honor," Guti replied, his face filled with astonishment, his expression toward Ji Changkong exceedingly strange.

"Hmm, you two may depart." Tongtian Ghost Mother's eyes shifted, and a massive black hole materialized out of thin air. Without giving Ji Changkong a chance to object, the black hole swallowed both him and Guti.