The figure of the Ice Sovereign vanished into the vortex, which continuously contracted until it became a small point of light, glittering like a firefly in the void.

Gudi, perched atop the meteor, looked marginally better. He stared wide-eyed, unblinking, at the tiny orb that had swallowed the Ice Sovereign. Ji Changkong’s expression was equally solemn, rings of flame swirling around him as he kept a silent guard.

The firefly-like point of light suddenly expanded, in a mere instant ballooning billions of times, and a deep, chilling aura permeated the entire void.

A realm forged purely from ice and rock materialized from thin air. Against the backdrop of the boundless starry sky, this world of ice and snow hung like a mirage, feeling intensely unreal. The Ice Sovereign was gone, yet his essence permeated every corner of that frozen landscape. It was as if the icy domain itself was the Sovereign’s incarnation.

"The Ice Realm! This world was conjured by the Ice Sovereign's physical body, existing between reality and illusion—it’s incredibly difficult to deal with!" Gudi said, his face grim. "I suffered a great loss in the Ice Realm last time. This domain will constantly gather the chill of heaven and earth; the cold intensifies every moment, which is terrifying!"

The Ice Sovereign's aura grew long and distant, wrapping around the frozen vista. The ice kingdom ceaselessly generated and transformed, and figures of the Ice Clan began to emerge from within the domain, conveying an appearance of profound reality.

However, Ji Changkong knew those ice figures were merely congealed from ice rock and the residual consciousness of the Ice Sovereign, not truly living beings. As these ice people manifested one after another, they populated the frozen world, and the icy domain slowly spread, incorporating the surrounding void.

Soon, the ice kingdom engulfed the area where Ji Changkong stood. With no room left to evade, he instantly plummeted into the heart of the ice and snow. The absolute zenith of freezing energy!

Upon entering this domain, his body instantly stiffened. The swirling flames that manifested around him burned continuously, striving to supply blazing power, yet they couldn't entirely dispel the chill seeping into his core. A coldness that penetrated the bone began to lock up his mind and body.

This seemed to be the ultimate manifestation of coldness in the world. Within this frigid domain, he found himself utterly incapable of resistance, his consciousness gradually blurring. "You are certainly doomed!" the Ice Sovereign’s consciousness roared within the sea of Ji Changkong's soul, shaking heaven and earth.

The Ice Realm suddenly shifted. The ice figures, fused from the Ice Sovereign’s will and ice rock, lined up in perfect formation and charged toward Ji Changkong. Armed with icy shards, these figures were strangely varied in appearance, yet their auras were unified—all extensions of the Ice Sovereign’s consciousness. "I must survive!" a voice echoed in his subconscious, a deafening roar reverberating within the ocean of his soul.

The Blood Crystal, refined from his own vital blood within his body, suddenly erupted like a volcano, unleashing an astonishing power.

An ancient power, as if existing since the primordial chaos of the universe, instantly spread through his entire frame. In a single moment, his physical body transformed into the form of a member of the Purgatorial Ghost Clan: covered in whale-like armor, sharp bone spurs burst forth, and his fingertips protruded menacingly. The bone-chilling cold suddenly lessened significantly.

Ji Changkong immediately regained the ability to move. Just then, he saw the ice clan members radiating the Ice Sovereign's aura charging at him. Without hesitation, and discarding any reliance on divine weapons, he simply used his razor-sharp nails to shred every charging ice figure into dust.

Tiny shards of the Blood Crystal continued to release astonishing power within him. His body seemed imbued with inexhaustible strength. As his will shifted, the Primordial Heaven Orb nestled within him abruptly surged forth within this Ice Realm.

The hazy light emanating from the Heaven Orb spread out. Wherever the luminescence touched, the cold within the Ice Realm was gradually dispersed. Even the domain itself began to slowly collapse, and the boundless outer cosmos started to reappear.

The Heaven Orb, the treasure seized by Yang Haili from the High Priest, had once again proven its worth at a critical juncture.

As the power of his vital blood was unleashed, the Primordial Heaven Orb grew increasingly bizarre. He vaguely felt a miraculous resonance between the blood in his body and the Orb. By channeling the power of his blood, he seemed capable of utilizing the Heaven Orb’s might far better.

The moment this thought surfaced, the blood-crystal-like essence of his blood erupted once more with an overwhelming surge of force, all of which poured directly into the Primordial Heaven Orb.

The vortex within the Heaven Orb suddenly became extremely unstable following the injection of this power. Mo Xiu, situated inside the Orb, could clearly observe a distinct transformation occurring within its inner world.

Giant vortices spun in the heavens, and waves of malevolent power emanated from them—powers that seemed alien to any known earthly force. These vortices revolved in a specific pattern, causing the energies to continuously aggregate.

The world inside the Heaven Orb expanded. From a star unfathomably distant, a will bent on destroying everything suddenly transmitted itself. In an instant, the Heaven Orb turned the color of fresh, dripping blood, and a beam of scarlet, bloodthirsty light shot out violently from within. At this moment, the Orb seemed to transform into an eyeball, fixing the Ice Realm—and the slowly revealing form of the Ice Sovereign—with a gaze that scorned all worldly laws.

The Ice Sovereign's expression changed drastically; this was the first time genuine terror flickered across his face.

He seemed to recognize the Primordial Heaven Orb and understood its terrifying potential. He instantly forced a change in the Ice Realm, moving himself and the entire domain tens of thousands of miles in a single instant, relocating to another sector.

Before him lay three stars—three dead worlds—which now served to isolate the Ice Sovereign from the Heaven Orb.

However, after the crimson beam pierced through, it proved utterly indestructible, passing directly through the three stars. The beam of scarlet light, losing none of its momentum, continued its trajectory toward the Ice Sovereign.

The Ice Realm, created by the Sovereign’s own power, was finally struck by that scarlet ray. Without any warning, the Ice Realm shattered like a broken mirror, fragmenting into countless flat, small pieces of ice. The Ice Sovereign’s aura simultaneously fractured into hundreds of smaller components. In the void, an endless series of explosive remnants could be heard.

The three stars pierced by the crimson light instantly disintegrated, dissolving into dust in the void, vanishing in a single breath.

The true body of the Ice Sovereign was gone. The scattered fragments of ice, imbued with a semblance of life, sped away in all directions of the star river, disappearing without a trace in a short time, leaving behind not even a whisper of aura. Ji Changkong stood frozen, sensing a slight depletion of the vital blood essence within him.

The Heaven Orb floated quietly, radiating a soft halo. The previous sharpness and terror were gone; the eyeball appearance had vanished. Everything had returned to normal. Yet, Ji Changkong hesitated to draw the Primordial Heaven Orb back into his body.

A beam of light released from the Orb had first pierced three dead stars, turning them to dust, and then shattered the Ice Realm, severely wounding the Ice Sovereign. Just how terrifying a power was contained within this Heaven Orb? He could hardly imagine.

The formidable nature of the Heaven Orb far exceeded his expectations, leaving him momentarily bewildered. He feared losing control of its power, worried that some unforeseen disaster might occur within his body if the Orb acted up—in which case, he suspected he wouldn't even know how he died.

Across the vast sea of stars, a strange pinpoint of light suddenly flashed. It rapidly enlarged, and in moments, transformed into a tunnel.

A captivating figure slowly materialized from the tunnel. She glanced at Ji Changkong and asked, "Did you manage to activate the power within the Primordial Heaven Orb?" "Mother of Gods." Gudi appeared from some unknown location, his expression reverent as he bowed deeply, intending to offer an explanation.

The Tongtian Ghost Mother waved her hand dismissively. "Go on. The Ice Sovereign will not reappear for at least five hundred years. Resume your duties." "Your old servant obeys." Gudi nodded, fixing a deep look on Ji Changkong before bowing and receding, concealing his form within the void. After a while, his aura too vanished. "Hoo." Snapping out of his shock, Ji Changkong hesitated before finally drawing the Primordial Heaven Orb back into his body. He tested it internally and found nothing unusual.

As before, the Orb remained embedded in his core, nestled within his flesh and blood. However, surrounding the Heaven Orb, the Blood Crystals refined from his essence seemed to have increased slightly in number.

"What exactly is this Primordial Heaven Orb? Why is its power so astonishing?" After a considerable time, having ensured his body was stable, he finally turned to the Tongtian Ghost Mother, his expression grave. The power of the Orb was too immense, so much so that it made his heart tremble with fear. "Are you referring to the Heaven Orb's ability to destroy three dead stars?" "Y-yes."

The Tongtian Ghost Mother smiled, her expression full of subtle meaning. "That wasn't even the true power of the Heaven Orb. When you can truly unleash its full potential, you will understand what world-ending might truly is. No rush. Once you’ve mastered the flow of your blood power perfectly, you will gradually grasp the Heaven Orb's marvelous uses." "This isn't even its true power?" Ji Changkong exclaimed.

"Not even close," the Tongtian Ghost Mother confirmed, then added with disdain, "Aside from the Heaven Orb, you no longer need to waste much effort tempering your previous divine weapons. Those common things are not even in the same league as the Heaven Orb."

As the Ghost Mother spoke, a ripple of energy emanated from her. Suddenly, the Dragon-Taming Saber, the World-Ending Gauntlets, the Vast Star Sea Map, the Soul-Guarding Crown, the Heavenly Net Blood Fiend Seal, and other divine weapons hidden deep within Ji Changkong’s storage pouch all flew out, hovering silently in the void.

"Let me see what you possess. I will destroy anything useless for you, lest you waste time," the Tongtian Ghost Mother stated calmly. She swept her gaze over the array of divine artifacts, all with an air of indifference. However, when her gaze settled upon one particular item, she let out a sudden, soft exclamation: "Oh?"