"Mother!" the three Night Rose sisters cried out in unison, their faces flushed, appearing exceedingly lovely.

The maidens of the Night Charm Clan were renowned throughout the major races for their beauty. These three sisters each possessed distinct characteristics—one fiery, one agile, one innocently charming—each with her own captivating allure. Coupled with their family resemblance, standing together, they presented a dazzling sight, each vying for attention. Ye Hanyun looked directly at Ji Changkong with a serious expression, awaiting his response.

When their call received no response, the three sisters ceased speaking, lowering their heads as they quietly observed him, a mixture of anticipation and apprehension on their faces.

"You are all beautiful. What is it?" Ji Changkong asked, surprised.

"Young man, if... if you are fond of one of these three sisters, you may state it plainly. I shall grant her hand to you in marriage, as a token of gratitude from our Night Charm Clan. I doubt there is anything else of value in our clan that would catch your eye, save perhaps the captivating looks of these three girls," Ye Sheyun stammered.

Several elders of the Night Charm Clan wore complex expressions, seemingly reluctant, yet none spoke out against the proposal. The three sisters, heads bowed, remained silent, lost in their own thoughts. "I favor them all," Ji Changkong suddenly smiled. "Each sister has her own charm; their looks and temperament are equally matched. If I had to choose, it would truly be difficult."

At these words, Ye Sheyun's face changed, a chill running through her heart as she inwardly thought: Has he turned out to be another shameless scoundrel like the Ice Emperor?

Ye Meixiang suddenly looked up, glaring at him fiercely like a small tiger. "You are too greedy! You can only choose one of us three sisters. If you are like the Ice Emperor, we will fight you to the death!" Ye Meibei revealed a look of disappointment, muttering, "So you are that kind of person too."

Only Ye Meizi remained silent. She let out a soft sigh, saying wistfully, "He merely looks down upon us. You two silly girls, can't you see there is no other meaning in his eyes?"

At her remark, even Ye Sheyun was stunned. She looked Ji Changkong over carefully before exclaiming in surprise, "Are my three daughters not beautiful enough?" Ye Hanyun, after all, was the Clan Leader of the Night Charm Clan. Upon closer inspection, she naturally perceived the truth of the situation.

"It is not that they are not beautiful enough; it is just that I have no such intention," Ji Changkong smiled, then quickly reassured them. "Rest assured, the Ice Emperor was badly injured this time. It will be the most conservative estimate that he won't emerge for five hundred years. If he is unlucky, he might not resurface for several millennia. You have no need to worry."

He now understood Ye Hanyun's true intentions. The Night Charm Clan possessed limited strength, and in recent years, due to the Ice Emperor, they had offended many factions. Even if the Ice Emperor didn't trouble them, without his protection, the future prospects for the Night Charm Clan looked bleak.

The reason Ye Hanyun wished to offer her three daughters to him was out of desperation. As a Clan Leader with limited personal power, her only recourse was to use her daughters to secure the continuation of her clan—a truly tragic affair.

"Even if the Ice Emperor leaves us alone, we will still struggle to pass this difficult time," Ye Hanyun said with a bitter smile. After a pause, she continued, "You may choose any one of my three daughters. Furthermore, I can offer ten more beautiful maidens from our clan. All you must promise is to look after the Night Charm Clan from time to time. How about it?" "Forget it, I do not have that kind of hobby, nor do I have that much energy," Ji Changkong politely declined. Upon hearing this, the faces of Ye Sheyun and the three Night Rose sisters filled with disappointment.

"Mother, don't ask him anymore. We will find someone else. I refuse to believe our clan cannot survive this ordeal!" Ye Meiyue snorted coldly, disgruntled. "Our clan has gotten through tough times before. As long as we remain united, we will certainly pull through safely."

However, the elders who understood the true state of the Night Charm Clan shook their heads and sighed one after another, indicating that their situation must have become extremely dire. "Who is your greatest enemy among the Night Charm Clan?" Ji Changkong asked after a moment of hesitation. "The Shang Family of the Southern Sky Star," Ye Hanyun replied hastily, her expression lighting up with joy. "They are my enemies as well. Rest assured, I will ensure the Shang Family has no time to bother your Night Charm Clan. That is all I can do. You must find other means for the rest."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ji Changkong paused no longer, transforming into a streak of light that gradually receded into the void until all trace of him vanished. "He is a good man," Ye Meizi murmured to herself. "I wonder whom he favors. That woman will surely be very happy." "I truly envy her," Ye Meixiang agreed.

A month later, the Shang Family of the Southern Sky Star suffered a brutal massacre. Several experts of the Ruyi Realm within the Shang Family were slain overnight.

The death of the Shang Family head and the masters of the Ruyi Realm caused the family's power to collapse completely, rendering them incapable of continuing their tyranny over the Southern Sky Star. Some Heavenly Talents who had long cultivated there began refusing to pay the Primordial Crystals to the Shang Family and openly defied them. Powerful forces from adjacent star systems took advantage of the Shang Family's decline, descending upon the Southern Sky Star. After several battles, the Shang Family was defeated, eventually relinquishing control of the Southern Sky Star. Before long, the family degenerated into a third-rate power, barely clinging to existence on the Southern Sky Star, never to regain its former glory.

A small meteorite, enveloped by concentric rings of glazed light screens, traveled through the void at a specific speed and trajectory. On the meteorite, beneath the protective light curtain, Ji Changkong sat cross-legged, his demeanor serene.

After the battle with the Ice Emperor, he had come to realize the terrifying power of the Heavenly Origin Pearl. Later, on the Southern Sky Star, using his Divine Communication Realm cultivation, he had effortlessly executed all the Ruyi Realm masters of the Shang Family, avenging Shang Bingjie’s centuries as an ice slave and regaining face for his own previous distress on that star.

However, Shang Yunlang, who had been reborn as Shang Shaowu, was not on the Southern Sky Star. He searched the entire star system with his divine sense but failed to detect Shang Yunlang's aura, which was a distinct regret.

After departing the Southern Sky Star, he found an isolated meteorite in the expanse of stars, erected barriers and numerous restrictions, and began slowly comprehending the profound mysteries within his mind.

Following his fight with the Ice Emperor, two more divine abilities within the seven-colored soul imprint in his sea of souls had been unlocked. During this period, he devoted himself to mastering these two new abilities, hoping to eventually uncover the entire secret held within the seven-colored soul imprint.

Once he had grasped the divine abilities, he turned his focus to studying the Heavenly Origin Pearl, merging his divine sense with it. Every time he did this, he felt a sense of shared lineage with the Pearl.

He increasingly felt that the Heavenly Origin Pearl resembled an eye. Vaguely, he suspected this might be true, yet he could not fathom what kind of organism could possess such terrifying power from a mere eye, which caused him considerable confusion, almost leading him to doubt his own speculation.

The "Flame Thunder Cold Flame" deep within his body seemed to revel in its current state. Perhaps because the blood within him had received a significant power amplification, the "Flame Thunder Cold Flame" appeared to have benefited from the changes in his body as well. Recently, it had become restless, its aura showing marked growth.

This was a good sign. "Origin Fire" was one of the most wondrous flames in existence. Each type of "Origin Fire" held marvelous effects and astonishing power, capable of continuous growth and evolution into a unique doctrine of power exclusive to the wielder, providing them with an added advantage.

Sensing the change in the "Origin Fire," he used the Grand Unity Doctrine to communicate with it, connecting his divine sense with the consciousness within the "Origin Fire" whenever he had a moment, feeling its joy and delight, perceiving its thoughts.

Through this method, he discovered that the "Origin Fire" was becoming increasingly reliant on him and grew more affectionate, seemingly regarding him as its closest companion. Consequently, the fusion between him and the "Origin Fire" grew tighter, granting him an extremely peculiar sensation. "Chh-chh!" A peculiar sound emanated from the light screen enveloping the meteorite.

Immersed in his personal cultivation world, Ji Changkong frowned. With a shift of his divine sense, the light screen outside the meteorite slowly dissolved.

Gazing outward, he observed three "Light Reflection" Travelers engaged in combat with members of the Bone Clan who piloted strange, bone-crafted vessels. On the periphery, various onlookers riding different contraptions watched with keen interest.

The cold, sharp light emanating from the "Light Dust" collided with the bone spikes shot out by the bone-crafted flying artifacts, resulting in silent explosions in the void. The resulting shockwaves reached the meteorite he occupied, causing the light screen he had erected to emit the "chh-chh" sound.

Behind the two warring factions, a fiery red, beautiful star materialized. Around this star, clusters of burning flames flared, dense as clouds, swirling around the celestial body, accentuating its stunning beauty, much like a lovely woman veiled across the face.

The Rage Flame Star—that was his current objective. Shang Bingjie should be on the Rage Flame Star. He had come this time specifically to find her. "Eh! Young man, is that you?" As he frowned, observing the scene ahead, a gentle voice suddenly reached him.

Ji Changkong turned his head and saw a familiar face: Yu Zhenfan of the Kui Water Sect from the Fire Prison Star, the elder who also possessed the Divine Communication Realm cultivation and had once invited him to join the Kui Water Sect.

This Elder Yu seemed uncertain because Ji Changkong was now also in the Divine Communication Realm. A master advancing from the Ruyi Realm to the Divine Communication Realm in such a short time was quite unbelievable. Furthermore, after undergoing Blood Refining, Ji Changkong's temperament had undergone subtle changes, adding to Elder Yu's confusion.

Beside Elder Yu, a crowd of charming young women still surrounded her, giggling as they watched the fight ahead, enthusiastically offering commentary, and failing to notice Elder Yu calling out to Ji Changkong.

"Heh heh, it is me," Ji Changkong replied calmly with a smile.