"How long has it been?" In the Great Void Illusion Realm, he must have spent considerable time arranging the World Forging. Afterward, he expended more energy to reclaim the sliver of soul that had entered the black hole. Finally, he condensed a Life Star, resembling the Five Elements Continent, and watched, transfixed, as life began to stir within it. Having accomplished all this, he had certainly lost a significant amount of time.

Once submerged in the state of Selflessness within the T’ai Hsu Secret Records, the passage of time usually became imperceptible to him. "Not long, only thirty-seven years." Ji Yuan replied. "Heh, that's not long at all. I thought another century might have slipped by." Ji Changkong chuckled.

Since entering the Ten Directions Heaven Realm, he noticed that cultivation demanded ever-increasing spans of time. A single lapse in attention could mean a hundred years gone. At this level, practice was heavily contingent upon time; "The gathering of strength is never an overnight affair; sometimes, even a minor injury takes a century to fully mend." "That's enough. Things here are concluded; I must return." After a moment's thought, Ji Changkong planned to seek out Gu Dan to inquire about the T’ai Hsu Secret Records, eager to know where the man had obtained them.

Just then, a peculiar fluctuation manifested before him, and a point of light, fine as a grain of sand, suddenly flared, blooming into a shadowy portal. The Ghost Mother of Heaven-Reaching emerged with elegant grace and asked, "I truly hadn't expected you to gain the upper hand. Where is the High Priest? What have you done with him?" His expression shifted slightly, Ji Changkong’s gaze turning hostile.

"Did you know beforehand that the High Priest intended to act against me?" Had he not proceeded with extreme caution on this journey, and had the T’ai Hsu Secret Records not played their miraculous role at the critical moment, he might well have been annihilated—soul and all—by the High Priest, leaving everything to the latter. The Ghost Mother of Heaven-Reaching possessed the cultivation of the Chaos Realm and was intimately familiar with the High Priest’s temperament. To approach him under these circumstances clearly signaled ill intent. Without overthinking, he knew the Ghost Mother must have plotted against him, which accounted for his frosty reception.

"As long as you comply with him, being of the same royal bloodline, he would not have moved against you." The Ghost Mother of Heaven-Reaching appeared perfectly calm, showing no sign of panic at her machinations being exposed. She replied coolly, "If the High Priest did move against you, it would mean your views diverged; as the new Divine King of the God Clan, you would naturally have ways to deal with it." "He nearly refined my soul to death," Ji Changkong grunted. "But you are perfectly well now, are you not?" The Ghost Mother offered a placid smile. After a pause, she continued, "You are the new Divine King of the God Clan, and he is the High Priest.

You are both leaders of the God Clan, but clearly, you hold differing views on the future of our people. I was aware this might happen, which is why I arranged your meeting." "You nearly caused my death," Ji Changkong scoffed. The Ghost Mother remained unmoved. "I arranged your meeting precisely to ascertain the future direction of the God Clan.

Whichever of you triumphs, I will support him. If the High Priest were here now, I would follow his path and obey his orders. But since you are the one emerging, I will listen to you. I am neither the Divine King nor the High Priest; I lack the authority to decide the destiny of the God Clan, nor do I know whose method truly secures our future.

Therefore, I believe it best to proceed according to the established customs of the God Clan." "Customs? To force us into mutual combat is your so-called custom?" "Indeed! Survival of the fittest—that is the custom of the God Clan! The Soul-Nourishing Hymn of the God Clan, in its upper and lower scrolls, can only be unified through conflict between you two.

Since the High Priest’s physical body is destroyed and his soul scattered, leaving only a primary essence, I thought this moment the fairest for arranging your encounter." The Ghost Mother sighed softly. Ji Changkong finally understood: the Ghost Mother had schemed after all. She operated according to her own principles, devoid of genuine sentiment for either party. Her sole objective was maintaining the order and continuation of the God Clan.

From her perspective, her actions were entirely justifiable. "The High Priest will not reappear in this stellar domain again," Ji Changkong stated casually. Nodding, the Ghost Mother replied, "I presumed as much. It is a fundamental truth of the God Clan that the Divine King holds control.

In our ancient history, several High Priests have attempted to seize power, but they were ultimately overthrown by the Divine King. The lower scroll of the Soul Locking Hymn inherently restrains the upper scroll; victory was never his to claim." "I didn't even need to use the lower scroll of the Soul-Nourishing Hymn." The Ghost Mother finally displayed genuine astonishment, looking at Ji Changkong with a strange, grave expression. "What did you say?! If you didn't employ the lower scroll of the Soul-Nourishing Hymn, how did you defeat him?" Ji Changkong’s face remained cold as he fell silent.

The Ghost Mother did not press for further details, murmuring only, "It seems you hold some other secret. But that is for the best; you are our new Divine King. The more formidable you are, the greater the advantage for our clan." "Did you come here simply to check which of us—you or the High Priest—was still alive?" "That was one objective. If the High Priest stood here now, I imagine he would have many tasks for me to handle.

But since it is you, perhaps there is little for me to do." The Ghost Mother frowned slightly. "There is a place you must visit: the Black Prison Star in the Star Abyss. Rumor has it that Plague Demons have appeared there!" "Plague Demons?!" Ji Changkong gasped in genuine alarm. "How is that possible?" He had heard of Plague Demons; Dick had mentioned them.

According to Dick, the last Great Destruction seemed linked to them. Although Dick offered few descriptions, the look of terror on Dick’s face indicated that the Plague Demons were absolutely terrifying entities. "I find it hard to believe myself," the Ghost Mother admitted, her tone unusually grave. "During the last Great Destruction, the Plague Demons should have been utterly eradicated; their reappearance is impossible.

Yet, I have heard whispers that a lifeform resembling them has appeared on the Black Prison Star." "Why don't you go yourself?" Ji Changkong huffed. "I am the Divine King; I should be commanding you, not the other way around. Why must you always assign me tasks?" The Ghost Mother suddenly smiled. "Once you reach the Chaos Realm and truly undergo the Divine King's baptism, I will naturally obey your commands.

For now, you had better remain obedient. You could deal with the High Priest because he lacked a physical body and his soul was severely wounded. Do not presume you can genuinely contend with an expert of the Chaos Realm." "Don't you want to know the High Priest's plans? Why haven't you asked a single question?" Ji Changkong felt curious.

The Ghost Mother's expression grew complicated, and she sighed deeply. "Before he entered soul seclusion, I already knew what he intended. Why would I need you to tell me?" "You knew he planned to resurrect our warriors?" "The Soul Suppression Hymn, upper and lower scrolls, cannot be unified; his plan was pure fantasy. Merely creating the specters and the Blood Clan made him feel omnipotent.

He tried countless times to resurrect our warriors, but he never succeeded. Instead, he spawned new monsters..." After a pause, the Ghost Mother continued, "The Shadow Demon Clan is the product of his failure—they possess little true intelligence, have extra heads, and lack the capacity for evolution. They are only slightly better than savage beasts... alas." The Shadow Demon Clan?

The Shadow Demon Clan that ravaged the Meteor Sea Star Field—to think this race was the High Priest’s failed experiment stunned Ji Changkong. "Times have changed. Perhaps the High Priest's methods are no longer suitable. The possibility of one race dominating a star field hardly exists anymore; the various great races have already risen, and their understanding of cosmic power is not inferior to most of ours.

With our clan’s current strength, attempting to dominate again would only invite catastrophe and lead to our complete annihilation." The Ghost Mother shook her head with a sigh. As she spoke, her enthusiasm seemed to vanish. Without giving Ji Changkong a second glance, she walked toward the light portal she had conjured out of thin air. With her back to him, she said, "Remember to go to the Black Prison Star and ascertain whether the Plague Demons have truly reappeared.

This matter is critically important..." Her voice faded as her form dissolved into the portal. The light hole contracted slowly, then vanished entirely. "To the Black Prison Star." Ji Changkong contemplated briefly, ultimately deciding to travel to the Star Abyss. Dead Star Domain, Snow Cloud Holy Land.

In a dim mine shaft, a group of laborers from various races toiled diligently at mining. Most of these individuals possessed the cultivation of the Ten Directions Heaven's Subtle Realm, with a few fellows from the Nine Palaces Heaven Realm present. This mine was rich in Black Soil Crystal. While not an exceedingly rare crystal, fifteen Black Soil Crystals could be exchanged for one Yuan Crystal on the outside market.

The mine was controlled by a human expert in the Intent Realization Realm, and anyone wishing to excavate the crystals required his prior approval. Eighty percent of the Black Soil Crystals dug from the mine had to be handed over to him—that was the rule. In one corner of the mine, two inconspicuous human Heavenly Soldiers, in the Subtle Realm, worked diligently with bowed heads. "Hentian, we've had good fortune this trip.

In just five years, we've gathered three thousand Black Soil Crystals," said an old man whose beard was draped with dust, speaking calmly. "In another twenty years, we should have enough Yuan Crystals to purchase the Spring of Life. Once we refine our nascent spirits, we can continue searching for him." The gaunt old man replied with a cold, flat tone. "It has been nearly a thousand years since we last had news of him.

Do you think he could possibly be in the Dead Star Domain?" The dusty-bearded old man sighed, his eyes holding deep concern. "The Dead Star Domain was a place he always clamored to visit. If... if he is unharmed, he should be somewhere around here," the cold-faced old man answered bleakly.