The earth trembled violently, and the mine entrance behind Tiemu Yun collapsed in an instant. Amidst the soaring dust, a young man, his lips curled into a look of cold, ruthless determination, materialized before the ruins.

"Chang Kong!"

Gu Dan and Li Hentian gasped simultaneously, their faces etched with utter disbelief.

"Grandpa! Uncle Li!" The coldness on his face vanished without a trace. Ji Changkong approached with a joyful smile, bowing deeply toward Gu Dan and Li Hentian. "Thank you both for your trouble."

"How did you know we were here?" Gu Dan’s heart swelled with joy, but his mind remained sharp. "Come on, let’s leave Yun'er first."

Li Hentian shot him a meaningful glance.

Both Gu Dan and Li Hentian were deeply worried about him, fearful that Tiemu Yun might make a move, fearful he might be harmed, which was why they wanted to move Yun'er far away first.

"We’ll have a good talk later; I will recount everything I’ve experienced these past years in detail. But before that, I still have a few things to handle." Ji Changkong laughed casually, then turned to face Tiemu Yun, his expression immediately turning grim. "Did you not hear what I said?"

Tiemu Yun’s expression fluctuated between gloom and uncertainty. He sensed an unusual aura emanating from Ji Changkong, a pressure that vaguely unsettled him. He could not discern Ji Changkong's true cultivation realm, so he dared not act rashly.

However, he also sensed Ji Changkong’s youth, and it was precisely that youth that made him doubt Ji Changkong had reached the level he suspected. Tiemu Yun’s indecision greatly displeased Ji Changkong. He chuckled wryly and suddenly thrust out a hand to grab.

It was as if the water of the Milky Way was forcibly pulled down from the highest heavens; celestial rivers manifested in the void above Xueyun Star. An immense pressure, weighing billions of jin, bore down from those rivers, engulfing Tiemu Yun and the Azure-Clothed Guards beside him. "Crack! Crack! Crack!"

The sound of shattering bone suddenly erupted from the Azure-Clothed Guards flanking Tiemu Yun. Those Guards, cultivated to the Nirvana Realm, were instantly crushed to dust and fragments, their bones piercing through their flesh under the immense force, killing them instantly.

Tiemu Yun was struck with horror. Under this crushing power, he couldn't muster the slightest thought of resistance. It was as if hundreds of stars were pressing down simultaneously. Even Tiemu Yun, whose cultivation reached the Ruyi Realm, could not endure it. With a loud thud, the leg bones of Tiemu Yun’s legs shattered. He immediately knelt down!

It was not by choice; his leg bones had exploded, and he was forced down onto his knees by the sheer pressure. His face was filled with terror, his mouth agape as he tried to speak but could produce no sound, only gasping desperately, appearing utterly wretched and on the verge of being pulverized. Gu Dan and Li Hentian stared, dumbfounded.

They watched blankly, stunned by the thunderous, overwhelming manner in which Ji Changkong held the overlord of this region in the palm of his hand, rendering Tiemu Yun completely incapable of resistance as he knelt on the ground. "Cha-a-a-a-a-ang Ko-o-o-o-ong..." Gu Dan stammered, "What... what realm are you in now? Why... why can't I discern your actual cultivation?" Gu Dan was utterly bewildered.

"Sect Master, this youngster is at least in the Ruyi Realm! Otherwise, that greedy dog Tiemu Yun wouldn't be reduced to this state." Li Hentian’s eyes suddenly lit up. He walked over to Tiemu Yun with a cold expression. "Do you still want the ninety percent share of the Mo Tu Crystal?" Tiemu Yun could not speak, only shaking his head in agony, his face looking horribly flushed, almost crimson.

This was due to the overwhelming pressure. If Ji Changkong continued to increase the intensity, Tiemu Yun’s body would violently swell and burst, his blood forcing through his skin, causing him to die in excruciating pain. "I told you to apologize. Did you hear me this time?" Ji Changkong fixed his cold gaze on the speechless Tiemu Yun, who managed to nod with difficulty. "Good, that’s better." Ji Changkong released the binding force.

Tiemu Yun’s body relaxed, and he slumped onto the ground. His expression immediately changed, and he scrambled up, nodding and bowing rapidly like a frantic chick pecking at rice toward Li Hentian and Gu Dan. "I apologize. My dog eyes failed to recognize your esteemed identities. I beg your magnanimity and ask you to spare me." "A man like you deserves death," Li Hentian stated coldly. "I’m sorry, I’m sorry to you both, it was my fault, I beg your pardon..." Tiemu Yun repeated endlessly.

"Who dares to flaunt their power on my turf? Xueyun Star is the territory of my Three-Eyed Clan! No one is permitted to act recklessly!" A fierce roar suddenly echoed from a distance. A flash of strange light crossed the space, and shortly after, a figure materialized out of thin air in that area.

It was a bald, burly man of the Three-Eyed Clan, rugged in appearance with a fleshy face, possessing the cultivation of the Divine Connection Realm. Upon arrival, he didn't spare Tiemu Yun a glance but stared intently at Ji Changkong. "Are you the one causing trouble?"

"Lord Jelu, do me justice! I pay taxes every hundred years! This Mo Tu Crystal mine belongs to me! This man suddenly arrived, demolished the mine without a word, and threatened to kill me! This disregards your Three-Eyed Clan!" Tiemu Yun instantly stood up and began lodging his complaint. "He forcibly changed the rules! He said he would take eighty percent of the Mo Tu Crystal, but after coming out, he demanded ninety percent..." Gu Dan frowned, stating the truth. "Lord Jelu, this mine belongs to me! I can set the rules as I please," Tiemu Yun shouted. However, Jelu barely glanced at him, continuing to fix Ji Changkong with the wary gaze one reserves for a true enemy. "Who are you?"

Jelu saw Ji Changkong's realm. Generally, any Heavenly Master with Divine Connection Realm cultivation was somewhat famous in the Dead Star Domain. Jelu was acquainted with the major experts of that realm, and comparing faces, he couldn't place any young human male on Xueyun Star who possessed such cultivation at such a tender age.

"If you are the master of Xueyun Star, you should know someone entrusted you to find two people, right? One named Gu Zhou, and one named Li Hentian. Is that correct?" Ji Changkong did not answer, instead asking a question. Jelu’s eyes flashed with a strange light. "You are?" "I was the one who told him to ask you to look for them. It seems you failed to complete the task," Ji Changkong snorted coldly.

Jelu suddenly showed an awkward expression. "In all these years, I have indeed sent people searching, but Xueyun Star is covered in mines. Some people, after arriving, burrow into the mines and stay there for a century. The matter isn't easily concluded."

Jelu's sudden shift in demeanor stunned many present. Tiemu Yun looked particularly confused. "My Lord, you... you know each other?" "Silence!" Jelu snapped, then turned to Ji Changkong with an apologetic smile. "I truly did my best. It's not that I didn't search; it's just that I haven't found them yet."

Jelu’s eyes darted, catching Li Hentian and Gu Dan in a quick glance, seemingly grasping the entire situation immediately. He quickly added, "It seems you have found them. It is true I did not handle that matter properly. I truly apologize. If this fellow offended you, I will help you eliminate him."

As he spoke, Jelu turned. A powerful beam of light shot from his third eye, instantly reaching Tiemu Yun’s side. Before Tiemu Yun knew what happened, he was pierced by the brilliant light. A hole the size of a bowl appeared in his chest, blood gushing out freely.

Jelu killed Tiemu Yun amidst casual conversation, and then seemed to feel slightly guilty, continuing with an embarrassed, apologetic smile. "This matter truly was my oversight. If you are not satisfied, you can have me kill a few more people. Look, you can kill anyone here as you please. If you wish to act, I can handle the dirty work for you." Everyone present was astonished.

Even Gu Dan and Li Hentian were momentarily frozen. Although they hadn't seen Ji Changkong for a thousand years, for experts of the Ten Directions Heaven Realm, a millennium was not an excessive span of time. What had transpired in this period? How did he acquire such divine abilities, and why did the very master of Xueyun Star bow and apologize so deferentially? Gu Dan and Li Hentian exchanged a look, recognizing the shock and confusion mirrored in the other's eyes.

They secretly resolved that once this matter concluded, they would interrogate this youngster thoroughly to understand the exact situation.

The three Mu Clan members who had actively provoked Gu Dan and Li Hentian now kept their heads so low that no one could discern their faces. These three bowed deeply, stooping over, hiding within the crowd as they slowly retreated backward, hoping Li Hentian would not notice them.

Back in the mine, relying on their slightly superior cultivation and their status as brothers, these three often bullied others and seized their property. Over the years, these three scoundrels had given Li Hentian and Gu Dan considerable trouble, but both had endured it patiently.

Now, the three knew they might have unwittingly invited unimaginable disaster. While they repented, they also cursed their own terrible luck for needlessly provoking those two old fellows, thereby drawing the scent of death upon themselves for no gain.

"Since you are so eager to help, I won't be polite," Ji Changkong said with a casual smile, pointing at the three retreating Mu Clan brothers. "Take care of those three as well. Their cowering demeanor displeases me." "A minor task," Jelu nodded, and his third eye burst forth with light once more.

A ray of light shot out, splitting into three in the void, engulfing all three Mu Clan members. They managed only a single scream before their lives flickered out. For someone in the Divine Connection Realm to execute those in the Microscopic Realm was no different than crushing an ant. "Is there anything else I can handle for you?" Jelu asked with a smile.

Turning back, Ji Changkong looked at Li Hentian and Gu Dan. "Uncle Li, Grandpa, I only saw that you were being ill-treated by these three. Were there any others you missed? It would be good to settle all scores on this trip, otherwise, next time we might have to run much farther."

Gu Dan and Li Hentian were astonished once more. Gu Dan paused. "How did you know these three were our enemies?" "Heh heh, a Divine Connection Realm expert has that ability," Ji Changkong explained. "Divine Connection Realm?!" Gu Dan and Li Hentian both jumped back, stunned. No matter how much they speculated, they never imagined Ji Changkong had actually reached the Divine Connection Realm, a level comparable to a god.

Ji Changkong's answer shook them profoundly, almost too much to accept. In a daze, they even wondered if they were experiencing some kind of beautiful, unreal dream.