"There is nothing more to see here, Grandfather, Uncle Li. Let's leave this place." Ji Changkong didn't bother with further explanation for Yun'er, simply smiling, "Come with me to Star Test; Bingjie is there too. Don't worry about anything; all cultivation materials related to the Source of Life are on me."

Gu Dan and Li Hentian were secretly shocked. Upon learning that Ji Changkong had reached the Divine Connection Realm cultivation, they asked no further questions, understanding that the current Ji Changkong was far beyond their ability to measure.

"Source of Life?" Jero exclaimed, glancing at Gu Dan and Li Hentian. "It seems you two haven't condensed your Essence yet. I have plenty of Source of Life right here. See, are these enough for you to condense your Essence?" As Jero spoke, he produced a large bottle of the Source of Life and handed it to Gu Dan with a smile.

Gu Dan's eyes were filled with pleasant surprise, but he didn't immediately reach for it, instead looking to Ji Changkong for confirmation. He wasn't sure of Jero's relationship with Ji Changkong and feared that accepting it rashly might cause Ji Changkong unnecessary trouble. "It's fine, Grandfather, take it. The Source of Life isn't some exceedingly precious thing anyway," Ji Changkong nodded with a smile. Only then did Gu Dan accept it with slight delight, not forgetting to nod his thanks to Jero. Jero repeatedly replied it was nothing, his demeanor exceptionally pleasant. "Hmm, you may have indeed done your best in this matter," Ji Changkong's brow smoothed out, satisfied with Jero's attitude.

"Young Master Leo is the most promising candidate to become the future Patriarch of our clan. I feel deeply ashamed that I failed to perfectly fulfill the requests of Young Master Leo," Jero said with a forced smile.

"I will explain this matter to Leo; rest assured."

"Then I thank you."

The conversation between the two ended there; there was nothing left to say. After nodding kindly to Jero, Ji Changkong took Li Hentian and Gu Dan and ascended, rocketing toward the edge of the firmament outside Snow Cloud Star.

Beyond Snow Cloud Star, a floating meteorite served as their transport. Under the propulsion of Ji Changkong's power, this meteorite was not only stable but also shielded by strange streams of light. These lights enveloped the stone, protecting it from the corrosive impact of the strange auras in the void.

On the meteorite, Gu Dan and Li Hentian finally relaxed completely. In the absence of outsiders, they immediately began pressing Ji Changkong for an account of what had happened over the years and how he had survived.

"One thousand years. Time flies so fast. I truly wasn't idle during this millennium..." Ji Changkong sighed, then recounted his experiences, starting from the Nine-Layered Pagoda, in meticulous detail to these two closest relatives.

Gu Dan and Li Hentian reacted with alternating astonishment and alarm. When he spoke of danger, their brows furrowed deeply with worry; when he mentioned acquiring rare treasures, they couldn't help but smile sincerely, genuinely happy for him.

After a long, long time, Ji Changkong finished recounting his years of experience. Gu Dan and Li Hentian remained deep in shock, lost in thought, unable to respond immediately.

On the meteorite, both men wore expressions of lingering fear. Gu Dan let out a soft sigh, "You've truly faced peril over these years. I never imagined you encountered so much trouble in just one millennium. Alas, it took us several hundred years just to break through to the Ten Directions Heaven Realm; we couldn't help you at all."

"Grandfather, it’s wonderful that you all managed to reach the Dead Star Domain. Heh heh, I was actually planning to go to the Five Elements Continent to find you," Ji Changkong asked with a smile, "How is the situation on the Five Elements Continent? Has nothing changed there over the years?" Mentioning the Five Elements Continent brought expressions of recollection to the faces of Gu Dan and Li Hentian.

"We left the Five Elements Continent several hundred years ago. For the recent centuries, we have been journeying through the Star River. You arrived in the Dead Star Domain directly via the teleportation array, which was swift; we lost far too much time en route," Gu Dan mused. "The Five Elements Continent remains the same as before, no major changes. Not just the Five Elements Continent, even the Solar Star Domain is equally placid."

"Your fame was widespread throughout the Solar Star Domain before you left. After your departure, our Five Elements Continent was still regarded as the leading power by the major Life Stars. Our Xuanyuan Valley has been overflowing with masters over the years, with new talents constantly emerging. Even across the entire Solar Star Domain, and including the Meteor Sea Star Domain, the prestige of our Xuanyuan Valley is known to everyone," Li Hentian stated proudly.

The two did not elaborate on the current might of Xuanyuan Valley, but from the sheer aura conveyed by their mere words, Ji Changkong guessed that Xuanyuan Valley must indeed be extraordinary.

"What about my father?"

"He left a long time ago. He was the first to leave the Five Elements Continent, and the first to break through to the Ten Directions Heaven Realm. He said he would come to the Dead Star Domain to find you. Can you sense us, but not sense him?" Gu Dan asked.

Ji Changkong shook his head. "Every time I try to sense him, he seems enveloped in a cloud of darkness. I don't know where he is or what he is doing." "He will be fine," Li Hentian assured him. "He is very strong and seems to possess some other mysterious power, quite different from us."

Ji Changkong nodded, then after a moment of silence, asked, "Grandfather, where exactly did you obtain the Supreme Void Record?" When describing his experiences earlier, Ji Changkong had already mentioned the peculiar way the Supreme Void Record manifested after he reached the Ten Directions Heaven Realm, especially how the Supreme Void Illusion recently sealed an Archpriest from the Chaos Realm. This made Ji Changkong even more certain that the Supreme Void Illusion was unusual.

Ji Yuan had also mentioned finding the aura emanating from the Supreme Void Illusion vaguely familiar and expressed a degree of fear toward it. All these signs suggested that the Supreme Void Record was no mere cultivation manual; it certainly held some other profound secret.

"The Supreme Void Record was obtained from the Star Domain..." Gu Dan frowned, recalling the past. "Back then, when my spirit roamed outside, I was searching for Life Stars in the region between the Solar Star Domain and the Meteor Sea Star Domain, hoping to temper my acupoints with Star Essence. I accidentally discovered a black hole, and my divine sense was nearly sucked into it. When I emerged from the black hole as if by some strange compulsion, I found that the black hole had vanished. This Supreme Void Record had appeared next to me out of thin air." "A black hole!" Ji Changkong's expression changed dramatically.

The moment a black hole was mentioned, the first person he thought of was Archpriest Auro. According to Auro, he had mastered a portion of the black hole's power.

Within that black hole, Auro connected the black holes of various star domains, collecting the souls of the dead from different regions for his own use. Auro's understanding of black holes was likely unmatched within the Dead Star Domain.

However, even Auro admitted that his knowledge of black holes was extremely superficial, and he couldn't fathom the structure or the hidden mysteries within many of them. He also claimed that black holes could lead to other universes, containing the most profound truths of heaven and earth, truths not meant for just anyone to comprehend.

That the supremely strange Supreme Void Record originated from a black hole seemed logical, yet the true nature of the Supreme Void Record remained unclear even to Gu Dan.

"The Supreme Void Record must have come from the black hole, because after it appeared, the black hole vanished," Gu Dan paused, then added uncertainly, "Sometimes, I even think the Supreme Void Record is the black hole. Otherwise, why would the black hole disappear when the Record appeared? But I couldn't grasp it either; once I realized what the Supreme Void Record was, I was too overjoyed to dwell on it further."

Ji Changkong frowned in deep thought. Gu Dan's words provided him with a new revelation: the Supreme Void Record didn't come from the black hole, but very likely was the black hole. What did that imply?

Ji Changkong pondered deeply, yet could not fathom the profound meaning behind it.

"Grandfather, the journey to the Star Abyss is still very long. While you have time, perhaps you should refine this Source of Life and convert the Essence within your bodies," unable to figure it out, he shifted the topic. "That's what I intended," Gu Dan managed a smile, nodding in agreement.

Subsequently, with Ji Changkong standing guard, on this very meteorite, Gu Dan and Li Hentian closed their eyes to meditate, using the Source of Life as the foundation to condense the Essence within their bodies.

Ji Changkong was not idle either. After sitting cross-legged, he continued to frown, deep in thought, trying to determine if there was some hidden relationship between the black hole and the Supreme Void Record.

Time rushed by. Because he had to escort Gu Dan and Li Hentian, the journey to Star Test would take significantly longer. The cultivation of the two on the meteorite required tranquility, and the speed of the rock could not be pushed to its maximum. He roughly estimated that it would take at least three years to reach Star Test.

Three years was but a flash to him, and spending that much time solely on cultivation wouldn't yield much benefit. Therefore, he immersed his mind, sinking into the multicolored soul imprint within the Sea of Souls, aiming to comprehend the remaining profound mysteries of his divine abilities and prepare to find the easier ones to teach Gu Dan and Li Hentian.

As his spirit dwelled in the Sea of Souls, comprehending the profound mysteries of the divine abilities within the multicolored soul imprint, he also sensed the black hole within the Supreme Void Illusion.

Under the influence of the Supreme Void Illusion's power, the black hole was continuously being depleted of soul power. He could sense that as this soul power dissipated, with the change in his thoughts, the intelligence of the humans on the Life Star, which resembled the Five Elements Continent, was gradually increasing.

Archpriest Auro within the black hole had been quiet recently, no longer clamoring to settle accounts with him. Instead, Auro had begun to plead. Auro wanted to be released and seemed to recognize his ruthlessness; perhaps realizing this path was futile, he started dangling various temptations before him.

Regarding Auro's temptations, Ji Changkong gave only one reply: "When you die, I will gain everything you possess. Therefore, your death is the best outcome." On the sparkling meteorite, Ji Changkong was lost in his own realm, forgetting time, forgetting everything.

The White Bone Skeleton squatted quietly nearby, never leaving its post, guarding the meteorite against any malevolent actions from ill-intentioned observers.

Beside Ji Changkong, Gu Dan and Li Hentian also wore solemn expressions, streams of light flickering around them as they intensely condensed their Essence.

Suddenly, a mental call rang out in Ji Changkong's heart: "Master, I sense a type of Origin Fire nearby!" The voice came from Ji Yuan.