Awakening abruptly from his own realm, Ji Changkong opened his eyes, first making a quiet gesture to Ji Yuan before asking, slightly agitated, "Are you certain?"

The ball of flame Ji Yuan conjured oddly took the shape of a small, indistinct figure and nodded, "I am certain! It's not far now; I even know the direction!"

"Excellent, let's go!" Ji Changkong decided without hesitation.

Once the remaining five types of Origin Flames were gathered, Ji Yuan could continuously break through until reaching an unfathomably profound realm. As his master, Ji Changkong could potentially advance directly to the Ultimate Chaos Realm!

The Ultimate Chaos Realm—this was the pinnacle; everyone would desire to make that final leap. Those currently in the Primal Chaos Realm likely harbored the same ambition.

With every new Origin Flame acquired, Ji Yuan's intelligence grew, and his knowledge of ancient secrets deepened. If Ji Changkong truly wished to grasp the ultimate mysteries of heaven and earth, absorbing them through Ji Yuan would undoubtedly be the easier path. Scatter over there!" Ji Yuan pointed in one direction.

Ji Changkong nodded, channeling his power into the meteorite beneath him, soaring towards that secluded stretch of the star sea.

It was just like the far north—a place utterly lifeless and desolate. Not a single life-bearing star could be seen, only dead, pockmarked worlds devoid of any vital fluctuation.

Dead stars zipped past him as the meteorite maneuvered with incredible agility through the vast field of debris, drilling toward that specific area.

Half a month later, a dead star shrouded in darkness suddenly materialized in Ji Changkong's star field.

There was no light there, as if enveloped in impenetrable blackness where all radiance seemed to be suppressed. Even a passing meteor instantly lost its pinpoint of light upon entering that zone.

Though the galaxy was dim, it wasn't entirely without light. In any star domain, travelers could usually discern their surroundings using faint luminescence.

After all, both life-bearing stars and dead stars emitted some degree of dim light under certain conditions. Regions overrun by dead stars often hosted strange mineral stars resembling moons. A place of such absolute darkness was unheard of in any major star domain.

Were it not for his Soul Sea being capable of reflecting everything, Ji Changkong might not have even perceived the colossal dead stars lurking within that profound obscurity. "It's right there, I'm positive! It has to be within that cluster!" Ji Yuan vibrated excitedly.

"Good." Ji Changkong nodded, hesitating briefly before summoning his Demonic Body. He positioned it alongside the White Bone Skeleton on the meteorite, ensuring they protected the craft as it flew forward, lest Gu Dan and Li Hentian be affected by whatever lay ahead.

Even without the aid of the Tianyuan Pearl, the Demonic Body possessed strength comparable to those in the Ruyi Realm. Coupled with the White Bone Skeleton, they were generally an imposing force few in the boundless star river would dare challenge. After taking these precautions, he relaxed slightly. "Let's go in and take a look." Ji Yuan eagerly nodded.

The master and a small flame form flew toward the endless darkness. The closer they drew, the more Ji Changkong realized the darkness was strange, reminiscent of the dark domain created by the Dark King of the Manichaean sect—a space designed to devour light. This region seemed to possess a similar mystical property.

Before entering, he shot a ray of flame essence from his Five Elements power toward the area. Yet, as the light approached, all its radiance was swiftly absorbed, leaving not a single visible speck.

"Strange," Ji Changkong murmured under his breath.

"What is it?"

"It feels somewhat familiar. This place shares a similarity with the power wielded by someone I once knew. However, that person only created a darkness conjured from power, whereas this... this is clearly real."

"Let's look inside," Ji Yuan urged. "I think so too."

Ji Changkong, accompanied by the small, flame-shaped figure of Ji Yuan, finally entered the zone of absolute blackness. As soon as they crossed the threshold, even the brilliantly shimmering Ji Yuan suddenly dimmed significantly.

But Ji Yuan was, after all, the most peculiar Origin Flame in existence. Even in such an utterly dark, strange locale, though its glow was greatly diminished, it wasn't entirely consumed; the flame still flickered with a faint light, illuminating the immediate surroundings.

The light was incredibly weak—so faint that an ordinary person would see nothing. However, for Ji Changkong, whose realm had attained the level of Tong Shen, this residual glow was more than sufficient.

Using this subtle illumination, he observed that the area wasn't markedly different from others; it was merely one dead star after another. Were it not for the absolute darkness, this would simply be an exceptionally ordinary cluster of dead stars. "It's over there, on the largest dead star!" Ji Yuan pulsed, pointing in a specific direction.

Ji Changkong nodded without comment and flew with it toward the largest dead star. Passing through the chaotic, barren void outside the dead star, they landed upon its surface, stopping at a place marked by numerous craters—dead volcanoes, according to Ji Yuan.

The sound of rushing water suddenly reached his ears.

Ji Changkong froze for a moment, then narrowed his eyes, scanning the landscape of dead volcanoes on the dead star. From one enormous crater, black water suddenly began to spew forth.

This seemed only to be the beginning. Suddenly, more sounds of flowing water erupted, as dead volcanoes everywhere began to emit black water, spouting like dark fountains.

Before long, these black waters flooded the entire area, transforming it into an ocean of darkness, the dead volcanoes long since vanished beneath the surface. "It's coming out!" Ji Yuan cried.

Ji Changkong's expression turned grave. "I've been waiting!"

He spread his spiritual sense outward and immediately perceived life-forms, like ancient trees sprouting new buds, awakening within the stellar core of the dead star.

The auras emanating from these beings were immense. As they stirred, a tremendous roaring sound echoed from the heart of the dead star. Following this sound, massive reverberations erupted from neighboring dead stars, growing louder and louder.

The previously inert, dark star field suddenly became a churning, vibrant spectacle. Heart-stopping roars began to emanate from the nearby dead stars—roars so powerful they seemed capable of shattering the stars themselves.

These cries followed one another in succession, echoing throughout this region of absolute darkness. Any faint-hearted individual here would likely collapse, their courage utterly shattered. "Big fellows!" Ji Yuan exclaimed.

"Yes, very big fellows!" Ji Changkong nodded, his expression heavy. "Their auras are incredibly potent. It seems we've stumbled into trouble."

Releasing his divine sense to examine the entities rising from the ground, he instantly realized they were neither Human Clan nor any other known race of the dead star domain. Whether Human, Three-Eyed Clan, Bone Clan, or Winged Clan, none possessed creatures of this massive scale. These were ancient life forms!

They must be the primordial beings of antiquity; only they would possess such gargantuan sizes. The largest creature rapidly emerging from the depths resembled the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon in size, even sharing a forty to fifty percent resemblance in its physical form. "Roar!"

A deafening roar that seemed to tear the eardrums suddenly erupted from the dead star. A massive volcanic crater violently burst open, its edges torn apart, revealing an infinitely huge body emerging from within.

Indeed, it bore a resemblance to the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon, but its entire form was the color of pitch black ink. Its head was ferocious, its body covered in dark, inky scales, and its eyes burned with a chilling, murderous desire—a pair of scarlet orbs. "Ancient Demon Dragon!" Ji Changkong gasped in shock before recognizing it.

The Ancient Demon Dragon race was indeed a race of primordial beings, comparable to the Sacred Beast Clan. However, the Ancient Demon Dragons were precisely the nemesis of the Sacred Beast Clan! Before the Great Destruction, the two races were sworn enemies, locked in conflict for years, their powers evenly matched.

After the first Ancient Demon Dragon emerged, seven more dragons subsequently burst forth from the other volcanic vents, all impossibly huge, their terrifying, scarlet eyes fixed coldly on Ji Changkong.

From the surrounding dead stars, immense bellows followed, and judging by those roars and their auras, they too were Ancient Demon Dragons.

In this space of absolute darkness, surrounded by numerous dead stars, it seemed a nest of these dragons had lain dormant. For some unknown reason, they had all awakened from their slumber simultaneously and were now erupting from the earth, howling.

"I smell the accursed scent of the Sacred Beast Clan!" The largest dragon, once fully emerged, seemed to envelop the entire dead star. Its serpentine body stretched out, appearing as vast and endless as mountain ranges.

"Chieftain, is the Sacred Beast Clan invading?" A thunderous roar suddenly came from a distant dead star. "Damn the Sacred Beast Clan! Do they dare trespass on our Dragon territory? They provoked this first; I'll make them pay!"

"Be calm!" The largest dragon's voice, like rolling thunder, echoed across the star river, reaching the other dead stars. The massive dragon stared icily at Ji Changkong and demanded, "Kid, did you come representing the Sacred Beast Clan?"

"No," Ji Changkong shook his head.

He finally understood why these dragons had burst from their slumber the moment he arrived. It must be related to the Sacred Beast blood mixed within him. The Sacred Beast and Demon Dragon clans had always been antagonistic, and the presence of a Sacred Beast aura in the Dragon territory led them to believe a full-scale invasion was underway, prompting them to emerge for a fight to the death.

"No?" The dragon was also puzzled. It roared, "Then why are you here?! Damn it, what are you? Why do you also carry the scent of that detestable Hellfire Ghost Clan?"