Streams of demonic dragons drilled out from the heart of the Dead Star, their bodies filling the void as if occupying the entire celestial body. The leader among them radiated even more immense demonic power; its body was no shorter than that of the Azure Dragon, a Saint Beast, and the vast, ancient aura emanating from it was even more profound than that of the Saint Beast.

This was an ancient life form far more formidable than the Saint Beast Azure Dragon.

The Saint Beast Clan and the Ancient Demonic Dragon Clan had always been hostile. The demonic dragons, hidden away in a place of absolute darkness, sensed the Saint Beast aura on the intruder and surged forth, preparing for a decisive battle against the Saint Beasts. However, they found only a single individual present.

Yet, this human carried the aura of a Saint Beast, and moreover, the essence of the Purgatory Ghost Clan. This left the demonic dragons utterly bewildered.

“Why have you come?” The voice of the enormous leader boomed, shaking the star river, its ancient aura striking deep into Ji Changkong's core, causing him profound shock.

The Saint Beast Clan and the Ancient Demonic Dragon Clan, unlike the other races in this Dead Star domain, possessed immense power intrinsically. From birth, they seemed to instinctively know how to harness the various forces of the world, requiring no teaching. Their comprehension of the heavens and earth surpassed that of most other clans.

Generally, these ancient life forms were born possessing strength equivalent to that of peak experts at the Subtle Perception Realm of the Ten Directions Heaven. As they gained understanding of the world's truths and as their lifespans extended, their power would continuously grow.

Ancient life forms also had divisions of strength, but these were categorized into only five stages: Transformation, Transcendence, Spirit Sage, Heaven-Reaching, and Indestructible. These five realms corresponded to the Ten Directions Heaven's Subtle Perception, Profound Understanding, Seamless Mastery, Divine Communication, and Chaos stages, respectively. Newly born ancient life forms began in the Transformation stage; once successfully transformed, their strength matched that of high-level experts in the Subtle Perception Realm of the Ten Directions Heaven.

The transformation of ancient life forms mirrored the human stage of refining essence in the Ten Directions Heaven. When such a being reached the Transcendence Realm, it was equivalent to the cultivation of a human at the Nirvana Essence stage. Following this logic, their three subsequent realms corresponded to the experts at the Seamless Mastery, Divine Communication, and Chaos stages.

These demonic heads emerging from the core of the Dead Star advanced aggressively, each radiating a formidable presence. From the moment they awakened, Ji Changkong realized this trip had landed him in serious trouble.

Just the few demonic powers emerging from this single Dead Star were already at the Heaven-Reaching Realm, signifying infinite lifespan and immunity to natural death, matching the strength of Divine Communication experts from major clans. This was just the surface assessment; because of their colossal size, these ancient life forms contained terrifying reservoirs of power. At an equivalent realm, one Heaven-Reaching Ancient Life Form could nearly annihilate three experts from the major clans.

It was similar to how experts from the Three-Eyed Clan or the Wood Clan could overcome human experts of the same level by utilizing their innate Divine Talents. Ancient life forms, at a comparable realm, could dispatch several strong practitioners from the Three-Eyed or Wood Clans!

With numerous Heaven-Reaching demonic dragons glaring menacingly nearby, even Ji Changkong felt a twinge of apprehension. The leader, an ancient demonic dragon, possessed an aura even more terrifying than the Azure Dragon—this creature likely held the power of the Indestructible Realm.

The Indestructible Realm of an ancient life form was equivalent to the Chaos Essence Realm of major clans. Given that this was an Ancient Demonic Dragon, if a confrontation ensued, even Chaos Realm experts from other clans might yield ground. Perhaps only the Heaven-Piercing Ghost Mother of the Purgatory Ghost Clan could stand against it.

The Purgatory Ghost Clan was an ancient race predating the Great Destruction. Although their bodies were not large, the essence within their blood was exceedingly strange, making them notoriously powerful alien entities.

“He came for me.” A playful laugh suddenly echoed from the depths of the Dead Star. Shortly after, a mass of absolute darkness, a fiery flame, soared out of the dark waters and drifted next to the most ancient demonic dragon. It hissed softly, “He wants to absorb me.”

“Heitian, what does he want with you?” the old demonic dragon rumbled.

The flame, addressed as "Heitian," flickered excitedly. “Did you forget what I told you?”

The old demonic dragon froze, then its blood-red eyes suddenly flared with strange light. A deafening, thunderous roar erupted from the old dragon: “This brat has Source Fire?!”

“Not only does he have it, but there’s more than one kind. The Source Fire he possesses is a fusion of four types!” Heitian chuckled, pointing a finger toward Ji Yuan, who was hopping near Ji Changkong. “That is it.”

The old demonic dragon burst into wild laughter. “Wonderful! Wonderful! I hear that fusing nine types of Source Fire can lead to the Ultimate Realm. Heitian, if I help you obtain it, doesn’t that mean I can reach the Ultimate Realm?”

“That is the principle,” Heitian continued, smiling. “Then, what are you waiting for?”

The old demonic dragon roared with unceasing delight. “Excellent! Excellent! Once I reach the Ultimate Realm, I will surely make those Saint Beast Clan vermin pay!”

The old demonic dragon shrieked and lunged towards Ji Changkong.

“Wait!” Ji Yuan cried out. “That fellow is powerful! We are no match for him…”

He didn't need to say more. Ji Changkong had already discerned the terrifying strength of the old demonic dragon. He had barged in without sensing even the slightest life fluctuation until arriving at this star, when he suddenly perceived the incredibly potent life wave emanating from the Dead Star.

Clearly, this was all the work of this single old demonic power. Being in the Indestructible Realm, it was equivalent to a human expert at the Chaos Realm—only a being of this caliber could orchestrate all of this.

When he saw the old demonic dragon emerge from the volcano crater of the Dead Star and recognized its realm, his helplessness deepened. He had expected to absorb the Source Fire here smoothly, but instead, he had stumbled into the forbidden territory of the Demonic Dragon Clan.

The Indestructible Realm old demonic dragon was far fiercer and more terrifying than Chaos Essence experts from major clans. With his current cultivation, he seemed to have no option other than to flee.

However, escaping from such an ancient entity looked like it wouldn't be an easy task either.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, deafening explosions echoed from the perimeter. Outside this star of absolute darkness, incessant, terrifying blasts erupted, as if the celestial body itself were shattering.

“Qilin!” A monstrous roar traveled from the distant Dead Star.

Upon hearing “Qilin,” the old demonic dragon became instantly agitated. Its colossal body writhed across the heavens. It immediately detached itself from the Dead Star, its resonant voice echoing, “Dake, you stay here and keep an eye on this brat. The rest of you follow me to battle!”

With that command, the old demonic dragon shot out, its body resembling a long, black streak of lightning whipping through the void. Following it, streams of demonic dragons soared up from the black waters, chasing after it into the endless dark star river.

On the vast Dead Star, only one demonic dragon remained, one at the Heaven-Reaching Realm. This dragon, named Dake, stared coldly at Ji Changkong. “Little pup, don't try anything foolish. When the Old Patriarch returns, he will decide your fate. If you dare make trouble, I swear I will make you suffer an agonizing death.”

The mass of Heitian flickered beside the smaller demonic dragon, chuckling complacently. “Human, although you possess Divine Communication cultivation, you are absolutely no match for Dake. I advise you to behave. When my master returns, I will speak a few kind words for you. I only want that fire on you, not your life. Just stay put and be compliant.”

“Heitian, you are the Black Sky Demonic Flame? I remember now!” Ji Yuan suddenly exclaimed.

“Black Sky Demonic Flame?” Ji Changkong frowned.

“It is the Fire of Darkness. Wherever it exists, there is no light. It consumes all radiance, and wherever it passes, it brings eternal darkness to the world, filling hearts with despair. The Black Sky Demonic Flame is the most bizarre among us. I know it,” Ji Yuan said, sounding slightly horrified, clearly indicating that the "Black Sky Demonic Flame" was not easy to deal with.

“That’s right, you remember me. But I don't know what I should call you yet?” Heitian chuckled wickedly. “If I can absorb you, I can save myself a lot of effort. With you, the remaining few cannot escape. Your fusion with me is predestined; you cannot evade it.”

“Yes, our fusion is predestined, you cannot escape,” Ji Yuan repeated Heitian’s words, then suddenly moved, lunging fiercely toward Heitian.

“You dare!” Heitian shrieked, utterly surprised that Ji Yuan dared to attack. “Dake, hurry! Get rid of its master! If its master is destroyed, its power will be severely damaged, at least by one layer.”

“Good.” Dake, the demonic dragon, moved without hesitation. It twisted its massive body, shrinking within the void. In a short time, Dake’s immense form began to contract. The smaller it became, the more condensed the energy fluctuations emanating from it grew, and the more colossal the pressure it exerted.

In just a moment, Dake vanished, transforming into a grim-faced young man with an intensely cold appearance, staring fixedly at Ji Changkong. He roared, “Human, you are courting death!”

Dake suddenly charged, like a bolt of black lightning. As he moved, the void roared with a sound like bursting thunder, shaking the entire Dead Star.

The boundless black waters atop the Dead Star instantly condensed into countless droplets. These black water droplets were only the size of walnuts, yet they were heavy as colossal mountains and contained terrifyingly potent impact force.

As these water beads formed, they flew upward with Dake, surging from all directions toward Ji Changkong, seeming intent on completely drowning him.

“Ji Yuan, resolve Heitian quickly! I can handle this fellow,” Ji Changkong sneered, showing no fear toward Dake’s assault. He immediately transformed into the Purgatory Clan's body. To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please log on to [URL/Platform Name] for the latest chapters and support the author by reading legitimate releases! D