The flesh of the Fa Long clan is exceptionally robust and fierce, particularly powerful when they manifest in human form, where the reduction of physical size paradoxically enhances their physical strength—a natural talent of the Demonic Dragon clan.

Upon transforming into human form, Dark not only retained the power latent within him but significantly amplified it, gaining the ability to wield various energies from heaven and earth. This made him incredibly difficult to deal with, perhaps explaining why the old Demonic Dragon felt secure leaving him alone to guard Ji Changkong.

The Demonic Dragon clan is inherently arrogant, looking down upon the mastery of other races. In the old dragon’s view, Dark, a clan expert at the Minor Heaven-Reaching Realm, should handle Ji Changkong, who was merely at the Divine Manifestation stage, with effortless ease—absolutely no difficulty involved.

Having witnessed the formidable power of the Demonic Dragon clan many times, Hei Tian also believed that Dark was sufficient to eliminate Ji Changkong. Hei Tian, who had cultivated in this Demonic Dragon territory for unknown years, had amassed formidable power despite never having absorbed any source fires, enabling him to fight Ji Yuan to a standstill.

“Come on then!” Ji Changkong sneered, making no move to evade. He charged straight toward Dark, and in an instant, they clashed violently.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

This was a battle of pure attrition, a head-on collision. Both Dark and Ji Changkong possessed extreme confidence in their power and physical bodies. They had always considered themselves invincible in a direct fight, so the moment they engaged, these two locked together, exchanging furious blows with fists and feet.

Both their physical forms were savagely powerful. In such close-quarters combat, complete evasion of every strike was impossible. Thus, their exchange often resembled: you strike me with a punch, and I return it with a kick; neither gained a significant advantage.

In the melee, Ji Changkong utilized wide, sweeping movements of his hands and feet, his arms, fingers, razor-sharp nails, and even the impact of his shoulders and head. Every strike capable of inflicting harm upon Dark was unleashed without restraint.

Having fought countless battles across vast territories for many years, Ji Changkong possessed his own methodology for close-quarters combat. Especially after grasping the profound mysteries of the Primordial Chaos (Hun Yuan), his close-combat techniques instantly reached a realm of perfection, achieving an astonishing, almost unbelievable state of wonder.

During the engagement, his consciousness entered a state of ‘Inclusion of Self’ (You Wo Zhi Jing), becoming utterly cold and detached. There was not a single distracting thought in his mind; the profound calm frightened even him.

In this miraculous state, through the physical contact, he could intimately perceive the flow trajectories of the power emanating from Dark. Within a fleeting moment, he could determine exactly where Dark’s power would erupt, and where the vulnerabilities lay within Dark’s form.

Knowing yourself and knowing your enemy guarantees victory in a hundred battles. Aided by the mental state of the ‘Inclusion of Self,’ he could achieve precisely this—gaining absolute clarity over every move Dark made.

The Primordial Chaos Mystery possessed marvelous divine abilities. This profundity allowed him to unleash his internal power without any loss whatsoever. As the energy surged through his meridians, his strength could stack and multiply, resulting in an explosive force upon release that was terrifyingly immense.

Knowing his enemy and enhancing his own power—coupled with the incredibly resilient physique of the Purgatorial Ghost Clan—he not only showed no signs of defeat in the battle but actually grew more potent with every passing moment. He radiated an aura of unparalleled dominance, a fiercely powerful presence that seemed to look down upon the entire world.

After transforming, his incredibly sharp nails became innate weapons in the fight. Dark’s human form was already exceptionally sturdy, perhaps harder than even the most resilient diamond by countless times. However, under the piercing thrust of Ji Changkong’s spear-like claws, Dark could not withstand the assault, and rents began to tear across his body.

Similar to the Purgatorial Ghost Clan, Dark’s physical body possessed its own regenerative capabilities. During their clashes, the wounds appearing on his body healed at a rate visible to the naked eye. A gash deep enough to expose bone could mend completely in just a few dozen seconds, leaving no trace of past injury.

It was precisely this equally monstrous self-healing ability that allowed Dark to endure the current fight.

However, as the battle progressed, Dark grew increasingly alarmed. He realized that during the exchange, Ji Changkong’s strength was steadily increasing. As the intensity of the conflict escalated, the power within Ji Changkong seemed limitless, with the rate of increase itself accelerating.

What did this imply?

It meant that Ji Changkong could continue fighting indefinitely; not only would he never tire, but he would become stronger and more ferocious the longer the battle raged! This defied the natural order. Any creature’s power depletes during combat; the longer the fight, the less strength remains available. This was an immutable law.

Dark could sense this rule’s existence. As the conflict intensified, he began to feel inadequate. He could clearly feel his internal power slowly draining away, and the force he could bring to bear was gradually diminishing.

He was weakening, while Ji Changkong grew stronger, accessing ever-increasing reserves of power.

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Dark realized he had lost this fight. Once he grasped this fact, other thoughts began to surface.

“Hei Tian, leave this place and find the Old Patriarch! This fellow is not an ordinary being; he might even be stronger than the average member of the Purgatorial Ghost Clan!” Dark, who had been sparring with the Black Water elemental warrior, suddenly shouted, “The power on this fellow is exceptionally strange. I might not be his match.”

“Heh heh, you’re only just realizing that now,” Ji Changkong scoffed, his form shifting fluidly.

A surge of power, like a volcanic eruption, suddenly erupted from the point beneath his feet. A resonance echoed throughout his body; the power continued to strengthen.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The roaring sounds of thunder and flowing water arrived simultaneously, forming an overwhelmingly bizarre wave that surged through the black water, blasting away every suspended droplet near him into a torrent. As the waves took form, new power manifested in the void.

This new power seemed to have condensed countless droplets of black water, transforming into flowing rivers that violently slammed toward Hei Tian, completely submerging him.

Every droplet of water Hei Tian had condensed was as heavy as a mountain. Yet, under the constant onslaught of this power, every droplet shattered. A violent tempest of wind and waves erupted across the dead star, and the immense cries of the star echoed, met by responses rising from the depths of the celestial body.

The Nine Raging Waves!

The secret of the first fusion, now unleashed under the Divine Manifestation stage, amplified by the Primordial Chaos Mystery, seemed to increase without end. Wave after wave of force crashed down, causing the entire dead star to rumble repeatedly. All the various restrictions placed on the dead star were pulverized and swept away by this surge of power.

The final wave of power, carrying all the black water from the dead star, surged upward toward the barrier overhead—the presence that loomed above. This impact seemed to pour forth the totality of the star’s explosive energy, as if carrying all the star’s might, violently striking the barrier.

Crack!

A sound of shattering echoed. The flawless void suddenly displayed strange fissures. The Su Yu Star Sea manifested through those cracks. This was the restriction the Old Demonic Dragon had casually set before leaving.

Although the Old Demonic Dragon was confident Dark would win, he had prepared a contingency. The restriction placed outside the dead star was specifically designed to prevent Ji Changkong from leaving.

The restriction possessed sentience, carrying a strange life fluctuation. If Dark and Hei Tian had flown into the void, the restriction would have been innocuous, causing them no harm. However, the moment Ji Changkong and Ji Yuan ascended, they would immediately encounter an invisible force pushing against them, obstructing their departure from the dead star.

The Old Demonic Dragon was at the Immortal Realm (Bu Mie Zhi Jing), like the apex experts of other clans. Although this restriction was merely a casual arrangement, it possessed terrifying defensive power. He was certain Ji Changkong could not break through it.

Yet, that restriction was now shattered! Brutally broken by Ji Changkong at the Heaven-Connecting Realm!

As the vast expanse of the Star Sea emerged from the rift, Ji Changkong caught a glimpse of a familiar, menacing figure—the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon!

No wonder these Demonic Dragons had suddenly gone berserk; no wonder the Old Dragon had taken all the experts besides Dark away—the Sacred Beast Clan had arrived.

Dark, submerged in the black water, felt dizzy from the violent impacts. At this moment, he had reverted to his Demonic Dragon form, thrashing wildly in the water, struggling to recover enough strength to fight again.

Ji Yuan and the Black Fire were already entwined, much like the fusion of the three former flames had been in the past. These two had entered the final stage of unification.

In this stage, Ji Changkong could only intervene with mental power; he could offer no other help to Ji Yuan. The outcome now depended entirely on Ji Yuan himself.

However, Ji Changkong trusted Ji Yuan to overcome the Black Fire. After all, Ji Yuan was the New Source Fire, born from the fusion of four distinct flames, possessing a life form far superior to the Black Fire. Without external aid, the Black Fire would inevitably become a part of Ji Yuan’s being.

“Up!” Ji Changkong absorbed every scene, making his decision without further hesitation. He encased the entangled Ji Yuan and Black Fire within a protective sphere condensed from the Five Elements power, then grasped the sphere and shot through the opening rift, stepping into the slowly shimmering, ancient Star River.

The Black Fire seemed to be the absolute source of darkness in this region, and as it consumed and merged with Ji Yuan, its power became uncontrollable, causing the area to transition from absolute darkness, where light slowly began to emerge.

In the Star River, dozens of Demonic Dragons roared fiercely, battling the colossal forms of the Sacred Beasts: the Qilin, the Vermillion Bird, the Celestial Serpent, the Golden Crow, and the White Tiger. The slaughter among these behemoths caused dead stars to shatter, turning massive fragments of meteorites into dust.