The fluid body trembled violently, and immense pressure radiated from all sides—a terrifying force capable of crushing one's entire being into a thin sheet of paper.

The Xiaoyao Robe and the Boshan Crown both erupted with azure light and white mist, transforming into a hazy halo that shielded Gu Xichen. Having prior experience with spatial translocation arrays, Gu Xichen remained entirely unfazed, casting his divine sense in all directions. He discovered that right beside him, dozens of Sun God Cult priests, clad in red and Golden Crow cloaks, were holding hands in a tight circle.

These priests’ cultivation bases were not exceptionally strong; there were twelve of them. The priests wearing golden cloaks were roughly equivalent to the Xiantian Warriors of the Mercury Peak, while the others possessed strength ranging from the mid to late stages of the Venus realm. The pressure exerted on their bodies by this spatial translocation array was enough to tear them apart. However, so many Sun God Cult priests had combined all their power into one circle, twisting everyone’s strength into a single rope, forming a crimson light barrier that protected all their bodies, effectively blocking the immense pressure from the surroundings.

Ahead, in the pitch-black void, a pinpoint of light suddenly appeared—the destination of the translocation array was imminent.

Gu Xichen let out a cold laugh. Just as everyone was about to burst out of the spatial channel, he flicked his hand, unleashing dozens of Kuishui Yin Thunder bolts. The fist-sized, lustrous blue thunderbolts silently adhered themselves to the bodies of the Sun God Cult priests. The instant Gu Xichen’s body shot out of the spatial channel, all the Yin Thunders detonated simultaneously with a deafening boom. A massive ball of blue light enveloped the priests’ bodies, and countless blue water bubbles, the size of human heads, exploded and reformed incessantly within the light. The dense barrage of explosions churned the spatial channel into utter chaos.

The priests let out desperate screams. Except for the three strongest priests wearing golden cloaks, who managed to leap forward and follow Gu Xichen out, the rest were swept away by the spatial torrent, vanishing without a trace. Given their strength, they were certainly doomed in the boundless subspace.

A deep, muffled roar echoed from afar. Just as Gu Xichen rejoiced at eliminating so many enemies effortlessly, a massive streak of red light shot forth from ahead. It flashed past Gu Xichen’s body like lightning, plunging into the still-unclosed spatial passage that was in disarray. The red light acted like a colossal hand, snatching the dozens of priests struggling within the spatial turbulence and pulling them out without incident.

The priests, whose bones were mostly shattered by the spatial pressure, cried out in pain. They crazily shouted the name of the Sun True God they worshipped. Specks of red light continuously gathered from all directions and merged into their bodies. Under Gu Xichen’s divine sense observation, the injuries within these bodies healed rapidly, becoming identical to their uninjured state in the blink of an eye.

The dragon-like streak of red light quickly retracted backward. Gu Xichen followed the direction from which the red light originated, and his heart involuntarily contracted several times.

It was a bizarre space shrouded in a faint red glow, where everyone floated in the void. Yet, whether walking or breathing felt no different from standing on solid ground. To the naked eye, this space was endless, with no visible boundaries. Countless large and small red, transparent spirit stones floated in the void, like stars in the sky, slowly revolving around a central point. That point was the source of all the red light in this space.

It was the body of a giant, indescribably massive. The naked body was incredibly strong; every muscle on him was as vast as a mountain peak, and every vein protruding from his skin was as wide and long as a great river. His arms and legs were naturally spread out, and the countless red spirit stones in the void were continuously emitting faint red light, merging into his body.

The giant’s eyes opened slightly, radiating intense red light—truly like two suns emitting endless light and heat. All the red light in this space originated from this giant’s eyes.

Behind him grew a pair of immeasurably large wings. The red feathers were dim and lusterless, only occasionally flickering with a few sparks at the base of the feathers, which instantly dissolved into blue smoke.

Such a colossal body was utterly lifeless. Like his wings, every other part of the giant’s body lacked any sign of vitality; only the two eyeballs ceaselessly emitted infinite light and heat.

Gu Xichen’s divine sense swept over the giant’s body. Given the current intensity of his divine sense, he couldn’t even perceive how long or how thick one of the giant’s fingers was. A rough estimation placed the giant’s height at over a million kilometers from head to toe—a creature so immense it defied description, rendering one stiff as wood when standing before it, a marvel of heaven and earth.

“It must be a Primordial Object! How can such a monstrous being exist among postnatal life forms!”

Gu Xichen’s body trembled, not out of fear, but excitement. Such a magnificent Primordial Being—a wondrous creature forged by the cosmic might of heaven and earth. Gu Xichen suddenly believed the scenes depicted in the statues within the underground palace of the Poly-Science Federation. Such a great, incredible being—was he truly born from a sun?

Compared to such a Primordial Being, the innate spirit creatures like the Primordial Fire Qilin that Gu Xichen had found on Pluto were mere dregs!

Only such a colossal, magnificent, unbelievable creature deserved the title of "Primordial"! Just by gazing upon this immense body, Gu Xichen could feel the magnificent vision of the world at the dawn of creation—that grandeur, that splendor, that mystery and profundity. The life forms of that era, the Primordial People, all the wondrous creatures! The giant before him was using its immense physique to explain to Gu Xichen: what a miracle of heaven and earth is, what a legend of the Primordial Desolation is!

A Sun God Cult priest in a golden cloak sternly reprimanded, “Heretic, kneel before the divine physique of our True God! Offer your loyalty, offer everything you possess. Perhaps the True God, seeing your piety, will forgive your sins and allow you to become a great god too.”

Glancing sideways at the priest, Gu Xichen couldn't be bothered to reply.

He waved the Fuyao Fan, and a hurricane instantly arose. This space was filled with fire-attribute spiritual energy, and the blow from the Fuyao Fan stirred up scarlet waves of fire. The fiercely hot wind, reaching a thousand zhang high and carrying an imposing roar, rushed forward, startling the priests into cries of alarm, forcing them to quickly dodge in all directions. However, the attack from the Fuyao Fan had already sucked away all the air around them, and the powerful air pressure restrained the priests’ bodies; they were about to be engulfed by the gale.

Suddenly, a dim red light shot out from near the giant’s chest, and a tiny figure shot out of the firelight.

Before Gu Xichen could blink, this small figure, no taller than four feet, rushed to the front of the firestorm and casually sucked the fire blast into its body. Its crimson eyes flashed, and the small figure commanded in a pleasing voice, almost like birdsong, “How audacious! To attack my loyal servants in my presence—do you dare to offend a god?”

Stunned for a moment, Gu Xichen fixed his gaze on the small person before him. He resembled the giant in every way. His facial features were identical, and even the shape of the wings on his back, the pattern of the feathers, were not different. However, unlike the dimness of the giant’s wings, the wings of the small figure were covered by a thin layer of flame on every feather, occasionally spitting out sparks when moved, making him look quite mystical. Moreover, the small person’s body was semi-translucent, and occasionally, as flames flickered on his body, his form rippled like water.

This was not a physical body, but a transformed spirit, similar to a spirit essence condensed into a manifested god.

Without changing his expression, Gu Xichen retreated a few steps and clasped his hands towards the small figure: “Are you the Sun True God?”

The small figure scrutinized Gu Xichen, nodding slowly with confusion. After a long moment, he spoke slowly, “I am the Sun True God who illuminates all things and nurtures all life. All things in heaven and earth are given life by me; all beings in the world grow by absorbing my power. I am the sovereign of all, the beginning of all things, and everything originates from me and ends with me. Lost child, return to my wings; your power shall become a part of my glory.”

The small figure spread his hands theatrically, his face displaying a compassionate expression of pity for all beings. He gazed deeply at Gu Xichen, and his red eyes almost welled up with tears, suggesting he felt great affection and emotion for Gu Xichen, just like a loving father filled with immense joy upon seeing his only son.

Every hair on Gu Xichen’s body suddenly stood on end, and he quickly retreated several steps. Shivering, Gu Xichen pointed the Fuyao Fan at the small figure and coldly laughed, “Don't bother, revered one. You may have nurtured the beings of one world, but I’m sorry, this skin of mine definitely has nothing to do with you. Ah—to be precise, the sun in my homeland certainly has nothing to do with you.”

Seeing the small figure’s expression instantly turn ugly, Gu Xichen sighed deeply, “Senior, can you please try to keep up with the times? This is the era of high-tech civilization; these acts of pretense and deception are outdated! Anyone with a shred of intelligence wouldn't believe this rubbish anymore!”

Shaking his head repeatedly and sighing, Gu Xichen looked at the small figure with pity, “Of course, I admit your origins are extraordinary, but your intelligence is likely not very high, is it?”

“Bastard!” Before the small figure could grasp the meaning of Gu Xichen’s words, the Sun God Cult priests furiously charged toward Gu Xichen, roaring, “Heretic, how dare you disrespect our Great True God! Great God, grant us strength, let us slay this damnable sinner!”

The small figure nodded nonchalantly. With a wave of his hand, dozens of slender red lights shot out from the giant’s eyes, each one drilling precisely into the crown of a priest’s skull. The priests’ bodies suddenly swelled to ten meters high, and they were engulfed in roaring flames. Within the golden flames, they laughed wildly, like demons surging from the molten lava of hell. With terrifying heat capable of incinerating all things, these priests charged toward Gu Xichen with laughter, dozens of arms and legs striking down at Gu Xichen like a torrential downpour.

“Then kill him! Offer his soul to me!” The small figure glanced coldly at Gu Xichen, shook his head indifferently, and turned back toward his physical body.

Gu Xichen’s feet shifted lightly, tracing several arcs as he gracefully evaded the priests’ wild assaults. Empowered by the small figure’s divine might, these priests possessed a sudden surge of strength approaching the Nascent Soul stage. However, they neither knew how to utilize this power, nor were their actual fighting skills any good—roughly equivalent to the skill level of a kindergarten class in the Earth Federation. How could such attacks possibly hit Gu Xichen?

His body left several afterimages in the void, and Gu Xichen instantly flashed several miles away. He shouted fiercely at the small figure and the fanatical priests, “Stop, or don’t blame me for being impolite!”

The priests froze. They hadn't seen how Gu Xichen had escaped.

The small figure turned around, surprised, and shook his head repeatedly, looking at Gu Xichen in astonishment: “Not being polite? How could you not be polite? This is my world, a world I forged using my defunct mother body. Here, I am the master of all. What can you possibly do to me?”

Turning to look at the dumbfounded priests, the small figure shook his head helplessly, “What a pity. I can grant them power, but I cannot grant them knowledge. I must admit, all my combat techniques are based on instinct, and my instinct is something they can never fully utilize.”

A flash of red light appeared before him. Gu Xichen felt a blast of hot wind hit his face. He instinctively swung both large sleeves forward.

With a loud bang, the small figure landed a fierce straight punch on the sleeve of Gu Xichen’s Xiaoyao Robe. The Taiyin Profound Barrier within the cascading sleeve swept out like a vast waterfall, and the biting cold instantly caused the temperature in this space to plummet. Tens of thousands of Kuishui Yin Thunders entangled themselves around the small figure’s body, exploding continuously, but this time the thunder explosions ceased abruptly in less than three seconds.

This space was saturated with dense fire-attribute spiritual energy. The Kuishui Yin Thunder, which required drawing upon surrounding water-attribute spiritual energy to sustain its activation, was like water without a source here, naturally losing its efficacy.

Gu Xichen felt a sharp pain in both arms. An immense force drove his hands straight toward his chest. He was sent flying dozens of miles by a single punch.

The Xiaoyao Robe and Boshan Crown flared with brilliant light. The small figure’s casual punch nearly shattered the defense of these two treasures. Gu Xichen felt a burning heat in his chest, as if a red-hot iron rod had been driven into him—the agony was beyond description.

Panting, Gu Xichen looked up and estimated the strength of this fellow. Although his physical body seemed dead, the residual power of this fellow’s primordial spirit was definitely stronger than the current Corpse Emperor and other Void Realm Grandmasters. The Xiaoyao Robe and Boshan Crown were Immortal Artifacts. Although Gu Xichen couldn't utilize their peak defensive power, the small figure nearly shattered their defense with one punch—this power no longer belonged to the mortal realm.

“See, this is my instinct: speed and strength!” The small figure waved his right fist at Gu Xichen, a ferocious smile inexplicably appearing on his face. “Human, why do I feel that your power has a familiar quality to me?”

He patted his forehead forcefully and asked in a deep voice, “Do you know a shameless thief named Great Unrefined Hermit?”

“Great Un (!(Unrefined Hermit?”

Gu Xichen shuddered and exclaimed in shock, “You know him too?”

“Know him too?”

The small figure suddenly leaped up in a rage, roaring to the heavens, “Of course I know him! That damned thief suddenly showed up when I was living peacefully, claiming I was some kind of Primordial Sacred Body destined for him. He wanted to capture me and use my body to refine something called a ‘Dharma Treasure’! Bastard, bastard! He severely injured me, forcing me into this deathly slumber, leaving me with only this sliver of my immense power!”

“So that’s how it is!” Gu Xichen suddenly understood why the records left by the Great Unrefined Hermit were so vague. He had originally intended to sneak up and skin this Sun True God to refine a Dharma Treasure. In the ancient times, powerful Immortals often engaged in such acts. But by a careless mistake, the hunter was maimed by the prey—the Great Unrefined Hermit was severely wounded by the desperate counterattack of the Sun True God!

This kind of incident was indeed humiliating, no wonder the Great Unrefined Hermit, even on the verge of soul dispersion, had been so evasive and spoke in riddles before passing out!

Looking at the small figure stamping around in a rage, Gu Xichen said with a dry laugh, “No wonder the Great Unrefined Hermit’s dwelling was left in the Spiral Star Field—it turns out he was hunting here?”

It was conceivable that if this Sun True God could appear here, other Primordial Spirits would also be born here. For an 'indoor' Immortal like the Great Unrefined Hermit, this was the best place to collect raw materials for refining Dharma Treasures, so he naturally maintained a permanent presence here.

The small figure, having just pieced together the sequence of events, shot several miles high in the air, transforming into a streak of blazing fire and diving toward Gu Xichen.

“Since you know that shameless thief, then you must die!”

The sound of his punch whistling, the small figure had exerted all his strength.

Gu Xichen sighed deeply. With a wave of his hand, a cave mansion nearly a hundred miles in circumference appeared out of thin air, and thirty-six massive golden-armored puppets charged into the sky with dull roars.

Thirty-six heavy hammers descended precisely onto the dumbfounded small figure along the trajectory dictated by the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches formation. After thirty-six dull, massive impacts, the small figure’s body disintegrated into a sky full of sparks. Under the bombardment of the Shenxiao Demon-Subduing Heavenly Thunder, the small figure’s soul was completely scattered, not even a trace of remnant soul remained.

“Luckily I have a trump card! You’re just a wisp of remnant soul, yet you’re still so arrogant? Thirty-six Celestial Immortals couldn't kill one of you?”

Glancing sideways at the terrified Sun God Cult priests, Gu Xichen casually waved his hand, and one of the golden-armored puppets lumbered toward them with a rumbling laugh.

Having slain the remnant soul of the Sun True God in one fell swoop, Gu Xichen laughed madly toward the heavens and rushed toward the Sun True God’s physical body with these golden-armored puppets. Although his body had been dormant for countless years, the fact that a remnant soul could still cling to it proved that the body still possessed a degree of vitality! Furthermore, since he was still trying to resurrect his physical body, it meant his core life force was not extinguished.

This fellow was a Primordial Spirit born from a star, and his inherent attribute was fire. Gu Xichen had already planned how to utilize the treasures left by this being.

The Great Desolation Sutra contained wondrous methods for refining an external avatar. With Gu Xichen’s current strength, it would be impossible to refine such a massive Primordial Spirit’s body; however, possessing the Taiyin Profound Blaze gave him a slight possibility. The progress might be slow, but it would certainly not be impossible to refine.

The soul of the Sun True God was parasitically attached near his heart; there must be some surviving essence blood remaining there. Fire-attribute essence blood would be perfect nourishment to revitalize the vital energy of those around Gu Xichen.

Others might not benefit, but Peng Hua, who had begun cultivating the Corpse God Sutra, and Du Cate, who cultivated the Nine Yang True Essence, would definitely find it useful. Judging by the sheer volume of the Sun True God’s physical body, one could gauge the immense life force and power contained within his essence blood.

With the help of the thirty-six Celestial Immortal-level puppets, Gu Xichen exhausted tremendous effort and finally broke open the physical body left by the Sun True God, retrieving a drop of remnant essence blood from his heart.

Of course, this single drop of blood was relative to the Sun True God; to Gu Xichen, this drop of blood was the size of a swimming pool!

The essence blood, crystal clear like a ruby, emitted boundless light and heat, truly suspended before Gu Xichen like a small sun. If Gu Xichen hadn't been protected by the Taiyin Profound Blaze, he would have been burned to ashes by the intense light and heat long ago.

Carefully storing this drop of essence blood, which was approximately two thousand cubic meters in volume, into the storage artifact left by the Great Unrefined Hermit, Gu Xichen frowned at the million-kilometer-long physical body before him!

“Tell me, what can I possibly do with you?”

With such a massive physical body, the Sun True God himself could naturally shrink his body to human size and move about freely. But for Gu Xichen, he truly had no way to start.

“Could it be that I have to refine it here into an external avatar before taking it away?”

Calculating his cultivation level against the colossal size of the body before him, Gu Xichen forced a bitter smile, “Perhaps Fu Ya’s great-great-grandson will have achieved immortality before I finish refining this! But to just leave it here... I truly can't accept that!”

Intense unwillingness coiled around Gu Xichen’s heart, gradually rising from his chest straight to his Zifu. His soul bead also acquired a layer of mournful energy.

The Haotian Pagoda, ceaselessly drawing the five-colored streams of energy from Gu Xiechen's Soul Orb to mend itself, shuddered almost imperceptibly. A faint wash of cyan light erupted from the Pagoda, lazily escaping through Gu Xiechen's nostrils. With almost casual disdain, it swept over the massive physical form of the Sun True God, inch by inch absorbing the flesh into Gu Xiechen's own Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness.

A flash of radiance crossed the Haotian Pagoda, and the immense body obediently sank into its first tower level. Gu Xiechen’s Soul Orb spun 'round and 'round the peerlessly formidable physique a few times, before diving gleefully into his glabella, merging with the vast, boundless Sea of Consciousness of that body.

A minuscule spark of the Primordial Taiyin Profound Flame shot out from the Soul Orb, meticulously refining the host body.

The speed of this refining process was akin to a small child attempting to scorch the Himalayas into ash using a single matchstick at the mountain's base—a legendary pace of destruction.

Sensing the profound changes occurring within him, Gu Xiechen let out a wry chuckle. He waved to the surrounding Golden Armored Puppets, commanding them to sweep up every last fire-attributed spirit stone strewn across the void. Having secured them, he located the spatial array leading out of this realm and departed swiftly.

Minutes later, somewhere within the Spiral Star Domain, a white dwarf star—the remnant of a sun extinguished eons ago through energy depletion—suddenly detonated.

This white dwarf's explosion occurred without the slightest warning. Countless research institutions across the Star Alliance immediately dispatched exploratory vessels, pressing their ships to maximum velocity despite the terrifying tidal wave of energy unleashed by the blast, racing towards the epicenter.

Gu Xiechen, meanwhile, had long since returned to the capital of the Doko Federation.

"Hello there, Mr. President, we meet again!"

Gu Xiechen materialized above the altar, cheerfully greeting President Daogor, who was currently gesticulating wildly while chanting an ancient, forgotten language.

Before the stunned Daogor could even register a reaction, Gu Xiechen surged forward and delivered a rather vicious kick squarely to his lower regions.