Before the Zhou Family was wiped out, they had sent her away under the orders of a great personage of the Ji Clan. They wanted to reconstruct her physical body.

At the time, Zhou Yunqiong believed that she could easily go back to Earth with her brand-new body. Moreover, leaving Earth and being taken in by the Ji Clan meant far more than just having a brand-new body. She believed that she would become far stronger as well.

She was right; the subsequent events had unfolded exactly as she had predicted.

Upon being received by the Ji Clan, she still hadn't met that great personage, but they had given her a brand-new and far more powerful fleshly body. On top of that, Zhou Yunqiong reached the Sage Realm and was granted access to the Ji Clan's formidable divine abilities and techniques.

After just a single trip to the Outer Cosmos, Zhou Yunqiong went through a complete metamorphosis, courtesy of the Ji Clan's vast amount of resources. In the end, her entire being was elevated to far greater heights.

Once everything was done, Zhou Yunqiong immediately decided to go back to Earth. However, the news that reached her shortly after making up her mind shook her to the core—the Zhou Family was no more. Every member, from top to bottom, was dead.

Right then, she realized that it was all a ruse. Lu Yuan's severe injuries had been nothing but a ruse designed to lure every faction scheming in the shadows into the open for the sake of eliminating them all at once.

In the end, not even the Zhou Family was spared. Now, she no longer had any family.

Standing inside the great palace, Zhou Yunqiong gazed down at Earth, her eyes burning with fury and venom. Even if her feelings toward the Zhou Family and her father weren't particularly deep, how could she feel nothing toward their deaths?

Right now, her biggest goal was to kill Lu Yuan and avenge the entire Zhou Family.

"Miss Yunqiong, the Separation of Heaven and Earth is still in effect. If you try to descend now, there may be complications." A man walked slowly toward her. "So revenge will have to wait. That day will come. Don't let your emotions cloud your mind."

He appeared to be in his early twenties, and he was dressed in a long black robe that made him look like he had come from ancient times. His facial features made him look delicate and almost fragile, but the power inside him made him feel like a primordial beast lying dormant. If unleashed, it would surely be terrifying.

A group of young men and women stood around him. None of them looked particularly old, yet every one of them was exceptional. They stood within the great palace, gazing straight ahead, while radiating the same air of superiority.

The members of the other major clans and races dared not move too fast or speak too loudly for fear of disturbing them. Some even chose to keep their distance altogether, not daring to draw too close.

The sight alone made it clear what kind of people they were. They were from the Ziwei Starfield and were core members of the Ji Clan. Had it not been for them, Zhou Yunqiong wouldn't have been able to reconstruct her fleshly body.

When Zhou Yunqiong saw the man, her gaze softened. However, she still frowned before answering. "I was born and raised in the Milky Way Starfield. By all rights, the Separation of Heaven and Earth shouldn't affect me."

"That was before. However, your fleshly body was rebuilt using materials endemic to the Outer Cosmos and the Ji Clan's techniques. Hence, it's now closer in nature to the Ji Clan's," reminded the man called Ji Hongyu.

By all accounts, while the Zhou Family did carry the Ji Clan's bloodline, they were merely a branch of the bloodline at best. In truth, the passage of time meant there were many people with the Ji Clan's bloodline out there. Most of them simply never revealed themselves.

As a member of the main bloodline and a core figure of the Ji Clan, Ji Hongyu had no real need to be this courteous toward Zhou Yunqiong. Yet he was exceedingly courteous to her, and none among those around him voiced any objections.

The reason was simple, and it was because she had caught the eye of the Ji Clan's top figures. Her status was effectively equivalent to that of a Ranker, the same as Ji Hongyu himself.

Had it not been for this, he wouldn't have bothered to say anything to her. After all, the Ji Clan's pride meant giving such consideration to anyone lower than them in status would be unthinkable.

Zhou Yunqiong knew what he was talking about, but disappointment still washed over her. At first, she thought she could descend immediately, but reality had dealt her an unexpected hand.

All she wanted was revenge. She was already a Sage, and not an ordinary Void Sage at that. Instead, she was a Lesser Sage.

With that level of strength, she was convinced that dealing with Lu Yuan would be as easy as taking candy from a baby.

Unfortunately, the Separation of Heaven and Earth rejected her presence. If she couldn't descend at full strength, Lu Yuan could actually suppress her, and the whole thing would backfire.

Hence, Zhou Yunqiong could only nod and say, "I understand."

"Don't worry. It won't be much longer." Ji Hongyu smiled, then continued. "Anyone who offends the Ji Clan, regardless of who they are, will pay the price. All you need to do is wait."

To him, Lu Yuan's identity did not matter at all. What mattered was that the man had offended the Ji Clan. Whether it was Zhou Yunqiong's vendetta or the Celestial Race's grudge, both had to be settled. If neither could be resolved through other means, then the Ji Clan would handle it personally.

Crackle!

A violent peal of thunder echoed across the void. A bolt of lightning tore through an unfathomable distance, and it streaked across the cosmos while radiating a fierce aura.

The Ji Clan members frowned in unison at the sight. They all recognized that aura.

The others also turned their gazes in that direction.

Before long, a massive island appeared before them. The island was dotted with verdant mountains and cascading waterfalls, along with all manner of plants and flowers. Yes, it was an entire island floating in outer space.

They saw figures moving across the island, but the distance was too great, and a special barrier shrouded the island, making it impossible for anyone to discern who they were.

"Who are those people?" Zhou Yunqiong noticed it as well and couldn't help but wonder. The display of power was truly terrifying, and she deduced that they rivaled even the Ji Clan in terms of strength.

However, the Ji Clan was one of the most powerful clans in the universe, and only a handful of clans and races could compare to them, so Zhou Yunqiong's curiosity toward their identity was not strange at all.

"The Eternals." Ji Hongyu's voice remained even. "They are the most ancient clan in the universe. Their numbers are few, but every one of them is a powerhouse whose name will shake an entire starfield. Even the Ji Clan cannot claim that they are stronger than the Eternals."

"What?" Zhou Yunqiong was stunned. For the ever-proud Ji Clan to say such a thing spoke volumes about the Eternals' status and power. She turned her gaze back to the island, straining to get a clearer look at the figures beyond the barrier.

Rumble!

Just then, a deep rumbling echoed. It hadn't come from deep space. Instead, it came from below. It was coming from Earth.

Every head turned toward Earth at once, and in the face of that mysterious, boundless aura, a single thought formed in their minds—the Milky Way Starfield had changed once again.