Chapter 269: Frog in a Well

"Pang Ling!

"My name is Pang Ling! I have a name now!"

Her skirt released flecks of divine light that brimmed with life energy as the small, delicate spirit body of the Wood Race's Sacred Tree twirled gleefully within the leaf.

The light drizzled on the ground below, causing the newly sprouted grass and flowers to grow at a visibly accelerated pace, with small blades of grass shooting up in an instant.

Pang Ling was overwhelmed with excitement, dancing in celebration at her new body.

Pang Jian stared in amazement at the spirit of the little tree.

"My...child."

The little tree had been born in the Gate of the Abyss and planted in Misty Swamp. After two years, the little tree developed a spirit body, allowing Pang Jian to smoothly communicate with her without needing to convey his thoughts telepathically.

A strange emotion welled up inside him. It was a sense of inexplicable sentimentality.

"How should I address you, Father? Or maybe Dad?" Pang Ling asked curiously as she danced about.

Pang Jian's expression was slightly odd. When she called him "Father" and "Dad", he could not help but feel like his soul was floating in the clouds, and his mind had turned dizzy and light.

"Just call me Pang Jian!" he said sternly.

"Whatever Father says goes! Pang Jian, it is!" Pang Ling replied sweetly, clapping her hands in delight. "Father, since you've come all this way, you must stay with me for a while. Don't leave too soon."

Whoosh!

The crystalline leaf she resided in detached from the branch and floated into the air.

"Father, let me show you around. I was able to take over the fragmented land called Divine Fortress with your help, but you haven't visited it yet."

The leaf carrying her spirit body drifted into the distance.

"I don't want the Wood Race to see me!" Pang Jian hastily said.

"They won't," Pang Ling replied as the crystalline leaf holding whirled joyfully through the air.

A slender, green river of light formed above the leaf, radiating vibrant life energy in the sky above Misty Swamp.

"I have a name now! I'm Pang Ling and I'm a complete life form now!"

Her merry laughter echoed in Pang Jian's soul.

Pang Jian followed the mystical leaf with mixed emotions, moving from Misty Swamp, where the World Eater Vine had taken root, toward the annexed Divine Fortress.

Not a single member of the Wood Race appeared along the way.

Occasionally, they encountered unintelligent Vicious Beasts that curiously eyed Pang Ling's leaf as she led Pang Jian through Misty Swamp.

Some of the Vicious Beasts would abruptly charge at Pang Jian, eyes filled with killing intent.

Each time, towering ancient trees would intercept and restrain the Vicious Beasts to the muddy ground, preventing them from getting anywhere near Pang Jian.

Pang Jian could not help but recall what Li Yuqing had told him about the little tree.

The World Eater Vine, also known as the World Tree, is one of the sources of the murky energy and possesses the power to destroy an entire world.

However, looking at the innocent Pang Ling within the leaf, he found it impossible to associate her with the source of murky energy that Li Yuqing had described.

Maybe Li Yuqing was mistaken and the Outer God possessing the wooden figure is the true source of murky energy,

Pang Jian thought.

Soon after, they arrived at their destination.

Divine Fortress City.

Pang Jian frowned as he gazed at the vast city.

The layout and structure of Divine Fortress City were almost identical to Divine Fortune City.

Dense vegetation had overgrown Divine Fortress City and bones were scattered across the empty streets.

The remaining cultivators and non-cultivators left behind in Divine Fortress City had been unable to withstand the corruption of the murky energy.

Their flesh had been eroded, leaving only bones behind.

Desolation and death hung in the air. The stench of decay from the murky energy filled the atmosphere.

"This wasn't my doing. It was already like this when I took over," Pang Ling timidly explained from within the leaf, like a child afraid of being scolded. "The energy drifting up from the lower caused all of this. It has nothing to do with me."

"I know." Pang Jian took a deep breath.

Although he had no personal attachment to the people of Divine Fortune City or Divine Fortress City, the sight of so many skeletons still stirred something within him.

Similar sights were undoubtedly commonplace in other contaminated fragmented lands across the Fourth World.

The same fate had likely fallen on all who had not relocated to the Third World and could not escape the contaminated fragmented lands in time.

It was unlikely that anyone else in the Fourth World had a Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea like Pang Jian's, let alone successfully cleansed their marrow in Eight Trigrams City using the murky energy of the Fifth World.

It was nearly impossible for anyone to survive in such an environment without his unique circumstances unless they were a peerless genius like Li Yuqing.

"Father, I've chosen a special place. Let me take you there now." The leaf carrying Pang Ling rippled, resembling the rings of ancient trees. Smiling, she said, "I think Father will like it there. I even had it cleaned up for you. Let's hurry over!"

She continued to lead the way.

Pang Jian followed the crystalline leaf to an elegant mansion in Divine Fortress City.

Inside the courtyard was a uniquely designed pond with artificial mountains and streams filled with blooming green lotus flowers.

The walls of the mansion were covered in lush ivy vines and next to the pond was a small flower bed in full bloom, filled with colorful flowers competing for attention.

"Father, I thought you wouldn't feel comfortable staying too long in the place where I've taken root. It's still too desolate there, and there are no others like you, only trees. So, I found this place for you."

As the leaf carrying Pang Ling floated about, it scattered wisps of green light that infused the lotus flowers in the pond and the flowers in the bed with life energy.

The crystalline leaf hovered above a chair.

"There's even a lounge chair here."

Warmth bloomed in Pang Jian's heart when he saw the little girl inside the gently swaying leaf gazing at him with a hopeful expression.

He lay down on the wooden lounge chair as Pang Ling suggested, facing the pond of blooming lotus flowers.

A sense of peace and tranquility filled him.

Living a serene life in a city like this would be a pleasant experience with his sister, Pang Lin, and friends like Zhou Qingchen and Qi Qingsong by his side.

That was, of course, if there was no more chaos in the world—no more Outer Gods appearing and no conflict between the human race and the foreign races of the Fifth World,

Unfortunately, he had caught sight of too many skeletal remains on the way to the mansion, on street corners, inside wooden houses and stone buildings, and even by dried-up wells.

This was far from a time of peace. Every world in the Abyss was currently filled with wars and disasters.

It would not be possible for him to settle down and enjoy a peaceful life even if he wanted to.

He still had to keep in mind the mysterious being powerful enough to rival the Rank Ten Thunder Dragon lurking in the bizarre mist, the Outer God trying to kill the little tree, and the Observer watching the Abyss.

These formidable beings from beyond the Abyss could appear at any point. When that happened, Pang Jian would surely regret being complacent.

"Father, can you stay with me for a few more days?" Pang Ling softly pleaded.

"Fine," he agreed, unable to bring himself to refuse when faced with the spirit body of the little tree.

Glancing around, he guessed Pang Ling had presumably arranged for the Wood Race members to clear away any remaining skeletons within the mansion long ago, so they would not be an eyesore when he arrived.

"Father, I'm scared. I'm afraid of dying. That Outer God has set their sights on me and will definitely reappear.

"I don't know when they'll come, but when you're by my side, I feel safe—less fearful of them."

Pang Jian rested on the lounge chair, gazing at the blooming lotus flowers in the pond while listening to Pang Ling pour out her heart.

Pang Ling thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Pang Jian and chattered away endlessly.

Noticing that Pang Jian seemed a bit tired, she considerately paused her rambling and guided the leaf holding her spirit body up into the sky.

"Father, please rest while I organize the Wood Race."

She hovered in mid-air, telepathically communicating with the Wood Race.

Pang Jian rubbed his temples and glanced at his spiritual sea.

The energy from the sun, stars, and moon within his spiritual sea had been greatly depleted from his battle against the wooden Outer God, and they were now slightly dim.

The ice pool, fiery pool, and lightning vortex, however, had been replenished from the Vicious Beasts meat he had consumed.

The future is unpredictable. A battle could break out at any moment. I need to keep the energy from the sun, moon, and stars at full capacity.

Pang Jian retrieved the mysterious copper chest and, after informing Pang Ling, lay down inside to absorb the solar, stellar, and lunar energies.

Inside the copper chest, the blazing sun hung unexpectedly close to Pang Jian. It was almost within his arm's reach!

Waves of intense heat surged toward Pang Jian alongside the radiant sunlight, which he absorbed into his dantian using the Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art.

The sun in his spiritual sea shone brightly.

Why is the sun so close?

Pang Jian wondered as he stared at the sun.

Suddenly, strands of golden divine sense drifted out from his sea of consciousness and entered his eyes.

Pang Jian's eyes turned gold.

As he looked up at the enormous sun above with his golden eyes, he felt as though he was being pulled closer to it.

The sun grew larger and larger, as if he were flying toward it!

Then, a grand golden palace appeared.

Pang Jian was awestruck. His eyes faintly stung like the radiant light of the palace was piercing them.

The sun suspended high in the sky outside the Abyss actually concealed a golden palace!

The shocking discovery made Pang Jian's scalp tingle.

Is this real? Or is it an illusion?

Pang Jian's heart surged with anticipation as he focused his attention on the sun once more. At the highest point of the golden palace was a staircase that seemed to lead straight to the heavens.

A golden throne exuding an aura of sacred majesty sat at the end of the staircase.

Several Three-Legged Golden Crows flew above the golden throne, wings ablaze with divine solar flames. They appeared to be waiting for something.

The vacant throne was carved with divine beasts like celestial phoenixes, dragons, qilins, and black turtles. Above it were familiar ripples of spatial fluctuation.

It seemed a powerful being was about to emerge from another world.