Chapter 403: A Sword of Ice and Lightning

Wu Yuan and Pang Jian positioned themselves outside the white pagoda, with one ascending to the top and the other descending below.

Wu Yuan of the Demon Sect was the first to act, using his divine soul to control the Purple Demon Eye.

"He Motian, shatter the barrier with the Purple Demon Eye!"

Threads of divine sense imbued with divine consciousness drifted from the top of Wu Yuan's head and flowed into the sinister Purple Demon Eye.

The Purple Demon Eye grew larger and larger, and in its depths, an ancient Demon God started to take form, materializing into reality as it absorbed Wu Yuan's divine sense.

He Motian held a prayer bead, a token, a lotus, and a water jug in his four hands.

The Great Demon God He Motian's four artifacts were renowned across the starry skies, and it was like artifacts from myth had descended into the world when they briefly appeared around the Purple Demon Eye like the projection of the Sanctum of Godly and Demonic Genesis.

In that brief moment, an immense divine power shattered the barrier, freeing the white pagoda to soar skyward once again.

The four artifact projections also ripped through the dark clouds above, forcing Ling Yimo and the Outer God You Kui into clear view.

"Ling Yimo!"

"An Outer God worshiped by the Ghost Race!"

Hu Yuanfei and Fan Chen exclaimed.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Sanctum of Godly and Demonic Genesis that Ling Yimo had forcibly manifested was repeatedly destroyed and reformed.

Each time it manifested, the Great Demon God He Motian would destroy it with a powerful invasion of demonic energy.

Ling Yimo only managed to neutralize the Great Demon God He Motian's assault on the twelfth cycle.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

By then, the Outer God You Kui had already dissipated like smoke.

The projection of the four powerful artifacts and the overwhelming might of the Great Demon God He Motian had left Ling Yimo's divine soul in unbearable agony.

"He Motian!" she snarled through gritted teeth before quietly disappearing.

Wu Yuan put his utmost into unleashing the power of the divine artifact, the Purple Demon Eye, and He Motian within it. His display left even Ling Yimo deeply wary, prompting her to retreat and temporarily conceal her presence.

The Purple Demon Eye shattered the barrier blocking the Divine Spirit Pagoda's ascent.

"Well done, Wu Yuan!" Hu Yuanfei praised.

"Charge!" Dong Wenjian shouted, slapping one sacred grade talisman after another onto the walls inside the pagoda.

These talismans were reserved only for inner disciples of the Ancient Law Sect, but he spared no expense to boost the Divine Spirit Pagoda's ascent.

Whoosh!

The white pagoda shot upward like a silver streak of lightning and soared straight into the dark sky.

Its increasing radiance in the torrential rain and lightning drew the attention of many foreign race powerhouses in the Fourth World.

"That's the Sinister Soul Temple's Divine Spirit Pagoda and the young elites of the human race!"

"Wait! Is that...a continent?"

"There's an aura of a God!"

The foreign race powerhouses scattered across the fragmented lands only noticed the appearance of the Fey Spirit Continent due to the Divine Spirit Pagoda's ascent.

"Let's go take a look!"

High-ranking foreign race powerhouses started converging from the fragmented lands.

Meanwhile, at the base of the white pagoda, a tall figure emanated a powerful magnetic field that actively drew in thunder and lightning.

Crackling filled the air as streaks of lightning disappeared into the figure.

The lighting thinned into slender threads and slithered all over his body like serpents before being absorbed into his flesh. He looked like a Thunder God from the outer worlds.

This unusual figure drew the attention of many foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts, including the Rank Eight warriors from the Flame Race and the Ghost Race, filling them with caution and dread.

"Pang Jian, I can handle things down here!" Fan Chen shouted. "You can join Wu Yuan to guide the Divine Spirit Pagoda's ascent!"

"No, you go up and protect the Divine Spirit Pagoda!" Pang Jian yelled back. "Leave things here to me!"

Despite his struggle with the Rank Eight Flame Race warrior wearing him out, Fan Chen could not help but instinctively want to refuse.

However, after glancing at Pang Jian, his eyes lit up and he gave a slight nod.

"Alright! Take care of yourself!" he called, stepping onto the "Supreme" character and wielding the "Monad" character like a blade as he swapped places with Pang Jian in mid-air.

Fan Chen soared to the top of the white pagoda.

When Wu Yuan withdrew the Purple Demon Eye and entered the white pagoda to rest, Fan Chen took his place, becoming a blade above the pagoda, poised to destroy any resistance hindering its ascent.

Pang Jian took Fan Chen's place at the base of the white pagoda to confront the Rank Eight Flame Race warrior.

Pang Jian stood atop the Heart of Winter while secretly stirring up the Thunder Pool within his spiritual sea.

He then attempted to channel the cold energy from the Heart of Winter and the lightning from the Thunder Pool into the Startling Slaughter Spear.

Boom!

The Startling Slaughter Spear in Pang Jian's hand exploded.

The spear he had acquired from Eight Trigrams City could not withstand the explosive power and shattered at that critical moment.

An advanced-grade spirit artifact was just an advanced-grade spirit artifact in the end. It simply could not compare to a sacred or divine artifact.

Whoosh!

Pang Jian took out the Abyssal Demon Sword with a sigh.

Though it was only half of a sword and missing its sword soul, the Abyssal Demon Sword's construction and grade were still far superior to the Startling Slaughter Spear and could bear the energies from the two divine artifacts.

"Ice! Lightning!"

Pang Jian swung the broken sword downward.

The cold energy within the Heart of Winter and the lightning from the Thunder Pool converged on the broken sword and transformed into ice and lightning sword light.

Whoosh!

The sword light, imbued with the energies from two divine artifacts from the outer worlds, struck the stone ax of the Demon Bull Race warrior below.

Clang!

The Demon Bull Race warrior gripped his stone ax tightly with both hands to block against the sword light, but it felt like an icy lightning storm had exploded upon impact.

An overwhelming divine power struck the stone ax in his hands like the wrath of two Gods—the Ice Demon and the Duke of Thunder.

The Demon Bull Race warrior's powerful, muscular body sank downward.

The Rank Seven Ice Sculpture Beast he was riding let out a piercing scream, and the residual cold energy and lightning crushed it as they fell.

"Useless," cursed the Demon Bull Race warrior, flying away just before the Ice Sculpture Beast smashed into the ground.

Boom!

He leaped onto the stone platform suppressing the Primal Sphere with a thunderous crash.

"Old friend, let's take to the skies for another battle!"

Abandoning the suppression of the Primal Sphere, the stone platform carried the Demon Bull Race warrior straight toward the Divine Spirit Pagoda.

Whoosh!

The massive Primal Sphere shrank to the size of a marble and fell into a crevice on the Fey Spirit Continent.

Meanwhile, in the sky, Pang Jian unleashed his full strength with the broken sword.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

He sent out beams of sword light infused with cold energy and lightning to cut down the foreign race warriors around him.

The sword light instantly killed any foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts that failed to evade!

Even the Rank Eight warriors from the Flame Race and the Ghost Race had to avoid them.

When the two Rank Eight powerhouses sensed the extraordinary power within the sword light, they quickly realized that Pang Jian was especially formidable and retreated to regroup.

Before long, Pang Jian had slain all the other Rank Six and Rank Seven foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts around them.

"Junior brother is unstoppable!" Hu Yuanfei pumped her fist in excitement and her face lit up. "Fan Chen, stay sharp! It's time to head back to the Third World!"

Liu Youyu pursed her lips with a slight smile, feeling a sudden sense of relief.

The Rank Eight Ghost Race warrior pressuring her had retreated from the white pagoda on a massive boulder, freeing her from the constant need for vigilance.

"Are those with a Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea only unmatched within their cultivation realm? I can't help but feel that even those in the Nirvana Realm would struggle against such strength!" Dong Wenjian of the Ancient Law Sect muttered in astonishment.

The power Pang Jian had unleashed with his broken sword, the Heart of Winter, and the surrounding lightning was unquestionably beyond what a Soul Wandering Realm cultivator could achieve.

Dong Wenjian had a hunch that if Pang Jian had displayed strength earlier, Zhou Yi from the Nine Tribes Sect would not have gained any advantage.

"That guy with the same surname as you, Dong Tianze, was seriously injured when he saved Pang Jian. It seems to have triggered something in Pang Jian,' Lin Manhe said earnestly, leaning out from the lower floor of the Divine Spirit Pagoda to look at Pang Jian. "This is his true strength."

Dong Wenjian's expression shifted. "So he wasn't going all out before?"

"Indeed, he held back because the rest of you were already doing your best." Lin Manhe nodded calmly. "He possesses at least two divine-grade artifacts, and these artifacts...they aren't from our Abyss; they carry the aura of an Outer God."

Dong Wenjian's astonishment grew. "Is he truly from the Fourth World?"

"Whenever an era of chaos arrives, one or two figures always emerge from the Third or Fourth World with the power to shake the entire Abyss," Lin Manhe said with a strange light in her eyes. "People like him, Dong Tianze, Zhou Qingchen are the reason our human race could rise up to dominate the First World of the Abyss."

Pang Jian, Dong Tianze, and Zhou Qingchen all hailed from the Fourth World that the upper-world cultivators so scorned.

These emerging talents shone like comets in the night sky, illuminating a new path forward for the human race in the Abyss.

The Divine Spirit Pagoda continued its ascent, and the thick leaden clouds that loomed over the Fourth World were within reach.

Fan Chen took a deep breath and shrank the "Monad" character to hold it in his palm while extending his divine sense into the clouds to search for lurking enemies.

Liu Youyu's Celestial Profound Mirror also shone upon the clouds, vigilantly watching for hidden threats.

Hu Yuanfei also grew tense once more.

Although Pang Jian had warded off the Rank Eight threats below the white pagoda, the spread of murky energy across the Third World meant foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts could still attack from above.

Ling Yimo had taken the time to set this trap for them, and there was no doubt that she had planned everything meticulously.

The layer of leaden clouds was likely their final hurdle to break free from the Fourth World.

As expected, an enormous, shadowy Vicious Beast lurked deep within the clouds, blood-red eyes glaring at the approaching Divine Spirit Pagoda.

Howl!

Its roar sent tremors through everyone inside the Divine Spirit Pagoda, causing blood to trickle from their ears and noses.

Fan Chen grunted, resisting the urge to cough up blood as he charged into the clouds with the "Supreme" and "Monad" characters.