Chapter 462: Clash of Divine Sense

Under the guidance of his master, Dong Tianze arrived at a secluded valley in the Pure Land Sect on the Western Loam in the First World.

Spring reigned eternally in this land.

Vibrant flowers bloomed in abundance and the nearby mountains teemed with rare herbs and trees.

The spiritual qi of heaven and earth was extraordinarily rich and pure, even rising like mist from the many open cave dwellings.

Crystal-clear streams and brooks meandered through the valley, their waters home to lively, playful fish.

Within several wooden buildings, cultivation manuals could be seen on display, alongside pills that nourished the body and soul. Jars of ambrosial nectar, brewed from hundreds of flowers, promised longevity and vitality when consumed.

A proud white crane guided Dong Tianze toward one such wooden house in the valley and signaled Dong Tianze to enter.

When he stepped inside, Dong Tianze saw a young girl sitting cross-legged on a cultivation mat. Her sweet countenance and clear, bright eyes radiated purity.

On her lap lay a Celestial Phoenix bone that glowed with divine light.

The bone bore numerous imprints of the Celestial Phoenix's legacy, shining like a constellation from within.

The instant Dong Tianze saw the girl, he could see her remarkable likeness to Pang Jian.

"Years ago, in the Solitary Mountain Range of Northern Qi, my brother and I relied on each other to survive," Pang Lin recounted. "He often hunted in the mountains, hoping to save enough silver to send me to school.

"One day, during a fierce thunderstorm, three people arrived on a divine bird.

"These people took an interest in me and brought me to the Pure Land Sect because I was born with an innate lightning vortex.

"During our ascent to the upper worlds, the remains of the Celestial Phoenix shattered, and a bone etched with its legacy fell into my hands."

Pang Lin's gentle, melodious voice was as refreshing as a warm breeze carrying the scent of flowers. It was soothing, uplifting, and utterly enchanting.

"The Pure Land forbade me from outside contact to hide me from the ancient Thunder Dragon in the Dragon Lair Sect.

"It wasn't until recently, when Lord White Crane returned from Absolute Heaven, that I learned that my brother successfully left the Fourth World shortly after me."

A proud smile lit up her face.

"I knew it! My brother could never fall short of me—not with his talent and aptitude. I've been looking into him, and that's how I learned he has a Divine Guard by his side.

"I invited you here to lend you this Celestial Phoenix bone for study," she said with a beaming smile.

The Celestial Phoenix bone resting on her lap flew toward Dong Tianze.

Dong Tianze stared at her in astonishment, at a loss for words.

Pang Lin was the heir of the Celestial Phoenix's legacy. It was her right to tightly guard the legacy bone and use it to command Divine Guards like him.

Dong Tianze could sense a force within the legacy bone targeting the imprint on his soul, a terrifying power capable of gradually twisting even his thoughts and consciousness.

He had a feeling Pang Lin could easily use the Celestial Phoenix bone before him to erase his rebellious will if she so wished.

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

She could use the legacy bone to reinforce and amplify the imprint within his soul!

He would gradually lose himself, just as he had in the beginning, remembering only that he was a Celestial Phoenix Divine Guard, existing solely to serve his master with unwavering loyalty.

However, Pang Lin had instead shared her past and entrusted the Celestial Phoenix bone to him for study.

Why?

The thought arose in his mind, and instead of accepting the heavy weight of the legacy bone, Dong Tianze bluntly asked, "Why?"

"I asked around and learned that you're my brother's friend. His friends are my brothers as well," Pang Lin replied earnestly.

Dong Tianze stared at her in stunned silence, his mind blank.

After a long pause, the cold-hearted man finally accepted the Celestial Phoenix bone with both hands and sat down.

"I didn't come because you're my destined master. I came because you said you're his sister," Dong Tianze muttered, head lowered, not actually caring whether Pang Lin heard him.

Revealing the Celestial Phoenix Imprint on his brow, he channeled his divine sense into the bone.

He could have negotiated or tried to break free from the Celestial Phoenix Imprint's control, but he did not.

Similarly, Pang Lin could have used the power of the Celestial Phoenix bone to erase Dong Tianze's will and deepen the imprint to fully subjugate him, but she did not either.

Instead, she lent Dong Tianze the Celestial Phoenix bone.

This was all because of a shared bond. A bond with an important person in both their lives—someone they were willing to sacrifice everything for.

***

Beneath Star Moon Valley on the Demon Abyss Continent, the Stellar-Lunar Veins stretched through the ground like flowing rivers.

The Moon God, in the body of Ling Yue'e, drew lunar energy from the upper reaches of this "river," channeling it into her vessel's meridians and infusing it with her blood.

Meanwhile, Pang Jian absorbed the stellar and lunar energies from the lower depths, strengthening the illusory celestial bodies in his dantian using the Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art.

The "river water" from both ends of the veins gradually diminished.

Time flowed by in the blink of an eye.

One day, in the middle of the Stellar-Lunar Vein, the Outer God's divine consciousness met the divine sense of the young man from the Abyss.

Their divine consciousness and divine sense reached out in search of more lunar energy.

As neither had extended their senses with the intent to attack, the touch resembled the accidental brush of two hands.

The contact sent shocks back to their souls.

"Hmm?!" The Moon God frowned at the tingling sensation in her soul.

Gathering more of her divine consciousness, she hastily extended it further down into the ground.

Her moon eyes dimmed and the lunar glyphs on her forehead disappeared as she deliberately concealed her divine nature to maintain the appearance of Ling Yue'e.

Unfortunately, the original Ling Yue'e only had middle-stage Soul Wandering Realm cultivation.

Even though the Moon God's divine consciousness had reshaped Ling Yue'e's divine soul, she could not fundamentally enhance her vessel's cultivation realm.

Thus, the farthest the Moon God could extend her divine consciousness was three hundred zhang.

The range of three hundred zhang was insufficient to detect Pang Jian with her divine consciousness, let alone see his face.

In contrast, Pang Jian immediately jolted awake when he sensed the presence of divine consciousness.

Focusing his mind, he carefully examined his surroundings and soon realized that the upper reaches of the Stellar-Lunar Veins were nearly depleted of lunar energy.

He quickly realized that someone was absorbing the lunar energy stored within the Stellar-Lunar Veins from the upper reaches.

Using divine sense to observe the world above was relatively easy for Pang Jian.

Stretching out his senses, Pang Jian saw a beautiful woman in a white robe sitting in a pit in the ground.

This woman exuded a rich lunar aura and had divine consciousness of considerable potency in her sea of consciousness.

She likely acquired divine consciousness from the Outer God Puppets like Dong Tianze, Zhou Qingchen, and I did.

Many talents are emerging in these chaotic times. We're not the only ones, Pang Jian thought to himself.

Meanwhile, the Moon God's divine soul allowed her to see golden strands extending from the ground below.

The golden strands were a form of perception—divine sense imbued with observational power.

They're not a God but they still possess exceptionally pure divine consciousness. It seems they've slain quite a few puppet bodies. A human from the Abyss, daring to hunt down our vessels in this era of upheaval!

The Moon God's expression turned cold.

A strand of her moonlit divine sense extended from her smooth forehead like a tendril toward one of Pang Jian's golden strands.

Once again, an electrifying sensation surged through them.

It was an indescribable feedback that directly resonated with their divine souls, this time eliciting a peculiar, almost euphoric response.

The Moon God outwardly remained as stable as a mountain, but her soul quivered slightly. The face belonging to Ling Yue'e flushed.

Suddenly, an invasive sensation filled her. It was like her soul had been caressed, like every inch of the divine consciousness she had poured into Ling Yue'e's was being gently stroked—almost as if it were her true self being touched.

Strange, how could this happen?

As this thought arose, she sensed that the person below was also silently comprehending this electrifying sensation.

Comprehending what?

Comprehending the sensation of touching her soul, as if caressing her true body?

The Moon God's eyes turned icy. Fury surged within her as she resolved to uncover the offender's identity and drag them out to be obliterated.

At that moment, a thought was transmitted through the divine sense connecting them.

I've already taken all the lunar energy in the lower depths. Stop wasting your time. From what I can tell, you seem unable to absorb stellar energy, so you may as well leave.

Who are you? the Moon God questioned telepathically.

Just another cultivator like you, the other party replied, reluctantly retracting strands of divine sense from the Moon God.

She could see golden strands slowly disappearing into the ground.

The final strand—the one still linked to her divine sense like two hands clasped together—also receded.

Their divine sense separated, and the electrifying, soul-tingling sensation vanished with it.

The strand of divine sense extending from the Moon God's forehead stayed suspended in place as though reluctant to let go of that extraordinary sensation. It even subconsciously drifted forward slightly, seemingly driven by an instinctive pursuit of pleasure.

When the Moon God snapped back to her senses, she hastily pulled her divine sense back into her sea of consciousness. Her physical body trembled uncontrollably. She felt dazed and disoriented, as though somehow bewitched.

What is this? What's happening to me?

How could my divine soul react this way to the divine soul of a human from the Abyss? Why am I acting like this?

The Moon God felt deeply unsettled and her mind was in chaos.