Chapter 537: The Shadow Abyss

Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul had yet to return after disappearing from the Imperial Dominion in the Abyss.

Li Zhaotian waited for a long time before reluctantly using a secret technique to contact Li Wang, seeking an explanation for the situation.

According to Li Wang, Pang Jian could leave the Abyss because he was a World God. The departure of Pang Jian's divine soul was likely tied to this, so there was no need for Li Zhaotian to worry.

However, Li Wang also warned that Pang Jian's divine soul could still perish in the starry skies. If his divine soul were truly destroyed, his physical body would rapidly decay, draining the power Pang Jian had accumulated over his lifetime.

Li Zhaotian felt slightly reassured as Pang Jian's body was still healthy and could do nothing but wait passively after that.

One day, an unusual blood essence fluctuation emanated from a deep valley to the north of the fragmented land.

The three True Gods, Wanderer Tian Du, Li Yuanli, and Liu Fu, simultaneously noticed something amiss.

"Is a heretical cultivator still alive?" Li Yuanli frowned, transforming into a streak of light as he shot to the scene. Shortly after, he called, "Fatty Li, come take a look."

Li Zhaotian flew toward the deep valley where Li Yuanli was waiting.

Ancient Great Feys growled lowly within the bloody mist billowing through the valley. The dense mist surged in and out of a thin figure, clearly marking him as the cause of the strange phenomena.

A dazzling Celestial Phoenix Imprint radiated an awe-inspiring light at the center of the figure's forehead.

"He's the reason Pang Jian came to the Imperial Dominion," Li Yuanli said with an unusual look in his eyes. "The Ghost Sacrifice Sect wasn't wrong. He's indeed cultivating with the techniques of the Blood Spirit Sect.

"However, the Celestial Phoenix Imprint on his forehead seems to be protecting him from the corruption of the Outer Gods."

"The Outer Gods have yet to corrupt him," Li Zhaotian said. "The Sinister Soul Temple and the Blood Moon Sect of the Third World were both offshoots of the Blood Spirit Sect. It's possible he stumbled upon and independently pieced together the Blood Spirit Sect's techniques through sheer coincidence."

Li Zhaotian deliberately shielded Dong Tianze because he and Pang Jian were friends.

Li Yuanli nodded in agreement.

The Pure Land Sect carefully guarded the heir of the Celestial Phoenix's legacy. By extension, Dong Tianze's standing as a Celestial Phoenix Divine Guard naturally warranted caution.

Li Zhaotian's explanation aligned with his thoughts.

"Tell him to be careful," Li Yuanli said simply before departing.

Half an hour later, the blood-colored mist within the valley fully returned to Dong Tianze's body.

He had mastered the intricacies of the Blood God Technique.

Dong Tianze opened his eyes, the crimson light in his pupils gradually fading as he stared at the uninvited guest before him.

"How is Pang Jian? Is he alright?" he asked.

Li Zhaotian was taken aback. "You know who I am?"

"You have blue robes, a sword token, a rather plump figure, and an aura that unsettles me," Dong Tianze replied calmly. "It wasn't hard to identify you."

"You're not afraid?" Li Zhaotian chuckled.

"Why should I be? Although I've cultivated the techniques of the Blood Spirit Sect, I don't answer to the Outer Gods and have retained my clear mind," Dong Tianze said confidently. He then repeated his question, "How is he?"

"He's fine, just wandering the starry skies with his divine soul," Li Zhaotian replied with a hint of admiration. Glancing at the Celestial Phoenix Imprint on Dong Tianze's forehead, he added, "He'll be fine. He has me here. Kid, you'd better head to the Resolute Expanse or somewhere else. Just don't stay in the Imperial Dominion."

Pang Jian's unique situation would inevitably draw attention to Dong Tianze's cultivation of the Blood Spirit Sect's forbidden techniques.

Li Yuanli was on good terms with Li Zhaotian and was wary of the Pure Land Sect, so he did not move against Dong Tianze.

However, the other True Gods would not be as accommodating. If they happened to notice Dong Tianze while monitoring Pang Jian, they would kill him without hesitation.

Li Zhaotian could not stop them at that point.

"I understand."

Dong Tianze leaped onto his Sinister Soul Blood Halberd, clasped his hands respectfully toward Li Zhaotian, and decisively departed from the Imperial Dominion.

As he rose into the sky, he could not help but glance back at Imperial Dominion City.

***

In the bizarre mist, Pang Jian arrived at the boundary wall of another world with Pan Di, the Thunder God of the ancient Fey Race, following behind him.

Like the Abyss, this barrier was also invisible, perceptible only because his divine sense encountered resistance.

Pang Jian did not have the Gate of the Abyss on him as it was hanging on the chest of his physical body, and he was unsure if he could cross the boundary wall without it.

Reaching out with his hand, he attempted to push through the barrier.

He wanted to verify the peculiar properties of his Immortal Divine Soul. After all, his Immortal Divine Soul was impervious to the corrosion of the bizarre mist, and his divine sense remained unrestricted.

It was worth experimenting to see if his Immortal Divine Soul was perhaps even more extraordinary than Pang Jian already thought.

His hand passed effortlessly through the boundary wall! It was like dipping a hand into the surface of a lake, smooth and unimpeded!

Behind him, Thunder God Pan Di's colossal golden skeletal form crackled with lightning.

"Inside, inside!" he exclaimed, bursting with excitement.

"I'll go in and take a look first," Pang Jian said before disappearing.

An entirely new world unfolded before him.

Six massive landmasses floated within this world, with an enormous grayish-yellow star hovering above.

The star seemed vaguely familiar. Pang Jian soon recalled seeing a similar grayish-yellow star in the Frost Crystal God's domain.

Back then, he had witnessed an unknown force pull this star into the depths of the bizarre mist.

The fact that the star was in this world meant that an incredibly powerful being lived here.

In the Abyss, stars remained suspended beyond the barrier sealing the world, far removed from the Abyss itself. However, this world had a being with the audacity and capability to pluck stars from the starry skies and draw them into its domain.

Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul carefully concealed itself within the bizarre mist, and he scanned the world with his far-reaching divine sense, seeking to understand the nature of the intelligent beings of this world.

Before long, a shuttle-shaped ship entered the range of his divine sense.

"The Star Devourer's act of pulling in that star has drawn the attention of powerful figures. It's strange, why have so many Outer Gods been appearing above the barrier of our Shadow Abyss lately?"

"Did the Outer Gods notice the Star Devourer hiding in our world and come to hunt it down?"

"They can't hunt the Star Devourer if it doesn't leave. Even Outer Gods can't enter our Shadow Abyss. They're completely powerless against the Star Devourer."

"I wish they could find a way in and destroy that Star Devourer already."

"Our Shadow Spirit Race has been condemned to eternal darkness because of the Star Devourer. We won't be able to escape for as long as it lives and refuses to leave the Shadow Abyss."

Although the intelligent beings aboard the ship conversed in a strange language, Pang Jian could still understand them.

Pang Jian needed only to sense the soul fluctuations of the Shadow Spirit Race members with his Immortal Divine Soul to comprehend the unfamiliar language.

The Shadow Abyss, the Star Devourer, and the Shadow Spirit Race,

he noted to himself.

Then, taking a step back, he exited the Shadow Abyss.

"Well? Which Abyss is it? And, wait! How—how can you go in and out so easily?" The Thunder God Pan Di was utterly baffled.