Chapter 540: First Clash Against the Aberrant Spirit

The Frost Crystal God paced uneasily in the Moon God's Lunar Divine Palace, her oval face radiating a crystalline divine light.

Suddenly, the Dao of Cold surged forth from within her chest, forming a phantom altar. The altar floated ethereally in the palace, rippling with spatial fluctuations that gave rise to thin, radiant fissures around it.

The Frost Crystal God gently tapped the phantom altar with her alabaster fingers, secretly invoking divine arts to reconnect with the star within Pang Jian. However, the altar remained unresponsive, and the radiant fissures closed.

Gritting her teeth, the Frost Crystal God released a drop of silvery blood from her fingertip. The droplet erupted into cold flames the instant it fell onto the phantom altar, plunging the Moon God's palace into a bone-chilling cold.

"Burning a drop of your divine blood for the sake of a mere human young man? Is that truly necessary?" The Moon God gazed down coldly from above, her stunningly beautiful face radiating an aloof majesty.

The chill emanating from her body was only slightly weaker than that of the Frost Crystal God.

Her encounter with Pang Jian when she descended into the Abyss had been deeply unpleasant and had left her with nothing but bitter memories.

She had assumed the Frost Crystal God felt the same. Only after the Frost Crystal God confided in her did she realize she had been mistaken.

The Frost Crystal God relentlessly inquired about Pang Jian's origins, even going as far as asking the Moon God to mobilize her Star Moon Sect followers to locate the Ice Race. She wanted to offer forgiveness to the Ice Race and persuade them to activate their altars in the Abyss.

Her purpose for this was clear: she sought to descend into the Abyss through the Ice Race.

Moon God Ying Yue had never imagined that the reclusive Frost Crystal God could act this irrationally. The Frost Crystal God had even burned a drop of her divine blood to strengthen her connection with something she barely sensed.

This act left Ying Yue utterly astounded.

Every drop of divine blood had to be painstakingly refined and incredibly precious. Burning a single drop of divine blood without a proper altar or artifact would only allow the Frost Crystal God to glimpse vague and fleeting scenes. Once the divine blood was consumed, she would lose the connection entirely.

Squandering such a valuable resource merely to check on Pang Jian seemed utterly foolish in Ying Yue's eyes, yet the Frost Crystal God was doing exactly that.

"There are two bodies, both containing my divine power! One is in the Abyss, sitting quietly on a fragmented land. The other...

"I see a grayish-yellow star above six floating continents. Pang Jian is heading toward that star. There's an Aberrant Spirit in that star!

"That star doesn't belong to that world. It's the one that was previously pulled into the bizarre mist! The Aberrant Spirit is refining and consuming the star! This is the work of a Star Devourer!" the Frost Crystal God exclaimed in shock.

"An Aberrant Spirit? A Star Devourer?" Ying Yue was also taken aback. Her long lashes fluttered, and her eyes glowed with radiant moonlight as she murmured, "A Star Devourer is a treasure trove; its entire being can be forged into an extraordinary artifact. If we join forces, we could claim the Star Devourer for ourselves, but..."

The thought of the Star Devourer residing in an unfamiliar Abyss made her dismiss the idea just as quickly as it came.

"Many treasures are hidden in these abysses. It's too bad we can't set foot in them. But Pang Jian is different!" the Frost Crystal God exclaimed, her excitement growing. "He can leave the Abyss and traverse into another one of the abysses to seek treasures there! If-if..."

The Frost Crystal God suddenly stood up.

"Are you planning to collaborate with a human from the Abyss and have him search for treasures for you?" Ying Yue's expression darkened as she sternly warned, "Do you realize the consequences? If you conspire with a human, the other Gods will never let you go."

The Frost Crystal God hesitated. "Ying Yue, you wouldn't betray me, would you?"

"Why are you even telling me this?" Ying Yue replied bitterly. "I wouldn't even know anything if you didn't tell me. What you do in secret has nothing to do with me."

Despite her words, in her heart, she knew that she could not entirely disentangle herself from this situation if the Frost Crystal God truly decided to act. She would find it difficult to stay uninvolved if it were ever exposed.

"I'm telling you this, of course, to invite you to join me. Treasures are meant to be shared," the Frost Crystal God persuaded. "Ying Yue, don't you want to ascend to a higher rank? Neither of us will likely ever take that next step unless we encounter extraordinary fortune.

"The Star Devourer is perfectly suited for you. In truth, you need it even more than I do. You ascended through the Dao of Moon. The stars and moons have always been interconnected.

"Within the Star Devourer lies a rare artifact tied to the core of a star. If you refine it into your body, you could create an auxiliary Dao to enhance your power," the Frost Crystal God relentlessly coaxed.

Though interested, Ying Yue remained firmly noncommittal. Instead, she asked, "He can enter abysses but we cannot. How do you plan to work with him to hunt down the Star Devourer?"

The Frost Crystal God's lips curled into a faint smile. "I have a way."

***

A grayish-yellow star hovered silently beneath the vast sky of the Shadow Abyss.

It was noticeably smaller than the stars Pang Jian had seen in the starry skies. Even the six intact continents below were slightly larger than it.

A faint mist cloaked the star in a hazy shroud reminiscent of a cultivator's protective shield. The star emitted a grayish-yellow radiance under the unchanging sky, intertwining with the mist in a way that seemed to drape the star in a mysterious veil.

As Pang Jian drew closer, he could sense rich earth energy radiating from the star. He also perceived pure stellar energy from the glow and the mist, which he could effortlessly absorb and refine into his Immortal Divine Soul.

Whoosh!

Pang Jian entered the glowing mist.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Although his Immortal Divine Soul was like a speck of dust compared to the star, its presence alone was enough to send torrents of varied energies surging wildly into it.

His Immortal Divine Soul erupted with a dazzling brilliance!

***

Powerful members of the Shadow Spirit Race and the Dark Shadow Race were gazing intently at the grayish-yellow star from the six continents below when they noticed a bright flash on the star's outer edge.

It was as though another tiny—but no less dazzling—star had appeared.

"It's him!" cried those aboard the shuttle-shaped ship.

The sudden burst of blinding light convinced them that Pang Jian had finally decided to act, initiating an attack on the Star Devourer that had tormented them for centuries.

"Let's just hope...let's hope he can kill the Star Devourer," Holy Maiden Cui Ling muttered.

Clasping her hands tightly over her chest, she prayed fervently to the Shadow God, unaware that they had long since fallen.

***

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Deep fissures appeared on the parched surface of the grayish-yellow star. Terrifying energy fluctuations surged from these fissures, sending waves of dread through the air.

Swish!

A tentacle-like limb shot out from one of the cracks, sweeping toward Pang Jian with lightning speed. Pang Jian, still engrossed in absorbing the star's vast energies, had no time to examine the limb closely before it struck him with tremendous force.

Boom!

It was like an elongated mountain range had slammed into him.

Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul was hurled out of the radiant mist and was sent flying thousands of li from the grayish-yellow star.

Surprisingly, his Immortal Divine Soul remained unscathed despite taking the heavy blow straight on. This Immortal Divine Soul, a fusion of his divine soul and Fortune, displayed a resilience that far exceeded his expectations.

He carefully examined himself, flexing his limbs and channeling his strength to test his condition. Everything was functioning perfectly.

If his physical body had taken the blow, he would have surely suffered deep wounds and fractured bones.

Even normal Immortal Realm powerhouses in the Abyss would likely be unable to withstand such an attack. Perhaps only Rank Nine Fey Kings, with their exceptionally powerful physiques, could survive that assault from the Star Devourer.

The impressive durability of his Immortal Divine Soul bolstered Pang Jian's confidence. Steadying his mind, Pang Jian once again flew toward the star.

The Star Devourer's limb had intended to retreat after the strike, unwilling to expend excessive energy on Pang Jian while it fed within the star. For the time being, it showed no desire to interrupt its meal and continued to savor its feast.

Believing that a single casual strike was sufficient to drive Pang Jian away, the Star Devourer did not plan for further action. However, the strange outsider did not retreat in fear, instead audaciously approaching again as if courting death.

Swish!

The limb lashed out like lightning but missed its mark due to the distance.

Pang Jian extended his divine sense for a closer examination of the tentacle-like limb. To his astonishment, he discovered that what appeared to be just a single thread of the Star Devourer's web-like body stretched tens of thousands of zhang in length!

Even Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul, which could shift and expand at will, could only match the size of one of the Star Devourer's limbs. The true forms of most gods were usually of a similar size as well.

If just one limb was this massive, then the Star Devourer likely rivaled the size of the grayish-yellow star itself. No wonder it was called the Star Devourer.

Snap!

The limb detached from the Star Devourer's main body and surged forward with fierce momentum, lingering ominously within the inner halo of the grayish-yellow star.

It became clear that the Shadow Spirit Race's information was inaccurate. The Star Devourer's movements were not slow at all. Perhaps its body moved sluggishly, but its limbs were as fast as lightning.

If not, it would not have been able to catch Pang Jian off guard.

It can detach its limbs like a lizard's tail. The limb resembles a long serpent adorned with intricate patterns. It's non-fleshy with pointed ends that lack a head or claws.

A vast energy flows within it, intertwined with faint fluctuations of soul essence. The limb seems to retain self-awareness even after detaching from the main body,

Pang Jian observed while discreetly gathering his strength.

He deliberately slowed down, refraining from hastily approaching until the detached limb moved further away from its main body. It did not take long for it to pierce through the grayish-yellow star's outer layer.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared!

A sea of intertwined lightning engulfed the Star Devourer's limb, and Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul grew to tens of thousands of zhang tall!

Boom!

Pang Jian revealed a form that could be called a "Dharma Idol" within the Abyss.

A hazy radiance shrouded his figure and his aura echoed with the profound reverberations of the Heavenly Daos within him.

The powerhouses of the Shadow Abyss could not help but stare.

Pang Jian resembled a primordial titan splitting the heavens and earth as he plunged his divine form into the sea of lightning and seized the Star Devourer's limb.

Icy blades shot from his chest and underarms, slashing at the limb with lethal precision. Lunar Edges cut relentlessly into the Star Devourer's limb.

The detached limb struggled desperately to pull away under Pang Jian's relentless assault, but no matter how it twisted, it could not break free from his iron grip.

"A God!"

"A mysterious God has descended from the starry skies!"

"He's here to hunt the Star Devourer down for dragging a star into the Shadow Abyss!"

"The Shadow Abyss will see a new dawn because of his arrival!"

The blood of those watching from the six continents boiled with newfound fervor.

For them, Pang Jian's fierce struggle against a limb of the Star Devourer was like a ray of light tearing through the darkness!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

More limbs shot out from within the grayish-yellow star.

Eight colossal limbs emerged with overwhelming momentum, looking like ancient serpents draped in starry brilliance.

Some shone with piercing starlight while others were encased in rocky ice. A few even exuded the imposing power of earthen dragons.

Each limb reflected the unique energies that made up the Shadow Abyss.

After consuming countless fragmented lands and three intact continents, the Star Devourer had grown intimately familiar with every known energy within the Shadow Abyss.

It now channeled these energies into its many limbs, finally revealing its full might in its fury.

Meanwhile, Pang Jian was using his own energies to tear and slice at one of the Star Devourer's detached limbs. Brilliant light streamed forth from the cracks in the limb as if the Star Devourer itself were bleeding.

Unfortunately, the lack of a suitable weapon and the absence of the Abyssal Demon Sword meant Pang Jian could not break the limb into smaller pieces in quick time.

Pang Jian felt a growing headache as he watched more limbs shoot forth from the raging Star Devourer.