Chapter 555: Enemies Meet Again

The ancient Fey Race had always been a force to be reckoned with in the Abyss. Legends of the Celestial Phoenix, the Thunder Dragon, the black turtle, and the Primordial Serpent still circulated widely, striking fear into the inhabitants of the Fifth World.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The terrifying power of the ancient Fey Race could be glimpsed through Pan Di, offering a small window into their overwhelming might.

Pan Di's colossal golden skeletal body started to regenerate flesh and blood at a speed visible to the naked eye after absorbing a massive influx of lightning-attribute materials, blood, and pills. His transformation was nothing short of earth-shattering.

The body of the ancient Thunder God took shape, from his golden wings to his arms and legs.

Pan Di's internal organs were still forming. The heart, previously embedded in his skeletal walls, could finally be relocated back to his chest, reconnecting with his veins and blood vessels.

His blood essence and soul essence resonated in delicate harmony, causing his aura to grow increasingly formidable.

Even Pang Jian, with his body in the Providence Realm, felt his self-healing paled in comparison to Pan Di's.

The heavens were undeniably partial to the ancient Fey Race. There was little wonder that the black turtle, Celestial Phoenix, Primordial Serpent, and Thunder Dragon could rival the myriad True Gods of the human race as equals.

It was no surprise, then, that the True Gods sought any means possible to diminish the power of the ancient Fey Race. If the number of Fey Gods were ever to grow to even half the number of True Gods, the balance of the Abyss would be completely upended.

The Thunder God, belonging to the Winged Tiger Clan of the ancient Fey Race, bared his jagged, saw-like teeth that gleamed with cold metallic glint.

"Pang Jian, from this day forward, you are my benefactor!" Pan Di declared, moving his tongue to lick his freshly formed lips and testing his restored limbs. "I'm almost back to a third of my full strength!

"I'm more than capable of killing one of these Water Gods with thirty percent of my power!"

Casting a cold, taunting glance at the Naga, he added, "What are you waiting for?"

The Naga remained silent.

"Earlier, the two of you arrogantly ganged up on me," Pan Di sneered. "What's the matter now? Do you only dare to attack me when I'm weak?"

The Naga forced out a bitter smile. "There's no need for things to escalate into open conflict."

The Naji had already sent a call for reinforcements, but it would take time for the other three low-ranking Outer Gods to arrive.

Pan Di's incredible recovery speed left the Naga at a loss for what to do.

While the Naga had initially intended to stall, if they delayed further, Pan Di would likely recover half of his peak strength before their allies arrived. Dealing with him would only become more difficult.

However, if they did not wait, the Naga and Naji would be faced with both the recovering Pan Di and the True God from the Abyss. Their chance of victory against the two was slim.

The Naga sighed inwardly at the dilemma.

Coughing awkwardly, the Naga bowed toward Pan Di. "Earlier, my sister and I were reckless and offended you.

"We were invited here because we learned that a certain Lord Sovereign plans to exterminate the human race in the Abyss to eliminate future threats."

"That Lord Sovereign hasn't arrived yet, and we haven't encountered any human Gods before this. We..."

The Naga watched Pang Jian's expression closely and carefully chose his words.

"We know little about the human race or the Abyss. I'd advise against returning if you've just returned from the outer worlds and plan to reenter the abyss."

Pang Jian smirked, his expression half a smile yet devoid of warmth. "I didn't expect you to care about me."

He was in no hurry, slowly expanding his divine sense outward as he waited for Pan Di to recover his lost strength.

After forming his Immortal Divine Soul, Pang Jian felt a strange sense of belonging while in the bizarre mist. It was akin to a fish returning to the sea, as though he was returning home.

The bizarre mist restricted all the Gods. The perceptions of beings like Pan Di or the two Water Gods of the Sea Race before him were severely limited. They could only rely on specialized artifacts to transmit messages, but even then, the range of communication was short.

In contrast, when Pang Jian extended his divine sense, it felt no different from being within the Abyss. His perception was vast and could cover a wide area with ease.

The terrifying bizarre mist seemed inexplicably accommodating to Pang Jian.

An Immortal Divine Soul, capable of entering the various abysses, unrestricted by the bizarre mist. My Immortal Divine Soul truly is suited for traversing the bizarre mist!

Pang Jian felt a surge of excitement.

As his divine sense stretched outward, he suddenly detected three more Outer Gods in the distance—a massive bat and two giants with three heads and six arms.

The bat appeared to be the Outer God that the Bat-Winged Race of the Fifth World worshiped. It had once descended to Spirit Offering, only for Yu Xin of the Celestial Race to destroy its puppet vessel in the Fifth World with a single strike.

The three-headed, six-armed giants had similarly relied on puppet vessels when they appeared in Spirit Offering.

Pang Jian vividly remembered those days. His low cultivation had meant that he had no choice but to stand alongside the elites of the Third World, gathering around Li Yuqing as she destroyed the Outer God Puppets.

Back then, he had not even been qualified to join the battle in Spirit Offering and had been relegated to silently observing from the sidelines.

Now, in the bizarre mist, Pang Jian found himself facing those same Outer Gods once again.

This time, the three familiar Outer Gods did not need to rely on puppet vessels, instead arriving in their complete divine bodies!

After probing them with his divine sense, Pang Jian confirmed that the three approaching Outer Gods were on par with the Naga and Naji in strength. They, too, were mere low-ranking Outer Gods.

Pang Jian would not flinch or cower, regardless of if they came in puppet vessels or true bodies.

Standing atop the Abyssal Demon Sword, Pang Jian sneered, "These siblings are deliberately stalling to buy time for three more low-ranking Outer Gods to join them."

His words caused shock to ripple through the Water God siblings and Pan Di.

"How could you know that? They're so far away!" the Naji screeched, her shrill voice stirring massive waves.

Her serpentine body rose with the surging tides, and she shifted her bow's aim toward Pang Jian.

As the water arrow solidified, a sudden pang struck Pang Jian's brow, and he realized the Water God was targeting his sea of consciousness.

Pang Jian's expression turned cold. "In such a rush to die?"

With that, his Immortal Divine Soul broke free from his sea of consciousness, manifesting within the dense bizarre mist.

Boom!

His Immortal Divine Soul grew exponentially until it towered at the same colossal height as Pan Di and matched the stature of the Water God siblings.

"Pan Di, how confident are you in dealing with this pair of siblings?" Pang Jian asked casually.

"Fifty percent," Pan Di replied with a toothy grin. "My chances will only increase as time goes on. The lightning-attribute ores and pills I devoured are still being absorbed. That won't stop just because I'm fighting!"

No further words were needed for Pan Di to understand Pang Jian's intentions. Letting out a low, guttural roar, Pan Di leaped into the air and dove back into the Naga's water domain.

"Flawless coordination," Pang Jian remarked with an approving nod.

Perching his physical body firmly atop the shoulder of his colossal divine form, he shifted to wield the Abyssal Demon Sword with his Immortal Divine Soul.

Whoosh!

Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul charged directly toward the bat, radiating a seven-colored brilliance like a crystalline masterpiece.

The bat and the pair of three-headed, six-armed Outer Gods approached from different directions. Wanting to minimize complications and resolve the confrontation as quickly as possible, Pang Jian decided to eliminate them one at a time.

An hour later, Pang Jian's majestic Immortal Divine Soul stood ahead of the Dark Bat, his black-gold Abyssal Demon Sword in hand.

His colossal Immortal Divine Soul exuded an eternal presence, like an enduring monument that had stood in the enigmatic bizarre mist for millennia.

The Dark Bat, spanning nine thousand zhang in length and entirely jet black, nearly collided head-on with Pang Jian, just barely coming to a desperate, abrupt halt.

It could not discern Pang Jian's background or origins, but the overwhelming aura emanating from him made it clear that this was no ordinary opponent. Realizing the danger, the bat decided to stall and assess the situation.

"Stranger!" it cried, deciding to quickly play its trump card. "The Lord Sovereign residing in the Abyss once rode my puppet vessel through Spirit Offering! In a way, I am considered one of their followers!

"I have not seen their true body or worshiped them directly, but I'm confident they'll accept me."

The Dark Bat did not hesitate to mention Luo Hongyan. Her name alone was usually enough to cause hesitation in any opponent.

After all, she was one of the four Sovereigns. A towering existence in the Hall of Gods that divine beings revered and feared in equal measure.

"I recognize you, but you don't recognize me." Pang Jian chuckled dryly.

He had not expected the Outer Gods to feel the need to investigate each other's origins and compare backgrounds before starting a fight.

"Good, since you recognize me, perhaps we can talk this over—"

A blinding sword light cut the Dark Bat off.

"I'm a True God of the human race. What is there to discuss?"

The Heart of Winter appeared, radiating dense icy mist made out of freezing cold energy that surged toward the Dark Bat alongside the descending sword light.

"Didn't you Outer Gods establish your foothold above the bizarre mist of the Abyss to exterminate the human race? To slaughter True Gods like me? Since that's the case, this can only end in one way—a fight to the death."

Beams of sword light cascaded toward the Dark Bat like rushing rivers, intent on obliterating the low-ranking Outer God in the blink of an eye.