Chapter 561: Spiritual Anchor

The image of a majestic Outer God capturing a limb of the Star Devourer had lingered in the minds of the Shadow Abyss inhabitants for a long time after.

They had often fantasized about that powerful Outer God launching another assault against the Star Devourer.

As the inhabitants of the Shadow Abyss could never hope to defeat the Star Devourer with their own strength, even across lifetimes, their only recourse was to place their faint hope in the hands of an Outer God.

The unprecedented slaughter that the Star Devourer had unleashed only made them more desperate for the return of that Outer God. They were willing to pay any price as long as the Star Devourer was killed.

"Kill it!"

"Please, you have to kill it!"

"Outer God, we beg you! We're willing to believe in you, to build temples in your name, and to worship you for generations!"

"Just please, kill the Star Devourer!"

Prayers and wails reverberated through the sky like the deafening crash of ten thousand rolling thunderclaps.

Echoes of pleas could be heard all across the six continents, the fragmented lands, and from flying vessels drifting in the shadows.

The few remaining strong beings of the Shadow Abyss were all fixed on the prismatic figure in the sky. This battle carried the grand hopes of all the inhabitants of the Shadow Abyss.

Strands of extraordinary energy, invisible to the naked eye and imperceptible even to divine sense, rose from every corner of the Shadow Abyss.

Their hopes, prayers, and desperate pleas converged on the radiant figure. Each strand of this mysterious energy had a singular purpose, streaming toward Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul.

This energy, beyond Pang Jian's comprehension, was known as Faith. It was ethereal and elusive. It also left no trace and ignored the constraints of space and distance.

It surged wildly into Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul.

Pang Jian's heart trembled as he tightened his grip on his sword. He could distinctly feel his soul's foundation being enriched as though bathed in miraculous divine dew.

The reverence, trust, and recognition of the inhabitants had given rise to an extraordinary power.

Individually, this energy was infinitesimally small, as insignificant as a single drop in a vast ocean. However, when billions of such energies converged, they became a force that could not be ignored.

Moreover, Faith could tangibly elevate Pang Jian's divine soul, acting like a rare nutrient for the Gods. It was a vital source of strength for his continued advancement.

Faith is a mental and spiritual force that grows powerful through accumulation.

A comforting ease spread through his soul as the energy poured into him.

At that moment, Pang Jian had an epiphany.

If he could slay the Star Devourer and fulfill their desperate prayers, he would gain an extraordinary amount of Faith, cleansing and tempering his Immortal Divine Soul in the process.

***

On the shuttle-shaped ship, Han Yi stood barefoot on the Frigid Nether Mountain, with icy divine power flowing around her.

"Ying Yue, do you feel it?" she asked, crystalline eyes gleaming with excitement. "This is Faith! The inhabitants of this world have placed their hopes on him. Faith has naturally formed and is flowing into his body.

"I told you, this radiant form is his true divine body! Ying Yue, are you ready?"

The Frigid Nether Mountain started to ascend toward the sky of the Shadow Abyss in a swirl of freezing mist. The Frost Crystal God was clearly prepared to join the battle.

Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul had briefly shaken Moon God Ying Yue.

The radiant stars, the sun, and two moons hung in harmonious suspension. The six vast demonic realms were also magnificent and imposing, but the true battle had yet to begin.

Han Yi could not hold back her impatience as she eagerly commanded the Frigid Nether Mountain toward the battlefield.

Ying Yue surmised that the high-ranking God pressuring Han Yi had to have pressured her immensely for her to feel so compelled to take this gamble.

"Fine, I'll join her in this madness. At worst, I'll lose one artifact."

Ying Yue flung out her crescent-shaped divine artifact and stepped onto it like a swaying moonlit swing as she, too, advanced toward the star.

She was caught off guard at the Faith flowing steadily into Pang Jian.

The inhabitants of this world were truly desperate to entrust their hopes to a True God of the human race.

Unaware of the reputation of the True Gods in the starry skies, the inhabitants of the Shadow Abyss naturally had no understanding of what placing their Faith in a True God could mean for their world.

Still, in comparison to the Star Devourer's merciless slaughter, worshiping a True God of the human race was likely much more bearable.

If you truly have the strength to kill the Star Devourer and end its reign in the Shadow Abyss, then you will have earned the Faith of its inhabitants. Let the calamity of this world come to an end today.

Ying Yue turned to glance at the Shadow Spirit Race woman kneeling on the ship's deck, her face filled with sorrow as she gazed mournfully at the sky.

Long ago, before she became the Moon God, Ying Yue had also been the Holy Maiden of her people. She had poured her heart and soul into praying for the favor of the Gods, but none ever answered her.

The World she once called home was a small and remote domain that lay far beyond the gaze of the Gods. Those exalted Gods ignored its existence, offering neither their attention nor the divine techniques needed to carve a path to godhood.

In the end, Ying Yue had carved out her own path to godhood through her relentless struggle and sheer determination, leading her people out of their small, insignificant world.

Although not born into a powerful race and lacking deep ancestral foundations, she stubbornly pushed herself to the limits, ascending through sheer effort alone. Nevertheless, despite all her trials, she had stagnated as a mid-ranking God.

Further advancement within another hundred or even a thousand years would remain an unattainable dream without earth-shattering fortune or miraculous opportunities.

Her inability to ascend further in her rank meant that those worshiping her and those she had once led to salvation were also doomed to stagnate.

There can be no rebirth without destruction, no reward without risk. I came to this desolate world seeking an opportunity, searching for a new hope.

Even a newly ascended True God like him dares to fearlessly confront the Star Devourer, so why am I hesitating?

He's brought both his physical body and divine form. He's staking everything he has on this. If he falls, he will perish here in the Shadow Abyss, with no chance of rebirth.

At most, I'll lose a portion of my divine consciousness and a divine artifact.

I—

To think that I lost that bold, unyielding drive to forge ahead after becoming a God!

I've grown timid and overly cautious in my actions, and in doing so, I've shackled my own rank! I've been imprisoned in a cage of my own making!

Ying Yue experienced a moment of profound clarity as she flew toward the grayish-yellow star. After unraveling her inner doubts, she no longer hesitated in the face of the Star Devourer's overwhelming might.

***

Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul stood imposingly upon the cracked surface of the star in the Shadow Abyss.

"I'm here to visit again. Won't you show yourself?" he asked, lowering his gaze toward a fissure that led into the center of the star.

He could sense the Star Devourer's web-like body gradually constricting and embedding itself deeper within the star. It seemed intent on using its uniquely shaped body to shatter the star into fragments and destroy all the hidden powers within.

"I have no quarrel with you. You've already devoured one of my limbs. Why do you persist in pursuing me?" The Star Devourer's voice resonated through every crack on the star's surface.

Surprisingly, it spoke the language of the humans in the Abyss, having mastered it after overhearing Pang Jian's speech just a few times.

Whoosh!

A vine-like segment of its body shot out from the ground. Radiant, otherworldly light coalesced at the tip of the limb to form an illusory face that bore the unremarkable appearance of a nondescript Shadow Spirit Race.

It was clear the Star Devourer had carelessly constructed this soul projection merely for the convenience of communicating with Pang Jian.

"The inhabitants of this world have no enmity with you, yet you slaughter them indiscriminately," Pang Jian challenged.

"Beings like you and me stand at the pinnacle of existence. Why do we need to concern ourselves with the lives of ants?" the Star Devourer sneered, adopting the demeanor of a typical Shadow Spirit Race. "And how do you know I have no grudges against them?

"Do you have any idea what I went through when I first awakened in the Shadow Abyss? I was hunted when I was weak and lacked power.

"They hunted me for countless years, forcing me to flee and hide. I was gravely injured so many times that I nearly died on several occasions.

"Their ancestors stopped at nothing to refine me into a treasure. I fought desperately to survive and grow stronger. Now, I've finally become the most powerful being in this world.

"Why shouldn't I vent my anger after everything they've done to me? So what if I wipe out the life of this world? What's wrong with that?

"You want to lecture me about morality? The memories imprinted on my soul tell me that the Outer Gods hunt and slaughter Aberrant Spirits like me.

"Even in the abysses shrouded in the bizarre mist, beings like you unearth us and forge us into artifacts. We, too, are sentient lifeforms, just without flesh and blood.

"Our forms differ from yours, but does that mean we have no right to exist?" the Star Devourer asked indignantly.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Star Devourer's limbs, as massive and sinuous as serpents, shot from the fissures in the ground and coiled around the Frigid Nether Mountain beneath Han Yi's feet.

Boom!

Its limbs violently flung the crystalline ice mountain into the star's surface, leaving behind a massive crater.

"I've warned you two not to provoke me, yet you refuse to listen!" the Star Devourer snarled coldly.