Chapter 575: Proudly Taking His Seat on the Stargazing Platform

It was already surprising that Pang Jian had defeated Li Chu not long after ascending to godhood.

Many True Gods privately believed that Pang Jian's victory relied on the sharpness of his divine sword. In contrast, Li Chu had ascended through the Dao of Verdure and lacked a similarly formidable divine artifact.

Even so, Li Wang acknowledged Pang Jian's status as a True God. He readjusted the arrays on the Stargazing Platform, reallocating Fan Ao's stone pillar to Pang Jian. This signified his recognition of Pang Jian as an equal among the True Gods.

However, the information Pang Jian revealed further upended Li Wang's understanding of him. A mere Outer God Puppet could not have injured Pang Jian this severely, and if not a puppet vessel, then it had to have been an Outer God with their true body.

Pang Jian had survived a clash against the true body of a mid-ranking Outer God!

The mere fact that he had emerged alive forced Li Wang to view him with newfound respect.

"Come with me to the Stargazing Platform. A place has already been reserved for you there," Li Wang said before streaking toward the Stargazing Platform like a shooting star against the night sky.

Pang Jian followed atop his sword.

There was a time when the First World of the Abyss had seemed like an unattainable dream to him. He had often imagined visiting the Sacred Lands of the First World to search for his sister, Pang Lin, once he was strong enough.

He had also hoped that his master, Li Zhaotian, would ascend as a Sword God and restore the Sword Pavilion to its rightful place in the First World.

Now, Li Wang, the nominal leader of the True Gods, had descended personally to take him to the Stargazing Platform in the Southern Gorge. It was a place that symbolized the authority of the True Gods.

Reflecting on his past struggles and brushes with death, Pang Jian suddenly found meaning in them all in this moment.

Before long, a large continent brimming with vitality stretched out before his eyes. Its landscapes flourished, its cities were prosperous, and its sects thrived in splendor.

This was the Southern Gorge!

Pang Jian deliberately restrained his aura as he soared over the continent in his towering Immortal Divine Soul. Even so, he noticed that someone was observing him in secret.

Massive, rusted chains were coiled tightly around a barren rocky mountain in the distance.

Each chain echoed with chilling wails of ghosts, as if binding countless spirits. The mountain itself appeared to suppress an eerie ghostly domain.

At the summit stood a small temple that radiated supreme authority. Though modest in size, it exuded an overwhelming grandeur and might.

Pang Jian instantly knew that one of the top three True Gods resided there. The True God was seated in silence within the temple, deeply immersed in comprehending the Dao of Karma.

Gui Mu of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect.

Li Wang noticed Pang Jian's interest.

"You can stop staring. You'll meet her later at the Stargazing Platform."

The shooting star that was Li Wang descended onto a tall mountain within the Nine Tribes Sect's territory and entered a grand, roofless structure.

As Pang Jian reached the area, he glanced downward and saw nine distinct regions with rivers separating them.

The tribes in these separated regions had their own architectural styles, clothing, and cultivation techniques. The Nine Tribes Sect was composed of nine tribes, with Li Wang universally recognized as their ruler.

"Your divine body is damaged and unable to shrink at will. For now, just leave it in the skies. You can imprint a strand of your divine sense into the stone pillar below, and you'll maintain a permanent connection to it." Pointing to a stone pillar on the Stargazing Platform, he added, "This pillar once belonged to Fan Ao, and now, it's yours."

Pang Jian fell into a brief silence, then said, "Mu Wentao of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect played a significant role in Fan Ao's death. Back in the Imperial Dominion, I would've likely also have fallen victim to Mu Wentao if not for Wanderer Tian Du's protection.

"So, why is he still alive and well?"

If Fan Ao had not distracted Mu Wentao in the bizarre mist, there was no way Pang Jian could have killed the Rank Nine Five-Clawed Gold Dragon.

Fan Ao died because he publicly declared to the world that he had killed Long Zhan after leaving the bizarre mist, enraging the ancient Thunder Dragon beyond measure.

In the Imperial Dominion, Mu Wentao had colluded with the high-ranking God of the Ghost Race from the outer worlds, yet he remained completely unscathed.

Pang Jian found it hard to accept this.

"Let's discuss it later. For now, imprint a strand of your divine sense into the pillar," Li Wang said with a sigh.

Although Li Wang knew that Mu Wentao was hiding on the Sacred Soul Continent, the situation with the Fey Race presented significant challenges.

The Sacred Soul Continent had two Fey Gods, with another Fey God residing in Northern Qi.

Dealing with these three Fey Gods in the Abyss was a difficult task, even without considering the threat of the foreign races in the Fifth World.

"Alright."

A radiant stream of multicolored light shot from the palm of Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul to the stone pillar.

When his divine sense entered the pillar, its surface shimmered with carvings of the sun, moon, and stars. It bore a striking resemblance to the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars.

Pang Jian then sensed something profound. Sixteen cloud clusters resided in the skies of the Abyss!

Each cloud cluster was a divine seat, but none had any Fortune. Their accumulated Fortune had already been fused into the divine souls of sixteen human cultivators.

When Pang Jian imprinted his divine sense onto the pillar, he could actually perceive the divine seats.

At that moment, he realized the divine seats were not some abstract concept, but actual, tangible things.

Only True Gods like him would uncover this truth after imprinting their divine sense onto the stone pillars at the Stargazing Platform.

"Everyone, Pang Jian is here," Li Wang's deep voice echoed across the Stargazing Platform, transmitted to the True Gods of the Abyss through the unique stone pillars.

The True Gods all started to project themselves onto their respective pillars.

Jiang Fan, Liu Fu, Dong Shangqing, Li Yuanli, Su Wanrou, Gui Mu, and Lin Qiyang appeared one after another.

The previously defeated Li Chu appeared as well, looking dejected.

In the past era of peace, Li Wang would never have allowed Li Chu to set foot here.

"Pang Jian has returned from the starry skies once again," Li Wang announced. "On his way back, he encountered a mid-ranking Outer God. Though gravely injured, he managed to escape.

"For now, let's set aside Pang Jian's status as a World God and refrain from questioning how he moves in and out of the Abyss.

"All we need to know is the approximate strength of the Outer Gods stationed beyond the Abyss."

Li Wang glanced up at the sky above the Stargazing Platform.

"We will eventually have to leave this world. Understanding their power in advance will help us prepare."

The gathered True Gods silently processed Li Wang's words.

Their heavy gazes fell on Pang Jian's stone pillar, watching as his projection slowly came into focus.

They were in no rush.

The first time a newly ascended True God imprinted their divine sense on a pillar, they were invariably drawn to the cloud clusters within the barrier symbolizing divine seats.

True Gods had endless lifespans and would never die unless they deliberately courted death.

Even in such trying times, they remained unhurried, patiently waiting for Pang Jian to take the initiative and reveal the information himself.

"I couldn't sense any Fortune," Pang Jian's projection within the pillar eventually said, gazing at Li Wang, the only one present with his physical body. "How can I restore this divine body of mine to its original state without Fortune?"

He had gone to great lengths to return to the Abyss because his Immortal Divine Soul was injured. It was a wound that could not be healed in any other world. The sixteen cloud clusters, while awe-inspiring, could not solve his immediate problem.

"There are a few ways for Fortune to appear," Li Wang said. "If a new divine seat could be created, Fortune would naturally gather to it, but given the circumstances, this is clearly impossible.

"The next option is for one of us to break through the barrier and leave the Abyss, but the many Outer Gods stationed in the starry skies above mean this is not a viable solution either."

Li Wang paused, casting a glance at Gui Mu's stone pillar.

"The final option is for a True God to die. When their divine soul dissipates into the heavens and earth, their Fortune will return to the divine seats. You could then use the returning Fortune to repair your damaged divine body."

Li Wang's words could only be in reference to Mu Wentao.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Only two of the sixteen True Gods were not aligned with the human race. One was Mu Wentao. The other had ascended to godhood through the Dao of Death in the Imperial Dominion.

Li Wang refrained from mentioning the latter, as did the other True Gods.

They had yet to figure out how the Sovereign in the Fifth World had managed to secretly cultivate a human woman in the Dao of Death and elevate her to godhood right under their noses.

Moreover, they also could not understand how she had even refined this Dao of Death into the foundation for becoming a God of Death.

"Will I be able to restore my divine body if Mu Wentao dies?" Pang Jian asked.

The gathered True Gods' gazes subtly shifted toward Gui Mu's stone pillar.

It was widely known that Mu Wentao was Gui Mu's junior brother, and even his divine seat had been secured through her efforts.

The Ghost Sacrifice Sect had been the first to sever ties with Mu Wentao after his betrayal, publicly denouncing him as a sinner and calling for his execution by all. However, Gui Mu herself had never explicitly expressed her stance.

Through various channels, the True Gods knew that Mu Wentao was hiding on the Sacred Soul Continent and occasionally meeting with the ancient Thunder Dragon in the Dragon Lair Sect.

They had openly discussed Mu Wentao before, but the pressure from the Dragon Lair Sect and the Fey Race meant they had failed to reach a consensus.

Gui Mu had remained silent during these discussions, a trend she seemed intent on continuing even now.