Chapter 578: A Single Stone Stirs a Thousand Waves

When the mighty Thunder Dragon Long Xiao departed, the nine hidden lightning vortexes emerged from various areas surrounding the Resolute Expanse.

The ancient Thunder Dragon had inscribed the nine lightning vortexes with his comprehended Dao of Lightning. They were direct manifestations of his divine path and carried world-annihilating lightning within them.

These nine vortexes drifted toward the Sacred Soul Continent, ravenously devouring the lightning within the Abyss and generating endless dark clouds along the way.

I hope this won't disappoint me,

the Thunder Dragon thought as he shot toward the Sacred Soul Continent.

Injecting his divine power into the miniature Thunderclap Paradise, he sensed an aura he had never perceived before.

His thick, lightning-like eyebrows arched as he burst into laughter.

This trip was well worth it! Well worth it indeed!

The Thunder Dragon had studied every lightning-attribute Blessed Land within the Abyss throughout his tens of thousands of years of living.

In other words, he already fully grasped the Dao of Lightning in the Abyss.

If he wished to advance further, the only way was to break through the barrier of the Abyss and seek new insights into the Dao of Lightning in other worlds.

However, despite having the power to leave, the Thunder Dragon had chosen to stay in the Abyss.

He had the greatest understanding of the Dao of Lightning in the Abyss. Thus, the path to godhood through the Dao of Lightning remained firmly under his dominion, with no one capable of wresting it from his grasp.

Long Xiao had risked offending the Sword Pavilion and the Pure Land Sect at the Resolute Expanse because he had sensed that the Dao of Lightning within the Thunderclap Paradise there came from beyond the Abyss.

New insights into the Dao of Lightning could empower him greatly, and he was naturally willing to take some risks to obtain it.

The Celestial Phoenix chose the little girl as her heir. Though she has a human body, she can still be considered half a member of the Fey Race because of this inheritance.

The black turtle also nurtured this Blessed Land. In other words, both that fragmented land and the Blessed Land rightfully belong to my Fey Race.

I'm the leader of the Fey Race. It's only natural for me to reclaim what belongs to the Fey Race.

The ancient Thunder Dragon felt no guilt whatsoever.

***

Back at the Resolute Expanse, only a few stray items were left suspended in a bloody mist after the ancient Thunder Dragon blasted apart Elder Mu Aichuan of the Sword Pavilion with a single punch.

Wang Ce suppressed his grief as he flew over to gingerly collect Mu Aichuan's sword, spatial ring, and sword token. "Back when the True Gods sought to suppress the Fey Race, our Sword Pavilion spoke out on their behalf.

"During the division of the continents, our Sword Gods insisted on fairness for the Fey Race.

"The Sword Pavilion has always upheld fairness and justice in its dealings with the Fey Race. We have never taken advantage of their weakness.

"This is why the Great Feys and Fey Kings on the Fey Race's Sacred Soul Continent give our disciples special treatment and do not hunt them down.

"After the fall of the Celestial Phoenix and the disappearance of the black turtle, the Fey Race came under the rule of that ancient Thunder Dragon from the Dragon Lair Sect.

"Not long ago, the dragons of the Dragon Lair Sect targeted one of our Sword Pavilion disciples, Pang Jian, while he was on the Sacred Soul Continent. They even pursued him into the bizarre mist.

"Now, the Thunder Dragon has seized one of our Blessed Lands!

"He even killed Elder Mu!" Wang Ce spat, eyes red with fury.

His impassioned words were spoken both aloud and through the sword token.

"From this day forth, every dragon of the Dragon Lair Sect is an enemy of the Sword Pavilion!"

Wang Ce's grief-stricken roar shook the sky.

"My junior sister, Pang Lin, is inside the Thunderclap Paradise!" Wu Sujin's body trembled with rage. "She's my master's personal disciple! That old dragon will pay for what he's done today!"

"Grandpa Mu was my guide back when I went to the Sword Pavilion to choose my sword," Li Yuqing said, expression icy cold as she gripped her sword tightly. "The Heaven-Splitting Sword in my hands belongs to the Sword Pavilion. I will risk my life to avenge Grandpa Mu."

The black turtle gazed at the young human prodigies before him. Long Xiao's reckless actions today would only deepen the rift between the Fey Race and the human race.

Long Xiao likely did not know Pang Jian was this era's new World God, nor was he aware that the girl in the Thunderclap Paradise was Pang Jian's biological sister.

"The Thunder Dragon is the Thunder Dragon. He represents the Dragon Lair Sect, not the entirety of the Fey Race!" the Ice Armor Eel Dragon growled. "Pang Jian has shown me kindness. I am not under the Dragon Lair Sect's command.

"Even so, I have yet to become a Fey God and am still not strong enough to challenge that ancient Thunder Dragon."

Whoosh!

The towering Gray Ape transformed into his human form.

Bowing slightly toward the black turtle, Yuan Qi said, "I'll make a trip back to Northern Qi and speak with the Fey God there. Hopefully, he can intervene and stop the ancient Thunder Dragon from leading our Fey Race further astray."

"I will inform Pang Jian of what happened so he doesn't direct his wrath at the entire Fey Race. This matter is solely the doing of that reckless Thunder Dragon. At most, it will only implicate the Dragon Lair Sect," the black turtle said with a slight nod.

With that, Yuan Qi descended toward the lower worlds.

***

Back at the Stargazing Platform, Pang Jian recounted everything he could about his departure from the Abyss in his Immortal Divine Soul, from his encounter with the Fey God Pan Di and his accidental discovery of the Shadow Abyss and the Star Devourer to his battles against low-ranking Outer Gods.

The gathered True Gods remained silent throughout his account.

When he finally finished, Li Wang sighed. "So, even if we collectively shatter the barrier, it seems it would be unwise to engage in open conflict with the Outer Gods stationed in the starry skies above."

Gui Mu knitted her brows.

You Kui of the Ghost Race was a mid-ranking Outer God she had encountered multiple times in the Abyss. She had obliterated his soul form and puppet bodies on more than one occasion, leading him to seem insignificant in her eyes.

She had even destroyed Zi Mo's half-divine body in the Sunken Crypt.

These experiences led her to believe that the Outer Gods of the starry skies were nothing to fear.

However, Pang Jian's firsthand experience against the true bodies of low-ranking and mid-ranking Outer Gods made her realize that she had vastly underestimated them. The Outer Gods were far stronger than she had previously imagined.

Pang Jian's victory over Li Chu proved that he possessed strength surpassing most low-ranking Outer Gods. Despite this, he still suffered grievous wounds when facing the mid-ranking Outer God, Yang Luo.

Even a mid-ranking Outer God like You Kui or Yang Luo could effortlessly deal with Pang Jian. One could only imagine how terrifying the high-ranking Outer Gods like Zi Mo and He Motian were in comparison. Not to mention the Sovereigns.

"So, Fortune belongs exclusively to abysses, and it's something the Outer Gods covet." Li Yuanli narrowed his eyes. "To be born in the Abyss and trapped within until one is capable of breaking through the barrier appears to be both a blessing and a curse."

"The vast starry skies have to be truly magnificent!" Wanderer Tian Du murmured longingly.

Pei Yishan muttered to himself, "That Aberrant Spirit, the Star Devourer, its entire body is a treasure trove, capable of forging divine artifacts..."

Each of the True Gods harbored their own ambitions. They carefully processed the new information from Pang Jian while considering what further questions to ask.

At that moment, Pang Jian received a message from the black turtle,

The ancient Thunder Dragon has taken the Thunderclap Paradise from the Resolute Expanse, with Pang Lin still inside it. Mu Aichuan of the Sword Pavilion was also slain on the spot.

It was as if a thunderclap exploded in Pang Jian's mind.

His projection on the stone pillar at the Stargazing Platform flickered.

Above the Stargazing Platform, his towering Immortal Divine Soul erupted with a terrifying brilliance that swept across the heavens and earth.

Dazzling waves of multicolored light pulsed from his Immortal Divine Soul and rapidly enveloped the entire Southern Gorge.

The sun hung high in the sky above the Abyss, but even the radiance of the celestial body paled in comparison to Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul.

"Thunder Dragon!"

A deafening roar erupted above the Southern Gorge, sending shockwaves rumbling across the continent.

Powerful figures of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect and the Nine Tribes Sect were all alarmed.

The True Gods projected at the Stargazing Platform were snapped out of their ponderings.

Li Yuanli soon learned of what had transpired through Li Yuqing. Li Wang similarly found out about the situation through the Sword Pavilion, Su Wanrou through Wu Sujin, and the other True Gods through their respective channels.

It did not take long before all the True Gods knew what had happened at the Resolute Expanse.

"That ancient Thunder Dragon is truly lawless!" Pei Yishan bellowed.

"My true body will soon arrive at the Sacred Soul Continent!" Su Wanrou's voice was chillingly cold. Glancing upward, she watched as Pang Jian vanished into the distance in a streak of multicolored light. "Li Wang, inform the Dragon Lair Sect that if anything happens to my disciple, I will not hesitate to unleash a Poison Scourge upon the Sacred Soul Continent."

"Poison Scourge!" Many of the True Gods paled with shock.

Su Wanrou was also known as the Sage of Medicine and Poison. In her youth, she upheld the benevolence of a healer, traveling across the Abyss to save lives, hoping to ascend as a True God through the Dao of Medicine.

In spite of her efforts, she ended up ascending as a True God through the very thing she had spent a lifetime resisting and neutralizing—poison.

Poison was the true foundation of her Heavenly Dao.

Su Wanrou rarely wielded her Dao of Poison even after becoming a True God, and the Poison Scourge was not something she had ever unleashed, even against the mightiest foreign race warriors of the Fifth World.

The Poison Scourge was a catastrophe that destroyed the balance of heaven and earth. She would not unleash it unless she had truly reached the limits of her tolerance to the point of unbridled fury.

The ancient Thunder Dragon's seizing of the Thunderclap Paradise, with Pang Lin within, had clearly crossed her bottom line.

If Su Wanrou unleashed the Poison Scourge upon the Sacred Soul Continent, every Fey Race on that continent would be caught in the catastrophe.

All the living beings on that continent could face total annihilation.

"I will negotiate with the Thunder Dragon!" Li Wang announced solemnly. "Everyone, calm down. Let me first assess whether there's still a way to salvage this situation."

After calming the other True Gods, he peered up to call Pang Jian down for a discussion.

But Pang Jian was already gone.

***

Whoosh!

Li Zhaotian, Guang He, and Xu Yu arrived at the Resolute Expanse through the teleportation array.

The gathered disciples of the Sword Pavilion greeted them with deep bows.

Li Zhaotian gave a slight nod before stepping onto his sword and flying toward the Sacred Soul Continent in a streak of light.

He had only gone to the Resolute Expanse because it was the closest teleportation array to the Sacred Soul Continent.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"The Pavilion Master has yet to ascend as a True God, but he insisted on heading to the Sacred Soul Continent." Xu Yu sighed heavily." He'll have to face two Fey Gods and many Rank Nine dragons and Fey Kings there, but I couldn't dissuade him."

The Sword Pavilion had risen to new heights once again with the birth of a new Sword God. Despite this, the Thunder Dragon had boldly slain Mu Aichuan and seized the Thunderclap Paradise.

Such an outrage demanded a response.

As the leader of the Sword Pavilion, Li Zhaotian bore an unshirkable duty to head to the Sacred Soul Continent, regardless of what awaited him there.

If he did not, the world would inevitably mock the Sword Pavilion. The dominance of the human race would also be trampled beneath the Dragon Lair Sect.