Chapter 606: The Almighty Sovereign

Luo Hongyan hovered quietly, her plain black dress flowing around her.

Even exquisite ornaments crafted by the finest artisans of the mortal world seemed unworthy of adorning her flawless visage.

Her beauty was natural, ethereal, and transcendent, embodying her status as a Sovereign.

A vast aura shrouded the area as her shifting figure stabilized.

Her majestic presence swept across the entirety of the Second World.

Though far from fully perfected, her divine domain also extended over all in an instant.

Her awe-inspiring presence felt like an insurmountable mountain to Su Wanrou, the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Mountains, and the Rock Bear.

Luo Hongyan was a resident of the starry skies with an existence that towered over the Hall of Gods.

For her to send her divine consciousness into the Abyss was akin to lowering her stature.

For the foreign races and Rank Ten powerhouses loyal to her, having her grace them with her presence was nothing short of an insult to her existence.

If this were the starry skies, beings like Ah Man, a Rank Ten powerhouse, or the Rock Bear, a newly ascended Fey God, would not be qualified to stand before her.

"Lord Sovereign." Ah Man lowered his towering figure until his massive head was level with her feet. "A certain Demon God exploited my hatred for that ancient Thunder Dragon, and so I..."

The leader of the one-eyed giants rushed to explain his failure to uphold her decree.

"Lord Sovereign," the newly ascended Fey God Rock Bear greeted, maneuvering the fractured landmasses beneath him as he, too, lowered himself.

Before long, not a single one hovered higher than Luo Hongyan.

The Fey God had only heard vague rumors about Luo Hongyan before and had never encountered her in person. Even so, her aura alone was enough for him to yield without hesitation.

In lowering his stance to match Ah Man's, the Rock Bear showed absolute recognition and submission to Luo Hongyan.

"Before seeing you, I had my doubts about the ancient Thunder Dragon's decision, but now that I have, there are no doubts in my mind," the Rock Bear said reverently, bowing his head as he dared not meet Luo Hongyan's gaze.

On Ah Man's broad shoulder, Yu Xin knelt on one knee, head bowed in obeisance.

A bitter smile curled the corners of Su Wanrou's lips.

This great figure had appeared, disguised as Li Wang to inquire about Li Zhaotian's whereabouts, proving that she knew Li Zhaotian was key to this battle.

What happened to Li Wang and Zhu Ji? Does her presence here mean that Li Zhaotian is indeed nearby?

How am I supposed to respond when faced with a Sovereign?

The Sect Master of the Pure Land Sect felt a sense of powerlessness.

Su Wanrou had kept her composure even when Long Xiao halted her Poison Scourge and obliterated her Dharma Idol with tens of thousands of lightning bolts.

Despite this, she found she could not maintain her calm around Luo Hongyan.

"How did you know it was me?" Luo Hongyan asked again, expression shifting to absolute detachment.

It was as if she no longer cared for anything in existence. Countless stars could explode and all the races in the universe could be annihilated, but it would not stir the slightest ripple in her heart.

Nothing could shake her resolve.

Such indifference was the true indicator of a supreme being.

They existed eternally, standing atop the starry skies as they watched the evolution of all things. The endless cycles of birth and death were mere facts of existence.

"The aura of the seven Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars is on you. Li Wang has it as well, but it's not as dense as yours," Pang Jian replied.

Luo Hongyan fell silent. Then, after a moment of consideration, she said, "Let me show you something."

The space behind her rippled, and the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar on the Fifth Continent appeared, with Eight Trigrams City atop it.

At the heart of Eight Trigrams City stood the City Lord's Mansion. The waters of the pool within the mansion surged into motion.

A primordial power, reaching back through the depths of time, locked onto Eight Trigrams City and descended upon the pool.

"Rise," she softly commanded.

Instantly, something could be seen within the pool.

It was the Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chest!

The black turtle had long guarded the copper chest buried in the Resolute Expanse.

Both the black turtle and the Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chest were reflected on the water's surface.

"Everything in this world is connected. The chest once served as the array core of Eight Trigrams City and remained at the bottom of this pool for years," Luo Hongyan said matter-of-factly. "Naturally, I can use the pool to find it again.

"The Primordial Demon is inside the chest. He Motian and the Primordial Demon have devised a formidable plan to seize Li Zhaotian's body.

"The Heavenly Dao that Li Zhaotian pursues is, in fact, the very barrier of the Abyss. I have only just realized this.

"Had Li Zhaotian not voluntarily relinquished the divine seat last time to avoid being possessed, the barrier would now be in the Primordial Demon's hands.

"Had that happened, the Primordial Demon would have grasped all the secrets of the barrier through Li Zhaotian. At that point, the barrier would cease to exist, and the human race of the Abyss would have been wiped out."

She paused briefly before turning to Pang Jian.

"I can release the Primordial Demon. It's already tried to possess Li Zhaotian once. It remembers his aura. If I release the Primordial Demon, it'll find him, no matter where he's hiding.

"Do you want me to act now? Shall I retrieve the chest and let the Primordial Demon track him down?" Luo Hongyan asked calmly, as if discussing an inevitable outcome.

Pang Jian's face darkened.

His efforts, his master's painstaking concealment of the true Heavenly Dao he pursued, and the other True Gods' resistance had all been meaningless.

The Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chest was entombed within the Resolute Expanse, sealing the Primordial Demon in endless darkness.

If the Primordial Demon were released, there was an overwhelming chance it would locate his master while he was fusing with the divine seat.

Allowing it to gain control over the barrier meant the Abyss itself could be thrown wide open, spelling the instant annihilation of the human race.

With the Abyss as its foundation, the Primordial Demon would assimilate its other soul fragments like Abyssal Demons beyond the starry skies, advancing further along the path to becoming a Sovereign.

The Demon Race could then give birth to a Sovereign-tier Demon God.

Pang Jian was aware that the woman before him was no longer the person he once knew.

The person who had toyed with him in the Solitary Mountain Range, fought alongside him in Eight Trigrams City, and hid with him in Misty Swamp no longer existed.

Back at Absolute Heaven, there were still traces of emotion, a lingering sentiment for the past.

Even after returning to the Abyss, she had visited Misty Swamp to reminisce.

However, after forging a divine body through the Dao of Death and merging a puppet vessel into herself in the Imperial Dominion, it seemed she had severed all emotional ties.

Although Pang Ling had warned him about her detachment in advance, Pang Jian still found the firsthand experience of her aloofness difficult to accept.

"You shouldn't have returned after leaving the Abyss," Luo Hongyan said coldly.

When Pang Jian said nothing, she extended her fair, jade-like hand.

A Mirror Tunnel materialized out of thin air.

Her hand slipped into it, gently stirring as she effortlessly reached through layer upon layer of spatial barriers.

The black turtle's reflection in the pool within Eight Trigrams City paled with shock.

In the pool, her hand could be seen grasping the Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chest on the Resolute Expanse and pulling it across space with a single motion.

The copper chest was wrenched from the Resolute Expanse.

The black turtle was powerless to stop it. Or perhaps, he simply dared not try.

"Do you want me to release the Primordial Demon?" Luo Hongyan no longer looked at Pang Jian, instead turning her gaze toward the barrier atop the First World to address Li Zhaotian. "If you willingly abandon the divine seat, I won't open the chest.

"After all, I have no desire to see another new Sovereign rise to stand as my equal.

"I will also permit the continued existence of the human race. However, they will have to adapt to a new environment, confined to the Fifth World, where they will struggle to survive for the next thirty thousand years.

"I promised the races in the Fifth World that they would be allowed to ascend to the upper worlds of the Abyss, and I intend to fulfill it. I will reshape the Abyss, altering its balance and restructuring its order."

Luo Hongyan threatened Li Zhaotian while also offering a sliver of mercy.

The Outer Gods beyond the Abyss had gathered for the sole purpose of exterminating the human race, yet she now claimed that she would allow the human race to survive, so long as they remained in the Fifth World for thirty thousand years.

No one dared to doubt the truth of her words. The weight of her promise was absolute, leaving no room for question or defiance.

It was unclear whether Li Zhaotian had heard her, but his will within the barrier remained unwavering. The divine path of the Pavilion Master did not falter in the face of her words.

She nodded slightly. "Very well."

With a casual flick of her hand, she lifted the lid of the Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chest.

"Come out," she commanded. "Seek out Li Zhaotian and attempt to usurp him once more."

Within the Abyssal Demon Sword, the Abyssal Demon had the ashen appearance of a lamb awaiting slaughter.

I fought so hard to regain my strength in the Abyss, but it's all meaningless,

he muttered with a bitter smile.

When the Primordial Demon emerges, I'll become nothing more than a fragment of power to fuel its rise.

In the end, I couldn't break free from fate's shackles. I will still be reduced to nothing more than a fragment of its soul.

The Abyssal Demon was resigned to his fate, awaiting the Primordial Demon's emergence, believing that the existing order of the Abyss would soon be overturned with Luo Hongyan's approval and assistance.

Except, the devouring he waited for never came. He could not even sense the Primordial Demon!

It—it's not in the chest!

the Abyssal Demon exclaimed in shock.

Luo Hongyan subtly knitted her brows.

There was nothing inside the chest, not even the faintest lingering presence of the Primordial Demon.