Chapter 645: Meeting the Bronze-Masked God

"Han Yi, Pang Jian have killed You Kui!" Ying Yue's voice echoed from the crystal token in Han Yi's hands. "Zi Mo has been alerted. I've just received word that Zi Mo and He Motian have issued a divine decree, summoning all nearby Gods in this region of the starry sky to exterminate Pang Jian!"

"You have to leave immediately!"

The Frost Crystal God's ethereal face shuffled through a series of conflicted emotions, from joy to deep concern.

"Ying Yue, I..." Han Yi hesitated.

"Either head into the bizarre mist or my Lunar Divine Palace! It doesn't matter what Pang Jian faces next or whether he can return to the bizarre mist! None of it is within your power to change!"

The Moon God's tone was severe.

Fearing Han Yi would lose sight of reason and make another reckless decision, Ying Yue changed her approach.

"Han Yi, our close ties are well-known. Many have seen us leaving my Lunar Divine Palace together.

"You have to remember that your actions could implicate me as well. Even if you refuse to consider your safety, at least think about me?"

The Moon God knew all too well that this was the only way she could make Han Yi truly consider her actions.

"I know,"

the Frost Crystal God replied, a hint of resignation in her soft voice. Then, without another word, she left on her divine platform before the approaching Gods could arrive.

Her divine platform plunged toward the bizarre mist below like a falling star.

She chose not to regroup with Ying Yue in her Lunar Divine Palace, believing that Pang Jian would inevitably return into the bizarre mist to head back to the Abyss.

The Gods would struggle to track him in the bizarre mist. This also created an opportunity for her to aid him once again.

***

In the underground cavern, Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul reverted to human form and stood before a narrow spatial rift that was gradually sealing itself shut.

His Immortal Divine Soul was on a distant star above the bizarre mist, while his physical body remained deep within the Abyss itself. Despite this, he had somehow activated the Gate of the Abyss, establishing a direct link between his physical body and Immortal Divine Soul.

It was uncertain whether this was because of his or the bronze pendant's growing strength. Regardless, its abilities had undeniably become even more astonishing than before.

Pang Jian knew that his Immortal Divine Soul could step through the sealing spatial rift and return to the Abyss instantly.

His second soul inside the sea of consciousness of his physical body was in the middle of fusing with Corruption.

If his Immortal Divine Soul returned, it could act as a protector, ensuring the smooth integration of his second soul.

Despite knowing this, he could not help but hesitate.

After all, the Gate of the Abyss had already proven capable of returning him to the Abyss from the starry skies. With this newfound ability, there was no real need for him to rush back.

You Kui was dead, and Zi Mo knew it. The Outer Gods' encirclement was bound to happen soon.

However, not a single Outer God had arrived. Not yet anyway.

There was no need to rush. After all, he had just escaped the Abyss and the bizarre mist. His Immortal Divine Soul was finally free to roam the boundless starry skies as the True Gods of the past once did.

This was a rare opportunity for him to learn more about the starry skies beyond the Abyss.

Thus, he allowed the spatial rift to seal completely, then bent down to retrieve You Kui's fallen blade.

The Abyssal Demon had taken the Abyssal Demon Sword with him, leaving Pang Jian with no choice but to use what was available.

The mid-grade divine artifact, Ghostflare, had a blade the length of half an arm and shaped like a short dagger.

Delving into You Kui's memories, Pang Jian quickly grasped the intricacies of wielding Ghostflare.

Ghostflare lacked any soul, but its hardness and razor-sharp edge made it a formidable weapon. When paired with You Kui's mastery of soul-related divine techniques, the blade could unleash astonishing power.

During their battle, You Kui had only utilized its raw sharpness because of Pang Jian's Thunder Pool and Five Thunder Annihilation, which suppressed many of Ghostflare's latent soul-related abilities.

Thus, Pang Jian was unfamiliar with its abilities.

Soul Restraint, Soul Transfer Art, Soul Extraction, Ghost River...

A cascade of soul-related divine techniques flooded Pang Jian's mind as he carefully studied the inner mysteries of Ghostflare, familiarizing himself with its true potential.

Some time after the lightning in the underground cavern had dissipated, a spatial ripple emerged at the center of the destroyed teleportation array.

A figure with a bronze mask appeared, visibly stunned at the sight of the cavern's devastation.

The nine bowls for transporting the metals had shattered, and the teleportation array had collapsed. Fragments of Star Devourer's charred limbs lay strewn across the ground, reduced to worthless husks.

The Bronze-Masked God had appeared through a hidden array because of the failure to send over metals through the bowls.

In the cavern, he saw a person wreathed in prismatic radiance, standing in contemplation while holding You Kui's divine artifact.

"Bronze-Masked God?" the radiant figure asked, turning toward him with an expression of genuine surprise.

"You know who I am? Could it be that you've extracted all of You Kui's memories?" The Bronze-Masked God narrowed his eyes, his shock deepening as he carefully studied Pang Jian's features. "Which race do you belong to? In my memory, no known race has a body that radiates a multicolored light. What lineage are you from?"

Although the Bronze-Masked God could see Pang Jian, he could not sense his aura through the projection.

In his eyes, Pang Jian appeared alien, with a body devoid of flesh and blood that resembled prismatic jade.

"I'm part of the human race from the Abyss," Pang Jian replied calmly, tone devoid of emotion.

The eyes of the Bronze-Masked God flared with a piercing light, as if cutting through the starry skies to lock onto Pang Jian with an unyielding gaze.

At that moment, Pang Jian swore he heard a resonant sword hum coming from somewhere.

"The human race of the Abyss?!" The Bronze-Masked God's voice turned sharp and incredulous. "I don't believe you! A human body doesn't look like that. I know what a human looks like!"

The Bronze-Masked God suspected that the figure before him was a fabrication, an illusion crafted as bait for the elusive True Gods.

Thus, he dared not reveal his background and identity.

"Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant," Pang Jian replied coldly.

From You Kui's memories, he knew that this mysterious Bronze-Masked God was a renowned artifact refiner in the starry skies. He specialized in forging divine artifacts tailored to divine beings.

However, You Kui had no knowledge of the Bronze-Masked God's origins, race, or real name.

Frankly speaking, Pang Jian had no interest in learning.

He stepped forward, eyes flickering to the second concealed array beneath the projection of the Bronze-Masked God.

"If you truly are human, then tell me. Do you know the state of your race?" the Bronze-Masked God asked cautiously, tentatively probing. "What's your name? And what sect or faction do you belong to?"

"I am Pang Jian of the Sword Pavilion," Pang Jian replied as he contemplated whether to destroy the hidden array.

As enigmatic as the Bronze-Masked God was, he was still an Outer God. He could easily betray his presence on this star to Zi Mo.

If that were to happen, all of Abyssal Demon's efforts to draw the Outer Gods' attention would become meaningless.

"How many peaks does the Sword Pavilion have?" the Bronze-Masked God asked.

"Six. There's the Heaven Departure Peak, the Breakthrough Peak, the Elusive Peak, the Enlightenment Peak, the Fate Severing Peak, and the Sword Honing Peak." Pang Jian's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Deciding to hold off on destroying the hidden array, he countered, "And you? What race do you belong to?"