Chapter 656: Eradicating the Demon

Pang Jian felt like he was the only one left in existence.

Inside his sea of consciousness, it was as if the outside world did not matter at all.

A wave of loneliness and desolation surged into his heart.

His thoughts started to spiral.

As he pondered how to resist the Primordial Demon, the soul essence and murky energy within his sea of consciousness silently disappeared.

Meanwhile, the figure of the androgynous yet strikingly handsome youth grew ever clearer, more tangible.

The Primordial Demon was indiscriminately devouring his every thought!

Regardless of whether these thoughts were benevolent, malicious, fearful, relieved, despairing, or exhilarated, the Primordial Demon would consume them all, amplifying his power with each new one.

The Primordial Demon would draw strength from Pang Jian for as long as he was alive. There was no way to stop it without becoming a lifeless husk with no consciousness or ability to think.

This was a terrifying power.

The Abyssal Demon and the other Demon Gods, like He Motian, thrived on the evil within living beings' hearts, but the Primordial Demon's method seemed to transcend all conventional understanding!

It did not matter if he was in a world of absolute peace and harmony. As long as the Primordial Demon was somewhere with living beings, he could siphon power from the stray thoughts of any passerby.

This method of deriving power was revolutionary for the Demon Races.

As long as his opponent had any kind of thought, the Primordial Demon could decipher their deeper meaning, extract the power he desired, and even distort the opponent's mind. He could even make them contemplate suicide.

The overwhelming might of this progenitor of all demons left Pang Jian shaken.

"I can manifest innumerable demonic realms within your sea of consciousness just using your thoughts and will." The Primordial Demon smirked.

Hundreds of demonic realms unfurled like vast paintings within Pang Jian's sea of consciousness, drifting around his gradually solidifying Divine Persona.

These realms flourished in revelry, were locked in brutal conflict, steeped in apocalyptic silence, or even gave birth to new Demon Races.

It was as if the Primordial Demon was manifesting his experiences of beholding every territory under the Demon Race's dominion across the starry skies.

The Primordial Demon's smirk abruptly dropped, his expression turning cold. "These demonic realms lack a Sovereign. Demon Gods like He Motian, Tian Wei, and Qing Ji remain without a true leader."

Ripples of demonic radiance spread outward from his figure.

Pang Jian's insights into the Dao of Demon morphed into dazzling flowers, eerie lotus platforms, and grotesque beasts, each taking shape as ancient demonic phenomena that had long since vanished into the river of time.

At the same time, ancient demons and mighty Demon Gods let out triumphant cheers in the Primordial Demon's demonic realms.

"The Primordial!

"The genesis of all creation!

"The progenitor of all demons!

"Demons will descend upon ten thousand worlds!"

A thunderous demonic chorus resounded across the demonic realms as the ancient demons and Demon Gods chanted the Primordial Demon's name, praying for him to ascend as a Sovereign.

"Just be grateful that I see you as a crucial step forward," the Primordial Demon said emotionlessly.

His words echoed like the resonance of Heavenly Dao, embodying the will of the heavens, like a manifestation of some immutable law.

As long as demons existed, so too would he.

The Primordial Demon was omnipresent, eternal, and indestructible.

He would continue to exist for as long as there were Demon Races, Demon Gods, and demonic energy.

His existence was bound to the presence of demons.

When Pang Jian felt the Primordial Demon's Dao of Demon, he finally understood the reason behind the Duke of Thunder's obsessive ambition.

The Duke of Thunder had known the truth.

Demons could only truly be exterminated once all demons, Demon Gods, demonic realms, and demonic energy were eradicated.

"I cannot be erased. I was eternal from the moment my will came into being.

"True demons do not rely on the Demon Races, nor do they need Faith to sustain them.

"Even if every member of the Demon Races perished, every demonic realm destroyed, and all demonic energy ceased to exist, that still would not be the end of demons.

"Do you know where demons originate?

"They come from the heart.

"Demons will continue to be born for as long as intelligent beings exist and their hearts harbor wickedness.

"The Duke of Thunder's ambition was laughable. He chose a path doomed to failure.

"I am eternal. Always will be. Until the day there is no life left in the universe!"

The Primordial Demon strode toward Pang Jian's Divine Persona.

Demonic realms dissolved into his all-encompassing might, transforming into an extension of his divine power.

With every step, he loomed ever larger.

Before long, his figure engulfed Pang Jian's entire sea of consciousness, swallowing every demonic realm within it.

Pang Jian's Divine Persona appeared as insignificant as a speck of dust to the Primordial Demon.

The Primordial Demon parted his lips and took a slow, deliberate breath.

Pang Jian's Divine Persona, which resembled a glistening emerald, was drawn into the Primordial Demon.

The Primordial Demon had tainted every corner of Pang Jian's sea of consciousness.

At that moment, Pang Jian's Divine Persona entered a demonic realm of the Primordial Demon's making.

The Primordial Demon was overwhelmingly powerful even before ascending as a Sovereign.

Although his true strength and status were still only at the level of a Demon God, his Dao of Demon and his mysterious origins clearly granted him a terrifying ability capable of driving all beings to despair.

Inside a greenish-black demonic realm, a quiet yet profound transformation took hold of Pang Jian's Divine Persona and the Source of Divinity within.

His emerald-green Divine Persona darkened into a deep greenish-black hue.

As Pang Jian's Source of Divinity stirred, an unsettling thought floated to the forefront of his mind.

Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to become a demon. Especially if it's the progenitor of all demons in existence....

The mere emergence of this thought signified that the process of possession had already started.

The Primordial Demon had only needed to drag Pang Jian deeper into his constructed demonic realms to taint his essence.

It was a matter of time before the Primordial Demon's will erased and replaced Pang Jian's own.

There was no way to stop it without the intervention of an external force, but even that seemed a futile hope.

The Primordial Demon had already subtly tainted Pang Ling, the Bee Sovereign, and the black turtle through their connection, so they could not possibly help Pang Jian.

His Immortal Divine Soul was also somewhere beyond the Abyss.

Moreover, there was no way to summon that distant Immortal Divine Soul back to the Abyss when his five senses were sealed, his will trapped in his sea of consciousness, his Divine Persona swallowed into the Primordial Demon, and his connection to his body severed.

Lightning! I just need lightning!

Every thought I have needs to be intertwined with lightning.

If the Primordial Demon's corrupting influence can seep into my Immortal Divine Soul, then surely the lightning in my Immortal Divine Soul can flow into my physical body as well.

Lightning!

Lightning!

Lightning!

Pang Jian's Divine Persona and the Source of Divinity within were fixated on this one word.

Lightning!

The connections he had shared with the Black Dragon King, the Bee Sovereign, the black turtle, and Pang Ling had been severed. He could no longer sense the Gate of the Abyss, nor could he feel his own body.

Only one connection remained unbroken.

His Immortal Divine Soul was an extension of himself and could never truly be severed from him.

A single silver-white streak of lightning, as thin as a strand of hair, pierced through the demonic realm that Pang Jian was in.

This thin sliver of light speared through the restriction and tore apart the boundless darkness above!

The dark impulses and demonic temptations within Pang Jian's mind surged violently, only for the Primordial Demon to effortlessly devour them. However, woven within every malicious thought were traces of lightning from the silver-white palace in the Thunder Pool!

The Duke of Thunder's Dao and final wishes had taken root in the lightning!

Lightning flooded into the Primordial Demon through Pang Jian's thoughts, illuminating the demonic realm before shooting out into Pang Jian's sea of consciousness as well!

In the bizarre mist, lightning could be seen surging from Pang Jian's seven orifices—his eyes, nostrils, ears, and mouth.

The Primordial Demon's towering figure dissipated like mist under the onslaught of the silver-white lightning.

His demonic realms crumbled, and the beings within them were all reduced to nothingness.

Pang Jian's five senses were unsealed.

He could see the Black Dragon King's worried gaze in a backdrop of boundless darkness. His awareness of his body and dantian also returned.

Lightning surged within Pang Jian's thoughts, igniting his will!

Bolts of lightning spiraled upward from the seven fragmented lands of crystalline murky energy!

Silver-white, golden, azure, crimson, deep blue, pitch-black, and violet lightning erupted from his dantian and surged into his sea of consciousness.

That storm of thunder and lightning obliterated the Primordial Demon.

Even if he was, as he claimed, an eternal existence that could never be erased, he had still channeled a vast amount of power attempting to possess Pang Jian.

The demonic will and energy that he had amassed were only enough to possess either Pang Jian or Wu Yuan.

He had chosen Pang Jian, believing him to be the better vessel, only to suffer a devastating failure.

Pang Jian's seven orifices no longer discharged lightning, nor did his dantian continue drawing power from the fragmented lands.

The Primordial Demon had been purged.

Even if he was not dead, he had undoubtedly suffered a grievous blow.

More importantly, Pang Jian had discovered the means to counter the Primordial Demon's possession and corrupting influence.

This meant the Primordial Demon's tactics would no longer work against him in the future!

If the Primordial Demon wished to fight again, he would have to do so head-on instead of through a cunning takeover.

His master had once faced the Primordial Demon's possession and had been forced to abandon his attempt to ascend as a True God to escape.

This time, Pang Jian had struck back, ruining the Primordial Demon's schemes and rendering his efforts meaningless.

His ascension had not been halted. The fusion of his divine soul with Corruption remained uninterrupted despite the Primordial Demon's interference.

Pang Jian was on the verge of successfully ascending. His Divine Persona had nearly reached completion.