Chapter 657: Wu Yuan Seized the Opportunity to Ascend to Godhood

The Primordial Demon was vanquished.

Everything within the bizarre mist remained unchanged. The Black Dragon King's conjured darkness still churned, though Qi Xu and Li Yuqing were nowhere to be seen.

It was as if the Primordial Demon had never manifested to harm Pang Jian in the first place.

Only Pang Jian himself knew the truth. The battle had been nothing short of harrowing. Had he not channeled the lightning from his Immortal Divine Soul at the critical juncture, he would have been possessed.

The Primordial Demon's strength was beyond anything Pang Jian had imagined, eclipsing anything You Kui could ever hope to achieve.

At that moment, the Black Dragon King emerged from the absolute darkness in his human form, his piercing black eyes still carrying a trace of vigilance and killing intent.

"Has he been dealt with?" he asked aloud, not rushing to reestablish a connection with Pang Jian.

The Black Dragon King was familiar with the demon that had corrupted Pang Jian and could not help but suspect that Pang Jian had been possessed.

Even the sight of lightning shooting from Pang Jian's eyes, nostrils, and ears was not enough for him to be certain.

"No, not entirely," Pang Jian replied.

He then calmly detailed the true terror of the Primordial Demon, highlighting it as the most fearsome demon in history, one that could never truly be eradicated.

"At the very least, he won't be able to possess or corrupt me so easily anymore," Pang Jian concluded. Then, knitting his brows, he asked, "What about Miss Li?"

"She's fine." The Black Dragon King, now mostly convinced, reached out and tore open the veil of darkness. "I pulled her into the darkness because the Primordial Demon had influenced her as well.".

The young girl wielding the Heaven-Splitting Sword emerged, standing tall and composed.

"Pang Jian, during your battle, the Primordial Demon gathered the demonic wills he implanted within me. It was only then that I realized that his demonic will was buried inside me."

Lingering fear still shadowed Li Yuqing's face.

She felt fortunate that the Black Dragon King had remained level-headed enough to separate her from Pang Jian. If not, she could have become the Primordial Demon's blade.

In the worst-case scenario, she would have lost control of her mind, thoughts warping to the point of raising her sword against Pang Jian.

At least one, if not both of them, would have perished if she had unleashed the Sword of Fate upon him and severed his future.

The mere thought of such an outcome sent chills down Li Yuqing's spine.

"When he attempted to possess me, he also recalled the demonic wills he planted in the black turtle, the World Eater Vine, and the Bee Sovereign.

"However"—Pang Jian's expression darkened—"I distinctly sensed that he still had remnants of his demonic will scattered in the bodies of other powerful beings.

"There's a strong trace of his demonic wills lingering in the darkness of the Fifth World. Another one exists at the top of the Third World.

"There's also one presence on the Dark Abyss Continent."

The Primordial Demon had seemingly fragmented himself, dispersing his demonic wills across the Abyss. These scattered demonic wills sought to manipulate different individuals, driving them to serve his grand design.

"All that matters is that it's not us," The Black Dragon King said with a sigh of relief. "For now, your priority is to fuse this body with Corruption as quickly as possible.

"Everything else can wait.

"Also, I once had misunderstandings about the World God of the previous era, but after my bloodline returned to Rank Ten and my memories resurfaced, those misconceptions were resolved.

"So don't worry or dwell on it too much."

The Black Dragon King's gaze was sincere.

For a long time, he had harbored resentment against the previous World God for reviving him in the Fifth World only to imprison him in Blackwater Pond.

After regaining his memories, however, he finally understood that the World God had done it for his protection, not as a punishment as he once thought.

If not for that, his presence likely would have been exposed too soon, and he would have faced relentless hunts at the hands of human cultivators.

***

At the top of the Third World, the dilapidated altar where Wu Yuan sat in meditation crumbled as a surge of immense power erupted from within him.

Deep within his sea of consciousness, the demonic stone, forged from the fusion of his divine soul and Fortune, trembled as a demonic figure emerged and attempted to overwrite Wu Yuan's existence.

Wu Yuan did not panic. He simply watched in silence, quietly gathering his strength.

"You bestowed the Demon Stone Art upon me. You chose me long ago. But you arrived too late.

"Apologies, but I've already ascended to godhood. Not even your demonic will can stain my heart now!"

A vortex of pure demonic energy surged from the greenish-black demonic stone, dragging in the ethereal violet figure before grinding it into nothingness.

Wu Yuan snuffed out the remaining strength of the already-wounded Primordial Demon.

Had the Primordial Demon not been greedy and remained fixated solely on Wu Yuan instead of switching targets for Pang Jian's body, he would have almost certainly succeeded.

Unfortunately, his greed and subsequent failure with Pang Jian had sealed his fate once more.

The Primordial Demon lost both Pang Jian and Wu Yuan.

He Motian had also been prevented from his attempt when the Primordial Demon failed due to Li Zhaotian's sealing of the barrier. As a result, He Motian also lost his best chance to possess Wu Yuan.

Thus, Wu Yuan managed to successfully ascend as a True God.

Only after ascending did Wu Yuan understand the full extent of He Motian and the Primordial Demon's expectations and their malicious intentions. They had both planned to seize his body the instant he became a True God!

The powerhouses of the Demon Sect and the warriors of the Demon Races were stationed across the Dark Abyss Continent in the Third World.

Yan Lie, Lie Yang, Sha Jia, Jing Sha, and Ah Man, the strongest among the foreign races, were all in the Third World as well.

Where do I go after this?

Wu Yuan wondered.

Do I follow He Motian's vision of uniting the demonic cultivators and the Demon Races of the Abyss? Joining forces with the foreign races to overthrow the human race and establish an era of demon supremacy?

Have the Primordial Demon and He Motian even abandoned their pursuit to possess me?

What will become of me if I submit to their will?

But will the human race even accept me again?

This is a time when all the demonic cultivators of the Demon Sect have been labeled as heretical evildoers. Can I, a man who ascended to godhood through the Dao of Demon, ever gain the recognition of Li Wang and the others?

Wu Yuan did not know what to do.

At that moment, a faint voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

Wu Yuan.

Wu Yuan's expression shifted sharply, instinctively suspecting He Motian or the Primordial Demon, but before he could react, the voice continued.

You've surprised me, Wu Yuan, and I have to say, I'm quite pleased.

I knew you were striving to ascend and chose to turn a blind eye because you retained your self-awareness.

Still, I never expected you to hold on to your mind even after ascending.

Congratulations, Wu Yuan.

It was Li Zhaotian's voice.

Having harmonized with the barrier, he was one of the few capable of establishing a connection with all the True Gods, except for Luo Hongyan.

Li Zhaotian had sensed when Wu Yuan succeeded in his ascension. Using the barrier, he had checked on Wu Yuan's state and was astonished to find that Wu Yuan had miraculously retained his self-awareness.

Though surprised, he was pleased to know that his earlier decision not to interfere had been a wise one.

Senior Li, the fact that I still retain my self-awareness means there is something deeper happening elsewhere,

Wu Yuan replied frankly.

Then, after brief indecision, he admitted that he had no idea where to go or what to do next.

Do you consider Pang Jian and Dong Tianze your friends?

Li Zhaotian asked.

Wu Yuan hesitated.

Only Pang Jian.

Li Zhaotian let out a soft chuckle.

Let's not talk about Pang Jian for now.

Dong Tianze cultivated the Blood God Technique. Knowing full well that the world would never accept him, he chose not to go to the Resolute Expanse, fearing he'd bring trouble to Pang Jian. So instead, he went to Absolute Heaven.

If you don't know what to do yet, you could always go and keep Dong Tianze company. I believe the two of you have a lot in common,

Li Zhaotian sincerely advised.

Thank you for giving me a chance, for not killing me when I was ascending.

Wu Yuan bowed toward the sky in gratitude.

I will go to Absolute Heaven, severing my ties with the demonic cultivators and the Demon Races.

Li Zhaotian laughed heartily.

A wise choice.

Great Demon God He Motian and the enigmatic Primordial Demon had painstakingly nurtured Wu Yuan to seize his body, but in an unexpected twist, their efforts had accidentally paved the way for his smooth ascension.

It was already a blessing for the human race that Wu Yuan did not wish to become an ally of the Fifth World.

From Wu Yuan's words, it was clear that he held little reverence or fear for He Motian and the Primordial Demon, a fact that naturally put Li Zhaotian in high spirits.

He believed that there was still a chance that Pang Jian could convince Wu Yuan to defect to the human race's side once he returned.

***

Back in the Thunder Abyss, Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul lit up with a carefree grin.

It would not take long for his physical body to fuse with the cluster of Corruption now that this crisis was resolved.

He was curious to see whether his physical body would surpass his Immortal Divine Soul and step into the ranks of a mid-ranking God with a human body.

According to You Kui's memories, a Divine Persona was the defining trait of a mid-ranking God.

His second soul was indeed constructing a Divine Persona from Corruption and the fragments of You Kui's Divine Persona—one grander and more profound than even that of the Outer Gods.

In other words, when his physical body ascended, it would be as a mid-ranking God.

The remnants of lightning within the bizarre mist abruptly turned chaotic.

A powerful presence streaked through the bizarre mist, disrupting the lightning as it rapidly closed in on him.

"An outsider!"

A Rank Ten Thunder Race warrior floated in the bizarre mist with crackling spheres of lightning surrounding him. Vigilant eyes locked onto Pang Jian's own.

"A divine being?" the warrior muttered. Then, raising his voice in a booming cry, he shouted, "Everyone! The Thunder Abyss is under attack! An Outer God from the starry skies has broken through the boundary wall and stepped into our world!"

Thunder rumbled in the distance as the mighty figures of the Thunder Abyss stormed toward Pang Jian at the warrior's call.