Chapter 666: Transcending the Established Rules

Gui Mu was not familiar with Qi Xu.

As a newly ascended Rank Ten powerhouse of the Flame Race, Qi Xu had yet to catch Gui Mu's attention.

Only the established powerhouses of the older generations like Lie Yang, Sha Jia, Li Bai, and the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Mountains, Ah Man, mattered in her eyes.

Had this encounter taken place anywhere else, Gui Mu was confident she could kill Qi Xu within seven to eight minutes. After all, she ranked among the top three in combat prowess among the True Gods.

Privately, she considered herself only half a step beneath Zhu Ji and even superior to Su Wanrou, the famed Sage of Medicine and Poison.

For Su Wanrou to unleash her full power, she first had to trigger a Poison Scourge, sacrificing countless lives to elevate her poison to its ultimate state.

Gui Mu needed no such preparation.

She could unleash her full strength at a moment's notice, with no accumulation or preparation required.

This was why she believed herself to be above Su Wanrou.

However, here in this foreign world of surging murky energy, she did not have the confidence to face this Flame Race powerhouse she had previously dismissed.

Maintaining her Dharma Idol was already an immense struggle. The suppression of the Heavenly Daos and the relentless erosion of murky energy steadily drained her strength.

The Rank Ten powerhouse of the Flame Race, on the other hand, could use this same force that harmed Gui Mu to strengthen herself.

One party was being relentlessly weakened, while the other grew stronger at an alarming rate. It was clearly not going to be a fair fight.

Death was already inevitable for Gui Mu, even before Qi Xu arrived.

So this is the Sixth World,

Gui Mu thought to herself.

Although Gui Mu was not conventionally beautiful, she carried an innate solemn dignity. Her expression was calm even in the face of death.

"It's said that none who descend beneath the Fifth World have ever returned to the upper worlds. I already know I won't leave this place alive. But do you truly think you can escape?" Gui Mu asked Qi Xu.

Qi Xu forced a weak smile. "I—"

Her words faltered from the sheer shock of discovering that she could still speak!

The river of runes surrounding her ethereal soul had the power to distort her thoughts and will, forcing her body to move as Pang Jian pleased. She was already resigned to being Pang Jian's puppet with no right to move or speak freely.

"This is my first time entering the Sixth World as well. True God Gui Mu of the human race, I have long heard of your esteemed name." Qi Xu let out a soft sigh, feeling compelled to show proper respect when facing this legendary figure.

Finding that she could indeed move her body again, she did not hesitate to give Gui Mu a slight bow.

Qi Xu's emotions grew increasingly complicated at the realization that the strange river of runes encircling her ethereal soul could selectively return her control over her body.

This showed an unbelievably intricate mastery over the soul, mind, and will.

"Who are you?" Gui Mu narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing across her face. "Luo Hongyan, is that you?

"You already used Zhu Ji as bait in the outer reaches of the Eastern Land. Have you decided to finally reveal yourself now that I've been weakened?

Gui Mu was an ancient True God of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect—a sect with foundations that were deeply intertwined with the Ghost Race itself.

She wielded dominion over the cycle of reincarnation of the Abyss, and her understanding of the soul was beyond anything a foreign race powerhouse like Qi Xu could fathom.

With a single glance, her soul-piercing perception penetrated Qi Xu's sea of consciousness, revealing an enigmatic river of runes swirling within.

These drifting runes undoubtedly belonged to a powerful divine being. They were clearly not a manifestation of Qi Xu's own will.

Qi Xu opened her mouth once more, but the words that came out were: "I am Pang Jian."

She once again lost control over her body.

Pang Jian effortlessly took control, sealing her will and reducing her to a mere spectator to his exchange with Gui Mu.

This was the harsh reality of her situation.

Pang Jian and Qi Xu were no longer on the same level after he fused with Corruption. No matter how much strength she recovered, she was simply not a threat to him.

He had ascended to a level beyond her reach.

"My physical body has descended as well. Right now, I'm heading to find Zhu Ji and Li Wang. It won't be long before they arrive," Pang Jian explained through Qi Xu.

Gui Mu was stunned. "Is this the power of a World God?"

"No."

"Then did you descend to take us out of here?"

"That's the plan. I intend to at least try."

***

When Pang Jian appeared before Li Wang's Dharma Idol, the latter felt as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

"Senior Li Wang."

"Pang Jian?"

Li Wang scanned his surroundings cautiously, releasing his divine sense, only for the strands to dissolve with a soft hiss.

The strands of divine sense near Pang Jian disappeared first, making Li Wang realize that Pang Jian's aura had seamlessly merged with this terrifying world.

"You're not Pang Jian!" Li Wang frowned. "Are you that Sovereign, Luo Hongyan?"

"What if I told you that I used the same method your generation left behind to refine Corruption and ascend as a God for a second time? Would that be easier for you to accept?" Pang Jian asked.

Li Wang was stunned. "That actually worked?"

"Reality proves that it does."

***

Pang Jian used the bee at the outer reaches of the Eastern Land to navigate to Zhu Ji.

Before long, Jiang Fan and the others saw Pang Jian leading Li Wang and Zhu Ji toward where Gui Mu and Qi Xu were.

It was clear that Pang Jian intended to gather everyone together.

Li Wang and the others had struggled alone in the Sixth World for so long, each drifting aimlessly, unable to reunite despite their best efforts.

Pang Jian's arrival had given them a sense of direction.

"Pang Jian, are you still one of us?" Jiang Fan suddenly questioned.

Liu Fu, Li Yuanli, and even Wanderer Tian Du wore troubled expressions.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

No human cultivator had ever ascended to godhood through Corruption before.

All the strongest cultivators who attempted this before Pang Jian succumbed to madness in the Immortal Realm, ultimately choosing to side with the foreign races of the Fifth World.

They betrayed the human race, exposing its deepest secrets. The foundations of sects and noble families, as well as the distribution of power and military strength, were laid bare before the foreign races.

The human race once suffered devastating losses during one of the foreign races' wars of ascension due to betrayal from within.

Afterward, this theoretical method of ascension was banned. No human cultivator was permitted to descend into the Fifth World and convert to the murky energy ever again.

Now, there was a possibility that Pang Jian, the World God of this era and a being of limitless potential, would defect to the foreign races' side.

There was no telling the disasters he would bring if he were to follow the path of those before.

"To be honest, I don't feel anything unusual for now," the bee said, carefully choosing its words. "For an Outer God of the Ghost Race or the Demon Races to erode my mind and erase my will, they would need to be at least on the level of He Motian or Zi Mo.

"Only a high-ranking God personally making a move could put some pressure on me, and even then, the chances of success would be slim."

Pang Jian's words were undeniably arrogant.

However, having survived the Primordial Demon's insidious schemes and severely wounding him with lightning, Pang Jian had the firsthand experience to back it up.

The Primordial Demon was ranked above He Motian among the demons.

Even if he had not been at his peak strength, the Primordial Demon's mastery of corruption, possession, and the Dao of Demon far surpassed He Motian's.

The Primordial Demon himself had failed to possess Pang Jian. He Motian stood little chance.

After refining You Kui's Divine Persona and becoming a true mid-ranking God, his understanding of the Ghost Race and Zi Mo also deepened significantly.

He was certain that if Zi Mo's divine consciousness dared to invade him, his thunderous lightning would annihilate it immediately.

The only being he truly feared was that unfathomable Sovereign.

"Li Zhaotian, this disciple of yours..." Jiang Fan sighed. "I hope you can take full responsibility for him."

This master and disciple pair was truly unpredictable.

Li Zhaotian chuckled as if he were completely innocent. "Perhaps none of you have truly taken Pang Jian's words to heart.

"The Abyss as it exists today is not the Abyss we once knew.

"The human race has only ruled the Abyss for thirty thousand years. We've never experienced this once-in-a-hundred-thousand-years grand event before.

"The Abyss won't be sealed forever. Rank Nine foreign races can already enter, and those below the True God Realm can leave.

"Even low-ranking Gods could enter in the future. Without people like me or Pang Jian, we would have no hope of fighting back against them.

"World-shaking changes bring forth miracles. We have to learn to seize these opportunities.

"And it's not just Pang Jian. Even for juniors like Wu Yuan and Dong Tianze, as long as they remain part of our human race and have not fallen into the demonic path, they are still one of us.

"The Abyss belongs to the human race! Let's wait and see if those outsiders will truly be able to suppress us when they arrive!"

Li Zhaotian peered up at the barrier with a bright smile.

"The new generation of the human race is growing at a pace beyond your imagination. When they invade the Abyss, these juniors will give them a monumental surprise."

***

Back in the Sixth World, Gui Mu saw Li Wang, Zhu Ji, and Pang Jian's physical body approach.

The three True Gods could all see the exhaustion and powerlessness in each other's eyes.

When they looked at Pang Jian, radiantly thriving in the Sixth World, a sense of obsolescence washed over them.

They realized that their perspectives, understanding of the Abyss, and knowledge of the world beyond had all fallen behind the times.

While bringing Li Wang and Zhu Ji over, Pang Jian informed the three True Gods of his astonishing feat of single-handedly killing You Kui using only his Immortal Divine Soul.

Furthermore, he came into contact with an ancient Sword God of the human race who went by the alias of the Bronze-Masked God.

Pang Jian had also transported Li Yuqing to Thunder God Mountain in the Thunder Abyss, where the Duke of Thunder once sought enlightenment.

More importantly, he could leave the Sixth World with his physical body.

These revelations and discoveries left Li Wang, Zhu Ji, and Gui Mu in awe. As they listened, they quickly realized that their vision had been incredibly narrow.

They had spent too long clinging desperately to the Abyss, blissfully unaware of the vast world beyond.