Chapter 668: Challenging the Rank Ten Powerhouses Alone

In the outer reaches of the Eastern Land, the True Gods observed Pang Jian through the hazy domain.

"It worked!" Wanderer Tian Du exclaimed in shock.

A strange light flickered in the eyes of Liu Fu, Yin Ji, Jiang Fan, and the other True Gods.

They watched as Pang Jian took out the Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chest for Zhu Ji, Gui Mu, and Li Wang to enter. Pang Jian then carried the chest upward until he disappeared from view.

Only Qi Xu of the Flame Race remained in the ethereal domain that mirrored the Sixth World. Pang Jian and the three True Gods were nowhere to be seen.

This could only mean that they had successfully escaped!

"Pang Jian had turned a long-held belief on its head." Li Zhaotian grinned, glancing at the golden bee beside him. "It's been said that returning from the darkness beneath the Fifth World is impossible.

"Well, we have a precedent now, don't we? These so-called absolute rules and truths can all be broken!"

Li Zhaotian burst into laughter.

"I take back everything I said earlier," Jiang Fan said, his face behind his bead veil showing a rare expression of relief. "Their return will be a great advantage to our cause."

"Pang Jian, did you really make it out?" Yin Ji asked in astonishment.

The bee answered, "Yes, I'm already in the Fifth World."

"That's good, that's good." Yin Ji smiled. "With your strength, you can easily bring them out of the Fifth World, right?"

"It won't be too difficult." The bee paused briefly, then added, "But I want to stay in the Fifth World for a while. I want to see if I can resolve our conflict with the foreign races."

Li Zhaotian froze. "What do you mean, kid?"

"I intend to test myself against the foreign race powerhouses of the Fifth World and battle against Fire God Yan Lie," the bee replied seriously. "I believe I can fight Yan Lie head-on.

"Don't worry, Master. If I change my mind and decide to return, I can reach the upper worlds instantly. That's what it means to have the power of a World God."

Li Zhaotian and the gathered True Gods were dumbfounded.

Pang Jian planned to challenge all the Rank Ten powerhouses of the foreign races and Fire God Yan Lie alone. Worse still, he planned to do it in their domain.

The True Gods could not help but wonder if Pang Jian had lost his mind after all.

***

A spatial rift tore open in the Fifth World, with Ghostflare and Five Thunder Annihilation shooting out.

Pang Jian slung the Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chest onto his back so he could freely wield the two divine artifacts.

Once souls resided within the chest, it could no longer be stored inside a spatial ring.

With Ghostflare in his right hand and Five Thunder Annihilation in his left, Pang Jian used his connection to the seven continents to observe Yan Lie and the foreign race powerhouses from a new perspective.

"Qi Xu is trapped in the Sixth World below. Don't you all want to go down and keep her company?" Pang Jian asked with an unsettling smile.

Lie Yang, Sha Jia, and the others exchanged uncertain glances, at a loss for how to respond.

"That's alright," Pang Jian said. "There's no need for unnecessary words anyway. Fighting is always the most straightforward answer."

With that, he threw out Five Thunder Annihilation.

A thunderous roar erupted as the massive white pillar shot toward the Forbidden Land of the Fire God, stirring up a blinding sea of lightning along its path.

Five colossal spheres of Metal Thunder, Wood Thunder, Water Thunder, Fire Thunder, and Earth Thunder twisted fiercely within the sea of interwoven lightning.

The omnipresent murky energy of the Fifth World silently surged into this sea of lightning.

The destruction, devastation, bloodlust, toxins, and darkness embedded within the murky energy were seamlessly woven into Pang Jian's lightning spheres.

These lightning spheres rained down on the Forbidden Land of the Fire God like massive hailstones, rolling out from the sea of lightning looming high above.

A flash of terror crossed the faces of Lie Yang and the others.

None of them expected Pang Jian to start a battle against them while alone in the Fifth World. Moreover, he did so knowing full well that Yan Lie was nearby!

Even more shocking was the overwhelming might of Pang Jian's first strike.

The ancient Thunder Dragon of the Dragon Lair Sect had ruled supreme over the Dao of Lightning for tens of thousands of years, but even after all that time, even his combat prowess likely peaked at this level.

"Mountains, rise!" Ah Man roared.

Rising to his feet, he ripped open his upper garments to reveal a granite-like body. His veins bulged grotesquely, pulsating as blood surged through them like roaring rivers.

The volcanoes on the Forbidden Land of the Fire God transformed into towering blades and thrust skyward.

A thousand zhang above the fragmented land, erupting volcanoes spewed molten lava, colliding violently with the storm of descending lightning spheres.

The dark sky trembled from the explosion of light and heat, as if on the verge of collapse. Rocky debris, raging fires, and searing lightning weaved into the chaos.

It was like the dawn of an apocalypse.

"Mountain Flipping Seal!" Ah Man tossed the amber-colored seal out.

The Mountain Flipping Seal expanded a millionfold, transforming into a majestic mountain inscribed with ancient runes.

Its unshakable weight and imposing presence seemed to distort gravity itself, amplifying the power of the volcanic eruptions shooting into the sky.

Crumbling rocks morphed into a meteoric sea, swallowing the lightning spheres and grinding them down in an attempt to neutralize Pang Jian's opening strike.

However, Pang Jian had still barely tapped into his strength.

The surging power fueling Five Thunder Annihilation did not come from Pang Jian, but the omnipresent murky energy saturating the Fifth World.

Even when the sea of meteorites obliterated the lightning, the murky energy of the Fifth World would simply absorb their scattered remnants, allowing Pang Jian to channel that same energy into new lightning spheres and bolts.

Pang Jian needed only to tap into the Fifth World using his Divine Persona to fuel Five Thunder Annihilation with the necessary energies.

The lightning spheres were continuously reborn, and the lightning storm raged anew.

Ah Man's volcanoes eventually collapsed from the constant explosions.

Unlike the sea of lightning, these volcanoes could not reform. The crumbling rocks were reduced to fine powder and could no longer be reconstituted.

A colossal white pillar crashed onto Ah Man's shoulders with earth-shattering force.

The Ancestor of Ten Thousand Mountains trembled, then fell heavily to the ground.

After delivering this strike, Five Thunder Annihilation soared back into the endlessly regenerating sea of lightning, gathering strength for another devastating assault.

This time, the white pillar hurled itself toward Ah Man's head. Hundreds of lightning spheres and searing bolts streaked down alongside it in an overwhelming assault.

Sensing imminent danger, Sha Jia spread her wings and shot into the sky!

"Veil of Light!"

A blinding veil materialized above Ah Man's head. Intricate patterns bloomed across the veil like resplendent flowers, their light so radiant that it forced all eyes to shut.

At that moment, a supreme will rippled through the Veil of Light, its presence commanding absolute reverence.

Five Thunder Annihilation struck the veil, only for the overwhelming divine power within to halt it in its tracks, seeping into its core as thousands of blinding rays.

The Veil of Light rippled like a celestial tapestry, then abruptly rolled up as though lifting a fragment of the sky.

Five Thunder Annihilation and the sea of lightning were all swept away into the boundless realm of pure light.

Pang Jian lost connection to Five Thunder Annihilation, preventing him from using murky energy to regenerate the lightning spheres as before.

"I am Sha Jia of the Celestial Race." The regal foreign race woman with ten pairs of pristine white wings hovered gracefully above the billowing Veil of Light. A silver spear materialized in her hand as she gave a slight, courteous bow. "Please grant me your guidance in battle."

Sha Jia had just offered Pang Jian the highest form of respect!

Pang Jian's assault on the Forbidden Land of the Fire God had laid everything bare before her.

His resonance with murky energy made it clear that the young human prodigy before her had absorbed Corruption, elevating himself to stand among their ranks as a divine being.

The Radiant Race youth hiding in the bizarre mist was Pang Jian!

Pang Jian had become the most unique existence in the Abyss.

Despite being a human, he had a Divine Persona. He was a new kind of divine being, and Sha Jia had always been one to show respect to such pioneers, regardless of age or background.

"A Divine Persona has formed. How astonishing," Fire God Yan Lie muttered.

He hovered in the distance, making no move to return to the Forbidden Land of the Fire God.

Instead, he narrowed his eyes as he carefully studied Pang Jian.

Yan Lie sighed in admiration. "After all this time, I finally understand just how far-sighted and wise the Lord was in placing such high regard on you."

Before her humanity had fully faded, Luo Hongyan repeatedly told him that Pang Jian would eventually become the pillar of the human race, wielding enough power to determine the fate of the Abyss itself.

Although Yan Lie outwardly acknowledged her words, he had secretly dismissed them in his heart.

He had believed that Luo Hongyan's words came from a place of lingering sentimentality, causing her to overestimate Pang Jian's importance.

However, as time went on, her judgment was proved flawless.

Pang Jian had risen like a comet, shooting upward with unstoppable momentum and swiftly establishing himself as a dominant force in the Abyss.

He had ascended early as an Immortal Realm God and broken free from the Abyss numerous times after, even slaying the Dark Bat and the Water God Naga in the bizarre mist.

Now, he had ascended to godhood once more using the condensed essence of the murky energy, Corruption.

Yan Lie could not fathom how Pang Jian accomplished this. Regardless, his wariness toward Pang Jian had reached its peak.

"Sha Jia, be careful," Yan Lie warned. "This one is no ordinary foe. Don't let him injure you."

Sha Jia nodded in acknowledgment. "Understood."

She took a graceful step forward, her delicate foot lightly tapping on the Veil of Light.