Chapter 690: The Rules of the Boundary Wall

The boundary wall rebounded the young girl in green robes and a ponytail.

The Sword of Fate she unleashed through her Heaven-Splitting Sword had failed to shatter the boundary wall, and strands of fate energy flowed back into her body alongside her sword intent.

Biting her lip, she stared at the invisible yet undeniably real boundary wall and muttered, "Even a Fey God would've died from that strike."

Pang Jian did not doubt the truth of her words.

After her astonishing encounter, Li Yuqing's understanding of fate only deepened with each passing day, and her cultivation realm advanced at an astonishing pace.

Her eagerness to leave the Thunder Abyss and return to the Abyss was because she had foreseen her imminent ascension to the True God Realm.

She feared unwittingly ascending to godhood and losing her chance to merge with a strand of Fortune.

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Fortune was one of the rarest treasures in existence. Even the Outer Gods coveted it. Beings like He Motian, Zi Mo, and Luo Hongyan schemed endlessly to obtain it.

Naturally, Li Yuqing was also unwilling to give up on this precious Fortune of the Abyss.

"Every abyss has operated under its own ancient laws for millions of years. Forcibly breaking through is nearly impossible," Pang Jian explained.

"Is the boundary wall of the Thunder Abyss different from that of the Abyss? Even Immortal Realm cultivators can pass through the Abyss. Why is it different here?" Li Yuqing let out a soft sigh, her porcelain-like face clouded with disappointment. "Pang Jian, why you—"

Lightning crackled and scattered across the nearby boundary wall, interrupting her words.

Lei Ying backed away from the boundary wall with a dejected expression, rubbing her throbbing forehead as she said bitterly, "It seems a Rank Ten like me can only leave through the barrier."

The boundary wall and the barrier each operated under their own distinct rules.

The barrier existed at the top of the abysses. One could either break through it using sheer overwhelming power or by deciphering its mysteries. Those successful would be free to soar through the starry skies, becoming a divine being capable of establishing altars and temples in their names, developing followers, and commanding worlds.

Even Pang Jian could not pass through the barrier so easily.

Boundary walls, on the other hand, were a different story.

Pang Jian's prismatic Immortal Divine Soul moved effortlessly in and out of the boundary wall in front of Li Yuqing and Lei Ying's eyes.

The boundary wall, which was an impassable chasm to them, was nothing more than thin air to Pang Jian. This stark contrast made their expressions turn even more grim.

"Why?" Lei Ying asked in slight frustration.

"My situation is...special," Pang Jian replied with a small frown.

Then, recalling what the Moon God said about the Nether Gods of the Nether Abyss, he extended his hand toward Li Yuqing. "Let me try something with the Heaven-Splitting Sword."

"Here." With a flick of her wrist, the sword landed steadily in Pang Jian's palm.

The divine sword housed a sentient sword soul within.

This reminded Pang Jian of the Nether Gods of the Nether Abyss, with their ability to detach their divine souls from their bodies.

Pang Jian, I am the sword soul of Heaven-Splitting Sword. What are you trying to do?

the sword soul questioned with a piercing wail.

Though Pang Jian was Li Zhaotian's disciple and the likely future Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion, the Heaven-Splitting Sword still belonged to Li Yuqing. The sword soul had no desire for Pang Jian to tamper with it.

Relax. I'm just testing something.

Gripping the Heaven-Splitting Sword, Pang Jian once again shot toward the boundary wall, passing through effortlessly and returning an instant later.

The boundary wall did not prevent the Heaven-Splitting Sword or its sword soul from passing through.

"The boundary wall doesn't seem to affect artifacts or souls," Pang Jian said, casually tossing the Heaven-Splitting Sword back to Li Yuqing.

Is it possible to escape the Thunder Abyss using one's divine soul? Similar to how the Nether Gods leave the Nether Abyss?

Pang Jian pondered.

Though my Immortal Divine Soul has a tangible form, it's not a body of flesh and blood.

Does my Immortal Divine Soul also conform to this same rule? Is this what allows me to pass through the boundary walls of abysses without the Gate of the Abyss?

Is my Immortal Divine Soul comparable to the Heaven-Splitting Sword and the Abyssal Demon Sword? Both contain sword souls, but the boundary walls regard them as mere artifacts.

The Star Devourer was also a similar case, intelligent but lacking the flesh and blood of an ordinary living being.

Was that why the Star Devourer could leave the Shadow Abyss?

Pang Jian wondered, lost in deep thought.

At that moment, he noticed Li Yuqing projecting her divine soul outward. A fragment of Lei Ying's soul also drifted toward the boundary wall.

After seeing the Heaven-Splitting Sword pass through with ease, Li Yuqing and Lei Ying decided to use their divine souls as a test. After all, if they could indeed escape, their divine souls could likely also return.

However, the boundary wall of the Thunder Abyss repelled both their souls.

The two were left dumbfounded.

Pang Jian was equally stunned.

Soulless artifacts and soul-bound artifacts could pass through the boundary wall effortlessly. There was no reason a divine soul could not do the same.

Can the boundary wall of abysses distinguish between a divine soul and a sentient artifact? Can it tell whether the soul is truly lifeless or still tethered to a living being?

If that's the case, why can I pass through? And why can the Nether Gods of the Nether Abyss leave and return in the form of their divine souls? Even if the Nether Gods are an exception, how does that explain my Immortal Divine Soul?

A flash of insight struck Pang Jian.

Before forging his divine soul, his strands of divine sense were intricately connected to the Nether Abyss Spirit Bees.

Every strand of his divine sense carried the characteristics of the Nether Abyss Spirit Bees!

His golden strands of divine sense were formed from the Nether Abyss Spirit Bees' golden honey, created after devouring the divine consciousness of the Outer Gods.

Pang Jian's divine sense was imbued with the essence of the Nether Abyss Spirit Bees. As a result, when he forged his golden divine soul, it naturally inherited the Nether Abyss Spirit Bees' mysterious abilities!

Those extraordinary traits were preserved even after his divine soul merged with Fortune and transformed into a tangible Immortal Divine Soul.

Although the innate rules of the Abyss had since been broken, the foreign races still had to pass through the unique spatial rifts to enter the Abyss.

Meanwhile, his divine soul had long been able to bypass any boundary wall effortlessly.

His Immortal Divine Soul had benefited from the influence of the Nether Abyss Spirit Bees, allowing it to develop a nature remarkably similar to that of the Nether Gods!

"Lei Ying, how much do you know about the Nether Abyss and the Nether Gods?" Pang Jian asked.

"The Nether Abyss..." After thinking carefully, Lei Ying slowly explained, "The beings of the Nether Abyss have never managed to conquer the Thunder Abyss! I read in ancient records that the Nether Abyss was the strongest of all abysses before your Abyss rose to prominence.

"To be precise, the Nether Abyss was the most terrifying existence among all the abysses before the emergence of the human race.

"There are only two races that cannot be found in the starry skies, existing solely in the abysses of the bizarre mist. One is the human race. The other is the Nether Race.

"Apart from these two, all other races present in the abysses also exist in the starry skies beyond.

"Once the True Gods of the human race break through the barrier of the Abyss, they freely roam through the starry skies, carving out legendary names for themselves.

"Nether Gods of the Nether Abyss, on the other hand, prefer to remain in the bizarre mist and rarely venture into the vastness of the starry skies.

"The Nether Race seems to harbor ambitions of conquering all the abysses within the bizarre mist.

"I've heard that only two abysses within the bizarre mist remained unconquered during the golden age of the Nether Race. One was your Abyss, and the other was our Thunder Abyss!

"The Nether Race within the bizarre mist is also supposedly more proficient in soul-related techniques than the Ghost Race. In fact, for a long time, the Ghost Race within the bizarre mist was nothing more than a vassal of the Nether Race!

"Even the Demon Races within the bizarre mist were no match for the Nether Race, with the Nether Race eventually conquering the Demon Abyss as well.

"Only in the Thunder Abyss did the Nether Race find itself powerless, as the omnipresent lightning here could easily reduce any Nether Race invaders to ashes.

"The Nether Race is a unique race with extremely fragile physical bodies and incomparably powerful divine souls. The Thunder Race is the natural bane of the Nether Race!

"To the Nether Race, the Thunder Abyss is the most terrifying place in existence. Fighting us here is nothing short of courting death!"

Pang Jian was stunned. In truth, he had not expected Lei Ying to know more about the Nether Abyss than even the Moon God herself. Had he known earlier, he would have simply sought Lei Ying's guidance instead of consulting with Ying Yue.

The True Gods of the human race ventured into the starry skies, while the Nether Gods of the Nether Race entrenched themselves within the bizarre mist, waging conquest against the other abysses.

This also explained why the Nether Gods could, like him, traverse the abysses in the form of their divine souls.

The Demon Abyss, the Ghost Abyss, the Nether Abyss, the Fire Abyss, and the Celestial Abyss all fell to the Nether Race's conquests. It was likely that many of these abysses still remained under their control.

The influence of this race within the bizarre mist was far greater than Pang Jian had imagined. The leader of the Nether Abyss undoubtedly had overwhelming power.

Ying Yue's understanding of the Nether Abyss and the Nether Race was clearly lacking.

"If I can't get out through the boundary wall, I'll try breaking through the barrier!"

Li Yuqing had no interest in the Nether Abyss or the Nether Gods. Her only concern was returning to the Abyss as soon as possible. Seeing that the boundary wall was impassable, she did not hesitate to shoot toward the skies atop her divine sword.

"The barrier is harder to break through than the boundary walls!" Pang Jian shouted.

Lei Ying's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly chased after her.

Pang Jian could only shake his head and follow along helplessly. As he flew, memories of his experience in the Shadow Abyss surfaced in his mind.

Back then, when the Star Devourer sensed danger, it had escaped through the Shadow Abyss's barrier.

Despite his efforts, Pang Jian could not break through the Shadow Abyss's barrier the way the Star Devourer had.

As he left the bizarre mist of the Thunder Abyss, he was bathed in the glow of the moon.

Ying Yue's voice echoed from the moon within his body.

I've made contact with the Bronze-Masked God.

Pang Jian's soul trembled. Temporarily abandoning his pursuit of Lei Ying and Li Yuqing, he asked,

What did he say?

The Bronze-Masked God did indeed arrange for a Nether God to warn you that Outer Gods like Zi Mo were waiting outside the Thunder Abyss.

However, that Nether God went silent some time ago. The Bronze-Masked God has since confirmed that the Nether God is dead.

The one you encountered beneath the Thunder Abyss, the one possessing Pan Di's remains, is not the Nether God with ties to the Bronze-Masked God.

The Bronze-Masked God also mentioned that while part of the Nether Race is allied with the human race, another faction stands as its enemy.