Chapter 708: The Plight of Li Wang and the Others

Pang Jian snuffed out any thought of mutual destruction that surfaced within Long Xiao's mind, and the Thunder Dragon struggled to form coherent thoughts.

The streams flowing through his sea of consciousness and coiling around his divine soul were manifestations of Pang Jian's mastery over the Ghost and Demon Races' divine techniques.

Long Xiao could no longer summon his lightning due to the suppression of the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree and the Duke of Thunder's Dao of Lightning. This left him incapable of destroying the mysterious streams that Pang Jian had conjured.

You Kui, a mid-ranking God of the Ghost Race, had been known for his ability to imprison souls and strip memories. Meanwhile, the Abyssal Demon could distort thought itself, stirring the darkest emotions buried deep in the hearts of living beings.

Pang Jian had combined the secret techniques from the Ghost and Demon Races against Long Xiao. The result was, as expected, remarkably effective. It left Long Xiao trapped in utter despair, neither truly alive nor dead.

The black turtle silently took in Long Xiao's weakened state and desperate eyes. This was the first time the black turtle had ever seen the Thunder Dragon with such a pleading gaze.

"It's hard to believe that you—" Pei Yishan trailed off with a deep sigh. "You said you would break through the barrier immediately after leaving the Sacred Soul Continent. Why did you have to go to the Pure Land Sect? Wouldn't it have been better if you just left?"

In the clouds above the Resolute Expanse, Pei Yishan stood shoulder to shoulder with the black turtle. The True God watched as the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree, with the help of the black turtle, descended into the valley where Pang Lin once sought enlightenment into the Dao of Lightning.

Suspended in its branches was the Thunder Dragon, divine power steadily being drained away with every passing second.

"I'll try pleading on your behalf," the black turtle relented, peering into Long Xiao's eyes. "But that girl is destined to become the Thunder God of the Abyss. You stand in her way.

"You were always fated to either die in the Abyss or leave it. She can't ascend if you remain.

"Given your state, I doubt you can break through the barrier anymore. If only you didn't stir up trouble in the Pure Land Sect before leaving." The black turtle sighed with helpless resignation.

The commotion from the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree taking root in the secluded valley of the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God drew many to the scene. Soon, the Ice Armor Eel Dragon, the White Lynx, Qi Qingsong, Zhuang Yuyan, Zhou Qingchen, and many others hovered in the sky above.

"It's that ancient Thunder Dragon!"

"Long Xiao!"

"He had it coming!"

Everyone felt a wave of schadenfreude when they saw the ancient Thunder Dragon's miserable situation.

A while back, Long Xiao had attacked the Resolute Expanse unprovoked, tearing the Thunderclap Paradise away from the valley, abducting Pang Lin, and killing Elder Mu Aichuan of the Sword Pavilion. Those gathered naturally harbored resentment toward him.

"It was Pang Jian!" Qi Qingsong exclaimed, having received the news through his sword token. A twisted grin stretched across his face. "That ancient Thunder Dragon brought this on himself. He stirred up trouble in the Pure Land Sect over on the Western Loam, forcing Pang Jian to step in.

"In the end, Pang Jian used that Thunder Pool to seize the divine tree the ancient dragon had painstakingly nurtured and turned it against him!"

The Sword Pavilion disciples and Pang Jian's friends burst into laughter as if celebrating a festival. "Serves him right!"

The White Lynx crouched on the branch of a tree outside the valley. Her eyes were fixed on the pitiful sight of Long Xiao, her heart filled with complex emotions.

"I never thought I'd see this..." she muttered to herself.

The torrent of change was truly terrifying. She never would have expected that a human cultivator would one day capture this overbearing ancient Thunder Dragon alive.

Long Xiao was once the undisputed ruler of the Sacred Soul Continent and the Fey Race. It seemed almost unnatural to see him in this weakened state.

Does Long Xiao's fall signal another decline for the Fey Race?

the White Lynx wondered.

With this ancient Thunder Dragon gone, what advantage do we have left in the coming struggles between the races?

Long Xiao's tragic downfall also stirred a similar unease in the Ice Armor Eel Dragon and the black turtle. All three found themselves grappling with a growing sense of helplessness, uncertainty, and anxiety about the future of the Fey Race.

***

Yu Xin and Yu Qing of the Celestial Race, Xuan Ying of the Demon Scale Race, and a group of Rank Nine foreign race warriors were gathered on the Dark Abyss Continent in the Third World.

"Pang Jian captured that ancient Thunder Dragon from the Dragon Lair Sect alive, right outside the Pure Land Sect in the First World," Yu Xin announced.

"Captured alive?!" a Rank Nine warrior from the Demon Scale Race shouted in disbelief.

The others stood in stunned silence, their expressions dazed.

Long Xiao's fearsome nature was well known even among those in the Fifth World.

For Pang Jian to capture the Thunder Dragon alive indicated that he had truly become unfathomably powerful.

"I wonder what's happening in the lower worlds now," Yu Qing said grimly. "Lord Sha Jia made it clear that we weren't to return to the Fifth World, but I'm starting to worry."

Pang Jian had also been in the lower worlds not long ago. His unexpected appearance in the Pure Land Sect to subdue Long Xiao left a heavy feeling in everyone's hearts.

The young elites of the foreign races could not help but worry about Yan Lie and the other Rank Tens, fearing they had lost control of the situation in the lower worlds, allowing Pang Jian to break free and intervene.

"Xuan Ying, Wu Yuan ascended to become a True God through Fortune, but he hasn't returned to us as promised," Yu Xin said, turning her head to the prodigy of the Demon Scale Race. "Do you have any way to rein him in and bring him back to our side?"

Xuan Ying's normally sharp gaze was blunted with helplessness. "Only Lord He Motian, and perhaps Lord Primordial Demon, can restrain him."

A deep sense of frustration welled up in Xuan Ying.

Pang Jian, Dong Tianze, and Wu Yuan had risen up one after another. The successive ascensions of these human cultivators had struck a psychological blow, sending her stress soaring.

She had devoted herself to comprehending the Dao of Demon within her bloodline ever since her father, Li Bai, had passed away. Day and night, she tempered her body, hoping to take her father's place as soon as possible.

Despite her efforts to ascend as the Demon Scale Race's next Rank Ten powerhouse and take part in this once-in-a-hundred-millennia grand event, the harsh reality was that she still needed more time.

In contrast, Dong Tianze and Wu Yuan had ascended to godhood at a pace she could not hope to match, leaving her disheartened. Meanwhile, Pang Jian had already become a True God long ago and had since grown strong enough to capture Long Xiao alive.

The gap between them was so vast it seemed impossible for her to catch up.

"I'm worried," Yu Qing said, brows knitting. "I'm worried the True Gods will descend into the Third World. Our Rank Ten powerhouses have yet to return, while the human race still has several True Gods in the upper worlds. If they descend, it could spell a catastrophe for us!"

Everyone's expression changed dramatically.

***

In the Fifth World, Jiang Fan remained close beside Li Wang, having long since ceased to act. His imperial crown and dragon robe had since been exchanged for a brocade garment embroidered with mountains, rivers, and the sovereignty of his divine kingdom, the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom.

"I can't hold on much longer," Jiang Fan said.

His hair and beard had turned completely white, with thin strands that revealed large bald spots. It was a stark contrast to the thick, jet-black hair the True God had before the aura of death filled the Fifth World.

Even the face behind his pearl veil, which once held a handsome sharpness, gave way to aging wrinkles as the vitality within him rapidly drained away.

This comparatively weaker True God had aged from a vigorous, middle-aged man to a frail elder at risk of dying from old age before their eyes.

"What if we try descending to the Sixth World?" Jiang Fan suggested.

The robe Li Wang wore, etched with images of sun, moons, and stars, had lost much of its former brilliance. His will was also starting to falter, and uncertainty stirred within him.

Zhu Ji, Gui Mu, Li Zhaotian, and Su Wanrou, four of the most powerful True Gods of the human race, had yet to break the radiant barrier, even while working together. Their relentless assault only burned their limited strength, hastening everyone's eventual demise.

"It truly does seem unbreakable," Su Wanrou despaired.

Li Zhaotian and Gui Mu remained silent, no longer battering against the radiant barrier enveloping the Fifth Continent.

Only Zhu Ji continued to attack. As Li Wang had not given the order to stop, he still obediently gathered the murky energy and struck the barrier.

However, his short, stocky body had become visibly gaunt. He had expended the most strength attempting to break the barrier, and as a result, the aura of death had affected him more severely than anyone else.

Despite this, he never wavered in his belief in Li Wang.

He could have escaped the Abyss, but Li Wang had convinced him to remain and help the human race endure this crisis.

"Zhu Ji, have you ever regretted it?" Gui Mu suddenly asked in a low voice.

Zhu Ji shook his head. "I'm a part of the human race as well. I could never turn my back and look out only for myself, knowing that a crisis is near."

"Maybe we should wait," Li Zhaotian said with a chuckle, managing a light tone. "Let's wait for my little disciple, Pang Jian, to show up. He's the World God of the Abyss, after all.

"You all say that the World Gods of the past would always appear to help the older generations whenever a catastrophe struck.

"We're facing just such a crisis now. As he is the World God of this generation, I have a feeling he'll appear to save us. What do you all think?" Li Zhaotian smiled, the faintest glint of hope still dancing in his eyes.

Only Yin Ji gave a slight nod. "I think so too."

"I've stopped holding onto hope." Jiang Fan sighed.

Zhu Ji and Gui Mu remained silent.

Meanwhile, Li Wang let out a bitter smile as he asked Su Wanrou, "And you? What do you think?"

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Of course, I hope he'll appear, just like the World Gods of the past," Su Wanrou said with a faint, helpless smile. "But I do think it's a bit unlikely."

"There, at the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar!" Li Zhaotian suddenly cried out.

All the True Gods turned to glance at the peak of the fifth Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar. Sure enough, a familiar figure could be seen there.

It was Pang Jian!