Chapter 712: Internal Divide

Though Zhu Ji's body had grown gaunt from the loss of vitality, his presence was still domineering as ever.

His stone-cold expression made it seem as if even the collapse of the Abyss, the starry skies, and all of creation would not stir a ripple in his heart. His will was unshakable, like the immovable Thunder God Mountain of the Thunder Abyss.

Most of the time, he simply listened to Li Wang's orders and rarely offered his own opinion. However, when he did speak up, no one dared ignore his stance. Not Li Wang, not Gui Mu, and not even Li Zhaotian. This was because he was the strongest among them.

Zhu Ji's power and fearsomeness were well-known within the Abyss. Moreover, his backing was what allowed Li Wang to command the allegiance of the True Gods in the first place.

"I can draw upon the energies of heaven and earth," Zhu Ji said, raising his right hand and spreading his fingers wide.

The murky energy saturating the Fifth World gathered in his palm, forming a massive gray sphere.

The auras of destruction and ruin were prominent within the hazy sphere. Darkness, corruption, and toxins flickered on its surface, while more complex forces quietly seeped from within. The sphere was like a gray-shrouded world in his hand.

Pang Jian's brow arched slightly as he sensed Zhu Ji's divine power and divine soul undergoing an ascension. It was reminiscent of the Black Dragon King's and Long Xiao's ascensions as mid-ranking Gods, similar to when Pang Jian himself had forged his Divine Persona.

The massive shift in the fundamental laws of the Abyss was pushing this peerless prodigy, Zhu Ji, toward a breakthrough that would shake the heavens.

Zhu Ji suddenly turned to Pang Jian. "As you mentioned, the battle between the two Sovereigns is everywhere. It affects the heavens and earth, the flow of energies, living beings, and even the soul."

Pang Jian gave a firm nod.

"Murky energy still dominates the Fifth World," Zhu Ji said, his brows knitted and voice steady. "We've been to the Sixth World. The murky energy there is denser than what we see here in the Fifth World.

"The Sovereign of the Fey Race holds the upper hand in both worlds. How can you be so certain that the one to lose this prolonged war will be that Sovereign and not Luo Hongyan?

"Promises only matter when they're built on a foundation of certainty. As I see it, even if she gains the three clusters of Fortune you're offering, there's no guarantee she‘ll win this battle."

Zhu Ji's words left the others deep in thought.

After a brief silence, Li Wang said, "I suppose I assumed that the Sovereign of the Fey Race would have no real chance of turning the tables as they had already died once before."

The others gave slight nods in agreement.

All of them had, to some extent, come into contact with Luo Hongyan and were familiar with her terrifying power. The aura of death that had previously invaded their bodies had left them helpless as it relentlessly drained their vitality and divine power.

More importantly, Sovereign Luo still stood tall in the starry skies. The Black Empyrean Phoenix, on the other hand, was nothing more than a corpse floating in the Seventh World.

Previous battles had already proven Sovereign Luo as the victor, and the Black Empyrean Phoenix the defeated.

Thus, they had thought it was a given that Sovereign Luo would win once more, especially having descended into the Abyss and locked onto her fallen foe in the middle of their nirvanic rebirth.

Her solemn promise had seemingly given the human race a path forward. In the joy and relief that followed, none of them had taken the time to think it through.

"Then..." Gui Mu glanced at Li Wang, her eyes dark and unreadable. The corners of her mouth pulled into a mocking smile as she asked, "Do Jiang Fan and I still have to die?"

Jiang Fan lifted his head to calmly meet Li Wang's gaze.

The bitterness in Gui Mu's tone and expression was evident, overflowing with resentment toward Li Wang for his earlier decision to execute her and Jiang Fan. That was not something she would forgive easily.

Not every True God was committed to the eternal rise of the human race. Gui Mu, at least, was not one of them.

The True God of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect had never been particularly invested in the survival or future of the human race. All she wanted was to safely leave the Abyss, avoid the Outer Gods looking to hunt her down, and swiftly advance her cultivation realm before freely roaming the starry skies without restraint.

What became of the Abyss and the human race within after her departure did not matter to her. She was selfish and viewed the world solely through her own lens. The greater good was not something she had ever cared about.

Li Wang knew this, which was why he specifically ordered Zhu Ji to kill her.

"If it comes to it, then yes, you both still have to die," Li Wang said bluntly, his expression calm and unflinching. "I can die for the future of our race. Why can't you two?"

"You're choosing to die for your ideals. That's your choice. But don't try to force it on me. You want to sacrifice me for your so-called grand cause? Based on what? If we're going by combat strength, Su Wanrou and Yin Ji are more expendable than I am. You can't deal with Pang Jian or Li Zhaotian, so you pick me to die? What kind of twisted logic is that?" Gui Mu snapped coldly.

Jiang Fan quietly added, "I'd rather not die either."

Despite ascending to godhood through the Dao of Monarch, Jiang Fan had always referred to himself with a casual "I." In switching to the formal "I," he made it clear that he was truly upset[1].

He founded the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom and single-handedly built it into the most powerful divine kingdom in the Abyss. He was the embodiment of imperial rule through the ages.

The Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom flourished under his reign, with other kingdoms and cities striving to emulate its governance.

Jiang Fan believed that he could have reached greater heights had he not split his focus between ruling a divine kingdom and cultivating. His experience in ruling a kingdom would also prove invaluable if the human race ever broke free from the Abyss and spread across the vast starry skies. Despite this, the first person Li Wang wanted to sacrifice was him.

Of course, Jiang Fan was furious!

"Even if I have Zhu Ji stand down, Pang Jian would still strike you down. Either way, both of you still end up dead," Li Wang said calmly.

"No!"

"It's completely different!"

Gui Mu and Jiang Fan shouted at the same time.

They would rather Pang Jian kill them than have Li Wang decide their fate for them.

Just like that, a rift had formed between them, a fracture that would never heal.

"Put your grievances aside for now," Pang Jian interrupted impatiently. Turning to Li Zhaotian, he asked, "Master, what should we do next?"

That one question made it apparent that Pang Jian did not recognize Li Wang as the leader of the True Gods. It did not matter that Li Wang was willing to sacrifice himself for the future of the human race. Pang Jian's loyalty lay firmly with his master, Li Zhaotian.

Li Zhaotian flashed a defiant grin.

"To be honest, I never liked the idea of obediently handing over three clusters of Fortune just because of some promise. I only kicked up a fuss because Gui Mu and Li Wang agreed." The rotund man twirled a needle-thin sword in his left ear as if cleaning it, eyes half-lidded in lazy contentment as he hummed to himself. "My suggestion? We directly storm into the Seventh World!"

His posture was carefree, but his words were as sharp as blades.

"I want to see just how massive and powerful that Sovereign of the Fey Race really is! More than that, I want to see for myself what a battle between Sovereigns looks like! I want to visit that bronze continent too!

"Pang Jian!" Li Zhaotian's voice rang out commandingly.

"Master, I'm here!" Pang Jian responded at once.

"The aura of death and murky energy has drained our strength and vitality," Li Zhaotian said. "Do you have a way to restore what we've lost?"

Pang Jian thought for a few seconds, then replied, "It won't be a problem."

"Good!" Li Zhaotian nodded, then turned to look at Li Wang, Jiang Fan, and Gui Mu. “My disciple, Pang Jian, will use his authority and power as the World God of this era to restore our strength. Once we‘re ready, we'll descend into the Seventh World together to explore the remains of that Black Empyrean Phoenix!

"The chaos and conflict in the Fifth and Sixth Worlds are nothing compared to the one happening in the body of the Sovereign in the Seventh World. We need to see the confrontation between the Black Empyrean Phoenix and Luo Hongyan for ourselves if we want to make a decision that benefits the human race."

Li Wang, Gui Mu, Jiang Fan, Su Wanrou, and Yin Ji all felt a chill run through their hearts at the Pavilion Master's audacious plan.. None of them expected Li Zhaotian to have the courage to lead an incursion into the Seventh World to face not just one, but two Sovereigns head-on.

"I'll lead the way!" Pang Jian shouted, his blood surging with fervor.

Pang Jian had always known his master was incomparably brave.

Even before ascending to the True God Realm, Li Zhaotian had descended into the Fourth World's Fey Spirit Continent alone to challenge Li Bai, the previous Patriarch of the Demon Scale Race. Not long ago, he also charged into the Dragon Lair Sect with nothing but his sword, single-handedly pressuring the Long Xiao into releasing Pang Lin.

His master's courage was peerless beneath the heavens.

Still, Pang Jian never imagined that his master would dare to descend into the Seventh World at a time like this, when the erosion of murky energy and the aura of death had halved everyone's strength.

Deep admiration filled Pang Jian.

Yin Ji's eyes sparkled with open adoration as she gazed at the rotund man in blue robes.

Su Wanrou quietly said, "The new era needs men like Li Zhaotian."

After a long stretch of silence, Zhu Ji said quietly, "I will go with you."

Unlike before, he no longer sought Li Wang's opinion first.

Hot blood still coursed through his veins. Zhu Ji's fighting spirit had never truly faded.

1. The pronoun "I" Jiang Fan normally uses is the common wǒ (我), which is plain and unassuming. However, in this moment, he refers to himself as guǎ rén (寡人), the formal first-person pronoun used by royalty. ☜