Chapter 716: Gui Mu, Pang Xuan

The Rock Devourer's expression grew increasingly complex as he gazed at Pang Jian, a mix of hatred and sorrow flickering in his rocky, orb-like eyes.

This hatred was directed at Pang Jian's father and the human race of the Abyss.

A faint trace of sorrow and reluctant affection toward Pang Jian's mother could also be seen. After all, she was the reason it had become a Rank Twelve Aberrant Spirit.

"If only that meeting had never happened..." The Rock Devourer let out a mournful sigh.

Those words struck Pang Jian to the core. His mother's background was far more complicated than he had ever imagined. It was likely she was not even human!

The envoy of the Nether Abyss had mentioned that only one World God could exist in each abyss at any given time. If Pang Jian's father was the World God of the Abyss, then his mother, also a World God, could only have come from another abyss.

Pang Jian thought about the beehive buried deep within the Solitary Mountain Range and the Nether Abyss Spirit Bees revived through the World God Pendant.

My mother brought the Rock Devourer from the Nether Abyss to attend a gathering of World Gods. Now, the leader of the Nether Abyss wants to meet me.

The truth of his mother's origins was becoming clear. She had likely been the World God of the Nether Abyss.

It would explain why the Nether Abyss Spirit Bees, loyal only to the leader of the Nether Abyss, had appeared within the Abyss, and how they had made their way to the Solitary Mountain Range.

Pang Jian burned with endless questions.

"How did she die?"

His father was missing, and his mother's death was shrouded in mystery. Pang Jian had every reason to dig deeper and uncover the truth.

The Rock Devourer snorted coldly. "We can talk once you can break free from my restraints. You don't even understand the situation, yet you think you're ready to step into the Nether Abyss. You'll be nothing but meat on a chopping block the moment you enter the Nether Abyss. Your fate would be entirely up to Long Di's whim."

Long Di was the leader of the Nether Abyss, the one to whom all the Nether Gods answered. His renown and might in the starry skies were second only to the four Sovereigns. It was said that Long Di's true strength while within the Nether Abyss was enough to rival any Sovereign.

A strange grinding noise, like rocks scraping against each other, came from deep within Pang Jian's body.

Multicolored stones suddenly appeared inside his Immortal Divine Soul, cramming into his chest, head, and organs, filling every empty space to the brim.

Rocks filled the gaps between the tiny stars and suns within his body. Even his sea of consciousness was packed tight.

These rocks completely blocked the flow of his divine sense and the myriad energies within his body, leaving his thoughts sluggish.

"Long Di won't take kindly to you. Your mother was the love of his life until Pang Qi stole her away. She was the previous World God of the Nether Abyss. She and Long Di were a perfect match. If not for Pang Qi, ancestral tradition would've bound them as a couple to bring forth the strongest heirs to the Nether Race.

"You're Pang Qi's child. If you walk into Long Di's domain as is, you'll be handing yourself over. He'll have you in the palm of his hand. Truly foolish!"

The Rock Devourer's fury echoed within the heart-shaped fragmented land, its rage intended for only Pang Jian to hear.

"Use every ounce of power you have, every Heavenly Dao you've comprehended, to try to break free from my restraint.

"If you succeed, we can talk further. If not, I'd rather see you trapped here forever than watch you march blindly into the Nether Abyss, on a silver platter for Long Di."

***

Back on an unremarkable fragmented land in the Fifth World of the Abyss, the True Gods were using rare spirit materials and divine pills to recover their strength.

Pang Jian held the World God Pendant in his hand, his expression slightly dazed as he reached out to the Bee Sovereign.

Do you retain any memories of the previous World God?

he asked.

I don't,

the Bee Sovereign replied.

The tall figure of the Bee Sovereign hovered in the dense bizarre mist of Absolute Heaven. His features closely mirrored Pang Jian's, and aside from the transparent wings on his back, his human form held no other bee-like traits.

I've already reached Rank Nine, but I still don't feel any signs of a breakthrough. It's strange. I haven't experienced any awakening of deeper memories. The only things I've recalled after my bloodline advanced are techniques tied to my race.

The Bee Sovereign paused in thought, then added,

Why? Have you uncovered something new?

Several fist-sized golden bees came buzzing in from afar as the Bee Sovereign conversed with Pang Jian.

In the distance, a colossal gray ape wreathed in cold energy strode confidently through the bizarre mist. Its thousand-zhang-tall form resembled a glacier come to life, and its ice-blue eyes were likely twin stars piercing through the bizarre mist.

Noticing the Gray Ape through the Bee Sovereign and golden bees, Pang Jian commented,

Yuan Qi seems to be doing well.

Yes. He's been hunting down those Rank Nine foreign race warriors. His power is growing fast. That pair of eyes you sent over filled in his only weakness. He'll soon be ready to challenge for the position of a Fey God.

Pang Jian gave a quiet nod before pressing further about the previous World God. Unfortunately, the Bee Sovereign had no answers for him.

"Forget it," Pang Jian muttered to himself.

He had no choice but to question somebody else.

***

"Senior Li Wang!" Pang Jian called out softly. "Senior Jiang Fan previously mentioned that you and Senior Gui Mu had contact with the previous World God?"

He deliberately avoided mentioning his father's name.

The other True Gods glanced over, some in surprise, others in quiet curiosity. Their eyes darted between Pang Jian and Li Wang.

Confusion flickered across Li Wang's face as he replied, "That's right. I had some contact with him, though not much. Let me put it this way. He was like a senior to us. His existence spans an era far older than mine."

Pang Jian was not the only one startled. Everyone present was visibly stunned.

Li Wang was the oldest among all the living True Gods in the Abyss, with only Gui Mu nearing his age. The revelation that the previous World God was older than even him was truly shocking.

"He didn't spend much time in the Abyss. His battlefield was never here. The only times he came to me were to pass along instructions, nothing more. Even then, that was because I was the nominal leader of the True Gods in the Abyss.

"When he returned, it was on behalf of the ancient True Gods in the starry skies. He himself was from that bygone era. As the World God, he alone could break through the barrier and leave the Abyss, but still find a way back."

After finishing his story, Li Wang turned to Gui Mu.

"The only other person he met with was you. Do you know why?"

Gui Mu frowned, uncertainty painting her features. "Because my surname is Pang?"

Pang Jian was taken aback.

Almost no one remembered Gui Mu's original name. Since she became known as Gui Mu, everyone simply called her by her title[1]. Thus, Pang Jian never knew that Gui Mu's actual surname was also Pang.

"The first two True Gods of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect bore the surname Pang," Li Wang explained with a small smile. "One was named Pang Fei, the other Pang Qi. The two brothers were the founders of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect.

"The Pang Family was synonymous with the Ghost Sacrifice Sect in the same way the Li Family is with the Divine Treasure Sect today.

"Pang Fei, the elder brother, was the more well-known of the two, and the lineage from which Gui Mu descends.

"Pang Qi, on the other hand, remained obscure. It wasn't until he shattered the barrier and left the Abyss that people noticed his presence within the Ghost Sacrifice Sect.

"Pang Qi became a True God first and left the Abyss immediately after he ascended. He flared briefly across the Abyss like a shooting star and vanished just as swiftly. There's barely even a trace of him left in the Ghost Sacrifice Sect, just shadows of his presence.

"Pang Xuan, you're a descendant of Pang Fei's line. In other words, if Pang Jian truly is the child of Pang Qi, then strictly speaking, that would make him your senior in the family line."

Gui Mu, real name Pang Xuan, turned ashen. Head bowed, she clenched her teeth, remaining silent and unmoving.

Li Zhaotian grinned, clicking his tongue mockingly. "How amusing! Who would've thought that you, dear elder, were actually the junior all along? Pang Jian is my disciple. So if we're going strictly by seniority..."

The smug grin on Li Zhaotian's face only grew wider, his laughter more raucous, and his jabs increasingly shameless. He had not referred to Gui Mu with any sort of honorific since becoming a True God. Now, he was tossing them around like it was going out of style.

"Alright, that's enough out of you!" Yin Ji shot him a fierce glare and tugged at his sleeve, clearly worried that Gui Mu would snap if provoked further.

Su Wanrou could not help but smile, but unlike Li Zhaotian, she held her tongue.

Jiang Fan also said nothing, seemingly deep in thought.

Zhu Ji, as always, looked entirely uninterested.

"The Ghost Sacrifice Sect..." Pang Jian glanced at Gui Mu with a strange look in his eyes.

He never expected this self-serving True God to be distantly connected to him. More surprising still was the revelation that his father had roots in the Ghost Sacrifice Sect, and as one of its original True Gods, no less.

"Senior Li Wang, did my father ever bring anyone with him when he came to see you? Think carefully. Was there ever a woman?" Pang Jian asked, finally voicing the question that had been weighing on his mind.

Li Wang did not answer right away. Knitting his brows, he fell into deep thought, trying to recall his meetings with the previous World God.

"He was always alone. Of that, I'm certain," Li Wang said at last.

A wave of disappointment washed over Pang Jian.

Gui Mu abruptly lifted her head. "Wait, I did see a woman once, but she wasn't a human!"

1. Her title, Gui Mu (鬼母), means Ghost Mother or Mother of Ghosts. ☜