Chapter 719: Unresolved

Pang Jian could not help but feel awkward at Li Wang's words.

After all, he had been the one to take the Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chest, the array core of Eight Trigrams City. Its absence had introduced a flaw in the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar on the Fifth Continent.

During the early stages of the foreign races' ascension to the upper worlds, he had even played the role of an unwitting accomplice.

The foreign races could only construct flying vessels capable of reaching the Fourth World because Pang Jian had provided Yu Xin with rare spirit materials and resources not found in the Fifth World.

The tragedy that unfolded in the Primordial Wilderness was also Pang Jian's doing. Though the foreign races suffered heavy losses, they ultimately gained even more in return.

As Pang Jian fell into deep thought, he quickly realized that the gears of his fate first started to shift when the bones of the Celestial Phoenix came crashing down on the Solitary Mountain Range.

When Sun Bin attempted to take Pang Lin to the upper worlds, the Celestial Phoenix's remains exploded out, with the bone bearing its inheritance actively seeking Pang Lin out.

The scattering of the Celestial Phoenix's bones led to the arrival of the Third World factions like the Sinister Soul Temple, the Blood Moon Sect, and the Red Mountain Sect in the Solitary Mountain Range.

It was also the reason Ning Yao and He Ziren broke through the fences of Pang Jian's home to demand he act as their guide.

In hindsight, his and his sister's achievements could all be traced back to this initial explosion and scattering of the Celestial Phoenix's bones.

Did the Black Empyrean Phoenix orchestrate all of this?

Pang Jian wondered.

The Celestial Phoenix was created from the Black Empyrean Phoenix's blood essence. Even before the True Gods and Long Xiao struck it down, it had already been focused on destroying the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Whether the Celestial Phoenix was acting because of regained memories or the Black Empyrean Phoenix's influence did not truly matter. The core of it was that the Black Empyrean Phoenix was undoubtedly involved.

The legacy bone carrying the Celestial Phoenix's insights deliberately sought out Pang Lin to imprint its inheritance on her divine soul. This could not have been a mere coincidence.

When those bones fell from the Third World into the Solitary Mountain Range, they just so happened to pierce the beehive, the World Eater Vine, the black turtle, and the Giant Abyssal Serpent.

The Bee Sovereign, the beehive, the World Tree, the black turtle, and the Giant Abyssal Serpent were all reborn using the essence of the Celestial Phoenix, which carried within it the power of nirvanic rebirth.

Did the Black Empyrean Phoenix orchestrate all of this? Or could they truly be coincidences?

The golden bee in the Resolute Expanse glanced at the black turtle with an almost suspicious glint in its eyes.

He could not help but doubt everything he knew. The terrifying shadow of that Sovereign of the Fey Race seemed to loom behind the Bee Sovereign, the black turtle, the World Tree, and even the Black Dragon King's rebirths.

Even the tempering of Pang Jian's body during the Marrow Cleansing Realm relied on the murky energy of the Fifth World.

This was why he could effortlessly adapt to the darkness of the Fifth World and even the Seventh World.

The Celestial Phoenix was an extension of the Black Empyrean Phoenix, and the greatest power the Sovereign of the Fey Race wielded was none other than darkness.

A chill ran down Pang Jian's spine.

His realizations about the Black Empyrean Phoenix floating within the Seventh World caused a deep, instinctive dread to well up within him.

The powerhouses of the foreign races and the Black Dragon King had all ascended to godhood through Corruption, meaning they would inevitably come under its influence.

His sister had inherited the Celestial Phoenix's legacy, while the reborn black turtle, the Bee Sovereign, and the World Tree were reborn through its essence, putting them at risk as well. Even Dong Tianze, as a Celestial Phoenix Divine Guard, was not safe from this.

Though its remains lay dormant in the Seventh World, the Black Empyrean Phoenix had steered the tide of the Abyss in its own quiet way.

Its tendrils were far-reaching, extending through the entire Abyss. Nowhere was safe from its watchful gaze.

Zhu Ji was right. Luo Hongyan was not guaranteed to be the victor in this prolonged battle between the two Sovereigns. This Sovereign of the Fey Race could be the one with the true upper hand.

A cold dread crept into Pang Jian's heart.

The Black Empyrean Phoenix seemed a greater threat than even Luo Hongyan. He needed to uncover its true intentions before Pang Lin fell into its grasp.

"Back when you came into contact with the previous World God, did you ever see a woman by his side?" the golden bee asked, fluttering up to stare directly into the ancient Thunder Dragon's eyes. "You already know what I can do. If my physical body weren't in the Fifth World, I wouldn't even need to ask you."

Long Xiao let out a weary sigh. "I understand."

Pang Jian had the ability to twist and rewrite a person's thoughts. Using a soul-searching technique was effortless in comparison.

Knowing this, Long Xiao answered honestly, "I never saw any woman with the previous World God. He only met with me and the rest of the Fey Gods to ask for our help in suppressing the foreign races in the Fifth World. He made promises on behalf of the human race."

Disdain flashed in Long Xiao's eyes.

"But Li Wang and the other True Gods went back on those promises the instant he left, and not just once either!"

Long Xiao then cast a furious glare at the black turtle.

"Only you still believe in him! The human race has broken its promises time and time again, yet you cling to the hope that he'll one day make good on his word!"

The black turtle lowered his head in silence.

After getting no clear answers from Li Wang, Gui Mu, or Long Xiao, Pang Jian came to a realization his father had likely only agreed to let his mother meet with Gui Mu because of their familial ties.

Li Wang, Long Xiao, and even the black turtle were all outsiders in his father's eyes, and there was no reason for them to meet his mother.

In light of this, it was likely none of the True Gods or Fey Gods could offer any real clarity on his mother's death.

"Brother, why are you asking all of this?" Pang Lin asked in surprise from beneath the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree.

Pang Lin was still unaware of her unique background. She likely did not even know what a World God was, let alone that the previous World God of the Abyss was her father.

"It's nothing. I'm just asking out of curiosity," the golden bee replied. Then, glancing at the black turtle and Rock Bear, he continued, "Fortune permits only one person to ascend to godhood under the same Heavenly Dao at a time. My sister won't be able to ascend unless Long Xiao dies."

These words were all but a death sentence. Long Xiao slowly closed his eyes and said nothing more. Begging for mercy was useless at this point.

The black turtle and the Rock Bear could only sigh in disappointment.

"As long as there's a trace of his blood essence, I'll be able to bring him back after ascending to godhood," Pang Lin said after a moment of thought. A deep blue light flickered in the depths of her bright eyes. "But he would have to start over from scratch. He'll also forget everything from before, though it's possible he'll regain those memories when he becomes a Fey God again."

A look of shock appeared on the black turtle's face.

Long Xiao's eyes flew open.

The Rock Bear was visibly shaken. Hope stirred his heart as he glanced between the black turtle and the battered Thunder Dragon.

The wings of the golden bee trembled in response to Pang Jian's astonishment.

Pang Lin had just described exactly the rebirth that the four beings in the bronze pendant had undergone. Even Yuan Qi and the Ice Armor Eel Dragon had been reborn using that same method.

"You-you can bring him back?" the black turtle asked.

"I can." Pang Lin nodded gently. "In the legacy I received from the Celestial Phoenix, there's a secret art that allows one to revive a being through their blood essence.

"I don't yet have the strength to cast it successfully, but it'll be possible once I become a True God. As long as I'm given a single drop of his blood essence, I can bring him back in the future. Of course, when he returns, he'll be far weaker."

Pang Lin delivered this shocking news with a calm ease, as if it were a simple matter for her.

Rubbing her temples, she added, "There are many secret arts recorded in that legacy. Reviving the dead is just one of them. There are other, far more profound techniques that I can't even begin to comprehend yet."

No matter how others viewed the Celestial Phoenix, Pang Lin always felt deeply grateful toward it.

She was just a young girl from the Fourth World. For this legendary being to entrust her with its profound legacy was a blessing beyond measure.

It was a source of pride for her.

With the Celestial Phoenix's inheritance, she could one day stand among the most outstanding cultivators of the Pure Land Sect.

She once dreamed of becoming strong enough to return to the Fourth World and bring her brother to the First World, where they could gaze upon the sun, moon, and stars together.

The legacy of the Celestial Phoenix had been the pillar of these dreams.

"I've known the Celestial Phoenix for many years. While I knew it could undergo nirvanic rebirth, I never realized it could revive others as well," Long Xiao remarked skeptically.

"I also only knew that it could only bring itself back to life," the black turtle chimed in. After a brief pause, his expression turned complicated as he added, "But I've also been brought back...”

Hearing that, Long Xiao's gaze turned dazed. "It-it seems..."

"Pang Lin, keep a bit of his blood essence," Pang Jian instructed. "Once you become a True God, try to bring him back."

"Alright." Pang Lin nodded.

Though she still resented this domineering Thunder Dragon for imprisoning her and nearly destroying the Pure Land Sect, she was an undeniably kind soul. In her heart, letting him die once was punishment enough.

***

In the depths of the bizarre mist, Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul stood like a stone monolith above the heart-shaped fragmented land, motionless and unwavering.

He had tried to uncover the truth behind his mother using the connection with his physical body in the Abyss, but to no avail.

Focus returning to his predicament, he realized he had to break the Rock Devourer's restraints and clear the stones within his body and sea of consciousness.

"Primordial Demon Fusion Art." Pang Jian activated the most powerful technique he knew, attempting to refine the stones within his body.

The stones mercilessly severed the flow of his divine sense, soul essence, and energy.

The Rock Devourer shook its head in judgment. "You have an exceptional body, but you don't know how to use it. You're weak."