Chapter 722: Meeting Through the Spatial Rift

Pang Jian stood absentmindedly on the heart-shaped fragment of land, paying no heed to the Rock Devourer's request.

He knew the Abyss was a prison with its inhabitants struggling endlessly to find a way out. However, the idea that someone else was behind his every decision was truly discomforting.

When Pang Jian closed his eyes, he could almost feel the Black Empyrean Phoenix lurking within the darkness, wings spread wide as it coldly observed his every move. It only needed to flap its wings ever so slightly to seal the course of his life.

The sense that another being was controlling his life left Pang Jian disheartened and suffocated.

"Altering the destiny of a minor being is a trivial matter for a Sovereign like the Black Empyrean Phoenix, even in death," the Rock Devourer said, sensing the bitterness in Pang Jian's heart. "You've already stepped beyond the Abyss. Isn't it just as effortless for you to use the beguilement techniques of the Demon Races on the weak? Can't you similarly plant thoughts in their minds?

"Only when you're strong enough to sense its presence will you be able to hold fast to your will.

"Pang Jian, sometimes having your destiny manipulated by others can actually be a blessing, especially when the one doing it is a Sovereign. It means you carry great value. It means you're not worthless. A Sovereign's gaze would not have fallen on you otherwise.

"So, don't wallow in despair and don't give up on yourself. What you need to do is work hard to change this situation. After all, the Black Empyrean Phoenix is dead, and its path to nirvanic rebirth has only just started. You still have time to prepare for what comes next," the Rank Twelve Aberrant Spirit advised.

Pang Jian remained silent for a long while. After some thought, he finally responded, "I do have the ability to show you the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars in the Fifth World of the Abyss."

The Rock Devourer's expression shifted. "Show me."

A narrow spatial rift shimmered to life behind Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul, swirling with dazzling multicolored light. The rift revealed another Pang Jian behind it, followed by the startled faces of Li Zhaotian, Yin Ji, Su Wanrou, Gui Mu, Li Wang, and Jiang Fan.

The last to appear was a visibly stunned Zhu Ji.

The two groups locked eyes through the radiant spatial rift.

"The Abyss," the Rock Devourer murmured, its eyes greedily taking in the landscape and structures of the Fifth World.

It had heard many tales of the Abyss, to the point that it felt strangely familiar, but it had never actually set foot in it or seen it with its own eyes. That had always been a lingering regret.

After all this time, the new World God of the Abyss finally fulfilled this long-standing wish, opening a door for it to glimpse the Abyss using the World God Pendant.

***

Li Wang stood up on the nameless fragmented land in the Fifth World.

Stepping forward to the edge of the spatial rift, he curiously studied the figure of the Rock Devourer and asked, "Pang Jian, who is this?"

He knew about the other Pang Jian roaming the bizarre mist and the starry skies. Thus, he was unsurprised to see Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul within the spatial rift. The Rock Devourer, however, was unfamiliar to him.

The sight of a stone figure with rotating eyes, peering about with childlike interest, was undeniably strange.

"A Rank Twelve Aberrant Spirit. Its combat prowess and standing are comparable to high-ranking Gods like Zi Mo and He Motian," Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul explained. His physical body in the Abyss then pointed at Li Zhaotian, Li Wang, Zhu Ji, and the others. "They're all True Gods of the human race. They're recovering in the Fifth World, preparing to infiltrate the Seventh World."

Li Wang, Jiang Fan, and Li Zhaotian's eyes lit up.

"A Rank Twelve Aberrant Spirit!"

"The combat prowess of a high-ranking God!"

They exclaimed, examining the Rock Devourer across the spatial rift. This was an exceedingly rare chance for them to face a sentient being from outside the Abyss. None of them wanted to miss it.

Gui Mu suddenly moved. Sigils flared to life on her loose green robe, as if a multitude of wandering souls were wailing in unison.

A surge of power flooded into her, amplifying her strength. She then transformed into a streak of pale green light and shot toward the spatial rift, attempting to escape the Abyss.

The ongoing turmoil within the Abyss, the clash between two Sovereigns, the ascension of the foreign races into the upper worlds, and even the resurgence of the ancient Fey Race meant nothing to her.

Gui Mu cared not for the fate of the human race. Her ultimate goal had always been to break free from the Abyss and soar through the boundless starry skies beyond.

The streak of light that was Gui Mu slammed into an unseen barrier just outside the spatial rift like a mosquito into a pane of glass. Fine, hairline fractures spread across her body and soul from the impact.

The laws governing the Abyss had sensed her attempt and punished her accordingly.

"Why? Why?!" Gui Mu's face twisted, glaring at Pang Jian like a wrathful specter. "Why are you stopping me? It's their choice if they want to stay in the Abyss! Why do I have to be dragged down with them?

"I don't want to waste any more of my time here. I don't care who lives or dies, or which Sovereign wins! I just want to leave!

"My time, my youth, everything I had was wasted here in the Abyss! I don't want to waste another moment here. Why won't you let me leave? Why!?"

Li Wang, Jiang Fan, and the others frowned but said nothing.

Disgust flickered through Zhu Ji's eyes. "Pang Xuan, we have to respect the fundamental laws of the Abyss. You and I are not World Gods. The only way for us to leave is through the barrier above the First World. Every True God since the ancient eras left through that path. We are no exception."

"Pang Xuan, enough," Li Wang said with a quiet sigh.

Gui Mu's outburst did not faze the Rock Devourer. It only glanced briefly at Pang Jian's physical body before staring curiously at Zhu Ji and Li Zhaotian, seemingly finding something interesting about them.

It only gave Yin Ji, Jiang Fan, Su Wanrou, and Li Wang a passing glance before looking away. " I want to see the seven Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars, not some weak True Gods of the human race."

Zhu Ji's face darkened. Staring at the Rock Devourer through the spatial rift, he snorted. "Weak?"

"Beings like you wouldn't even be allowed near the core of the fragmented lands I govern," the Rock Devourer replied indifferently. "I know you're considered the best of the best of your respective generations in the Abyss—legends to be admired—but so what?

"The divine beings that come to my territories from across the starry skies are all pillars that dominate their corner of the stars. You'll only understand how small you are after you break free of your cage and wander the vast starry skies beyond.

"One of the most recent True Gods I met was named Du Tianyan. He came to my territory seeking an audience. He waited for nearly half a year before I agreed to see him. Do any of you stand a chance against Du Tianyan?" the Rock Devourer asked.

The harness in Zhu Ji's eyes disappeared in an instant. "Du Tianyan?"

"Du Tianyan..." Li Wang drew in a sharp breath. "How is he faring out there in the starry skies? He was a legend of the Abyss. I've heard bits and pieces about his achievements. He's doing well, right?"

"Hmm, he's doing alright. He's alive, at least." The Rock Devourer's lips curled into a peculiar, half-smile. "He came to my territory to avoid a crisis. His life was hanging by a thread, and he hoped to obtain divine pills from me to save himself."

At those words, the True Gods of the Abyss fell into silence.

Pang Jian's physical body asked, "Who is Du Tianyan?"

"He was the founder of the Heaven-Rivaling Divine Kingdom that once stood tall in the Eastern Land," Li Zhaotian answered. "Before me, he was the first and only person in the history of the Abyss to fail his initial attempt at ascending to godhood and succeed on his second try."

Pang Jian was immediately filled with solemn respect.

If one failed in their first attempt at ascending to godhood, they almost always perished during their second attempt. Success was virtually unheard of. Du Tianyan had been the sole exception before Li Zhaotian. For him to ascend to godhood on his second attempt made him a living legend.

That legendary figure had seemed destined to soar freely through the starry skies, unbound and untouchable. Despite this, he had been gravely wounded, forced to seek refuge on the Rock Devourer's fragmented lands, even waiting half a year before he was granted an audience.

Even a person of his might had to lower his head. True Gods still imprisoned within the Abyss had no right to call into question the Rock Devourer's judgment.

"So, don't go thinking you're anything special," the Rock Devourer mocked coldly. "Many divine beings on my fragmented lands are ancient legends in their respective abysses. They are by no means weaker than you. You have no right to speak until you've stepped beyond and gained greater power and insight. Learn to respect the rules."

It glanced at the disheartened Gui Mu, then turned to Pang Jian.

"Quick, show me any of the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars."

"Alright." Pang Jian's physical body flew above the fragmented land and opened a new spatial rift.

From this vantage point, the Rock Devourer could see the Fifth Continent and faintly make out the silhouette of a Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar encased within a dome of azure light.

"This is the Fifth World of the Abyss?" the Rock Devourer asked.

"Yes."

"What about the First, Second, and Third Worlds? What's the situation there?"

Pang Jian hesitated briefly. "I'm not in a position to leave right now. Otherwise, I could let you view each world through the spatial rift."

"I wish I could see all the places she once walked." The Rock Devourer sighed.