Chapter 737: The Battle of the Nether Abyss

"Traces of the late Sovereign Demonheaven have appeared in the Abyss!"

Fa Ji's revelation shook the Outer Gods and the World Gods.

Anything a Sovereign left behind, be it their legacy, divine artifacts, or even cryptic decrees, would be treasures of unimaginable value.

"The Abyss..." The Gods gazed at Pang Jian, their minds drifting to the many legends tied to the Abyss, their imaginations running wild.

Both the Abyss and the Nether Abyss were extraordinary in their own right, mysterious worlds far beyond anything they dared to imagine.

Terrifying Nether Gods like Long Di ruled the Nether Abyss, with many other extraordinary beings also gathering there.

The history of the Nether Abyss stretched back eons, and the ranks of Gods within the Nether Abyss were loosely defined. This lack of restriction gave rise to figures like Long Di and other powerful Nether Gods, allowing them to surpass the typical low-ranking Gods that came out of other abysses.

Nether Gods were also capable of traversing abysses with their divine soul, a unique trait that gave them the means to invade other abysses within the bizarre mist.

Many races, such as the Demon Races, the Ghost Race, the Celestial Race, the Shadow Spirit Race, the Dark Shadow Race, and many more, had been brought in from other abysses to serve the Nether Race in the Nether Abyss.

The overwhelming might of the Nether Gods meant the divine beings from other abysses could do little against them, even when the restrictions on entering abysses were lifted.

World Gods like Yuan Yi and Hai Wei could enter the Nether Abyss using their World God Pendants, but even they dared not act rashly. Even when they entered the Nether Abyss, they acted with extreme caution, afraid of drawing the attention of Long Di or other powerful Nether Gods and ending up being killed.

In short, while there were ways to enter the Nether Abyss, the strength of the Nether Gods made it so that World Gods from other abysses rarely dared to enter.

The Abyss, however, was different.

The strongest of the Abyss were concentrated in the starry skies, while the strength of the True Gods within the Abyss itself was relatively weak.

World Gods from other abysses had long set their sights on the Abyss, attempting to use their World God Pendants to enter and uncover the secrets behind the human race's strength.

Unfortunately, the boundary wall of the Abyss imposed restrictions even on World Gods.

This made the Abyss an even more mysterious abyss than the Nether Abyss. Knowledge of the Abyss was scarce among the Gods of the abysses. Many knew even less than the Outer Gods in the starry skies.

Seeing the hunger in Fa Ji's eyes and the greedy looks on the faces of the Gods around him, Pang Jian could not help but sneer.

"I don't know much about the Nether Abyss, but I do know a thing or two about the Abyss." Pang Jian scoffed. "Forgive my bluntness, but even once the laws of the Abyss no longer bar outsiders, you could all end up dying inside. A complete wipeout isn't out of the question."

After seeing the battle between the Black Empyrean Phoenix and Luo Hongyan, he truly did not think that Great Demon God Fa Ji or World God Yuan Yi could play a decisive role in that fight.

Yuan Yi, at best, was nothing more than a high-ranking God.

Luo Hongyan, on the other hand, was in a phase of explosive growth. The Black Dragon King, under the Black Empyrean Phoenix's command, was also already a mid-ranking Fey God and likely to grow even stronger.

Given such circumstances, they would probably far outclass Yuan Yi and Fa Ji by the time they could step into the Abyss.

"Pang Jian, you're placing far too much faith in your Abyss," the old crone of the Ghost Race sneered, curling her lips in disdain. "The human race has its share of powerful Gods, but those still trapped within the Abyss are hardly worth mentioning.

"Any high-ranking God entering the Abyss with their real body could easily destroy the human race's foundation. I'd love to know what exactly you have that could wipe us out."

The other Outer Gods seemed to agree, nodding and echoing her sentiment.

"Win the battle here first. You can worry about the Abyss later," Pang Jian said, unwilling to argue.

"The Nether Abyss, the Nether Race, and even Long Di will soon fall to us. Pang Jian, just watch. Watch how we take over the Nether Abyss!" Fa Ji snorted before turning to Hai Wei. "Leave everything else for now. Keep an eye on him. I'm going to rendezvous with Elder Yuan."

Hai Wei nodded. "Alright."

The banners behind Fa Ji flew toward the many fragmented lands and continents, seizing the chance to gather more malevolent thoughts.

Eyes no longer filled the holes on the banners. Instead, they rippled with greenish-black light, each housing a miniature Demon Realm within, absorbing the swirling negative energies permeating the Nether Abyss for Fa Ji to empower himself.

The cracked black scales on Fa Ji's body mended, and the blood flowing from his eye slowed. The soul and blood essences he had spent also quickly replenished.

He had dared to burn through his demonic energy to trace Pang Jian's physical body because he knew he could replenish it all in a short time.

Fa Ji shouted, "Ah Ta!"

"I'm here." A one-eyed giant emerged from one of the fragmented lands below, his frame resembling an iron tower.

Though similar in appearance to Ah Man, this one-eyed giant was not particularly massive in size. His eye also had a metallic sheen.

Grinning, he said, "Fa Ji, didn't we agree to use those arrogant, indulgent members of the Nether Race to force the Nether Gods to show themselves?"

"Ah Ta, you've only got one eye. I'm afraid you're not seeing things clearly." Fa Ji snorted, clearly on familiar terms with him. "Nearly all the members of the Nether Race on the nineteen continents and one hundred sixty-three fragmented lands above are already dead. Have you seen a single Nether God emerge?"

Ah Ta paused, scratched his head, and said, "Long Di's got some serious self-control!"

"No, that's not it." Fa Ji shook his head. "Those Nether Race in the upper continents and fragmented lands may have lived in arrogance and luxury, but in truth, they were the weakest of the Nether Race. They lacked talent and potential, so they were assigned to the surface rather than cultivating deep below.

"They're all people that Long Di has long since written off, those he deemed unworthy of ever becoming Nether Gods. Naturally, he doesn't care what happens to them."

Ah Ta nodded. "Elder Yuan was right! Long Di will only feel the loss when we kill those below. Only then will the Nether Gods emerge!"

"Let's go." Fa Ji took the lead, descending ahead of the others.

The one-eyed giant named Ah Ta obeyed Fa Ji without question.

Outer Gods and World Gods emerged from the nineteen continents and the one hundred sixty-three fragmented lands, descending toward the deep sea at the bottom of the Nether Abyss.

No one paid attention to Pang Jian.

"Elder Yuan and Fa Ji both knew you wouldn't leave at a time like this," Hai Wei said softly.

"I've already said this before, I'm here only as an observer, not a participant." After a brief pause, he asked, "What race is Yuan Yi?"

"You'll find out very soon." Hai Wei smiled. "Why don't you bring out that Thunder Pool? If you do, Elder Yuan, Fa Ji, and the others will be able to win against Long Di much faster."

"I heard rumors that Long Di was on par with a Sovereign while in the Nether Abyss?" Pang Jian asked curiously.

"That's just the Nether Gods flattering him," Hai Wei said, disdain curling her lip. "No Sovereign has ever set foot in the Nether Abyss, so they can say whatever they want. There's no way to prove it anyway. Come on, let's head down for a closer look."

Pang Jian did not immediately agree.

He was still not too far from the nearest boundary wall, and the unique properties of his Immortal Divine Soul meant he could retreat instantly if he so wished. Hai Wei, being only a mid-ranking God, had no way of stopping him.

Fa Ji was still descending to the deep sea, and Yuan Yi's colossal body hovered over a continent floating in the sea of the Nether Abyss. For now, neither of them could interfere with him.

Pang Jian could still tear open a spatial rift and use it to escape back to the Fifth World of the Abyss.

Could Yuan Yi and Fa Ji have planned for this? What if there's a hidden figure silently watching me from the shadows, waiting for me to open a spatial rift so they can access or spy on the Abyss?

"Alright, let's get a closer look." Despite his doubts, Pang Jian ultimately decided to descend into the depths of the Nether Abyss to witness the battle firsthand.

In the not-so-distant future, once the fundamental laws of the Abyss were broken, many Outer Gods would likely invade the Abyss. The brutal war unfolding in the Nether Abyss would inevitably be repeated in the Abyss.

Pang Jian wanted to see more, so he could be better prepared.

***

"Long Di!" Yuan Yi roared with such force that his pores seemed to burst.

His colossal Fey Race body loomed high in the skies above a continent, with red, green, purple, black, and blue clouds of blood surging from his wings.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The continent was many times larger than any found in Abyss. Despite this, Yuan Yi had managed to completely enshroud it in a curtain of blood.

Once Pang Jian and Hai Wei descended past a certain height, the stench of blood pierced their noses. Even Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul felt deeply uncomfortable.

Even at his peak, Pan Di was not even a tenth the size Yuan Yi could achieve while possessing the same body. The power contained within was worlds apart.

By channeling the vast amount of blood he absorbed in the Nether Abyss through Pan Di's body, Yuan Yi transformed himself into a monstrous entity of terrifying proportions, radiating an aura that unsettled all beings of flesh and blood.

"This is far enough!" Hai Wei halted, one of her hands covering her nose. "Any deeper, and my bloodline won't be able to withstand Elder Yuan's power. It'll start to take control of my body."

Pang Jian peered around and saw that many Outer Gods had revealed their original forms, each towering tens of thousands of zhang tall as they hovered above.

***

Why are you still here?

The delicate-looking Nether Race woman Pang Jian had seen before rose from another continent beneath the deep sea, standing atop a massive golden bee.

Yuan Yi is a high-ranking God of the ancient Fey Race.

The Fey Race is inherently stronger than others of the same level. On top of that, he's also a World God. Those two identities combined make Yuan Yi an incredibly formidable opponent. Why haven't you left already?