Chapter 741: Long Di's Scheme

Yuan Yi had slain the Thunder Gods within the bizarre mist to counter the Nether Gods of the Nether Abyss and remove the threats that were Long Di and Bai Zi.

The body Yuan Yi had possessed, formerly belonging to Pan Di, had transformed into a colossal monstrosity, vast as a continent. The tempestuous lightning he wielded also far surpassed Pan Di's.

After Yuan Yi killed the Thunderveil Godbeast, he enhanced its bloodline and physique, granting it the strength of a mid-ranking God.

When Fa Ji's soul entered the Thunderveil Godbeast's body, it erupted with a dense surge of demonic energy. The body was wreathed in swirling demonic energy, and lightning danced in its pupils.

"Bai Zi!" Fa Ji launched an assault on Bai Zi with both the Thunderveil Godbeast's body and his demonic body at once.

The Fa Ji in the Thunderveil Godbeast's body led the charge, braving Bai Zi's barrage of soul-related divine techniques and pressing forward without hesitation.

Lightning flickered between the Thunderveil Godbeast and Bai Zi. Wraiths also surfaced, only to vanish in an instant.

As the World God of the Nether Abyss, Bai Zi was well versed in myriad soul-related divine techniques. She was also a formidable high-ranking God. However, even her divine techniques could hardly endure the violent onslaught of thunder and lightning. They swiftly dissipated, unable to linger for long.

Among all the abysses in the bizarre mist, there were only two that the Nether Race had failed to conquer. One was the Abyss, and the other was the Thunder Abyss.

The Abyss remained untouchable not only because of the terrifyingly powerful True Gods within, but also due to the difficulty in even setting foot inside. This made them hesitant to act recklessly.

The Thunder Abyss was a different matter. The Nether Race considered it a restricted area, an abyss none dared to trespass lightly.

This was why the envoy from the Nether Abyss had waited at the lowest depths of the Thunder Abyss for Pang Jian rather than venturing deeper. The Thunder Abyss and the Thunder Gods ruling it were natural counters against the Nether Race.

Fa Ji had clearly grown more confident in his assault on Bai Zi after obtaining the body of the Thunderveil Godbeast.

"A Thunder God..." Bai Zi's slender waist twisted, her green gown whipping through the air.

Moving like a graceful spirit dancing effortlessly across the scorched battlefield, she no longer used her divine techniques, instead using her Soul Burial Staff like a spear.

The slender staff struck the massive forehead of the Thunderveil Godbeast like an insect hurling itself against a towering mountain. Despite this, the Thunderveil Godbeast's broad forehead cracked from the point of impact, the fracture spreading rapidly across its entire face.

A mountain-shattering force had come from Bai Zi's slender, delicate body and the Soul Burial Staff in her hand! She unleashed a power no Nether God of her level would normally have!

When the Thunderveil Godbeast's forehead split open, she pressed her lips into a cold smile and plunged straight into its skull, like the golden bee boring into the head of the Titan God!

"This Bai Zi, her physical strength is like that of a Fey God! Elder Yuan!" Fa Ji's demonic body cried out in shock.

Pang Jian was also stunned. He had long suspected that Bai Zi was more physically durable than the other Nether Gods and that she was not simply a World God from the Nether Abyss.

Even so, her true strength still left him shocked. He had not expected her to be this powerful.

The Nether Race excelled in soul-related techniques but had weak physiques. Almost all members of the Nether Race chose to play to their strengths, dedicating their lives to refining their divine souls while deliberately neglecting the tempering of their bodies.

It was precisely because they were born physically frail that they believed investing time in tempering the body would yield little results.

Despite this, Bai Zi still chose the harder, seemingly foolish path. While other Nether Race warriors focused on maximizing their advantages, she set out to turn her greatest weakness into a strength. After immersing herself in that path for many years, she had forged a body of astonishing power.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Even with nothing more than the strength of my body alone, I still dare to face you, Fa Ji." Bai Zi's voice echoed from within the Thunderveil Godbeast's skull.

The body of the Thunderveil Godbeast was torn apart from the inside out, its massive frame shattering into pieces. Bai Zi even obliterated the fragment of Fa Ji's soul inside its skull with a single punch.

Soaring through the cascading blood, she charged directly at Fa Ji's true body, engaging the Great Demon God in fierce combat.

As she claimed, Bai Zi did not rely on any divine techniques, nor did she unfold her divine consciousness to form a divine domain. She fought Fa Ji to a standstill with nothing but her deceivingly delicate-looking body.

Though both were World Gods, this rising star from the Nether Abyss had pushed the Great Demon God Fa Ji to his limit.

In that moment, Fa Ji realized that some beings were simply born to shine, like his former master, Demonheaven, or the peerless True Gods of the Abyss.

Bai Zi was simply one of these people.

***

Battles continued to rage across the continents and fragmented lands in the upper region of the Nether Abyss. The invasion occurring in the lower regions also erupted with equal intensity.

Lives were lost with every passing second. Divine beings died one after another. Despite this, the souls of the dead did not simply fade away, nor did they drift away into the bizarre mists beyond the Nether Abyss. Instead, they all sank into the deep sea that filled the bottom of the Nether Abyss.

Souls drifted down like withered yellow leaves.

Although barely visible to the naked eye, Pang Jian could see them with perfect clarity.

An unseen force guided the souls of the fallen downward, drawing them into the depths of the sea. From somewhere within, Pang Jian seemed to hear the faint sound of waves echoing in the silence.

Pang Jian soon realized that the sound did not come from the deep sea at the bottom of the Nether Abyss.

The Soulstream of the Nether Abyss!

This legendary Soulstream, said to be the birthplace of the Nether Race, was likely also playing a role in this war!

The Abyss had a Sunken Crypt and a mystical Pool of Reincarnation, both bearing the sacred duty of receiving the returning souls of the dead.

In the beginning, when the Abyss's cycle of reincarnation was still intact, the souls of the deceased would flow into the Sunken Crypt and enter the Pool of Reincarnation. There, their memories and karmic ties would be cleansed. Once purified, the souls would then give rise to new life, forming a complete and harmonious cycle.

After the rise of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect, the True Gods of that sect seized control of this process. Unfortunately, their repeated meddling eventually disrupted this once balanced cycle, giving rise to many problems in the cycle of reincarnation.

It was said that other abysses also had similar Sunken Crypts and Pools of Reincarnation, but all had since encountered issues as well.

The high-ranking God of the Ghost Race, Zi Mo, appeared to have an intense interest in the Sunken Crypts scattered throughout the abysses and had managed to seize control of several of them. Certain laws governing the abysses had been gravely damaged as a result.

However, in the Nether Abyss, the flow of souls and the Soulstream's assimilation of said souls all pointed to one thing—the cycle of reincarnation in the Nether Abyss was still intact. The Nether Abyss could even be the only remaining abyss with an unbroken cycle of reincarnation.

It's Long Di! Long Di holds dominion over the cycle of reincarnation within the Nether Abyss!

He and Bai Zi work together to sustain the Nether Abyss! One oversees the internal affairs while the other manages the outside.

If he truly controls the cycle of reincarnation, that means he can distribute the souls gathered in the Nether Abyss's Soulstream to the Nether Race or even to the other races once they're purified.

The more souls and soul essence the Soulstream gathers, the greater the number of Nether Race warriors it will produce in the future. Naturally, there'll also be even more members of the younger generation blessed with astonishing talent!

Pang Jian suddenly realized many things.

Every fallen Outer God in this battle greatly enhanced the power of the Soulstream and the Nether Abyss.

Even traveling to other abysses or worlds would not yield the same results as those who died outside the Nether Abyss would not be drawn into the Soulstream.

Only within the Nether Abyss could its laws bind the souls of the slain divine beings and merge into the Soulstream, thus forging the foundation for a golden age of the Nether Race.

The souls of every fallen Nether Race warrior would be merged into the Soulstream, becoming strength to give rise to new Nether Race warriors in the future. The death of a Nether Race warrior today simply resulted in the birth of another in the future. In other words, their sacrifice was, in the long run, no true loss at all.

Meanwhile, the souls of the slain Outer Gods would only pave the way for the birth of even more powerful and gifted Nether Race prodigies. Stronger and more talented Nether Gods would be born because of it.

Pang Jian finally understood why the leader of the Nether Gods refused to reveal himself even when pushed to such extremes. It was because Long Di had his sights set on the long-term future of the Nether Race!

Long Di intended to take advantage of this once-in-a-hundred-millennia grand event to forge a golden age for the Nether Race through a single, decisive war.

This invasion could very well have been something he tacitly permitted. Pang Jian would not be surprised if he even quietly orchestrated it from the shadows.

If my suspicions are right...

As Pang Jian stared at the deep, shadowy chasm into which Fortune was quietly flowing, an unsettling chill rose in his heart.

He silently edged closer to the nearest boundary wall, hoping to retreat without anybody noticing.

At first glance, Yuan Yi did not seem to be at a disadvantage, and the Nether Gods and Nether Race warriors appeared to be suffering heavy casualties. Unfortunately, this war had never been fair. The deaths of the Nether Race warriors could be replenished through the Soulstream with time.

The fallen outsiders and divine beings, on the other hand, could never be brought back to life.

An eerie yet pleasantly melodious voice rang out just as he was about to reach the boundary wall.

"Pang Jian, I personally sent an envoy to invite you here. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"