Chapter 744: The "Death" of Pang Jian

In the upper region of the Nether Abyss, the ancient ape atop the World God Pendant knitted his brows as he scrutinized his surroundings, his intelligent eyes shimmering with an icy-blue light.

His divine consciousness, sharp as ghostly lightning and laced with a chilling aura, attempted to unravel the mysteries of the spatial rifts.

Suddenly, he sensed the suppression of a Heavenly Dao.

It seemed his repeated rupturing of space and freezing of time had disturbed an ancient will within the Nether Abyss.

The underlying laws of the Nether Abyss formed faint patterns in the empty expanse that only the ancient ape could perceive.

This made his brows tighten even further.

With a cold snort, he muttered, "That boy's soul is connected to this world, but he wasn't born here."

It was unclear who Yuan Yi was speaking to.

"What can some Undying Soul Flames possibly stir, even if they return to the Soulstream?" the ancient ape sneered, deciding not to pursue the matter any further. "Once I crush Long Di and ascend as a Sovereign, I'll dig out his Undying Soul Flames from the Soulstream and ensure he's truly destroyed."

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The World God Pendant then made its way downward.

The spatial rifts slowly faded after collecting Pang Jian's Undying Soul Flames and returning them to the Nether Abyss.

***

"I told you to leave earlier, but you wouldn't listen." Bai Zi sighed, still battling Great Demon Fa Ji.

At that moment, a massive golden bee flew out from Ah Ta's skull.

The golden bee scanned its surroundings with its gleaming compound eyes, searching tirelessly for Pang Jian, recalling the feeling of warmth it had felt from him.

"What are you still looking for? He's already been annihilated." Bai Zi frowned. "I raised you for so many years, but you never showed me such concern."

The golden bee flapped its wings vigorously, responding to her with a buzzing sound, trying to convey that Pang Jian was different.

"He could take you to Abyss, let you meet tens of thousands of your kind, and even show you a living beehive and a mature Bee Sovereign?" Bai Zi was surprised.

This Nether Abyss Spirit Bee had gained remarkable intelligence and undergone a startling transformation after devouring Ah Ta's divine soul.

"It's a pity he's dead. Otherwise, I would've liked to follow him to the Abyss and take a look for myself."

After exchanging a few more words with the golden bee, Bai Zi, feeling a hint of disappointment, distanced herself from the Great Demon God Fa Ji.

By this time, the massive World God Pendant was already charging toward the continent where Long Di was emerging from the dark chasm.

Fa Ji rushed forward to meet Yuan Yi.

"Elder Yuan, Ah Ta's dead! When this war ends, please, you have to revive Ah Ta!" The Great Demon God pleaded earnestly.

A drop of Ah Ta's blood essence had previously been preserved through secret techniques. With Yuan Yi's profound understanding of life energy, reviving Ah Ta from that drop of blood would be of no difficulty as long as Yuan Yi was willing.

"I promise you, Ah Ta will be revived," the ancient ape agreed readily.

"Thank you, Elder Yuan!"

"Elder Yuan, we will follow you to the death!"

"If you ascend as a Sovereign, we will all bask in your glory!"

The surviving low-ranking Gods and World Gods were all singing the praises of the ancient ape.

Meanwhile, Pang Jian had become nothing more than a speck of dust in the memories of the Gods.

***

Pang Jian's physical body in the Fifth World of the Abyss felt a hollow emptiness, as if the most important part of his life had been torn away.

When his Immortal Divine Soul was destroyed, part of his physical body's divine sense had also suffered heavy damage.

He experienced firsthand the terrifying might of that ancient ape. Everything was destroyed with one mere word.

A continent, fragmented lands, and countless living beings were wiped out in the blink of an eye.

Even Luo Hongyan and the Black Empyrean Phoenix could not compare in his mind. Although the two were Sovereigns, Luo Hongyan's true body had yet to descend into the Abyss, and the Black Empyrean Phoenix had not completed its rebirth.

Most importantly, Pang Jian had never had to confront them the way he did the ancient ape.

The ancient ape's terrifying methods caused Pang Jian to feel true despair. No matter how many secret techniques he unleashed, he still could not avoid death.

Yuan Yi was the most powerful being he had ever encountered below the rank of Sovereign, leaving Pang Jian deeply shaken.

Sensing the surging demonic energy and endless evil thoughts churning within the sea of demonic energy, Pang Jian slowly cut away the chaotic distractions in his heart and refocused on deciphering this "sky."

As long as his physical body remained intact, his chance was not yet lost. He had not been defeated completely.

He resolved to hold fast to his heart, using his physical body as his foundation to pursue higher cultivation realms, greater power, and even more wondrous artifacts.

There was still time to turn the tide.

***

With no leftover Fortune available in the barrier, Li Yuqing returned to the Divine Treasure Sect in the First World to continue delving into the Dao of Fate.

Then, sensing a fresh convergence of Fortune, she immediately soared into the sky on her sword.

When she arrived before the barrier, she carefully attuned herself and observed, still wielding her Dao of Fate.

She soon noticed strands of Fortune gathering in a hidden corner of the barrier.

With the aid of her Pearl of Fate and her insights into the Dao of Fate, she started tracing the origins of these strands of Fortune. Tracing the past was far more accurate than glimpsing the future and required much less mental effort.

She then saw it. Strands of multicolored light scattering, only for an invisible force to engulf them and extinguish them one by one.

Pang Jian's aura could be sensed within each strand of multicolored light, each carrying a faint shadow as small as a mustard seed.

The lights and the shadows perished together, vanishing with the collapse of Fortune.

A sharp pain pierced Li Yuqing's heart. "Pang Jian!"

Pang Jian had once fused a cluster of Fortune with his divine soul to forge his Immortal Divine Soul. Although he wandered the bizarre mist and the starry skies, his cluster of Fortune still counted among the fifteen existing clusters because he had yet to break through the barrier.

The established laws of the Heavenly Dao regarded Pang Jian as still residing within the Abyss. Since he had not truly departed, no new Fortune could be born. A new cluster of Fortune would only emerge when he died.

Unfortunately, it seemed Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul had perished in the outside world.

"This is not the outcome I wanted. The Fortune I sought could have come from anyone. Why did it have to be you?" the young girl whispered sorrowfully.

Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul had fallen in the world beyond, and she had no way of knowing what impact it would bring to Pang Jian's body in the Fifth World.

While she knew another Pang Jian still existed and that he had not completely died, she still felt a deep sadness at the revelation.

This cluster of Fortune would help her break through her cultivation realm and allow her to become a True God, but she no longer desired it as much as she did before.

"It wasn't supposed to be you," she said softly to herself, heart tangled in turmoil.

At that moment, the Pearl of Fate in her palm glowed faintly, as a force from the distant starry skies seeped through the barrier of the Abyss and infused into the pearl.

Li Zhaotian, trapped in the Fifth World as he was, could not maintain the force sealing off the barrier. Without his reinforcement, the prying eyes of the Outer Gods had inevitably broken through.

Hurry and ascend to godhood. In the future, you can kill Yuan Yi for him.

A gentle voice echoed within Li Yuqing's sea of consciousness.

The girl pressed her lips together and gently nodded. Descending back to the Divine Treasure Sect on her sword, she started her preparations to break through to the True God Realm.

***

Outside the Abyss, many Gods of the Ghost and Demon Races found themselves once again able to sense their worshipers.

"The seal has been broken!"

"A force has shattered the seal over the barrier. We can once again see what's happening inside!"

"Hmm? Why can I only glimpse the first four worlds? What changes are unfolding in the Fifth World of the Abyss?"

While they could once again project their divine consciousness onto special altars and puppets, this renewed connection was limited only to the upper four worlds.

"The Demon Lair!"

"Something has changed in the Demon Lair!"

When Great Demon God He Motian attempted to peer into the Demon Lair through Xuan Ying's demonic blade and various artifacts, he was surprised to discover that he could see nothing at all.

Xuan Ying, who's inside the Demon Lair?

He Motian roared.

It's Wu Yuan,

the young girl of the Demon Scale Race replied.

Wu Yuan has successfully ascended to godhood. None of us could stop him. He entered the Demon Lair a long time ago. No one knows what's become of him since then.

The Abyss has undergone a massive upheaval. It's no longer the same as you remember.

He Motian did not immediately respond. His divine consciousness swept through different worshipers and artifacts like a raging storm.

Quickly gathering information from across his network of followers and piecing together scattered reports, he soon formed a clearer picture of the situation within the Abyss.

Finally, he asked Xuan Ying,

What's happening in the Fifth World?

The True Gods became trapped after descending into the Fifth World. None of them can escape. The sky of the Fifth World is preventing their ascent. We don't know the exact reason,

Xuan Ying reported.

Demonheaven, he actually—

Great Demon God He Motian cut himself off, fell into deep thought, then decisively commanded,

Prepare the ritual. I need to descend again!

***

Meanwhile, several elders of the Ghost Race stood around an altar, listening to Zi Mo's decree.

I need to descend!

Like He Motian, Zi Mo was determined to forcibly project a cluster of her divine consciousness into the Abyss, no matter the cost.

Both He Motian and Zi Mo had suffered repeated setbacks in the Abyss. Every half-divine body they had forged had been destroyed time and again.

Despite this, they stubbornly refused to give up. They were determined to intervene, searching desperately for any chance to overturn the situation.