Chapter 757: Black and White Phoenixes

Two abysses within the bizarre mist were caught in great upheaval.

In the Nether Abyss, Yuan Yi's faction clashed fiercely against Long Di and the Nether Race.

Meanwhile, the True Gods within the Abyss were immersed in seeking insights into new cultivation realms, each striving to break through as quickly as possible.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Pang Jian was no exception.

Forsaking rest and sleep, his physical body in the Fifth World wore the pitch-black demonic cloak, throwing himself into the profound truths of the Dao of Chaos through his connection to the Soulstream of the Nether Abyss.

His Immortal Divine Soul tirelessly roamed the Soulstream, actively gathering the boundless insights into the soul.

Both versions of Pang Jian cultivated diligently.

Occasionally, the Abyssal Demon's call would echo from a Demon Realm, and Pang Jian would divert a sliver of attention in that direction. He would then alter the laws of that Demon Realm, reshaping it into a source of power that the Abyssal Demon could use.

In this way, Pang Jian assisted the Abyssal Demon in devouring and assimilating his opponents through the Primeval Demon Fusion Art, helping him grow stronger for his coming battle against the Primordial Demon.

As for the battle between the Black Empyrean Phoenix and Luo Hongyan in the Seventh World, Pang Jian chose to leave it be for the time being.

The clash between Sovereigns was unlikely to end quickly. It was better to use this opportunity to elevate himself as much as possible instead of wasting effort. Only then would he be qualified to take part when the time came.

Time passed, and Pang Jian gradually felt the foundation of his mid-ranking godhood growing firmer.

His deepening grasp of the Dao of Chaos, his ongoing exploration of the many mysteries within his body, and his increasing insight into the enigma of the soul were all steadily guiding him toward a higher realm.

Pang Jian was confident he was walking the right path and felt no need to rush the process.

***

The Resolute Expanse hovered high in the First World, closer to the barrier than any of the other continents.

The Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree had grown to a towering height of nine thousand zhang, its branches lush and sprawling. Pang Lin had already consumed its abundant Dao Fruits to elevate her cultivation realm.

Pang Lin had been seated in meditation for a long time beneath the divine tree. Even her breathing seemed to resonate with the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree, subtly drawing lightning from the skies beyond.

From time to time, streaks of lightning would pierce the barrier and be absorbed into the divine tree.

Pang Lin's thoughts churned as faint arcs of lightning flickered around her.

The silvery bolts of lightning resembled spatial rifts, within which flowed streams of otherworldly radiance. They seemed capable of transporting Pang Lin to any lightning-filled corner of the Abyss.

One day, Pang Lin abruptly stood up and soared into the air, hovering above the brow of the dying Thunder Dragon. She gazed down at the Thunder Dragon with an unreadable expression.

The Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree had nearly drained away all of Long Xiao's blood, vital essences, crystal bloodline chains, and every insight he had into the Dao of Lightning. He was left clinging to life by the thinnest thread after a long period of slow extraction.

When Pang Lin approached, Long Xiao opened his eyes, feeling a strange sense of relief at the knowledge that his end was near.

"Has the time come?" he asked, voice weak and faint. "Did you get the drop of my blood essence?"

Pang Lin nodded.

His eyes glimmered faintly. "That technique you mentioned, the one that allows a Fey God like me to be reborn through a single drop of blood essence, have you mastered it?"

Pang Lin gave another slight nod.

A flicker of uncertainty crossed Long Xiao's expression. After a brief silence, he asked his final question, "Then, would you be willing to bring me back one day?"

"Long Xiao, do you truly wish to live again?" Pang Lin asked in lieu of a response, voice ringing high and distant, like the whisper of an ancient being echoing from beyond the heavens.

Long Xiao stared at Pang Lin in growing unease. This naive girl suddenly seemed unfamiliar to him.

In the past, she would call him 'ancient dragon' or respectfully refer to him as Senior, always with some measure of reverence.

This time, however, she directly used his name.

Can strength and cultivation realm change a person so quickly, turning humility into arrogance?

As that thought crossed his mind, Long Xiao caught a glimpse of two eerie silhouettes in Pang Lin's eyes.

A chill ran down his spine.

There was one black and one white phoenix.

The white phoenix radiated brilliance and sanctity, while the black phoenix exuded mystery and might.

These two phoenixes resided within Pang Lin's left and right pupils, like indelible marks etched into her soul. They only surfaced after her strength reached a level high enough to stir their presence.

Long Xiao's heart, soul, and even his blood quivered.

The black phoenix made him feel unbearably small, overwhelming him with a sense of shame and insignificance.

The white phoenix, on the other hand, was unmistakably the Virtuous Celestial Phoenix of the past, once the most powerful Fey God in the Abyss. She had been his greatest foe, the one he and the True Gods had conspired to bring down together.

An instinctive fear welled up within Long Xiao.

With the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree piercing him, leaving him unable to move a muscle, he instead opened his mouth to roar for the black turtle. "Yo—"

"Long Xiao, it's over. May your journey onward be a peaceful one." Pang Lin raised her small hand and placed it gently against Long Xiao's massive dragon head.

A thunderous howl erupted within Long Xiao's mind, shattering the last remnants of his consciousness and soul.

The tyrant of unmatched ferocity reached the end of his long life at Pang Lin's hand.

Every trace of vitality and flesh was instantly drawn into the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree, leaving behind only a crystalline skeleton atop its crown.

The black turtle was greeted with this sight when he arrived on the scene.

Gazing at Long Xiao's skeleton with a heavy heart, he then turned to Pang Lin.

A strange familiarity stirred within the black turtle.

His memories of the Celestial Phoenix seemed to overlap with the girl standing before him.

A tide of thoughts raced through the black turtle's mind.

Did the Celestial Phoenix also look like her when in human form? She resembles her, but not exactly. Perhaps my age is catching up with me, or perhaps it's because my bloodline never broke through, so my memories have become muddled...

He stood there, staring blankly at Pang Lin as she stepped onto a leaf veined with lightning patterns, the black-and-white phoenixes in her eyes already faded.

A strange smile played at the corners of her lips as she glanced at the black turtle. "A fresh cluster of Fortune belonging to the Fey Race has been freed with Long Xiao's death. Don't you want to seize it and reclaim your place?"

"Fortune is singular," the black turtle said with a bitter smile. "The Rock Bear has already ascended as a Fey God through the Dao of Earth. There's no longer a place for me."

Pang Lin's brows knitted. Two phoenixes—one black, one white—briefly flickered in her eyes.

"When will you start living for yourself? The Fey Race is the Fey Race. You are you. Your future will only truly open once you rise above the limits of your bloodline."

"There's another force below that can help you ascend to godhood. That path is yours to walk too," she urged, subtly reshaping the black turtle's will. "Become a Fey God, awaken your memories, and live for yourself.

"The rest has nothing to do with you. You bear no obligation. Even if the Fey Race in the Abyss falls, others still live beyond. The stars will continue to turn as they always have.

"Black turtle, go."

Her words sank deep into his heart like a revelation.

"I still have another path. Yes. There's still another path for me..." the black turtle murmured, drifting away from the Resolute Expanse, dazed and half-aware.

Turning into a stream of dusky yellow light, he fell toward the world below.

***

"Long Xiao is dead!"

"A new Fey God seat has opened!"

"The balance of power among the Fey Race in the Abyss is about to shift again!"

Cries of shock echoed from all corners of the Abyss.

Not long after the black turtle departed from the Resolute Expanse, the Ice Armor Eel Dragon emerged from the lake and soared straight toward the Sacred Soul Continent in the Second World.

***

At the edge of the bizarre mist, near Absolute Heaven, Yuan Qi had just crossed the vast bizarre mist and stepped into the Abyss in his human form when a strange aura pulled irresistibly at him.

It was a Fortune of the Fey Race, ownerless and unclaimed, and he was fully qualified to take it.

"Heaven truly favors me." Grinning broadly, Yuan Qi charged without hesitation toward the Sacred Soul Continent, where the strongest of the Fey Race were preparing to battle for the position of Fey God.