Chapter 764: Standoff

Zhu Ji's expression was dark and unreadable.

As one of the strongest True Gods of the older generation, he had long sought to avoid a confrontation with Pang Jian due to his unique status as a World God, as well as the help he had provided to the Abyss and its people.

Pang Jian had pulled him, Gui Mu, and Li Wang out of the Sixth World. When they were on the verge of despair under the erosion of Luo Hongyan's aura of death in the Fifth World, Pang Jian, acting in his capacity as a World God, delivered vital healing elixirs and restored their hope.

Even so, while Pang Jian had done them a great service, Zhu Ji still held deep ties with Jiang Fan, the founding emperor of the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom.

The Jiang and Zhu Clans had maintained a close alliance for generations, with many intermarriages between the two clans. Neither of the two clans' interests nor the dignity of the divine kingdom could be ignored.

Zhu Ji himself was the reason the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom stood unshaken, able to surpass both the Primeval Pillar Divine Kingdom and the Supreme Monad Divine Kingdom.

He could not simply look the other way after Dong Tianze so boldly assassinated Jiang Fan. Emotionally and morally, he was compelled to respond. Moreover, there was a strong possibility that the Bloodthirsty Sword had corrupted Dong Tianze, reducing him to nothing more than a demon driven to slaughter.

It made no sense for Pang Jian to shield Dong Tianze in this situation, let alone allow him to act without restraint.

Zhu Ji had originally believed this matter could be handled with relative ease. He had not expected Pang Jian to defend Dong Tianze so staunchly, even at the cost of the greater interests of the human race.

"By protecting him, you're not just opposing me," Zhu Ji said grimly, trying once more to reason with Pang Jian. "Li Wang, Gui Mu, Pei Yishan, and even Dong Shangqing may not support your decision."

Zhu Ji did not want to clash with Pang Jian unless there was no other choice. Once they did, the fragile unity the human race had just barely managed to forge would collapse instantly.

Li Zhaotian, and by extension Yin Ji, would undoubtedly side with Pang Jian, regardless of right or wrong. Pang Jian had fiercely protected Su Wanrou in the Fifth World, and there was a high chance she, too, would choose to side with him. Li Yuqing of the Divine Treasure Sect shared a deep bond with him and would likely stand with him as well.

The longer Zhu Ji thought about it, the more his head throbbed.

"I'm supporting Dong Tianze, regardless of whether they support me or not," Pang Jian declared through the golden bee. "Anyone who tries to harm him will have to face me as an enemy."

Zhu Ji fell silent.

He was weighing the consequences while secretly communicating with Li Wang, urging him to come quickly. This matter concerned the fate of the entire human race and could not be taken lightly.

***

Elsewhere, Dong Tianze's blood essence was being recklessly consumed as he fled. A growing madness shone within his crimson eyes. Licking the corner of his mouth, he came to an abrupt halt in mid-air.

A vajra staff, heavy as a mountain, pierced through the thick blood-red mist and slammed into his back. Dozens of golden rays exploded outward, their fierce energy laced with hundreds of golden talismans, surging through Dong Tianze's flesh and organs.

"Demonic scum. Die!" cried Jiang Ying, an Immortal Realm cultivator, as she spat out an Ice Carp Pearl.

Icy, translucent carps appeared within the blood-red mist, then inside Dong Tianze's sea of consciousness.

Dong Tianze's crimson sea of consciousness rapidly froze over as the ice carps covered it in layers of frost.

"Someone like you doesn't deserve to become a True God! Even if you ascend, you'll be nothing more than a heretic, reviled by all!" Jiang Ying shouted, spittle flying as she pointed at Dong Tianze.

Artifacts, lightning, and flames surged toward the blood-red mist concealing Dong Tianze like a dazzling firework display.

Over a dozen Immortal Realm powerhouses from the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom threw everything they had into this siege against Dong Tianze.

In their eyes, Dong Tianze was just a cornered beast making his final stand.

Dong Tianze spat up another mouthful of blood. The seething demonic fire in his heart swelled uncontrollably, his bloodlust becoming harder and harder to suppress.

Kill them! What are you hesitating for?

You're nearly out of strength. If you don't kill them and seize their blood, you won't be able to survive?

Dong Tianze, you're a Blood God, not some righteous cultivator from a noble sect.

If you don't go on a killing spree now, they'll kill you. What exactly are you waiting for?

The sword soul within the Bloodthirsty Sword goaded him relentlessly.

Jiang Fan had been a powerful older True God. Even with Dong Tianze's skill, killing him had come at a terrible cost.

The Blood God Technique that Dong Tianze cultivated thrived on battle. As long as he killed and fed on the blood of the Immortal Realm elders surrounding him, he could recover his strength.

The Bloodthirsty Sword had long since recognized this, which was why it kept urging him to fight.

Dong Tianze gasped for breath within the bloody mist, his body riddled with over a dozen deep wounds, some so deep his bone was exposed. He also suffered from numerous internal injuries and was, without question, in a terrible state.

A low, twisted chuckle bled from his lips. He stood unmoving, even as attacks rained down on him, taking them all head-on as if unaffected.

He could sense an invisible will watching him, subtly tempting him to give in and embrace the slaughter.

Before him stood the Immortal Realm elders of the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom. If he gave in and struck out now, he would never stop. They would just be the appetizers.

The names and faces of Gui Mu, Li Wang, Pei Yishan, and Dong Shangqing surfaced in his mind, each growing clearer as if etching a mission deep into his soul, urging him to fulfill it.

This isn't my true will. This isn't what I want. If I keep killing, I'll lose myself completely, and that will take full control of me.

Dong Tianze's eyes burned red and his teeth clenched tightly, but he held fast, refusing to let go of his reasoning.

Several golden bees suddenly came buzzing in from the distance, appearing before the elders of the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom.

"I am Pang Jian," said one of the golden bees.

The expressions of the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom's elders shifted slightly. One by one, they ceased their attacks. The suffocating pressure around Dong Tianze vanished.

His gaunt face was streaked with blood, and the hair hanging over his eyes was matted and soaked red. Brushing aside the bloodied strands from his face, his crimson eyes locked onto the golden bee.

"I don't need your help," he said hoarsely.

Pang Jian let out a soft snort. "Why?"

"If I could kill Jiang Fan, it means he wasn't strong enough to live. What the Abyss needs is stronger True Gods. He was occupying a cluster of Fortune. I killed him to free that Fortune, so it could be used to give birth to a stronger True God." Dong Tianze responded coldly.

Dong Tianze was careful to make no mention of Pang Lin, but even so, a thoughtful glint flickered in the compound eyes of the golden bee.

Pang Jian knew him well. Dong Tianze cared not for the fate of the human race, nor did he meddle in the affairs of others. The only time he would do something so irrational was for the few he truly cared about.

There were only two people in this world who could drive Dong Tianze to such extremes: Pang Jian and his younger sister, Pang Lin.

Even if Dong Tianze refused to say it out loud, Pang Jian knew that this madman had killed Jiang Fan to free up a cluster of Fortune so his sister could ascend to godhood.

Realizing this, Pang Jian said through the golden bee, "He's right. Your Ancestor, Jiang Fan, fell behind the times, yet still clung tightly to a cluster of Fortune.

"As long as he lived, there would be no room for stronger human cultivators to become a True God. Though Dong Tianze's methods were extreme, his goal was the future of the human race.

"All of you, stand down and go back to your divine kingdom."

Pang Jian made his choice. He would protect Dong Tianze, no matter the cost, even if it meant making the whole world his enemy.

Everything Dong Tianze did was for Pang Lin. He had been grievously injured and even risked death for her sake. Through it all, he made no mention of her, making sure to bear the weight of the blame upon himself alone.

Pang Jian, knowing this, could not possibly stand by and watch him die.

"Pang Jian! How dare you shield him?"

"If Fortune had to be freed, why not Su Wanrou? Why not Yin Ji, Dong Shangqing, or Pei Yishan? Why did it have to be our Ancestor Jiang Fan?"

"Elder Zhu will never let you off for this!"

"Pang Jian, you will pay for what you've said today!"

The Immortal Realm elders of the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom dared not strike at Dong Tianze again, but they also did not leave.

"You need not concern yourselves with Senior Zhu," the bee said coldly. "I want Dong Tianze alive. Nobody in the Abyss can touch him."

***

In the outer reaches of the Eastern Land, Zhu Ji appeared where the six mysterious artifacts once sealed off space, dragging Li Wang, Gui Mu, and himself into the Sixth World.

Li Wang, Gui Mu, Pei Yishan, Dong Shangqing, Li Zhaotian, and Su Wanrou arrived soon after.

For the first time in a long while, nearly all of the True Gods had gathered in one place.

"Even if the new generation needs Fortune to ascend, that's something we need to discuss and decide together." Li Wang frowned at a golden bee. "I'd be willing to give mine up if necessary, and I believe others would as well, but it can't be done through an assassination like this."

"He killed Jiang Fan today. What's to stop him from killing me tomorrow?" Gui Mu sneered. She then turned to Dong Shangqing. "You're one of the weaker True Gods in terms of combat prowess. What if one day that lunatic comes for your life out of nowhere while you're deep in secluded cultivation?"

Dong Shangqing simply shook his head with a bitter smile.

"What's done is done. I stand by my decision that Dong Tianze cannot die," the golden bee said firmly. "Whoever dares to lay a hand on him will be making an enemy of me, Pang Jian."