Chapter 772: Pang Lin

"Elder Rock Bear! No human is allowed to be here during the struggle for the Fey God's seat!"

"Elder Rock Bear, stop her!"

The Fey Kings cast their gazes, a mix of shock, anger, and fear, toward the peak where the now-human Rock Bear stood.

After the death of Long Xiao, this Rank Ten Rock Bear had become the new leader of the Fey Race. The Fey Kings could only rely on his strength to uphold the traditions of their race at this time.

Even so, as the Rock Bear watched as Pang Lin arrived atop the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree, he could not help but wonder,

Can I truly act as those Fey Kings wish?

"Why is she here?" The White Lynx landed lightly on a pine tree, her form shifting into that of a petite young woman with long hair cascading over her shoulders. "Elder Rock, will you truly raise your hand against her if she intervenes?"

"I..." Bitterness filled the Rock Bear's eyes. "White Lynx, do you think our Fey Race has the strength to stand against the forces behind her?"

Without hesitation, the White Lynx replied, "No, we don't."

She had watched from afar on the Resolute Expanse as the divine tree slowly drained the ancient Thunder Dragon, its massive body withering by the day until its energy was spent.

Only after Long Xiao's death did she dare return to the Sacred Soul Continent. She understood even more clearly than the Rock Bear just how terrifying the forces behind Pang Lin truly were.

If Pang Jian, Li Zhaotian, Su Wanrou, Dong Tianze, Wu Yuan, and perhaps even Yin Ji were to descend upon the Sacred Soul Continent, not even the combined might of all the Fey Race would be enough to stop them.

Back when Long Xiao was alive, he had secretly aligned with the foreign races from the Fifth World. If the human race chose to use that as a pretext to attack the Sacred Soul Continent, the Fey Race would be forced to swallow their grievances in silence.

This situation was highly unfavorable for the Fey Race. Anyone daring to lay a hand on Pang Lin at this time risked invoking the wrath of Pang Jian and Li Zhaotian.

A flash of inspiration struck the Rock Bear.

"Her status is unique. Lady Celestial Phoenix chose her as her heir. She has the right to witness the battle for the Fey God's seat!" he declared. "Fey Kings, restrain your followers! I will not allow any of you to act recklessly!"

"The heir of the Celestial Phoenix?"

"In that case, she truly isn't like the other humans."

The gathered Fey Kings were not fools. They quickly sobered up, not daring to act rashly.

Thus, the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree, wreathed in lightning, drifted through the clouds and descended upon the battlefield where the struggle for the Fey God's seat took place.

Pang Lin stood atop the divine tree, brows like painted ink and eyes as dark as obsidian, exuding an air of quiet mystery.

As the divine tree came to a halt, she cast a distant glance toward the Rock Bear and slightly moved her lips.

Come here.

The Rock Bear was stunned, but quickly soared to the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree under the watchful eyes of the gathered Fey Kings.

"Miss Pang, your arrival—"

"The Fey Race can give rise to two Fey Gods at the same time," Pang Lin interrupted calmly.

"Two at once?" The Rock Bear was taken aback. After a brief pause, he replied, "According to our tradition, the birth of every Fey God is marked by bloodshed. Until one succeeds, the killing never stops. Often, no Fey God emerges even after all the death."

"That tradition will change, starting today."

Though Pang Lin's voice was soft, it rang like thunder in the minds of every Fey King and Great Fey present.

"Separate," Pang Lin softly commanded the Ice Armor Eel Dragon and Yuan Qi.

A dazzling bolt of lightning separated the two massive Fey Kings like a radiant celestial river.

"Ice Armor Eel Dragon, you will ascend to godhood using Corruption from the lower worlds. Yuan Qi will ascend using Fortune."

Pang Lin's calm gaze fell upon the Ice Armor Eel Dragon. A black and a white phoenix flickered deep within each of her pupils for a fleeting moment.

The Ice Armor Eel Dragon's blood boiled, and long dormant crystal bloodline chains blazed to life with a wondrous glow.

Realizing the changes within himself, the Ice Armor Eel Dragon quietly departed from the Sacred Soul Continent.

Astonishingly, he obeyed Pang Lin's orders, choosing to rely on Corruption to rejoin the ranks of the Fey Gods.

Pang Lin then turned her gaze to Yuan Qi. "You, go and ascend to godhood as well."

As soon as she finished speaking, Yuan Qi's bloodline mysteries were abruptly awakened—some unseen shackle that had long restrained him forcibly broken.

The ancient laws and traditions that had governed the Fey God's struggles for generations were changed in that instant.

Yuan Qi's heart pounded violently as he felt a cluster of Fortune, one that belonged solely to the Fey Race, rush toward him.

"From this day forward, more Fey Gods will be born," Pang Lin announced calmly.

This astonishing turn of events left the Rock Bear, the White Lynx, and all the other Rank Nine Fey Kings stunned.

"Pang Lin!"

"Heir of the Celestial Phoenix!"

The Fey Kings and Great Feys raised their heads to the sky, howling Pang Lin's name and title.

***

After parting ways with the other True Gods, Pang Jian teleported to the Resolute Expanse through a golden bee, only to discover that both the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree and Pang Lin had vanished.

The bees that had been keeping watch over the valley had not detected anything unusual.

Following Long Xiao's death, your sister refined that divine tree, with the tree shrinking until it became small enough to be absorbed into her body. Both the tree and your sister disappeared after,

the Bee Sovereign replied from Absolute Heaven.

I've been focused on the Eastern Land recently, keeping an eye on Dong Tianze's movements, so I didn't pay much attention to what was happening there.

It's fine. As long as she doesn't go to the Fifth World, no one in the Abyss is bold enough to lay a hand on her,

Pang Jian replied.

He then asked the Bee Sovereign to keep an eye out and help track down Pang Lin's whereabouts.

The reason he came here was to confirm if Pang Lin was truly ready to draw upon Fortune and ascend to godhood. If she had, he intended to guard her through the process.

Unexpectedly, Pang Lin had left the Resolute Expanse without letting anyone know where she had gone.

After instructing the Bee Sovereign to search for her, Pang Jian remained in the Resolute Expanse.

He closely monitored his Immortal Divine Soul in the Nether Abyss while also communicating with the Abyssal Demon through the demonic cloak, keeping a close eye on the Demon Gods whose names were engraved upon it.

***

Having heard that Pang Jian was in the Resolute Expanse, Zhou Qingchen, Qi Qingsong, Zhuang Yuyan, and several others soon came looking for him.

"Pang Jian, it's getting harder to meet you these days," said Qi Qingsong with a wide grin. "I heard you had a battle with Zhu Ji of the Boundless Sky Divine Soul in the outer reaches of the Eastern Land. Is that true?"

Qi Qingsong, Zhou Qingchen, Jiang Li, Zhuang Yuyan, and Hu Yuanfei had all gathered at the residence specially built for Pang Lin.

"I feel like I've embarrassed you. I've been cultivating like a madman, but I've only just reached the Nirvana Realm!" Zhou Qingchen said with a hearty laugh, his face covered in a thick beard. Pointing at Jiang Li's slightly rounded belly, he added, "But I do have a successor now!"

Jiang Li shot him a glare of mock annoyance, then turned to Pang Jian and offered a respectful bow. "Thanks to you, we've been living well here on the Resolute Expanse. Now that this fragmented land has entered the First World, the spiritual qi here is richer, better than many parts of the four continents."

"I've reached the Immortal Realm," Hu Yuanfei said, her temper still as fiery as ever, "but I'm still far from becoming a True God. Honestly, if I'd known, I'd have taken a page from Dong Tianze or Wu Yuan's books and just charged into the True God Realm with some unorthodox trick!"

"Everyone has their own path and destiny. We're not weaker than they are. We just didn't have their luck," Zhuang Yuyan said with a faint smile. "The higher the realm, the heavier the burden. Wouldn't you agree, Junior Brother Pang?"

As Pang Jian's gaze swept over them, his heart relaxed. "Exactly. Just look at me, rushing around all the time, never a moment of peace."

Those staying on the Resolute Expanse were the ones closest to him. Unfortunately, he had been constantly on the move lately, either soaring across the bizarre mist beyond the Abyss or enduring trials in the lower worlds. He rarely found the time to simply sit and talk with them.

"Don't push yourself too hard," Zhou Qingchen said, stepping forward and pulling him into a strong bear hug. "As your brother, I'd love to shoulder some of the burden with you, but honestly, you're charging too far ahead. I just can't keep up anymore."

The warmth in his eyes was bright and genuine, but an undeniable bitterness tinged his words.

Zhou Qingchen, Pang Jian, and Dong Tianze all hailed from the Fourth World, but Pang Jian had soared ahead at a pace none could match, becoming the first of their generation to ascend as a True God.

Dong Tianze and Wu Yuan of the Demon Sect followed soon after.

They had all started from more or less the same place. Back when they explored Absolute Heaven, Zhou Qingchen even held an advantage over a few of them thanks to his superior divine sense.

Despite this, he seemed to be the only one stuck in the Nirvana Realm while his old friends all ascended to godhood, joining the ranks of the Abyss's most powerful. It would have been a lie to say he felt no disappointment.

"No one can keep up with Pang Jian's pace. There's no point in comparing," Qi Qingsong said with a relaxed smile. "I'm in the Nirvana Realm as well. My Dream Sword Technique could eventually help me reach the True God Realm, but there's no guarantee. There's no need to feel discouraged. We just have to believe our time will come if we stay the course."

Pang Jian quickly added, "I believe the number of True Gods in the Abyss will only continue to grow in the future.

"There's a world called the Nether Abyss in the bizarre mist. It holds hundreds of clusters of Fortune, enough to give birth to hundreds of Nether Gods.

"One day, the Fortune of our Abyss could well reach that scale. As long as you make it through this stage, each of you will have the chance to become a True God and attain immortality."

Pang Jian then went on to describe the Nether Abyss and the wonders there, hoping to encourage them with the prospect of a better future.

The others listened in amazement.

"The Nether Abyss? A world similar to our own?"

"The Nether Gods there can leave using only their divine souls? They're free to move between the bizarre mist and the starry skies?"

"Wait, there's a complete cultivation system for after becoming a True God? One that's tied to the Fortune of the Nether Abyss?"

They bombarded him with questions, all visibly surprised at his tales.

Pang Jian smiled at their curiosity and patiently explained everything.

Zhou Qingchen, Qi Qingsong, and the others brought out food and wine, setting up a feast like the old days. They shared the dishes, drank, and talked late into the night.

Suddenly, somebody stirred the cluster of Fortune from Jiang Fan's death.