Chapter 798: Long Di Loses His Composure

The Great Demon God Luan Ji was the only Demon God that Pang Jian had never attempted to erode through the demonic cloak.

Pang Jian used the demonic cloak multiple times, such as when he had forcibly conscripted eighteen mid-ranking Demon Gods into the battle against Yan Lie. Later, he continued to corrupt He Motian, and even borrowed the power of the cloak to compel Fa Ji into retreating from the Nether Abyss invasion.

No matter how many times he utilised the cloak, he never once disturbed Luan Ji. The reason was simple—Luan Ji had never sought to harm him. On the contrary, the Demon God had once used the Dao of Oblivion to temper Pang Jian's state of mind, helping him refine and clarify his heart.

That show of goodwill was enough for Pang Jian to leave the two demonic characters linked to Luan Ji untouched, choosing not to re-establish contact.

However, even after enjoying a long period of peace, Luan Ji, being a Great Demon God, had naturally heard about many mid-ranking Demon Gods getting conscripted to fight Yan Lie. From He Motian's side, more than a few messages had come his way.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Luan Ji paid them no mind. He had long removed himself from the power struggles among the Demon Gods. In fact, he had even distanced himself from the Demon Realms altogether, seeking deeper insight into his Dao of Oblivion in distant worlds instead. Even someone like He Motian, the nominal leader of the Demon Gods in the starry skies, had no authority over him.

Luan Ji witnessed Pang Jian's battle with Yuan Yi by leveraging his name's presence upon the demonic cloak.

"That savage ancient ape of the Fey Race, Yuan Yi, is now contending with Long Di for the position of Sovereign. Is the bizarre mist truly on the verge of birthing a new Sovereign? Will it be Yuan Yi or Long Di?"

As he admired the might of Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul, he silently mused to

Whether it's Yuan Yi or Long Di of the Nether Race, neither are figures I care for. Perhaps...

After a brief moment of contemplation, Luan Ji took the initiative to send a thought to Pang Jian through his name inscribed upon the demonic cloak.

When the time comes, I'm willing to step in if you need me. I can use my Dao of Oblivion against that ancient ape or Long Di. That is, if you're willing to trust me.

***

In the void of the Nether Abyss, towering higher than one could measure, Pang Jian lowered his gaze, watching as Yuan Yi hastily withdrew his injured arm. At the same time, he glanced at the demonic cloak that had grown countless times larger in conjunction with his expanding form.

Draped over his radiant, multicolored Immortal Divine Soul, the pitch-black cloak complemented him perfectly. The same cloak that had once shrouded the sky of the Fifth World now writhed with demonic characters, each one blood-red like fresh gore. At times, they morphed into terrifying Demon Gods or even the demonic techniques those Demon Gods mastered.

The horde of Demon Gods appeared to be imprisoned in the cloak, held firmly under Pang Jian's control. Among the names on the cloak were those of Great Demon Gods like Fa Ji and He Motian. With a single thought, Pang Jian could summon lightning upon them, wounding them instantly through their bond with their names.

Of course, he would not consider doing that to Luan Ji. Unexpectedly, the Demon God in question sent a message directly to Pang Jian.

Pang Jian received Luan Ji's olive branch just after hearing the Abyssal Demon's victorious cry and learning that Yuan Hui was its next target.

Pang Jian hesitated briefly before mentally replying,

Of course. I'd be glad to place my trust in you.

Far off in a distant world, Luan Ji smiled faintly but said nothing more.

The enormous Ironsteel Peak's magnetic field pulsed, drawing back all the scattered artifacts and restoring its original form. As for the ancient Fey Gods summoned by Yuan Yi, they had all been utterly annihilated.

At the same time, Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul ceased its expansion, coming to a solemn halt in the void.

His Immortal Divine Soul blended in with the faint glow of the distant celestial bodies, standing like a primeval god that had existed within the Nether Abyss since time immemorial.

His Immortal Divine Soul stood tall and majestic, exuding awe-inspiring authority and unfathomable mystery, like the unchanging firmament of the Nether Abyss.

From him flowed a vast and varied aura, encompassing the sun, stars, moon, cold, lightning, the five elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, the ever-shifting demonic energy, and the boundless, wondrous mysteries of the soul. He had become the embodiment of all that was miraculous within the Nether Abyss, encompassing wonders that neither Long Di nor Bai Zi could ever hope to manifest.

When the surviving Nether Gods and Nether Race elites looked up into the void, they saw Pang Jian's expansive Immortal Divine Soul. They felt as if they were gazing directly upon the embodiment of the Nether Abyss itself.

"Strange. Never has a Nether Race's leader possessed such a vast, complex, and all-encompassing aura."

"It feels like he's destined to rule the Nether Abyss, a legendary figure who would unite the powers of both the leader of the Nether God and a World God, fusing the authority of the barrier and the Soulstream into one."

"That can't be! He's a human from the Abyss! What right does he have to rule the Nether Abyss?"

"Perhaps, he shares a special connection with us."

Unaware of the hidden truth, the Nether Gods and the Nether Race elites gazed up at Pang Jian from various scattered continents and fragmented lands, quietly exchanging thoughts among themselves.

Their spoken words, their inner voices, all flowed into Pang Jian's mind. Without using any effort, he could hear the thoughts and emotions of every being born in the Nether Abyss.

It wasn't just limited to the Nether Race. Even the thoughts of the Demon, Sea, and Ghost Race, or at least those who had not fled yet, rose unbidden to the surface of the bubbling sea of thoughts to be effortlessly fished up by Pang Jian.

"The Transcendent God Realm..." Pang Jian narrowed his eyes as he immersed himself in its profound mysteries. He felt like a true omniscient and omnipotent God within the Nether Abyss. He was capable not only of wielding all the forces within the world but also drawing upon the thoughts and wills of its countless inhabitants as if they were extensions of his own. If he so desired, their life and death could be settled with a single thought.

Calmly, Pang Jian commanded, "Lightning."

The word resonated through the Thunder Pool, unleashing tens of thousands of arcs of lightning that surged with deadly precision into the regions where Ghost Gods operated, annihilating several low-ranking gods in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, those gods of the Ghost Race, who had followed Yuan Yi into the Nether Abyss in hopes of unravelling the Nether Race's divine techniques, were silently subsumed by the Thunder Pool with little commotion.

In that moment, a sudden wave of fulfillment and exhilaration surged through Pang Jian. To command life and death with a single thought, to strike down divine beings at will, to wield a power capable of reshaping the very laws of a world—such authority filled him with a profound sense of dominion over the Nether Abyss. It was unfamiliar yet utterly intoxicating.

On the Soul Convergence Altar, Long Di's handsome yet slightly androgynous face twisted in anguish.

His emotions could not be any more different from Pang Jian's.

The spiritual qi of the Nether Abyss and the very foundational laws at its core felt as though they were gradually slipping away from him. The authority he once held, his control over the Nether Abyss, was being stripped away, piece by piece, and transferred into the hands of another. The world that he had always treated as an extension of himself was beginning to feel numb and distant.

For a long time, he had refused to leave the Nether Abyss precisely because he could wield so many of its unique powers. Due to his high attenuation, he had always been the strongest Nether God with the Nether Abyss. So long as he didn't leave, he felt like he had the capital to face any high-ranking god as an equal or even challenge a Sovereign.

His strength and unwavering confidence had always come from the Nether Abyss itself. The world empowered him, affirmed him, and made him believe he could stand against anyone. Out of nowhere, the source of his confidence was being stripped away, usurped by Pang Jian.

Is it time for me to leave this world? Am I not the chosen one? Is the Nether Abyss about to welcome a new master?

Long Di's heart ached bitterly as he continued fuming internally.

If I could turn back time, I would never have invited Pang Jian into the Nether Abyss. Even if Pang Jian had managed to enter, I should've killed him on sight without saying a single word. Alas, there are no what ifs.

The monstrous ancient ape, who had calmed down, shedding his previous rage and bloodlust after his arm had been torn apart. The ape glanced at Yuan Yi and rumbled, "Long Di, can you feel it?"

Staring at Pang Jian, the ancient ape's massive, blood-hued form slowly began to contract, the blood-colored tide surrounding him dimming. The feral snarl faded from his face. Even the savage fangs at the corners of his mouth vanished without a trace.

"Long Di, you've only yourself to blame for letting the fox into the henhouse. Now, he's freely taking your authority. The governing laws of the Nether Abyss are converging on him. This world has cast you aside."

The ape put on a solemn and sympathetic expression as he foretold Long Di's downfall as though he were the one who was losing control of the Nether Abyss.

"This world will naturally take back everything it once gave you the moment it has a better candidate.

"Long Di, as the leader of the Nether Gods... going out like this is a disgrace."

The ancient ape, once a towering figure that had shocked the Nether Abyss with its sheer size, had now shrunk into a frail, elderly man, his face covered in soft fur, his eyes filled with compassion.

The World God Pendant shrank too, losing its mystique until it became an ordinary bronze pendant that the old man casually held in his hand. The vast blood-colored world and the many Fey Gods summoned from the pendant had vanished with nary a trace.

He appeared utterly harmless, as if the savage ape that had shattered entire continents and slaughtered countless Nether Race divine beings had been someone else.

The old man turned to the Fey Race invaders.

"Brothers, we've lost. It's time to go. There's nothing left for us to gain in the Nether Abyss, not anymore.

"The rise of a new god, the fall of the old, there's no stopping the trend of this world now.

"Forget it. Best we keep out of it."

A look of defeat clouded his face as he waved toward the boundary wall, signaling for his forces to retreat.

"Long Di, I hope you can reclaim what was once yours. Face me in a proper battle then."

With that, the now shrunken, withered figure of the ancient ape assumed the posture of a beaten man, slumping his shoulders and drifting toward the boundary wall of the Nether Abyss.

Above the Soul Convergence Altar, Long Di felt his connection to the Nether Abyss dwindling. As Yuan Yi's parting words echoed in his ears, his already fractured state of mind splintered even further.

"Long Di! Don't listen to him!" Bai Zi called out sharply.

Long Di did not respond. He simply stared at the ancient ape, watching to see if it truly withdrew from the Nether Abyss.

Sure enough, the old ape vanished beyond the boundary wall. His army of Fey Gods, along with the invading World Gods and low-ranking Outer Gods, followed his command, retreating in an orderly tide.

The sight of these invading legions withdrawing from the Nether Abyss seemed to mark the end of the war. The surviving Nether Gods let out a collective sigh of relief, thankful that such a calamity seemed to be over.

Once again, they turned to Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul. This time, their reverential gazes carried something they could no longer hide—worship.

That awe and devotion, Long Di knew it too well. The Nether Gods used to look at him with that same gaze.

"Is everyone turning away from me?" Long Di murmured. His head bowed lower as he felt his connection to the Nether Abyss slipping further out of his grasp. "I always have and always will be the ruler of this world..."