Chapter 825: Deactivating the Array

Within the starry skies shone a vast source of radiance. At its heart, Sovereign Luo, pristine white wings glowing, frowned ever so slightly.

She gazed down and saw through the gray bizarre mist. The brilliant light she emitted pierced through the barrier of countless abysses, reaching deep into their cores.

That was part of her strength as a Sovereign. Even if her divine power waned as it seeped through the layers, she could still exert her will upon certain extraordinary artifacts that resonated with her—artifacts like the copper chest, the seven Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars, and six array cores.

Yet now, her divine power weakened rapidly as her imprints within those artifacts were forcibly erased by Pang Jian. The light she cast down from the starry skies could no longer manifest the same might without those mediums.

Pang Jian ruthlessly severed her connection to the Abyss.

Within the ever-rippling sphere of radiance, Sovereign Luo's usually cold and indifferent eyes flickered with faint traces of irritation.

"Pang Jian."

For reasons even she could not comprehend, it seemed that Pang Jian always had a way of stirring emotions in her, emotions that should not have existed within someone like her.

That deep crimson figure she had once created in the Abyss and later erased after her divine consciousness reawakened, had begun resurfacing in her thoughts lately.

For a Sovereign like her, even a fleeting recollection of that figure known as Luo Hongyan was enough to preserve the remnants of her existence.

Scenes of Luo Hongyan and Pang Jian's first meeting in the Abyss, their frequent encounters, and the time they wasted away together in the lower worlds would occasionally flicker through her mind.

At times, she would even amuse herself by revisiting those scenes, with a touch of wicked curiosity when she was bored and idle. After all, her life was eternal; she had plenty of time.

Sovereign Luo had long since extinguished all emotion ever since attaining godhood. Not even she no longer knew how many eons she had spent in the pursuit of Dao. The memories of her life as a mortal had long grown vague and distant.

"Emotions? To a God like me, emotions are nothing but a shackle."

Having once again seen her plans thwarted because of Pang Jian, she let out a cold, disdainful smile in her private sanctuary of light. The corner of her lips twitching ever so slightly. "I only revisited those scenes to reminisce on the days before I attained godhood. Nothing more. The petty troubles in Abyss aren't worth stirring my emotions, much less my anger."

With that final thought, she abruptly withdrew her radiance. In the next instant, she vanished.

***

In the Abyss, high above the Eight Trigram City, the lid of the copper chest abruptly flipped open, and Pang Jian gracefully drifted out.

Below him, the towering Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar and the city were ablaze with dazzling brilliance.

With a low shout, Pang Jian unleashed the vast divine power within him. "Divine domain!"

It surged outward, forming a starry expanse where stars glittered, and the brilliance of sun and moon shone. This starry expanse first manifested high above the Fifth Continent before it expanded with staggering speed, spreading in every direction, replacing the skies of the Fifth Continent in the blink of an eye. It was far broader than the one once conjured by Li Wang and exuded an aura of far greater enigma.

Pang Jian unfurled his divine sense. He first sensed his Immortal Divine Soul, then Pang Ling, the black turtle, the Black Dragon King, and countless golden bees scattered throughout the many worlds of the Abyss.

"The Heaven Ascension Tribulation Array."

Within the seven Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars, the ancient inscriptions, the murals of stars, sun, and moon, the images of rivers, mountains, kingdoms, and nations, and the essence of spring, summer, autumn, and winter were clear to his senses. All of it fell under the control of his Divine Persona.

If Pang Jian held the slightest inclination to continue sealing, the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Array would continue to suppress the Black Empyrean Phoenix below.

He watched as countless strands of the Heavenly Daos, visible only to him, suddenly emerged in the dark void, manifesting as chains.

Those densely interwoven chains encased the Black Empyrean Phoenix's remains, restraining the boundless murky energy within and cutting off its connection to a distant presence.

These strands of Heavenly Daos appeared to originate from the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Array, yet in truth, they seemed to be drawn from the very will of the Abyss itself.

"So this is the true power of the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Array. By invoking the will of the Abyss, it can restrain the Black Empyrean Phoenix's remains in the Seventh World, forbidding it from leaving the Abyss or easily completing its nirvanic rebirth..."

Brother. Please, help me...

A faint, almost inaudible plea echoed through the dark void of the Seventh World, emanating from the Black Empyrean Phoenix's remains, tightly shackled by the Heavenly Daos.

The pleading voice rose again.

That savage ape...I can barely hold it back...

In the vast bizarre mist, Yuan Yi had reverted back to his colossal ape form and swung the Celestial Fey Warhammer at the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree with a vicious grin. "Choosing to undergo nirvanic rebirth in a human body was your greatest mistake. The human body is far too fragile for the power of a Sovereign!"

Elsewhere, in a world dyed a bloody crimson, dozens of Fey Gods soared through the air, tearing at the darkness that had engulfed them.

Blood-red ruptures shone as ink-black darkness began to fragment.

Brother.

Pang Lin's figure flickered in a world of darkness on the verge of collapsing as she pleaded earnestly.

Help me.

The same plea, spoken in the same voice.

By now, Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul had already established a connection with his physical body. Both his physical body and his Immortal Divine Soul knew what Pang Lin was asking for.

Having cast Sovereign Luo out, regained full control of his body, and seized control over the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Array, Pang Jian now stood at a critical junction.

So long as the array remained active, Pang Lin would be unable to truly access Black Empyrean Phoenix, her source of power. But if he shut the array down, the murky energy could rise again and overwhelm the Second World, perhaps even the First World.

If Pang Lin were to defeat the ancient ape within the bizarre mist and seize everything from that high-ranking Fey God, Pang Jian might no longer be able to keep her in check if she was the Black Empyrean Phoenix.

But what if the Pang Lin in his ear was still truly his sister, and the Black Empyrean Phoenix was nothing more than a part of her past?

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

A thousand thoughts and ten thousand doubts churned and whirled through Pang Jian's mind.

After a long silence, a trace of bitterness surfaced in his eyes. Inwardly, he whispered,

I'll choose to trust you just this once, even if I know it might be a mistake, even if that mistake brings disaster upon the human race, I'll choose to believe in you, just this once.

Pang Lin, I truly hope you're still my sister, and not the Black Empyrean Phoenix.

"Stop!"

The moment the word left his lips, the starry sky ablaze with the radiance of the stars, sun, and moon within his dantian abruptly dimmed.

The starry expanse—the divine domain he had summoned—vanished in an instant.

Next, the seven Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars ceased their radiance. One by one, the artifacts, including the copper chest, descended quietly into the heart of the settlements on top of the pillars.

Across the seven continents, the deafening rumble faded into silence.

The dense web of interwoven Heavenly Daos that had manifested over the Black Empyrean Phoenix's remains vanished as if they were never there in the first place.

The receding murky energy began to rise once more.

Thank you, Brother.

I know that no matter the time, no matter the situation, so long as I am your sister, you'll always stand by my side.

It was true before and it's true now. It will always be true.

In the bizarre mist, the crumbling world of darkness recovered, sealing away the blood-red ruptures.