Chapter 842: Showdown Between Two Sovereigns

The burst of dazzling brilliance expanded a hundredfold to reveal a striking figure.

Intense light poured forth like divine blades, releasing a cold aura capable of shattering all things.

The bizarre mist retreated as if imbued with sentient awareness.

In the blink of an eye, a domain of light spanning tens of millions of li came into being beneath the shine of that blinding radiance.

"The Rock Devourer once provoked me within the Abyss."

Only after her divine domain of light had fully unfurled did the intensity of the brilliance quietly dim. Sovereign Luo's peerless visage was such that even the mightiest of divine beings could never hope to sculpt her perfection.

This was a gesture of respect toward Fu Ya. A Sovereign like her only met someone face-to-face when standing before another of equal status.

"I went through great lengths to seize the fragmented lands that were his body and piece them back together. Now you're telling me he provoked you in the Abyss?" Fu Ya asked in displeasure. "Hongyan, are you trying to steal him from me?"

Only beings of her caliber knew that Sovereign Luo's original name was Luo Hongyan.

Once, in the Celestial Race's territories in the starry skies, there was a peerless beauty named Luo Hongyan. Her breathtaking allure haunted the dreams of countless Celestial Race elites, sparking endless bloodshed among themselves.

Her presence plunged the Celestial Race into recurring civil wars. It was not until she ascended to godhood that she quelled the chaos and compelled the Gods of the Celestial Race to swear fealty.

After becoming the leader of the Celestial Race and leading them to conquer other worlds, none dared speak her true name again. They simply addressed her as Sovereign Luo.

She elevated the Celestial Race to the ranks of the strongest and became the most dazzling Sovereign in the starry skies by her own strength.

"The Rock Devourer's body is yours. This one belongs to me," Sovereign Luo said coolly.

Sensing spatial fluctuations stirring within Fu Ya, Sovereign Luo frowned. That was an unmistakable sign that Fu Ya was preparing to leave.

"I'm not done speaking. There's no rush to leave."

Every beam of radiance within her divine domain abruptly gained weight, bearing down on Fu Ya and preventing the God of Wisdom from escaping.

"Hongyan, you've ruined everything!" Fu Ya spat in fury.

***

In another part of the bizarre mist, a fearsome azure Thunder Dragon encircled Fu Ya's spirit body while clutching a World God Pendant in its claws.

The Thunder Dragon had unleashed its nine lightning vortexes once again. Violent lightning linked with the Thunder Pool and resonated with the palaces, weaving into a vast network of the Dao of Lightning.

It had fused the mysteries of metal, cold, life, and the soul into one, evolving into a transcendent form of life.

Letting out a tyrannical roar, it wielded the authority of the Divine Court of Thunder to attack Fu Ya's spirit body.

Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul regained its freedom.

With a flick of his hand, the demonic cloak unfurled above Fu Ya's spirit body like a curtain of darkness. The names of many Demon Gods scattered across the cloak shimmered like crimson stars.

Three high-ranking and eighteen mid-ranking Demon Gods—Fa Ji, He Motian, Luan Ji, Qi Ya, Mo Yue, Bai Jin, and more—were forcibly manifested through the invocation of their names.

Groans filled the air as the consciousness of the Demon Gods descended and laid eyes on the massive, bluish-black spirit body.

"The God of Wisdom!"

"Fu Ya!"

First, he offended Yan Lie, then defied Sovereign Luo's vessel within the Abyss. After that, he suppressed both Mu Ya and Mou Qi, even going so far as to kill the latter. Now, Pang Jian's target was none other than the God of Wisdom, Fu Ya.

Mid-ranking Demon Gods like Qi Ya, Mo Yue, and Bai Jin could not help but feel a hint of admiration toward Pang Jian. Somehow, every being he crossed paths with turned out to be one of the most powerful beings in the starry skies. Those below the rank of Sovereign no longer even seemed to register in his eyes.

"Lord He Motian!"

"Lord Luan Ji!"

The mid-ranking Demon Gods reached out to the two Great Demon Gods through secret techniques, trying to gauge their stances.

"Aid him!" Luan Ji growled. "Don't worry about the consequences! If you don't, Pang Jian will erase your existence through that Thunder Pool!"

All eighteen mid-ranking Demon Gods howled in unison, pouring their demonic energy, accumulated over years, into the demonic cloak without reserve.

The demonic cloak hovered above Fu Ya's spirit body like an inky sky, taking on the form of a Demon Realm as it pressed down to suppress her.

The nine lightning vortexes around her spirit body tore into her divine power, while the demonic cloak exerted its crushing pressure from above.

Fu Ya had originally intended to use her Divine Void Crystal to summon her main body to this place, but Sovereign Luo's arrival disrupted everything, forcing her to remain with the Rock Devourer.

The nine lightning vortexes shattered the defenses Fu Ya had erected, slamming into her spirit body and tearing it into pieces!

Rays of radiant light flowed along the cracks in space, then vanished alongside the Divine Void Crystal.

"Many thanks for your aid," Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul and the azure Thunder Dragon said in unison.

With that, his Immortal Divine Soul recalled the demonic cloak and the Thunder Dragon.

Shrinking, he slipped back into the Thunder Pool.

I'd better find an abyss to hide in for now.

Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul, clutching a World God Pendant, scanned for the nearest abyss and sped toward it at once.

***

A long time later, Fire God Yan Lie, Cang Feng, and Mu Ya cautiously approached the remnants of the battlefield.

This pocket of space within the bizarre mist was riddled with cracks and holes. Tiny bolts of lightning flickered chaotically, and the air was permeated with lingering sinister thoughts that had yet to fully dissipate.

"Even the spirit body of our Lord couldn't stop Pang Jian," Mu Ya said, her tone subdued. Sensing the lingering aura of the Divine Void Crystal, she added, "Our Lord even used that divine artifact, and he still managed to escape."

"How can Pang Jian possibly be this powerful?" Cang Feng asked, staring at Yan Lie in disbelief.

The death of Mou Qi had already left both him and Mu Ya deeply shaken.

This, however, seemed beyond common sense.

The God of Wisdom they served had been present in the bizarre mist in her true body. With the Divine Void Crystal in hand, her spirit body was fully capable of channeling her divine power and summoning her true body at any moment.

Despite this, Pang Jian still managed to escape.

"When I left the Abyss, he wasn't at this level yet," Yan Lie said grimly. "I'm starting to worry that an Exalted God may truly emerge among the humans."

"You think he has that kind of potential?" Cang Feng asked, horrified.

"If anyone is destined to break precedent and become the first human to reach the Exalted God Realm, it's him," Yan Lie said, drawing a deep breath. "Have you heard the legend that one day, a race born within the bizarre mist will rise from it and rule the myriad worlds?"

Cang Feng and Mu Ya paled. Clearly, they had heard that legend as well.

***

In the Lunar Divine Palace, a restless Han Yi placed a strand of her divine consciousness into the body of a young girl from the Ice Race, occasionally exchanging brief words with the golden bees in the Resolute Expanse.

"Mou Qi is dead," said a golden bee in Pang Jian's voice. "From this day on, he will no longer threaten you."

Han Yi's body on her icy divine platform shuddered.

"You're still communicating with the Ice Race in the Abyss?" Ying Yue asked, a clear note of irritation in her voice. "If our Lord finds out, she could very well cast both of us out."

"Mou Qi is dead!" Han Yi's voice trembled with irrepressible joy.

"Dead? Who killed him?" the Moon God cried out in shock. "The God of Wisdom is in the bizarre mist. I can't imagine anyone killing Mou Qi under her watch."

"It was Pang Jian!"

"What?!"

Ying Yue was stunned.

Not long ago, she had seen Mou Qi joining forces with Mu Ya and Cang Feng to hunt down Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul in the bizarre mist. Barely any time had passed since then, yet Pang Jian had somehow killed Mou Qi.

"Times are changing. The age where the Outer Gods suppress the human race and the Nether Race will perhaps end in our generation," Han Yi said, her face practically glowing with hope. "Ying Yue, we need to stop seeing the world through such narrow lenses. Perhaps it's time we broadened our perspective, don't you agree?"

Ying Yue paused in thought, then replied, "I dare not. I just want things to stay the way they are. This is good enough for me."