Chapter 853: Racing into the Starry Skies

"The God of Death is nothing special after all."

With that, the Pang Jian formed from blood essence and the Dao of Life disintegrated.

Tens of thousands of crimson lightning bolts burst forth from the body, transforming into artifacts imbued with the power to erase the marks of death, surging through the crumbling starry expanse.

Pang Jian's divine sense was fused into each artifact. His consciousness had been split into countless strands, each independently comprehending the profound mysteries of life while also weaving said insights into the starry expanse.

Life energy was boundless in its mysteries. It could give rise to species and civilizations, bring the dead back to life, and even strengthen the bloodline of a race, allowing that powerful lineage to be passed down through generations.

The blood essence of the foreign races was no less mysterious. A single drop could contain the complete essence of a living being.

When the Dao of Life was combined with the Dao of Soul, it could be used to form a clone with a portion of the original's strength.

Pang Jian quietly attuned himself through his physical body, establishing a link with the Soulstream and drawing upon its wisdom to comprehend even greater mysteries.

His understanding of the Dao of Life had been elevated thanks to Du Ling.

Life...life...life...

A faint, ethereal voice echoed softly through the mysterious Soulstream of the Nether Abyss.

The mysteries of life that Pang Jian had comprehended were now imprinted in the Soulstream as well, etched into its depths for eternity.

Any new insights that surpassed the Soulstream's own would be imprinted into it, nurturing the growth of the Dao Source of Soul.

Strange engravings appeared on the bronze expanse at the bottom of the Abyss. Like streaks of crimson lightning, they flashed into existence and vanished just as quickly.

The Dao Source of Metal had also gained new insights into the mysteries of life.

Pang Jian had grown stronger through the Dao Sources of the Dao of Soul and the Dao of Metal. Now, the two Dao Sources were advancing their understanding of life through him.

***

The crimson lightning in the collapsing starry expanse shifted and transformed endlessly.

Some bolts of lightning took the form of colossal ancient Fey Gods, from Golden-Winged Giant Rocs and Blazing Qilins, to graceful Vermilion Birds and towering apes.

Others morphed into warriors of the Celestial Race, mighty figures of the Demon Races, powerhouses of the Ghost Race, or great sages of the Spirit Race.

Some streaks of lightning quietly vanished, only to reappear as vines, green pines, lotuses, or herbs.

The bleak starry expanse was no longer filled with death. The erratic flashes of lightning gave rise to all manner of lifeforms, causing the domain to brim with a strange vitality.

As this occurred, Pang Jian felt a strange sensation, as if he had become a being capable of giving birth to all things.

Although everything that had manifested from his understanding of the mysteries of life gradually returned to nothingness alongside the collapsing starry expanse, the imprints of his insights remained etched firmly into his Divine Persona.

If he were to truly harness his life energy and channel rich vitality through a particular divine artifact, he was certain he could actually recreate those fleeting lifeforms. The artifact in question was the Sanctum of Godly and Demonic Genesis.

The Sanctum of Godly and Demonic Genesis!

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The boundless sea of blood swiftly receded into Pang Jian's golden form.

A while back, the black turtle had propelled the Fey Spirit Continent out of the bizarre mist, and on that continent had been an illusory Sanctum of Godly and Demonic Genesis.

Zi Mo, a high-ranking God of the Ghost Race, had used that illusory Sanctum of Godly and Demonic Genesis to slaughter a group of young elites from the human race.

If a God with a profound understanding of the mysteries of life were to wield that Sanctum of Godly and Demonic Genesis, it would likely be capable of creating new races or granting rebirth to the dead.

The real Sanctum of Godly and Demonic Genesis has to be somewhere in the starry skies. The Black Empyrean Phoenix birthed many beings of the Abyss. Could it have been with the aid of the Sanctum of Godly and Demonic Genesis?

Pang Jian pondered.

A fresh spatial rift suddenly tore open in the space where the sea of blood had once been. On the other side lay none other than the Darkcloud Realm, where Mu Duo and the withered World Tree stood.

"Pang Jian!" Mu Duo, aware of what had happened through the World God Pendant after the previous spatial rift closed, waved excitedly. "There could still be traces of the mark of death inside this World Tree. I think—"

Pang Jian stepped through the spatial rift to the Darkcloud Realm before Mu Duo could finish.

Hovering above the withered World Tree, Pang Jian sent a surge of blood essence into its trunk.

The crimson lightning he had previously absorbed back into his body flared to life within the trunk, searching for any lingering traces of the mark of death.

Faint glimmers of a pale gray aura of death appeared under the scrutiny of his Divine Persona.

Begone.

A strange storm swept through the dead World Tree, washing away every last mark of death with his surging life energy.

"Pang Ling!" Pang Jian called from the Darkcloud Realm, voice passing through the spatial rift and echoing across the continent in the Fourth World of the Abyss.

"Father, I'm coming."

The World Tree pulled its roots from the ground. Large, emerald-green leaves wrapped around the Wood Race, lifting them alongside Pang Ling's true form toward the spatial rift.

Cries of shock echoed throughout the Fourth World at the sight.

"A giant tree is taking the Wood Race out of the Abyss? How is that even possible?"

"What is happening? Can one now freely enter and exit the Abyss?"

"Where did a spatial rift of this size even come from?"

The foreign race powerhouses in the Fifth World also witnessed this anomaly in the Fourth World and were similarly alarmed.

***

"Bigger!" Pang Jian cried, gripping his World God Pendant in the Darkcloud Realm, willing the spatial rift to widen further.

Li Wang, watching from the sky above, felt as though his understanding of the Abyss was being overturned.

"Is he trying to bring the young World Tree out of the Abyss?" he asked incredulously.

Descending slightly, he caught sight of a starry region through the spatial rift. There stood a withered World Tree many times larger than Pang Ling.

The withered World Tree was pierced through seven massive worlds, the sight of which left Li Wang speechless.

He was not alone in his shock.

The three mid-ranking Fey Gods—the black turtle, the Black Dragon King, and Yuan Qi—had never left the Abyss and had never seen anything of this scale either. Not even the Black Empyrean Phoenix could match its size.

"The starry skies are full of marvels. I'd love to explore them someday," Li Yuqing mumbled in awe.

"This spatial rift can bypass the starry skies above the Abyss. You could all leave right now if you wished," Mu Qingya said, eyes lighting up. Then, raising his voice, he called out, "Pang Jian! If I step through, I can use a secret technique to contact the other True Gods! Can you return to the Abyss through this spatial rift? Can you reopen it again?"

"Of course," Pang Jian replied from the Darkcloud Realm.

"Good." Mu Qingya's spirit rose. Glancing at the eager crowd before him, he said, "The Outer Gods and two Sovereigns are watching the starry skies above the Abyss like hungry wolves.

"If we break through the barrier and ascend into the starry skies above, we'll immediately face the wrath of the Outer Gods.

"But Pang Jian has opened another path for us! This is a rare opportunity for anyone who wishes to leave the Abyss and venture into the starry skies!"

With that, Mu Qingya shot toward the spatial rift.

"The starry skies!"

"The world beyond the Abyss!"

"Can we really leave like this?"

The eyes of the gathered True Gods, young and old alike, lit up with excitement.

The sight of Mu Qingya passing through the spatial rift and appearing unharmed in the Darkcloud Realm alongside the young World Tree instantly convinced them of the viability of the path.

"We can always return later. Why not go see the outside world?"

With that, Li Wang shot into the spatial rift.

The others exchanged brief glances before racing toward the spatial rift as well.