Chapter 855: The Ruin Realm

Within the bizarre mist lay a hidden realm. Colossal burning stars hung motionless in the sky above, eternal and undying, while large continents floated silently below.

The realm was sharply divided into an upper and a lower half, delineated with an uncanny precision.

This was the Ruin Realm.

Clad in the demonic cloak atop a miniature Thunder Pool and holding the World God Pendant that once belonged to Huo Ji, Pang Jian had been drifting through this strange realm ever since he stepped through the realm's boundary.

"Stars above, continents below, yet not a single living being within. This realm drifts endlessly, and yet it possesses complete Heavenly Daos and unique energies."

Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul soared across the landscape atop the Thunder Pool, traversing each of the continents in the lower layer one by one.

There were exactly twenty-four continents, and Pang Jian explored every single one. Strangely enough, there were no cities, kingdoms, or even man-made artifacts in sight. In fact, there were no signs of sentient creatures around.

The twenty-four continents existed in their most primitive state. Mountains, lakes, forests, and hills dotted the terrain. Along with veins of precious ores, materials rarely seen in the outside world existed in abundance across the continents. The spiritual qi that filled the lower layer was similar to that of the Nether Abyss and the Abyss.

"Could this be a realm in the midst of being reborn?" Pang Jian wondered aloud.

After departing from the final continent, Pang Jian hovered high above, gazing down at the scattered continents below. He realized that this place was far larger than both the Nether Abyss and the Abyss combined.

The most astonishing observation he made was that the vast and brilliant stars above were not part of the outside starry skies. They were a part of and contained within this sealed realm.

A strange thought rose in Pang Jian's mind.

It's just like my dantian within my physical body...

Without hesitation, he flew upward, determined to see if he could find anything rare in those stars.

In a flash, Pang Jian reached the upper layer and was immediately met with a rich deluge of chaotic energies that were vastly different from ordinary spiritual power.

It felt as though he had left the Abyss and broken free of the bizarre mist, now drifting through the cold starry skies.

However, he still saw the vast, scattered continents below, drifting like jagged stones, when he looked down, confirming that he had not left the mysterious realm.

"What a strange realm."

He descended onto one of the stars and flooded it with divine sense, but did not detect any sign of intelligent life.

Just like the floating continents below, this celestial body bore rivers and mountains, forests and lakes, precious ores and rare herbs, but there were no cities, no kingdoms, or proof that any life had settled down here.

"There were mountains, rivers, stars, and continents... This realm has everything. The Heavenly Dao is complete, and the laws are stable. It's far more suitable for life than even the Nether Abyss or the Abyss."

A sudden thought struck Pang Jian. If the human race of the Abyss was ever truly forced to flee, driven to a dead end by the murky energy, then this realm would be their best refuge.

Rather than risking the unknown of the starry skies, it would be better for the human race to seek refuge here.

"It's just that..."

Within this realm, Pang Jian found himself unable to establish a connection with his physical body, the Soulstream, or the Dao Source of Metal. Even the demonic cloak had been cut off from communicating with the Demon Gods.

This isolated realm was completely sealed off and self-contained, but still drifted through the bizarre mist. It was vast, brimming with resources, rich in spiritual qi, and filled with stars and various energies capable of catalyzing the evolution of foreign races' bloodlines. In short, this realm was perfect for nearly every kind of race.

Who created it? What was its purpose? Could it have been built as a final refuge for the denizens of the bizarre mist?

Pang Jian's thoughts inevitably wandered.

He had believed this place was an abyss and chose to stay here in order to hide from the God of Wisdom, Fu Ya. With lingering doubts, he continued wandering through the upper layer of this strange realm.

Pang Jian tread across one star after another.

"There are twenty-four continents and thirty-six stars. The continents are flat, while the stars are round. They have different structures and different energies, yet both are capable of supporting life.

"If the Nether Race or the human race enters, they can live off the spiritual qi and settle on the continents below.

"The foreign races could take root on the thirty-six stars above, and flourish in the upper layers.

"This entire realm is sealed off from the outside, and it seems like Outer Gods cannot sense it. Since it drifts constantly through the bizarre mist, it's incredibly difficult to find.

"This is the perfect sanctuary!" Pang Jian exclaimed with gleaming eyes.

From the bizarre mist above the stars, arcs of lightning suddenly tore through the air, drawn to the Thunder Pool beneath Pang Jian.

Like torrents cascading down, they poured into the Thunder Pool.

The Thunder Pool expanded outward, fully unleashing its might. Like a fractured continent suspended in the void, the Divine Court of Thunder hovered among the thirty-six stars. The towering palaces within it were bathed in thick bolts of lightning, becoming even more magnificent and unshakable.

"Hm?" A flicker of surprise crossed Pang Jian's eyes.

Unlike the abysses, the sky of this realm appeared to lack a barrier. There was only a boundary wall that separated it from the bizarre mist that surrounded the realm in all directions.

The omnipresent corrosive fog of bizarre mist was supposed to be devoid of strong energies. It seemed impossible for the bizarre mist to have been such violent, immense lightning and thunder.

Sensing something amiss, Pang Jian did not disturb the expansion of the Divine Court of Thunder. Instead, he shot upward, flying toward the boundary wall and into the bizarre mist above.

Below, at the center of the grandest palace within the Thunder Pool, a tiny azure Thunder Dragon swam delightedly like a fish in the water.

The Dao of Lightning condensed into lightning, one bolt at a time, and transformed into fine markings along its serpentine body; cleansing and refining its flesh, bones, and meridians.

Pang Jian had once sought to replicate Long Xiao, bringing the Thunder Dragon into existence during the process. At the time, Pang Jian's physical body had entrusted his Immortal Divine Soul to it, using it to pierce the restriction laid down by the God of Wisdom and destroy her spirit body.

It had originally been a makeshift puppet, never meant to possess intelligence or awareness.

Yet just as Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul soared upward, a glimmer of intelligence quietly brewed in the Thunder Dragon's azure eyes as if it had just been enlightened.

From within the Thunder Pool, the slender azure Thunder Dragon raised its head, gazing up at the misty sky above and at Pang Jian, who was nearing the boundary wall.

The Ruin Realm,

it murmured softly in its mind.

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Pang Jian successfully passed through the boundary wall, leaving the strange realm below and entering the bizarre mist.

"The Thunder Abyss!"

Violent thunder and lightning overwhelmed Pang Jian the moment he crossed over, and he finally understood where the lightning pouring into the Divine Court of Thunder had come from.

The upper boundary wall of the realm he had just left was directly connected to the lower boundary wall of the Thunder Abyss, linking them together.

"Pang Jian!"

"Brother!"

Atop the peak of Thunder God Mountain, Yuan Yi and Pang Lin looked stunned, their faces filled with disbelief.

"It's his Immortal Divine Soul."

The ancient ape shot up with thunderous momentum, stepping onto the World God Pendant to tear through the raging lightning. He had no qualms about whether the Thunder Race could see him as he flew straight downward.