Chapter 858: The Ancient Ape's Unyielding Ambition

Murderous greed flashed in the Thunder Dragon's eyes.

An invisible force suddenly linked the majestic palaces engraved with Lightning Dao Seals across the vast Divine Court of Thunder together.

Above the Divine Court of Thunder, a massive lightning vortex spun gently like an inverted funnel. Lightning twisted like serpentine dragons around the vortex's rim.

The thick bolts of lightning from the Thunder Abyss were drawn into the vortex and funneled directly into the raging Thunder Pool, where the azure Thunder Dragon swam.

Though the Thunder Dragon remained the same size, its aura surged, catching Yuan Yi's attention.

"What a strange Thunder Dragon," Yuan Yi said, squinting for a closer look at the Thunder Dragon.

The writhing Thunder Dragon, forged from fine crystal bloodline chains, was devouring violent bolts of lightning, instinctively seeking the path to advancement.

"Its lightning-aligned meridians and the Dao of Lightning it comprehended seem quite complete, but its vitality is weak. As for its sentience..."

A crimson gleam flared in the ancient ape's eyes. A sinister blood rose bloomed in his pupils, its petals flowing with ancient Fey Race script that resembled a sky full of stars.

"Secret bloodline technique, Sentience Discernment!"

A beam of crimson light shot forth from Yuan Yi's eyes, projecting across the sky to illuminate the azure Thunder Dragon.

The Thunder Dragon's joyful swimming came to an abrupt halt beneath that crimson light. Its eyes became dull and unfocused, like a child unversed in the world.

"We're worlds apart. There's nothing to fear."

Yuan Yi immediately lost interest. With a thought, he withdrew the secret technique and redirected his focus back to the Ruin Realm and its boundary wall.

Blood-colored waves rippled from the World God Pendant beneath Yuan Yi. He infused his blood essence into his World God Pendant to reach out to the artifacts he had left outside the Ruin Realm, but found that he could not sense any of them.

The ancient ape grinned. "No wonder Pang Jian's physical body was asking around, trying to locate his Immortal Divine Soul. The Ruin Realm is completely sealed. Those within are cut off from the outside world until they leave. If I can't communicate with the outside world, then neither can Pang Jian.

"If that's the case..."

The ancient ape rubbed his hands together, a bloodthirsty gleam growing in his eyes.

"If he can't reach the outside world, that means the Demon Gods can't help him through Demonheaven's cloak. Its power will be greatly diminished. His physical body, unaware of the situation inside the Ruin Realm, also won't dare to barge in recklessly.

"Pang Lin is not a World God, so she has no way to enter. In other words, my opponent is only Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul!"

The ancient ape let out a low snarl of excitement.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"If I can kill him in the Ruin Realm, seize that demonic cloak, and claim this Thunder Pool as my own, then even she...

"Perhaps I could stand my ground against her in battle again!"

Gritting his teeth, Yuan Yi summoned the blood essence sealed within his World God Pendant.

Each drop of dark-red blood essence expanded into a sphere of crimson light the moment it left the pendant. Streams of blood with intermittent flashes of blood-colored lightning could be seen within those glowing spheres.

"Go!" The ancient ape pointed at the stars and continents scattered throughout the Ruin Realm. These glowing spheres of blood essence split off, sinking deep into the ground of the various landmasses, imprinting them with his Dao of Life.

As a high-ranking God of the Fey Race and the most powerful God of Life in this era, he had the means to imprint his presence deep within the stars and continents of this untouched realm.

With those in place, he could freely draw power from the stars, continents, and boundless spiritual qi in the Ruin Realm.

As Pang Jian had gained enhanced strength in the Nether Abyss, so too could he unleash his full potential within the Ruin Realm.

"Brat, you've not been a God for long. You still haven't learned how to properly harness your surroundings. How could you not embed your insights into the stars and continents in an untouched realm like this?" Yuan Yi scoffed as he unleashed his techniques.

***

On one of the lifeless stars in the Darkcloud Realm, Mu Qingya finally completed the octagonal teleportation array.

Spatial fluctuations from below flooded the silver mirror at the array's center. Nebulas swirled on the mirror's surface as it worked to establish connections with distant worlds.

"The Ruin Realm!"

Everyone present, still reeling from Pang Jian's account, agreed that the Ruin Realm would make an excellent refuge.

"Pang Jian, give me at most a quarter of an hour and I'll be able to link our location with the True Gods in the starry skies," Mu Qingya said, visibly tense. "This place you mentioned, the Ruin Realm, is it truly an untapped realm, filled with unclaimed natural treasures?"

Pang Jian let out a helpless smile. "I just discovered something—it seems that only World Gods bearing World God Pendants are allowed entry."

Using his authority as the World God Paragon, Pang Jian's physical body tore open spatial rifts throughout the Darkcloud Realm.

"Senior Mu, please hold off on connecting with those ancient seniors for now. I plan to gather all the living World Gods and bring them into the Ruin Realm. I want to convene a small meeting with the World Gods inside."

As soon as he said this, Pang Jian's voice resonated from within Bai Zi's, Fa Ji's, Xing Huan's, and Yu Hang's World God Pendants.

"There's a new realm called the Ruin Realm. It seems only World Gods like us can enter at the moment. I intend to take you there to explore it."

His words naturally sparked great curiosity among the surviving World Gods.

Before long, Bai Zi from the Nether Abyss, Fa Ji from the starry skies, Xing Huan from a radiant starry region, and even the usually aloof Yu Hang arrived at the Darkcloud Realm through the spatial rifts.

"World God Paragon, Pang Jian!"

Xing Huan and Yu Hang greeted, each performing ceremonial salutes unique to their own race.

Unlike Bai Zi and Fa Ji, they were not personally familiar with Pang Jian. Still, they had witnessed him crush Du Ling's resurrection in the Abyss via their World God Pendants. That alone was enough to attest to his formidable strength.

Even before their arrival, Pang Jian had already told them that wielders of the World God Pendants stood to gain tremendous opportunities in the coming grand event, potentially even allowing them to ascend as Sovereigns. This news gave each of them renewed direction and hope.

The emergence of the Ruin Realm only further convinced them that following the World God Paragon would bring them closer to that goal.

"Yuan Yi of the Fey Race has already gone ahead. It's up to you whether you wish to enter the Ruin Realm," Pang Jian said, gesturing toward the final open spatial rift.

On the other side stood his Immortal Divine Soul, holding Huo Ji's World God Pendant, and the distant figure of Pang Lin.

"I want to go too!" exclaimed Mu Duo of the Wood Race. Coming forward, he turned to Pang Jian and explained, "This young World Tree doesn't need me during its assimilation process. If it does later on, you can always summon me back from the Ruin Realm."

Everyone wanted to explore the mysterious realm that had appeared.

Pang Jian glanced at the vibrant World Tree entwined with the withered one.

How are things on your end?

he asked through their connection.

Very good. I feel great,

Pang Ling responded.

He's right, he's not needed for now.

Pang Ling's spirit body was still gathering pure blood essence at the heart of the ever-growing tree, using the awakened insights into the mysteries of life to shape a new body.

Though that body was being born through the World Tree, it would be able to exist independently of it. Unlike before, this body would be made of flesh and blood, not an illusory spirit form.

Father, I'll soon reach Rank Twelve. In my past life, I'd just barely stepped into Rank Thirteen when I was killed. This time, I'll firmly establish myself as a Rank Thirteen Aberrant Spirit. I'll stand tall in the starry skies with the Wood Race to guard me!

Pang Ling brimmed with excitement. The profound insights into the mysteries of life that Pang Jian had passed to her, derived from Yuan Yi's and Sovereign Luo's Daos of Life, had allowed her to glimpse a new path forward.

Like the Black Empyrean Phoenix had been reborn into the human race in this life, Pang Ling, too, was undergoing a higher evolution.