Chapter 859: The Divine Saint of the Fey Race

"The human race of the Abyss."

Xing Huan stood composed, long silver-gray hair cascading over the shoulders of his matching gray robes. The sea of stars on his forehead, glimmering with silent brilliance, aided him in perceiving the anomalies hidden in the starry skies.

High-ranking God Xing Huan activated his innate bloodline ability and swept his gaze over the lifeless realm using his technique, the Sea of Shattered Stars. When he turned to observe the True Gods from the Abyss, the stars on his forehead flared brilliantly.

The power of foresight...and the Pearl of Fate!

A jolt ran through Xing Huan's heart. Treading lightly on glimmering motes of starlight, he crossed the dim starscape, arriving at the star where Li Yuqing stood in the blink of an eye.

All the True Gods of the human race had gathered on the same star, clustered around the octagonal teleportation array.

Mu Qingya, known as the Bronze-Masked God in the starry skies, had foregone his mask and wore his true face. Seeing Xing Huan approach, a surge of wariness rose within him.

"What do you want?" he asked sharply.

The names of high-ranking Gods were all recorded in the Hall of Gods. High-ranking Gods holding the title of World God were even more extraordinary. Xing Huan, being both, naturally held immense status and power.

Wary that Xing Huan harbored ulterior motives, Mu Qingya calmed the spatial fluctuations of the teleportation array and even summoned his Heavenwood Sword.

"As far as I'm aware, the Gods of the Star Race have not taken part in the persecution of the True Gods of the human race. You..."

Li Wang, Zhu Ji, and Li Zhaotian all tensed up, prepared for the worst.

Pang Jian's invocation of his authority as the World God Paragon to summon World Gods from across various worlds to explore the Ruin Realm had already unsettled them. In their eyes, any divine being not of the human race was a potential threat.

The presence of the summoned World Gods left them worried that their gathering in the Darkcloud Realm could be exposed. Already uneasy, they were naturally on high alert when they saw Xing Huan approach the way he did.

Xing Huan paid no attention to them. His gaze remained fixed on Li Yuqing.

"You..."

The mysterious Sea of Shattered Stars on his forehead grew ever brighter, stirring restlessly in resonance with his bloodline.

The Pearl of Fate in Li Yuqing's palm flared with a dazzling light.

Xing Huan's expression shifted at the confirmation of her status.

The stars within the Sea of Shattered Stars on his forehead aligned into a mysterious ring-shaped formation. Then, with solemn reverence, he bowed deeply.

"Our people regard him, born of the Star Race, as both our leader and our pride. Despite this, he shows no concern for his origins, pays no attention to the affairs of our race, and has thoroughly severed ties with our people.

"He's walked far down a path that others can only admire from afar, never able to approach. Regardless, whether he acknowledges it or not, he's still one of us. Even he cannot change that."

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Xing Huan straightened up and smiled.

"Someone has once again earned his favor after so many years, and a human from the Abyss, no less. I beg you, please don't betray the hope he's placed in you."

With those cryptic words, the World God of the Star Race nodded politely at Li Yuqing and turned to leave in graceful silence.

He was the first of the summoned World Gods to step through the spatial rift to the Thunder Abyss.

Li Yuqing stood in a daze. "Pride and leader of the Star Race..."

It seemed her backer, the God of Fate, was a member of the Star Race that Xing Huan revered as their pride.

Meanwhile, Xing Huan's behavior had also left Fa Ji, Bai Zi, Yu Hang, and Mu Duo of the Wood Race visibly shaken. The four World Gods stared at Li Yuqing, as though having just stumbled upon a great anomaly.

"The God of Fate is backing a human girl?" Mu Duo muttered in disbelief. "Even if she has the ability to glimpse the future, she's still human."

Unlike Fa Ji, Bai Zi, and Yu Hang, who all hailed from the bizarre mist, Mu Duo did not. He understood all too well the hostility the Outer Gods held toward the human race.

The God of Wisdom, Sovereign Luo, and the God of Space had long deemed the human race a threat to be purged, commanding their subordinates to kill on sight.

Only the God of Fate remained detached from such conflicts, never once expressing overt kindness or malice. Unexpectedly, this aloof Sovereign had chosen to support a human girl.

Could this be a subtle shift in stance?

Mu Duo sank into deep thought, turning his gaze once more to the rapidly evolving World Tree as it drew power from the husk of its former self.

Could the human race's tragic plight in the starry skies soon be a thing of the past?

With that thought in mind, Mu Duo stepped through the spatial rift as well.

Fa Ji, having once fought Pang Jian in the Nether Abyss and clashed fiercely with Bai Zi, was in a complicated mood.

Not wishing to address the awkward past, he prepared to cross through the spatial rift without exchanging a word with anyone when Pang Jian let out a light cough.

"Fa Ji."

Fa Ji replied with a stiff tone, "What do you want?"

Bai Zi let out a snort of laughter before Pang Jian could respond.

"What's so funny?" Fa Ji glared.

Bai Zi's black hair cascaded down the back of her flowing green gown. The hem of her dress fluttered gently, shedding specks of faint, shimmering light. Amusement danced in her dark eyes at the sight of Great Demon God Fa Ji losing his composure.

"The ways of the world are truly unpredictable," she said with a smile. "I was just thinking about how you, under that ancient ape's instigation, unleashed a massacre upon my people back in the Nether Abyss.

"I doubt you could've ever imagined that Pang Jian would one day summon you to explore the Ruin Realm alongside that same ancient ape."

Recalling the incident where Pang Jian used Demonheaven's cloak to subjugate numerous Demon Gods, Bai Zi let out a burst of unrestrained laughter.

"Even without the suppression of his status as the World God Paragon, you're no longer a match for Pang Jian, right?"

Fa Ji, clad in pitch-black armor and emaciated like a skeleton, stood with multiple banners fluttering behind him. He tightly gripped his perforated demonic blade, panting heavily as flames blazed in his eyes. Piercing howls rang out from the banners and the holes of the demonic blade.

"Lord Demonheaven was once my leader. He was the person I admired most. I left my name in that cloak as a mark of the highest respect for him. Though he's since fallen, and I remain bound to that cloak through my name, I have no regrets.

"You dare mock me for this, Bai Zi? It's only a matter of time. Just a matter of time!"

Gnashing his teeth in fury, Fa Ji steadied himself, then turned back to Pang Jian.

"What do you want from me?"

Pang Jian's lips barely moved as he invoked a secret sound transmission technique, letting his voice echo solely within Fa Ji's mind.

I want to thank you and your fellow Great Demon Gods for your support. Luan Ji told me that, even without the binding of that cloak, you all would have supported me just the same.

Fa Ji was taken aback, not expecting Pang Jian to express goodwill toward them at a time like this. After a brief pause, Fa Ji gave Pang Jian a small nod and, without a word, slipped into the spatial rift.

He found himself standing within the lightning-wracked Thunder Abyss. There, he saw another Pang Jian and a young girl bearing a faint resemblance to him.

The sweet-looking girl had an almost imperceptible smile on her lips. Behind her, within a crisscross of shifting light and shadow, loomed the faint silhouette of a proud Black Empyrean Phoenix. The aura of the colossal phoenix was as boundless as the sea, blurring the line between reality and illusion.

At the faintest stir of the phoenix's wings, darkness swept over the worlds of everlasting light, plunging them into eternal night.

The Black Empyrean Phoenix of the Fey Race!

Fa Ji's body trembled violently, his Divine Persona echoing with anguish and grief.

The terrifying phenomena behind the young girl shook not only Fa Ji but also Mu Duo of the Wood Race, Xing Huan of the Star Race, as well as the later arrivals of Bai Zi of the Nether Race and Yu Hang of the Celestial Race.

Their faces paled as if seeing a ghost in broad daylight. None of the gathered World Gods had anticipated that someone like her would be waiting on the other side of the spatial rift.

Flashing them a mischievous smile, the girl said, "Let me introduce myself. I'm Pang Lin, also from the Abyss. Pang Jian's my older brother. Same parents, by the way."

The minds of the gathered World Gods seemed to come to a standstill.

As extraordinary beings themselves, they immediately sensed that the one residing in this sweet-looking girl was none other than the former Sovereign of the Fey Race, the Black Empyrean Phoenix.

How could the fallen Black Empyrean Phoenix be Pang Jian's biological sister? And why would she be in a human body?

Did she possess the young girl? Or did she outright usurp her soul?

Fa Ji felt a deep turmoil, filled with a mix of grief, shock, and helplessness as he stood under Pang Lin's deliberately oppressive presence. Still, he forced himself to suppress it all.

The Sovereign of the Demon Races had once been the most important figure in Fa Ji's life. The Black Empyrean Phoenix had slain Sovereign Demonheaven, plunging the entire Demon Races into decline.

As one of the oldest Demon Gods, Fa Ji was one of the few fortunate enough to have seen the true body of the Black Empyrean Phoenix. Merely recalling the dread she inspired sent uncontrollable shudders through his body and soul.

"It's her! That aura, that indescribable pressure, it can't be anybody but her!"

Dread and dismay consumed Fa Ji. Never could he have imagined that the Black Empyrean Phoenix of the Fey Race would one day stand before him as Pang Lin, just as he could never have foreseen that Sovereign Demonheaven's cloak would fall into Pang Jian's hands.

The young girl's smile faded.

"My battle with Demonheaven was one of open confrontation," she said solemnly, confirming her identity. "There was no deception or borrowed might from other Sovereigns. His defeat and death were simply because he was not as skilled as I. His enlightenment into the Dao of Demon fell short of my understanding of darkness. That is why he lost.

"I'm explaining this only because you, the leader of the Demon Gods within the bizarre mist, are also a World God.

"Yuan Yi of the Fey Race has already sworn loyalty to me once more. You'll meet him when you enter the Ruin Realm.

"I'm quite curious what sort of fate awaits the few remaining World Gods in that realm. I wish you all the best of luck."

With that, the young girl disappeared.

Pang Jian, smiling faintly, gestured toward the depths of the Thunder Abyss. "The boundary walls between the two worlds have been linked. The Ruin Realm lies just below. Please, go on."

The World Gods did not hesitate. One by one, they summoned their World God Pendants and descended into the mysterious realm nestled at the bottom of the Thunder Abyss.

Once they vanished, Pang Lin's voice echoed softly through the air. "Brother, be careful of Yuan Yi, and be wary of Yu Hang of the Celestial Race. I have a feeling your authority as the World God Paragon may face a challenge within the Ruin Realm. Tread carefully."

A tree wreathed in lightning suddenly appeared before Pang Jian.

"Take this with you. If you root it within the Thunder Pool, it could prove unexpectedly effective. Don't bother standing on ceremony with me."

"There's no need for that," Pang Jian shook his head with a smile. "Nobody beneath the level of a Sovereign can stand against me in the bizarre mist, not even Yuan Yi."

With that, Pang Jian stepped through the boundary wall and vanished from the Thunder Abyss.

***

In the absolute darkness of the Seventh World of the Abyss, strange ripples of light surrounded the remains of the Black Empyrean Phoenix, pulling at the murky energy that permeated the worlds of the Abyss.

The ever-rising murky energy, which had since seeped into the continents and fragmented lands of the Second World, abruptly halted.

The Second World is the limit.

A commanding voice resounded in the minds of the black turtle, the Black Dragon King, Yuan Qi, and the Ice Armor Eel Dragon.

Outer Gods will start probing into the Abyss before long. Prepare yourselves for battle.

***

Massive stars that resembled rounded, slumbering beasts from a distance radiated a faint glow in the dim expanse of the starry skies.

Potent blood essence permeated the vast reaches of this starry region, filling every star.

Piercing howls and primal cries echoed.

A golden giant elephant, its body resembling a mountain, emerged from deep within a towering ancient forest with thunderous steps, letting out a low, resounding bellow.

In a vast ocean, a silver-scaled serpent stirred from its millions of years of dormancy. Its coiled body drifted across the surface of the ocean like a chain of islands, its forked tongue flicking out between its razor-sharp fangs.

A Vermilion Bird burst out of the mouth of a volcano that had spewed flames and lava for many years, soaring joyously into the sky.

From the depths of a barren star, a pangolin burst through the ground, landing in the starry skies filled with thick blood essence.

This was the Ancient Fey World, where each star housed a formidable Fey God.

"The Divine Saint has awakened!"

"Her true body lies deep within the Abyss, but she's summoned us using a different body in the Thunder Abyss!"

"I knew it! With the Divine Saint's ability of nirvanic rebirth, she would surely rise again from the bizarre mist!"

"With the Divine Saint's return, the golden age of our Fey Race will surely be forged anew!"

These mighty Fey Gods, renowned across the starry skies, left their respective stars and headed toward a long-desolate one.

This colossal star was shrouded in endless darkness, no light capable of piercing its veil.