Chapter 866: Refining Weapons at Will

"Pang Jian..."

The azure Thunder Dragon narrowed its massive eyes, a thoughtful glint flickering deep within them as it gazed at Pang Jian.

Pang Jian stood in the upper layer of the Ruin Realm, gazing back in silence.

His divine sense had already spread across the stars and continents, silently permeating everything, unnoticed by all.

Suddenly, Pang Jian realized he could perceive the malice that certain beings in this realm harbored toward him.

Two sources stood out clearly. One was the ancient ape, the other was Yu Hang from the Celestial Abyss.

Bai Zi, Fa Ji, Xing Huan, and Mu Duo harbored no strong animosity toward him and thus posed no immediate threat.

Surprisingly, the Thunder Dragon, the new incarnation of the Duke of Thunder, likewise bore him no ill will.

Pang Jian quickly realized the source of his heightened intuition.

The divine techniques I gained from the Soulstream, fused with the many demonic techniques of the Demon Gods, were what granted me this insight.

The Duke of Thunder confirmed his lack of hostility toward Pang Jian a moment later.

"Why should I target Pang Jian first?" asked the Thunder Dragon, his long body weaving through the sea of lightning with ease. Holding the World God Pendant in his claw, he sneered at Yuan Yi, "Pang Jian brought the Thunder Pool out from the restricted area and restored this Divine Court of Thunder.

"He even helped my descendants in the Thunder Abyss, quelling the chaos stirred up by a rogue Fey God.

"Meanwhile, you devoured both the traitorous Thunderveil Godbeast and the Thunder God named Pan Di in the bizarre mist, turning their flesh and blood essence into your strength.

"No matter how I look at it, you're full of wicked schemes, while Pang Jian has done nothing but assist me. If I were to kill someone first, it would be you."

The Duke of Thunder once roamed the starry skies unchallenged, a high-ranking God before whom the Outer Gods would retreat in fear. He was not one to confuse right and wrong.

Unmoved by Yuan Yi's attempt to goad him, he mulled it over, then declared, "I will compete for the title of the World God Paragon, but only after this ancient ape has been put down.

"When I fight, I fight openly and with honor. I won't be manipulated by the likes of him.

"What do you say?" the Duke of Thunder asked Pang Jian.

Pang Jian paused, then nodded, deciding to put faith in his instincts. "Sounds good to me."

"Yuan Yi!" roared the Duke of Thunder from high above the Divine Court of Thunder. Lightning shot into the stars and the continents, obliterating the Dao of Life Yuan Yi had spread throughout the Ruin Realm.

The ancient ape's influence over the Ruin Realm collapsed. Energy no longer surged into his massive frame.

"I've been rewriting the fundamental laws of this realm since these bolts of lightning were drawn from the Thunder Abyss and into the Divine Court of Thunder.

"You hold sway over scattered stars and fragmented lands, but so what? The lightning under my command is rewriting the very fabric of this realm! I'd love to see what you could possibly use to defy me now."

Claws extended and fangs bared, the Thunder Dragon maneuvered the Divine Court of Thunder, charging straight at the towering ape. Lightning vortexes and storms exploded with thunderous booms. In the blink of an eye, a sea of blinding lightning surrounded Yuan Yi.

Yuan Yi let out a helpless sigh.

One hand gripped his World God Pendant like a shield while the other wielded the Celestial Fey Warhammer. Blood boiling, he bared his teeth and growled, "Duke of Thunder, I respect your fame and your legacy, but don't mistake that for fear."

The Duke of Thunder snorted. "You weren't even a high-ranking God when I made my name. You were barely known even in the Fey Abyss."

Lightning continued to cascade down like waterfalls from above, cleansing his body and pushing both his Divine Persona and cultivation realm ever higher.

Though the Duke of Thunder had yet to ascend to high-ranking godhood, he did not fear the ancient ape in the slightest. After all, he had the Divine Court of Thunder beneath him and the Thunder Abyss above to empower him.

The World God Pendant is forged from the bronze expanse at the bottom of the Abyss. At its core, it's still metal...

Pang Jian's thoughts raced as his divine sense swept across the pendant in his hand.

My rise as the World God Paragon was founded on my attunement with the Dao Source of Metal and the favor it showed me.

My Immortal Divine Soul, once it reconnected with my physical body, inherited the insights I had gained from that Dao Source.

Pang Jian quietly turned his attention inward.

Metal...

In the lungs of his prismatic Immortal Divine Soul stood a towering golden mountain branded with the essence of the Dao of Metal. It radiated blinding light, with arcs of lightning imbued with the Dao of Metal flowing down from its peak like vines.

When Pang Jian gazed upon this golden mountain, he felt as if he were beholding the other side of the Dao Source of Metal.

He sank his divine sense into it. As he did, those arcs of lightning became his meridians, the golden mountain his bones and body.

Suddenly, he could detect every trace of metal within the Ruin Realm. It felt as if he could summon it all forth to conjure metallic artifacts or recreate another mountain of metal at will.

Unusual tremors erupted across the stars and continents. The purest essence of metal, capable of forging divine artifacts, burst forth like brilliant flowing sand.

A sea formed beneath Pang Jian, composed entirely of the pure essence of metal.

"Sword," Pang Jian commanded softly, forging a weapon in the blink of an eye.

This was nothing short of a miracle!

Only those acknowledged by the Dao Source of Metal, with comprehension into the mysteries of artifact forging, could perform such a feat.

Pang Jian's mood soared as he beheld the sword in his hand.

I can summon weapons at will. How wonderful!

Just then, the boundary wall of the Ruin Realm became veiled in an ominous black hue. One final streak of lightning lanced down from above, with no more following.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Shock flashed through the Duke of Thunder's eyes. "Black Empyrean Phoenix!"

Darkness had forcibly severed the link between the Ruin Realm and the Thunder Abyss, no longer allowing him to channel the everlasting lightning of the latter and preventing him from growing stronger.

Only the Sovereign of the Fey Race had a command of darkness capable of severing the connection between the two.

Having lurked within the Thunder Pool for a long time, he was aware that the remains of the fallen Black Empyrean Phoenix were in the Seventh World of the Abyss. He also knew that she had reincarnated as Pang Jian's younger sister and was in the Thunder Abyss above.

"Damn it!"

The Duke of Thunder truly had not anticipated that Pang Lin would interfere with his elimination of the ancient ape.

"Pang Jian! You need to make it clear to your sister that my primary target isn't you, but that ancient ape who betrayed her!"