Chapter 867: Getting Cold Feet?

Chapter 867: Getting Cold Feet?

"That'll require me to be able to leave," Pang Jian said distractedly, still admiring the pure-gold divine sword.

Channeling divine power into the sword, he tried to sense its peculiarities. A streak of golden brilliance shot from the divine sword's tip. His will guided the streak of sword light imbued with the essence of metal from the Ruin Realm upward.

A strong gut feeling struck Pang Jian.

This sword light could pierce through the laws of the Ruin Realm and perhaps even break through its boundary wall!

Following his instincts, Pang Jian imbued the sword light with a unique soul imprint. It was as if he had become the sword light itself, granting it a will of its own.

The sword light swiftly reached the boundary wall of the Ruin Realm under the guidance of that will, and, as expected, encountered resistance. As quickly as the restriction occurred, it seemed to lift, allowing the sword light to pierce through the Ruin Realm's laws.

The sword light pierced through the boundary wall!

Slipping into the gray expanse of the bizarre mist at the bottom of the Thunder Abyss, the sword light wove its way through intertwining bolts of lightning, following the guidance of the imbued will.

"Brother!" Pang Lin cried out in alarm from where she hovered at the bottom of the Thunder Abyss.

The Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree had been shrunken ten millionfold, resting gently in her hand. Above her, scenes of shifting worlds enshrouded by darkness flickered in and out of existence.

She had just severed the connection between the Thunder Abyss and the Ruin Realm using the lightning she commanded in this life, the darkness she had comprehended in her previous life, and the profound soul-related techniques she had in her repository.

Aware that the Duke of Thunder had resurrected within the Ruin Realm, her intent had been to extend aid to Pang Jian, lest no one remain capable of opposing the Duke.

Unexpectedly, a sword light had appeared, carrying her brother's soul imprint. It felt as if a wisp of Pang Jian's divine soul was housed within the sword light, separating from him and escaping the Ruin Realm.

"The Duke of Thunder has revived in the form of that azure Thunder Dragon and holds full control over the Divine Court of Thunder. Yuan Yi made his preparations in the Ruin Realm ahead of time, seeking to kill me there," explained Pang Jian's soul imprint in the sword light. "The Duke of Thunder is not my enemy at present. He intends to fight Yuan Yi first."

Pang Lin exclaimed in surprise, "So it really is a wisp of your divine soul!"

Pang Jian's act of merging a wisp of his soul into the sword light and using it to break through the Ruin Realm's boundary wall shocked her far more than Yuan Yi's betrayal or the Duke of Thunder's resurrection.

"Infusing one's divine soul into a released force and having that soul imprint remain intact without dissipating..." she muttered thoughtfully. "Only you and I are capable of such a feat."

Suddenly, a streak of silver lightning from the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree, carrying a wisp of her divine soul, shot from the Thunder Abyss toward the Ruin Realm.

The silver lightning pierced through the boundary wall and entered the Ruin Realm, where it started absorbing lightning from the Divine Court of Thunder, refining itself through mysterious means.

In mere moments, a body composed purely of lightning formed with Pang Lin's likeness. This form of her bore a slightly blurred visage, her figure crackling with arcs of lightning.

"Yuan Yi." She narrowed her eyes coldly.

"M-My Lord!"

The ancient ape's face paled with fright. He never imagined that the silver lightning that tore through the boundary wall of the Ruin Realm would transform into the person feared the most.

"The Black Empyrean Phoenix!"

"The Sovereign of the Fey Race!"

"Sh-she—"

The other World Gods and the Duke of Thunder were also shaken. All eyes were now locked on Pang Lin.

"The first Thunder God from the bizarre mist, the Duke of Thunder." Pang Lin smiled, faint and cold. "Your era is over. Since I've been reborn as a human and chosen the path of dual cultivation in the Dao of Soul and the Dao of Lightning, you can no longer ascend to Sovereignhood through the Dao of Lightning."

The sound of reconnecting boundary walls rang out again, shaking the entire Ruin Realm. After a brief lull, torrents of lightning once more poured down from the sky. This time, however, they did not flow into the Divine Court of Thunder but into Pang Lin's strange lightning manifestation.

"The Divine Court of Thunder..."

Her brightening expression grew as delicate and striking as the lightning that formed it.

"This wondrous treasure you forged is not in my possession only because my brother was using it."

She gracefully stepped forward onto the Divine Court of Thunder.

"Since it's now in your hands, taking it for myself no longer burdens my conscience. Duke of Thunder, I won't stand on ceremony."

Pang Lin stood at the center of the Thunder Pool, the intricate lightning weaving across her body linking seamlessly with the lightning within the pool. She wove her imprint into the depths of the Thunder Pool and over the entirety of the Divine Court of Thunder.

Pang Lin had forcefully wrested this legendary divine artifact from its creator!

"You can remain as the guardian or the steward of the Divine Court of Thunder, but its true master will be me."

Her diminutive figure stood at the heart of the Thunder Pool, her being already merged with the Divine Court of Thunder. It was as if the majestic palaces, the iron-like continent below, and the storm-wracked skies had all become an extension of Pang Lin.

In a single breath, her control over the Divine Court of Thunder eclipsed even that of its creator, showing the Duke of Thunder that a deeper, more profound harmony between artifact and its wielder was not only possible but real.

The Duke of Thunder's serpentine body undulated restlessly, his claw still gripping the World God Pendant, eyes brimming with unmasked shock.

"The Sovereign of the Fey Race. Such power, such unique techniques..."

The Duke of Thunder recalled the many legends tied to the Sovereign of the Fey Race, realizing at that moment that none of them had been exaggerated.

For the first time, the Duke of Thunder, with his almost obsessive confidence in his own strength and his pursuit of the Dao of Lightning, felt an undeniable sense of defeat.

"And you, Yuan Yi." Pang Lin cast a cold glance at the towering ancient ape. "I sent you into the Ruin Realm so you could scout the situation for my brother and return to report it to me."

Slender bolts of lightning shot out from the Divine Court of Thunder, streaking into the stars and the continents. Yuan Yi's Dao of Life and the Duke of Thunder's lightning were either annihilated on the spot or assimilated into extensions of Pang Lin's control.

The Ruin Realm seemed to become her personal dominion.

Yuan Yi let out a bitter sigh. Shrinking his towering body, he prostrated himself atop his World God Pendant, head bowed. "Greed and desire blinded me. I succumbed to temptation and strayed. I beg for your forgiveness, my Lord."

The savage ancient ape caved instantly!

This rapid chain of events left Bai Zi, Fa Ji, Mu Duo, Xing Huan, and Yu Hang stunned.

Pang Jian had refined the pure essence of metal in the Ruin Realm and casually forged a divine sword, sending a beam of sword light upward.

Then, a streak of silver lightning entered the Ruin Realm in a similar manner. The lightning took the shape of a maiden. Said maiden then seized the Divine Court of Thunder, forced Yuan Yi into an apology, and even left the Duke of Thunder speechless.

She had swept away all threats with ease.