Chapter 872: Skull of a God King

"What?!" Great Demon God Fa Ji stared blankly at the pitch-black cloak.

The cloak flapped loudly in Pang Jian's hand, brimming with vibrant vitality and surging soul essence.

The names of the Demon Gods inscribed upon the surface of the cloak seemed to gain a breath of life, emitting soul fluctuations and the scent of blood!

"This isn't right!" Fa Ji trembled in shock.

It was impossible to establish any connection with the outside world while in the Ruin Realm. The Demon Gods and Great Demon Gods simply could not channel their power past the boundary wall and into the demonic cloak. Knowing this, Fa Ji could not fathom why the names of the Demon Gods would suddenly stir to life.

Pang Jian gave the demonic cloak a casual shake, and it transformed into a vast sea of inky-black demonic energy. This shadowy sea radiated all manner of malevolent thoughts, as if containing all the evil in existence.

Ancient Demon Gods with ferocious visages rose within that inky-black sea like towering mountains, their auras unfathomably oppressive.

The sight of the Demon Gods taking shape and gazing down upon the Ruin Realm left everyone stunned.

That strange cloak seemed to transform into a terrifying Demon Realm. One by one, the Demon Gods started to emerge in the Ruin Realm!

"He Motian!"

"Luan Ji!"

"Qi Ya!"

"Mo Yue!"

Fa Ji cried out in shock.

Each Great Demon God and mid-ranking Demon God appeared to have flesh, blood, and complex souls. Crystal bloodline chains could also be found within them, allowing the Demon Gods to wield their innate divine abilities and extraordinary combat prowess!

At the same time, the Divine Court of Thunder grew a hundredfold in scale, transforming into a wondrous expanse filled with towering palaces.

Massive lightning vortexes drifted above the palaces like clouds. Many Thunder Gods who had once pledged loyalty to the Duke of Thunder also quietly emerged, just like the Demon Gods.

In the Thunder Pool at the heart of the Divine Court of Thunder, the golden radiance from the azure Thunder Dragon's scales grew ever more intense.

Stray lightning surged into the azure Thunder Dragon, fueling the mutation of his Divine Persona and transforming into the power he needed to break through to the next realm.

"This lightning...it's from—they're from—" stammered the Duke of Thunder.

A miniature Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree appeared above Pang Jian's head, its roots seemingly intertwined with his hair.

The Duke of Thunder jolted in shock.

Pang Jian's physical body had evidently made preparations before entering the Ruin Realm, even bringing this Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree out from Thunder God Mountain in the Thunder Abyss and into this realm.

The lightning aiding the advancement of the Duke of Thunder's Divine Persona cultivation realm came from that divine tree atop Pang Jian's head!

"At least this brat knows how to repay kindness! The Thunder Pool is in good hands with him!" the Duke of Thunder exclaimed, invigorated.

In his previous life, he had only been a step away from becoming a Sovereign when he perished. If he could return his strength to that of a high-ranking God, it was possible he would no longer have to fear Ling Yun!

"Pang Jian!"

Bai Zi, Xing Huan, and Fa Ji, the three surviving World Gods, sensed a shift in the realm as the vast aura surged from Pang Jian.

The unified Pang Jian hovered motionless in the sky of the Ruin Realm, gazing at Ling Yun.

"Ancient God of Life, Ling Yun. Your era has passed."

Ling Yun—head fully formed and undergoing final refinement—remained silent. He quietly studied Pang Jian, noting the subtle transformations spreading through the Ruin Realm since Pang Jian's physical body had arrived.

The Ruin Realm was no longer the same.

"Have you figured out what the Ruin Realm really is?" Ling Yun asked.

Pang Jian nodded. "A skull."

Ling Yun stiffened.

"Before my physical body entered the Ruin Realm, I looked down from the depths of the Shadow Abyss and saw an enormous skull. The boundary walls act as its flesh and skin, encasing it.

"The laws and Daos within are remnants of that being's comprehension of the Heavenly Daos, while the stars and continents are the crystallization of the divine power they left behind.

"For their skull to transform into this strange realm with a complete Heavenly Dao...just who were they?" Pang Jian asked.

"A skull?!" the World Gods cried out in shock. Even the Duke of Thunder visibly paled.

Mu Duo nervously extended his divine consciousness, trying to detect anything unusual, but could sense nothing.

"The skull of a Sovereign, even with the remnants of their will and residual divine power, could never create such a realm," Ling Yun said, unintentionally confirming Pang Jian's deduction.

"A God King?!" Bai Zi cried out in disbelief, body trembling uncontrollably.

God Kings were an existence above Sovereigns, with the Hall of Gods recognizing them as the supreme ruler.

Only one could appear in any given era.

Every God King that had ever existed had been a legendary figure whose fame echoed through the ages. Becoming God King was akin to being invincible, as none could pose a threat to their existence.

God Kings almost always vanished mysteriously while exploring some unknown frontier, though nobody knew what it was they sought.

The bizarre mist was one such mysterious unknown in the vast starry skies. Many God Kings had sought to unravel its secrets and tear away the veils hiding its mysteries.

It seemed one such God King had perished while exploring the bizarre mist, and his skull became the Ruin Realm.

Pang Jian nodded. "This realm is the skull of a God King."

In his sea of consciousness, his multicolored Immortal Divine Soul hovered just above his translucent golden Divine Persona, which in turn drifted atop a sea of divine sense, its colors shifting in constant flux. It felt akin to standing on his divine platform, a sensation both strange and profound.

This merging of his Immortal Divine Soul and physical body was what allowed Pang Jian to understand the truth of the Ruin Realm.

What he beheld as the Ruin Realm was actually an enormous skull. A fallen ancient being, its divine consciousness not yet fully extinguished, had lost its sense of self.

Eventually, the remnants of their will, insights, and divine power dissolved into the laws and Heavenly Daos that formed the foundation of the Ruin Realm.

In that vacant skull, any outside force could invade and rewrite these remnants that passed as the will of the Ruin Realm.

Ling Yun sought to seize control of this skull, overwriting it with his own will and claiming everything within as his own.

If Ling Yun succeeded, he stood to gain the insights and the Dao that the God King had left behind, laying a solid foundation for his future rise as a God King.

Drawing the energies from the Shadow Abyss, Thunder Abyss, and Fire Abyss into the Ruin Realm was part of the process of making the illusory realm real. It was also a way to gradually reveal the hidden truths within the God King's skull.

"No wonder you're the favored child of the bizarre mist in this era." Ling Yun sighed bitterly. "Is this what they call fairness? Does failure truly deserve abandonment?

"The will of the bizarre mist could've brought me back a long time ago.

"I gave up everything for it! I waged countless campaigns across the starry skies for it! I even laid down my life for it!"