Chapter 877: The Rock Devourer's Anguish

The Ruin Realm came to a halt above the bizarre mist.

It floated above the boundless gray mist, blazing with dazzling flames that caught the attention of the nearby Outer Gods.

The boundary walls enclosing it resembled a transparent layer of white jade that allowed onlookers to glimpse the happenings within.

Stars, continents, World Gods, the World God Pendants, Ling Yun, the Divine Court of Thunder, the sea of demonic energy, and Pang Jian, standing tall in a starry expanse, could all be seen.

"It's out!"

"I didn't think this realm could be brought out of the bizarre mist!"

Bai Zi and Xing Huan exclaimed in astonishment. Glancing upward, they noticed the Outer Gods descending like streaks of light.

Meanwhile, the Primordial Demon Fusion Art devoured and refined yet another massive star, breaking it down into vast streams of energy.

Another blazing sun appeared in Pang Jian's Primordial Chaos Starry Expanse, born from the destruction of that star.

"A third sun!" Fa Ji bared his fangs in a twisted grin.

Pang Jian rejoiced.

Another Solar Core!

Overflowing with joy, he lifted his head to see the familiar starry skies and the rapidly approaching Outer Gods.

There was no fear in his eyes. With his Immortal Divine Soul fully merged with his physical body, he believed that no Outer Gods aside from the Sovereigns could kill or seriously injure him, whether inside or outside the bizarre mist.

Moreover, the Ruin Realm was the skull of God King Yan Hao, with laws firmly inscribed within its boundary walls.

If the skull was destroyed and the laws of its boundary walls broken, he could always teleport to the Seventh World of the Abyss using the World God Pendant. Not even Sovereign Luo and the God of Wisdom could stop him.

This confidence in his ability to escape at will was the main reason he felt no fear toward the two Sovereigns.

I want to see what tricks Ling Yun intends to pull.

Pang Jian divided his focus with ease, operating the Primordial Demon Fusion Art, studying the Sun-Refining Art, and commanding the Divine Court of Thunder all at the same time.

The parts of his dantian that corresponded to the element of Fire—fragmented lands, fiery pools, volcanoes, and flickering flames—all contained God King Yan Hao's refined Dao of Fire.

Divine techniques related to the Dao of Fire manifested as lightning, golden crows, qilins, and other vivid wonders in the three blazing suns.

Pang Jian developed the subtle feeling that he was akin to God King Yan Hao himself while within the Ruin Realm, wielding nine suns to wage war against the heavens.

This delusion stemmed from the fact that some of Yan Hao's remaining divine power had been refined into Pang Jian's very being, with some even being branded into his Divine Persona and Immortal Divine Soul. This also meant that Ling Yun's will no longer had full control of the Ruin Realm.

Pang Jian watched several Demon Gods approach with a calm smile. "Ling Yun, you brought God King Yan Hao's skull out of the bizarre mist and showed it to all the Outer Gods. Is this your way of bargaining with me?"

"You could put it that way," the ancient God of Life of the Spirit Race replied with a smile and a nod.

Ling Yun let one star after another drift toward the whirlpool. Rather than stopping them, something he clearly had the ability to do, he instead chose to remove the Ruin Realm from the bizarre mist and expose it before the Outer Gods.

In doing so, he also allowed them to witness the astonishing power Pang Jian held after merging his Immortal Divine Soul and his physical body.

"Fu Ya..." Ling Yun snapped his fingers with a frown.

A long, shadowy river shot out from the bizarre mist, streaming toward the Ruin Realm like a gray silk ribbon.

"Teacher!"

The true body of the God of Wisdom hovered at the center of the River of Wisdom. One of her hands expanded a millionfold as she reached down toward the sea of bizarre mist.

Her massive hand made a grasping motion, and the reassembled Rock Devourer appeared above the bizarre mist!

The Rock Devourer was once again a cluster of fragmented lands, having been reassembled by her divine power!

At the same time, a spatial rift split open behind Fu Ya, and from it emerged a massive silver-white palace.

The silver-white palace was tens of thousands of zhang tall. Its outer walls were lined with recessed thrones, each corresponding to a different God.

It was the Hall of Gods!

Strangely, the famed Hall of Gods was covered in visible cracks, as if it had collapsed and was pieced back together afterward.

With its fractures and flaws, the Hall of Gods could no longer fully restrain the Outer Gods nor keep them in check. Many of its wondrous functions had been compromised.

"A Rank Thirteen Rock Devourer! A Rock Spirit!" the nearby Outer Gods exclaimed in surprise.

Fu Ya's expression was cold as she hauled the Rock Devourer toward that mysterious Hall of Gods like a dead dog.

The smaller Rock Devourer, trapped on a heart-shaped fragmented land, let out distressed wails.

"Pang Jian, save me!

"Please, I'm begging you! I don't want to die!"

Pieces of the Rock Devourer broke away with resounding cracks. His essence was being carved off and used to seal the fractures in the Hall of Gods.

Fu Ya had poured tremendous effort into advancing the Rock Devourer to Rank Thirteen in the bizarre mist. The Rock Devourer was destined to die the moment it left the bizarre mist, a fate it had long foreseen but was powerless to resist.

Blades of Wisdom sliced the Rock Devourer into chunks, which first turned into blocks of crystal before transforming into an unusual "Rock Marrow" that hovered between solid and liquid. This Rock Marrow was then poured into the cracks in the Hall of Gods.

Pang Jian listened to the Rock Devourer's pitiful wails with a frown, but said nothing.

He had expected Fu Ya to enter the Ruin Realm and target either him or Ling Yun. Instead, she had merely dragged the Rock Devourer out of the bizarre mist, using it to repair the Hall of Gods.

The Hall of Gods!

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

An unsettling dread grew within Pang Jian as he took in the sight of the ancient palace, causing his brow to twitch.

He had no direct sense of the outside world while within the Ruin Realm. Though the transparent boundary walls allowed him to see Fu Ya and the gathered Outer Gods, he still could not extend his divine sense beyond it.

Even so, the Hall of Gods made him deeply uneasy. Its oppressive presence pierced through the boundary wall with ease.

That palace seems as though it could breach the Ruin Realm's boundary wall. As for the Rock Devourer...

Anxiety flickered within Pang Jian as he quietly observed the scene outside, pondering how best to intervene.

Inside was the ancient God of Life, Ling Yun. Outside were the God of Wisdom and countless other Outer Gods.

The situation had grown dangerously complicated.

***

"Only a Rank Thirteen Rock Spirit can repair this damaged Hall of Gods."

The towering God of Wisdom briefly glanced at the Ruin Realm and Ling Yun before turning her attention back to the Hall of Gods.

Anticipation lifted the corners of her mouth into a small smile.

A crowd of Outer Gods, including Great Demon Gods Luan Ji, He Motian, Qi Ling, and Tian Wei, had turned their gazes from the Ruin Realm to Fu Ya and the Hall of Gods.

"The Hall of Gods is about to be restored."

A mix of emotions filled the gathered Outer Gods. They all understood that this palace was a symbol of power and had the ability to regulate them.

Only those holding a seat within the Hall of Gods were recognized as Orthodox Gods. Such Gods were granted the right to rule a starry region, establish divine kingdoms and churches, harvest Faith, and pursue higher ranks.

Any God whose name was not inscribed within the Hall of Gods was branded a Heretical God.

These Heretical Gods had no right to rule any starry region and would be hunted by the Orthodox Gods and the Sovereigns' forces when they appeared.

Inscribing one's name into the Hall of Gods and securing a high rank there was the goal of the Orthodox Gods. The higher one's rank within the Hall of Gods, the greater the privileges granted, and the more elevated one's status naturally became.

In the past, every Outer God had been eager to inscribe their names and climb the ranks. After the Hall of Gods was damaged, it retained cracks and flaws, even after being rebuilt. This reduced its power, meaning the powerful Gods whose names were inscribed within were not subjected to overly strict limitations.

However, the God of Wisdom, Fu Ya, was now using the essence of a Rank Thirteen Rock Spirit to repair the Hall of Gods.

Once the Hall of Gods was fully restored, Sovereigns like Fu Ya would be able to wield it for many purposes.

The Gods whose names were inscribed within would be required to contribute their divine power whenever a Sovereign asked.

If the Sovereigns cooperated, they could even use the inscribed names to summon the true bodies of the Gods and force them to serve as their vanguard in battle.