Chapter 882: God-Devouring Storm

Sovereign Luo extended a single finger toward the God King's skull.

A beam of light lanced out from her fingertip.

All the surviving Outer Gods were drawn to that beam of light.

It was as if the entire starry region had dimmed in comparison. The sun, moon, stars, divine platforms, and even the light from the blazing God King's skull paled before that beam of light.

Within that beam of light was the God of Light's millennia of insight into the Dao of Light, the convergence of truths meant to illuminate tens of thousands of worlds shrouded in darkness.

It reflected the deep longing all living beings had for better, brighter days.

Worshipers of Sovereign Luo across countless worlds offered their blessings to that beam of light, charging it with an overwhelming torrent of mystic power capable of piercing through any barrier.

"What a dazzling radiance!"

"This isn't merely a beam of light. It embodies the yearning that living beings naturally have for the light and carries within it immeasurable power!"

"Only Sovereign Luo could unleash such radiance!"

Many Outer Gods exclaimed in awe, feeling as if they themselves were offering a share of their own power to the beam of light.

In the Ruin Realm, Ling Yun was in the middle of forging new stars when he frowned in displeasure. "I thought you two would kill Pang Jian first instead of rushing to deal with me."

He gave a small, disappointed shake of his head as he sighed softly.

Then, two blazing infernos ignited in the God King's cavernous eye sockets.

These masses of scorching solar flares crackled like firecrackers as they sent out waves of world-destroying flames. The God King's eye sockets looked as though they could burn the heavens to ash.

Two massive, crimson rays shot out from those eye sockets, colliding directly with Sovereign Luo's beam of light.

It was like the explosion of fireworks lit up the dark starry skies. The assembled Outer Gods had to squeeze their eyes shut and instinctively summon their divine techniques to shield themselves from the blinding clash.

Sovereign Luo's Dao of Light clashed with the combined forces of the Dao of Fire and the Dao of Sun millions of times over in the span of a single breath.

The residual divine power in Yan Hao's skull contained his unyielding will to defy the heavens and clash with the will of the bizarre mist. That same will roared forth through the crimson rays.

Sovereign Luo's radiant beam was effortlessly ground to nothing.

"How terrifying!"

"A tide of divine power of this scale..."

Even high-ranking Gods like Yan Lie and Ying Yue were forced to lower their heads, only daring to probe with their divine consciousness.

The moment their probing divine consciousness left the protection of Sovereign Luo's walls of light, they were snuffed out, causing them to grunt in pain. They no longer dared to extend their perception after that.

"Sovereign Luo, God of Wisdom," Ling Yun said in a careless tone.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the skull's flame-filled eye sockets seemed to become imbued with awareness, gaze fixing intently on the two Sovereigns.

The left eye locked onto Sovereign Luo while the right focused on the God of Wisdom.

Then, a star slowly emerged from each socket.

The two stars blazed with solar radiance. The strange suns embedded deep in the skull resembled fiery eyes.

It was as if God King Yan Hao had returned to life, even if only for a moment.

The brilliance of the twin suns brought with it a supreme will, capable of setting an entire starry region ablaze and forcing all living beings to bow in submission.

A mere glance from the God King caused all the Outer Gods to feel an instinctive urge to kneel and bow their heads in absolute reverence. The God King's will extinguished any thought of resistance. It felt only natural to yield.

"Is this the aura of a God King?"

"Such power. No wonder they were the true master of the Hall of Gods!"

"Even a fallen God King's lingering strength is this terrifying?"

The Outer Gods had long since withdrawn from the battlefield to take refuge in the distant stars above. No longer under the skull's oppressive influence, they could discuss the happenings from afar.

They all assumed that Pang Jian, forced out of the skull, would become the target of the two Sovereigns. Unexpectedly, neither Fu Ya nor Sovereign Luo paid Pang Jian any attention.

Sovereign Luo's first strike was aimed straight at the God King's skull. Unfortunately, Ling Yun neutralized her strike with the aid of the God King's lingering might.

"I dragged this realm out of the bizarre mist and exposed it to you both because I knew neither of you could crack Yan Hao's skull."

Ling Yun stood behind the twelve World God Pendants, using the energies devoured by the skull to refine new stars.

The three stars that Pang Jian had devoured and refined through the Primordial Demon Fusion Art had since reappeared in the Ruin Realm.

"This skull will become an ultimate divine artifact once completely refined.

"It'll become my personal realm, capable of soaring through the starry skies or bizarre mist to gather the energies it needs.

"It'll become the foundation for creating worlds. The destroyed Spirit Abyss, Demon Abyss, Wood Abyss, and Star Abyss can all be reconstructed through it.

"That's why the will of the bizarre mist preserved Yan Hao's skull as the Ruin Realm in the first place, so it could eventually reforge those destroyed abysses."

Ling Yun stood with his hands behind his back, tone matter-of-fact.

The enormous skull radiating light and heat suddenly moved, crossing billions of li in the blink of an eye!

It had teleported to the upper reaches of the starry region above the bizarre mist!

The Outer Gods who had fled into the upper reaches of the starry region became its new prey.

"He Motian!" Zi Mo let out a despairing scream as the Sunken Crypt she hid in collapsed.

The tremendous pull from the skull's mouth sucked away her Sunken Crypt and divine platform, each imbued with powers of reincarnation and soul manipulation. Then, her Divine Persona was yanked toward one of the skull's eye sockets.

Zi Mo, a high-ranking God of the Ghost Race, was the strongest of the Outer Gods who had fled to the upper reaches. Yet, even she only managed a single strangled cry for help before being devoured.

The Outer Gods near her did not fare any better. They were all dragged in as well, dissolving like smoke into the gaping mouth and eye sockets of the God King's skull.

On a distant star high above, Luan Ji, He Motian, Tian Wei, and Qi Ling let out panicked howls as they raced toward the teleportation array that would let them flee this starry region.

Zi Mo's death had shaken them.

They had been naive to think that simply keeping a safe distance would spare them from being devoured by it.

"This is just the start. After this, I'll sweep through the starry skies, one region after another." Ling Yun laughed from within the skull.

Turning his head, he glanced at the dim, yellowish star where the four Great Demon Gods huddled. His eyes flared brightly, embers of flame quietly flickering within them.

Yan Hao's lingering divine consciousness in the Ruin Realm, lacking its own will, had completely resonated with Ling Yun.

In a sense, Ling Yun was now Yan Hao. This connection was what allowed him to command the skull.

The energies the skull needed were astronomical. Even consuming all the energies of this barren starry region above the bizarre mist would not be enough to manifest the Ruin Realm.

This starry region was merely the beginning.

Ling Yun, a Sovereign born within the bizarre mist, had carried out many campaigns of conquest across the starry skies before, and he intended to do the same now.

"Starry skies, Outer Gods, living beings. They're all just fuel for the world I will shape."

Ling Yun's divine power spread outward, divine consciousness reaching out to the star with the four Great Demon Gods and tearing apart the teleportation array before they could escape.

The teleportation array crumbled into fine dust.

This time, the God King's skull did not teleport. The star was close enough that the skull merely howled through the cold starry skies like a blazing ball of fire.

The four towering Great Demon Gods on the yellow star all wore expressions of dread.

Their last hope, the teleportation array, had exploded before they could reach it, cutting off their retreat. As none of them truly understood spatial laws, they had no means to escape from the skull.

As it drew near, the wooden palaces scattered across the yellow star started to ignite under the rising heat. Flames licked ever higher, and the ground cracked.

The four Great Demon Gods exchanged looks of bitter resignation.

"Failing to ascend as a Sovereign is the greatest regret of my life." Luan Ji sighed mournfully.

His Dao of Oblivion only worked on intelligent beings. With Ling Yun hidden safely within the Ruin Realm, Luan Ji was helpless to do anything against both the ancient God of Life and the God King's skull.

The searing heat from the skull slowly burned away the barriers encircling Luan Ji.

He Motian, Tian Wei, and Qi Ling similarly felt the raging waves of heat and divine power sweeping toward them.

The four Great Demon Gods knew they were doomed.