Chapter 883: Disturbances in the Bizarre Mist

Inside the Ruin Realm, Fa Ji, deprived of his World God Pendant, could do nothing but watch helplessly as the skull drew closer to his four companions.

"Lord Ling Yun!" he cried in desperation, "I'm willing to serve you! I'll acknowledge you as the World God Paragon, so please, spare them!"

Those four Great Demon Gods were crucial to the resurgence of the Demon Races. If they all perished here, the Demon Races would be ruined beyond hope.

Thus, Fa Ji swallowed his pride and even set aside his trust in Pang Jian to beg for their lives, trying to preserve at least a spark of hope for the Demon Races.

Ling Yun was unmoved.

"I gave you a chance before, and you didn't agree. I don't need your service or acknowledgement anymore. Regardless, I'll become the World God Paragon once Pang Jian is dead.

"I don't care if you and those four Great Demon Gods die. In fact, your deaths are actually to the benefit of the Ruin Realm."

The massive God King's skull came to a halt before the star with the four Great Demon Gods.

"Refine!" Ling Yun willed.

The gaping mouth and eye sockets flared once more, locking onto the four Great Demon Gods.

"It's over."

Tian Wei's eyes were filled with despair. He could already feel his Divine Persona pulling free from his sea of consciousness.

It did not matter how hard he tried to stabilize his Divine Persona or rein it in; even a Great Demon God like him was powerless to resist before the God King's skull. He was a helpless fish on the chopping block.

Luan Ji, He Motian, and Qi Ling were similarly resigned to their fate, waiting for their Divine Personas to be ripped away.

At that moment, a sound of puzzled curiosity came from within that blazing light.

"Hmm?"

The radiance of the stars, sun, and moon dimmed, and the entire starry region was plunged into darkness.

At the same time, the star beneath He Motian, Luan Ji, Tian Wei, and Qi Ling blazed back to life, glowing dozens of times brighter than before!

A ring of interwoven radiance from the sun, moon, and stars slowly enveloped the star, creating a barrier that shielded both the star and the four Great Demon Gods.

***

"Sovereign Luo!"

"The God of Light!"

"Thank you, thank you for your protection!"

"Many thanks!"

The four Great Demon Gods repeatedly bowed toward Luo Hongyan from atop the bright star.

The ring of dreamlike light, shimmering with the radiance of the sun, moon, and stars, had cut off the terrifying power of the God King's skull, locking their Divine Personas firmly in place. They somewhat felt safe within the strange halo.

Of the divine beings present, only Fu Ya and Luo Hongyan could wield such divine power. Between the two, it seemed natural to conclude that one stirring the radiance of sun, moon, and stars was Luo Hongyan, the Sovereign of Light.

Therefore, the four unhesitatingly believed that Sovereign Luo had saved them at the last second.

"We only sabotaged your plans back in the Abyss because of the hold Demonheaven's cloak had on us," He Motian mumbled awkwardly, an embarrassed look on his many faces. "I never thought you'd be so magnanimous as not to hold it against us. After today, the Demon Races will be revising our approach. In the future..."

He Motian, as the leader of the Great Demon Gods, planned to have the Demon Races cozy up to the Celestial Race going forward, and especially the God of Light. Her generosity had won him over.

However, the reply he got from Sovereign Luo was cold and tinged with an unmistakable edge of anger.

"It wasn't me."

The four Great Demon Gods froze. "It wasn't you?"

Even Sovereign Luo's retainers behind her—Yan Lie, Sha Jia, Ah Man, Ying Yue, and Han Yi—were thrown off by that admission.

"If it wasn't you...then who?" The four Great Demon Gods exchanged looks of confusion.

"My Lord, I didn't expect you to spare your attention for those Demon Gods while repairing the Hall of Gods," Mu Ya flattered. "But those Demon Gods have always been at odds with us. You needn't waste any compassion on them."

Cang Feng hurried to echo the sentiment. "Truly, my Lord's heart is kind!"

The couple was convinced that the God of Wisdom had quietly intervened to save the four Great Demon Gods.

The eyes of the Outer Gods collectively darted to Fu Ya.

The God of Wisdom, nearly finished repairing the Hall of Gods, merely shot them a cold look. "It wasn't me, either."

"What?!" the Outer Gods exclaimed.

Then, Fu Ya, Sovereign Luo, and Ling Yun suddenly turned.

The Outer Gods followed their gaze.

"Pang Jian?!"

"How can it be him?"

"He—"

The surviving Outer Gods looked as though they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

***

Long Di, the leader of the Nether Gods, hovered beneath the barrier of the Nether Abyss, keeping a close eye on the strange events above.

He had watched as the Ruin Realm rose into the starry skies and transformed into a fiery, crystalline skull that devoured the Outer Gods. He had also seen Pang Jian being expelled from it.

He had witnessed the true body of the God of Wisdom appear with the Hall of Gods, as well as the Rock Devourer's tragic fate.

Though anxiety gripped Long Di, his past ordeal with Yuan Yi of the Fey Race taught him that he had no way to oppose a Sovereign, even in the Nether Abyss, let alone out of it.

Therefore, all he could do was stay hidden in the Nether Abyss, quietly observing.

When he saw the four Great Demon Gods survive the skull, then the two Sovereigns and Ling Yun turning to stare at Pang Jian, his heart lurched.

"Was it Pang Jian? He's also out there in the starry skies. How did he do it?"

***

Beneath the barrier of the Thunder Abyss, Pang Lin let out a long breath, eyes crinkling into a smile. The tension in her brows eased as she finally relaxed.

"That's my brother."

Her Immortal Divine Soul let out the cry of a phoenix once again.

This time, when the Fey Gods in the Abyss and the Ancient Fey World heard that cry, they felt their urgency and hunger for battle ease.

***

The star with the four Great Demon Gods had gone from a dim yellow to a luminous pale gold, blazing dozens of times brighter than before.

A golden figure suddenly appeared.

His arrival had not even stirred a ripple in the fabric of space. It was as if he had been there all along, as if he were the ruler of this stretch of the starry region.

The four Great Demon Gods wore expressions of pure shock as they gazed at him.

Only after setting their eyes on him did they finally dare believe that the one responsible for saving them was truly Pang Jian himself.

But how—how could it be Pang Jian?

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The question echoed in all four of their minds.

"Was it you?" Ling Yun froze, truly taken aback. This was the first time he felt the situation slipping from his control.

At that moment, Ling Yun felt as though this barren starry region had turned dangerous.

Below, the gray bizarre mist started to rise slowly, seeping upward like the murky energy from the depths of the Abyss.

This was a sight no one in history had ever seen before!

"This—"

Even Sovereign Luo and Fu Ya were shocked.

Not even the appearance of Ling Yun and the God King's skull had shaken them this deeply.

"Is the bizarre mist trying to breach our world?" Yan Lie blurted out in alarm.

He knew about the supreme will of the bizarre mist. The endless starry skies above harbored a similar kind of will. Those two supreme wills had been locked in silent conflict for ages, never truly at peace.

Even so, all this time, the Outer Gods of the starry skies were the ones repeatedly entering the bizarre mist, seizing the chance during each grand event to plunder the abysses of their treasures and marvels.

The denizens and divine beings of the bizarre mist rarely managed any meaningful invasion or upheaval in the starry skies. The few who stood out, like Ling Yun, had always had their sparks swiftly snuffed out.

Seeing this massive upheaval of the bizarre mist, Yan Lie could not help but wonder if the supreme will of the bizarre mist truly believed that its chosen of this era would accomplish what even Ling Yun once failed to achieve.