Chapter 899: Yearning for the Exalted God Realm

Blood-colored light mixed with vibrant vitality flowed like long rivers among the dead stars of the Darkcloud Realm, searching for signs of life.

A plain-looking God of the Spirit Race hovered above a star that had once been pierced through by the World Tree, staring silently at the gaping hole left behind.

Ling Yun could not find the tree Mu Duo had spoken of in the Darkcloud Realm.

It's not here. Where did it go?

Ling Yun's eyes swirled with agitation.

Since losing control of the Ruin Realm, he had been desperate to return to Sovereignhood so that he was prepared for the coming upheaval.

He knew that Fu Ya, Luo Hongyan, and the other two Sovereigns were not to be underestimated. One careless mistake, and he would repeat his past downfall.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

That World Tree needs the nourishment of the Wood Race if it wants to advance to Rank Thirteen, but when I passed through their territory to come here, I didn't sense anything unusual,

Ling Yun pondered.

Finally, Ling Yun found large amounts of materials depleted of their energies on one of the stars, confirming that a teleportation array had been constructed here. This left Ling Yun even more at a loss.

Several days later, Can Ye arrived at the Darkcloud Realm, dragging his exhausted body with a dark expression. "Pang Jian destroyed my Fragmented Divinity Mountain and took the Sanctum of Godly and Demonic Genesis inside."

Ling Yun drew in a deep, frustrated breath. "Useless."

Can Ye lowered his head, inwardly seething,

Didn't you also lose the Ruin Realm? You handed over the bizarre mist's greatest wonder just as easily!

"With the Sanctum of Godly and Demonic Genesis in the Ruin Realm," Ling Yun continued, "it will surely undergo a fundamental transformation! It's time for us to talk to Fu Ya."

"Talk to that traitorous disciple of yours?" Can Ye was startled.

Ling Yun rubbed his temples. "Traitor or not, she holds a higher rank than either of us and controls far more resources. She's planning to refine the Soulstream of the Nether Abyss to ascend as a God King.

"When this grand event fully unfolds, there's a chance for a God King to be born among the Sovereigns. My understanding of the bizarre mist is far deeper than hers.

"Don't worry, she'll come begging for my help again.

"Can Ye, go seek out her followers. Tell them I want to meet with her in private." Ling Yun instructed.

"I'll take care of it right away."

***

In the starry skies was an abandoned starry region full of dead stars. There lay a dust-choked region filled with rocks and boulders.

On one massive gray-white boulder, Lin Baixiang gazed at a group of unexpected visitors, his eyes first lighting up with joy before quickly sinking into disappointment.

"Old Lin."

"We didn't think you were still alive."

"As long as you're alive, there's hope that the human race can be restored to its former glory."

Li Wang, Zhu Ji, and rising stars like Su Wanrou were all on the verge of tears at seeing the legendary Lin Baixiang. When they spotted heroes like Du Tianyan, Pei Lin, and Sword God Xu Ling, they grew even more emotional.

"Ling Yun of the bizarre mist wants to destroy this young World Tree in the Darkcloud Realm. We had no other choice but to come here," Mu Qingya explained. Then, gesturing at the group behind him, he introduced, "This is Li Zhaotian, Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion; Li Wang, leader of the Nine Tribes Sect; Su Wanrou..."

The junior True Gods offered respectful greetings to the senior True Gods.

Dong Tianze and Wu Yuan stared curiously at the famous seniors, only to find that they lacked the legendary brilliance and overwhelming presence expected of their renown.

So that's all they are,

Dong Tianze grumbled inwardly, feeling deeply disappointed.

"You brat!" Mu Qingya noticed his disrespect, expression turning cold as he scolded, "Show some manners to your elders! Outer Gods hunted us across the starry skies. Just surviving is already no small feat. Every one of them carries injuries. Did you really think they were all still at their peak?"

"Oh," Dong Tianze replied emotionlessly, then added, "I used to think of them as our support when we left the Abyss. I didn't expect...they'd be in such bad shape."

"If it had been you in their place, Dong Tianze, it's possible you would not have survived as well as they did," Li Wang rebuked sharply.

"Enough," Lin Baixiang interrupted. Leaning against a rock, he thought for a moment, then said, "I've heard that our Abyss has produced an incredible new talent. His name is Pang Jian, right? What realm is he in? And is he Pang Qi's child? You all made it here, so where is he?"

"He follows two cultivation paths. His Immortal Divine Soul is in the Transcendent God Realm. His physical body has a Divine Persona and is a high-ranking God," Li Zhaotian explained to this senior from the Sword Pavilion. "Last I heard, that kid's combat prowess is just below those Sovereigns in the starry skies. He even interrupted Heretical God Du Ling's resurrection."

Lin Baixiang was genuinely surprised. "And you taught him?"

The complexions of the other surviving True Gods brightened at the news of this promising junior.

"You can say that." Li Zhaotian's face was full of pride.

"Your own cultivation is pretty average. I never would have thought you capable of training someone that good. Not bad!" Sword God Xu Ling, also from the Sword Pavilion, praised without reservation.

"Does he have a chance of reaching the Exalted God Realm?" Pei Lin asked solemnly. "Only an Exalted God can truly change our situation and stand fearlessly against those Sovereigns."

Lin Baixiang shook his head with a sigh. "The Exalted God Realm? That's easier said than done. Personally, I think he should temper his Divine Persona and try to reach Sovereignhood."

Lin Baixiang, along with many other ancient True Gods, had all attempted to break through to the Exalted God Realm in the past, but all of them had failed. Some suffered devastating backlash, while others died outright as their divine souls imploded.

The Exalted God Realm existed in theory, but in practice, there had yet to be a single successful precedent. That was the root of the human race's predicament.

"The Nether Race has an even longer history than ours, with a complete cultivation system, but none of the Nether Gods have reached the Exalted God Realm either." Xu Ling sighed.

"If Pang Jian really manages to reach the Exalted God Realm, would that break this stalemate?" asked the usually taciturn Wu Yuan.

Lin Baixiang thought seriously.

"There's a very good chance it will," he finally said. "We're different from other races. I don't think we have a limitation when it comes to the number of Exalted Gods we can have at a given time.

"Once one Exalted God emerges, more can and will follow. Meanwhile, only one Sovereign can emerge from a single foreign race at a time.

"A new Sovereign can only emerge when the former either ascends to the next realm or meets their end[1]."

Lin Baixiang's face was full of longing as he added, "I don't have the talent to be the first Exalted God, but if Pang Jian breaks that precedent, all of you could have the chance to reach that realm yourselves!"

1. This sentence was added after internal discussion. In earlier chapters, it was repeatedly mentioned that there could only be one Sovereign per race. However, in this part of the story, Ling Yun is striving to become the Sovereign of the Spirit Race despite Fu Ya already claiming that role. We added this line to help explain and reconcile that point. ☜