Chapter 955: The Power to Awaken Fallen Sovereigns

Time passed, and the world changed.

The other Sovereigns had not remained stagnant in the years that the Black Empyrean Phoenix lay dormant within the Abyss. This was especially true for Fu Ya and Luo Hongyan.

Fu Ya used her Dao of Wisdom to decipher the profound truths of the Heavenly Daos, seeking to become a supreme existence that fused all the Daos into one.

Luo Hongyan had been no less busy, scouring the starry skies for all the scattered fragments of the Dao Source of Light.

In truth, Luo Hongyan's accomplishments surpassed those of Fu Ya. After all, if she wished, she could have fused with the Dao Source of Light and ascended as a God King long ago. She simply chose not to.

Instead, she waited patiently for the Black Empyrean Phoenix to reappear, seeking to merge with its Dao of Darkness and become a God King strong enough to overcome the supreme will of the starry skies.

Fu Ya and Luo Hongyan, each more troublesome than the last.

Both Pang Jians frowned when they felt the Sovereign of Light's omnipresent divine power seeping into the God King's skull.

In the Ruin Realm, the essence of the stars and continents flowed into the boundary walls.

The twelve divine artifacts flared with golden radiance, cascading like waterfalls into the boundary walls, aiding the God King's skull in resisting the encroachment of light.

"Sovereign Luo!" Ying Yue, Han Yi, and Mu Duo all cried out within the Ruin Realm.

Luo Hongyan's might had left them shaken. None of them had expected the Sovereign of Light to prove more formidable than even Fu Ya, nor that she had long possessed the power to become a God King.

***

"Black Empyrean Phoenix, I knew you would eventually appear."

Luo Hongyan's voice echoed through her radiant light.

The darkness encircling the Black Empyrean Phoenix's monstrous body melted away like snow under the sun. Pang Lin, standing atop the phoenix's head, had pitch-black eyes identical to the phoenix's, filled with icy killing intent.

"You've surprised me," Pang Lin said calmly. "The rest of you have indeed grown stronger during the years I lay dormant in the Abyss, but..."

Mockery flickered in her eyes.

"Did you really think that just because I remained silent, I did nothing at all?"

Lightning flashed through her eyes. The colossal Black Empyrean Phoenix beat its wings in the boundless light, and in the Illusory Void Realm above her head, a strange new world abruptly took form.

The Illusory Void Realm's mirror-like surface reflected an ancient battlefield in the starry skies.

The Fallen God Ruins!

Pang Jian's mind trembled.

More and more ancient ruins appeared. Destroyed starry regions, the remains of fallen Gods, broken divine artifacts, and drifting debris could be seen in the Illusory Void Realm.

"The Pit of Myriad Gods!"

"The Graveyard of Sovereigns!"

"The Sea of Annihilation!"

Tian Yu and Fu Ya exclaimed with every new place that appeared.

The Pit of Myriad Gods, the Graveyard of Sovereigns, and the Sea of Annihilation were all forbidden zones in the starry skies, just like the Fallen God Ruins. Each was filled with endless mysteries and danger, with a sinister nature second only to the bizarre mist.

Outer Gods occasionally ventured into these eerie forbidden zones, but one misstep could see them perish, body and soul.

"I buried my corpses in these so-called forbidden zones," Pang Lin said, her eyes glazed with distant memories. "Several of my nirvanic rebirths even took place there.

"Let me tell you a secret: I can fully comprehend the mysteries of any place in which I've been reborn.

"The places where I undergo my nirvanic rebirth often become my divine domains. For example, the Fallen God Ruins."

The Illusory Void Realm shifted to show the Fallen God Ruins. Then, a Life Crystal floated out of the Fallen God Ruins and into Pang Lin's waiting hand.

Pang Lin's lips curved in a sly smile.

"Awaken."

Her divine power roused the ancient Gods in the Fallen God Ruins. Gods with missing limbs stepped forth from the Illusory Void Realm, black light flaring in their hollow eye sockets.

Tian Yu's eyes widened. "The power to bring the dead back to life!"

He had assumed that the Black Empyrean Phoenix's nirvanic rebirth applied only to itself, never realizing that Pang Lin could awaken fallen Gods from past eras.

"Once one fuses the Daos of Life, Death, and Soul, they can revive the dead, just as I do." Pang Lin smiled.

The long-dead Gods stepped out from the Illusory Void Realm one after another, entering the tide of darkness that encircled the Black Empyrean Phoenix and adding their strange powers to it.

Storms roiled, killing intent loomed, frost spread, and stars condensed.

Tian Yu was once again startled. "It's so similar to Fu Ya's earlier assault!"

Brother...

Pang Lin said in Pang Jian's mind.

Kill Fu Ya first. I'll help you break free from the restraint of Luo Hongyan's light. You need to advance your Immortal Divine Soul to the Exalted God Realm as soon as possible, or your Divine Persona will remain restricted.

A giant headless corpse, clad in armor, emerged from the Illusory Void Realm, merging completely with the darkness. The darkness became akin to a bottomless well, diverting Luo Hongyan's light elsewhere.

"The ancient Sovereign of Space, Ta Fei of the Titan Race!" Fu Ya cried out in shock.

Ta Fei, a fallen Sovereign, had perished in the Graveyard of Sovereigns. He had ascended as the Sovereign of Space a million years before Tian Yu, but was said to have been slain in battle against the Sovereign of Time of that era.

Pang Lin had drawn his remains from the Graveyard of Sovereigns, granting her darkness the extraordinary powers of the Dao of Space. It was no wonder she could wield the Illusory Void Realm to this level.

If the Black Empyrean Phoenix had been prepared back when the other Sovereigns had ambushed it, they likely would not have been able to subdue it as they had.

The light seeping into the God King's skull quietly unraveled, its intricate Dao of Light collapsing. The connection between Pang Jian, the Ruin Realm, the twelve divine artifacts, and the nine blazing suns was restored.

The colossal skull, wreathed in flames, hurtled down and smashed into Fu Ya's towering body. Fu Ya raised her Blade of Wisdom in defense, only for the luminous artifact to shatter upon impact.