Chapter 981: The Aid of the World Tree

The Star of Light alternated ceaselessly between blinding brightness and absolute darkness.

Waves of light and darkness surged outward in bands of black and white, fueling the worlds of interwoven light and darkness while also battering against Yi Hao's divine aura and Wheel of Fate.

"Pang Jian, I will see to it that Yi Hao cannot spare a single idle thought." Luo Hongyan's voice echoed from the starry region above and into the bizarre mist.

"Good!" Pang Jian called back.

Pang Jian's physical body stepped off the sky-shrouding shield and appeared beside the Divine Court of Thunder, hovering face-to-face with the azure Thunder Dragon.

"Duke of Thunder!" Pang Jian called, voice cutting through like a clap of thunder.

The azure Thunder Dragon soaring above the Divine Court of Thunder glared at him with mad eyes. Murderous intent poured from him without restraint.

Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!

The will of the starry skies had completely consumed the Duke of Thunder. His sense of self had been completely taken over, to the point where even his own survival no longer mattered.

All that remained was a desire to exterminate everything in sight. All that he cared about was carnage.

***

In the Ruin Realm, Pang Ling drifted down from the canopy of the World Tree.

"The Duke of Thunder is beyond saving. It's time I acted," she muttered, glancing down at the colossal trunk rooted in the Sanctum of Godly and Demonic Genesis. "The others are struggling. They've yet to ascend to Sovereignhood, while I'm already Rank Thirteen. That will can't corrupt me."

The Sanctum of Godly and Demonic Genesis quaked as the World Tree at its center maneuvered it out from the Ruin Realm.

"Don't!" Han Yi and Ying Yue cried out in unison.

The Great Demon Gods tried to halt the wondrous World Tree from leaving, but had no means to keep it bound.

Their Daos of Demon and mastery over the mysteries of the soul did not affect the Rank Thirteen World Tree at all. Thus, they could only watch helplessly as Pang Ling and the Sanctum of Godly and Demonic Genesis broke free of the Ruin Realm.

Hovering within the boundless bizarre mist outside, Pang Ling unleashed her divine power. Branches sharp enough to pierce suns and stars thrust outward, lashing like supple vines to bind the Divine Court of Thunder and driving into the palaces within like spears, causing arcs of lightning to explode out from the impact.

Branches, blazing with resplendent golden light and bearing the will of Dao Source of Metal, impaled the serpentine body of the azure Thunder Dragon. Millstone-sized scales shuddered as the Dao of Lightning etched upon them scattered into ruin.

A howl of agony erupted from the Duke of Thunder, and the viciousness in his eyes faded.

"What?" Pang Jian froze, taken aback by Pang Ling's actions.

Pang Lin, perched on the shoulder of Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul, was likewise stunned.

"This girl..." she murmured, the corners of her lips curling into a faint smile. "A Rank Thirteen Aberrant Spirit neither ascends through forging a Divine Persona, nor has the bloodline of the foreign races. In other words, its corruption cannot affect her."

Pang Lin's heart swelled with delight. A quiet conviction that her sacrifices had been worthwhile rose within her.

Luo Hongyan had withstood the corruption of the will of the starry skies and established her crimson-clad body as the main body because Pang Lin had willingly sacrificed her phoenix body. That gained them an ally, allowing Luo Hongyan to pin down the God King of Fate high above, leaving Yi Hao no chance to interfere.

Bestowing the Life Crystal upon the World Tree had enabled it to ascend to Rank Thirteen. At this critical juncture, Pang Ling could now strike without fear of death.

"Excellent. None of you let me down." Pang Lin laughed, her voice tinkling like silver bells.

"Father! I can kill him. I can slay him!" Pang Ling cried, leaping up and down in eager pride. "The Duke of Thunder's cultivation realm is unsteady. I can tear apart his body!"

A slender branch, no thicker than a child's arm, flared with emerald brilliance as it slipped between the Thunder Dragon's scales and pierced its flesh.

"Vitality Reaving!" Pang Ling's graceful figure shone with terrifying radiance, her eyes flashing with a savage gleam.

Every branch of the World Tree rivaled a divine artifact, yet also carried an aberrant power that no divine artifact could hold.

The slender branch burrowed deep into the Duke of Thunder, sprouting jagged nodules like rows of fangs, rending his flesh apart as it devoured him from within. Boundless vitality surged into the branch like a great river, pouring uncontrollably into the heart of the World Tree.

The Rank Thirteen World Tree could consume the vitality of all beings and gather the essence of verdure. It was an aberration of the Dao of Life.

Escape was nearly impossible once its branches had a firm hold on their prey. Even a newly ascended Sovereign like the azure Thunder Dragon could not break free.

The Duke of Thunder let out agonized roars as more branches pierced through his scales. Before long, the massive Thunder Dragon visibly shrank, his flesh withering as his vitality drained away.

His cultivation realm crumbled with each passing breath, and his howls grew ever more wretched. The bloodlust in his eyes faded, leaving only exhaustion and despair.

Can that supreme will still hold him in its thrall if he falls from Sovereignhood?

Pang Jian mused.

Pang Jian had originally intended to see whether the fervent emotions of the inhabitants of the bizarre mist would rouse the Duke of Thunder from his madness. However, seeing that Pang Ling had it handled, he decided to wait and see what happened.

Peering into the Duke of Thunder's sea of consciousness, he saw that the Sovereign-level Divine Persona within was shedding the apathetic will attached to it.

It can seize the Duke of Thunder's sense of self and even shake the foundation of his Divine Persona, but once it sensed his body weakening, it didn't hesitate to abandon him. Instead, it turned to—

Pang Jian's gaze snapped toward Bai Zi. The confusion clouding her face was replaced with a chilling indifference. The will that had once latched onto the Duke of Thunder had surged into her instead, opting to weaponize her innate connection with the Soulstream.

Bai Zi struck at the Soulstream beneath the barrier of the Nether Abyss.

"Bee Sovereign!" Pang Jian shouted.

The Bee Sovereign no longer wavered. He dared not venture beyond and expose himself to the two supreme wills, so he ultimately chose another path.

The restored Hall of Gods shot down like a meteor, aiming to pierce the barrier of the Nether Abyss and merge with the Soulstream within.

At the same time, the supreme will of the starry skies continued to channel its power through Bai Zi, cutting off the connection between the Bee Sovereign's body and the Soulstream, seeking to prevent his fusion.

"Live! All of you have to live on!" Pang Jian cried, streaking toward Bai Zi like a golden lightning bolt.

The vast Divine Court of Thunder resonated with Pang Jian's will, shifting in tandem with him as it bore down upon Bai Zi. The Divine Court of Thunder had fallen back into his command after the Duke of Thunder's cultivation realm dropped.

Lightning flared from the palaces pierced through by the World Tree's branches. The might of lightning—the bane of the Soulstream—was also Bai Zi's weakness.

So long as her Dao and wisdom were related to the mysteries of the soul, they would naturally falter before the onslaught of lightning as well.