High above the Second World of the Abyss, Pang Jian, clad in the pitch-black cloak, looked up at the blazing fire and light encasing Yan Lie. "Senior, think of those who followed you without hesitation, who stood by your side in the war to ascend." Divine power amplified his voice, allowing it to echo down to the worlds below. The foreign race warriors across the Dark Abyss Continent, the Cosmic Skies Continent, and the fragmented lands below could clearly hear his words despite not being able to see him. Overwhelming fear gripped their hearts at his words. When Lie Yang, Sha Jia, and Ah Man had appeared as mid-ranking Gods, they had naturally believed that the True Gods would soon be wiped out and that the war was already won. No one could have anticipated a defeat when they had a Sovereign, a high-ranking God, and three mid-ranking Gods on their side. Despite the odds seemingly stacked in their favor, their strongest were still forced to flee into the starry skies. For their powerhouses to choose to escape meant the rest of them were left destitute. Yan Lie seemed to be unleashing disasters upon the world above. This did not bode well for those left behind. The foreign races in the lower worlds used their artifacts and arrays to send desperate pleas to their leaders. Lord Yan Lie, we beg you. Please leave us a path to survival! Patriarch Sha Jia, how are we supposed to live from now on? Ancestor Ah Man, will there be any future left for us once you leave? The searing arcs of lightning across Yan Lie's chest suddenly ceased their fluctuations, and the destruction he had set in motion came to a halt. Volcanoes stopped spewing lava, forest fires ceased to spread, and even the flaming meteors veered off course. He lowered his head to meet Pang Jian's gaze. "War should not drag the weak into its wake. It was wrong of me to strike at the helpless among the human race in my rage." Yan Lie's breath came out heavy and strained, as if struggling to suppress the storm boiling within. Lie Yang, Sha Jia, and Ah Man shot past the Fire God without a word, heading straight for the barrier. Pang Jian did not give chase. Facing Yan Lie, he said solemnly, "If this war must continue, then let the next battlefield be in the starry skies, outside of the Abyss. You've already lost here. Don't take that defeat out on the human race of the Abyss. "I give you my word not to enact genocide upon your races once you leave. When the murky energy settles, they can still live on the continents and fragmented lands in the Fifth World, just as it has always been after every failed attempt to ascend. "When the time is right, we will leave the Abyss and meet you again in the starry skies beyond." Pang Jian's words were like a vow carved into stone. At that moment, Li Wang, Zhu Ji, Li Zhaotian, and the other True Gods arrived at Pang Jian's side. Not a single one of them questioned his decision. Even Li Wang, the leader of the True Gods, stood in agreement with Pang Jian as they silently awaited the high-ranking God's reply. There were other high-ranking Gods like Yan Lie in the starry skies, and many more mid-ranking Gods like Sha Jia, Ah Man, and Lie Yang. Even if the True Gods managed to pay the steep price to kill those four—assuming it was even possible—it would accomplish little in the long run. Luo Hongyan still had countless other high-ranking and mid-ranking Gods under her command. The Abyss, on the other hand, was only so vast, and the human race's population was limited. A wrathful Yan Lie could slaughter countless humans in his fury, shattering continents and leaving their foundations in shambles. Recognizing this, Li Wang naturally supported Pang Jian's negotiation with Yan Lie. He, too, hoped the high-ranking God would stand down. There was no guarantee the Abyss would survive the fallout if the battle were to continue. A ray of light descended from the starry skies beyond and landed on Yan Lie. A cold voice echoed from within the glow on Yan Lie's body. "Pang Jian, I'll be waiting for you and that Sovereign outside." Pang Jian's heart trembled. The voice was laced with arrogant supremacy, as if all living beings beneath the heavens were nothing more than worshipers meant to kneel at her feet. It was the voice of the real Luo Hongyan in the starry skies! Her true body had arrived in the starry skies just outside of the Abyss and was casting her gaze directly upon it. The destruction of her vessel meant she could no longer act through it, and her inability to break through the Abyss's boundary wall or barrier meant she could not directly intervene. Had her vessel lasted just a bit longer, or not been destroyed at all, the consequences would have been unimaginable. "The Sovereign!" the True Gods cried. Li Wang and the others felt insignificant when faced with this looming presence above. It was an overwhelming suppression, one that came from a fundamentally higher plane of existence. Just hearing her voice made Li Wang and the others feel as if their seas of consciousness were glowing. Her words were like an endless light streaming into their minds, compelling them to yearn for it and worship it. Worshiping that light meant worshiping the Sovereign herself and offering up their power in quiet sacrifice. "One day, we will meet in the truest sense," Pang Jian replied. His words slammed into the minds of every True God like a thunderclap, the sound shattering the encroaching light and cutting off the reverence it evoked. Their seas of consciousness dimmed, and their minds snapped awake with startling clarity. The gathered True Gods broke into a cold sweat as they glanced up at the starry skies beyond. Outside the barrier, a radiance blazed with heat greater than the sun, light purer than the moon, and brilliance more dazzling than the stars. At its center hovered an indistinct silhouette, gazing down upon the Abyss. Not even the barrier of the Abyss could fully block the oppressive might emanating from her. Simply glancing at her was enough for them to feel like they were being crushed, the sheer weight of her existence suffocating. A blinding light suddenly burst from Dong Shangqing's eyes. Just looking at that radiance was enough to kill him. "Don't look at her!" Pang Jian shouted, breaking the True Gods out of their trance. Fear gripped the hearts of the True Gods. They immediately lowered their heads, no longer daring to glance at the radiant light above. The true body of Sovereign Luo could not descend into the Abyss, but it seemed prolonged eye contact alone was enough to kill. "I'll be waiting," she replied to Pang Jian. Then, the radiant light abruptly vanished. Lie Yang, Ah Man, Sha Jia, and Yan Lie crossed the barrier one after another, disappearing into the starry skies beyond. With Corruption cleansed from their bodies, the mid-ranking Gods broke through the barrier with ease.