Within the Lunar Divine Palace in the starry skies, Han Yi's Divine Persona suddenly shook, snapping her out of her state of enlightenment. She then attempted to reach out to Pang Jian through her divine consciousness. Sensing something, Ying Yue opened her eyes and gave Han Yi a curious look. "What are you doing? The insights our Lord granted can mend the flaws in our Daos. As long as we fully comprehend them and refine a few rare materials, we'll be able to ascend into high-ranking godhood." "Han Yi!" A yearning expression crossed Ying Yue's jade-like face that shimmered with radiant light. "Once the two of us ascend to high-ranking godhood, even without our Lord's protection, we won't have to fear the likes of Mou Qi ever again!" She was still basking in the feeling of being unexpectedly chosen. The favors and gifts Sovereign Luo had bestowed upon them had given her boundless optimism about her future. "Our Lord was observing Pang Jian through our Divine Personas when she chose us. Perhaps she even used us to act in some way. Ying Yue, I think I need to talk to Pang Jian about it," Han Yi said, a trace of concern flitting across her face. The Moon God furrowed her brow, pausing in thought before speaking again. "Han Yi, our Lord has already taken care of Mou Qi for you. From the moment the two of us pledged our allegiance, we became part of her retinue. She even granted us insights into the mysteries of our respective Dao." She continued calmly, "I don't think we should have any further contact with Pang Jian. The Lord might take issue with it. "The human race doesn't hold a great reputation in the starry skies, and it seems like her affairs in the Abyss haven't gone smoothly either. The fact that she hasn't spoken about our dealings with Pang Jian already shows a great deal of tolerance. "We should know our place, don't you think?" Ying Yue's tone was gentle but firm. "Even so..." Han Yi shook her head, her voice rising with urgency. "Pang Jian has helped us so much. We can't just stand by without even a word of warning. If he hadn't slain You Kui, would we even have this period of peace?" She steeled her resolve and looked directly at Ying Yue. "I have to do something!" The Frost Crystal God focused her mind, determined to establish contact with Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul in the Nether Abyss. Ignoring Ying Yue's attempts at dissuading her, she probed but sensed nothing. "It's gone. The connection that once linked us has been severed by some unknown force." A profound sense of loss rose within Han Yi. She could not tell whether it was Pang Jian who had cut the connection or whether it was Sovereign Luo who had intervened to block it. It felt like something vital had just slipped away from her. "Not being able to reach him is the best outcome!" Ying Yue declared. She let out a quiet sigh and gently urged, "From now on, you need to forget that he ever existed. Our kind has never been on the same side as the human race. That's not something that's going to change anytime soon." "Forget he ever existed? I can't. How could I possibly forget?" Han Yi whispered, shaking her head. That tall, cold, unyielding figure had long since taken root in the very core of her soul. He had become the most vital part of her Divine Persona. In her life of hardship and quiet suffering, he had been the light shining through her darkness. How could she ever forget about him? Within the bizarre mist, atop a World God Pendant, Yuan Yi continued to charge blindly ahead, streaking through the endless gray mist. Blinding rays of light burst from his shrunken frame at irregular intervals. Each time he expelled a beam of radiance, his expression would ease ever so slightly. Bit by bit, ray by ray, his mood slowly lightened. He panted heavily, paranoia overflowing from his blood-red eyes. Wisps of crimson mist extended outward from him in waves, probing the surroundings for even the slightest signs of danger. He half expected to be ambushed at any moment. He knew full well that as long as Sovereign Luo's divine power lingered within his body, she would be able to sense his location. She was the one he feared above all. He was terrified that the Sovereign might silently descend, striking him down while he was still grievously wounded, wiping out the leader of the Demon Gods in the bizarre mist in one swift blow. After all, she had always loathed Fey Gods like him and the Black Empyrean Phoenix. Yuan Yi secretly brooded over his situation. "I must find a suitable abyss. I can only avoid her true form by entering one of the abysses." He infused his divine consciousness into the World God Pendant. At once, the pendant token flared with a cluster of starry points, each one representing the precise coordinates of a different abyss. "Shadow Abyss? Demon Abyss? Ghost Abyss? Or perhaps... the Abyss?" A savage gleam surged within the ancient ape's blood-red eyes. He suddenly recalled Pang Jian mentioning that Sovereign Luo's vessel in the Abyss had been destroyed, and that the Black Empyrean Phoenix had successfully embarked on the path of nirvanic rebirth. "Who knows if that's even true," he muttered. "A World God like me, even with a World God Pendant, couldn't set foot in the Abyss before. But now? This grand event is unlike any that came before. Can the boundary wall of the Abyss still hold us back?" A wild hunger surged within the ancient ape. He considered himself far superior to a vessel of Sovereign Luo. He was a genuine high-ranking Fey God. If he could break into the Abyss and scavenge the remains of the Black Empyrean Phoenix, he might just obtain the legendary Blood Repository, and his strength would soar by leaps and bounds. The Abyss also had the World Tree that teemed with Dao of Life insights. He had coveted it for ages because those insights would greatly enhance his own. "Becoming truly mad is the only way to make something of yourself. My schemes in the Nether Abyss have failed anyway. I may as well test my luck in the Abyss. If all else fails, I'll just withdraw with the pendant." With a new goal in mind, the ancient ape changed direction. The World God Pendant shifted in response, turning toward the Abyss. Inside the hall deep within the Nether Abyss, only three Gods remained. "Why is it that the cultivation system of the human race is almost the same as the Nether Race? Especially after reaching godhood. Why do they also progress through the Ascendant God Realm, the Transcendent God Realm, and the Exalted God Realm? "And in the Fortune of the Abyss, why does it only include the initial step of becoming a True God? The three following realms aren't there at all, but it is all complete here in the Nether Abyss. Why is that?" Pang Jian continued to fire off question after question. Bai Zi rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. To her, it was as if Pang Jian's questions would never end. Then it suddenly struck her. Pang Jian and his sister had been sealed within a time-suspending artifact for five thousand years. In terms of worldly experience, they'd only lived for a few short decades. Given that, his ceaseless curiosity made sense. How could someone with just a few decades of awareness possibly unravel the mysteries of the bizarre mist, let alone the complexities of their cultivation systems? "We were all created by it," Long Di began, offering clarity, "But there are still differences between us." As the leader of the Nether Gods, he spoke while deep in thought. "Our Nether Race was born with inherently stronger souls than yours. I knew of the human race cultivation system. Before the humans ascend to godhood, they must first forge their divine souls. "It's different for us. A child of the Nether Race possesses a divine soul from birth. We don't need to cultivate a divine sense and gradually refine a divine soul step by step like you. For us, those initial stages are already complete. Our starting line begins where others may spend a lifetime just to reach. "As for why our complete cultivation system could be found in the Fortune." Long Di paused uncertainly for a moment. "It may be because our Nether Abyss has deeper roots and an older, richer history." He was not entirely certain. After some reflection, he added, "And as for the realms beyond godhood, I believe those were deliberately granted by the will of the bizarre mist, meant solely for the two favored races. "It wished for the Nether Race to rule the bizarre mist. So, it embedded a complete cultivation system into our Fortune, one that would keep us rooted here, not compelled to flee or stray. "It wanted your human race to wander out, to break through the barrier and leave the Abyss, so it only left you with the means to become a True God. As for the realms beyond, those would either reveal themselves naturally once you break through the barrier or emerge at a later stage in your journey. "Regardless, once a True God leaves the Abyss, they'll eventually be able to deduce the path forward." Long Di paused, giving Pang Jian a moment to reflect on the implications. After a while, he continued, "As for us Nether Gods, we actually have choices to make when we step into godhood. "Some choose to forge a Divine Persona, much like the Outer Gods in the starry skies. Others choose to merge with a cluster of Fortune, and from that forge an Immortal Divine Soul, thus walking the path of the Ascendant, Transcendent, and Exalted God Realms. "There are even a rare few who are capable of forging a Divine Persona while also condensing an Immortal Divine Soul. Of course, those like me are few and far between." As he spoke, Long Di suddenly revealed two miraculous treasures of his own. A crystalline Immortal Divine Soul flew out from deep within his brows. It arced gracefully through the air like a rainbow and yet its ever-shifting form flashed unpredictably like a bolt of lightning. It darted back and forth through the air, agile and extraordinary, its soul fluctuations ethereal and elusive. Then, from the center of his forehead, a Divine Persona emerged like a third eye, jutting forth with a sharp gleam. Pang Jian studied them closely and quickly realized, just like him, Long Di possessed both an Immortal Divine Soul and a Divine Persona. Long Di's Immortal Divine Soul was like a second body, able to twist and flow with grace, soft as silk when it needed to be, yet capable of hardening into steel. Pang Jian's Divine Persona had a different nature. It resembled an upright shard of ice crystal, cold, rigid, and translucent. Within his Divine Persona lay his essence, and etched with soul-related techniques. At this, Long Di revealed a bitter smile. "When forging an Immortal Divine Soul, we must rely on Fortune. But crafting a Divine Persona does not require it. "Many among the Nether Gods choose to craft a Divine Persona instead of an Immortal Divine Soul. They believe that following the path of the Outer Gods offers a greater chance of one day becoming a Sovereign." "I forged a Divine Persona as well. I took the same path because I longed to become a Sovereign too. "Etched in my mind is the so-called Exalted God Realm, the final realm meant to stand alongside the Sovereigns that no one has ever succeeded in reaching. For those of us who chose the path of forging an Immortal Divine Soul, the furthest any Nether God has ever gone is the Transcendent God Realm. "Even your human race, those who broke free of the Abyss and charged into the starry skies, have all been stuck at that same Transcendent God Realm threshold. "It seems that the Transcendent God Realm is the absolute limit for both our races. And unfortunately, the Transcendent God Realm is no match for Sovereigns. If this is truly where our path ends, then we will never be able to stand against the Outer Gods. "While the path to reach the Exalted God Realm has been thoroughly laid out, it is still more theory than a proven reality. No one has ever truly reached it. Without precedent, there's no way to say for certain that it can be achieved. "On the other hand, the path of empowering oneself through a Divine Persona is a path that has yielded results. In the Nether Abyss, there was once a leader of the Nether God who had become a Sovereign through this path."