"Can I only become a Sovereign by following the Divine Persona path of the Outer Gods?" In the Abyss, Pang Jian's physical body sat quietly beneath the World Tree, eyes half-closed in thought. While his Immortal Divine Soul was engaged in conversation with Long Di, his body remained fully attuned to every word exchanged. His curiosity toward the various mysteries was relentless. He looked inward, probing his sea of consciousness, fixing his gaze on the crystalline Divine Persona nestled deep within. Within his Divine Persona, Pang Jian could distinctly sense a power that did not belong to him. That power was the so-called Corruption, the essence of the Black Empyrean Phoenix. Even in a state of lifeless dormancy, the Black Empyrean Phoenix could amass its strength by continuously shedding and reabsorbing its essence, fueling its eventual nirvanic rebirth. Then, Pang Jian recalled something crucial. The Fey Gods and the Rank Ten powerhouses who had advanced using the power of Corruption had been unable to escape the confines of the Abyss. Lie Yang, Sha Jia, and Ah Man had succeeded in breaching the barrier with Luo Hongyan's guidance, casting off the Corruption and ascending to the rank of mid-ranking Gods. The barrier and the boundary wall both fell within the jurisdiction and authority of the will of the bizarre mist. The will of the Abyss did not permit those tainted by Corruption to depart its bounds. This, most likely, was its way of sealing away the Black Empyrean Phoenix. It allowed the Black Empyrean Phoenix's remains to drift within the void of the Seventh World. It permitted that dense murky energy to spill forth and give rise to the Fey Race. Did it want to keep the Black Empyrean Phoenix within the Abyss? Pang Jian stroked his chin in thought, gradually realizing that there was a fundamental difference between the Abyss and the Nether Abyss. In the Nether Abyss, the elites of the Nether Race had always walked the path of forging Divine Persona like the Outer Gods in the starry skies. They did not need to refine Fortune and could forge Divine Persona directly from within the Nether Abyss. In the Abyss, whether it was the current Fey Gods or those foreign race powerhouses, everyone needed to fuse with a cluster of Corruption. It was as if they could only forge a Divine Persona with the essence of the Black Empyrean Phoenix. Without Luo Hongyan's emergence and forceful removal of Corruption from Lie Yang, Sha Jia, and Ah Man, they were unlikely to ever ascend and follow Yan Lie to break through the barrier and leave the Abyss. Was it true that only a fellow Sovereign could undo the restraints laid down by another? Can the essence of the Black Empyrean Phoenix, embedded within my Divine Persona, be stripped away? And if it could, what realm would I fall into? If Corruption is not removed, what would the long-term consequences be? As these doubts churned within Pang Jian, he suddenly sensed the vast auras of the black turtle and the Black Dragon King. The latter, now fully revived, was a mid-ranking Fey God like the black turtle. If he did not include himself, Zhu Ji was no longer one of the strongest beings within the current Abyss. The strongest were now the likes of the black turtle, the Black Dragon King, and Yuan Qi, who were all mid-ranking Fey Gods. Amid the roiling tides of murky energy, two colossal Fey Gods emerged beneath the dim sky of the Fourth World, heading steadily toward the Third World. Each Fey God was as vast as a fragmented land. As they soared, two pairs of piercing eyes shone like a constellation washing over the lands below. The Fey Gods spotted the towering World Tree and the lone figure seated beneath it. For a brief moment, those pairs of eyes locked onto the silhouette below, but neither attempted to establish a connection. Beneath the thick water-laden clouds, the two titanic beings paused for only a breath before vanishing into the gloom above. "They..." Pang Ling appeared within a verdant green leaf. She pursed her lips in restrained fury. "They were both created by Father. Everything they've become, every ounce of power they wield, came from his painstaking guidance! Now they've become Fey Gods and regained their memories, but this is how they act?" Although all four of them had been reborn within the World God Pendant and thus shared a subtle resonance through the bronze pendant, Pang Ling could not sense any lingering connection between Pang Jian and the other two. They had noticed Pang Jian, yet these two Fey Gods made no move to reach out or pay their respects. "What truly brought them back was the blood of the Celestial Phoenix," Pang Jian said coolly, his tone unreadable. One thing he was certain of now. The Black Empyrean Phoenix's path of nirvanic rebirth had begun, and it was progressing smoothly. Whether through their bloodlines or through the essence of the Black Empyrean Phoenix that had fused with their souls, both the Black Dragon King and the black turtle would now heed her will above all else. From the moment the Black Empyrean Phoenix began to reveal traces of her presence, every Fey God within the Abyss instinctively recognized her as their one true leader. The black turtle, Black Dragon King, Yuan Qi, Ice Armor Eel-Dragon, and Rock Bear had all become her loyal followers. "What is that Sovereign of the Fey Race trying to do here in the Abyss?" Pang Ling asked, wariness in her voice. Pang Jian frowned. "Perhaps she intends to reshape this world into a place similar to the Ancient Fey World within the bizarre mist, a world overflowing with Fey Gods." "Ah!" Pang Ling gasped, her expression tightening. "Father, what about you? If the Fey Race truly comes to rule over the Abyss again, what will happen to the human race? Will they still have a future here?" Pang Jian remained silent. Before long, a powerful premonition surged through him. He sensed the murky energy in the lower worlds beginning to rise once more. Dense waves of murky energy drifted upward from the Sixth World toward the Fifth, gradually converging there. The tension felt like muscles straining and flexing, like something was gathering its strength. Once the Fifth World held enough of the murky energy, it would rise further, spilling into the Fourth and Third Worlds. And once it accumulated in the Third World, it would continue upward, pressing into the Second World or perhaps even the First World. After Yan Lie left, and Sha Jia, Lie Yang, and Ah Man followed, the foreign invaders had retreated to the Fifth World, signaling the failure of their so-called war of ascension. Many believed the crisis stirred up by those foreign races had already passed. However, the murky energy that lingered between the Third and Fourth Worlds had never dispersed with their retreat. If anything, it made those worlds all the more suitable for Vicious and Spirit Beasts to thrive. The murky energy in the lower worlds was beginning to stir once more. The source of the murky energy was the Black Empyrean Phoenix's remains that were suspended in the Seventh World. Her leaking divine power was being ceaselessly funneled upward, unrelenting in its spread to the higher worlds. She has awakened and set her path of nirvanic rebirth into motion, but what does she intend to do now? With a grave expression, Pang Jian took the initiative to establish a connection with the black turtle and communicated bluntly, Where is she? Does she intend to leave the human race with no place left to survive? The black turtle delivered a message on the Black Empyrean Phoenix's behalf. I'm sorry. I don't know where she is. She said that with the grand event underway, the boundary walls no longer impose restrictions. The human race can leave by boarding flying vessels and crossing the barrier. The True Gods can break through the barrier and leave. She believes the future of the human race shouldn't be bound to a single world. They should soar into the starry skies beyond. She intends to claim the Second World of the Abyss for us, the Fey Race. She won't touch the First World, for now. Pang Jian, you should start moving the human sects and forces from the Second World to the First. She will grant you enough time for everyone to move.