Li Wang stared grimly at the Heaven Awakening Continent in the Second World of the Abyss. "What exactly is Pang Jian trying to do?" he muttered, watching as Sword Boats soared into the skies, heading toward the First World. All kinds of flying vessels were also lifting off from the Demon Abyss Continent and the surrounding fragmented lands, each packed with people. "Whatever it is, our priority is getting everyone to safer territory first," Li Zhaotian said with a dark expression. "It's not that we can't fight. It's just that we can't let the rising tide of murky energy bury innocents. "Senior Li, the murky energy has seemed like it could surge up at any moment since that Black Empyrean Phoenix awakened. Do you really want to risk starting a war now?" Li Wang fell silent at Li Zhaotian's words. "Even if we fight, this isn't necessarily a battle we can win." Su Wanrou sighed, glancing in the direction of the Sacred Soul Continent. "The enemy's Fey Gods already outclass us. They've got three mid-ranking Fey Gods on their side as well as that Black Empyrean Phoenix. She used to be a Sovereign. Have you considered how strong she could still be?" Su Wanrou then turned toward Zhu Ji. "Senior Zhu, those mid-ranking Fey Gods—the black turtle, the Black Dragon King, and that giant ape—do you think you can defeat them?" Zhu Ji answered honestly, "Only one of them at most." "Pang Jian was able to drive Yan Lie away. Do you really think he'll be afraid of a few Fey Gods?" Pei Yishan snapped. Li Wang frowned. "Those Fey Gods only exist because of him." "What are you implying, Senior Li?" Li Zhaotian asked coldly. "Are you claiming that my disciple, Pang Jian, orchestrated the rise of the Fey Race?" "Didn't he?" Li Wang sneered. "What do you think the Abyss would look like if not for my disciple, the World God of the Abyss?" Li Zhaotian said, displeasure evident in his voice. "That's enough," Su Wanrou cut in, stepping in to smooth things over before the argument escalated further. "Let's focus on clearing out the Second World first. What matters is helping more of our people break through to the next realm in the shortest time possible. Only then will we stand a chance against the Fey Race. Arguing won't solve anything." Deep within Spirit Offering on the Dark Abyss Continent, a surging tide of demonic energy converged upon a single object. The demonic energy blanketing a thousand li of the restricted area soon vanished without a trace. The towering Demon Lair seemed to disappear as well. Wu Yuan had appeared in its place. Embedded between his brows like a third eye was the missing Demon Lair. "Ascendant God Realm," he murmured. With a thought, torrents of demonic energy erupted outward, engulfing the thousand-li radius around the restricted area like a vast sea. His divine sense swept through the demonic energy, but he was surprised to find that the members of the Demon Scale Race and the elders of the Demon Sect had all vanished. Vicious Beasts and Spirit Beasts roamed freely across the Dark Abyss Continent, filling the air with roars and howls. Having been in secluded cultivation, he was unaware that the world outside had been turned on its head. The balance of power had been reshaped in that time. Catching sight of a golden bee, he asked, "Pang Jian, what happened?" Wu Yuan's demonic energy abruptly contracted. Eyes narrowing in confusion, he shifted closer to the bee. "Why did the foreign races on this continent all leave? Has the war ended?" The golden bee replied, "The war against the foreign races from the Fifth World has basically concluded, but the conflict with the Fey Race...has only just begun." The golden bee paused briefly. "Wu Yuan, you've broken through?" "I've officially stepped into the next realm." Wu Yuan confirmed, a hint of joy seeping through his typical composure. "I've refined the Demon Lair." "Then make a trip to the Fourth World." A streak of blood-red light suddenly descended from the world above like a sinister meteor. Squinting, he caught a glimpse of another golden bee within that crimson trail. At that moment, Wu Yuan realized that Pang Jian had summoned Dong Tianze as well. The True Dragon Hall, nestled within the Dragon Lair Sect, no longer belonged to the orthodox Dragon Race. The dominion of these once-undisputed rulers of the Sacred Soul Continent had since crumbled. A Black Dragon King and an Ice Armor Eel Dragon, neither of pure draconic lineage, had become the new masters of the hall. "The one..." The Rock Bear, in human form, looked at the black turtle. Voice trembling with excitement, he asked, "She-she's a Sovereign? A Sovereign of our Fey Race?" The black turtle looked like a robust middle-aged man. Wisdom shimmered in his eyes as he nodded with a faint smile. "That's right. After many years of waiting, our race's true revival has finally begun. "In the past, those foreign races crushed us, causing us to lose our hold over the Abyss. While our days improved slightly after the rise of the human race, we never reclaimed our former glory. "That is, until now. Our Lord's nirvanic rebirth has forcibly rewritten the fundamental laws of this world! This world will gradually become a world shaped just for us—an abyss suited to our race!" "What about the human race?" asked the Ice Armor Eel Dragon. Reflections of soaring flying vessels flickered in the black turtle's eyes. "Humans will learn to coexist with us as more Fey Gods rise up across the Abyss. They'll either have to yield to us or leave the Abyss entirely. There will be no third option for them." Dong Tianze, Wu Yuan, and Li Yuqing, three of the human race's most brilliant young talents, gathered beneath the World Tree in the Fourth World. "What's your plan, Pang Jian?" Dong Tianze asked offhandedly as he sat down, casually shrouding himself in a blood-red glow to repel the murky energy. "I'm close to stepping into the Ascendant God Realm myself." "So am I," Li Yuqing said softly. Pang Jian had passed on his insights into the Ascendant God Realm and Transcendent God Realm through the golden bees that had led the three to the World Tree. He described the process in great detail, even including the steps he had taken to shatter his own shackles, holding nothing back as he placed absolute trust in their bond. "I need you all to act as my protector," Pang Jian said, taking a deep breath. "I'm going to expel the cluster of Corruption from my Divine Persona. As long as it remains, I can't shake the feeling that the Black Empyrean Phoenix is spying on my thoughts." Wu Yuan's expression shifted. "Have you thought this through? Your Divine Persona could shatter without that Corruption. You could lose everything!" "I have. My Immortal Divine Soul was reborn after being destroyed in the Nether Abyss. Even if my Divine Persona shatters, I believe I can forge it anew."