Both Dong Tianze's and Wu Yuan's physical bodies experienced drastic changes. The already thin Dong Tianze had become near-skeletal as the vitality in his body drained away into the Celestial Phoenix Imprint between his brows, which burned a vivid crimson. A blood-red phoenix took shape within the imprint, etched as if in fresh blood. Its form was distinct, and its unsettlingly piercing gaze turned toward the towering World Tree. Pang Ling, in her spirit body, felt a shudder run through her very being as she stared at the Celestial Phoenix Imprint between Dong Tianze's brows. The Celestial Phoenix Imprint started to violently siphon away her life energy and her insights into her Heavenly Dao! An irresistible will pulled at her, and she knew exactly who it belonged to. Not long ago, the black turtle had invoked this same will, forcing her to obediently offer up her life energy to help the Black Dragon King's heart beat once more. Faced once again with this will's demand, she dared not defy it. She let out a faint, sorrowful sigh, and then saw tiny flecks of green radiance drift forth from the World Tree—from its branches, leaves, and roots—glimmering as they flowed into the Celestial Phoenix Imprint between Dong Tianze's brows. "Aargh!" Wu Yuan let out an agonised cry, clutching the demonic stone at his forehead. Li Yuqing stood frozen in shock at the turn of events. She did not know whom to help or how to help. "Pang Jian..." In her panic, the girl could only look to Pang Jian, desperately hoping he would know what to do. Unfortunately, Pang Jian had only just shattered his Divine Persona and expelled the essence of the Black Empyrean Phoenix. He was also in a precarious state himself. There was little he could do. "Lord Primordial Demon has revealed himself!" "He's still in the Abyss, in the Demon Lair!" "Is he trying to possess that brat, Wu Yuan?" In the starry skies, four Great Demon Gods, He Motian, Fa Ji, Tian Wei, and Qi Ling, sensed the unmistakable presence of the Primordial Demon. "I knew it. There's no way the Primordial Demon would be annihilated!" Tian Wei laughed eerily, casting a secret technique to lock onto Wu Yuan from afar. A spectral shadow slowly took shape before him, gradually revealing Dong Tianze, Li Yuqing, and Pang Jian, all standing beneath the World Tree. "A blood-colored imprint is twisting that boy! That's an imprint from the Celestial Phoenix of the Fey Race!" "That girl, the God of Fate's chosen!" "Pang Jian is there too!" The four Great Demon Gods cried out in astonishment. "Something's not right," He Motian said grimly. "Stay alert. Be ready to support Lord Primordial Demon at any moment!" The plan to propel the Primordial Demon to the rank of a Sovereign had been orchestrated through the combined efforts of all five Great Demon Gods. Though Luan Ji had contributed less than the others, he had still done what was required. In their eyes, the Primordial Demon was the perfect leader, born with the singular goal of one day becoming a Sovereign. The Primordial Demon was the embodiment of their combined wisdom, divine power, and vision. So long as the Primordial Demon could grow to his full potential, they believed without doubt that he would become a Sovereign, one that surpassed even the former Sovereign of the Demon Race, Demonheaven. He would spread the true essence of the Dao of Demon across the vast starry skies and restore the glory of the Demon Races. The Primordial Demon's future ascension was the key to the prosperity of the Dao of Demon. It was a cause worthy of their every sacrifice. Li Zhaotian let out a wistful sigh as he watched fleets of flying vessels sail toward the heart of the Western Loam. "The Sword Pavilion has finally returned to the First World." The inverted nine-floor Sword Pavilion descended among the Sword Boats, coming to rest amid the mountain ranges. The hum of countless sword souls and divine swords resonated with the surrounding peaks and harmonized with long-dormant sword arrays. This was the ancestral homeland of the Sword Pavilion. Back when the five great Sword Gods were still alive, the Sword Pavilion had been the most powerful sect in all of the Abyss, its decrees wielding supreme authority even among other factions. The Sword Pavilion had seen a period of decline for a time after that legendary period. Fortunately, Pang Jian and Li Zhaotian had both managed to step into the True God Realms, allowing the Sword Pavilion to once again return to the continent most attuned to the Dao of Sword. However, Li Zhaotian was not pleased. "We were forced to return," Li Zhaotian said flatly, glancing at Liu Junhong, Guang He, Xu Wei, and the other Sword Pavilion elders in the Immortal Realm. "The rise of the Fey Race drove us to return here ahead of schedule." "So what's our plan? Do we fight to the bitter end, or attempt to break away from the Abyss?" Guang He asked. "If we abandon the Abyss, we'll be heading into the starry skies and forced to clash with the foreign races up there." Liu Junhong shook his head. "Sovereign Luo's true body is right above us in the starry skies. If we go out there, we'll have to face her." "A Sovereign..." Xu Wei's and Wang Ce's expressions darkened. Just then, Li Zhaotian, harmonized with the barrier, sensed two foreign wills invading the minds of Dong Tianze and Wu Yuan. When he had decided to let Dong Tianze and Wu Yuan ascend into the True God Realm, he had known this day would eventually arrive. The hidden forces that had quietly pushed Dong Tianze and Wu Yuan toward rapid ascension had always intended to strike when the time was right, and it seemed that time had arrived. Li Zhaotian sent a message through his sword token, simultaneously tracking Pang Jian's location, only to realize that Pang Jian was standing beside Dong Tianze and Wu Yuan. Furthermore, his condition seemed even worse than theirs. Li Zhaotian's expression changed drastically. Sending urgent transmissions to Li Wang and Su Wanrou, he descended swiftly to the Fourth World on his sword. In the Nether Abyss, Pang Jian halted his conversation with Long Di and Bai Zi, as a narrow spatial rift silently tore open behind him. Long Di and Bai Zi could see another Pang Jian through the spatial rift, standing beside Dong Tianze and the others. "Be careful. It's better if your Immortal Divine Soul doesn't rush back just yet. As long as it remains in the Nether Abyss, you can still connect with the Soulstream and benefit from this world," Long Di warned. "Once you return to the Abyss, many of those advantages may no longer apply. "The outbreak of this grand event is particularly hostile this time around, both toward our Nether Race and your human race. This crisis seems to be coming straight for us." Pang Jian gave a slight nod before sending the miniature Thunder Pool and the pitch-black cloak through the spatial rift. These were the last two powerful divine artifacts still in his possession. He reached out toward that mysterious sea at the bottom of the Nether Abyss with his divine sense. My physical body needs to reforge a Divine Persona. I... The Soulstream was the origin of the Dao of Soul and held both sentience and wisdom. Having obtained its acknowledgment, Pang Jian believed it would surely lend its aid in the reconstruction of his Divine Persona. The sound of waves echoed in his ears. His liquid soul essence in the sea of consciousness of his physical body in the Abyss grew several times more concentrated!