Li Wang's gaze swept across the faces of Pang Jian, Dong Tianze, Wu Yuan, and Li Yuqing in the Fourth World of the Abyss. "Now that Sovereign Luo's vessel has been destroyed, our greatest threat comes from the Fey Race." Li Wang's brows were tightly knitted. "We've already lost control of the Second World. The First World could be next. "The root of the Fey Race's strength lies in that Black Empyrean Phoenix in the Seventh World. If we enter the Seventh World and obliterate that Black Empyrean Phoenix, would that not crush any chance the Fey Race has of rising again?" This had been weighing on him since they arrived. In his view, the only way to truly eliminate the threat was to destroy the remains of that fallen Sovereign. "It's a viable plan," Zhu Ji agreed. "Viable?" Su Wanrou's heart jolted. "Do you take the Fey Race for pushovers? That Black Dragon King, the black turtle, and that giant ape are all mid-ranking Fey Gods! The Rock Bear and the newly risen Ice Armor Eel Dragon are hardly weaklings either! "The Fey Gods haven't made a move to intercept and kill us because we didn't act recklessly in the Fourth World. Do you really think they'll still sit idly by if we try to slip into the Sixth World?" Li Wang and Zhu Ji fell silent at her words. "I think she's hiding inside Pang Lin," Dong Tianze said, having regained his clarity of mind. Head lowered, he added, "I heard Pang Lin's voice, but I can't shake the feeling that the will of the Black Empyrean Phoenix has merged with her divine soul." Everyone was stunned. Dong Tianze slowly looked up to meet Pang Jian's gaze. The blood-red hue in his eyes had faded. "Your sister...it's very likely that the Sovereign set her sights on her from the moment the Celestial Phoenix bone chose her." "Huh? Pang Lin?" Su Wanrou trembled. "Pang Jian, is that true? Where is she now?" "Outside the Abyss," Pang Jian replied, expression dark. The black turtle had promised that no harm would come to Pang Lin. Despite this, the resulting commotion when she drew in clusters of Fortune to ascend to godhood in the bizarre mist had been nothing short of earth-shattering. That, combined with the certainty in Dong Tianze's voice, caused his worries for Pang Lin's safety to resurface. "We'll endure the pressure from the Fey Race for now. I'm going to attempt another breakthrough," Pang Jian said coldly. "If my physical body reaches the level of a high-ranking God and she still hasn't yet regained her full strength as a Sovereign, there's a chance I could face her head-on!" His Transcendent God Realm Immortal Divine Soul in the Nether Abyss could be summoned back at any time. If his physical body could also ascend as a high-ranking God, he could stand a chance against the Black Empyrean Phoenix, especially with the aid of his powerful divine artifacts. "If the will of the Abyss fully aligns with me as well, my odds of victory will be even greater." In the starry skies, two Great Demon Gods, He Motian and Fa Ji, looked toward a Demon Scale Race man emerging from the massive archway. "Luan Ji, we're in your debt for stepping in this time," they thanked. With Luan Ji's arrival, all five Great Demon Gods of the Demon Races had now assembled. "It's only right. We're all in the same boat. If one falls, we all fall. If one prospers, we all benefit." Luan Ji carried himself with a cold aloofness, his eyes distant as he said, "From this point on, leave everything related to Pang Jian to me. Agreed?" Fa Ji frowned. "He forced us into battle, offended Sovereign Luo, and—" Luan Ji waved his hand, cutting him off. "I'll ask only this once. Can any of you deal with Pang Jian right now?" The other four Great Demon Gods fell silent. "Don't think that Pang Jian is easy to deal with, especially while he's in the Abyss. You saw the other Pang Jian in the Nether Abyss. He could even stand his ground against Yuan Yi. Tell me, was he easy to handle?" Fa Ji clenched his teeth and grimly shook his head. "Then tell me. Can any of you deal with that ancient ape?" Luan Ji's gaze swept over He Motian, Tian Wei, and Qi Ling. The three Great Demon Gods remained silent. "In that case, perhaps it's time you looked at this from a different angle: Why do you think Lord Demonheaven's cloak chose Pang Jian to inherit his Dao of Demon? "The Abyssal Demon has recently stirred chaos in the starry skies. That being was once sealed within Pang Jian's demonic sword. It was because of Pang Jian that the Abyssal Demon could devour one fragment of Lord Primordial Demon after another. "That cloak, the Abyssal Demon, and even myself are now deeply entangled with Pang Jian. "He Motian, you may hail from the Titan Race, but you've since become the leader of the Demon Races in the starry skies. "As long as one comprehends the true essence of the Dao of Demon and uses demonic energy in battle, they can be counted as one of us, regardless of their origin. "In the past, we welcomed you, He Motian. So why not Pang Jian? If we shift our perspective and accept Pang Jian as one of us, many of our problems will solve themselves." The reason Luan Ji had come in person to speak face-to-face with the four Great Demon Gods was precisely because he had seen the massive threat Pang Jian posed. Even Luan Ji himself had no way to deal with Pang Jian. Not a single effective method came to mind. Pang Jian posed a threat even to Luan Ji with his Thunder Pool, his mastery over soul-related divine techniques, and control of that demonic cloak. If they continued to treat Pang Jian as an enemy, the ones to suffer in the end would be them. More Demon Gods would fall as a result. "Treat him as one of us? But he's a human!" Tian Wei exclaimed in disbelief. "The Sovereigns scorn the human race! They're branded as heretics!" Luan Ji's stance remained firm. "From this moment on, stop thinking about how to harm him. If he uses the demonic cloak to command you, just follow his orders. If asked, we can simply say that we're being coerced—that disobedience means death. I believe the Sovereigns can understand that much. "As for Sovereign Luo, I'll make a personal visit soon to offer my sincere apologies." Pang Jian's physical body suddenly reappeared at the heart of Eight Trigrams City in the Fifth World. The Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chest, which served as an array core, rested at the bottom of the pool within the City Lord's Mansion. Luo Hongyan had once held control over this artifact, though she never managed to truly possess it or take it away. It was also the one rare artifact that had kept the Primordial Demon sealed, suppressing him for an extended period. An artifact capable of sealing time itself. Could this be it? With a wave of his hand, the copper chest rose from the bottom of the pool. Not a single drop of water came with it as it floated up smoothly and settled onto the platform at his feet. Pang Jian flipped open the lid of the copper chest, touched the World God Pendant at his neck, and lay down inside. When he shut the lid, a brilliant starry sky appeared above him. Though the stars above shifted and flowed, he realized that what he felt was actually the rotation of the Abyss itself. The starry sky was not moving. Rather, it was the Abyss itself. Turning his awareness inward, he gradually noticed that the vitality in his body remained eerily still while inside the chest. It was as if some unseen force had locked it in place. When he activated his soul-related techniques to suppress the soul essence within his Divine Persona, entering a meditative state, it felt as though the flow of time itself had come to a halt. Did Pang Lin and I truly remain inside this chest for several thousand years?