On the bronze expanse at the bottom of the Seventh World of the Abyss, Pang Jian's physical body was undergoing wondrous changes as vast torrents of life energy channeled into his body. Layer upon layer of golden light, interwoven with the life energy, fused into his muscles, bones, and flesh. His physical body slowly transformed. The purest essence of metal from the Dao Source of Metal was tempering and reinforcing his body. Meanwhile, the infusion of life energy endowed his flesh with limitless changes. Beneath his flesh, his bones gleamed like refined iron, flaring with piercing brilliance in response to the shifting will of his Divine Persona. "The Daos of Soul, Lightning, Cold, Life, and Metal!" A chorus of thunderous rumbles echoed from Pang Jian's chest and dantian. Arcs of lightning, sigils, flowing radiance, and Dao Seals—each aligned with a different Heavenly Dao—surged with newfound brilliance within his Divine Persona. Pang Jian gained new insights into the Duke of Thunder's Dao of Lightning. The Daos of Cold and Life, drawn from the glimmering shards of Sovereign Luo's shattered Divine Personas and gathered using the black-sailed ferry, were also laid bare to him, as if a veil had been swept aside. As his new Divine Persona was formed with the help of the Soulstream of the Nether Abyss, merely forming a connection with it was enough to send a surge of enlightenment through him. "The Dao I pursue is the Dao of Chaos. So long as even a portion of my comprehension reaches the level of a high-ranking God, I will be able to break through." Pang Jian's body continued to grow tougher. Glancing down, he saw new engravings rapidly forming across the bronze expanse. Each glowing engraving was instantly imprinted upon his Divine Persona and etched into his deepest memory. With the aid of the Soulstream, his Divine Persona parsed every engraving with ease, allowing him to grasp the profound meanings behind them at a glance. The profound truths within the Dao Source of Metal condensed into radiant streams—lucid, accessible, and effortlessly grasped. Metal energy and life energy come together to temper the body! A wondrous body-refining method surfaced in Pang Jian's mind, and he immediately applied it to himself, adapting it on the spot. Drawing upon the Dao Source of Metal and merging it with life energy, Pang Jian's body gradually transformed into a towering, majestic form. His physique grew broad and powerful, skin etched with golden markings, which crackled like dragon scales when they shifted. Is this the body of a divine being? Pang Jian pondered while still maintaining his connection with the Soulstream. Suddenly, the connection with his Immortal Divine Soul was severed. A jolt of unease struck Pang Jian. After all, there was no way his connection with his Immortal Divine Soul would simply break without cause. Who in the bizarre mist is capable of severing my connection with my Immortal Divine Soul? A high-ranking Outer God? Or perhaps some artifact targeting one's soul? Anxiety rose up within his heart. He quickly reached out to establish a connection with Pang Ling and the golden bees. Through the World God Pendant, he silently turned his gaze once more to Bai Zi and the ancient ape. It's the God of Wisdom, Fu Ya, as well as three high-ranking Gods of the Spirit Race, Mou Qi, Cang Feng, and Mu Ya! Pang Jian pieced together the truth through the golden bees and Yuan Yi's World God Pendant. Surprisingly, the God of Wisdom, whom Pang Jian had always guarded against in secret, had appeared in the bizarre mist. The spot where my Immortal Divine Soul was before the connection was severed... Pang Jian's divine sense sank into the World God Pendant, using it to sense the presence of all World Gods before locking onto one from the Flame Race. The Flame Race World God was born of the Fire Abyss, the abyss closest to where his Immortal Divine Soul had last been. Huo Ji of the Flame Race! Focusing his mind, Pang Jian transformed his divine sense into a stream of light and channeled it into the World God Pendant in his hand. The pendant opened a narrow channel, allowing the stream of divine sense to pass through, crossing the bizarre mist within and reaching the World God named Huo Ji moments later. A blazing sun hung high in the sky of the Fire Abyss, seemingly within arm's reach. Its searing radiance bathed the fiery mountains and scorched wastelands that lined the Fire Abyss. Molten lava surged and boiled across the land. The Flame Race reigned supreme in this abyss as its undisputed overlords. Though Huo Ji held the title of the World God of the Fire Abyss, he was only a mid-ranking God, paling in comparison to Yuan Yi, Bai Zi, and Fa Ji. After suffering a crushing defeat during the invasion into the Nether Abyss, Huo Ji had retreated with his subordinates back to the Fire Abyss. Lately, he had been contemplating how to establish a connection with Yan Lie in the starry skies above. Yan Lie, too, was a God of the Flame Race, but unlike Huo Ji, he was a high-ranking God and had the powerful Sovereign Luo as his backer. Huo Ji believed that earning Yan Lie's approval and following in his footsteps to become one of Sovereign Luo's subordinates could serve as a promising way forward. "Huo Ji. Leave the Fire Abyss and go to a place I will guide you to." A voice rang out from the World God Pendant in Huo Ji's hand. Startled, Huo Ji asked, "Who are you?" The instant the name was spoken, a stream of divine sense flowed out from the World God Pendant and into Huo Ji's sea of consciousness, seizing it to become its new master. A faint golden gleam flashed through Huo Ji's eyes before he soared away from the Fire Abyss. The World God of the Fire Abyss was also a mid-ranking God like Pang Jian, but he was helpless to resist the invasion of Pang Jian's divine sense. Sovereign Luo stood atop a desolate meteor above the bizarre mist, her radiant light fully withdrawn. A jet-black radiance wrapped around her tall, graceful figure, concealing her from the perception of all other Gods. Her brows slightly arched as she observed the dispute between Ying Yue and Han Yi in the Lunar Divine Palace. She also glimpsed the scene of Mou Qi, Cang Feng, and Mu Ya besieging Pang Jian within Han Yi's divine platform. So, Fu Ya is down there. Sovereign Luo muttered as she fell into quiet thought. Meanwhile, Luan Ji, bearing the appearance of a member of the Demon Scale Race, stood waiting before her, uncertain why Sovereign Luo had fallen silent. Still, he continued. "As you're aware, Lord Demonheaven fell in his battle against the Black Empyrean Phoenix. We even lost the demonic cloak he once bore. Since then, our Demon Races have been without a Sovereign. "The Demon Lair recorded that fierce battle, and those recordings were eventually offered to you, allowing you to assess the Black Empyrean Phoenix's combat prowess through its clash with Lord Demonheaven. "We only hope that, in light of the help we once rendered you, you could forgive the actions those Demon Gods were forced to take." Luan Ji appeared to be using a reversed form of his Dao of Oblivion to deepen Sovereign Luo's memory instead. Behind him, the same battle scene once recorded in the Demon Lair appeared. Sovereign Luo dismissed Luan Ji with a wave of her hand. She then sent out a subtle wave of divine power. At the same time, in the bizarre mist where Pang Lin was, the ancient ape's shriveled body started to glow.