The ancient Thunder Dragon hovered within Mou Qi's collapsed divine domain, absorbing the divine power and blood essence released from the destruction of his body. Mou Qi's broken limbs and mangled flesh dissolved into pure blood essence that flowed directly into the Thunder Dragon's body. The Thunder Dragon used the nine lightning vortexes to draw in the wisps of ashen-brown soul essence and faint traces of divine consciousness. It was as if the fallen Long Xiao sought to resurrect himself through Mou Qi! The nine lightning vortexes surrounding the Thunder Dragon refined Mou Qi's soul essence and divine consciousness through the Primeval Demon Fusion Art, leaving behind only the most vital essence. This bizarre sight stunned even Pang Jian. He had never expected that the ancient Thunder Dragon manifested through the Divine Court of Thunder would attempt to resurrect itself using Mou Qi instead of returning to the Thunder Pool. Did the Thunder Pool manifest new hidden mysteries after being restored as the Divine Court of Thunder? Or perhaps... Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul quietly probed the mysteries of the miniature Divine Court of Thunder. He soon discovered that the mysteries of the soul he had comprehended from the Soulstream and the evolved Dao of Life, drawn from Sovereign Luo's Divine Persona and Yuan Yi's life energy, appeared to have been imprinted onto the bronze continent of the court itself. The fused Daos of Soul and Life had birthed a miracle of resurrecting the dead. As a uniquely gifted Thunder God, the ancient Thunder Dragon had left behind deep imprints within the Thunder Pool when Pang Jian had gravely wounded it in the past. Those imprints had long since become part of the Thunder Pool, and by extension, a part of the Divine Court of Thunder itself. The combined Daos of Soul and Life had allowed the Divine Court of Thunder to awaken the Thunder Dragon's most powerful bloodline abilities. Not only did it obliterate Mou Qi in a single strike, but it also directly opened a path to rebirth. "We, too, wish to live again!" "Please, Duke of Thunder. Slay more Gods and gather the strength we need for resurrection!" The lingering wills of long-dead Thunder Gods had stirred restlessly within the Divine Court of Thunder. The Duke of Thunder's divine artifact had awakened with wonders so miraculous that even Pang Jian found it unrecognizable. No, the Thunder Pool could never do this in the past, Pang Jian thought to himself. Even at its peak, the Divine Court of Thunder had never held the power to resurrect the dead. The Duke of Thunder's Divine Court of Thunder had embodied unrelenting might. It was built for annihilation, not miracles. Pang Jian's eyes lit up with realization. It's because of me! The Duke of Thunder no longer held dominion over the Divine Court of Thunder; Pang Jian did. These newly manifested wonders reflected this change in ownership. If this Divine Court of Thunder continues to evolve, it could one day ascend to a Sovereign-level divine artifact. As Pang Jian pondered this, the Ninefold Lightning Vortexes continued to devour and refine Mou Qi's soul essence, divine power, blood, and bones to forge the ancient Thunder Dragon. Soon, a dragon with a long, coiling body, azure scales, and crackling breath took form. A roar echoed through the bizarre mist as the Ninefold Lightning Vortexes retracted. The familiar form of the Thunder Dragon shrank rapidly alongside them. In the blink of an eye, the azure Thunder Dragon was the width of a pinky, its body as agile as a winding serpent. With a swift whoosh, it vanished into thin air. Startled, Pang Jian peered into the Thunder Pool and saw a tiny azure dragon swimming within. As he tried to take a closer look, a strange sound echoed, like the closing of a celestial gate or the snapping shut of a great chasm in the earth. The spatial rift that connected his Immortal Divine Soul to his physical body in the Seventh World of the Abyss vanished with that ominous sound. Though his Immortal Divine Soul could still sense his physical body in the Abyss, the World God Pendant could no longer connect the space between them with a spatial rift. Pang Jian's heart sank. What he feared most had come to pass. The God of Wisdom had abandoned her pursuit of the Rock Devourer and was preparing to annihilate him. Reaching out with his divine sense, he was dismayed to discover that the strands he had scattered to search for the Rock Devourer had all vanished without a trace. Fu Ya had quietly purged them so thoroughly that Pang Jian had not even noticed. I wasn't fast enough after all... Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul grimly draped the demonic cloak over his shoulders as he hovered above the Thunder Pool. Huo Ji's World God Pendant remained stationed below the pool as its new foundation, while his physical body continued to control Huo Ji. Fortunately, his physical body was still in the Seventh World of the Abyss. Even if his Immortal Divine Soul were to fall, his physical body would still survive. Good thing I didn't recklessly bring my physical body here. Pang Jian's eyes darted around vigilantly. Then, without warning, he activated the World God Pendant beneath the Thunder Pool and steered himself away in the opposite direction from Huo Ji. "Our Lord has arrived!" Mu Ya cried, sensing the aura of the God of Wisdom. "Mou Qi is dead! My Lord, Pang Jian struck down Mou Qi with the Thunder Pool!" Mu Ya's graceful figure was scorched in multiple places, charred black from the collateral damage of the Thunder Pool. Arcs of lightning still sparked briefly across her skin before her divine power forcefully dissipated them. As a newly ascended high-ranking God, she had spent most of her life exploring the starry skies. She had never grasped the perilous nature of the bizarre mist until now. The image of Pang Jian wielding the Thunder Pool against Mou Qi replayed over and over again in her mind like a never-ending nightmare. She found the situation hard to accept. Mou Qi was one of Fu Ya's most trusted and powerful subordinates for a reason. His cultivation realm was higher than hers, and he wielded a divine artifact of superior grade. For Pang Jian to kill him with such ease was truly unbelievable in her eyes. Does this mean that all those tales of Pang Jian's feats in the Abyss and Nether Abyss are true? Did he really force that notoriously savage ancient ape to withdraw from the Nether Abyss? Was Great Demon God Fa Ji also compelled to retreat because of him? Did Sovereign Luo and Yan Lie's plan in the Abyss actually fall apart because of him? Mu Ya stared blankly as both "Huo Ji" and Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul vanished beyond the shattered remnants of the River of Wisdom. She no longer had the courage to pursue him. Yan Lie, like Mu Ya, made no move to chase Pang Jian down. Though he had been brimming with ferocity mere seconds ago, he now watched silently as Pang Jian fled with bitterness tugging at the corners of his mouth. Mou Qi was dead. Knowing the God of the Spirit Race was weaker than him, Yan Lie never saw him as a true rival. He was confident he could overpower Mou Qi. Even so, the effortless manner in which Mou Qi was killed shocked Yan Lie to his core. A high-ranking God—killed just like that! If Pang Jian's Thunder Pool could fell a high-ranking God so easily, what reason do I have to believe I could fare any better?