The members of the Wood Race with connections to Pang Ling abruptly collapsed and died en masse. An invisible aura of death had traveled along the resonance between Pang Ling and the Wood Race, infiltrating the bodies of the weaker-minded among them and converting their vitality into the aura of death. Their vitality was extinguished, replaced by a twisted aura of death that caused the Wood Race to perish in vast numbers. As each fallen member hit the ground, the aura of death rippled outward, infecting the surrounding trees, insects, flowers, and grass. A terrifying wave of death surged across the continent. Within her massive arboreal body, the thousands of emerald lights that were Pang Ling cried out in anguish. "It's my fault. I got too close. I shouldn't have looked. I brought that aura of death here. The Wood Race who worship me are going to die because of me. Pang Ling was only a Rank Eleven Aberrant Spirit and was utterly powerless in the face of this devastating aura of death. The lush, vibrant leaves of her enormous body dimmed, and an ashen hue spread across the colossal tree. Pang Jian stood beneath the World Tree with cold eyes and a somber expression. Death and life are two opposing forces. With that thought in mind, he turned his focus inward. On the continent constructed from several fragmented lands, a unique form belonging solely to Pang Jian took shape. A colossal figure, ten thousand zhang tall and ablaze with radiant golden light, towered on the continent. "Life," Pang Jian muttered. Potent blood essence transformed into a crimson sea of blood before spreading out from Pang Jian to engulf the entire continent. Strands of red lightning flickered within that sea of blood, scouring for traces of the aura of death as it swept through the land. Pang Jian's vast divine sense reached into the World Tree and the Wood Race alike. Eventually, he sensed something so faint it was nearly imperceptible. Crystalline filaments, pale gray and threadlike, slithered unseen through the continent. When magnified a dozenfold, the pale gray crystalline filaments were revealed to be intricately interlaced with fine threads of a Heavenly Dao, exuding an uncompromising aura of one seeking to reduce every living thing into a state of death and decay. These pale gray crystalline filaments rapidly grew as they fed on the surrounding aura of death. They even showed signs of taking on tangible form, emerging from their previously ethereal state. This aura of death is more extreme than the one from Sovereign Luo's Divine Persona of Death. Whoever unleashed this aura of death is either a Sovereign or someone who's abandoned everything else to pursue the purest Dao of Death. As Pang Jian pondered the matter, he channeled his divine sense into the crimson bolts of lightning infused with the Dao of Life, launching a ruthless extermination of the pale gray filaments through the sea of blood. The instant the crimson lightning bolts touched the crystalline filaments, they sparked a direct clash between the two opposing Daos of Life and Death. Suddenly, scenes of one lifeless world after another surged into Pang Jian's mind. Death had consumed an entire starry expanse. Dozens of celestial bodies floated in silence. The towering structures on them remained intact, bearing the unmistakable traces of a flourishing civilization. However, only decayed corpses remained within those grand cities and ancient kingdoms. The dead belonged to many foreign races—the Spirit Race, the Ghost Race, the Demon Races, and the Celestial Race—strewn across the many celestial bodies. A pale gray mist clung to the celestial bodies like a shroud, saturating the entire region with an aura of extinction. The aura of death and the Dao of Death both permeated the region, saturating every inch of the starry expanse. As Pang Jian took in this sight, an oppressive wave of death rushed toward him, vast and overwhelming. It felt as though it was going to drown him and strip the vitality from his body. Webs woven from pale gray filaments shot forth within his sea of consciousness, seeking to infiltrate his body and soul. Above one of the lifeless celestial bodies, a towering altar constructed from pale, brittle bones rose up. Pale gray threads converged at its center, forming an ominous figure. Chanting voices echoed from the decayed corpses scattered across the starry expanse like the whisper of lost souls. Yuan Yi sat atop a World God Pendant in the Thunder Abyss, eyes closed in quiet meditation. He was hesitating over whether to conduct a slaughter in this abyss to replenish his drained blood essence. A strange voice rang out from his World God Pendant. The ancient ape shuddered violently, his fur bristling as he jumped up from the pendant. "Du Ling is up to some tricks!" he cried. "After being dead for so many years, he still wants to rise from the ashes!" Pang Lin sat beneath the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree, using it to absorb the surrounding lightning, striving to forge a new Dao to ascend as a Sovereign. Hearing Yuan Yi's cries, her gaze turned cold. "The conditions for him to rise again are nothing short of extreme." "A Rank Thirteen World Tree is enough to bring him back!" Yuan Yi rubbed his furry hands and added grimly, "The divine power he left behind has seeped into the young World Tree in the Abyss." Pang Lin frowned. "His divine power made it inside the Abyss? How? Through my brother?" "Yes." Yuan Yi grimaced. "Your brother formed a connection with a World God of the Wood Race. That World God was guarding the World Tree that Du Ling struck down. Your brother found him, and..." Yuan Yi briefly recounted the events. Pang Lin frowned. "Du Ling was killed during an attempt to ascend as a Sovereign due to outside interference. He was just one step away from breaking through. If something goes wrong on my brother's side..." She hesitated, contemplating how she could help Pang Jian. "Du Ling was once the leader of the Heretical Outer Gods. Had he truly become a Sovereign back then, those abominable Outer Gods would have risen into power." Yuan Yi scratched his head. "Du Ling's Dao sought to turn lush worlds that were teeming with life into his domain of death. "Fey Gods like myself have the richest vitality, and I pursue the Dao of Life. Our Daos directly oppose each other. If Du Ling ever returns, I'll be his first target." Yuan Yi cared little whether Pang Jian lived or died. It was merely that Pang Jian held a cluster of Yuan Yi's and Pang Lin's blood essence within him. If he were to perish, Du Ling could twist that abundant blood essence into the aura of death and use it in conjunction with the World Tree to resurrect. Du Ling had nearly ascended as a Sovereign. The consequences would be unimaginable if he were to appear in the Abyss and gain access to the Black Empyrean Phoenix's remains. "You're one of the World Gods. If you can hear Du Ling's voice, can you intervene?" Pang Lin asked. "I can only attempt to take part in the battle if Pang Jian summons me and opens himself to my divine power," Yuan Yi said anxiously. As Yuan Yi was not the World God Paragon, he could only distantly sense what was happening with Pang Jian and could not discern the exact situation. "If he exercises the World God Paragon's authority and calls on the others to join the battle, we could stop Du Ling. Now—" Yuan Yi cut himself off with a sound of confusion. "Huh?" At that moment, Pang Jian's World God Pendant flared with intense light, like a massive eye casting its gaze. Through it, Yuan Yi could witness what was unfolding in the distant Abyss. A towering golden figure, ten thousand zhang tall, had unleashed a crimson sea of blood—the manifestation of the Dao of Life. In it, crimson bolts of lightning clashed violently with pale gray threads. The laws of the Abyss shattered with a thunderous rupture. A lifeless starry expanse loomed in and out of view. Pale gray threads streamed endlessly from it, only for the crimson lightning to strike it down. The sea of blood surged toward that starry expanse like a roaring river, staining its dull gray a bloody red. Death no longer appeared to be the dominant force in the starry expanse. Crimson lightning flowed into the World Tree beneath Pang Jian's towering golden figure, filling in the missing facets of its comprehension of life. These truths were rooted in the Dao of Life and tied to flesh and blood. It was a domain that Yuan Yi knew all too well.