A blazing sun hung in the sky of the Fire Abyss. Scattered across the scorched landscape of the Fire Abyss were ancient temples and crumbling shrines, each housing statues of gods with indistinct features. Then, the Fire Abyss shook. All at once, the indistinct statues in those abandoned places of worship stirred, as if infused with a rush of vitality. "The ancient God of Life, Ling Yun!" Older generation warriors of the Flame, Radiant, and Spirit Races erupted in cheers. In the Fire Abyss, there was a considerably influential faction known as the Church of Life. They worshiped none other than the ancient God of Life, Ling Yun. Every member of the faction firmly believed that the ancient God of Life had never truly perished and would one day reappear in the bizarre mist. "The ancient God of Life has awakened!" Members of the Church of Life from various races instinctively gathered at the crumbling Temple of Life. As they bowed reverently before the statue, their soul essence, portions of their blood essence, and Faith flowed into it. At the same time, its face sharpened and blurred as a mysterious force redefined its features. "The ancient God of Life!" "Lord Ling Yun has returned!" Similar Temples of Life in the Shadow Abyss, the Demon Abyss, the Ghost Abyss, and the Celestial Abyss also saw a frenzy of believers pouring in through their doors. The temples of the Church of Life across every abyss became filled with activity. Many elders, moved to tears, chanted Ling Yun's name with fervor, as if glimpsing a boundless future laid out before them. In the starry skies, Yan Lie, the loyal lieutenant of Sovereign Luo, had just expelled the Sun God from the Sun Temple due to his low rank. Only he and Lie Yang of the Radiant Race remained within the temple. "From now on, this will be yours," Yan Lie said to Lie Yang. "You will preside here. Now that you've become a mid-ranking God, you'll need such a place to project your influence. Perhaps, in the near future, you could even become a high-ranking God like me. "Once things here settle down, you may choose a region with an abundance of suns to claim as your domain." Lie Yang, seated upon a golden throne, appeared both humbled and uneasy. The Radiant Race in the Abyss worshiped the Sun God who once dwelled in the heart of this sun. Even Lie Yang himself had carried out numerous tasks at the behest of that Sun God. That Sun God also bore undeniable responsibility for the death of Lie Yang's son. Lie Yang had never imagined that he would one day replace the same Sun God he had once served. "Thank you," Lie Yang said respectfully. "There's no need for thanks. It's only right," Yan Lie replied with a smile. Then, he sensed a shift in the Fire Abyss. Many members of the Flame Race were shifting their faith from him. "Huh?" Fire God Yan Lie was stunned. "Huo Ji's dead. The members of the Flame Race should be treating me as their rightful leader. So why...?" A strand of his divine consciousness seeped into an altar in the Fire Abyss, seeking to understand this anomaly. "The ancient God of Life, Ling Yun!" Yan Lie's expression changed dramatically, and he hurried to contact Sovereign Luo. The stars and continents within the Ruin Realm still ceaselessly shifted, but the disorientation that had plagued the World Gods when the Ruin Realm first started moving had since faded. In the blood-colored mist, Ling Yun had already used the offerings from the denizens of the Fire Abyss to regrow his limbs. Only his head remained unformed. "Lord Ling Yun, in the Darkcloud Realm, a young World Tree is striving to ascend to Rank Thirteen," Mu Duo said, standing respectfully behind Ling Yun. "If a Sovereign of Life like yourself were to seize that World Tree, you would surely be further empowered, like adding wings to a tiger." Mu Duo originally intended to aid in the growth of the World Tree, hoping to use his World God Pendant to help rebuild the Wood Abyss and thereby ascend as a Sovereign. However, Ling Yun's resurrection had changed his plans. Mu Duo now seemed fully resolved to serve the ancient God of Life. "A Rank Thirteen World Tree could even help you stabilize your cultivation realm!" Mu Duo added, keeping his head lowered. "Under your rule, the Wood Race will one day be able to seize even more territory and star regions." Ling Yun chuckled lightly. "Mm, that is useful information." As Ling Yun's limbs solidified, flames ignited in his chest. Using the fire as his eyes, he observed Pang Jian with calm detachment. "So, the World God Pendant of the Fire Abyss ended up in your hands," said Ling Yun. Then, with a voice of undeniable authority, he ordered, "Come here." The flame-wreathed World God Pendant in Pang Jian's hands suddenly wrenched itself free from his grasp, transforming into a streak of crimson light as it shot toward Ling Yun. In that instant, all traces of Pang Jian's divine sense within the pendant were wiped clean. "Back when I reigned over the bizarre mist, I was the World God Paragon," Ling Yun said with a soft chuckle. The other World Gods felt a jolt in their hearts at his words, their expressions turning grave. Ling Yun wasn't just a Sovereign. He was the World God Paragon of an earlier era! This means that his understanding of the Ruin Realm, the World God Pendants, the various abysses, and even the will of the bizarre mist itself far surpasses us all. Perhaps it even surpasses Pang Lin, with her past as the Black Empyrean Phoenix. If Ling Yun held the title of World God Paragon in the past...is there even any doubt left about the outcome of the struggle for that title? Fa Ji, Xing Huan, Bai Zi, and Mu Duo all turned their attention toward the still-headless Ling Yun, each lost in their own thoughts. "That was a long time ago," said Pang Lin's manifestation. Lightning flowed from the Thunder Pool, magnifying the vast Divine Court of Thunder and causing the towering palaces to reappear one by one. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novèlfire.net "This new era has no place for a Sovereign of Life like you. You'll find your resurrection fraught with obstacles." With that, Pang Lin flew out from the Thunder Pool, transforming into a radiant Thunder Phoenix in mid-air, wings unfurling as she dove toward Ling Yun. "Kill!" cried the Duke of Thunder in his draconic form, following Pang Lin's lead. The Thunder Phoenix and azure Thunder Dragon stirred one lightning vortex after another as they sought to annihilate Ling Yun's forming body. Xing Huan hesitated briefly before slashing forward with his divine sword. A streak of ghostly light shot toward Ling Yun like a comet. Bai Zi's gaze turned deep and unfathomable. Two ancient wells wrapped in rusted chains appeared in the depths of her pupils before flying out from her eyes. "Pang Jian and his sister share a link with the Soulstream of the Nether Abyss. If so..." she trailed off in thought. Then, she cried, "Well of Wandering Souls!" An ancient well, constructed with cyan stone, expanded a thousandfold above Bai Zi's head. The rusted chains coiled around the ancient well slowly turned, exerting pressure upon Ling Yun from a distance. Sovereign Demonheaven's pitch-black cloak transformed into a banner as dark as ink, which Fa Ji waved wildly in his hand. The flickering names of Demon Gods on the banner manifested into projections of ancient Demon Gods, all gazing silently at Ling Yun. The former World God Paragon, Ling Yun, had slain Yuan Yi the moment he appeared and initiated his resurrection using the ancient ape's body. This threat of his revival had united them all against him. "Starfall," sneered Ling Yun. Massive stars, resembling polished crystal orbs, hurtled toward the flame-wreathed World God Pendant, annihilating everything in their path. A dark-golden star crashed into the Thunder Phoenix, shattering the lightning within Pang Lin. The Thunder Phoenix that was Pang Lin exploded into wisps of light. In the blink of an eye, all traces of her presence vanished from the Ruin Realm. The Divine Court of Thunder once again became a masterless divine artifact. A yellowish-brown star passed by the azure Thunder Dragon before bursting into a ring-shaped shockwave, sending the Duke of Thunder spinning downward in a bloody spiral. The masterless Divine Court of Thunder resonated with the injured Duke of Thunder and pulled him back into its embrace. A single technique from Ling Yun effortlessly unraveled Xing Huan's sword light, Bai Zi's Well of Wandering Souls, and Fa Ji's swirling banner. "You're all World Gods of this era. Each of you holds a World God Pendant. If you acknowledge my claim as the World God Paragon, I will allow you to live. Otherwise, I will select new World Gods for each of the abysses," Ling Yun said in a domineering manner. Helpless to do anything more, Bai Zi, Fa Ji, and Xing Huan all instinctively turned to Pang Jian.