Today marked many years since the death of the previous Divine Regent of the Boundless Divine Kingdom at the hands of the Fog Monarch. Since that fateful day, the terrifying figure of the Fog Monarch had never shown itself again.
Time passed, and though the fear had once gripped the hearts of all who dwelled in the Abyss, it gradually began to fade. Life resumed its course.
Cultivators, drawn by the endless resources within the treacherous Endless Fog Sea, once again ventured into its depths. The allure of the rare treasures hidden within its abyssal mists was too tempting to resist. But no one could have predicted what awaited them there.
Amidst the thick, swirling fog, they saw him.
A figure, drifting lifelessly, like a forgotten wraith swallowed by the abyss. His body floated in the endless void, his movements slow and eerily unnatural. His once vibrant form seemed hollow, as if all the vitality had been drained from him.
But the most horrifying sight was his eyes.
A dull, radiant gray — the unmistakable hue of Abyssal Dust.
Yun Che — no. Meng Jianyuan!
The very man whose divine image had spread like a storm across the Abyss, his name whispered in fear and awe. The cultivators froze, disbelief flashing across their faces. They had all seen the countless projections of his face, heard the endless rumors of his terrifying might, who have been taken by the Fog Monarch! Yet, now he appeared before them like a forsaken corpse.
Still, even in their shock, curiosity burned within them. Was this truly him?
With trembling resolve, they tried to approach. But just as they dared to step closer, the fog twisted and pulsed.
"ROARRRRRRRRR!!!"
A thunderous roar erupted, sending waves of pressure crashing through the mist. From the depths of the shadows, monstrous forms emerged — Abyssal Beasts, twisted creatures of corruption, birth by the very presence of the Abyssal Dust.
Before they could even react, the beasts descended upon them.
"Run!!"
Their desperate cries echoed as they scattered, fleeing for their lives. The fog swallowed their figures, their terrified screams lingering in the air.
And yet, amidst the chaos, the lifeless figure of Meng Jianyuan continued to drift.
Silent.
Unmoving.
The gray light in his eyes flickered — a haunting presence in the heart of the Endless Fog.
Soon, the survivors spread the news, and like wildfire, it swept across the Abyss.
In the Dreamweaver Divine Kingdom, Meng Kongchan was speaking with Hua Fuchen through a projection communication when the devastating report reached them. The moment the name Meng Jianyuan was mentioned, both men froze.
It was impossible. After all these years...
The son who had been kidnapped from Pure Land — the one they had feared they would never see again — had been spotted.
Meng Jianyuan.
A surge of emotions flickered across Meng Kongchan's face. Shock. Hope. Fear. But he didn't hesitate for long. Without wasting a second, the report was relayed to the Abyssal Monarch.
And the response came swiftly.
"Three of the Four High Priests will be dispatched to assist in the rescue of Meng Jianyuan."
Those words alone shook the entire Abyss.
The gods who had once remained cautious, hesitant to move without reason, now burst into action. Every heartbeat echoed with urgency. Meng Jianyuan's return was no ordinary matter — he was the son of a Divine Regent, and his fate had been a scar upon the hearts of many.
But the circumstances surrounding his reappearance ignited even greater fear.
The Endless Fog Sea was no place for the living. And worse — the one feared above all, the Fog Monarch, still ruled its depths.
The gods ascended.
Unlike their previous scattered searches, this time they moved as one. Their divine auras surged through the skies, illuminating the air with their presence. The oppressive mist that had long veiled the outer regions of the Endless Fog Sea twisted and recoiled beneath their collective might.
But even that monumental power paled in comparison to what followed.
Ancient True God auras.
Formidable and incomprehensible, their presence seemed to bend reality itself. Unlike any other, the sheer force of their existence commanded submission. Even the mighty True Gods lowered their gazes, knowing the difference that lay between them.
And then, they arrived.
The High Priests.
Wan Dao. Ling Xian. Liu Xiao.
Three of the Four High Priests, their names carrying an unmatched weight across the Abyss. Beings who had stood at the pinnacle for countless eras, representing the will of the Abyssal Monarch himself. Their appearance shattered the last remnants of hesitation.
Yet, as the terrifying auras of the Ancient True Gods surged outward, tearing apart the abyssal dust that blanketed the world, they saw nothing. There was no trace of Yun Che.
"Wait..."
Among the three, it was Liu Xiao, the strongest High Priest, whose eyes narrowed. In that moment, he gathered his godly power and poured it all into his Divine Sense, casting it forward with unmatched precision.
His Divine Sense tore through the fog like a blade, reaching millions of miles into the depths of the Endless Fog Sea—far beyond what even most gods could perceive.
Though he was far from the level of his Lord, as a Supreme Ancient True God, Liu Xiao's power was not something the world could take lightly.
And then—
Within the gray abyss, hidden in the thickest part of the fog, he caught a fleeting glimpse.
A figure.
It was Meng Jianyuan—Yun Che.
His body floated in silence, wrapped in the stillness of the fog. But he was moving. Slowly at first, then rapidly—retreating deeper and deeper into the Endless Fog Sea at an astonishing speed, as if pulled by some invisible current or by his own will to vanish beyond reach.
"I found you!" Liu Xiao roared, his voice booming like thunder across the endless sky.
His words instantly ignited the hopes of every god present.
"Follow me!"
Afraid of losing sight of his target, the Supreme Ancient True God's power erupted without restraint. Abyssal dust parted violently before him, and without hesitation, he shot into the depths of the Endless Fog Sea like a divine spear.
Behind him, the rest of the gods followed, one after another, their godly auras surging forward like a tidal wave. The Endless Fog trembled beneath their might.
Every step they took shattered the air. Every breath they released devoured the fog. Divine Extinction and Divine Limited Realm Abyssal Beasts that dared to stand in their way were obliterated before they could even react—erased by sheer presence alone.
Today, they would rescue Meng Jianyuan, no matter the cost!
This was a divine operation—one the world had never seen before.
All Divine Limited Realm practitioners had been ordered to stand guard outside the borders of the Endless Fog Sea. They would not be allowed to interfere. Only the True Gods and Ancient True Gods were permitted to enter the battlefield.
And yet, one god was missing.
Shenwu Yanye, the Lightless Divine Regent, was not among them.
Still wounded by the devastating blow dealt by Pan Buwang, she remained in seclusion, unable to join this monumental rescue.
On the other side, Yun Che silently floated deeper and deeper into the Endless Fog, his figure shrouded in swirling gray mist. Behind him, the pressure of multiple divine auras closed in—faster than he expected.
When he sensed the presence of Ancient True Gods joining this so-called "rescue mission," he was momentarily startled.
"…Seriously?"
A wry grin curled on his lips. He didn't expect them to send out those monsters. But then again, when he thought about it more clearly, it made sense.
He had been kidnapped—right in the middle of Pure Land, the most sacred and well-guarded place in the Abyss. Not only that, it happened under the very noses of the Ancient True Gods themselves.
If they didn't make a grand display now… the prestige of Pure Land, and more importantly, the dignity of the Abyssal Monarch, would be torn to shreds.
So naturally, sending out their Ancient True Gods to retrieve him wasn't just reasonable—it was necessary.
A faint smirk crept across Yun Che's face, his glowing gray eyes glinting with quiet amusement.
"This will make it much more fun," he murmured.
He had already ventured far enough into the Endless Fog. At this depth, even the beasts that lurked were all at the Divine Extinction Realm.
If he kept fleeing now… wouldn't that just damage the dignity of the Fog Monarch instead?
With that, Yun Che came to a halt, his body floating silently in place, lifeless like a drifting shadow. The abyssal dust around him rolled and churned, growing so thick and suffocating that the world itself seemed to sink into absolute blackness.
"BOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!"
A deafening shockwave tore through the abyss as the nine divine auras descended with overwhelming force. Space cracked, and the very ground of the Endless Fog trembled beneath their might.
The nine gods came to an abrupt stop as the leading figure raised his hand, signaling the others to halt.
"Meng Jianyuan is just ahead… within the densest part of the abyssal fog," High Priest Liu Xiao declared, his voice heavy with certainty.
"Yuan'er!" Meng Kongchan's voice trembled as he instinctively stepped forward, his fatherly instincts flaring.
But before he could go any further, Hua Fuchen reached out and held him back, silently shaking his head. This wasn't their mission to lead. Not this time.
This was the mission of the Ancient True Gods.
From the side, Dian Juizhi's body surged with rage as his eyes locked onto the impenetrable fog before them.
"Come out, Fog Monarch!" he roared, his voice like thunder laced with madness.
"You and I—will have our fight!"
But the abyss gave no answer. The fog, thick beyond measure, refused to part—so dense that even his godly might couldn't penetrate its depths.
"Quiet down, boy..." High Priest Liu Xiao said calmly, but his voice carried a weight that silenced the roaring void.
The moment his words fell, his Divine Might surged forth—sweeping out in a thunderous wave that parted the dense abyssal dust like the hand of a god tearing through smoke. In an instant, the shrouded world was torn open for nearly a million miles, exposing the gray abyss beneath.
And then, behind Liu Xiao—six radiant worlds roared to life, slowly rotating like celestial titans in the sky.
Each world blazed with its own brilliance, flooding the black void with light. The aura they released wasn't just divine—it was primordial, ancient, and boundless.
Though they had ventured millions of miles into the Endless Fog Sea, the might of an Ancient True God still stood above all like an unreachable summit.
For many of the gods from the Divine Kingdoms, this was the first time they had ever seen a High Priest reveal their full might. And the sight… left them speechless.
Their eyes locked onto the six vast worlds behind Liu Xiao—and their hearts trembled.
Each world radiated an overwhelming power—not as if they were sources of his strength, but as if his divine might was born from them. Each one represented a different element, a different law, a different truth of the universe.
And then… strange things began to happen.
Some of the gods saw fleeting images of their past, playing out like faded memories.
Others saw their present selves, exposed bare, stripped of pride and delusion.
Some caught blurred glimpses of what felt like the future, ever-changing and uncertain.
A few saw what seemed to be the heavenly plane, where ancient truths whispered from afar.
And others heard, faintly—the divine chant of a Buddha, echoing across their souls.
For a brief moment, every god there stood still—caught between awe, reverence, and terror.
"Don't stare at it. You'll lose yourself within," High Priest Wan Dao warned, his voice solemn.
His words snapped everyone awake.
The gods, who had been unconsciously gazing at the six radiant worlds behind Liu Xiao, quickly looked away in alarm—only to find cold sweat pouring down their backs and, to their shock, blood trickling from the corners of their eyes.
They exchanged startled glances, horror flashing in their eyes.
They hadn't even noticed… but they were bleeding.
"You're fortunate it didn't go deeper," High Priest Ling Xian added with a calm but firm voice. "Us Ancient True Gods draw power from the worlds we've condensed—worlds born of our own godly essence. As these worlds evolve and become complete, they no longer just take power from us... they give power in return."
She glanced toward the still-spinning worlds behind Liu Xiao.
"Each world represents our path, our truths, our desires. Looking into them directly—without permission or preparation—can drown your soul. Be careful."
"..."
The gods all nodded silently in understanding, the fear still lingering in their hearts. They quickly shifted their focus back to the vast region that High Priest Liu Xiao had cleared with his overwhelming divine might, their expressions now serious and solemn.
The moment the dense fog parted, Yun Che's figure appeared—floating in the gray abyss, his body seemingly lifeless, like a puppet suspended in silence. Yet, what gripped their hearts most were the eyes—a pair of ancient, gray eyes, vast and formless, hanging in the sky above him, staring down on all of them with unfathomable indifference.
And behind those eyes...
Millions of abyssal beasts emerged—stretching as far as the divine sense could reach. From Divine Extinction Realm to Divine Limited Realm, they filled the abyss like a living tide. Even among them were terrifying presences—peak-stage Divine Limited Realm beasts, their auras suffocating and heavy.
"ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!"
The collective roar of the abyssal beasts shook the entire Endless Fog Sea, as if the abyss itself had awakened in fury.
"Yuan'er!" Meng Kongchan cried out, wiping the blood from his eyes. His voice trembled—his gaze locked on his son for the first time since the day he was taken. He wanted to step forward, but it seemed the High Priests had already anticipated it—locking him in place with their overwhelming auras.
"Yun Che!" Hua Fuchen called out at the same time, his voice sharp with disbelief and emotion as he stared at the figure floating before them—surrounded by darkness, beasts, and death.
"Master..."
Among all the gods present, only Pan Buwang harbored thoughts unlike the others. His gaze wasn't on Yun Che—it was fixed on the floating ancient eyes above, sharp and calculating.
There were questions he longed to ask his master privately… but now wasn't the time.
His master had slain the former Boundless Divine Regent, so there was no doubt—his master was a God as well.
But... could he stand against Ancient True Gods?
That, he would find out today.
Suddenly, the ancient eyes in the sky rippled. A mouth formed beneath them, its voice echoing across the void like thunder.
"Welcome to my domain, fellow gods."
The words were calm—yet their weight pressed upon the soul like mountains. There was no longer any doubt.
He was a God.
"Give us back the boy."
High Priest Liu Xiao stepped forward, his voice steady, unwavering. There was no fear in his eyes as he stared into the abyss—into the ancient eyes that stared back.
"I've taken a liking to this body..."
The ancient eyes spoke again, and as the voice rumbled across the abyss, its form descended slowly—merging into Yun Che.
In that moment, Yun Che's dormant aura erupted. What had once been the Divine Master Realm soared wildly, shattering limits and continuing to rise—until his body radiated with the terrifying might of a Peak Divine Limited Realm expert.
"So no."
The voice echoed again—this time not from the sky, but from Yun Che himself.
His lifeless eyes slowly opened, and from within them bloomed a swirling gray abyssal light, vast and soul-stirring.
The Fog Monarch had possessed Yun Che!
"..."
Liu Xiao remained silent, though there was no surprise on his face.
They had already suspected this.
The Ancient True Gods had long theorized why the Fog Monarch had risked everything to invade Pure Land and abduct Yun Che right from under their eyes.
It all began after Yun Che's monstrous talents were revealed during the Pure Land Meeting.
Than with Abyssal Knight Commander inexplicably turned into an Abyssal Ghost.
That could only mean one thing—
The Fog Monarch had been observing Yun Che through the eyes of the Knight Commander. And once he saw that terrifying potential, there was no doubt...
He wanted Yun Che's power, his body—or perhaps, even both.
This truth—this terrifying truth—was now undeniable.
The moment the Fog Monarch descended and possessed Yun Che, all of their suspicions were confirmed in full.
The body before them… no longer belonged to just Meng Jianyuan.
It was now a vessel of something far more ancient. Far more dangerous.
A profound silence fell over the gathered gods, a silence so heavy it made the very abyss feel still.
Although Yun Che's body radiated only the power of a Peak Divine Limited Realm, not a single god dared to lower their guard.
Because the being within that body…
Had killed a god before.
Then—
"You all hold back the beasts. I, Ling Xian, and Wan Dao will take care of the rest."
High Priest Liu Xiao's voice cut through the tension like a blade of divine clarity. His expression remained composed, but the deep seriousness in his eyes revealed the weight of what they now faced.
They weren't just dealing with a rogue deity.
They were about to clash with a being that dared to challenge the Abyss itself.
"Yes!"
The gods roared in unison, their auras bursting forth like blazing suns.