Trials of the Abyss
Chapter 749: The Might of the Demonic Cloak

Chapter 749: The Might of the Demonic Cloak

As soon as he donned the cloak, an indescribable, crushing weight pressed down on Pang Jian's back.

It was the weight of thirty-six Demon Realms and the Faith of the billions of demons residing there, alongside the names of five Great Demon Gods and eighteen mid-ranking Demon Gods!

Thirty-six Demon Realms in the boundless starry skies were resonating with this cloak!

Pang Jian could summon and command both the surging demonic energy and the Faith from the worshipers through the cloak!

Wearing it was like taking on a new mission. He could forsake Demonheaven's Dao and abandon the pursuit of selfish indulgence. However, he had to acknowledge himself as one of the Demon Gods.

In other words, he had to dedicate himself to the glory of the Demon Races and the Demon Gods!

A Sovereign's artifact carried an immense burden. He had to be prepared to shoulder that weight if he wished to wield the artifact's power.

As long as he was willing to bear it, he could freely command the endless tides of malicious intent and demonic energy from the thirty-six Demon Realms.

Even the surviving Great Demon Gods and Demon Gods whose names were on the cloak would have a portion of their power redirected through the cloak and bestowed upon him. Great Demon Gods such as He Motian and Jia Fa would be subject to his command!

Setting aside the cloak's other abilities, the mere fact that Demon Gods could channel their demonic energy to Pang Jian was already a source of unimaginable strength.

If he managed to withstand this overwhelming demonic energy, his combat strength would soar. Even the ancient ape and Long Di in the Nether Abyss would not be beyond his reach!

Pang Jian's breathing accelerated as twisted thoughts rose within him, only to be ruthlessly extinguished.

Don the demonic cloak. Bear the will of demons. Serve the demons. Fuse your divine soul with the Dao of Demon!

The wicked thoughts, fused into a torrent of demonic will within the cloak, endlessly repeated this incantation.

It was as if a crowd of Demon Gods were trying to sway Pang Jian into pursuing the ultimate truth of the Dao of Demon.

All it would take was a nod, a moment of surrender, and he would become a supreme demon!

This was the second time he had faced such a powerful temptation.

The first was when he entered the sea of demonic energy above the Fifth World, during which he barely held onto himself. This time, the lure struck fiercer and deeper, threatening to shatter his self-awareness.

Thoughts not his own formed a vast green-black haze within his sea of consciousness, turning into a terrifying veil above the sea of his divine sense.

His translucent Divine Persona stood like a towering mountain within the sea, with his will holding fast deep within it.

Demonic chants thundered ceaselessly throughout Pang Jian's sea of consciousness.

Bear the will of demons! Serve the demons! Fuse your divine soul with the Dao of Demon!

One after another, otherworldly Demon Realms unfolded within the green-black haze. Towering ancient Demon Gods revealed their true forms, cackling without restraint as their gazes pierced through their respective domains to fix upon Pang Jian's divine soul.

The Dao of Demon they had grasped over tens of thousands of years manifested as tongues of flame, streaks of lightning, and mystical diagrams of demonic runes, all seeking to imprint themselves on Pang Jian's Divine Persona.

If Pang Jian allowed these insights into the Dao of Demon to merge with his Divine Persona, he would achieve an instant breakthrough. The gap between ascending from a mid-ranking God to a high-ranking God would vanish in a single step.

The price was to abandon everything he had and devote himself wholly to the Dao of Demon. He could never cling to any other Heavenly Dao again.

Pang Jian had stayed true to himself before with the help of his Immortal Divine Soul, but its destruction at the ancient ape's hands clouded his mind with rage and frustration.

The promise of greater power fed the blazing desire in his heart, gradually drowning out his ability to reason.

Reason told him that the Dao of Demon was not the Dao he pursued. Deep down, he knew it would be better to advance steadily to high-ranking godhood using the Dao that truly suited him. Using this method would allow him to achieve even greater power with time.

Still, desire tormented him. The promise of an instant breakthrough as a high-ranking God tempted him greatly. If he took control of this demonic artifact, he could rally the Demon Realms and Demon Gods, plunge straight into the war in the Nether Abyss, and exact revenge on that ancient ape.

As a high-ranking God armed with Sovereign Demonheaven's cloak, he could even have the strength to challenge the two Sovereigns in the Abyss, especially the Black Empyrean Phoenix.

Pang Jian could feel an overwhelming hatred emanating from the cloak.

The Black Empyrean Phoenix had killed Demonheaven and seized this cloak. The cloak had then been cast down, left to unfurl into a sky-shrouding veil that split the Fourth and Fifth Worlds of the Abyss into two distinct regions.

Sovereign Demonheaven's artifact bore the memory of deep-seated vengeance, an enduring hatred that had not faded even after millions of years.

The cloak desired to see the Black Empyrean Phoenix dead as much as Luo Hongyan and the Primordial Demon.

The demonic chants in Pang Jian's heart grew ever stronger.

Bear the will of demons! Become a demon!

In his sea of consciousness, his divine sense drew ever closer to the green-black veil above, on the verge of merging into one. If they did, it would mean Pang Jian had accepted the mantle of revitalizing the Dao of Demon.

Demonheaven is dead, killed in battle against the Black Empyrean Phoenix, Pang Jian thought. Will choosing the demonic path and becoming the cloak's new master really allow me to overturn everything?

Flickers of clarity glimmered within Pang Jian's sea of consciousness like sparks of starlight in the turmoil.

These tiny specks of golden light were like the Undying Soul Flames of his Immortal Divine Soul in the mysterious Soulstream of the Nether Abyss.

He then heard the sound of flowing water.

The sound purified the sea of his divine sense and the soul essence within his Divine Persona.

The haze of demonic thoughts and the thirty-six Demon Realms within it faded away with this dawning clarity.

Pang Jian refused to succumb to desire!

The Primordial Demon's voice suddenly echoed in Pang Jian's mind, crashing into him like a lightning bolt.

Pang Jian? Is that you? Where-where are you?

Pang Jian startled awake, realizing he had once again endured a demonic tribulation and resisted the endless temptations of the Demon Gods.

He took a few deep breaths to reorient himself, demonic cloak still draped over his shoulders.

Just as he composed himself, a vision burst into view.

The Abyssal Demon lay collapsed in a pool of his blood, already congealing in the heavy snow that blanketed the Demon Realm. His hand gripped a black-gold divine sword, and above his head floated nine lanterns.

Each of the nine lanterns burned with the souls of demons, with wicks composed of slender, flickering demonic shadows.

A gaunt Demon God approached unhurriedly, carrying a long spear made out of white bone.

"You're going to die here, Abyssal Demon," the Demon God said calmly. "Don't blame me. We need a new Sovereign to rise in this era. That Sovereign has to come from the starry skies, not from the depths of the bizarre mist.

"Lord Demonheaven has been dead for far too long. His death proves that the Dao he upheld can no longer lead our race to greater heights.

"Lord Primordial Demon is the true future of our race. His all-embracing Dao of Demon is far more powerful.

"Abyssal Demon, you know we're all part of him. I willingly offer myself to him. I'm happy to become a cornerstone of the great resurgence of the Dao of Demon.

"Your defiance, on the other hand, needs to be corrected."

This gaunt Demon God was one of the nine soul fragments of the Primordial Demon.

He drove the white bone spear toward the Abyssal Demon's forehead, and the spear burst into a ghostly white flame, cold and piercing to the soul.

"Pang Jian!" the Abyssal Demon wailed, grievously wounded and on the brink of death.

Nine frowning demonic figures appeared within the nine lanterns above the Abyssal Demon.

The flames in the lanterns resembled their eyes, cold and unblinking, as they stared scornfully down at the unrepentant Abyssal Demon.

"Pang Jian? The human brat from the Abyss you spoke of?"

"Abyssal Demon, you're a fragment of Lord Primordial Demon. Why do you cling to memories of a mere human?"

"You're still thinking of a pitiful human as you lie dying? What is wrong with you?"

"Abyssal Demon, your defeat lies in the fact that you've forgotten who you are. You've stayed in the Abyss for far too long. Your demonic nature has been eroded."

"Abyssal Demon, just accept your fate."

The nine Demon Gods, their wicks burning in the lanterns, gazed upon Abyssal Demon from across their respective Demon Realms. Gathering their demonic energy, they sealed the surrounding space, suppressing the demonic energy stirring within the Abyssal Demon.

"It's me."

An unfamiliar voice echoed through not only the Demon Realm where the Abyssal Demon lay, but also the nine other distant Demon Realms through the lanterns.

It rang out in an ancient fortress, a haunted valley, and a cave that had been sealed for ten thousand years.

It stirred a demonic stone frozen for ninety millennia, a withered bone buried in dust, and a skeletal bird soaring through a starry sky.

It reached a mummified Demon God, a pile of shattered Demon God statues, and a lone demoness dancing amidst nobles.

The nine hidden Demon Gods across these nine Demon Realms all heard the strange voice.

Then, the nine demonic lanterns were extinguished one after another.

The nine mid-ranking Demon Gods could no longer gaze upon the Abyssal Demon through the wicks of the lanterns. They were powerless to interfere in this battle between fragments of the Primordial Demon.

The Abyssal Demon's immobilized body twitched ever so slightly, fingers closing once more around the hilt of his sword as he gazed blankly into space.

"Pang Jian, is it—is that really you?" His voice trembled with disbelief. "Where are you?"

"Pang Jian?!" The gaunt Demon God sensed something was wrong. The demonic energy and wicked thoughts of the Demon Realm no longer responded to him.

This world was his. He had shaped it meticulously over many years. The lands, skies, and seas—every corner that once pulsed with his aura and will, all suddenly felt profoundly unnatural.

The demonic energy he had gathered unexpectedly surged into Abyssal Demon, rekindling the dying flame within him.