The Thunderveil Godbeast bore the sleek form of a spotted leopard with a round head and long tail.
Intricate lightning patterns adorned its gray-brown hide, seemingly infused with the Dao of Lightning.
Its cyan eyes crackled with lightning, and lightning vortexes swirled beneath its feet with every step it took in the bizarre mist.
After many years, the Thunderveil Godbeast stood before Pang Jian again.
Their first encounter in the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God had been through its puppet vessel.
This time, it was in its true body.
Pang Jian had also ascended as a True God since then.
"The human race in the Abyss is truly terrifying. No wonder the others are desperate to eradicate you."
The Thunderveil Godbeast came to a halt, its eyes, crackling with lightning, fixed greedily on the Thunder Pool in Pang Jian's hand.
It seemed utterly enthralled, unable to tear its eyes away from the Thunder Pool.
"How many years has it been?" it muttered. "Ten? Twenty? I can't quite recall. But for us gods, it was nothing more than a fleeting nap.
"Back then, you were so weak, relying on divine artifacts to destroy my puppet vessel.
"I never could've expected that you would become a True God in the blink of an eye."
The Thunderveil Godbeast did not look at Pang Jian once as it spoke, its eyes fixed firmly on the Thunder Pool.
The Thunderveil Godbeast was significantly smaller than Pan Di in stature. At several hundred zhang tall, even most Rank Nine Fey Kings in the Abyss dwarfed it easily.
Despite its comparatively smaller size, its blood essence surged like a boundless ocean, and the lightning coursing through its body was far more violent than Pan Di's.
The Thunderveil Godbeast was also from an abyss. Divine beings that escaped the abysses were often stronger than those from the worlds beyond.
Secretly probing the Thunderveil Godbeast with his divine sense, Pang Jian confirmed his suspicion that the Thunderveil Godbeast was stronger than Pan Di.
The total amount of lightning contained in its body appeared to surpass even the ancient Thunder Dragon by a considerable margin.
After all, it had left the Thunder Abyss long ago, roaming the vast starry skies, accumulating greater lightning, and gaining more insights into the Dao of Lightning.
The Thunderveil Godbeast clicked its tongue.
"The Thunder Pool is still as magnificent as ever. The Dao Seals engraved on it could restore the Divine Court of Thunder. But only through me can it be fully realized." The Thunderveil Godbeast's tone suddenly shifted, its gaze intoxicated as it murmured, "Come back!"
One after another, lightning vortexes materialized in the bizarre mist behind it.
These lightning vortexes swirled slowly, as if connected to the deepest reaches of the starry skies, linking to lightning-attribute Blessed Lands across countless outer worlds.
"Lightning Summoning Art!" The Thunderveil Godbeast inhaled sharply, and an enigmatic world took form deep within its gaping maw.
The world bore an uncanny resemblance to the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God, with majestic halls towering within.
These halls resembled structures cast from refined iron and appeared to be the ruined remnants of the Divine Court of Thunder, where the Duke of Thunder once ruled over the other Thunder Gods.
This Divine Court of Thunder had been constructed through the Thunderveil Godbeast's blood essence, infused with its insights into the Dao of Lightning. It sought to use it as a medium to draw in the Thunder Pool, attempting to merge it into the Divine Court of Thunder.
"I will be the one to fulfill the Duke of Thunder's will and the path he pursued."
The Thunderveil Godbeast's voice transformed into rumbling thunder, erupting from the many lightning vortexes behind it.
Lightning-attribute Blessed Lands across the starry skies seemed to resonate with its divine power.
The Thunder Pool in Pang Jian's palm trembled as it was slowly pulled toward the Thunderveil Godbeast's maw.
"I followed the Duke of Thunder for years. My understanding of the Thunder Pool naturally far surpasses yours.
"Boy, had I been able to descend into the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God with my true body back then, the Thunder Pool would've merged with me on its own!
"I played a part in creating this Thunder Pool and the Divine Court of Thunder! How laughable for you to dare bring it out before me!"
The Divine Court of Thunder's replica within its gaping maw was wreathed in blinding lightning. Beneath its claws, Dao Seals, mirroring those etched upon the Thunder Pool, started to take shape.
Using its innate bloodline technique, it forcefully drew the Thunder Pool closer, seeking to seize control of it before using it against Pang Jian.
"In the Abyss where I live, an ancient dragon has dominated the Dao of Lightning for tens of thousands of years.
"It has fewer lightning reserves than you and never followed a high-ranking God like the Duke of Thunder. In fact, it's never even left the Abyss.
"Despite all of that, it's still stronger than you."
Pang Jian watched the Thunder Pool drift slowly toward the Thunderveil Godbeast with a calm expression.
"I heard that every divine being has their own unique divine techniques. Each Thunder God holds different insights into the Dao of Lightning.
"However, everything I sense from you is merely an echo of the Duke of Thunder. It feels as if you have no insights into the Dao of Lightning of your own."
Pang Jian let out a faint smile, making no move to stop the Thunder Pool from moving further away from him. Then, without warning, he swung his sword.
Streaks of blinding golden sword light streaked through the air, piercing the lightning vortexes behind the Thunderveil Godbeast.
He immediately noticed that the lightning vortexes were not truly connected to lightning-attribute Blessed Lands across the starry skies.
The lightning vortexes merely recreated the wondrous mysteries of those lightning-attribute Blessed Lands, replicating the Dao of Lightning imprinted within them.
The golden sword light piercing the lightning vortexes transformed into five vast domains corresponding to each of the five elements. Each domain blazed with its own dazzling brilliance and profound mysteries.
This technique, Five-Element Starry Rivers, surged into the illusionary lightning vortexes, forcibly shattering the Dao Seals within through the profound mysteries of the five elements.
The lightning vortexes collapsed into thousands of lightning cascades like towering waterfalls behind the Thunderveil Godbeast.
Though the Thunderveil Godbeast's technique had been broken, the lightning itself had not been extinguished.
The lightning cascades twisted and coiled under the Thunderveil Godbeast's divine power as they surged toward Pang Jian.
The Thunderveil Godbeast molded the lightning cascades into dragons, pythons, serpents, unicorns, and phoenixes, conjuring all ancient beasts with the power of lightning in their bloodlines.
Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul swelled to ten thousand zhang. At the same time, the Abyssal Demon Sword expanded a millionfold, its gleaming edge slashing through the ancient beasts forged from lightning.
Within the sword, the Abyssal Demon unleashed his Six Demons Anchor the Heavens ability to stir the Thunderveil Godbeast's soul, leaving it dazed.
A golden sword light shot toward its neck, but instead of piercing through, it merely produced a streak of searing sparks, unable to leave behind even the faintest wound.
At that moment, the Thunder Pool vanished into the Thunderveil Godbeast's gaping maw.
The Thunderveil Godbeast let out a sinister chuckle. "Heh, you—"
A sudden blast of glacial storms erupted violently from the Thunder Pool.
Its entire maw was frozen solid.
Razor-sharp ice shards and icicle spears exploded within its mouth.