Trials of the Abyss

"It’s time for us to go," the mysterious woman in the Fifth World whispered.

Whoosh!

She disappeared.

Pang Jian felt a cool body straddle the Giant Abyssal Serpent through their connection.

Shock filled him as he realized what was happening.

The mysterious woman with six pairs of wings was riding the Giant Abyssal Serpent!

Pang Jian’s connection to the Giant Abyssal Serpent also allowed him to experience sensations through its body.

Thus, he was able to feel the sensation of somebody straddling him.

The Giant Abyssal Serpent appeared to both revere and be familiar with the mysterious woman from the Fifth World.

It had become her mount and appeared to have accompanied her for quite some time as a tacit understanding had developed between them.

Pang Jian felt a pang of bitterness. He had been too busy to pay attention to it and now it had found a new companion.

Despite nurturing it with the murky energy from his spiritual sea in Eight Trigrams City, he did not even have a chance to ride it before this mysterious woman claimed it.

To make matters worse, the Giant Abyssal Serpent seemed to enjoy it.

"When your bloodline advances to Rank Six, your intelligence will increase significantly. When that happens, I hope you’ll be able to tell me how you survived the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar," The mysterious woman said, gently patting the Giant Abyssal Serpent’s forehead and stroking its small horns.

Pang Jian felt strange when her touch echoed through the connection.

"Let’s go," The mysterious woman urged softly.

The Giant Abyssal Serpent started to move.

Pang Jian’s mental connection with it was abruptly severed.

Opening his eyes in the Giant Stone Palace, Pang Jian rubbed his forehead with a peculiar expression. It felt like there was a small horn there.

A deep mental and physical exhaustion rapidly set in, and he hastily consumed a Mind Soothing Pill. Peering into the Fifth World from the Third World had significantly exhausted his mental energy.

Traitor. He silently fumed at the Giant Abyssal Serpent.

He had not expected that the Giant Abyssal Serpent would find a new master so soon after leaving Eight Trigrams City. Its new master seemed to treat it well and value it highly. Moreover, she appeared to hold a high status in the Fifth World and was revered by countless foreign races there.

The World Eater Vine had also emerged from the bronze pendant. To show its gratitude, it gifted Pang Jian two leaves filled with life energy to help him advance his cultivation.

The Giant Abyssal Serpent, on the other hand, had given him nothing in return and had instead found a new master.

Its new master knows it interacted with the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar and even has plans to enhance its bloodline, Pang Jian thought grimly.

"What technique are you practicing that causes such severe mental exhaustion?" Luo Hongyan asked curiously. She had watched him meditate with closed eyes only to look unwell upon waking up. "Pang Jian, are you practicing some kind of forbidden art?"

"No." Pang Jian, still feeling tired, took out the copper chest. "I’m going to rest for a while. Wake me up in three days."

He intended to absorb the power of the sun, moon, and stars within the chest to prepare for the trade fair.

"Alright." Luo Hongyan was puzzled, but seeing that Pang Jian did not intend to explain, she decided not to press further.

***

In an underground cave on Gold Stone Island, Dong Tianze used his Ghost’s Cry to assassinate a Celestial Phoenix Divine Guard.

Whoosh!

The bright Celestial Phoenix Imprint on Dong Tianze’s forehead absorbed a blood-colored Celestial Phoenix.

An hour later, Dong Tianze’s body shuddered and he exclaimed, "The Innate Realm!"

He had finally broken through his bottleneck and advanced from the peak of the Marrow Cleansing Realm to the Innate Realm!

Dong Tianze had come from the Sinister Soul Temple to the Three Immortal Islands to find out who was impersonating him. However, as soon as he arrived, he sensed another Celestial Phoenix Divine Guard through the Celestial Phoenix Imprint on his forehead.

He initially assumed this Celestial Phoenix Divine Guard was the impostor, but upon finding them, he realized they were just a rogue cultivator in the Marrow Cleansing Realm. The essence of the Celestial Phoenix had devoured them, turning them into a creature similar to Ouyang Duanhai.

Dong Tianze gained some of the person’s memories after absorbing the essence of the Celestial Phoenix and confirmed they had never left the cave in the past few months.

If it’s not him, then who is it?

Dong Tianze walked out of the cave in confusion.

A gleaming white Divine Spirit Pagoda floated silently toward him.

Many rogue cultivators in the barren mines of Gold Stone Island watched the floating pagoda with helpless anger.

"Senior Brother Wang, the suspect I killed wasn’t the one impersonating me," Dong Tianze said upon entering the Divine Spirit Pagoda.

Wang Yisen was a Profound Abode Realm cultivator assigned by Han Zhiyuan to escort Dong Tianze and was in charge of controlling the pagoda.

As the Divine Spirit Pagoda ascended, he pointed at a lush fragmented land and said, "I’ve just received news that Zhu Yuanxi of the Blood Moon Sect is on Cloud Island. The Blood Moon Sect plans to occupy Cloud Island to relocate the Shangguan Clan and the Ouyang Clan there."

Dong Tianze was aware of the events in the lower world. While it made sense for the Blood Moon Sect to prepare a new territory for the two clans that were loyal to them, he did not understand why Wang Yisen brought it up.

"Junior Brother Dong, sometimes I also oversee the Ghost Altar..." Wang Yisen said with a light cough. Seeing Dong Tianze’s brows knit together, he continued, "I also knew Hall Master Meng Qiulan and Zhao Ling."

"And?" Dong Tianze asked impatiently.

"A few days ago, Zhu Yanxi killed Meng Qiulan, Zhao Ling, and some other members of the Shadow Specter Sect. Their corpses are now displayed outside the Giant Stone Palace," Wang Yisen explained.

"Impossible!" Dong Tianze exclaimed.

"Yes, I also think it’s impossible," Wang Yisen nodded seriously. "With their cultivation realms, they could not have escaped Divine Fortune, much less reach the Third World without external help. The Blood Moon Sect suspects that we’re secretly aiding them. I believe your impersonator is from the Blood Moon Sect!"

Dong Tianze knitted his brows even more tightly, eyes glinting coldly as he growled, "Divine Fortune was covered in murky energy. The Star River Alliance had confirmed there were no survivors. We know we didn’t provide any help, so how did those two hall masters make it up here?"

Wang Yisen shook his head. "That’s what puzzles me too."

Dong Tianze mulled it over. "Maverick Ling Yun is close with Elder Jiu Yuan of the Blood Moon Sect. Let’s ask him directly! He’ll know if the Blood Moon Sect is scheming behind the scenes. I want to see who dares to frame me!"

He felt confident after breaking through to the Innate Realm. With the Sinister Soul Temple backing him and Wang Yisen, a Profound Abode Realm expert, accompanying him, Dong Tianze did not believe Maverick Ling Yun would dare oppose him.

***

A Formless Sailboat from the Blood Moon Sect flew in from Cloud Island and stopped above the pile of corpses outside the Giant Stone Palace.

Zhu Yuanxi had returned to Ice Rock Island after expelling the rogue cultivators from Cloud Island and setting up the Blood Moon Sect’s people there.

Whoosh!

He jumped down from the sailboat.

"Has anyone inquired about or paid special attention to these lowly members of the Shadow Specter Sect lately?" Zhu Yuanxi asked coldly. He stood with his hands behind his back, gaze fixed on Yuan Fei’s Cloud Sail.

Yuan Fei instantly thought of Pang Jian and his sister. However, the siblings came from the upper worlds, and he hesitated to reveal anything, fearing the consequences if they found out.

With this concern in mind, he shook his head and said, "No one has shown any special interest in those lowly beings from the lower world."

Gao Yuan also remained silent, his expression unchanged as he glanced at Yuan Fei.

"Don’t let me find out you’re lying to me," Zhu Yuanxi said coldly, shooting him a glare. Then, raising his head toward the members of the Blood Moon Sect on the Formless Sailboat above, he shouted, "Return to Cloud Island. Come back to pick me up after the trade fair is over."

The sailboat flew away.

Zhu Yuanxi glanced at the corpses of the Shadow Specter Sect members in the rubble before entering the Giant Stone Palace.

Many Blood Moon Sect cultivators had died in Divine Fortune City and Misty Swamp, but some had survived.

Through these survivors, Zhu Yuanxi learned that a new hall master named Hong Jian was still missing among the deceased members of the Shadow Specter Sect.

He also learned from captured Shadow Specter Sect members that Hong Jian was Hong Tai’s nephew.

Having worked with the cunning Hong Tai before, he was wary about keeping an eye out for his nephew and had deliberately placed the bodies of the Shadow Specter Sect’s members outside the palace to see if he could lure out Hong Jian.

The secret Zhao Ling, Meng Qiulan, and the others had died trying to protect was likely related to the missing Hong Jian!

Zhu Yuanxi believed that finding Hong Jian would lead him to the person responsible for bringing the Shadow Specter Sect’s members to the Third World.

***

Creak!

Luo Hongyan opened the lid of the copper chest.

Pang Jian sat up, puzzled. "Is it time?"

"Not yet," Luo Hongyan replied. A small smile tugged at her lips and her beautiful eyes shone with intrigue. "A Divine Spirit Pagoda from the Sinister Soul Temple is hovering above the Giant Stone Palace. Someone is blatantly disregarding Maverick Ling Yun’s rules."

"Is it Dong Tianze?" Pang Jian asked solemnly.

"It is. Zhu Yuanxi from the Blood Moon Sect is also here. We’re in for a good show," Luo Hongyan said as she left the cave, staring at the sky eagerly. "Among all the sects in the Third World, the one with the worst relationship with the Sinister Soul Temple is the Blood Moon Sect. Despite originally being part of the same sect, they’ve been in intense conflict since they split."

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