Trials of the Abyss

The white crane once again crashed into the grass, wings scorched and riddled with holes.

Thick smoke rose from its body and its feathers released a pungent smell of sulfur as if soaked in molten lava.

The white crane tried to stand on its thin, trembling legs and take flight.

However, its legs were injured and could no longer support its weight.

Thud!

It collapsed back into the grass.

"You little wretch! How dare you attack me! I won't let you off!" The white crane shrieked and cursed spitefully.

Pang Jian approached atop his spear.

Seeing the white crane gravely injured and close to death, Pang Jian leaped down from his silver spear, still maintaining his icy protective shield.

Pang Jian’s left hand reached out from his protective shield to grab the white crane by its long neck.

He then slapped both sides of its slender, feathery face with his right hand, having had enough of its foul mouth.

Each strike landed with a loud smack, sending sparks flying.

"Dog thief!"

Whack! Whack!

"Lowly scum from the lower world!"

Whack! Whack!

Every time the white crane dared to utter a word, Pang Jian would swiftly slap its beak.

He hit its beak so hard it became misshapen. Each slap stripped away some of the feathers on its face, gradually turning it bare.

The wicked white crane fell silent after receiving dozens of slaps, its beak numb from the beating.

Pang Jian held the white crane by its neck, forcing its hate-filled eyes to meet his. "When I ask you something, you will answer truthfully. Understood?

"Now, where did you come from?"

The exhausted white crane spat a blood arrow at Pang Jian.

Bang!

The blood arrow hit Pang Jian’s protective shield but failed to penetrate it.

Pang Jian’s expression turned cold, and he slapped the crane until its neck twisted, leaving it on the brink of death.

"I–I come from the Pure Land Sect of the Western Loam. I'm the Sacred Crane of the Pure Land Sect!" The white crane said desperately. It no longer dared to hurl insults, choosing to glare venomously at Pang Jian as it weakly hissed, "The master I serve is the new Saintess of the Pure Land Sect!

"She is the chosen one, a cultivation genius the likes of which hasn’t appeared in the Fourth World for a thousand years! The day she left the Fourth World, the remains of our avian spiritual guardian, the Celestial Phoenix, shattered, and she was chosen as the heir to its legacy.

"A naturally formed lightning vortex exists in her spiritual sea, making her perfectly suited for the lightning cultivation method!

"That accursed ancient Thunder Dragon was an accomplice in the attack on the Celestial Phoenix all those years ago, which is why the Celestial Phoenix chose her. The Celestial Phoenix intends to help her ascend to godhood through the Dao of Lightning.

"The Celestial Phoenix wants her to slay the ancient Thunder Dragon and reclaim the divine path that has been dominated for ten thousand years!

"The master I serve is under the protection of the Pure Land Sect, which is why her name isn't widely known yet. But it won't be long before her fame spreads across the many worlds of the Abyss!"

"My master…" the white crane trailed off, glaring menacingly at Pang Jian.

Pang Jian listened silently, brows furrowing as he murmured, "A genius from the Fourth World, born with a lightning vortex, and on the day she left the Fourth World, the Celestial Phoenix's remains shattered…"

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Pang Jian’s heart thundered in his chest.

His grip on the crane’s neck involuntarily tightened as his emotions surged.

"Ugh! Ugh!" The white crane gasped, unable to form complete words.

Pang Jian’s breathing grew heavy and his eyes shone with a light that made the crane shudder in fear.

Staring at the crane with a terrifying expression, he demanded, "What is the name of your master?!"

Once Pang Jian's grip on its neck loosened, the white crane choked out a familiar name, "Pang–Pang Lin!"

Pang Jian was stunned.

He tossed the nearly lifeless white crane aside, emotions in turmoil as he gazed up at the sky.

Clouds swirled overhead, but his gaze seemed to pierce through them to reach the Western Loam in the First World.

Pang Lin was there!

"To think—to think..." Pang Jian's usually stoic and reserved face broke into a wide grin as he gazed at the cloudy sky.

"Hahaha!" He laughed until his breathing became labored and tears streamed from his eyes. His laughter was like a wild beast that had been freed from the chains binding its body and soul.

"I never expected that she–she…" Pang Jian babbled incoherently. Even he did not know what he was trying to say.

The sister he had worried about all this time was not only alive but had become the Saintess of the Pure Land Sect!

She was the master of this white crane!

Pang Lin had also become the master of the Celestial Phoenix Divine Guard, which included Dong Tianze!

The heavy burden deep within his heart lifted. The world seemed brighter. Every blade of grass overflowed with newfound beauty.

"You little wretch, are you scared now?" the white crane boasted, ready to hurl more threats. "I’ll have you know that my master—"

Pang Jian shifted his attention from the sky to the white crane. A strange smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

A chill ran down the white crane's spine and it swallowed the rest of its threats.

"Are the golden lightning bolts you collected with the withered bone meant as an offering to your master?" Pang Jian asked calmly.

His sudden change in attitude did nothing to reassure the white crane. Instead, it made the white crane even more suspicious.

The white crane warily replied, "Brat, you’re just an outer disciple of the Sword Pavilion. You can’t afford to provoke me, much less my master!"

"Enough nonsense! I asked if you’re offering the golden lightning bolts to your master!" Pang Jian snapped, glaring at the white crane.

"Yes, I am!" The white crane puffed out its chest. "Only my master can decipher and refine the Dao of Lightning within these golden lightning bolts. The ancient Thunder Dragon of the Dragon Lair Sect is destined to be her enemy. That’s why the Celestial Phoenix chose her."

The crane was about to start singing its master’s praises. "My master—"

"That's enough." Pang Jian cut off its rambling before it could even begin.

He assessed the white crane's severe injuries with squinting eyes. After a moment's thought, he pressed his right palm against the most grievous wound on its body.

The white crane was convinced Pang Jian was about to kill it.

"You little scoundrel, I’ve answered everything you asked, and you still want to kill me!

"I knew I wouldn’t escape death, so I’ll curse you to the end!

"Even if I die, the Pure Land Sect won’t let you off, and my master certainly won’t! I’ll remember you, Luo Yuan of the Sword Pavilion!" it frantically insulted, determined to curse Pang Jian until its last breath.

Unlike before, Pang Jian did not slap its beak.

"It’s over. It’s really over. He’s not even hitting me. He's definitely going to kill me this time." the white crane lamented.

To its surprise, rich life energy flowed from Pang Jian's palm into its most grievous wound, mending its ruptured meridians.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Life energy spread throughout the white crane’s body and healed its injuries!

The white crane stared at Pang Jian in bewilderment. Its stream of curses abruptly stopped.

The white crane’s spirits lifted as its strength was partially restored and it arrogantly remarked, "Heh, brat, you’ve finally come to your senses, haven’t you? You’ve realized you can’t afford to offend the one backing me!

"It’s not too late. After all, I'm still alive. I'm willing to overlook your earlier offenses.

"You were ignorant, so you’re not to blame. You’ve recognized your mistakes and are willing to correct them, I’ve decided not to hold your earlier pursuit against me."

The white crane slowly stood up.

Some of its white feathers had fallen to the ground, but the continued infusion of life energy and the white crane's own strange abilities meant new feathers were already growing in their place.

"Luo Yuan, is it?" The white crane, satisfied with Pang Jian’s actions, nodded haughtily and said in a friendly tone, "You’re not bad, unlike those little brats from the Demon Sect, the Black Valley Sect, and the Celestial Lagoon Sect.

"I'll put in a good word for you when I return to the Pure Land Sect and meet my master. If you ever come to the Pure Land Sect in the First World In the future, just mention my name and say we were old friends from the lower world.

"But you mustn’t speak of my master’s name nor mention it to anyone for now! My master’s existence is a great secret of the Pure Land Sect. This is to avoid provoking that ancient Thunder Dragon too soon."

The white crane was extremely pleased as it watched Pang Jian carefully tending to its wounds.

When it thought about how it had lured Pang Jian to the Lightning Retribution Grounds and tried to strike him down twice with the surrounding lightning, it could not help but feel a twinge of guilt.

The five leaves in Pang Jian's chest withered and came back to life several times. Every time Pang Jian drained their life energy, the little tree would repeatedly replenish them.

"That should be enough," Pang Jian eventually said, grabbing the crane by its talons and tossing it into the air. "Maybe we’ll meet again, you foul-mouthed creature."

Pang Jian waved the white crane goodbye.

The white crane flapped its wings and realized it had been healed enough to fly.

It gave a few more arrogant flaps and said haughtily, "Luo Yuan, you're not bad. If you ever find yourself out of favor with the Sword Pavilion, you can come to the Pure Land Sect and look for me.

"I carry some weight in the Pure Land Sect as I have my master's protection."

It then flapped its wings and soared into the sky.

Pang Jian squinted as he watched it ascend.

"Pang Lin and that Rank Ten Thunder Dragon in Dragon Lair Sect are destined to clash when she attempts to slay the dragon and ascend to godhood. It’s my duty as her brother to help her."

The ancient Thunder Dragon in the Dragon Lair Sect had become a target for Pang Jian to eliminate.

Pang Lin could not become a True God as long as the Thunder Dragon lived.

Therefore, the dragon had to die.

Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!

The lightning array in the lake weakened once the white crane left.

Taking one last glance at the lake, Pang Jian decided not to get involved with the disciples from the Second World and instead flew off to find Lei Kun.

An hour later, when Ye Fei, Lu Xiangyi, and other disciples from the Second World finally emerged from the lake, they caught sight of a luxurious Cloud Sail, filled with beautiful women, setting sail from Cloud Lightning.

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