Trials of the Abyss

Li Yuqing!

Pang Jian's heart trembled.

The Gods that had driven him to hide beneath the ground and made him flee at every turn had been slain by none other than the Li Family girl he met in the tunnel of Eight Trigrams City.

She truly had the power to destroy an entire fragmented land such as Divine Fortune with a single sword strike!

Is it her own strength, the power of her divine sword, or both combined? Pang Jian wondered as he hurried over.

The journey was unexpectedly smooth.

The massive silver-white sword slowly retracted and descended before coming to rest behind the green-robed girl.

There was no makeup on the delicate girl's round face and she wore no ornaments except for a single spatial ring.

She sat atop a smooth black stone pillar, eyes as clear as gemstones.

Many people from various sects had gathered around the black stone pillar, including those from the Star River Alliance, the Blood Moon Sect, the Sinister Soul Temple, and the Red Mountain Sect.

These people all gazed at her in shock like she was a God of the Abyss—just as Pang Jian had once done.

Familiar faces like Zhou Qingchen and Han Duping stood with Zhao Yuanqi and Jiang Li beside the black stone pillar.

Pang Jian's emotions surged.

It had been nearly two years since he had last seen Zhou Qingchen.

He suppressed the urge to rush forward and greet them, instead scanning the other faces.

Han Ting and Gao Yuan were among the rogue cultivators, though Luo Hongyan was nowhere to be seen.

Fang Boxuan from the Blood Moon Sect was also present, with a group of Blood Moon Sect elites accompanying him.

Cultivators from the Star River Alliance and Sinister Soul Temple had also gathered, but Pang Jian did not recognize them.

"Another survivor has appeared," Fang Boxuan remarked as he glanced at the sallow-faced young man who had just arrived. "It's been a while since we've seen any new survivors; this guy's luck is incredible."

"Your luck is better," The Sect Master of the Blood Moon Sect, Tang Hongxiong, said in a deep voice.

He stood taller than everyone else, with muscles straining against his loose robe. His very presence was intimidating and his voice boomed like thunder.

"Yang Rui from the Radiant Sun Sect and—" He glanced at an elegant woman in the Star River Alliance before continuing, "Among the new generation, only you and Zhao Yuanqi remain alive."

The Alliance Leader of the Star River Alliance, Ling Meiyu sighed sorrowfully and murmured, "I have no idea how I'll explain this to her parents."

"Disasters like this are happening not just in the Third World. I'm sure her parents will understand," Tang Hongxiong replied.

Ling Meiyu regretfully said, "I shouldn't have let her go ahead."

"Alliance Leader, it was her fate. No one could have changed it."

"Alliance Leader, please restrain your grief and come to terms with the inevitable."

Two Star River Alliance elders consoled her.

They had recently received news that nothing remained of Xie Xiwen but a skeleton.

This matter weighed heavily on their hearts.

The Cult Leader and Vice Cult Leader of the Sinister Soul Temple, Yin Yiqing and Han Zhiyuan, kept their distance from the Star River Alliance and the Blood Moon Sect.

They stood with several Spirit Condensation Realm elders, whispering among themselves.

"It's a good thing we sent Tianze elsewhere," Han Zhiyuan muttered quietly, glancing at Yin Yiqing with a relieved expression. "Otherwise, he would've entered Spirit Offering and experienced this once-in-a-millennium catastrophe.

"He could've ended up like Yang Rui and Xie Xiwen, chosen by an Outer God to be consumed for its descent."

The ruthless Cult Leader, Yin Yiqing, remained silent, eyes fixed on Li Yuqing atop the black stone pillar.

"The Li Family's combat genius..."

Yin Yiqing was deeply shaken.

The bloodshed in Spirit Offering would have been even more extreme if she had not been present. Even the strongest among them, those already at the pinnacle of power in the Third World, would not have survived.

This realization filled him with sincere respect for the Li Family girl.

As he observed Li Yuqing, he noticed her gemstone-like eyes started to glow with a strange light.

Following her gaze, Yin Yiqing saw that the person catching her attention was none other than the sallow-faced rogue cultivator who had just arrived.

Li Yuqing's lips parted to utter a name that made Yin Yiqing fume whenever he heard it.

"Pang Jian," she called out softly.

"Pang Jian?"

"Pang Jian!"

The name stunned everyone gathered there.

Zhou Qingchen was visibly shaken, eyes turning red as he followed her gaze to the sallow-faced man.

He sighed in disappointment.

It was not the person he had been longing to see. Li Yuqing's soft murmur was likely just her talking to herself.

"Why are you only arriving now?" the green-robed girl asked, still looking at the sallow-faced man.

Pang Jian's appearance had been altered using his Illusory Bone Realm technique. Reluctantly turning around, he pretended to adjust his disguise, shifting his features as he did.

When he turned back, he once again wore his true face.

"I've been here for a while. I couldn't contact you through the sword token, so I just wandered around," Pang Jian replied honestly.

"Pang Jian!" Zhou Qingchen roared, rushing over in excitement.

The piercing gazes of Sect Master Tang Hongxiong from the Blood Moon Sect, Alliance Leader Ling Meiyu from the Star River Alliance, and Cult Leader Yin Yiqing and Vice Cult Leader Han Zhiyuan from the Sinister Soul Temple all shot toward him like sharp swords. "Pang Jian!"

"Pang Jian!"

Gao Yuan and Han Ting trembled in shock.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Zhou Qingchen pounded Pang Jian's chest a few times, then pulled him into a powerful bear hug before finally letting go.

"You-you rascal!" Zhou Qingchen stammered, not knowing what to say as he stared at Pang Jian with reddened eyes.

"Big Brother Zhou," Pang Jian said softly.

"As long as you're alright, as long as you're okay. I've been searching everywhere for you these past two years, I—" Zhou Qingchen choked on his words, overwhelmed with emotion and unable to fully express himself.

"Pang Jian!" Fang Boxuan jumped in fright and hurriedly whispered to Tang Hongxiong, "He's Pang Jian!"

"Hmm, I'm not deaf, I heard it," the towering, hot-blooded Sect Master of the Blood Moon Sect replied with a low chuckle. "The Profound Abode Realm cultivator who managed to kill Jiu Yuan—I can't help but admire him."

"Sect Master, the Sword Pavilion has issued a warning. You mustn't… Fang Boxuan urged softly.

Tang Hongxiong laughed. "I won't jeopardize Blood Moon Sect's future."

"That's good—Sect Master is wise!" Fang Boxuan quickly praised him.

Ling Meiyu of the Star River Alliance sized up the young man with eyes sparkling with starlight.

"The Sword Pavilion..." A bitter smile tugged at her lips as she stared at the youth who had killed Elder Liang Ying of the Star River Alliance.

Before entering Spirit Offering, she had received a letter from the Sword Pavilion.

She knew the same letter had also been sent to the Blood Moon Sect and the Sinister Soul Temple.

Pang Jian will be accepted as an inner disciple of the Sword Pavilion. The Pavilion Master will personally train him.

Those words were as heavy as a mountain, weighing down on her, Tang Hongxiong, and Yin Yiqing. There was no longer any need for them to discuss the matter as they all immediately abandoned any thoughts about seeking revenge against Pang Jian.

It was said that Cult Leader Yin Yiqing, known for his ruthlessness, had sat in meditation for a long time at the main temple before entering Spirit Offering.

When he emerged, he acted like he had never even heard the name Pang Jian.

A personal disciple of the Sword Pavilion's Pavilion Master.

They all knew the kind of person the Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion was.

Therefore, when they encountered Pang Jian, they could only maintain their composure despite the complex emotions churning within them.

Even more startlingly, the extraordinary Li Family girl from the Divine Treasure Sect also seemed to be well acquainted with Pang Jian.

The Li Family of the Divine Treasure Sect in the First World. Ling Meiyu grew increasingly frustrated when she realized the Star River Alliance would never regain its honor.

Liang Ying's death would go unavenged.

As everyone else remained deep in thought, Zhou Qingchen led Pang Jian to his group, gesturing toward Zhao Yuanqi before realizing they had already met.

Zhou Qingchen awkwardly introduced them with a sheepish scratch of his head.

The cool, silver-haired girl nodded, "What you did in the Primordial Wilderness was very impressive. I'd love to know how you managed to kill Jiu Yuan, Lou Yunming, and Liang Ying."

Her words caused a ripple among the leaders of the three major sects. Their carefully controlled expressions betrayed a hint of discomfort.

Jiang Li tugged at her sleeve. "Let's not talk about that now!"

"Oh, I forgot they were here too," Zhao Yuanqi said offhandedly.

The three leaders' expressions darkened further.

"Pang Jian!" Han Duping greeted with a smile.

Pang Jian returned the gesture politely, then looked up at Li Yuqing atop the black stone pillar.

"You wanted to ask me something?" he asked.

The elegantly dressed Li Yuqing gave a gentle nod and said, "We'll talk later."

"Alright."

Feeling slightly more at ease, Pang Jian waved at the group of rogue cultivators, signaling Gao Yuan and Han Ting to join them.

Among them stood a few familiar Spirit Condensation Realm powerhouses he had met in the Primordial Wilderness such as Lian Feng, the seller of Soul Nourishing Pills.

Gao Yuan beamed and eagerly ran over.

He was a mere Innate Realm cultivator and felt out of place among such powerful rogue cultivators. Naturally, he was even more nervous around the elites from the Red Mountain Sect, the Blood Moon Sect, the Star River Alliance, and the Sinister Soul Temple.

If Pang Jian had not called him over, he would not have dared to approach.

The voluptuous Han Ting also felt out of place among the rogue cultivators and let out a sigh of relief at Pang Jian's signal.

She followed behind Gao Yuan.

"Old Ghost Dongye, that girl belongs to Pang Jian. Stop eyeing her," Lian Feng warned coldly. "Cao Mang, Jiu Yuan, and Lou Yunming are all dead. If you want to survive, you'd better not mess with Pang Jian."

Dongye Jing, the one with the highest cultivation realm among the rogue cultivators, hid the lustful glint in his eyes and regretfully eyed Han Ting's curvaceous figure. "I'm not foolish enough to go courting death."

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