Trials of the Abyss

In the blink of an eye, the leader of both the Sinister Soul Temple and the Blood Moon Sect had perished at the hands of Luo Hongyan.

The deaths of the two Soul Wandering Realm cultivators shocked everyone, giving them a glimpse of the terrifying power of a high-ranking Outer God.

"Don't go out there, and avoid looking at her as much as possible," Li Yuqing warned. "The techniques of the Sinister Soul Temple and the Blood Moon Sect stem from the Blood Spirit Sect.

"The one residing in Luo Hongyan's body likely grasped the secret arts of the Blood Spirit Sect, allowing her to counter Yin Yiqing and Tang Hongxiong with ease.

"Stay close to me. As long as you remain close, any move she makes will have to pass through my sea of sword light first."

Everyone hurried over and crowded around the stone pillar where Li Yuqing was perched.

The wooden figure approached from behind the crowd, emitting foul, corrupting energy.

When the wooden figure crossed Li Yuqing's range of protection, streaks of sword light sharp enough to tear through the heavens rained down upon it from the sea of silvery sword light above.

Pain flickered in its eyes of death and decay as the sword light slashed at its ten-zhang-tall wooden body.

The wooden figure abruptly halted, then swiftly retreated dozens of zhang to avoid the terrifying sea of silvery sword light.

With that brief contact, it understood why its leader lured Yin Yiqing and Tang Hongxiong into making the initial move instead of attacking directly.

The sword-wielding girl's sea of silvery sword light was extraordinarily terrifying.

"Prepare yourself for the worst," Li Yuqing suddenly said, eyes still fixed on Luo Hongyan. "I have no experience fighting a high-ranking Outer God. All I can promise is that I'll do my best to stop her. But…if I determine it's impossible to hold her off, I'll leave Spirit Offering."

Despair filled the eyes of everyone present.

They had hoped to rely on Li Yuqing to protect them and defeat the Outer Gods.

Unexpectedly, she swiftly doused those hopes with the cold water of reality and extinguished their last shred of optimism.

"I'm not going to spout empty platitudes or fabricate lies to deceive you. In short, I'll protect you if I can, but don't blame me if I can't," the young girl said indifferently.

Pang Jian was equally shocked.

He assumed her earlier words in private had been meant only for him and figured she would simply abandon them without forewarning if the situation was hopeless.

He had not expected her to reveal her intentions so openly.

"If you have anything you want to leave behind, you'd better write it down now. I'll take it with me and deliver it to your sects if it comes to that," she continued.

Fang Boxuan of the Blood Moon Sect, Han Zhiyuan of the Sinister Soul Temple, and the other cultivators all stared at her in a daze.

"Miss Li, what about the higher-ups…" Ling Meiyu gazed anxiously at the sky.

Li Yuqing shook her head. "Communication devices that rely on arrays don't work within Spirit Offering. I can't reach my family either."

Ling Meiyu grew even more desperate.

Then, to everyone's surprise, the Alliance Leader of the Star River Alliance took out some writing utensils and started to write.

Pang Jian glanced over and saw she was appointing a new leader for the Star River Alliance. She also explained that Xie Xiwen's death was due to the invasion of an Outer God and not the fault of the alliance.

Following her lead, Han Zhiyuan of the Sinister Soul Temple, Zhao Yuanqi from the Red Mountain Sect, and several others also started writing their wills.

Pang Jian, on the other hand, focused his mind and attempted to establish a connection with the black turtle.

The Resolute Expanse was once again deserted after Dong Tianze's departure.

The fragmented land still floated beneath the vast sea of massive boulders, steadily absorbing the surrounding spiritual qi of heaven and earth.

I can still connect to the black turtle. That means the Gate of the Abyss' teleportation abilities should also still work.

Pang Jian's eyes swept across those around him—Zhou Qingchen, Han Duping, Jiang Li—and considered how to safely evacuate them if things became truly hopeless.

Earth Dive!

A flash of inspiration struck Pang Jian.

He discreetly pulled Gao Yuan, Han Ting, Zhao Yuanqi, and the others he cared about close to him.

This way, he could activate Earth Dive, create a Mirror Tunnel above him, and safely teleport them away.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Meanwhile, Luo Hongyan floated high in the sky, grasping the Stele of Wandering Souls in one hand and a massive well in the other as she channeled her two divine powers into them.

Her divine power reshaped Yin Yiqing's and Tang Hongxiong's powerful spirit artifacts, branding them with her unique imprint.

The networks of arrays within the stele and the well were reconfigured into a new framework that an Outer God could activate and that could function within Spirit Offering.

The Outer Gods temporarily under her command patiently waited while she did this.

They seemed to understand that only her power could break through the sword-wielding girl's sea of silvery sword light and allow them to conquer Spirit Offering with minimal losses.

Not long after, Luo Hongyan's massive body floated higher into the sky, with enormous lotus flowers blooming all around.

She resembled a True God gazing down from the heavens with the stele and the well in each hand.

Peering down at the sea of silvery sword light below and the massive silvery-white sword embedded within it, she turned her calm gaze toward Li Yuqing.

Then, she suddenly pressed the hand holding the stele downward.

Nine Yellow Springs[1], infused with Spirit Devils and runes, rushed out from the massive stele and down onto the sea of silvery sword light below.

At that moment, Luo Hongyan resembled the ruler of wandering souls and ghostly apparitions, the final destination for all spirits.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Thick streams of blood gushed from the giant well and swirled around her colossal body.

Her body, forged from a Crystal Snow Lotus, absorbed the vigorous blood essence from those streams, causing her exposed skin to radiate a crystalline brilliance.

Crimson lotuses and icy, crystalline lotuses bloomed above and around her.

The lotus leaves formed miniature worlds where strange creatures appeared and bowed in reverence to her.

These creatures chanted her praise in languages incomprehensible to anyone present.

The entirety of Spirit Offering echoed with grand chants exalting her greatness.

Luo Hongyan stood as the sovereign of all Outer Gods within Spirit Offering!

Her divine might fanned outward to cover every nook and cranny of the restricted area!

Everyone except Li Yuqing was involuntarily drawn to her, gazing up in awe as if overwhelmed by her vast divine might.

Many weaker-willed rogue cultivators had already fallen to their knees in worship, just like the strange creatures on the lotus leaves.

Gao Yuan and Han Ting had subconsciously dropped onto one knee as well, awkwardly looking up at her while muttering words they themselves did not understand.

Li Yuqing's earlier warnings and cautions became meaningless in the face of Luo Hongyan's divine might.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The nine Yellow Springs, laden with Spirit Devils and runes, cascaded like waterfalls into the sea of silvery sword light!

Beams of sword light clashed fiercely with the divine power within the Yellow Springs.

The sword intent radiating from the sword light obliterated the residual wills of the Spirit Devils and crushed the runes carrying Luo Hongyan's divine might.

Li Yuqing stood beneath the silvery-white giant sword with a solemn look as her hands rapidly formed sword seals.

One sword light after another shot out from her hands as she formed the sword seals, surging into the sea of silvery sword light above her.

Hmm! Hmm! Hmm!

Eerie hums resonated from the enigmatic sea of silvery sword light as the essence of the Dao manifested in its razor-sharp sword beams.

The humming embodied the principles of the Dao of the Sword, coalescing into Dao Projections that seemed to possess a consciousness of their own.

As Luo Hongyan's divine body grew more imposing in the sky, a hint of admiration could be seen flickering in her eyes.

The hand holding the massive well moved downward. Luo Hongyan's palm grew larger while the well shrank.

Soon, the well looked like a grain of sand in her vast palm.

Her crimson crystal-like palm had expanded to cover the entire sky of Spirit Offering.

From the perspective of those on the ground, it looked like the sky had turned blood-red!

Rumble!

The blood-red crystalline sky bore down with overwhelming force.

An unimaginable divine might shattered the kneecaps of those still standing, forcing them to their knees.

Those already kneeling in worship to Luo Hongyan were unaffected.

They remained completely unharmed under the crushing pressure, continuing to sing her praises in a language they themselves could not understand.

Pang Jian had cultivated the Grand Providence Sacred Body to the Illusory Bone Realm and stood firm under the overwhelming pressure.

Those beside him all collapsed as their kneecaps fractured.

Zhao Yuanqi visibly struggled to hold on, with blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. More blood would well up no matter how many times she wiped it away.

Glancing around, Pang Jian saw that even powerful Spirit Condensation Realm cultivators like Ling Meiyu and Han Zhiyuan wore expressions of agony.

Li Yuqing's voice echoed in Pang Jian's mind. Pang Jian, I'll take you away shortly. She's far stronger than I imagined.

Pang Jian looked up and saw the young girl standing atop the black stone pillar, trying to shield everyone. Blood seemed to flow endlessly from her mouth.

Her hands forming the sword seals were streaked with thin, bloody gashes deep enough to gruesomely expose her bones.

Even someone as strong as her was struggling and showing signs of retreat when faced with a high-ranking Outer God.

She was undeniably giving everything she had, as she promised she would, but it was simply not enough. The apocalyptic pressure of Luo Hongyan's divine might had already left her injured and faltering.

Pang Jian, be ready to leave with me. If you don't, you'll die here, Li Yuqing repeated.

1. In Chinese mythology and literature, Yellow Springs(黄泉) is often associated with the underworld or the realm of the dead. It represents the afterlife, where spirits of the deceased go, akin to the concept of the River Styx in Greek mythology. ☜

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