Trials of the Abyss

The Fifth World!

Pang Jian’s heart skipped a beat as he stared into the darkness. His expression became grave and solemn.

"It’s entirely possible that it’s the Fifth World. Its harsh and peculiar environment is just as Pang Jian described!" Han Duping exclaimed, already stepping back and urging Zhou Qingchen to follow suit.

Terrified, Su Meng darted toward the city gate like a frightened bird, fearing she would come into contact with the endless darkness.

Pang Jian quickly regained his composure and once again sensed the abnormalities within his body.

The energy had filled his dantian with impurities when he briefly activated the Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art. Pang Jian felt as if he had returned to before he entered the Qi Refining Realm and was repeatedly cleansing the cotton-like entities.

The impurities and foreign substances caused the circulation within his dantian to become sluggish and the flow of spiritual power in his meridians to stagnate.

He could only rotate the whirlpool connecting his spiritual sea and dantian to purify and cleanse the impurities within.

This, in turn, depleted his stored spiritual power.

In other words, cultivating in the darkness would be counterproductive because the murky energy there far outweighed the spiritual qi, resulting in more harm than good when absorbed into his body.

Pang Jiban instantly became vigilant as he realized that attempting to absorb the spiritual qi in the darkness would deplete his strength.

He also could not afford to inhale too much of the air in the darkness, as it seemed too harsh for his internal organs to handle.

It was hard to imagine how any living creature could exist in such a harsh environment.

Could the vanished Eight Trigrams City truly have ended up in the Fifth World three thousand years ago?

Boom!

A person appeared out of nowhere. They grumbled while rubbing their backside before standing up.

The newcomer was around the same age as Su Meng, with a fair complexion and clear eyes. He looked like he had never suffered any hardships in life.

He was quite tall and had a slightly pudgy build. The exquisite silk garments he wore were embroidered with pearls, giving him an air of elegance and luxury.

The necklace around his neck, silver bracelets on his arms, and gemstone rings on his fingers, all added to his extravagant appearance.

As he rose to his feet, he sipped unknown liquid from a glass bottle he held in one hand. He looked at Pang Jian and the others in surprise. "Ah, Why are there people here? Where did all of you come from?"

No one paid him any mind.

They stood before the northern gate of Eight Trigrams City, gazing into the endless darkness. None of them had processed the situation quite yet.

Like Pang Jian, they all had only one thought in their minds.

Why would Eight Trigrams City be in the Fifth World?

Had they really gone from the Fourth World to the Fifth World using the Mirror Tunnel?

"Are you all mute or something? Whatever. I don’t have time for this. I’m going home. The Mirror Tunnel to get back is in the heart of the city, in the pool at the City Lord’s residence." Seeing no response from the group, the young man muttered to himself. He inserted a straw into the glass bottle, took a sip of the green juice inside, then turned to leave.

"We should leave while we still can!" Han Duping shouted, pulling Zhou Qingchen toward the North Gate of Eight Trigrams City. He dared not linger near the gate any longer. "Don’t explore the unknown darkness. We must hurry to the center of the city and use the Mirror Tunnel to return to Black Orchid Lake!"

At that moment, he finally understood why the dots of light all rushed toward the center of the city.

They were actually anxious to return via the Mirror Tunnel there!

Eight Trigrams City, located in an unknown region in the Fifth World, shone prominently in the darkness. Who knew what strange creature it might attract or what they would face if they did not leave this eerie place soon?

Turning around, Luo Hongyan glanced at the young man and his luxurious accessories. Her bright eyes lit up.

Spatial rings.

Luo Hongyan softly called out, "Please wait!"

To Luo Hongyan, the young man seemed like an easy target. The young man turned around blankly and asked, "What? Are you planning to rob me?"

Luo Hongyan sneered, "That’s right."

"Bring it on! I knew this was coming. Those old things at home tricked me into coming here just so I could face this trial. They had ill intentions when they named me Li Jie[1] back then!"

The young man introduced himself without prompting. With a reed straw dangling from his mouth and a glass bottle containing green fruit juice in one hand, he struck a pose, as if preparing for battle.

"You think you can bully me just because my cultivation level is low and I’m alone? Come on, I’m not afraid of you!" he yelled, voice laced with bravado and trepidation.

Everyone present was dumbfounded.

The newcomer decked out in glittering jewels and finery, seemed to be flaunting himself as a prime target.

Prepared to be robbed, he clenched fists and took a stance that showed he was ready for a fight. However, not a hint of spiritual power rippled from him.

Was he merely in the Qi Refining Realm?

With his cultivation at the Qi Refining Realm, he boldly entered Eight Trigrams City in such a flamboyant manner. Was he seeking death?

Zhou Qingchen chuckled at his antics. "We’re not going to rob you."

The young man named Li Jie pointed at Luo Hongyan and Han Duping as he sneered, "She and that fat man over there clearly want to rob me! It’s obvious. Those two are up to no good. They’re eyeing my spatial rings and my spirit artifacts!"

"Well, you’re not wrong about that." Han Duping smirked. Then, turning to Zhou Qingchen, he suggested, "Young Zhou, this guy’s loaded with treasures, not to mention the spatial rings. If we don’t rob him, someone else will. Why don’t we just rob him without killing him?"

"Why would we rob him for no reason?" Zhou Qingchen looked at Han Duping in disdain, then turned to Li Jie and said, "I have some questions for you."

"You’re really not going to rob me?" Li Jie looked surprised. He seemed unsettled by the idea.

Zhou Qingchen shook his head. "No, we won’t."

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"If you’re not going to rob me, I’ll be on my way." With a chuckle, he wasted no time waiting for Zhou Qingchen’s reply. Under the watchful gaze of everyone present, he entered Eight Trigrams City through its North Gate.

He sped along a wide street, heading directly toward the center of the city at an astonishing speed.

His boot lit up with many intricate patterns, seemingly enhancing his speed.

"That guy decked himself out in treasures and is deliberately flaunting it. I reckon he’s intentionally seeking death by coming to Eight Trigrams City." Han Duping shook his head, casting a regretful glance at Li Jie as he departed with the aid of his boots. He secretly blamed Zhou Qingchen for being too soft-hearted.

Sensing Li Jie’s low cultivation realm, Luo Hongyan’s murderous intent surged. She wanted to catch up and seize what he had.

Turning around, she found Pang Jian remained unmoved and reluctantly gave up on the idea.

As Li Jie dashed through the city streets, two figures abruptly leaped out from the towering stone buildings on both sides, one from the left and the other from the right. They headed straight for him!

The two figures seemed to have been lurking in the buildings along the entrance, waiting to ambush new arrivals!

A dark red bloody glow surrounded one of them. The other seemed to conjure a blazing sun in his palm as he struck out his hand.

"The Blood Moon Sect!"

"It’s the Radiant Sun Sect!"

Zhou Qingchen and Han Duping shouted simultaneously.

The lurking assailants were both in the Meridian Opening Realm, evidenced by the spiritual power flowing through their palms and bodies!

"I told you we should’ve been the ones to rob him!" Han Duping lamented, stomping his foot in regret. "At least, we wouldn’t have killed him."

He had barely finished speaking these words when...

Boom! Boom!

Just as the two assailants were about to reach the young man, their bodies unexpectedly exploded in mid-air. Their flesh and limbs burst into shreds and the pair were undoubtedly dead.

Meanwhile, Li Jie continued to dash forward, seemingly oblivious.

Chunks of flesh and bone rained down with a bloody mist.

As Han Duping watched this sequence of events unfold, his mouth gaped, but no sound came out.

Luo Hongyan was also silent.

"Old Han, don’t be so impulsive in the future. Greed will kill you." Zhou Qingchen sighed. His words were directed not only at Han Duping but also at Luo Hongyan.

No one had expected the deceptively harmless little sheep to actually be quite fearsome.

Relying solely on some unknown spirit artifacts, he had dealt with the two higher-realm cultivators in the blink of an eye.

"Let’s enter the city," Luo Hongyan said, turning to the silent Pang Jian. "You’re not planning to just stay at the city gate, right?"

Pang Jian shook his head.

The formidable power of the spirit artifact had also surprised him. He realized for the first time the immense power that powerful spirit artifacts could unleash.

Luo Hongyan walked toward the scattered remains of the two cultivators. As she walked, she said offhandedly, "I seem to remember that you’re still lacking an offensive spirit art. The methods you use to condense spiritual qi and advance your cultivation realm aren’t suitable for combat.

"It was fine when you were in the Qi Refining Realm, but now that you’re in the Meridian Opening Realm, not having a combat-oriented technique could put you at a disadvantage."

Hearing her words, Pang Jian recalled all her attempts to please him since they met.

At that time, Su Yuntian and He Rong were still alive. On their way to Black Orchid Lake, they often sat around the bonfire to eat.

At some point, he mentioned that he only possessed cultivation techniques and lacked combat techniques.

Luo Hongyan had unexpectedly remembered that even after such a long time.

"She’s really good to you. Sometimes I feel like you treat her too coldly." Zhou Qingchen sighed in envy. If his esteemed Senior Sister Jiang Li treated him even a quarter as well as Luo Hongyan treated Pang Jian, he would not have resorted to drinking to drown his sorrows.

The jars of liquor he stocked in his spatial bracelet were there precisely for those moments of melancholy. It was why he always had a vast stock on hand.

"Sister Ning is the most capable woman I’ve ever met!" Su Meng summoned her courage and shot Pang Jian a fierce glare. She then chased after Luo Hongyan.

Luo Hongyan stood among the scattered remains and used a blood-stained fragment of bone to rummage around. She then lifted a fish skin pouch stained red with blood. "Hey, a spatial pouch. Not bad."

Waving the spatial pouch at Pang Jian, she said, "This item can store objects. While it may not be as impressive as Zhou Qingchen’s spatial bracelet, it’s still quite useful. You can have it."

Luo Hongyan did not wait for Pang Jian to approach before taking the initiative to allocate the item to him.

Han Duping had opened his mouth, intending to ask for it, only to abruptly shut it as he wore an awkward smile when Zhou Qingchen unexpectedly agreed as well.

Zhou Qingchen nodded and said to Pang Jian, "Spirit artifacts that can be used for storage are divided into spatial pouches, spatial bracelets, and spatial rings. Spatial pouches have the lowest value and have the smallest storage space."

"However, you shouldn’t underestimate them. The space inside is still two to three times larger than the bamboo basket you often carry on your back."

Pang Jian’s eyes lit up.

"Pang Jian, aren’t you going to take it? It’s stained with blood, but you’ll have to clean it yourself. I’m not wiping it for you. Also, there’s an offensive spirit art inside that suits you."

Using the blood-stained bone fragment, Luo Hongyan poked at the spatial pouch and extracted a small booklet from within.

Pang Jian no longer hesitated.

"Wait, be careful!" Zhou Qingchen suddenly shouted.

Tightening his grip on the Dragonwood Spear, Pang Jian immediately shifted his attention to the area further down the wide street.

Seven figures appeared from both sides of the street that the treasure-laden lamb had previously traversed.

The seven individuals seemed to have waited for quite some time in the cyan stone buildings and only dared to reveal themselves once the fat lamb had moved far away.

"The Star River Alliance!"

1. His name, , has the same pronunciation as facing tribulation () ☜

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