Trials of the Abyss

Nearly a hundred cultivators surrounded the City Lord’s Mansion in the center of Eight Trigrams City. These cultivators engaged in fierce combat, and their thunderous roars shook the ground.

Flashy beams of light and rainbow lightning streaked through the air, spilling fresh blood. Tall figures collapsed into pools of blood one after another.

The thick scent of blood permeated the air around the City Lord’s Mansion. The stone tiles resembling white jade were stained red with blood.

The bodies of the fallen, flesh and garments and all, slowly melted away.

Everyone seemed to know that Eight Trigrams City would eventually swallow up the deceased, but nobody paid it any heed.

Standing on the edge of the plaza, Pang Jian impassively observed his surroundings. He mentally transformed the chaotic battlefield into a three-dimensional map and imprinted it deeply in his mind.

A total of eight streets led to the center of the city. A girl clad in white stood at the second intersection to his left.

The girl stood at the edge of the plaza like them. Her gaze was calm and serene as if she knew the darkness behind her would not spill into the plaza.

Pang Jian shifted his attention to his right.

However, as Pang Jian gazed at the second intersection on the right, a sense of unease and foreboding gripped him.

Studying the intersection more carefully, he noticed that the darkness there was different from that of the other intersections.

At the other intersections, the darkness remained stagnant, but at the second intersection to his right, the darkness remained in a constant state of agitation.

It was as if something lurked within the darkness.

That something seemed to have concealed itself in the endless darkness, standing at the intersection as it observed the battles around the City Lord’s Mansion.

"There’s something there," Pang Jian said, pointing at the intersection.

Following the direction of his pointing, Zhou Qingchen and the others saw that the darkness at that particular intersection was distinctly different from the rest.

Despite losing half of her left arm, Jiang Li still exuded an elegant demeanor. However, the elegance gave way to gripping fear once they arrived at the city center, and seeing the agitated darkness at that intersection only heightened her sense of dread and apprehension.

Nevertheless, she waved cordially at the white-clad girl and asked, "Little girl, are you alone? Would you like to join us?"

The veiled girl shook her head in disinterest.

Zhou Qingchen did not mind that Jiang Li’s kind invitation had been refused and he decided to warn the girl, "There’s something unusual in the darkness at the intersection across from you. Be careful."

A hint of alarm flashed in the girl’s eyes at Zhou Qingchen’s words.

The Lord’s Manor occupied a sizable space in the center of the plaza. The intersection where the girl stood and the intersection with unusual activity in the darkness were separated by the City Lord’s Mansion.

The girl was directly opposite that intersection, the City Lord’s Mansion loomed between them, obstructing her view and preventing her from seeing the strange activity in the darkness ahead.

After receiving Zhou Qingchen’s warning, the girl muttered to herself as she walked along the wall on the left side, avoiding Pang Jian’s group to take a look for herself.

"Senior Sister Jiang, your kindness knows no bounds." Zhou Qingchen’s eyes held a trace of heartache as he looked at Jiang Li. He did not blame her for her kindness and offered some comforting words. "That girl dares to explore this city without a hint of panic in her eyes. This means she has confidence in herself. If compare that to Su Meng, who is of similar age to the girl..."

Jiang Li turned her head to see Su Meng utterly overwhelmed by the brutal scenes unfolding before her. She was too consumed by fear to pay attention to her surroundings.

Su Meng recoiled at the sound of her name. Casting a bewildered gaze at everyone present, she asked, "Why? Why must they resort to such slaughter?"

"Eight Trigrams City demands sacrifices. The Mirror Tunnel will not reveal itself and the barrier guarding the treasures will remain intact until it has its fill," Li Jie explained, suddenly appearing on their right side as he sauntered toward them.

The reed straw that typically hung from his mouth was inserted into a glass bottle, giving the impression that Li Jie was perpetually sipping on green fruit juice.

When he reached the street with the agitated darkness, Li Jie stopped.

He stood at the intersection and stared into the darkness.

The churning darkness was mere inches away from him. Under his curious and scrutinizing gaze, the churning darkness unexpectedly quieted down.

Li Jie chuckled. He no longer stared at the darkness and walked toward the intersection to the right of Pang Jian’s group before retrieving a recliner weaved from bamboo from his spatial ring.

He settled comfortably on the recliner, pulling jerky and dried fruit from his spatial ring as he savored his green fruit juice.

"I was on the opposite side of the plaza at the main entrance of the City Lord’s Mansion, which stood between us," Li Jie said, chuckling lightly to himself. "You arrived too late. You missed out on a spectacular scene.

"At first, everything was peaceful, but once it became known that Eight Trigrams City required blood sacrifices for the Mirror Tunnel to open and the treasures to reveal themselves, a bloodbath naturally erupted."

Li Jie enjoyed a good spectacle. Slapping his thigh, he exclaimed, "It was truly spectacular!

"Groups with long-standing grudges and grievances clashed, and the fighting slowly spread to everyone else. Soon, everyone was fighting and all they could see was red.

"The strongest few have already entered the City Lord’s Mansion and are waiting on the elevated platform beside the pool. Meanwhile, the slaughter outside is still ongoing.

"If the number of deaths within Eight Trigrams City does not pass a certain threshold, the mysteries within the City Lord’s Mansion will not fully manifest. This bloodbath will continue until that threshold is reached."

Li Jie lounged in his chair, munching on jerky and sipping fruit juice as he animatedly explained the situation to them.

"This brat is really annoying," Han Duping said disdainfully.

If he had not witnessed the miserable ends of the two cultivators from the Blood Moon Sect and the Radiant Sun Sect, Han Duping would not hesitate to teach Li Jie a lesson and plunder all his treasure.

"I’ll go and have a look," Pang Jian suddenly said. Before anyone could react, he had already walked in the direction the girl clad in white had headed earlier.

As he walked along the edge of the plaza, he studied the intersections on his left and the City Lord’s Mansion.

Soon, he saw the girl clad in white in front of the main entrance of the City Lord’s Mansion, where Li Jie had been earlier.

When she saw him approach, the girl’s expression turned cold.

Pang Jian did not get any closer. Instead, he stared at the area in front of the City Lord’s Mansion’s entrance, where the fighting was the fiercest.

After a few moments, Pang Jian nodded at the girl with an aloof expression before retracing his steps.

Upon returning, Pang Jian conveyed his findings, "The City Lord’s Mansion has a front and back entrance. The street we were on faces the back entrance, but it is sealed off. Although the front entrance is open, no one is entering."

"Why bother checking for yourself when you could ask me?" Li Jie cut in from the side. With a cheerful smile, he continued, "Those seeking entry through the front entrance of the City Lord’s Mansion must first prove themselves by demonstrating their formidable personal combat abilities.

"Alternatively, you could reveal some kind of status, position, or reputation that would strike fear into the hearts of the people around you. Those outside hesitate to enter because they know they’re no match for those within. They’re fighting outside because they understand that, despite its ferocity, it’s better than confronting the formidable individuals within the City Lord’s Mansion.

"In any case, they only need to continue the bloodbath outside the City Lord’s Mansion. Once the death toll meets the threshold, the barrier holding the treasures will be lifted. At that point, those inside will no longer bother with them and the ones outside can also enter to look at the treasures," Li Jie explained.

Boom!

A small yet muscular cultivator emerged from a pile of corpses, his body drenched in blood.

His bloodthirsty gaze swept across Pang Jian’s group and he laughed cruelly. "The death toll needs to reach a certain threshold. I want this bloodbath to end as soon as possible, so I guess I’ll have to kill you all to meet the quota!"

This cultivator had been in fierce combat outside the City Lord’s Mansion for quite some time. His body was covered with cuts and bruises.

If the fighting persisted, he could very well end up as one of the corpses trampled beneath everyone’s feet.

He was keenly aware that this terrifying bloodshot would only end once the barrier within the City Lord’s Mansion was lifted and the extraordinary treasures were revealed.

Only then did he have a chance to survive.

In the chaos of battle, those who knew they could not hold out for much longer found a glimmer of hope upon hearing his words.

"He’s right!"

Some people glanced at the lounging Li Jie. Fear filled their eyes and they instantly abandoned their plans.

They had previously suffered at the hands of Li Jie and were now afraid to provoke him.

"We must kill that man as brutally as possible, or only trouble will follow," Luo Hongyan advised. "Any display of weakness will make us seem like pushovers. If that happens, more and more people will try to kill us to reach the required threshold as soon as possible."

Pang Jian and the rest felt a chill run down their spine.

Pang Jian, Zhou Qingchen, and Han Duping’s eyes flashed with strong killing intent, no longer concealing their murderous aura.

They knew Luo Hongyan was right.

The cultivators fighting outside the City Lord’s Mansion would only be deterred once the unidentified cultivator met a swift and brutal demise.

"Young Zhou, don’t hold back. Whatever you do, don’t show mercy!" Han Duping said gravely.

Zhou Qingchen nodded resolutely.

Jiang Li gritted her teeth. She also wanted to join the battle.

"Senior Sister Jiang, stay here! Your left hand is severely injured, and you haven’t adapted to the new fighting style yet. Don’t make trouble for us!" Zhou Qingchen solemnly warned Jiang Li. This was the first time he addressed Jiang Li with a less-than-favorable expression.

With that said, Zhou Qingchen boldly took the lead, brandishing his cold iron long saber as he stepped forward.

As he advanced, he took out his Heartguard Mirror and placed it on his chest. His unarmed left hand was encased in a black iron glove adorned with menacing spikes.

Jiang Li wanted to speak out, but Luo Hongyan interrupted her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. She whispered, "Listen to him. He’s not all bad. When you’re around, he actually shows his manly side."

"Pang Jian, do you have any good ideas?" Han Duping asked.

Pang Jian shook his head.

The plaza was open and had no cover. It was impossible to plan for this kind of battle.

Zhou Qingchen charged fiercely at his opponent. When he was only a few meters away, he halted and tossed a packet of poison powder into the air.

Boom!

A mist of poisonous powder scattered above the man’s head, enveloping his entire body.

"Damn it!" The man hastily closed his eyes as he cursed furiously.

Han Duping was preparing to charge forward, only to freeze in astonishment at the sight of the poisonous cloud.

Pang Jian was also shocked.

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