Trials of the Abyss

Qi Qingsong had always been lazy.

Jiang Li managed to survive not because he could not have killed her, but simply because he felt it was not worth the effort.

He did not harbor any personal grudge against Jiang Li and did not pay much heed to whether she lived or died. If not for the foolhardy member of Jiang Li’s group provoking him, he would not have even bothered targeting the Red Mountain Sect.

"You don’t remember?"

Zhou Qingchen grinned menacingly, brandishing his cold iron long saber and taking out his Heartguard Mirror.

Luo Hongyan watched as Dong Tianze stepped aside and the man named Qi Qingsong stood up. At that moment, she noticed the sword-shaped pavilion embroidered on the chest of Qi Qingsong’s blue attire.

The pavilion resembled a downward-pointing sword divided into nine segments, each representing a floor of the pavilion. The sword-shaped pavilion exuded a sharpness that made it seem poised to burst forth.

Luo Hongyan finally understood why Jiang Li refused to let Zhou Qingchen seek vengeance on her behalf. Knitting her brows, she cautioned, "Zhou Qingchen, I think it might be best to forget about it. Your opponent hails from the Sword Pavilion Sect of the Second World."

"The-the Sword Pavilion Sect!" Han Duping’s lips trembled uncontrollably. He hastily restrained Zhou Qingchen and urged, "Don’t be rash, Young Zhou! There are numerous sects in the Second World, but the Sword Pavilion Sect is the most formidable. We can’t afford to provoke them!"

He had also noticed the sword-pavilion emblem on Qi Qingsong’s chest. Having heard about the Sword Pavilion of the Second World from some of the members of the Red Mountain Sect, he understood what the Sword Pavilion symbolized.

However, his beloved had half her arm severed, and the other party did not even remember her, making it difficult for him to control himself.

Jiang Li held his free hand and shook her head. She was on the verge of tears when she pleaded, "Don’t! Please don’t risk your life for me! I’ve only lost half of my arm. I’m still alive.

I’m not worth you putting your life in danger like this. If your feelings for me remain in the future, I’ll accompany you for as long as I’m allowed. I know I can’t be with you till the end, but I’ll cherish every moment we share together."

Jiang Li cried as she tried to appeal to Zhou Qingchen’s emotions, hoping to persuade him to calm down.

"If you don’t want to fight, just forget it," Qi Qingsong said disinterestedly. He was known for his laid-back demeanor and had been gearing up for a fight. However, seeing the provocateur held back by his companions, he lost interest in the whole affair.

He did not have any grudge against the group, nor had he suffered any losses. Thus, he could not be bothered to make a scene once Zhou Qingchen no longer provoked him.

Hesitation crept into Zhou Qingchen’s heart as Jiang Li and Han Duping held him back. He was torn between his desire to seek revenge and the fearsomeness of the Sword Pavilion and decided to seek Pang Jian’s opinion.

"Pang Jian, if it were you..." He turned his head to look at Pang Jian, but only saw Han Duping, Luo Hongyan, Su Meng, and Jiang Li beside him. "Where’s Pang Jian?"

Pang Jian was nowhere to be found.

Zhou Qingchen, Luo Hongyab, and Han Duping simultaneously cried out in alarm, "Damn it!"

The thought that Pang Jian fled under the pressure of the Sword Pavilion Sect never even crossed the trio’s minds. None of them doubted Pang Jian’s recklessness!

"Pang Jian!"

Almost everyone’s attention was drawn to the commotion, all watching for any unusual movements from Zhou Qingchen and his group.

Only one person had vigilantly kept an eye on Pang Jian from beginning to end.

The person was Dong Tianze!

He curled his lips and bared his teeth as he glanced at Qi Qingsong of the Sword Pavilion. "It’s not over yet."

"What do you mean by ’it’s not over yet’?" Qi Qingsong asked in surprise.

As the words left his mouth, a blazing streak of light shot up from below!

Qi Qingsong had been looking at Dong Tianze from where he stood on the raised platform when a flaming spear unexpectedly thrust toward him!

"Meridian Opening Realm," Qi Qingsong muttered with a frown, instantly discerning the cultivation of the spear-wielding young man.

Bringing two fingers of a hand together to form a sword, he pointed it toward the incoming spear. A chilling sword intent burst forth from his fingers in a dazzling show of light and stabbed toward the tip of the spear.

Dong Tianze let out a cry, relishing in Pang Jian’s impending misfortune.

Zzzt! Zzzt!

The sword intent emanating from Qi Qingsong’s fingers sliced through the flames above the spear tip, shattered the crimson earthflame energy and green spiritual power, and stabbed through the tip of the spear.

An overwhelming, savage force suddenly erupted from the Dragonwood Spear!

Although the raging flames dwindled, and the earthflame energy and spiritual power were depleted, Pang Jian’s spear still stubbornly thrust toward the finger sword coming from Qi Qingsong’s two fingers!

Bang!

Qi Qingsong had underestimated his opponent and found his fingers shattered and bleeding profusely from the impact. The force surpassed what an ordinary Meridian Opening Realm cultivator should possess.

Qi Qingsong drew in a sharp breath as he shook his hand out, flicking out a spray of blood.

"Pang Jian!" Zhou Qingchen cried, a tremor running through his body. He forcefully pushed Jiang Li and Han Duping back, no longer concerned about Qi Qingsong’s status as a disciple of the Sword Pavilion.

The Heartguard Mirror on Zhou Qingchen’s chest activated, and seven crimson beams burst out one after another, aiming straight at Qi Qingsong.

Zhou Qingchen brandished his saber, stomping his feet as he leaped into the air as if chasing after the seven crimson beams.

Still grimacing in pain, Qi Qingsong casually flicked out his other hand and pointed at the incoming crimson beams.

A spirit sword concealed in his sleeve materialized in his hand.

A faint sword light flashed, shattering the crimson beams from Zhou Qingchen’s Heartguard Mirror.

He had suffered greatly from underestimating Pang Jian’s combat prowess and did not want to make the same mistake again. After shattering the crimson beams, he followed up with another stab at the incoming Zhou Qingchen.

Whoosh!

A second faint sword light burst forth.

Zhou Qingchen was still in midair, far from the raised platform as he had yet to soar over the pool.

The faint sword light struck Zhou Qingchen, sending him and his long saber flying.

Rumble!

He landed heavily beside Jiang Li and Han Duping. He had been injured in the blink of an eye, and blood streamed from his hands holding the long saber.

"He actually injured me," Qi Qingsong said, glancing at his bloodied fingers. He lowered his gaze to where the young man had fallen back to the ground below the raised platform.

Qi Qingsong did not explode in anger, Instead, he stared curiously at Pang Jian as he asked the smirking Dong Tianze, "Dong Tianze, do you know him?"

Dong Tianze restrained his manic grin. He glanced at the spear-wielding young man from where he stood on the opposite raised platform. "I do. His name is Pang Jian. Like me, he also hails from the lower worlds that you disdain."

Qi Qingsong shook his head in bewilderment. "Is everyone from the lower world this fearless and defiant of death? How could a mere Meridian Opening Realm cultivator from the Fourth World dare attempt an assassination on someone of a higher cultivation realm? Does he not understand the concept of ’death’?"

Whoosh!

Qi Qingsong swung his spirit sword, causing faint sword lights to surge forth, aiming down at Pang Jian’s head.

As Pang Jian lifted his head, hundreds of dazzling sword lights surrounded him, covering every inch of the area around him.

Surrounded by sword lights, a looming feeling of resignation toward his impending death filled him.

However, it was just a feeling. While the sword light could shatter the will of some, it did not affect everyone in the same way.

Pang Jian was one of those people.

The sword lights only affected him for a split second before he forcefully brushed off the impending sense of doom. Relying on sheer willpower, he broke free from the influence of the sword lights and took a step back.

Rip!

The strike that should have pierced him from head to toe only managed to leave a shallow wound on the left side of his body. The wound was not caused by the sword lights, but by the sword intent Qi Qingsong imbued in the attack.

Pang Jian winced as a sharp pain shot through his side. He peered up at Qi Qingsong, from the middle of the bustling crowd.

Sword Pavilion!

He grimly realized that there was a vast gap between him and the powerhouse from the upper world.

Pang Jian fell significantly short of Qi Qingsong in terms of spirit artifacts, cultivation methods, and cultivation level.

The only reason he had been able to shatter Qi Qingsong’s fingers was because Pang Jian’s attack had been unexpected and his opponent had underestimated him.

"Are you seeking revenge for that woman too?" Qi Qingsong asked curiously.

As a disciple of the Sword Pavilion, cultivators in Eight Trigrams City would avoid him as soon as they caught sight of the emblem on his attire.

Qi Qingsong found it difficult to comprehend how a young man at the Meridian Opening Realm from the lower world dared to challenge him.

"No." Pang Jian shook his head but offered no further explanation.

"He’s trying to kill you for my sake!" Zhou Qingchen shouted at Qi Qingsong as he crawled to his feet. A trace of blood could be seen at the corner of his mouth.

"Brotherly affection?" Qi Qingsong shook his head in disbelief, voice dripping with disdain. "How utterly laughable."

On another raised platform, a woman had been sitting with her eyes closed when she abruptly opened them and impatiently said, "Enough with the bickering. The Mirror Tunnel is ready. Those who wish to leave should do so now."

Her words seemed to carry a devilish power. The clamor in the courtyard ceased.

Those present seemed more than willing to follow her instructions.

The woman was dressed in a long, bright yellow skirt. At first glance, her appearance appeared ordinary, but her gaze darted about erratically, leaving one uncertain of where exactly she was looking.

Embroidered all over her long skirt were colorful blossoming characters that resembled vibrant flowers.

However, all these characters were actually the same.

Each one formed the character for "Demon", and these characters bloomed like a field of colorful flowers on her long skirt.

"The Demon Sect!"

A sense of apprehension flickered in the eyes of the crowd as they stared at the varied colors and sizes of the character "Demon".

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