Trials of the Abyss

Pang Jian’s sorry figure stumbled through the dark tunnel. All he wanted to do was leave the City Lord’s Mansion and return to the familiar street they had entered from.

He did not care about the corrosive, filthy energy in the darkness, and could only hope to hold out for as long as he could.

Bang! Clang!

Unable to see anything in the darkness, Pang Jian collided with a warm body, knocking over several tables and chairs, and causing plates of fruit and food to scatter across the ground.

He felt like he had collided with a girl...

He recalled the abnormal movement of the darkness that seemed to indicate someone lurking within it. It was an anomaly that he and Li Jie had considered a significant threat.

So, it was a girl. Pang Jian scrambled to his feet, accidentally coming into contact with her in the process. He hastily muttered an apology.

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Before the girl could react, he hurriedly left the tunnel and headed toward the familiar street.

She watched as Pang Jian rushed out of the tunnel, steadying himself with a hand against the wall, seeking to return to the familiar street as he disappeared from view.

The stunned girl returned to her senses as she looked at the scattered fruit plates and dishes. She sat up with an annoyed expression, rubbing her sore bottom as she did.

"Damn scoundrel!” she cursed under her breath as she righted the table to once again block the tunnel. She then picked up a large chair and brought out a new spread of dishes.

Holding an exquisite little wine jar, she glared in Pang Jian’s direction before angrily taking a large sip.

But Pang Jian was already nowhere to be found.

She turned back around just in time to see Luo Hongyan shatter the sea of golden dagger light and kill Leng Yuan.

The girl stopped worrying about Pang Jian. Hidden in the darkness of the Fifth World, she gazed into the brightly lit courtyard of the City Lord’s Mansion, occasionally glancing at Li Jie.

***

Inside the City Lord’s Mansion, Lin Beiye asked, "Who are you?”

Despite seeing Luo Hongyan seize the white jade bottle containing the Crystal Snow Lotus, Lin Beiye did not dare to snatch it back. The way Leng Yuan died had been too brutal and sudden.

Leng Yuan had been in the same cultivation realm as them and could stand behind Dong Tianze, proving she was not weak.

The effortless way Luo Hongyan killed Leng Yuan was reminiscent of how they killed those coveting the treasures in the pool.

This meant Luo Hongyan’s strength was comparable to theirs!

"I’m Ning Yao, from the Ning Clan in the Fourth World. I practice the cultivation method of the Star River Alliance—"

Dong Tianze cut her off with a cold snort, "You’re not Ning Yao! You controlled the Spirit Devils to self-immolate in my sea of consciousness at Black Orchid Lake. You’re also the one who set up that scarlet lotus in the deep hole. Am I right?"

"Oh, so you’re not a fool after all. You managed to figure me out." Luo Hongyan chuckled.

Despite being found out, she made no move to leave Ning Yao’s body. Her soul had transcended the Marrow Cleansing Realm, and she was unsure what would happen if it were exposed in Eight Trigrams City.

To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, she opted to remain cautious and continue inhabiting Ning Yao’s body.

"Hey, you, from the Black Valley Sect, are you going to take back the Crystal Snow Lotus or not?" She brazenly waved the white jade bottle at Lin Beiye.

"There are few from the Fourth World, or even the Third World, who can recognize the Crystal Snow Lotus at first glance,” Lin Beiye commented in surprise. The ambiguity surrounding Luo Hongyan’s true identity made him even more hesitant to act rashly.

"Scared?" Luo Hongyan chuckled, lips curled in disdain. She pointed a delicate finger at Yuan Lengshan and said breezily, "Well, I have a proposal, let me tell you all about it."

Qi Qingsong’s interest was piqued when he saw Luo Hongyan point at Yuan Lengshan. "I’m all ears."

Zhou Qingchen had escaped through the Mirror Tunnel and Pang Jian had charged into the darkness, leaving Qi Qingsong with no one to vent his anger on.

His only enemy left in the City Lord’s Mansion was Yuan Lengshan from the Demon Heart Sect, the mastermind behind it all!

"We’re all familiar with the methods and style of the Demon Heart Sect, even if we haven’t experienced it firsthand." Luo Hongyan’s voice was pleasant, but her eyes were cold. "That little wench, Yuan Lengshan, tricked my Pang Jian into attacking you as part of her plan to hunt down everyone here.

"So, I propose to kill this pair of senior and junior sisters from the Demon Heart Sect first. We can talk things over properly once they’re dead!"

Outside the City Lord’s Mansion, the kind-hearted Jiang Li had seen Yuan Lengshan alone and invited her to join them.

Zhou Qingchen had also told her about the anomalies in the darkness and warned her to be careful.

Not only did Yuan Lengshan show no gratitude, she even used Pang Jian and Zhou Qingchen as her pawns, and almost led the two of them to their demise.

Among everyone present, the one Luo Hongyan detested and resented the most was Yuan Lengshan!

"I agree." Lin Beiye was the first to speak up.

Qi Qingsong nodded. "Exactly my thoughts!"

"Then it’s settled," said Luo Hongyan, before Dong Tianze could even voice his opinion.

Whoosh!

The crystal-like Mirror Tunnel on the pool’s surface suddenly turned back into water.

It vanished without a trace.

Luo Hongyan and the others were startled.

Even if they were to obtain the precious treasures within the pool, they could not escape Eight Trigrams City without the Mirror Tunnel.

"All of you just carry on with what you were doing! Rest assured, the Mirror Tunnel will reappear in due time. Patience is key," Li Jie advised, seemingly hoping for more entertaining chaos as he continued to lounge on his recliner and sip his green fruit juice.

Inquisitive gazes landed on him, only to be silently withdrawn in tacit understanding.

For some unknown reason, there was no sense of threat from Li Jie.

Li Jie simply did not appear interested in the treasures. As long as no one provoked him, he would not interfere.

Whoosh!

The talented Yuan Lengshan from the Demon Heart Sect leaped into the air and landed on the raised platform next to Lan Xi.

Black "Demon" and crimson "Heart" characters flew out from her pristine white dress and swirled around her.

She sat down and knitted her brows. "Senior Sister, don’t you think it’s a little cramped up here?"

Even though Yuan Lengshan had released many circling "Demon" and "Heart" characters, there was still a lot of space on the raised platform.

However, Lan Xi tactfully agreed, "Yes, I feel the same way."

She then obediently flew down from the raised platform and stood silently below.

Despite being the senior sister, Lan Xi had surprisingly complied with Yuan Lengshan’s words. There was a hint of fear in her actions as if she did not dare to defy Yuan Lengshan.

"Thank you, Senior Sister," Yuan Lengshan said, but her eyes showed no gratitude. She then extended her hand out toward the pool.

The silver spear floating at the bottom of the pool was drawn to her hand, flying out to land firmly in her palm.

Her eyes gleamed with a peculiar light as she grasped the spear. Turning to Qi Qingsong, she then said, "If the young man earlier had been holding this silver spear instead of the one he had, you’d be dead already."

Qi Qingsong smiled dismissively and shook his head. "’Ifs’ don’t matter. What matters is that I’m alive, while he’ll be tainted by the corrosive energy of the Fifth World. He’ll either die or become a mindless aberration."

"That’s true." Yuan Lengshan nodded in acknowledgment of Qi Qingsong’s assessment. "The Mirror Tunnel hasn’t reappeared yet. If nobody’s in a rush to fight, I have a little story to tell first."

Qi Qingsong smiled and said, "Sure. I like listening to stories."

"Do you know the surname of the lord of the City Lord’s Mansion? It’s Yuan," Yuan Lengshan’s eyes swept over those gathered around the pool. "Technically speaking, you’re all guests in my home."

***

Still covered in blood, Pang Jian stumbled through the darkness, headed for the back entrance of the City Lord’s Mansion and toward the street they had come from.

There were a total of eight streets leading to the City Lord’s Mansion, but he had ultimately chosen the one he was most familiar with.

Even if he could not see in the darkness, he would at least have a rough idea of his surroundings and could flee if he encountered danger.

However, there was no one pursuing him.

Neither Dong Tianze nor Qi Qingsong, his two most formidable adversaries, rushed into the darkness of the Fifth World as he did. They did not dare to expose themselves to the putrid and corrosive environment.

I don’t know how long I can hold on. Pang Jian gritted his teeth through the pain as he sat on the floor at the dark intersection. He did not dare to use the tainted energy of the Fifth World to heal his wounds.

The acrid energy in the air corroded his abdomen with every breath he took, causing his flesh to prickle and ache with discomfort.

The miraculous medicinal effects of Li Jie’s green fruit juice had long been depleted and provided him with little to no assistance.

I’m afraid my bone forging, marrow cleansing process is out of reach now, he thought as he leaned against the wall. He stared coldly ahead.

All he could see was darkness.

Everything from the sky above to his surroundings was shrouded in it.

Eight Trigrams City had been engulfed by endless darkness.

It was like Pang Jian was the only person left in the entire world.

An endless sense of loneliness, coupled with the corrosive energy in the darkness, slowly seeped into his soul, wearing down his fighting spirit and willpower.

Hope, life, future. The endless darkness erased any uplifting thoughts from his mind.

Upper world, lower world...

People from the upper world appeared in his mind. He saw Yuan Lengshan from the Demon Heart Sect, Lin Beiyi from the Black Valley Sect, and Qi Qingsong from the Sword Pavilion, with their indifferent stares and blatant disregard toward him.

Their apathy was like a searing brand that etched itself into Pang Jian’s mind and consumed his thoughts.

He keenly understood he meant nothing to the talented youths from the upper world.

A fierce killing intent bubbled up within him. His eyes gleamed with defiance!

"The lower world..." he muttered through gritted teeth, suppressing the pain in his body as he carefully examined his body’s condition.

He broke free from the endless solitude of the darkness. He refused to lose himself to madness and succumb to despair.

He would not resign himself to death!

The flame of hope reignited in his heart!

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