Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 117: Seizing the Ghost Altar

"Yang Yuansen, why do you insist on clinging to this matter?" Zhao Ling sneered. "Just now you told the Sect Leader that all those women you forced yourself upon before meant nothing to you. People like you only think about themselves. Why harm others even in your final moments?"

"Because that's just the type of person I am!" Yang Yuansen grinned shamelessly at the Bai sisters. "We're all going to die anyway. You two can't escape, so why not make the most of your final days and experience a real man? I may not be good at much else, but I'm an expert in this area. I guarantee you'll have the time of your lives!"

"We don't want to be with you!" Bai Wei screamed. She was on the verge of tears.

Bai Zhi mustered her courage and said, "Our master told us that we belong to Hong Jian."

"That's right, our master said we would be given to Hong Jian!" Bai Wei added defiantly, grabbing her sister's hand to hide behind Pang Jian.

This act made it clear that the one they truly cared for was the young man who had rescued them from their suffering.

"I made myself clear. When Hong Jian returned, the sisters would belong to him," Meng Qiulan stated firmly, shooting the sisters a look of approval.

Although she could not suppress the vicious Yang Yuansen with her cultivation realm, Pang Jian could.

Pang Jian had originally intended to use the Shadow Specter Sect's connection to exchange for some rare spiritual materials. When Bai Wei and Bai Zhi hid behind him, he shifted his attention away from the Ghost Altar to Yang Yuansen.

"I heard that only hall masters in the Shadow Specter Sect can possess a Ghost Altar. Yang Yuansen, since you've prepared to die, why not give your Ghost Altar to me?" Pang Jian said.

This statement puzzled Zhao Ling and Meng Qiulan.

Yang Yuansen grinned.

In the blink of an eye, Profound Yin Stones, Ethereal Spirit Jade, and several small colorful flags were spilling out of Yang Yuansen's spatial pouch.

"You have to reassemble the Ghost Altar. These things mean nothing to me now. You can have them," Yang Yuansen said to Pang Jian. Then, raising his voice, he shouted, "Old Meng! You heard him. This kid is willing to give up the sisters for my Ghost Altar. Now you can't say anything!"

Meng Qiulan looked at Pang Jian with a frown, unsure of his intention.

Zhao Ling and Wu Yi also stared at him with confusion.

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Despair washed over Bai Wei and Bai Zhi, leaving their eyes dull and lifeless.

They knew their master, Meng Qiulan, could not protect them from Yang Yuansen. They had placed their hopes on Pang Jian, but now they feared he was abandoning them for the Ghost Altar.

"Kid, I want what you don't. It seems there won't be any conflict between us," Yang Yuansen said, stepping forward to seize the pair of sisters.

"I said I want your Ghost Altar. I never said I would trade it for anything." Pang Jian stared at Yang Yuansen like he was an idiot. "Don't assume things."

"Kid, are you playing with me? Why would I give you my Ghost Altar just because you want it? Even if I don't need it, I'd rather destroy it than give it to you for nothing!" Yang Yuansen roared.

The Startling Slaughter Spear appeared in Pang Jian's hands!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Clusters of blue and red lights exploded above Yang Yuansen like brilliant fireworks.

Yang Yuansen's expression changed. Pulling out a golden purple alms bowl, he hurriedly activated a powerful secret technique.

Golden bars, copper pieces, silver ingots, and iron balls flew out from the golden purple alms bowl, turning into a strange sea of metallic fragments above his head.

Pang Jian closed the distance, infusing his spear with fiery energy as he leaped into the air like a blazing meteor and thrust his spear down toward Yang Yuansen.

Explosive fiery energy erupted.

The sharp spearhead of the Startling Slaughter Spear struck the sea of metallic fragments with lightning speed. Gold bars and copper pieces were smashed to smithereens.

Pang Jian's explosive force obliterated the sea of metallic fragments.

Waves of violent energy surged downward toward Yang Yuansen, piercing his skin like scalding steel needles.

Yang Yuansen screamed in pain, eyes wide as he stared at the immense vitality surging from Pang Jian's chest.

Clutching his golden purple alms bowl, he retreated, avoiding the explosive fiery power as he exclaimed, "Late-stage Marrow Cleansing Realm! Didn't you just enter the Marrow Cleansing Realm?"

Meng Qiulan's eyes widened as she gaped at Pang Jian in disbelief.

Yang Yuansen's assessment was correct. The immense vitality pouring from Pang Jian's chest indicated he had completed the refinement of his internal organs and had officially reached the late stage of the Marrow Cleansing Realm!

"Late-stage Marrow Cleansing Realm," Zhao Ling muttered in shock.

Wu Yi licked his dry lips and sighed. "A monster. We've accepted a little monster into the sect."

Yang Yuansen backed away. When Pang Jian continued to advance with his spear, he screamed desperately, "Hong Jian! My Ghost Altar is yours. Just give me one of the sisters! You can choose first, and I'll take the other!"

Pang Jian ignored him and continued to approach.

A chill ran down Yang Yuansen's spine as he recalled Pang Jian's violent spear technique. He shouted, his voice frantic, "Forget it, forget it! I don't want either of them! I'm so damn unlucky. I shouldn't have come to Divine Fortune. This time I'm completely screwed."

His shouting came to an abrupt halt as he stopped retreating.

The others also looked on in surprise as Pang Jian stopped at the scattered Ghost Altar materials, crouching down to gather the materials needed to assemble the altar.

He had not been aiming to attack Yang Yuansen but rather to collect the materials needed to construct a Ghost Altar.

Yang Yuansen's fear and lack of confidence caused him to surrender without even a word from Pang Jian. He had voluntarily given up his claim on the Bai sisters.

Pang Jian did not even glance at Yang Yuansen. Instead, he turned to Hall Master Meng Qiulan and said coldly, "It should be their decision who they want to follow. They're not commodities. From our very first meeting, I disliked how you treated them, saying that you would give them away if they didn't meet your expectations.

"They're your disciples. Not spirit stones to be used to curry favor with others. If you had protected them from the beginning, Hall Master Yang would never have had any reasons to harbor such thoughts about them."

Shamed filled Meng Qiulan, rendering her speechless.

Bai Wei and Bai Zhi stood unmoving. Their eyes welled up with tears as they processed Pang Jian's words.

A glimmer of admiration appeared in the depths of Zhao Ling's bright eyes as she lightly nodded in agreement.

With his piece said, Pang Jian silently returned to gathering the scattered materials, wondering how to assemble them into a Ghost Altar.

Seeing this, Zhao Ling stepped forward.

"I'll teach you!" she said, crouching by him and instructing him on the assembly process. As she taught him, she patiently explained, "Typically, we need to send a note through the Ghost Altar first, informing the Sect Leader when we plan to activate it. We can specify what we want to discuss or what materials we wish to exchange.

"Then, at the appointed time, we simply activate the Ghost Altar and wait for the Sect Leader to appear. If he sees the note and deems it necessary to meet or is willing to trade with us, he'll show up at the specified time. It's not guaranteed he'll show up every time as he's also extremely busy.

"The Ghost Altar allows us to send information to the Sect Leader and transfer or trade items as small objects can be sent and received directly through the Ghost Altar. But the Ghost Altar is not all-powerful and living beings with physical bodies cannot be transported through it."

Hall Master Zhao Ling guided Pang Jian through assembling Yang Yuansen's Ghost Altar then helped him place the small colorful flags around the altar's edge.

Finally, she pointed to a spot where he could place a note detailing his request and said, "You can write your request on a piece of paper and place it here. The Sect Leader will look at it when he has time."

"Alright." Pang Jian nodded.

He borrowed a piece of paper and a brush from Zhao Ling, wrote down his request, and placed the note in the designated spot.

Zhao Ling then instructed him to activate the Ghost Altar with his spiritual power. Following her guidance, Pang Jian infused green spiritual power into the altar. He felt the jade stones within come to life as a mysterious array activated.

The note vanished.

"That's it. The Sect Leader will look at your request when he's. You just need to activate the Ghost Altar at the agreed time and wait for him to appear. If he doesn't show up, it could mean he didn't notice the request or isn't interested in responding," Zhao Ling explained.

Pang Jian nodded once more.

***

Inside an expansive cavern, deep within the mountains of the Dark Abyss Continent in the Third World, was a large Ghost Altar.

Colorful flags and spirit materials surrounded the altar. The setup was several times larger than the one Meng Qiulan and her group had used.

An emaciated man named Han Zhiyuan left the center of the Ghost Altar and turned to Dong Tianze.

"The people of the upper worlds need a sect like the Shadow Specter Sect. That's why it exists in the first place.

"The Shadow Specter Sect and these painstakingly constructed Ghost Altars allow us to communicate with beings from the Fifth World at specific times or barter with them.

"This is because many rare spirit materials only exist in the Fifth World. The people of the upper world cannot conveniently travel there or interact with its beings, so they need a secret channel.

"My work in the Sinister Soul Temple is similar to what you do in the Dong Clan. Both involve unsavory, clandestine activities, such as controlling the Shadow Specter Sect."

"In the future, I want you to help share the burden of these matters," Han Zhiyuan said, gazing intently at Dong Tianze.