Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 238: The Dark Abyss Continent

The voice belonged to none other than Li Yuqing!

Pang Jian's eyes were filled with bitterness as he felt the sword token in his hand grow heavier.

The image of the giant silver sword hovering behind the young girl in a crumbling Divine Fortune flashed across his mind.

Divine Fortune would have ceased to exist if she had truly slashed down with that sword.

Spirit Condensation Realm cultivators such as Jiu Yuan, Luo Yunming, and Cao Mang were nothing compared to this incredibly powerful girl.

She was the strongest human cultivator Pang Jian had ever met.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Feeling guilty, are you?" Li Yuqing's cold voice came through the sword token. "A World Eater Vine capable of destroying an entire world was born on Divine Fortune. I intended to cut it down once and for all, but it claimed to be yours."

Pang Jian's worries had come true after all. Sighing inwardly, he explained with a pained expression, "It's like this—"

"I'll wait for you to explain to me in person!" Li Yuqing snorted before asking, "Where are you?"

"Saddle Ridge Mountain in the Dark Abyss Continent. I just arrived." Pang Jian obediently replied.

"Saddle Ridge Mountain..." Li Yuqing went silent for a moment before saying, "Come to a restricted area named Spirit Offering to find me. Don't contact me before you arrive.

"Also, refrain from using your identity as Pang Jian for the time being. Qi Qingsong has been summoned back to the Sword Pavilion, and they're conducting a thorough investigation of your background.

"Don't reveal your identity while on the Dark Abyss Continent until the Sword Pavilion makes a decision. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Good. Take care of yourself." With that, Li Yuqing cut the connection.

Pang Jian had intended to inquire about Luo Hongyan's whereabouts when the sword token turned unresponsive, and he could only reluctantly put the sword token back into his spatial bracelet.

He was well aware that it was best not to expose his identity at this time.

The Blood Moon Sect, the Star River Alliance, and the Sinister Soul Temple were located on the Dark Abyss Continent and he had killed Spirit Condensation Realm elders from each of these sects.

They would undoubtedly come after him if they learned he had set foot on the Dark Abyss Continent.

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The Sword Pavilion had likely summoned Qi Qingsong back to investigate not only Pang Jian's background but also to decide whether to take him in as a disciple and disregard three major sects of the Third World in the process.

Once the Sword Pavilion confirmed his background, they would probably reach out to him, but that would take time.

"Senior Lei." Pang Jian raised his head to look at Lei Kun and said in an apologetic tone, "My Senior Brother Qi has summoned me to Spirit Offering, so I must bid you farewell."

"Spirit Offering!" Lei Kun exclaimed with a frown. "That mysterious restricted area lies between the three major sects. Luo Yuan, there've been a lot of unusual phenomena in Spirit Offering recently. You must be careful on this journey."

A thought crossed Pang Jian's mind. "Senior Lei, how much do you know about the restricted area, Spirit Offering?"

"I was born and raised on the Dark Abyss Continent, so I know a bit about that famous restricted area," Lei Kun began. "When I was young, an older rogue cultivator once took me to explore it."

Lei Kun sighed deeply, expression grave. “The two Spirit Condensation Realm cultivators leading that expedition perished. One was even in the middle stage of the Spirit Condensation Realm.

"Back then, I was only in the Innate Realm, and I only survived because of that elder. I was essentially one of his subordinates.”

Pang Jian's expression turned serious.

"Spirit Offering has always been fraught with danger. The Blood Moon Sect, the Star River Alliance, and the Sinister Soul Temple always send several Spirit Condensation Realm elders to lead their expeditions there.

"I heard that there've been more anomalies there than usual lately. It's attracted the attention of many powerful factions. Even strong individuals from the Second World have descended to investigate."

He stroked his chin and said with an air of mystery, "The elder I once followed told me that Spirit Offering is special because the foreign races communicated with deities there in ancient times.

"Back then, our human race had not yet gained prominence, and other races ruled the Abyss.

"Many powerful foreign races were said to have secret techniques and dark arts that allowed them to communicate with deities of unknown origin.

"They needed special rituals and altars to do this, which had to be done in special locations. Spirit Offering was one such place suitable for them to establish contact with deities.

"Once the human race became the masters of the Abyss, those foreign races were either exterminated or driven to the Fifth World, and Spirit Offering was deemed a restricted area.

"Nowadays, only cultivators practicing dark arts dare to operate within Spirit Offering. The Blood Moon Sect and the Star River Alliance occasionally join forces to conduct purges, preventing those heretical cultivators from growing too powerful.

"Luo Yuan, Spirit Offering and Cloudy Skies City are on different routes, so I won't be accompanying you. There are many Cloud Sails below. I'll help you find one heading there."

Pang Jian shook his head and declined, "I'll go on my own. There's no need to trouble you, Senior Lei. I don't want to reveal my identity as a disciple of the Sword Pavilion while on the Dark Abyss Continent.

"You're a renowned cultivator in the Third World. It would draw too much attention if you escorted me."

After a moment of thought, he added, "Senior Lei, when you take your son to the Sword Pavilion in the future, you can mention my Senior Brother, Qi Qingsong, as well as...Pang Jian."

"Pang Jian?" Lei Kun was surprised.

"Yes. I'm close with Senior Brother Qi. Since he's also on good terms with Pang Jian, we'll naturally be friends once Pang Jian goes to the Sword Pavilion."

Pang Jian sincerely wanted to help Lei Kun, but he was unsure how long he would or could maintain his identity as Luo Yuan.

The name Luo Yuan would mean nothing when Lei Kun took his son to the Sword Pavilion, so Pang Jian gave both Qi Qingsong's and his real name instead.

"In that case, thank you very much!" Lei Kun gratefully cupped his hands.

The two then parted ways.

Half a day later, Pang Jian was on a Cloud Sail bound for Spirit Offering.

He had maintained his sallow complexion and concealed his identity to blend in with the other rogue cultivators.

"What a coincidence." Wang Ying, the owner of the Cloud Sail, chuckled and clicked her tongue in surprise. "I heard all the rogue cultivators in Cloud Lightning died except for Qin Le. I didn't expect you to survive too."

She had been active in the Dark Abyss Continent lately and had heard about the events in Cloud Lightning.

A wicked white crane had apparently slaughtered the disciples of the Demon Sect, the Celestial Lagoon Sect, and the Black Valley Sect, along with many rogue cultivators.

She thought only Qin Le had survived among those she had ferried to Cloud Lightning, and the rest had perished.

Unexpectedly, she ended up meeting Pang Jian again at Saddle Ridge Mountain.

"I left early and didn’t encounter the white crane," Pang Jian replied casually.

"Knowing when to retreat is the best survival instinct one can have," a horse-faced rogue cultivator agreed seriously. "Being able to resist temptation and decisively retreat is admirable. Especially when facing the disciples from the Second World and the deadly lightning of Cloud Lightning.

"Brother, I respect your decision. I would've made the same choice as well." The rogue cultivator cupped his hands in a friendly manner and introduced, "I'm Wang Yun."

"Gao Song." Pang Jian combined parts of Gao Yuan's and Qi Qingsong's names to create a new name on the spot.

He was worried the name Luo Yuan and his reputation for chasing lightning would have already spread in the Dark Abyss Continent.

Sure enough, he was right.

"Brother, did you encounter The Lightning Chaser, Luo Yuan, in Cloud Lightning?" Wang Yun asked, leaning in curiously. "I heard he's an outer disciple of the Sword Pavilion.

"The disciples from the Second World suspect Luo Yuan killed the wicked white crane and took its spatial bracelet.

"What is Luo Yuan’s cultivation realm? He must be quite formidable to single-handedly kill that tough white crane and snatch its spatial bracelet from the disciples of the Demon Sect, the Black Valley Sect, and the Celestial Lagoon Sect," Wang Yung commented.

The other rogue cultivators around them also expressed their own opinions on the subject.

"The disciples of the Sword Pavilion have really been in the spotlight lately! First Pang Jian, now Luo Yuan. I bet many young talents from the Second World will want to try their luck when the Sword Pavilion opens their recruitment period next year."

"Pang Jian and Luo Yuan are only famous in the Third World, which isn’t that significant to a sect in the Second World."

"To truly prove their excellence, they'll need to shine in the Second World, where they must surpass the top inner disciples of the Black Valley Sect, the Demon Sect, and the Celestial Lagoon Sect."

"Indeed, the few inner disciples from the Second World sects in Cloud Lightning such as Lu Xiangyi and Ye Fei aren't that outstanding."

"Killing that white crane doesn’t prove much."

Some marveled while others remained skeptical.

Pang Jian, on the other hand, remained silent. No matter how Wang Yun questioned him, he only shook his head and said he did not know.

Pang Jian glanced at the sky.

Lu Xiangyi and Ye Fei are inner disciples but aren't among the outstanding few.

He then wondered about the ancient Spirit Offering and the deities the foreign races communicated with.

Where did they come from?

When he sat on the cold altar beneath Ice Rock Island, he experienced the sensation of being in a dark, icy void. It had been as though he was in an entirely different world from the Abyss.

That alternate world seemed to be where the Ice Demon resided.

Could the deities that the foreign races communicated with in Spirit Offering also come from these alternate worlds?

Pang Jian was filled with questions.

***

Wang Ying's Cloud Sail drifted high above the Dark Abyss Continent.

Although the Cloud Sail’s destination was Spirit Offering, it still passed by many cities and towns along the way, where Wang Ying would stop to allow passengers to disembark or board.

When passing by those massive cities, Wang Ying would often pilot the Cloud Sail around them rather than flying directly overhead.

Flying vessels such as Formless Sailboats, Divine Spirit Pagodas, and Gilded Chariots, belonging to the three major sects on the Dark Abyss Continent, would completely disregard the feelings of those below and arrogantly soar over the cities.

"Sects truly do stand above the noble families," Pang Jian murmured with mixed emotions as he watched a Formless Sailboat from the Blood Moon Sect fly over a magnificent city.