Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 89: Spirit Food

Outside the City Lord's Mansion, Pang Jian was practicing the spear techniques of the Startling Slaughter Spear.

He unleashed the formidable power of the Edge of Startling Slaughter and was already capable of separating the spearhead from the shaft.

However, he was far from proficient.

All of a sudden, the once tranquil plaza and its eight streets came alive with voices.

Darkness still prevailed in the areas engulfed in the murky energy of the Fifth World. However, Pang Jian could see within the darkness.

The sight before him shocked him.

Many figures dressed in ancient garbs appeared and were engaging in lively conversations.

These figures stood in the plaza and loitered on the streets. Some even appeared along the tunnel leading to the City Lord's Mansion.

They were everywhere.

Judging from the accessories on their clothing, these people were all cultivators.

Pang Jian's scalp tingled as he dumbfoundedly took it all in. The racket of the crowd surrounded him and he was forced to listen to countless conversations all at once.

The figures were all talking about spirit food, discussing who had harvested the most spirit food in the lower world and how much tribute should be offered to the City Lord.

Gentle smiles adorned their faces and they all exuded an air of friendliness.

In his panic, Pang Jian had discreetly prepared for a potential confrontation, only to realize that none of the ancient figures seemed to have even noticed him.

The ancient figures' appearance and discussions about spirit food caused Pang Jian to feel as though he had been transported through time and space.

Pang Jian felt reassured after realizing these ancient figures were not ghostly apparitions like Spirit Devils.

He could not detect any unusual energy from the ancient figures. They seemed as insubstantial as air.

A man and woman approached Pang Jian while holding hands.

He watched as the smiling couple passed through his body as they headed toward the City Lord's Mansion.

Despite being on high alert, he felt nothing when the couple passed through his body.

The couple, and all the other ancient figures, were merely projections from a different time and space.

However, Pang Jian could see their mannerisms and hear their conversations, all of which revolved around spirit food.

Bewildered by the strange occurrence, he stared in stupefaction at the extraordinary scene before him.

He felt increasingly unnerved.

Worried Li Yuqing would be afraid, he set aside his spear technique practice and dashed toward the tunnel with the Startling Slaughter Spear in hand.

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He returned to Li Yuqing's side within moments. With a solemn voice, he asked, "Are you alright?"

Many ancient figures passed through the tunnel to the mansion, seemingly wanting to pay homage to the City Lord. Some even passed through Li Yuqing's body.

Li Yuqing stood gracefully in the tunnel, holding an exquisite wine jar in one hand while nibbling on a crimson fruit in her other. Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she stared at the mansion.

Hearing Pang Jian's question, she turned to him with a puzzled expression and asked, "Why would something be wrong with me?"

"These, and these..." Pang Jian pointed at a gray-robed old man walking past him, then at a glamorous woman standing next to Li Yuqing.

"Hmph." Li Yuqing pursed her lips and smiled mischievously, "Did you think these ghostly things would frighten me?"

Before Pang Jian could respond, she waved her hand dismissively and said, "Don't worry, I knew this would happen when I came here. These aren't living beings. They can't even be considered ghosts. I don't fear them in the slightest."

"You knew this would happen?" Pang Jian asked in astonishment.

"Yes." Li Yuqing nodded.

She beckoned Pang Jian over to her side.

The tunnel was no longer furnished with tables and chairs, and Li Yuqing stood alone.

Pang Jian walked over to her side, standing before the barrier formed by the darkness. Their gazes once again fell onto the mansion and the happenings within it.

Yuan Lengshan was standing on a raised platform and seemed to be interrogating Li Jie.

Li Jie wore a stony expression, appearing reluctant to engage in conversation with her.

Numerous ancient figures could also be seen in the courtyard of the City Lord's Mansion. They poured in from the tunnel and passed through walls.

A handsome man, dressed in a white robe and exuding an imposing aura, stood by the pool's edge. Pang Jian had never seen him before.

Upon closer inspection, however, Pang Jian realized the man was like the ancient figures. He was one of the anomalies Li Yuqing had described as neither a living being nor a ghost.

The man's lips curved into a smile, his demeanor extraordinarily elegant.

He conversed with each tribute giver, accepting the offerings they presented, and exchanging a few quiet words with them.

After presenting their tributes, each person bowed in gratitude and departed.

The continuous stream of tribute givers moved along in an orderly fashion, and the scene seemed peaceful and harmonious.

Taking a sip of her fruit wine, Li Yuqing noticed Pang Jian's curious expression and whispered, "Do you know what they mean by spirit food?"

Pang Jian shook his head.

"Living soul," Li Yuqing said with a frown.

Pang Jian's expression darkened, and he said in a low voice, "The spirit food those people are discussing refers to living souls? The souls of the living?"

"Yes." Li Yuqing nodded.

"Three thousand years ago, Yuan Shishan ruled Eight Trigrams City. He practiced forbidden arts and fed on living souls.

"He propagated this forbidden art, forcing the inhabitants of Eight Trigrams City to practice it. Those who refused were not allowed to live in the city.

"Soon, every inhabitant of Eight Trigrams City, without exception, was practicing the forbidden art of consuming living souls.

"They often ventured out to cities in the Third World or towns and villages in the Fourth World to secretly hunt down powerful cultivators and harvest their living souls. To live in Eight Trigrams City, they had to offer spirit food to Yuan Shishan at regular intervals.

"What you're seeing now is one such tribute session. This happens to be the last tribute in Eight Trigrams City from three thousand years ago," Li Yuqing revealed.

A chill ran down Pang Jian's spine. He knitted his brows and asked, "How many people from the Third and Fourth World died at the hands of these Eight Trigrams City inhabitants?"

"Several hundred thousand," Li Yuqing replied.

Pang Jian remained silent for a long while before saying, "The City Lord, Yuan Shishan, and all the inhabitants of Eight Trigrams City deserved to die."

"Yes, that's what those in the upper world believed. So, during the last tribute, Eight Trigrams City vanished into thin air and reappeared on top of this Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar."

Li Yuqing sighed deeply. "The decision to make Eight Trigrams City a blood sacrifice atop the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar and sentence everyone in the city to death was made by a collective of many different parties."

"Different parties?"

Li Yuqing nodded. "The sects from the First World of the Abyss."

"The Abyss?"

"Yes, our world is called the Abyss," Li Yuqing affirmed.

***

Bang!

The battles inside the City Lord's Mansion were on the verge of erupting once again.

Dong Tianze brandished his Ghost's Cry and attempted to absorb the strange figures into the holes on the Ghost's Cry to enhance his strength.

However, the excited Dong Tianze soon realized that wielding Ghost's Cry did not yield the result he expected. The ancient figures lacked any trace of the energy typical of spirits or ghosts.

Unfortunately, when he brandished Ghost's Cry, causing it to emit the wailing cries of countless spirits, Lan Xi mistakenly thought he was about to unleash a deadly attack.

Snorting coldly, Lan Xi produced a basket filled with flowering branches and hurled it toward Dong Tianze.

As the basket flew through the air, the flowering branches turned into swords and launched toward Dong Tianze.

Once Lan Xi moved to attack, Lin Beiye from the Black Valley Sect swung his Coiled Dragon Staff without a word.

Dragons formed from spiritual power streamed out of Lin Beiye's Coiled Dragon Staff and clashed against the gigantic "Demon" characters flying out from Lan Xi's dress.

The stalled battle erupted once more.

Lan Xi let out a cold snort. Her flowing dress swirled as she conjured more bright red "Heart" characters. Some flew toward Lin Beiye, while the others headed for Dong Tianze.

"Shatter Heart!" Lan Xi shouted.

The "Heart" characters flying toward Lin Beiye and Dong Tianze shattered.

Lin Beiye and Dong Tianze groaned in unison as a sharp pain pierced their hearts. They panickedly summoned their spiritual power to purge the sinister curse Lan Xi had unleashed on them.

Lan Xi struck the Coiling Dragon Staff with her palm, unleashing many enormous black "Demon" characters, taking advantage of Lin Beiye's inability to counterattack to deal with the conjured dragons.

She then infused spiritual power into the flower basket, causing it to radiate an intense light.

Bang!

The basket struck Dong Tianze, instantly fracturing several bones.

"You're the weakest, so I'll kill you first," Lan Xi declared as she closed in on Dong Tianze. She aimed to swiftly dispatch Dong Tianze so that she could focus her full attention on Lin Beiye.

Yuan Lengshan was her hope for the future.

She staked everything on her youngest junior sister. Her establishment in the Demon Heart Sect in the future, and the advancement of her cultivation realm all depended on Yuan Lengshan.

Whoosh!

As she soared through the air toward Dong Tianze, brilliant starlight resembling a galaxy appeared behind her.

Lan Xi turned in horror. She conjured a myriad of "Demon" characters in her palm and struck at the brilliant starlight.

She had no time to spare on Dong Tianze, gliding over his head before forcibly turning in midair and retreating.

The "Demon" characters collided with the approaching starlight and exploded in a blinding flash.

The ferocious momentum caused Lan Xi to retreat further.

She looked up at the platform where Luo Hongyan stood, face filled with apprehension.

Unbeknownst to her, she was nearing the dark tunnel where Pang Jian had vanished.

"Ah!" Lan Xi screamed. Her keen senses detected an extremely sharp presence emerging from the darkness behind her.

Boom!

The fragmented starlight before her exploded. The force from the explosion pushed her body backward, causing her to get closer and closer to the tunnel.

Shunk!

Lan Xi flew backward, only to be stopped by a long spear protruding from her chest. Its spearhead glowed radiantly.

In an unexpected turn of events, a long spear had pierced Lan Xi of the Demon Sect through her chest. Her limp body hung in the air. Her vacant eyes stared blankly at the crowd in the City Lord's Mansion.

The other end of the spear, anchoring her body and preventing her from touching the ground, remained concealed in the darkness.

Everyone fighting in the City Lord's Mansion froze as they stared in horror at Lan XI's lifeless body.

None of them had killed Lan Xi!