Trials of the Abyss

The blood-red setting sun shone upon a crimson, barren mountain in the Red Mountain Sect on the Cosmic Skies Continent of the Third World.

The red glow of the sun cast an extra layer of bloodiness on the famous mountain.

From a distance, the mountain resembled a giant beehive, its surface pockmarked with caves.

The spiritual qi within these caves grew denser the higher up one went, and the status of the inhabitants occupying these caves also rose accordingly.

The many villages at the foot of the mountain relied on the Red Mountain Sect for their livelihoods, with the villagers preparing meals for the members of the Red Mountain Sect or growing medicinal herbs in the surrounding forests.

Zhou Qingchen, Han Duping, and Jiang Li sat in a courtyard in one such village, enjoying the cool air and staring absentmindedly at the crimson sky.

Noticing the wine jar in Zhou Qingchen’s hand was empty, Jiang Li handed him a new one and said softly, "Don’t worry too much. Pang Jian’s a good person, and good fortune will come his way. He’ll return safely."

Recently, Zhou Qingchen had been neglecting his cultivation. He did not even stay in his own cave dwelling and instead went to Han Duping’s place to drown his sorrows in wine.

Jiang Li would often accompany him, trying to console him whenever she saw his spirits declining.

Zhou Qingchen accepted the new wine jar, took a deep swig, and said drunkenly, "I often think about how he pushed me into the Mirror Tunnel and stayed behind alone. I can’t forget it. Every time I meditate and cultivate, I can’t help but recall that scene.

"When I left, Dong Tianze, Qi Qingsong, Lin Beiye, and two disciples from the Demon Heart Sect were still in the mansion. Pang Jian, he..."

Zhou Qingchen shook his head, eyes bloodshot and voice hoarse.

"The Star River Alliance went to investigate after that as well. The entire Solitary Mountain Range is now shrouded in the bizarre mist. So far, no sect or faction has dared to enter the mist’s cover and explore." Han Duping sighed. "Brother Pang is native to the Solitary Mountain Range, so maybe..."

Han Duping could not bring himself to finish his sentence.

Although Han Duping admired Pang Jian’s loyalty, he knew Pang Jian was likely in grave danger.

Bang!

The door of the front entrance burst open.

A man in blue clothing stepped inside and said lazily, "It took me a while to figure out that you weren’t on the mountain but hiding here instead."

"Qi Qingsong!" The trio in the courtyard paled, drawing their weapons and preparing for a fight.

Jiang Li’s face turned ashen. She never expected this scourge would dare intrude into a village at the foot of Red Mountain Sect!

Do disciples from the upper worlds so blatantly disregard the lives of those from the lower worlds?

Panicked, Jiang Li prepared to scream, hoping that any members of the Red Mountain Sect nearby would come to help.

"Stop! This is the Red Mountain Sect! I’ve not gone crazy, nor do I have the time to come down from the upper worlds to seek revenge on you three," Qi Qingsong hurriedly shouted. He shook his empty left sleeve and said forlornly, "I cut off my entire left arm to compensate for that girl’s lost limb. And also..."

Qi Qingsong retrieved a bottle of ointment from his bosom and handed it to Jiang Li with a pained expression.

Smiling bitterly, he said, "This is Exquisite Jade Bone Regrowth Ointment. It can regrow your severed arm. I spent a lot of resources to obtain this. Use it first. I’m still trying to secure another bottle."

Jiang Li stood frozen in shock, staring at the Exquisite Jade Bone Regrowth Ointment. She was too afraid to reach out and take it.

Zhou Qingchen glared at Qi Qingsong. "What are you playing at?"

"I’m not joking," Qi Qingsong said with a bitter smile.

Seeing his missing arm, Zhou Qingchen hesitantly took the Exquisite Jade Bone Regrowth Ointment and asked, "What happened?"

"That fellow from the Divine Treasure Sect’s Li Family said he would keep an eye on me. I was afraid he would take it seriously." Qi Qingsong paused in hesitation before explaining with a pained expression, "A lot happened after you left. Pang Jian disappeared into the darkness. No one knows what he encountered. While in the dark tunnel, he killed Demon Sect’s Lan Xi, then after emerging, blasted Yuan Lengshan into pieces. He then forced me to cut off my arm for a chance at survival..."

Qi Qingsong recounted the subsequent events.

The trio listened in stunned silence.

Once Qi Qingsong was finished, Zhou Qingchen asked excitedly, "Where’s Pang Jian now?"

Qi Qingsong shook his head and said, "Before I left, the atmosphere in the mansion had become strange. I don’t know what happened to him and Li Jie afterward.

"Northern Qi in the Fourth World has been shrouded in the bizarre mist. Even if he managed to escape, he would still be trapped in the Northern Qi."

Although the trio had been thrilled after hearing about Pang Jian’s exploits, they were now once again at a loss.

***

Outside of Divine Fortune City, located in the fragmented lands of Divine Fortune in the Fourth World, was a village called Misty Swamp Village. This village was situated next to Misty Swamp.

Misty Swamp spanned thousands of miles and was perpetually covered in poisonous miasma. Poisonous insects, Vicious Beasts, and Spirit Beasts inhabited its many swamps

Misty Swamp Village was located between Divine Fortune City and Misty Swamp and was similar to other villages in the area.

In a large house in Misty Swamp Village, an elderly woman, dressed in a loose gray robe and using a cane, appeared out of nowhere at the Shadow Specter Sect’s branch. Two beautiful women stood behind her.

"I am Meng Qiulan. From today, I will take over all the affairs of the Shadow Specter Sect in and around Divine Fortune City," the elder woman introduced. Standing in the dimly lit hall, she looked at a group of cultivators before her and announced, "Hong Tai died in the Solitary Mountain Range in Northern Qi. His companions, Xu Rui and Jin Yang, also perished."

The members of the Shadow Specter Sect in the hall had already heard the news and showed no reaction.

Eyeing the silent crowd, Meng Qiulan prompted, " I’m new here, so please tell me about any recent events related to the Shadow Specter Sect."

Everybody started talking all at once. They brought up matters in Divine Fortune City and new Vicious Beasts in Misty Swamp. They also discussed the recruitment of notable rogue cultivators into the Shadow Specter Sect.

The highest-ranking member in the group, Fan Liang, reported to Meng Qiulan, "Hall Master Meng, two weeks ago, Hong Tai’s nephew came by, saying Hong Tai had arranged for him to join the Shadow Specter Sect. He brought Hong Tai’s token, so his identity seems genuine. However, we’re unsure—"

"Hong Tai’s nephew?" Meng Qiulan interrupted in surprise.

"Yes, that’s right. Before Hong Tai went to the Solitary Mountain Range on his mission, he informed us that he would arrange for a distant nephew to join the Shadow Specter Sect. Unfortunately, his nephew, Hong Jian, arrived after Hong Tai had already perished in the Solitary Mountain Range."

Fan Liang sighed. Then, sneaking a glance at Meng Qiulan, he lowered his head and continued, "At that time, we didn’t know Hong Tai had died since he hadn’t returned, so we arranged for his nephew to stay."

"Where is he now?" Meng Qiulan asked.

"We placed him at one of our strongholds in Misty Swamp."

Meng Qiulan considered his words, then asked, "What’s Hong Jian’s cultivation realm?"

"He seems to be in the late stage of the Marrow Cleansing Realm. He’s also quite young," Fan Liang answered earnestly.

"The Marrow Cleansing Realm..." Meng Qiulan nodded and glanced back at her two long-time disciples.

The two women shrank back a bit, appearing somewhat embarrassed.

"I need to meet him before deciding whether to keep him. After what happened in the Solitary Mountain Range, the seven major clans have been hunting us down. We need to be cautious," Meng Qiulan said prudently.

"Should I arrange for someone to bring him here?" Fan Liang asked quickly.

"There’s no need for that, I’m going to Misty Swamp anyway. I’ll meet him at the stronghold."

***

In a corner of the Misty Swamp stood an inconspicuous small hill covered in vegetation. The dense weed on the hillside hid a small stone cave.

In the center of the stone cave was a pool recessed into the rock, with its walls made of intricately arranged rare blood jade.

The pool was filled with the blood of Vicious Beasts and Spirit Beasts.

The piles of radiant spirit jade beside the pool kept the spiritual qi and blood essences within it balanced and abundant.

A white jade porcelain bottle containing a peculiar crystalline snow lotus floated in the bloody water.

A stunning figure sat atop the snow lotus.

Strands of refined blood essences and pure spiritual power drifted toward the bottle and were absorbed by the beautiful woman.

Pang Jian sat near the tightly closed cave entrance near the pool. Luo Hongyan was using Hong Tai’s secret blood pool to refine her body, and Pang Jian occasionally opened his eyes to check on her.

They had been here for half a month.

Traveling by night to avoid detention, Luo Hongyan had steered the Divine Spirit Pagoda to the fragmented lands of Divine Fortune.

Divine Fortune was under the jurisdiction of the Shangguan Clan. They had also built the city known as Divine Fortune City.

Within the fragmented lands was a restricted area known as Misty Swamp. The murky atmosphere of Misty Swamp far exceeded its spiritual qi, nurturing many Vicious Beasts and poisonous insects. It also attracted many rogue cultivators.

The Shadow Specter Sect had established a branch here.

Half a month ago, Pang Jian had followed Luo Hongyan’s instructions to find Fan Liang in Misty Swamp Village.

After that, he did not go to the place Fan Liang had arranged for him and instead spent most of his time acquiring the blood of Vicious Beasts and Spirit Beasts for the blood pool to aid in the reconstruction of Luo Hongyan’s physical body.

He also spent time cultivating, immersing himself in the second stage of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, and using the beasts’ blood essence to temper his internal organs.

The two of them had an ample supply of spirit stones and spirit jades, so he was not worried about his cultivation resources.

Luo Hongyan sat on the Crystal Snow Lotus in her miniaturized ethereal form in the white jade porcelain bottle, smiling sweetly as she said, "Pang Jian, you don’t need to stay here. You know I have Spirit Devils nearby.:

The cave, adorned with its illuminating gemstones, only brightened further with her smile.

"I don’t know where to go," Pang Jian replied woodenly.

"You must build connections with the Shadow Specter Sect, rogue cultivators, and the Shangguan Clan. I can’t go out right now, but you should find out more about the new Hall Master of the Shadow Specter Sect and see if they’ve been assigned here," Luo Hongyan said, smiling at him. "Only the Hall Master can obtain high-grade beast blood. We have plenty of spirit stones but lack precious auxiliary materials."

Pang Jian frowned but said nothing.

"Did you seldom interact with others when you lived in Linshan Town?" Luo Hongyan asked in surprise.

Pang Jian nodded.

"That’s not good. You need to build connections with the Shadow Specter Sect and the rogue cultivators in Misty Swamp Village to stay well-informed," Luo Hongyan gently advised. As a cultivator, one could not always focus solely on bitter cultivation.

She needed to concentrate on refining the Crystal Snow Lotus. Between her patrolling Spirit Devils and her own strength, she was not particularly worried about her safety in Misty Swamp.

With Pang Jian’s strength, as long as he stayed cautious, he would not be in any life-threatening danger.

Luo Hongyan saw that Pang Jian had become increasingly reluctant to interact with others after leaving the Solitary Mountain Range.

However, cultivation was not just about solitary practice. For Pang Jian’s growth, she could only encourage him to go out more.

"Oh, alright," Pang Jian relented. Standing up, he left the hidden cave and stepped out into the gray sky of the Fourth World.

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