Trials of the Abyss

"That looks like the Blood Moon Sect’s Eye of Imprint," Zhou Qingchen said as he observed the crimson blood eye on the fluttering black flag.

"Blood Wheel Technique!" Shangguan Qin shouted excitedly, causing a dark red halo to appear from the back of her neck.

The Shangguan Clan of the Fourth World had deep ties with the Blood Moon Sect of the upper world, not unlike the relationship between the Zhou Clan and the Red Mountain Sect. This was a well-known fact.

Outstanding cultivation talents in the Shangguan Clan were often accepted into the Blood Moon Sect. Shangguan Qin had not qualified to be accepted, but she had cultivated using their methods.

After confirming that the image on the black flag was the Eye of Imprint, she activated her diligently cultivated Blood Wheel Technique, trying to attract the blood eye’s attention by using a cultivation method from the same sect.

With the activation of the Blood Wheel Technique, blood-colored halos slowly appeared, bearing a faint resemblance to the halo surrounding the Eye of Imprint.

As a core member of the Shangguan Clan, Shangguan Qin knew that the Blood Moon Sect’s mysterious Eye of Imprint could scan its surroundings and impart scenes or events of the past to a chosen person.

Cultivators from the Blood Moon Sect could use the Eye of Imprint to gather crucial information and help them make informed decisions.

When the Eye of Imprint behaved abnormally, it indicated that it was searching for those with connections to the Blood Moon Sect to transmit important information.

With all the Blood Moon Sect cultivators dead, Shangguan Qin naturally assumed that the Eye of Imprint would choose to impart that information to her as she was the only one present who had cultivated the Blood Wheel Technique. Once that happened, she would be able to figure out how the Blood Moon Sect cultivators died.

She would also be able to ascertain whether the bodies were indeed devoured by wild beasts, as well as whether the Zhou Clan and Ning Clan had any fortunate encounters upon arrival.

Therefore, she felt it was well worth it to sacrifice a couple of servants to stimulate the Eye of Imprint with blood.

With these thoughts in mind, Shangguan Qin frantically activated her Blood Wheel Technique and patiently waited for the Eye of Imprint to impart its information to her.

However...

Shangguan Qin waited and waited, assuming that she would be the first and only choice by the Eye of Imprint. However, even after the blood-colored eye expanded and exploded, she still did not receive anything.

The Eye of Imprint’s explosion splattered blood all over the place, creating a bloody rain that showered down from above the sailboat.

Shangguan Qin’s face was filled with shock and confusion. She was unable to accept this outcome after anxiously awaiting the arrival of the information for so long.

The towering, muscular man named Luo Meng had followed Shangguan Qin for many years and was also well aware of the Eye of Imprint’s ability. Seeing the bloody eye explode, he assumed that Shangguan Qin had received the desired information.

Therefore, he stepped forward to inquire, "How did it go?"

Ning Yao, Ning Yuanshan, and Han Duping all looked at Shangguan Qin in anticipation.

They all unanimously believed that Shangguan Qin, having activated the Blood Wheel Technique, had received the crucial information from the Eye of Imprint and would now know what had happened here.

"It wasn’t me!" Shangguan Qin screamed, expression frantic as she searched the crowd. "Who is it? Who received the information from the Eye of Imprint? WHO!"

She was hysterical, unable to understand why the Eye of Imprint did not choose her. After all, she had cultivated with the Blood Moon Sect’s cultivation methods and actively used the Blood Wheel Technique.

At that moment, Zhou Qingchen saw the unusual look in Pang Jian’s eyes. He could not help but ask, "Pang Jian, what did you see?"

"Pang Jian?"

"Pang Jian!"

A series of surprised and bewildered gazes converged on Pang Jian.

Nobody expected the young hunter from the Solitary Mountain Range would be the one to earn the favor of the Eye of Imprint and have its crucial information imparted to him.

Though some were skeptical, upon carefully observing Pang Jian, they noticed flashes of red light in his eyes. Within that red light, vague and indistinct images flickered.

It was actually him!

The crowd no longer harbored any doubts. Even though they were unclear what had happened, they understood that the young hunter had received the Eye of Imprint’s favor in Shangguan Qin’s place.

"The earth shook," Pang Jian said gravely.

As he uttered those words, the fissured ground trembled, and a deafening rumble resounded.

Everyone stared at Pang Jian in disbelief.

Pang Jian was taken aback as well. He had not expected the ground beneath his feet to suddenly tremble as if in response to his words.

Zhou Qingchen’s eyes were filled with astonishment. "What happened next?"

Zhou Qingchen internally rejoiced. He was grateful that he had the insight to continuously extend gestures of goodwill and strong support for Pang Jian.

"After that..." Pang Jian trailed off, muttering quietly to himself as he tried to organize the chaotic series of images and memories he had just received.

The ground continued to tremble and the deep rumbling persisted. It felt as though some unknown horror was lurking within the gaping fissures.

Pang Jian’s expression changed when he witnessed the next scene in the memories. He stared in horror at the fissures as if expecting something terrifying to rush out at any second. "Go! Quick, get out of here!"

"Young Master Zhou, trust me! Let’s go, quickly!" Pang Jian mounted his horse, swiftly flicked the reins, and urged his crimson warhorse toward the forest where the gray ape disappeared.

The tremors caused the fissures to widen and grow. Pang Jian’s warhorse leaped high into the air, avoiding the gaping chasms in the ground.

Zhou Qingchen was conflicted. Despite his uncertainty, he chose to place his trust in Pang Jian. He shouted, "Hurry up, follow Pang Jian!"

The servants of the Zhou Clan did not hesitate. They promptly spurred their horses and followed closely behind him.

In this perilous and uncertain time, Ning Yuanshan dithered, glancing at Ning Yao. "Little Yao, what should we do?"

"Follow them!" Ning Yao ordered. The two members of the Ning Clan, along with the surviving Zhang Heng, hurriedly spurred their horses and departed.

With the departure of the Zhou Clan and the Ning Clan, Shangguan Qin could only stare at the Formless Sailboat, appearing at a loss as a terrifying hissing emanated from underground.

"Miss?" Luo Meng impatiently asked.

"Let’s go!" The members of the Shangguan Clan had no mounts. Even so, they chose to evacuate in the same direction as the Zhou Clan and Ning Clan.

***

Wooo!

Ghastly howls emanated from the fissures behind them. It was as if demons lurked in the depths of the fissures and were taking advantage of the earthquake to crawl out, intent on annihilating the masses on the surface.

Pang Jian led the way, urging his horse to speed up.

Zhou Qingchen and Han Duping followed closely behind him. The members of the Zhou Clan, Ning Yao, Ning Yuanshan, and the others all trailed behind them.

The tremors and ghostly howling behind them gradually faded away.

Pang Jian finally stopped and turned his horse around.

Everyone followed suit.

All of them were overcome by lingering fear as they dazedly looked back. They did not know what happened after they left. However, they instinctively felt that something was amiss.

"What did the Eye of Imprint show you?" Ning Yao broke the silence.

Her bright eyes harbored murderous intent. Her attitude toward Pang Jian had also become less polite, and her tone had turned extremely cold.

"I’ll explain later. Let’s see if anyone from the Shangguan Clan made it out alive," Pang Jian calmly replied.

A shiver ran down everyone’s spines. A terrifying disaster had likely occurred in the area full of fissures.

Zhou Qingchen raised his hand, signaling everyone not to panic, and waited patiently.

Whoosh! Howl!

Bone-chilling screams echoed from the area they had just fled. It sounded like the cultivators from the Shangguan Clan were being hunted down.

Zhou Qingchen’s expression changed. Without a word, he cast a deep glance at Pang Jian.

Everyone trembled with fear.

"That was close!"

They were grateful that Zhou Qingchen chose to trust Pang Jian, allowing everyone to promptly retreat from that terrifying place.

Shangguan Qin’s indecisiveness had cost the Shangguan Clan a heavy price. Countless of her people had likely died there.

They did not have to wait long.

Soon after, they saw Shangguan Qin emerge from the forest with a terrified look on her face. Her colorful dress was now tattered, partly exposing her fair skin, She could no longer maintain her captivating demeanor, and her exposed, snowy back was stained with drops of fresh blood.

"Luo Meng," Shangguan Qin called out, occasionally glanced back in anticipation.

She had always known Luo Meng’s unwavering loyalty stemmed from his admiration for her, and that he hoped to one day earn her favor. Although she was aware of it, she avoided acknowledging it while simultaneously taking advantage of Luo Meng’s feelings for her.

In the end, Luo Meng sacrificed himself so that she could successfully escape the terrifying slaughter.

She managed to survive. As for Luo Meng...it seemed he would never appear again.

The other members of the Shangguan Clan who followed her into the Solitary Mountain Range to investigate the bones of the Celestial Phoenix had also died.

When Shangguan Qin caught sight of Pang Jian, her mind filled with the cruel scenes of Luo Meng’s death and the deaths of the members of the Shangguan Clan.

She turned hysterical, clawing and screaming frantically at Pang Jian, "Why?! Why did the Eye of Imprint choose you instead of me! It’s you! You killed Luo Meng! You killed our people from the Shangguan Clan. You must pay with your life!"

She truly believed that those people would not have died if she had been the one to receive the information from the Eye of Imprint.

Zhou Qingchen flicked his reins and conjured a dark red bolt of lightning to block the frenzied attack from the deranged Shangguan Qin. "Aunt Qin, please calm down!"

"Please don’t misunderstand, it was your own indecisiveness that caused the deaths of the Shangguan Clan’s members," Ning Yao coldly interjected.

With Zhou Qingchen and Ning Yao stepping forward, the deranged Shangguan Qin finally realized that she was alone. No matter how she struggled, she was no match for them.

She slowly calmed down. However, she continued to glare at Pang Jian with hateful eyes.

Ning Yao waited until Shangguan Qin fell silent before glancing back at Pang Jian once again with a skeptical expression on her face. "Alright, please explain now. What did the Eye of Imprint show you?"

Pausing to recall the visions in his mind, Pang Jian looked at Zhou Qingchen and the others as he recounted the gruesome scenes, "Many seemingly conscious vine-like entities flew out from the fissures like lively serpents. They attacked and devoured the cultivators from the Blood Moon Sect. They didn’t stand a chance even though they were in the Meridian Opening Realm. The ground also seems to shake before those terrifying vine-like entities are about to attack."

After listening to Pang Jian, Zhou Qingchen took a deep breath and looked at Shangguan Qin. "Is this true?"

He felt a chill in his heart.

Among his group, only he and Han Duping had reached the Meridian Opening Realm; the others were all only in the Qi Practicing Realm.

As far as he knew, all the cultivators from the Blood Moon Sect that were attacked by the vine-like entities were in the Meridian Opening Realm, and their leader was even in the Marrow Cleansing Realm. However, even the Marrow Cleansing Realm expert had died. If he had not trusted Pang Jian, would he not have met the same fate as well?

"It’s as he said," Shangguan Qin confirmed with an involuntary shudder. She then asked the question lingering in everyone’s mind, "I just want to know something. I cultivated with a method from the Blood Moon Sect, so why did the Eye of Imprint choose you and not me?"

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