Trials of the Abyss

Luo Hongyan gazed at the newly acquired spirit materials from Pang Jian’s second trade. Her glistening red lips curved into a smile. "I need two more months. We no longer need to be concerned with the Shadow Specter Sect."

The soul-nurturing and body-tempering spirit materials before her would be enough to restore her former glory in two months.

Pang Jian washed the dye off his face, casually wiping it on his sleeve as he noted, "The murky energy is about to invade."

Luo Hongyan nodded with a smile.

A thoughtful expression crossed her face as she said, "The chest that can isolate the murky energy must stay in this cave so I can continue using the blood pool. Hm...Let’s do it this way. You can bring those burdensome people here."

Pang Jian asked curiously, "Won’t their presence disturb you?"

"It doesn’t matter," Luo Hongyan replied with an enchanting smile.

Once the murky energy arrived, Divine Fortune would be abandoned. With the chest Pang Jian brought from Eight Trigrams City, she could use the blood pool to reforge her physical body without worry.

Lately, the areas yet to be contaminated by the murky energy were chaotic and full of unrest. By contrast, fragmented lands like Divine Fortune which were considered doomed had been classified as forbidden zones for living beings and were being ignored.

As for the members of the Shadow Specter Sect, Luo Hongyan did not care about them and they would not affect her.

"Alright," Pang Jian said. "When you see the murky energy appear in Divine Fortune through the Spirit Devils, I’ll bring them over."

He then went to lie down in the mysterious chest.

During the day, he saw the great sun hanging in the sky.

At night, he saw the scattered stars and a bright moon.

He cultivated day and night, He combined the abundant blood essence from the beast blood with the life energy from the leaf in his chest before integrating them into his blood.

Using the Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art, he also absorbed the power of the sun, moon, and stars.

Soon, there were not just a tiny full moon and pinprick stars but also a miniature sun in his dantian!

His dantian now harbored the sun, moon, and stars.

One day, Luo Hongyan opened the lid of the chest.

Creak!

Pang Jian awoke from his cultivation. When he saw the solemn look on her unbelievably beautiful face, he understood what had happened.

"It’s here?"

"Yes, it’s seeping into Divine Fortune."

Pang Jian wasted no time. He left the spacious cave and headed to where the members of the Shadow Specter Sect were hiding.

Stepping into the carved-out cave, he glanced at the bewildered members of the Shadow Specter Sect and said, "Follow me."

They hastily got up and followed him.

Soon, they arrived at the cave with the blood pool and saw Luo Hongyan floating in mid-air.

"Ah!" They screamed in surprise at the sight of Luo Hongyan.

"In Divine Fortune City, I helped you destroy the Blood Moon Sect’s Eye of Imprint. I also controlled the Spirit Devils to hijack the beast-hunting sailboat and crash it into the Cloud Sails of the seven major clans," Luo Hongyan said gracefully. She then pointed to Pang Jian and smiled. "I’m his sister."

"Now it makes sense!" Zhao Ling exclaimed. "No wonder Hong Jian dared to suggest attacking the beast-hunting sailboat. Of course he’d have the confidence with someone like you backing him!"

Zhao Ling could not take her eyes off the stunning Luo Hongyan.

Then, in a barely audible whisper, she muttered, "It’s truly frustrating to compare oneself to her."

Wu Yi and the surviving commanders of the Shadow Specter Sect could not even say a word in front of Luo Hongyan.

Luo Hongyan’s breathtaking beauty, bright smile, and elegant movements bewitched them, causing them to fall for her.

These commanders were only in the Meridian Opening Realm, and they only became more nervous when they recalled her astonishing display of power on the beast-hunting sailboat and her exquisite control over the Spirit Devils.

"So beautiful, like a fairy..." Bai Zhi lightly bit her lip.

Glancing between Luo Hongyan and Pang Jian, she came to a realization, lowering her head with a subtle sadness on her face.

Luo Hongyan’s unparalleled beauty was intimidating and Bai Zhi dared not stare for too long. The longer she looked, the less confidence she had in her own appearance.

Although Bai Wei also felt inferior, a surprising relief also filled her. "With such a beautiful sister, it’s no wonder he didn’t pay us much attention..."

"All of you will stay in this cave and behave yourself. Don’t ask any unnecessary questions. When the time comes, my brother and I will take you away with us. If you upset us or ask inappropriate questions, I’ll drive you all out," Luo Hongyan warned them with a light laugh.

Whoosh!

She transformed into a deep red light, entered the white jade porcelain bottle floating on the blood pool, and appeared on the Crystal Snow Lotus within.

At this point, all that was left of the Crystal Snow Lotus was its stalk.

Once she settled in, strands of blood essence streamed through the mouth of the bottle.

The blood pool, the white jade porcelain bottle, and the glowing chest amazed the Shadow Specter Sect members.

They had many questions but held back due to Luo Hongyan’s warning. They feared that a few careless words would accidentally offend these mysterious siblings.

Half a day later, Pang Jian went to the cave entrance and peered through the cracks in the stones.

Rumble!

Crackle!

It was storming outside the cave. Thunder roared and heavy rain pelted the ground. The sky was incredibly dark.

It had been storming just like this when Pang Jian saw the Green Condor hovering above his home.

As he stared at the bad weather outside, he recalled how Sun Bin had taken his sister to the upper world and was overwhelmed with emotions.

It’s been a long time, I wonder how Pang Lin is...

The memories of living with his sister in the Solitary Mountain Range flashed through his mind, filling his heart with a profound longing for his sister.

Pang Jian stayed like this for a long time before finally murmuring some words of comfort to himself, "Going to the upper worlds is better than staying here in the lower worlds."

In the distance, murky energy approached.

Pang Jian quickly gathered his scattered thoughts and squinted, carefully studying the murky energy. It came in clusters. Some resembled cotton while others appeared like a light mist.

The tainted energy infiltrated every inch of Misty Swamp and soon arrived at the low hill where Pang Jian and the others were.

Taking a deep breath, Pang Jian took a few steps back and watched as the murky energy tried to seep through the cracks between the stones.

As expected, it could not come in.

Zhao Ling and the others held their breaths behind him, anxiously watching his every move.

Pang Jian finally relaxed. Turning to face them, he glanced at the luminous copper chest and said, "It’s alright now. The murky energy can’t enter this cave. You can stay here without worry."

Zhao Ling sighed in relief, nerves easing as she gazed at the glowing chest with intense curiosity.

Pang Jian had previously told them that the chest’s radiance could resist the invasion of tainted energy. With his claim now confirmed, their curiosity about it grew immensely.

However, Luo Hongyan’s warning rang through their minds and they refrained from asking.

"As long as you don’t leave this cave, you’ll be safe," Pang Jian said.

After confirming there were no issues or potential threats, he returned to the chest to cultivate.

One day, while inside the chest, Pang Jian tried to establish a connection to the little tree.

Luo Hongyan had told him that Vicious Beasts and plants were more adaptable to the murky energy, so he wanted to check on the little tree hiding underground.

It’s not working.

Pang Jian found he could connect to neither the little tree nor the Giant Abyssal Serpent in the Fifth World.

He pushed the lid open.

Zhao Ling and the others looked at him nervously when he emerged from the chest.

"Everything’s fine," he assured offhandedly.

Leaving the chest on the ground, he went to the small cave where he had traded with Dong Tianze and tried to establish a connection with the little tree once more.

This time, he succeeded.

A surprising scene appeared in his mind.

The little tree had burrowed underground to escape the fire but had since resurfaced and taken root in the marsh.

It had grown taller, seemingly thriving in the contaminated Misty Swamp!

The rain-soaked land surrounding the little tree had sprouted new, unusual plants!

These plants were just beginning to bud.

As Pang Jian studied the new growth, he realized they were entirely different from the plants growing in Misty Swamp before,

The new plants had jagged, menacing branches, appearing vicious and bloodthirsty.

The Fifth World!

Pang Jian recalled his struggle to escape the clutches of the terrifying plants when he tried to leave the Fifth World.

His mind reeled at the discovery.

Shifting his perspective upward to get a wider view of the swamp, he found that only the ground near the little tree was sprouting!

Could it be that the little tree originally came from the Fifth World?

Pang Jian was shocked. It seemed that the tree had not only remained unaffected by the murky energy but also somehow fostered the growth of Fifth World plants nearby.

The menacing plants spread outward, with the little tree at the center.

Doubt and uncertainty filled Pang Jian.

Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation in his chest and instinctively reached up to touch it.

It was a second leaf!

The little tree had gifted him another leaf! It formed in his chest, brimming with the same life energy as before!

The little tree had survived the harsh conditions and was now growing in ways Pang Jian could not understand!

In Pang Jian’s eyes, it seemed like Misty Swamp would eventually return to its original lush state thanks to the little tree. Only this time, it would be filled with plants from the Fifth World!

The little tree seemed capable of single-handedly transforming the entire swamp’s ecosystem!

New life sprouted from the ashes of the flames.

The blazing fires and murky energy had not led to the total devastation of life.

A miraculous little tree had rooted itself deeply into the scorched earth, silently transforming Misty Swamp and the entire Divine Fortune in its own way.

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