Trials of the Abyss

Qi Qingsong sat with a dazed expression inside cave dwelling number fifty-six. He lounged lazily on the wooden chair with his legs crossed, guzzling wine as he poured out his heart.

Pang Jian sat silently on a cultivation mat nearby, leaning against the hard rock wall as he quietly drank his wine.

The drunk Qi Qingsong seemed to be unloading years of pent-up frustrations as he recounted his glorious past and how highly the Sword Pavilion had regarded him when he was an inner disciple. He also spoke of the despicable behaviors of his former inner disciple brothers after he had been demoted to an outer disciple

Pang Jian patiently listened to Qi Qingsong's stories about his past.

From this, he learned that Qi Qingsong had gone through a long period of depression before entering Eight Trigrams City for the trial. He had no one to confide in during those years and had experienced the full spectrum of human relationships.

Not knowing how to comfort him, Pang Jian just silently drank his wine as he listened to Qi Qingsong vent. Soon, Qi Qingsong fell into an unguarded sleep, letting out soft snores that echoed through the cave dwelling.

"A prodigy who once hit rock bottom is now shining brightly again," Pang Jian remarked softly as he stared at him.

After a long while, an urgent knock came at the door.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Ugh, I can't believe I fell asleep." Qi Qingsong looked slightly embarrassed. He rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, wiped the drool from his mouth, then smiled. "I guess I must really trust you."

Pang Jian gently nodded.

"It's Zhao Yuanqi!" The cold voice of the aloof girl rang out from the outside.

The now fully awake Qi Qingsong said in surprise, "Zhao Yuanqi from the Red Mountain Sect?"

Whoosh!

A strong stench of alcohol wafted from his body through his pores as he used his spiritual power to purge the alcohol in his system.

Zhao Yuanqi caught a whiff of the pungent smell of alcohol when Pang Jian opened the stone door.

"You two..." The silver-haired girl wrinkled her nose. "How much have you two been drinking?"

Jiang Li peeked in from outside the cave and was also hit by the strong smell of alcohol.

"Not much, it's just my tolerance isn't good, but I wanted to indulge," Qi Qingsong said frankly. With a wave of his sleeve, a sharp sword intent brought a gust of wind that blew all the alcohol fumes out of the cave.

The silver-haired girl snorted and finally stepped inside once most of the smell had dissipated. She then closed the stone door.

Once the stone door was shut, no one could hear the conversations inside unless they were someone like Lei Kun in the Spirit Condensation Realm. This was one of the wonders of the First Peak's cave dwellings.

Curiosity flickered across her eyes when she glanced at the purple crystal covering the token. "The token...to prevent prying eyes?"

Qi Qingsong nodded with a smile.

"You two..." Zhao Yuanqi trailed off hesitatingly, knitting her brows as she glanced at Qi Qingsong.

"We're friends," Pang Jian said, noticing her apprehension.

Qi Qingsong grinned broadly. "That's right, Pang Jian and I are good friends, the kind with no secrets!"

"Oh, if that's the case," Zhao Yuanqi appeared skeptical but continued, "Pang Jian, I've asked around. Old Monster Cao captured the person you and Senior Sister Jiang mentioned."

"Old Monster Cao?" Pang Jian stood up abruptly, expression dark. "We have no enmity with Old Monster Cao!"

Even after mulling it over carefully, he was certain they had no dealings with Old Monster Cao. He could not understand why the master of the Primordial Wilderness would capture Luo Hongyan.

Qi Qingsong chuckled. "So you were gathering information for Pang Jian."

"Do you have more accurate information?" Zhao Yuanqi stood in the center of the cave and stared at him fearlessly, showing no unease despite him being an inner disciple of the Sword Pavilion.

"It just so happens that I do," Qi Qingsong said with a slight smirk. He tapped the wooden table with his finger as his expression turned serious. "Pang Jian, I specifically came here to tell you about this. My information is more accurate and detailed because it comes directly from Old Monster Cao himself!"

Pang Jian's back straightened to attention.

Zhao Yuanqi nodded in surprise. "My information is vague. Someone saw Old Monster Cao and a veiled, beautiful woman clashing on a large meteorite outside of the Primordial Wilderness, but I don't know why they fought."

Pang Jian took a deep breath and said coldly, "We followed his rules to attend his event. Why did he attack her?"

"It's like this..." Qi Qingsong began.

Old Monster Cao's event did not require his presence in the early days, so he had gone out for some errands. He had been passing a meteor field outside the Primordial Wilderness when one of his treasures issued a warning.

Curious, Old Monster Cao investigated the meteors and discovered an array capable of trapping souls inside a meteorite. It was filled with Spirit Devils, including Maverick Ling Yun from Three Immortal Islands.

The suspicious Old Monster Cao then used his treasure to eliminate the Spirit Devils to force their master to reveal themselves. Soon, a veiled, beautiful woman angrily flew out of the Primordial Wilderness, and a conflict erupted.

The fight ended with Old Monster Cao capturing the woman.

Intriguingly, the woman used the Blood Moon Sect's secret techniques during the battle and knew how to condense Spirit Devils. After capturing her, he contacted the elders of the Sinister Soul Temple, and they soon confirmed the woman was a remnant of the long-suppressed Blood Spirit Sect.

Jiu Yuan eventually also came across this news.

The Blood Moon Sect and the Sinister Soul Temple both demanded the woman from Old Monster Cao. Not wanting to offend either side, Old Monster Cao decided to sell the captured woman on the last day of the trade fair, planning to set the price at one million spirit stones and allow the two parties to draw lots for her.

"When Old Monster Cao told me about this, he also mentioned the woman's body had been reforged with a Crystal Snow Lotus. I guessed it was Luo Hongyan when I heard about it and assumed you were likely also in the Primordial Wilderness.

"Coincidentally, when you brought out the horn of a Rank Seven Ice Crystal Beast to sell, Jiang Li called out your name, so I came looking for you," Qi Qingsong explained.

Zhao Yuanqi nodded. "His information is indeed more detailed than mine."

Pang Jian forced himself to stay calm as he sat heavily on the cultivation mat. He finally understood why Luo Hongyan had suddenly disappeared.

Luo Hongyan did not have a place to keep the Spirit Devils and had placed them in a meteorite outside the Primordial Wilderness just in case. When Old Monster Cao attacked the Spirit Devils, she rushed over, only to be overpowered.

Few knew of the incident as it had occurred outside the Primordial Wilderness and had been deliberately concealed by Old Monster Cao.

"The Blood Moon Sect, the Sinister Soul Temple, and Old Monster Cao..." Pang Jian muttered, his eyes growing cold.

"Pang Jian, I heard Luo Hongyan is a remnant of the Blood Spirit Sect. The Blood Spirit Sect had a terrible reputation in the past. Old Monster Cao may be courteous to me, but my status isn't high enough to make him release her. Moreover, this involves the Blood Moon Sect and the Sinister Soul Temple. I'm truly powerless here," Qi Qingsong said with a bitter smile.

He then pulled out a blue disciple robe with the Sword Pavilion's emblem, placed it on the wooden table, and weighed it down with a silver token bearing the Sword Pavilion insignia.

"This token will indicate your status as an outer disciple of Sword Pavilion. I'm afraid we can't save Luo Hongyan, but at the very least, I can get you out of the Primordial Wilderness. As long as you wear this robe and hang this silver token on your waist, I'll be able to keep you safe," Qi Qingsong said sincerely.

Zhao Yuanqi blinked in surprise. "I suppose I won't need to recommend you to the Red Mountain Sect anymore."

On the way back, she had already decided to use her status in the Red Mountain Sect to recommend Pang Jian's admission and help him avoid this disaster.

Zhou Qingchen and Han Duping had told her that Pang Jian was just a hunter from the Solitary Mountain Range in the Fourth World. Before meeting Pang Jian, she had promised Zhou Qingchen and Jiang Li she would use her status to recommend him to the Red Mountain Sect once he appeared.

She was confident she could safely take Pang Jian away as long as he no longer involved himself with Luo Hongyan.

"Killing someone like Zhu Yuanxi of the Blood Moon Sect won't be an issue for an outer disciple of Sword Pavilion. However, you must not get involved with Luo Hongyan. The Blood Spirit Sect is far too sensitive an issue," Qi Qingsong advised.

"That's right. The Blood Spirit Sect's notorious reputation was well-deserved. Their destruction was a great relief to many. It's better if you don't have any connection with them," Zhao Yuanqi agreed, nodding.

"You two go out first. Let me think it over on my own," Pang Jian could not stomach any more advice. Learning the truth about Luo Hongyan's disappearance had left him with a heavy heart.

"Alright," Qi Qingsong said, nodding in understanding as he stood up from the wooden chair. "I'll be in the Primordial Wilderness for a while. You can contact me with that silver token if you need anything. If it's within my power, I won't refuse."

He then addressed Zhao Yuanqi, "Let's give him some space."

Zhao Yuanqi stepped out of the cave without a word, with Qi Qingsong following behind.

After closing the stone door gently behind him, Qi Qingsong turned to the group outside and said, "He's not in a good mood. Don't bother him for the next couple of days."

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