Trials of the Abyss

Luo Hongyan was exhausted both physically and mentally when she fled the First Peak. There was a panicked expression on her beautiful face as she flew away, at a loss of where to go or what to do next.

A powerful Demon Scale Race warrior riding an Ice Sculpture Beast locked his icy, cold gaze on her from afar.

A Rank Six Ice Sculpture Beast and a Rank Six Demon Scale Race warrior. Luo Hongyan silently cursed her bad luck.

The battle with Cao Mang had nearly drained all her strength. After being imprisoned in that prismatic crystal, she had been immobilized with no chance to access any spirit stones or blood to recover her strength.

Cao Mang had even stripped her of her spatial bracelet, leaving her with nothing she could use to recover even after she had escaped.

She had barely been able to muster up the strength to fly away from the First Peak only to have the misfortune of being targeted by a powerful foreign race warrior.

Luo Hongyan sighed deeply. This was likely the end for her.

"Hm?" Luo Hongyan was puzzled. The powerful foreign race warrior had merely glanced coldly at her before heading toward the First Peak on his Ice Sculpture Beast as if she was not there. "What's going on?"

Turning her head, she saw a Celestial Race warrior flying directly past her toward the First Peak, seemingly unable to see her as well.

The Ice Sculpture Beast spewed ice shards on the First Peak, instantly killing a rogue cultivator in the Profound Abode Realm.

Luo Hongyan grew even more confused.

"So, they're not blind."

Surveying the Primordial Wilderness, she soon noticed there were no foreign race warriors or Vicious Beasts on the summit of the Fifth Peak, having all left following the departure of Zhao Yuanqi's Scarlet Dawn Boat.

"Let's head to the Fifth Peak!" Luo Hongyan surrounded herself in a thin blood-colored mist and summoned her remaining strength to head toward the Fifth Peak.

As she flew, she glanced down and saw Qi Qingsong from the Sword Pavilion gliding between the valley of the mountains. The foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts were also ignoring him.

"It seems some mysterious power is favoring me and that boy from the Sword Pavilion, making us invisible to the invading forces from the Fifth World," Luo Hongyan murmured to herself.

***

In the sky above the Primordial Wilderness, the Scarlet Dawn Boat wobbled as it struggled to escape from the gravitational pull.

Standing at the edge of the boat, Jiang Li saw a Cloud Sail carrying two people escaping the Primordial Wilderness ahead of them.

"Gao Yuan?" she exclaimed in surprise. "Is Pang Jian not with you guys?"

Gao Yuan replied with a mournful expression, "Han Ting said he went to Emerald Lake, where the foreign race warriors appeared. We couldn't contact him and didn't dare go looking for him."

Han Ting was anxiously scanning the ground from the Cloud Sail, trying to spot Pang Jian, but could not locate him.

"How did you guys manage to escape from the Primordial Wilderness?" Zhao Yuanqi asked in surprise. "All the other Cloud Sails were destroyed by one-eyed giants and foreign race warriors riding black wyverns. You two are incredibly lucky."

"Junior Sister, we're quite fortunate ourselves," Jiang Li whispered.

After being struck by a one-eyed giant, the Scarlet Dawn Boat had unsteadily taken off from the First Peak of Primordial Wilderness. Remarkably, the rest of their journey went smoothly.

As the Scarlet Dawn Boat ascended, she witnessed many Cloud Sails being attacked by the foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts, but the Scarlet Dawn Boat had thankfully emerged unscathed.

"I'm favored by the heavens. It's only natural we escaped safely," Zhao Yuanqi said proudly. "They can't possibly have the same heavenly favor as I do. How did they manage to escape the bloody battlefield ahead of us?"

"I have no idea." Gao Yuan shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Why are you still lingering after escaping from the Primordial Wilderness?" Zhao Yuanqi shot Gao Yuan a strange look before piloting the Scarlet Dawn Boat to fly away.

As the Scarlet Dawn Boat left, Gao Yuan once again peered down the edge of the Cloud Sail to scan the Primordial Wilderness and exclaimed, "That's Pang Jian's sister! She's on the Fifth Peak!"

Han Ting squinted to see a stunning woman in red standing gracefully on the Fifth Peak of Primordial Wilderness with a shroud of blood-colored mist around her.

"She managed to escape!" At this point, Gao Yuan already knew Luo Hongyan was a remnant of the Blood Spirit Sect.

Gao Yuan had been one of the first to escape when the forces from the Fifth World swept through the Primordial Wilderness. Although he could have fled and avoided danger, he hesitated and finally said, "Han Ting, I want to try and fetch Pang Jian's sister!"

Han Ting nodded without hesitation "Alright!"

Gao Yuan was surprised. "You—"

Han Ting interrupted, "Go for it!"

With that, the lucky Cloud Sail descended back into the Primordial Wilderness toward the Fifth Peak. Just like before, it encountered no attacks from foreign race warriors or flying Vicious Beasts along the way, and it came to a smooth halt over the summit of the Fifth Peak.

The heavily injured Luo Hongyan did not have a flying vessel and had assumed she would have no chance to leave the Primordial Wilderness. Thus, when she saw the familiar Cloud Sail descend and head toward her, her heart filled with excitement and gratitude.

Pang Jian... She mistakenly believed that Pang Jian was on the Cloud Sail and had instructed Gao Yuan to pick her up.

When the Cloud Sail reached a suitable height, she leaped aboard and called out for Pang Jian. However, to her dismay, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Gao Yuan, where's Pang Jian? Why isn't he with you? Why didn't your Cloud Sail take him along when you flew out?" Luo Hongyan asked angrily.

"I—" Gao Yuan had risked his life to pick her up and replied in an aggrieved voice, "Pang Jian was at Emerald Lake when the Mirror Tunnel appeared and the foreign race warriors invaded. I fear Pang Jian...may have met with an accident."

"Impossible!" Luo Hongyan's eyes flashed red as she shouted, "He communicated with Jiu Yuan using a blood talisman, so he must still be alive! Gao Yuan, quick, go to Emerald Lake and bring Pang Jian back!"

Bang!

Qi Qingsong from the Sword Pavilion landed on the Cloud Sail.

He had been gliding through the valleys between the mountains when he saw Gao Yuan's Cloud Sail descending toward the Fifth Peak.

Like Gao Yuan and the others, the invading forces from the Fifth World had left him alone, and so had arrived at the summit with no resistance while Luo Hongyan and Gao Yuan were conversing.

"Hm, Pang Jian isn't here?" Qi Qingsong asked, glancing around with brows knitted in confusion.

Suddenly, the token at his waist let off a sound, and he hurriedly tore it off.

"Qi Qingsong, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. You should be safe too, right?" Pang Jian's calm voice came from the token.

Luo Hongyan, Han Ting, and Gao Yuan's startled gazes all fell on the Sword Pavilion Token in Qi Qingsong's palm with strange expressions.

"Pang Jian, where the hell are you?!" Luo Hongyan asked sharply.

Hundreds of foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts were scattered throughout every valley and forest in the Primordial Wilderness. They were all at Rank Five and Rank Six, which was equivalent to the Profound Abode Realm and Spirit Condensation Realm cultivators of the human race.

This invading force had the power to destroy the entire Primordial Wilderness and kill all the cultivators within it!

Many Cloud Sails had been destroyed, and only the Scarlet Dawn Boat had safely escaped. She was both angry and worried as she feared something had happened to Pang Jian.

After her sharp shout, the token in Qi Qingsong's hand went silent, with no further response from Pang Jian. Gao Yuan, Han Ting, and Qi Qingsong all stared expectantly at it.

Finally, Pang Jian's relieved voice could be heard from the other end. "I'm glad you're safe. My greatest worry was you."

"I'm fine, I was worried something happened to you," Luo Hongyan said, voice choked with emotion and eyes welling up with tears.

She took a second to compose herself before questioning Pang Jian about his whereabouts.

"Pang Jian, she and I, as well as the rogue cultivator, Han Ting, are on Gao Yuan's Cloud Sail. We're at the Fifth Peak. Where are you? We'll find a way to reach you," Qi Qingsong said urgently.

"Jiang Li and that Red Mountain Sect disciple, Zhao Yuanqi, are they with you?" Pang Jian asked.

"They left before us," Qi Qingsong replied.

"That's good." An underlying tension in Pang Jian's voice audibly relaxed as if a great burden had been lifted. Pang Jian continued, "The Primordial Wilderness is close to the Dark Abyss Continent. You guys should head there as soon as possible. My...sister's identity is special.

"Be careful of the Blood Moon Sect and the Sinister Soul Temple. Both sects are on the Dark Abyss Continent."

At the word "sister", Luo Hongyan's eyebrows and heart trembled with emotion.

"I'll meet you guys on the Dark Abyss Continent later on." Pang Jian paused, then added, "Qi Qingsong, if you decide to stay there, I'll try to contact you through the token."

"If we're going to leave, we'll leave together!" Luo Hongyan shouted.

"Pang Jian, where exactly are you?" Qi Qingsong asked gravely, brows knitted in concern. "The Primordial Wilderness is too dangerous right now. You can't stay here for long. We'll find a way to reach you and take you with us!"

"No, I can't leave just yet. Trust me. I'll reach the Dark Abyss Continent safely. Take care, all of you."

"Luo—sister, take care. See you on the Dark Abyss Continent. Don't worry, believe in me as you always have. I'll be fine."

With that, Pang Jian's voice could no longer be heard from the token.

No matter how Qi Qingsong roared, the token in his hand remained silent. He knew Pang Jian had likely thrown the token back into his spatial bracelet.

"What should we do now?" Gao Yuan looked at the others.

Luo Hongyan took a deep breath and gritted her teeth. "Activate the Cloud Sail. Let's leave the Primordial Wilderness. I believe he'll be fine. He must have something very important to complete. We'll meet him on the Dark Abyss Continent!"

"Alright." Gao Yuan piloted the Cloud Sail to smoothly ascend into the sky, and fly away from the Primordial Wilderness.

***

Pang Jian sat inside a green protective shield at the bottom of Emerald Lake as he put away the token.

"I'll bring Jiu Yuan, Lou Yunming, and Cao Mang's heads to you," he promised, knowing Luo Hongyan could not hear him.

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