Trials of the Abyss

Pang Jian retracted the green protective shield formed from his spiritual power and buried himself in the mud on the floor of Emerald Lake.

He knew the Primordial Wilderness was in chaos and the foreign race warriors he had released were in fierce battle with human cultivators.

As the mastermind behind the invading forces from the Fifth World, Pang Jian felt little to no guilt. Cao Mang, Lady Hua, Jiu Yuan, and Lou Yunming had thoroughly angered him with their actions in the Primordial Wilderness.

The ascension of the foreign race warriors to the upper worlds had been inevitable as they had originally planned to go to the Fourth World to search for rare spirit materials.

Rather than letting the cities full of non-cultivators in the Fourth World endure such a disaster, it was better to let the cultivators in the Third World deal with it.

The foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts he had released were all below Rank Seven and were within the capability of the major forces in the Third World to handle.

Since you embarked on this path of cultivation, you should be prepared. You could encounter Rank Six Vicious or Spirit Beasts even when exploring restricted areas and spiritual lands. Just treat this as a trial, Pang Jian thought.

With that, he retreated into the mud at the bottom of Emerald Lake and took out a spirit jade to cultivate.

The late stage of the Innate Realm...

Pang Jian contemplated the profound techniques recorded in the Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art, then skillfully channeled his spiritual power upward through the meridians in his chest and into those in his neck.

Throughout the process, he maintained an intense focus. A prickling sensation could be felt as the spiritual power seeped into the meridians in his neck, making him even more cautious.

In the earlier stages of cultivation—Qi Refining, Meridian Opening, and Marrow Cleansing —one had to circulate their spiritual power through their internal organs and bones to open the meridians connecting to the limbs.

However, these stages did not involve the brain or the neck as they were sensitive and were not to be recklessly tampered with. One wrong move could lead to cultivation deviation at best or instant death at worst.

Without precise control over their spiritual power, it was ill-advised for one to attempt tempering around the head. Each cultivator had to ensure their spiritual power could dissipate through their entire body to form a protective shield before trying to temper the area above the neck.

"I should be able to do it," Pang Jian muttered.

Pang Jian condensed his spiritual power into threads several times finer than hair and cautiously inched the strands of green light along the meridians on his neck and toward his brain.

He was much more cautious now than he had been when he opened the Eight Extraordinary Meridians in his limbs as even just one misstep could cause the delicate meridians and blood vessels in his neck to burst.

Finally!

A thread of spiritual power passed through the delicate meridians on his neck and entered his head. There, he sensed many pathways that were far finer than his spiritual power.

These pathways were not meridians but nerve fibers connected to his mind and body, governing one's memories, emotions, and thoughts.

Pang Jian then further refined that thread of spiritual power, making it thinner, allowing it to penetrate those nerve fibers.

Eventually, Pang Jian felt his perception improve. He could sense the distant movements of fish and slight tremors of the earth miles away even from the bottom of Emerald Lake.

What a marvelous feeling. So, the late stage of the Innate Realm involves developing the brain, unlocking the body's life potential, and preparing for the formation of divine sense. Hm, life potential...

Pang Jian thought of the three leaves in his chest, brimming with life energy. These green leaves not only helped Han Ting detoxify and heal her wounds but also prolonged the life of Mu Yuan from the Wood Race.

Suddenly, an image flashed through Pang Jian's mind. The one-eyed giants' chieftain of Ice Rock City, Yanshan, had traded with Ice Demon to obtain a strange green liquid to extend the life of his young son, Ah Man.

Could that green liquid have come from a World Eater Vine?

Did the mysterious Ice Demon obtain the life-extending liquid from a World Eater Vine?

Had the Ice Demon also been in the Fifth World back then?

Questions raced through his mind. Pang Jian sensed that his perspective had expanded and his thinking had become much more profound. It was as if his wisdom had been subtly elevated.

Life energy, developing the brain during the late stage of the Innate Realm, and unleashing life potential...

As Pang Jian pondered, an idea came to mind.

Besides nourishing the nerve fibers in his brain with extremely fine spiritual power, he also wanted to try channeling the life energy from the three green leaves in his chest into his brain.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Strands of life energy raced along the fine meridians in his neck toward his brain. They moved much faster than his spiritual power!

In the blink of an eye, this strange green life energy reached his brain and permeated his nerve fibers like spring water nourishing parched land.

A green light enveloped Pang Jian's head, making him appear as though he was wearing a glowing green helmet.

It works!

Pang Jian was elated.

With this discovery came the realization that he could cultivate the Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art without needing a clear mind or deliberate focus.

Many wonders manifest once the brain is developed!

The little tree's life energy would significantly accelerate his progress in the late stage of the Innate Realm and would likely continue to help him even after he advanced into the Profound Abode Realm!

The life energy's ability to heal injuries appeared to be one of its minor functions. Nourishing the brain, enhancing life potential, and increasing intelligence—these were the proper uses of life energy!

An hour later, Pang Jian noticed his perception, insight, hearing, and sense of smell had all significantly improved.

With a single thought, he established a connection with the little tree and willed, Give me some life energy.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The three leaves in his chest glowed a vibrant green once again.

Overjoyed, Pang Jian quickly gathered the life energy from the three leaves and channeled them into his brain once more.

***

A figure emerged from underneath an ancient tree embedded in the cliff of the Fifth Peak and peered up at Gao Yuan's safely escaping Cloud Sail.

"They managed to escape? Are the Rank Six powerhouses of the Celestial Race and Demon Scale Race all blind?" the figure wondered aloud with a frown.

He had personally witnessed the strange Cloud Sail escape the Primordial Wilderness, descend back down to hover over the Fifth Peak, pick up Luo Hongyan and Qi Qingsong, and then once again leave unharmed.

He found the situation incredibly odd.

All the other Cloud Sail had been destroyed by Demon Scale Race warriors riding black wyverns or smashed by the one-eyed giants whenever they ascended more than a few dozen zhang into the sky.

This Cloud Sail was the only exception.

"They all know Pang Jian, but they didn't bring him along. That kid..." the figure muttered, features trembling as they slowly morphed into Huang Qi. Squinting in the direction of Emerald Lake, he said, "That kid was there when the foreign race warriors emerged. He’s likely in grave danger.

"He acquired the Grand Providence Sacred Body. If he truly cultivates it, he could be considered a fellow disciple. He sold me the eyes of the Scarlet-Eyed Demon Wolf even under the pressure of Yang Rui from the Radiant Sun Sect. The kid isn't bad; I'll keep an eye on him."

With that, Huang Qi quietly disappeared from the mountainside.

***

Night descended upon the Primordial Wilderness. This evening, there was no bright moon in the sky and only a smattering of stars could be seen

Every peak, valley, forest, and rocky area in the Primordial Wilderness was engulfed in fierce battles.

The elders and geniuses from the major sects, alongside the rogue cultivators from across the Third World, all unleashed astonishing combat power when they realized their flying vessels had been seized by the foreign race warriors, trapping them in the Primordial Wilderness.

Many Rank Five foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts met their end in these battles.

The First Peak of the Primordial Wilderness was enveloped in radiant brilliance as dense spiritual energy surged from the cave dwellings carved into the thirty-six levels of the mountain.

Intricate arrays buried beneath the stone paths in front of the caves activated, trapping the Vicious Beasts and causing the warriors from the Ghost Race and Demon Scale Race to become disoriented.

Noble families scions and disgruntled rogue cultivators alike seized the opportunity to kill these foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts.

The First Peak of the Primordial Wilderness had revealed its formidable side. Many foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts suffered casualties on their way up the mountain due to the activation of the giant array.

Cao Mang and Lady Hua held their ground at the summit of the First Peak, using the arrays within the mountain to fend off the onslaught of foreign race warriors. The sudden burst of power and brilliance from the First Peak inspired many human cultivators, causing them to rush toward it for safety.

"We've underestimated Old Monster Cao!" Liang Ying, an elder of the Star River Alliance said with a gleam in her eyes. She twirled a giant umbrella, causing its spokes to shoot out dazzling starlight.

Crack!

She activated a hidden array, and the spokes of the umbrella detached from its frame like dozens of sword blades, stabbing several Ghost Race warriors riding Ghost Apes.

"Too bad, the stars aren't that bright tonight, so the power of the Star Crushing Umbrella can't be fully displayed." Liang Ying snorted.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The bloodstained spokes flew out from the bodies of the Ghost Race warriors and returned to the frame.

The members of the Star River Alliance sheltered under the giant umbrella, looked up to see the returning spokes had turned the stars on the Star Crushing Umbrella red.

Liang Ying spun the handle again, and the droplets of blood splattered away.

Five hundred meters away, a Ghost Race warrior with green skin and sharp tusks crouched on the shoulder of a Ghost Ape, letting out an ear-splitting wail.

The Ghost Race warriors riding the tall Ghost Apes no longer charged at Liang Ying.

"Retreat!" The sharp-tusked warrior cried awkwardly in human language as he led the dozens of Ghost Race warriors away.

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