Trials of the Abyss

"Divine sense truly does have many marvelous uses," Pang Jian murmured as he watched a blood-colored light fade into the distance.

He did not bother to give chase as he knew he would not be able to catch up to Fang Boxuan.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three silver spheres flew out from a crack in a rock, a pile of dead grass, and a patch of mud respectively. These three Nine Heavenly Profound Thunder then disappeared into his spatial bracelet.

If Fang Boxuan had stayed to fight, Pang Jian would have maneuvered or lured him toward the places where the Nine Heavenly Profound Thunders were hidden before detonating them for a devastating blow.

Unfortunately, the terrified Fang Boxuan only sought to escape, leaving Pang Jian's preparations unused.

Earlier, he had detonated the Nine Heavenly Profound Thunder remotely using his divine sense. Although he could not yet precisely control the divine sense within his sea of consciousness, it had still allowed him to manipulate his spiritual power from a distance—a feat he could not achieve while in the Innate Realm.

In the Innate Realm, his spiritual power would lose connection with him shortly after leaving his body. Whether it was unleashing the Explosive Dance or gathering spiritual power for the Starflow Technique or Lunar Edges, he would lose control of them not long after they left his body.

The energies infused into the Startling Slaughter Spear maintained their connection for slightly longer, likely due to the spear's unique nature. Even then, he had to periodically recall the spear to restore his connection with the energies within it.

Now that he was in the Profound Abode Realm, he could maintain his connection with the energies infused into the Nine Heavenly Profound Thunder and the Refined Ghost Miasma, and even detonate them with a mere thought.

Whoosh!

The Startling Slaughter Spear flew into the air like a silver dragon, guided by Pang Jian's will. It soared up, twisting and turning as if striking at imaginary enemies.

The spiritual power, cold energy, stellar energy, and lunar energy in the spear were all under his control. The divine sense in his sea of consciousness allowed him to precisely manipulate the energies within the spear.

However, he still could not infuse energy into the spear from a distance. Once the energies in the spear were exhausted, he had to hold it to recharge it.

If I could infuse energy into the spear from a distance, the spear's power would increase significantly. My spear techniques would also become even more unpredictable. I could even strike from dozens of miles away and then recall the spear after a kill, Pang Jian mused.

For the next while, as he adapted to his new Profound Abode Realm cultivation, he operated near the Fourth Peak and the Fifth Peak, switching between his usual black attire and the Sword Pavilion's robe.

In doing this, he realized the power of the blue robe and sword-shaped token Qi Qingsong had gifted him.

As long as he wore the Sword Pavilion's robe, rogue cultivators and noble families scions from the Third World would show him respect. Even though they knew his identity and the spirit stones he carried, they did not dare to act rashly.

After pondering the matter, Pang Jian concluded the reason behind the other cultivators' reactions was twofold.

Firstly, his status caused them to doubt their ability to kill him. Secondly, they probably feared possible witnesses if they tried to kill him. After all, if someone saw them kill a Sword Pavilion outer disciple and the news spread, they would face endless trouble.

Cultivators were hidden all over the Primordial Wilderness due to the chaotic situation, and there was no way they could be certain that their attempt to kill him and steal his treasures would not be seen.

Conversely, whenever he switched to his usual black outfit, other cultivators often became aggressive and were eager to kill him for his spirit stones.

A powerful sect background is like a high-grade protective talisman. It really is useful.

After experimenting with switching outfits, Pang Jian had to admit that the backing of a well-established sect could indeed help him avoid many troubles.

One day, Pang Jian left the Fourth Peak dressed in black and headed toward the Third Peak.

Unlike the First Peak and the Second Peak, the Third Peak was covered in vegetation with an uneven summit. For that reason, no flying vessels had been anchored on the Third Peak even before the attack from the Fifth World.

Pang Jian stopped and squinted into the distance.

The Wood Race...

Many Wood Race members, along with a few Ghost Race members, moved through the dense foliage of the Third Peak. Members of the Celestial Race and the Demon Scale Race had also gathered at the smooth summit of the Second Peak.

"Pang Jian, what are you doing here?" Huang Qi suddenly appeared.

Startled, Pang Jian looked toward the source of the voice and saw a dozen cultivators of varying cultivation realms, including noble families elders, huddled behind a moss-covered rock.

"The kid from the Sword Pavilion!" A Profound Abode Realm rogue cultivator exclaimed softly.

"Sword Pavilion?" A noble family elder was puzzled. "I saw him in black clothes just yesterday evening!"

Another person added, "I saw him kill two Profound Abode Realm cultivators!"

As Pang Jian listened to their startled exclamations, he tried to use his divine sense to investigate more closely behind the mossy but found that the distance was too far. He was still only in the early stage of the Profound Abode Realm and the range of his divine sense was limited.

"Have you broken through?" Huang Qi asked loudly as he approached Pang Jian.

Just a few days ago, he was still in the Innate Realm, but now he's already in the Profound Abode Realm. Huang Qi was greatly surprised.

Looking at the handsome Huang Qi, Pang Jian asked in confusion, "What are you all doing here?"

"Just huddling together for warmth." Huang Qi said nonchalantly before updating Pang Jian on the latest situation.

A group of foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts had left the Primordial Wilderness using the seized flying vessels. These departing invaders brought many rare spirit materials with them and seemed to be headed to the contaminated Fourth World.

The remaining foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts had gathered their forces and settled on the Second and the Third Peaks while they tried to break through Cao Mang and Lady Hua's meticulously built defenses on the First Peak.

Aside from these few peaks, there were almost no foreign race warriors or Vicious Beasts in the rest of the Primordial Wilderness. The surviving cultivators only needed to stay as far away from the conflict and hide in secluded places to survive this ordeal.

"The major sects will eventually gather their forces and come to the Primordial Wilderness. The invaders can't hold out for long. Unexpectedly, Cao Mang—that old dog—is actually so formidable.

"He used an underground spirit vein in the Primordial Wilderness to build a Spirit Slaughtering Astral Array with the First Peak as the base. If the foreign races can't break through the array, they can't reach the summit and can only watch Cao Mang flaunt his power!"

"It's really infuriating!" Huang Qi cursed in frustration.

Pang Jian gazed into the distance. A radiant light surrounded the two-thousand-zhang-tall First Peak. The blade-like lights intertwined like a giant net, enveloping the entire summit.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Spiritual qi continuously converged on the summit of the First Peak, bathing it in divine light, creating a majestic and mystical sight.

Pang Jian could not see Cao Mang, Lady Hua, or Jiu Yuan, but he could sense a powerful killing intent emanating from the First Peak.

"Cao Mang and Jiu Yuan, are the two of them still alive?" Pang Jian asked.

"Unfortunately for you, those bastards are alive and well thanks to the Spirit Slaughtering Astral Array." Huang Qi sighed deeply. He did not care if the nearby rogue cultivators and noble family elders overheard them. "Why didn't the foreign races bring any Rank Seven powerhouses?"

"Rank Seven?" Pang Jian's curiosity was piqued. "What would happen if Rank Seven foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts arrived?"

"I was just joking." Huang Qi rolled his eyes and shook his head with a bitter smile. "Let's hope they don't come. The Third World can't handle Rank Seven foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts. If a few were to come, the Primordial Wilderness would have fallen long ago. You, me, and everyone else would be dead.

"Rank Seven foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts can not only destroy the Primordial Wilderness in a short time but also threaten the nearby fragmented lands and even the Dark Abyss Continent.

"Rank Seven beings are equivalent to Soul Wandering Realm cultivators. They shouldn't exist in the Third World and is beyond what the five major sects can handle."

"Oh." Pang Jian nodded and dismissed his idea.

An underground spirit vein...

Raising his eyebrows, Pang Jian tentatively asked, "If the underground spirit vein were to be destroyed, would the Spirit Slaughtering Astral Array still work?"

"Of course not." Huang Qi shot him a look that suggested he should know better. "Even though the Primordial Wilderness only has a small spirit vein, it's still extremely precious.

"All the major sects like the Radiant Sun Sect, the Star River Alliance, the Red Mountain Sect, and the Blood Moon Sect relied on spirit veins when they were first established. If the spirit veins were destroyed, the foundations of these sects would be ruined.

"Even the arrays protecting these sects are often linked to spirit veins. If the spirit veins were severed or depleted, the sects would have to find new grounds and relocate."

Pang Jian listened attentively to Huang Qi's explanation and nodded in understanding

Then, seeing that some people were approaching out of curiosity, Pang Jian bade Huang Qi farewell, "This place is too dangerous. I'd better not stay here."

Near a river valley adjacent to the Third Peak, Pang Jian stopped by a winding stream and established a connection with the black turtle.

The black turtle's nameless fragmented land was now extremely close and it would not be long before it reached the Primordial Wilderness.

There's a spirit vein in the Primordial Wilderness. Can you absorb it? Pang Jian asked.

The black turtle soon replied, telling Pang Jian it was headed toward the Primordial Wilderness specifically for that spirit vein.

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