Trials of the Abyss

A profound darkness descended on the Fourth World.

In a corner of the Solitary Mountain Range, the Shadow Specter Sect, with Jin Yang as their leader, gathered by Blackwater Pond. They wore rather peculiar expressions on their faces as they stared blankly at the calm, ripple-free surface of the water.

Only cultivators like them could perceive their surroundings in the pitch-black night of the lower worlds. Non-cultivators found it difficult to discern their surroundings without relying on light sources like lamps.

Under Jin Yang’s orders, the members of the Shadow Specter Sect did not light any lamps. Instead, they scattered like phantoms around the perimeter of the pond.

However, despite waiting a long time, neither Pang Jian nor Ouyang Duanhai emerged from the dark pond water.

Neither could breathe underwater for extended periods as neither had reached the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

"Regardless of whether we light a lamp, it seems they won’t voluntarily reveal themselves."

"Perhaps, they’ve turned into skeletons under the water."

"..."

The group kept their voices low as they whispered to each other, afraid of being heard by the two individuals hiding underwater.

The masked man was growing impatient. He said to Jin Yang, "We’ve already done what we could. When we tossed corpses into the pond, they swiftly dissolved, flesh and all. Surely they won’t be able to hold out much longer. Should we just continue waiting like this?"

To verify Jin Yang’s claim, they had brought Zhang Heng’s and Zhang Hu’s bodies, as well as the corpses of the poisoned warhorses, and dropped them into Blackwater Pond. When they retrieved the corpses from the black water, all that was left were bones, just like Jin Yang’s hand.

All their flesh had been corroded away.

Something bizarre had happened to the pond water. When they first investigated Blackwater Pond, Jin Yang had gone near the withered bone, and some members had even touched the now corrosive pond water.

At that time, the pond water did not contain any corrosive energy, and they were unharmed.

It was precisely because they had not encountered abnormalities back then that Jin Yang, upon seeing one of his Cicada Wing Swords exhibiting peculiar behavior after entering the pond, daringly tested the water with his left hand. He had not expected his hand to be corroded down to the bone.

Under the pitch-black night sky, Jin Yang’s voice was filled with a chilling severity. Everyone present could sense the genuine anger emanating from him. "My intuition tells me that neither Pang Jian, the young hunter, nor Ouyang Duanhai have had their flesh corroded by the pond water."

"But how are they breathing underwater?" the Shadow Specter Sect squad leader asked, standing beside the huge silver net.

"That’s what I’d like to know! How are Pang Jian’s arms and ribcage as resilient as gold and iron? Even my Cicada Wing Swords failed to cut through them!" Jin Yang exclaimed.

Hiss!

The group turned their heads when they heard a python approaching.

Hong Tai, the mastermind behind the operation, arrived atop his black and white patterned python. Letting out a sigh, he said, "The Zhou Clan brat has slipped through our fingers."

He explained that Zhou Qingchen owned more than just the Heartguard Mirror and had managed to evade his fatal attacks with the help of his treasures. In the end, Zhou Qingchen fled to the side of a murky stream and plunged into the river.

It was unclear where he swam after that.

After the recent torrential rain, the river had become too muddy. Unable to discern Zhou Qingchen’s movements beneath the cloudy waters, Hong Tai searched in vain before returning empty-handed.

"Our situation is quite similar. A young hunter named Pang Jian and the possessed Ouyang Duanhai are hiding in Blackwater Pond. Their fates are unknown," the masked squad leader explained.

"And the water in Blackwater Pond is now capable of corroding flesh?" Hong Tai expressed visible surprise. Riding atop his massive python, he approached the edge of the pond. Giving the python beneath him a tap, he commanded, "Help me investigate the peculiarities of the pond water!"

Hong Tai’s python slithered up to the edge of the pitch-black pond. Its eerie green eyes emitted a strange glow as it gently tapped the water’s surface with its forked tongue.

Sizzle!

The python’s eyes filled with fear when its forked tongue emitted a puff of smoke.

Hong Tai’s complexion paled.

He dismounted from the python and moved to its head, pressing his ear close to its smoking mouth to listen carefully.

"A Giant Abyssal Serpent! There’s a Giant Abyssal Serpent at the bottom of the pond!" Hong Tai screamed in horror. He took several uneasy steps back, fearing the creature would suddenly appear.

There were dozens of members of the Shadow Specter Sect gathered around Blackwater Pond, but the vast majority were unaware of what a Giant Abyssal Serpent was.

Only Jin Yang, after a momentary pause, exclaimed in astonishment, "Impossible! There’s no way a Giant Abyssal Serpent could cross the eternal darkness of the Fifth World and into our world on its own!"

The two squad leaders of the Shadow Specter Sect finally understood. "A creature from the Fifth World?!"

The Fifth World was a land shrouded in eternal darkness.

According to legend, the lifeforms capable of surviving in the Fifth World were unimaginably evil and horrific.

The Fifth World and the Fourth World perpetually existed in a state of conflict. Few beings from the Fourth World dared to venture down there.

Even cultivators from the Third and Second World would not dare to step foot into the Fifth World so easily.

Similarly, the terrifying creatures of the Fifth World could not escape from that world of unimaginable horrors.

"If the Giant Abyssal Serpent is indeed a creature from the Fifth World, it should’ve been impossible for it to infiltrate the Fourth World, let alone come specifically to Northern Qi and hide in Blackwater Pond of the Solitary Mountain Range," Hong Tai said. "I’ve heard from the Sect Master that even the weakest Giant Abyssal Serpent is a Rank Four Vicious Beast or Spirit Beast.

"A Rank Four Vicious Beast or Spirit Beast can rival cultivators in the Innate Realm. For there to be a Giant Abyssal Serpent in Blackwater Pond, it’s unlikely for it to merely be at Rank Four..."

Even someone as strong as Hong Tai was losing confidence.

***

Hidden among the dense tree branches, the bewitching blood shadow watched as Hong Tai’s tamed python confirmed the existence of the Giant Abyssal Serpent at the pond’s bottom. It too, was taken aback.

"A snake grows into a python; a python into a serpent; a serpent into a Flood Dragon; and a Flood Dragon into a True Dragon." A chill ran down the woman’s spine as she solemnly stared at Blackwater Pond. "Unless someone intentionally brought it here to raise in Blackwater Pond."

Her previous composed demeanor was because she anticipated her emergence as the most formidable presence in the Solitary Mountain Range once her strength returned.

However, the Fifth World was regarded as a restricted area even by those from the upper worlds. If there existed someone who could not only enter the Fifth World but also capture and raise a Giant Abyssal Serpent in Blackwater Pond, their strength would surely make her retreat in awe even after recovering to her peak!

"Who could this person be? Why would such a formidable expert hide in this desolate wilderness?" She became increasingly cautious and silently prepared for a worst-case scenario. If necessary, she was ready to abandon the essence of the Celestial Phoenix.

***

Pang Jian awoke from his cultivation at the bottom of the pond. The spirit stone and cracked rock with Profound Yin energy in his hands had disintegrated into fine sand and was slipping through the gaps between his fingers.

Pang Jian had completely absorbed the pure spiritual qi of heaven and earth and the Profound Yin energy within the stones.

These energies now circulated in his navel region.

Unfortunately, Pang Jian still could not discern the movements in his navel region due to his low cultivation realm and lack of divine sense. As such, he could only vaguely perceive it.

Pang Jian sensed the presence of a funnel-shaped whirlpool within his navel region.

This whirlpool spun in the middle of his navel region, constantly pulling in different energies.

The mist-like spiritual qi of heaven and earth, the pitch-black corrosive energy, and the ash-colored Profound Yin energy slowly converged toward the whirlpool.

As the vortex rotated, the energies were refined and extracted. The funnel-like whirlpool received the energies from above and condensed them into usable spiritual power.

So this is cultivation, Pang Jian thought to himself. By transforming energies into tangible forms, one can distinctly sense the presence of spiritual qi. This extraordinary sensation is like extracting strength from the vast mist and condensing it into droplets of power.

As Pang Jian’s understanding deepened, he exerted even greater effort to gather spiritual qi, immersing himself in cultivation to the point of disregarding rest and food.

Soon, Pang Jian had exhausted all the spirit stones in his bamboo basket and could only absorb the spiritual qi and corrosive energy from the pond water.

This continued for a while, and when Pang Jian next awoke, he discovered the giant serpent’s body had completely vanished. All that was left was a withered skeleton resembling the bone of the Celestial Phoenix.

Part of the giant serpent’s bones were still entwined with the bone of the Celestial Phoenix while the rest formed a circular pattern on the floor of the pond.

Only the flesh on its head had yet to be completely devoured. Resigned to its inevitable demise, the giant serpent had ceased struggling as it awaited its death.

Pang Jian also noticed the strange figure had gotten much closer.

The strange figure stood at the tail of the giant serpent’s skeleton. Its dark red eyes stared intently at the Celestial Phoenix’s bone and its throat gurgled as though filled with a bloodthirsty craving.

With a slight chill in his heart, Pang Jian frowned and moved so that the giant serpent’s pierced skull and the thick bone of the Celestial Phoenix stood between him and the strange figure.

The giant serpent continued to be consumed.

The disappearance of its flesh had reached its head and it would not be long before the Celestial Phoenix’s bone completely devoured it.

Despite the excruciating pain, the giant serpent harbored a deep yearning. It wished to set its eyes one last time upon the bottom of the pond where it had been imprisoned for many years.

The giant serpent slowly opened its cold, lifeless eyes.

As it did so, it spotted Pang Jian. It caught sight of a small part of the bronze pendant that peeked through the gaps in Pang Jian’s clothes. Fear flashed in its previously lifeless eyes as it shuddered in terror.

It stared at Pang Jian’s face, eyes clouded with confusion before surging with an overwhelming tide of hatred moments later.

The giant serpent summoned the last of its strength to thrash about in a desperate frenzy.

The giant serpent’s skeleton encircling the Celestial Phoenix’s bone broke free, creating massive ripples at the bottom of the pond as it viciously lashed out at Pang Jian.

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