Trials of the Abyss

As Pang Jian wandered the basin, he gathered information from other earlier arrivals. The other exploring rogue cultivators told him that Cloud Lightning had recently experienced some disturbances.

That was why the Celestial Lagoon Sect's Mountain Stream Spirit Boat had been dispatched.

The Demon Sect and the Black Valley Sect from the Second World each sent a group of disciples to join the Celestial Lagoon Sect's expedition to Cloud Lightning and seek their fortunes.

Most of these disciples were either in the Innate Realm or the Profound Abode Realm, with none reaching the Spirit Condensation Realm.

Only the elder of the Celestial Lagoon Sect controlling the Mountain Stream Spirit Boat was a cultivator in the late-stage Spirit Condensation Realm.

It was said that this elder was bound to the Mountain Stream Spirit Boat; wherever he went, the boat followed. The boat's departure indicated the Spirit Condensation Realm elder had left as well.

Without the black turtle, Pang Jian could not harmonize with the land and so did not have the benefits that came with it. This left him with only his Profound Abode Realm combat prowess.

Pang Jian did not wish to encounter the Spirit Condensation Realm elder from the Celestial Lagoon Sect while in the restricted area, so the elder's departure suited him perfectly.

Thus, when he saw the Mountain Stream Spirit Boat disappear into the distance, he could finally relax and comfortably venture deeper into the basin.

A bolt of white lightning flashed in the mist ahead.

The lightning struck a careless rogue cultivator before he could summon his protective shield. The rogue cultivator died instantly, body charred black.

Pang Jian approached the charred corpse, but two other rogue cultivators had gotten there before him.

“This basin is designated a restricted area because it kills people,” a cultivator in the Profound Abode Realm said to the other cultivator in a cold voice, as he nicked the spatial pouch on the corpse. "Remember, even though maintaining a protective shield is extremely draining for someone in the middle stage of the Innate Realm, it's best to keep it up at all times.

“This is what happens if you let your guard down.” He pointed at the charred corpse. Then glancing at the shieldless Pang Jian, he warned, “You need to be careful, even with your Profound Abode Realm cultivation. Only those skilled in body refinement might withstand one or two lightning strikes.”

The rogue cultivator's protective shield was pale blue and emitted a cold aura. He evidently cultivated with a frost-based cultivation method.

Pang Jian nodded indifferently and said, “Thank you for the advice.”

Despite expressing his gratitude, Pang Jian made no move to summon his protective shield.

“Those who overestimate themselves in Cloud Lightning often end up dead.”

With that, the cultivator floated away from the corpse.

Once he left, the middle-stage Innate Realm cultivator hastily summoned a grayish-yellow protective shield.

The rogue cultivator silently assessed the rapid depletion of his spiritual power and smiled wryly.

He could only maintain the shield for two to three hours with his middle-stage Innate Realm cultivation and the amount of spiritual power in his spiritual sea.

After that, his spiritual power would be completely drained.

“Forget it." The Innate Realm cultivator sighed, deciding not to continue exploring Cloud Lightning.

He glanced at Pang Jian and the departing cultivator before heading back toward the towering hills.

Pang Jian, however, maintained his composure and continued deeper into the basin.

His exposed skin glistened with a silvery sheen. The Grand Providence Sacred Body gave him a “silver membrane” that differed from a protective shield.

This "silver membrane" meant Pang Jian did not need to summon a protective shield to explore the restricted area.

Moreover, Pang Jian seemed to have incredibly good luck, as the lightning had yet to strike him.

Unfortunately, unlike the other cultivators, Pang Jian was actually actively wishing for the lightning to strike him. He could then absorb it into his spiritual sea and hopefully break through to the middle stage of the Profound Abode Realm.

The lack of lightning strikes was disappointing to him.

When night fell, Pang Jian reluctantly sat down by a lake. The lightning had still yet to strike him despite his long wait.

He took out the meat of high-ranked Vicious Beasts and started eating, washing it down with half a bucket of Rank Five Vicious Beasts' blood.

As the rich blood essence surged through him, Pang Jian immersed himself in cultivating the Grand Providence Sacred Body, tempering his bones once again with focused determination.

Pang Jian had already had some success in the Illusory Bone Realm and eagerly anticipated achieving full mastery, which would allow him to freely manipulate the tendons connecting his bones and alter his height at will.

With full mastery of the Illusory Bone Realm, he could abruptly retract or extend his limbs during combat.

The bones in his hands and feet were already as sharp as knives. Being able to unexpectedly extend or retract his arms during combat would allow him to catch his opponent off guard and kill them.

With this in mind, Pang Jian diligently cultivated, and time passed swiftly.

Whoosh!

An elegant white crane flew gracefully above the lake and dropped the body of a man dressed in Celestial Lagoon Sect's attire into the lake.

It then let out a triumphant, melodious cry.

The slender white crane had killed a disciple of the Celestial Lagoon Sect. Its eyes still gleamed with pride.

Just as Pang Jian noticed it, the crane also looked over, having sensed the immense blood essence within him.

Its intelligent eyes flashed with surprise. It then flew over Pang Jian's head and dropped a spatial pouch.

The crane even flapped one wing in mid-flight as if waving at Pang Jian and telling him not to be too grateful for its favor.

Pang Jian was taken aback. He casually picked up the spatial pouch, only to find it empty upon inspection.

When he looked up, the crane winked mischievously at him, clearly pleased with its prank.

The crane then happily flew away.

Pang Jian could not help but smile.

He had never encountered such an intelligent and playful creature in the Solitary Mountain Range, Misty Swamp, or the Primordial Wilderness. It was clearly not a mindless Vicious Beast.

Unbothered by the white crane’s prank, Pang Jian continued to cultivate the Grand Providence Sacred Body by the lake.

At night, the basin was shrouded in thick mist, blocking the light of the stars and moon from above. The darkness made Pang Jian feel as though he had returned to the Fourth World.

Nights without stars and moon don’t affect my vision. On the contrary, nighttime works to my advantage, Pang Jian mused.

An hour later, two men and a woman approached and surrounded Pang Jian while he was cultivating diligently.

“That’s Junior Brother Liu’s spatial pouch!”

Their vision, also unaffected by the darkness, was fixed on the spatial pouch next to Pang Jian, eyes filled with hostility.

The trio were from the Celestial Lagoon Sect and had been searching for their long-missing junior brother when they found Pang Jian.

As soon as they arrived, they saw the spatial pouch beside Pang Jian and shot harsh accusations at him.

“Junior Brother Liu has been murdered!”

“Damn it. How dare someone from the Third World kill a member of the Celestial Lagoon Sect?”

“Heartless scoundrel!”

The white crane had framed Pang Jian.

"I—" Seeing the hostile expressions on their faces, Pang Jian reluctantly explained, "It has nothing to do with me. A white crane killed the person you're looking for. The body is in the lake. Before the white crane flew away, it dropped an empty spatial pouch near me."

“A white crane?” sneered the fair and beautiful woman from the Celestial Lagoon Sect, a cold glint in her starry eyes. “Do you even believe that yourself?”

“It’s the truth,” Pang Jian said coldly.

"Go!" The woman threw a pearl into the lake.

The pearl acted as her eyes, allowing her to see the body of her junior brother at the bottom of the lake.

"Junior Brother Liu's deceased body is indeed at the bottom of the lake!" she exclaimed.

She was now even more convinced that the man before her had killed their junior brother and was blaming it on a white crane.

"Where did you come from? How dare you kill a member of the Celestial Lagoon Sect!"

“Did our Junior Brother offend you?”

The two male disciples of the Celestial Lagoon Sect questioned coldly.

One took out a silver sword with a fish-scale handle, while the other held a gilded bottle containing some liquid.

Clearly, neither had any intention of listening to Pang Jian’s explanations as they were already infusing their spirit artifacts with spiritual power and preparing to attack.

Pang Jian shook his head and silently sensed their auras.

Their cultivation realms were roughly on par with his own.

The two men appeared to be in the early stage of the Profound Abode Realm, while the woman’s cultivation was slightly higher. Even so, she was at most still only in the middle stage of the Profound Abode Realm.

The Celestial Lagoon Sect, two men and one woman, all in the Profound Abode Realm...

Pang Jian silently contemplated his options.

Just as he was about to retrieve a weapon from his spatial bracelet, Pang Jian noticed the sword-shaped token.

Not wanting to engage in a needless fight due to a misunderstanding, Pang Jian took out the sword-shaped token and attached it to his waist.

"Sword Pavilion!"

“You’re a disciple of the Sword Pavilion!”

The trio from the Celestial Lagoon Sect exclaimed. The glow from their spirit artifacts abruptly dimmed.

Pang Jian's identity as a Sword Pavilion disciple had made them more wary.

The Demon Sect and the Sword Pavilion were among the most powerful sects in the Second World, far surpassing the Celestial Lagoon Sect. They dared not recklessly kill a Sword Pavilion disciple without knowing all the facts.

“Yes, I’m an outer disciple of the Sword Pavilion.”Pang Jian stood up and explained with a frown, “I’ve been traveling in the Third World and heard about the anomalies in Cloud Lightning, so I took a Cloud Sail here to investigate.

"Your junior brother’s death truly has nothing to do with me. I don’t want to fight you for no reason."

“Was it truly a white crane?” asked the fair, beautiful woman from the Celestial Lagoon Sect.

The two men had previously been unwilling to listen to any explanation and were prepared to kill Pang Jian. They could then search his belongings to determine if he had killed their Junior Brother Liu.

However, in light of Pang Jian's reveal, the two restrained themselves.

“It really was a white crane.”

Pang Jian described the white crane, explaining that it was extremely intelligent and playful. He then pointed the trio in the direction it had flown.

"We'll believe you for now," the woman from the Celestial Lagoon Sect said with a snort. "It's only because you are from the Sword Pavilion that we're willing to give you a chance to prove that our Junior Brother Liu’s death has nothing to do with you."

The status of an outer disciple from the Sword Pavilion is useful, Pang Jian mused.

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