Trials of the Abyss

Perpetual daylight reigned in Eight Trigrams City.

Jian Yaoyang ran down the wide street to the city center and back, looking like a ghost stepping on starlight.

Swoosh!

Lin Quanshan exited a stone building. Standing in the middle of the street, he stared at where Jian Yaoyang stood, about a dozen zhang away.

Neither of them said a word.

Jian Yaoyang pointed at the rows of stone buildings lining the wide street between them. This silent gesture conveyed that he had not seen their targets when he had rushed ahead and indicated to Lin Quanshan that the other party was likely in one of the buildings.

Lin Quanshan nodded in understanding.

Jian Yaoyang stood at the corner of the street and signaled Lin Quanshan to inform the others to continue searching each building.

Lin Quanshan turned around and headed toward another building.

At the top of a pagoda-like stone building, out of Jian Yaoyang’s sight, a window was pushed open from the inside.

Having bid farewell to Pang Jian and the others at the North Gate, Li Jie leaned against the window as he sipped his green fruit juice from a glass bottle with a reed straw, eagerly watching Jian Yaoyang’s hunting operation.

I wonder who will emerge victorious in the end, Li Jie thought with a radiant smile, eyes gleaming with excitement as though watching a drama.

After using his spirit artifact to kill the two cultivators from the Blood Moon Sect and the Radiant Sun Sect, he continued forward only to sense Jian Yaoyang and his six companions lurking nearby.

The group of seven had intended to ambush him, but the swift and gruesome demise of the earlier pair left them too intimidated to reveal themselves.

Li Jie had lingered around instead of heading straight to the center of the city because he knew Pang Jian and others were still at the north gate. He had hoped to witness the clash between these two groups but was surprised to see them part ways without incident after having a brief conversation.

As boredom seeped in and he prepared to depart, he noticed a change in the air.

One side has seven people while the other has five. The group of seven has the advantage in both numbers and cultivation levels.

Sipping his green fruit juice, Li Jie chuckled as he analyzed the situation. But we can’t just rely on numbers and cultivation. In that group of five, there’s also that sinister woman with a strange aura of a wandering soul.

His presence went completely unnoticed by Jian Yaoyang and the others.

Meanwhile, Jian Yaoyang stood in a corner in the street ahead, watching Lin Quanshan and the others search each stone building. He gradually grew frustrated.

Numerous towering buildings lined both sides of the street, ranging from one to four stories tall. The meticulous search was incredibly time-consuming and Jian Yaoyang was concerned that another group would arrive.

After contemplating the situation briefly, Jian Yaoyang finally cleared his throat, straightened his attire, and stood gracefully in the middle of the street. Raising his voice, he called, "Junior Sister Ning, are you nearby?"

When they heard his voice, Lin Quanshan and the others knew that Jian Yaoyang had grown impatient. Thus, they all stopped their search.

Some stayed inside the stone buildings while others stepped out onto the street.

A clear and pleasant voice rang out from a three-story stone building between Jian Yaoyang and Lin Quanshan.

"I’m here," Luo Hongyan said. "Senior Brother Jian, we found something. Would you like to come and take a look?"

Jian Yaoyang’s eyes lit up. "That’s great, I have something to discuss with you too."

The remaining members of the Star River Alliance silently emerged from the stone buildings. Jian Yaoyang and Lin Quanshan exchanged a knowing glance before heading toward the stone building where they had heard Luo Hongyan’s voice.

The other five quickly closed in.

Soon, the seven of them stood in front of the three-story stone building. The door was tightly shut and the plaque above it read "Peaceful Inn".

Having previously scoped out the street, Jian Yaoyang knew that many shops, taverns, and inns lined it. Many places along the wide street were similar to the Peaceful Inn.

"We were held up, so we thought Senior Brother Jian and the others had already gone ahead," Luo Hongyan said softly from inside the inn.

Jian Yaoyang said nothing as he signaled Lin Quanshan and the others, silently gesturing for them to prepare to force their way in. He had no intention of waiting until he was inside to ambush them.

In this way, he also instructed Lin Quanshan and the most radical member, Qiu Li, to guard the windows on both sides.

Understanding his instructions, the group positioned themselves accordingly.

Once everyone was in position, Jian Yaoyang responded gently, "We were discussing some matters, so we were held up as well—"

Dazzling starlight burst forth from his left hand pressed against the door panel, and a formidable force surged through it.

Boom!

Although the heavy stone door did not shatter into pieces, Jian Yaoyang managed to push it open.

On a wooden table at the end of the unlit room were numerous sparkling bottles and jars, a pile of translucent spirit jades, and several ancient books.

Jian Yaoyang’s breathing quickened.

Luo Hongyan, with a look of panic on her face, stood beside the wooden table and exclaimed, "Senior Brother Jian! You—"

Jian Yaoyang did not waste time responding to her. He rushed in with four others following behind him.

Boom!

A large, shiny silver ball rolled across the stone floor, carrying tremendous momentum as it headed straight toward Jian Yaoyang.

Zzzt Zzzt!

Countless steel needles shot out at them from the shiny silver sphere.

Jian Yaoyang hesitated. He prepared to dodge sideways, only to realize that tables and chairs blocked both sides.

He cursed in his heart as he realized the predicament he was in.

With a slender spirit sword, he activated the Star River Alliance’s spirit art to draw out dazzling starlight in front of him to block the flying steel needles.

Only then did he manage to scream, "Ambush!"

But before he could even turn around, a spearhead and chilling long saber flew out from the gaps between the tables and chairs on both sides.

Bang!

Thud! Thud!

As the two people behind him tried to retreat, they collided with the other two and were pierced by the chilling long spear and long saber.

Whoosh!

A dazzling light burst forth from the second floor. A mirror shone brightly, blinding the eyes of the group.

Powdery mist drifted toward the dazed bunch, causing them to inadvertently inhale some of it. Dizziness set in, and a fiery, stinging sensation itched in the back of their throats.

"Poison powder!"

"How despicable!"

"Junior Sister Ning, we have no grievances between us. Why are you resorting to such despicable means?" Jian Yaoyang angrily rebuked.

"There’s no need for grievances, I just want to kill you," Luo Hongyan said with a light smile as she watched Pang Jian and Zhou Qingchen repeatedly hack and stab the four people behind Jian Yaoyang. Trapped in the narrow gap between the tables and chairs, the four had nowhere to go and could only fall one after another into a pool of blood.

Realizing something was amiss, Lin Quanshan shouted from outside one of the windows, "Senior Brother Jian!"

Bang!

A sharp spear burst through the window and pierced Lin Quanshan’s neck.

Standing at the window on the other side of the door, Qiu Li turned her head to see Lin Quanshan with a spear protruding from her neck.

Scared out of her wits, she no longer cared about Jian Yaoyang’s desperate cries for help and ran down the street.

Having killed Lin Quanshan, Pang Jian wrenched his Dragonwood Spear out of her neck and casually pushed open the window before jumping out.

Standing on the wide street, he channeled a steady stream of spiritual power along the four meridians and into the soles of his feet.

Boom!

With a stomp, he soared several zhang into the air and tracked Qiu Li like an eagle.

As Qiu Li ran, she glanced back, only to see the stone-faced Pang Jian, spear in hand, descending toward her. She hurriedly took out a dark wood shield to defend herself.

Boom!

A violent eruption akin to a collapsing mountain surged through the Dragonwood Spear and shattered the dark wood shield that was as hard as iron.

With her dark wood shield shattered, Qiu Li succumbed to Pang Jian’s fierce blow. The Dragonwood Spear pierced through her heart and she died.

Thud!

Qiu Li fell backward, the Dragonwood Spear still impaled in her chest. As she lay dying, she deeply regretted harboring murderous intentions toward her fellow disciples.

However, it was too late.

Pang Jian did not hesitate to rip out the Dragonwood Spear and fix his icy gaze on the pagoda-like stone building ahead.

He had noticed Li Jie calmly watching him from within the stone building when he was in the air.

Seeing Pang Jian preparing to attack, Li Jie choked on his green fruit juice in his rush to explain, "Cough, cough! I’m not acquainted with them, we’re not together. Please don’t misunderstand."

He had never imagined that, despite having the advantage in both strength and numbers, Jian Yaoyang and the others would actually be defeated.

Moreover, the defeat happened almost instantaneously, leaving him with little time to react.

Seeing that Pang Jian had no intention of backing down, Li Jie hurriedly lifted the glass bottle, reed straw still in his mouth, and sprinted madly across the rooftops of the stone buildings.

"Don’t bother coming after me because you can’t catch up anyway. Don’t waste your time!" he yelled behind him.

He disappeared in the blink of an eye.

He was unbelievably fast.

Realizing it was impossible to catch up, Pang Jian gave up. Without sparing a glance at Qiu Li’s body, he rushed back to the Peaceful Inn where the ambush had been set up.

When Pang Jian jumped out the window, only Jian Yaoyang had remained. Furthermore, he was poisoned.

While Pang Jian did not think Jian Yaoyang would be able to survive for much longer, he still turned back just to be safe. He wanted to make sure that all their enemies had been completely eliminated.

At the entrance of the Peaceful Inn, Pang Jian was met with a pile of bodies. Among them was Jian Yaoyang’s body as well.

Holding his long saber made from cold iron, Zhou Qingchen leaned against the door and stared blankly at the corpses.

Seeing that Pang Jian had returned with his blood-stained spear, Zhou Qingchen snapped out of his daze, his expression peculiar.

As he thought about the battle, Zhou Qingchen sank into contemplation.

This was too easy. This wasn’t even a battle. It was a one-sided massacre. Perhaps I should also consider changing my approach in the future.

Given his and Han Duping’s usual style, if he had planned this surprise attack, it would have surely resulted in a fierce battle.

All his hidden treasures would have had to be brought out for them to have a chance at killing Jian Yaoyang and the others. Even then, he would not have been able to guarantee that their side would not suffer serious injuries or deaths as a result.

However, following Pang Jian’s plan, the operation to hunt down Jian Yaoyang and the others went smoothly to the point of unease.

With almost no effort at all, they were able to deal with Jian Yaoyang and the others. Not only were none of them injured, but they also barely used any spiritual power.

Finally coming to his senses, Zhou Qingchen retrieved a jar of liquor and took a few large gulps before saying, "I’m glad you’re one of us. Dong Tianze was unbelievably lucky to have escaped alive after being stabbed by you a few times."

Han Duping appeared at the doorway, unscathed but covered in the blood of their assailants.

"What about the two outside?" he asked.

"Pang Jian’s already taken care of them," Zhou Qingchen replied.

Han Duping glanced at Pang Jian and said indignantly, "Pang Jian, don’t you feel ashamed using such malicious and brutal methods against others?"

Pang Jian was startled.

When facing ferocious wild beasts in the Solitary Mountain Range, one had to use every means at their disposal.

What’s there to be ashamed of with a method that can allow one to survive and hunt down wild beasts simultaneously?

Zhou Qingchen paused, then chuckled and scolded, "Old Han, spare me the lecture. I can see you practically jotting it down for future reference."

"There’s a saying, ’While one should avoid harming others, one must also be vigilant against those who seek to harm you.’ I’m jotting that down now!" Han Duping retrieved a small notebook, dipped a brush into the bloodstains on the ground, and started writing.

Zhou Qingchen squinted his eyes to have a better look. He could faintly discern phrases like "Utilizing dim environments, creating dazzling lights, and employing poison powder".

Han Duping’s earnest expression contrasted his grumbling, "I’m afraid that in the future, I’ll encounter scoundrels with no regard for the rules like Pang Jian. I can’t afford to be caught off guard."

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