Trials of the Abyss

Han Duping snapped out of his stupor and turned to glare fiercely at Pang Jian. With righteous indignation, he scolded, "Pang Jian, look at what you’ve done! Your actions have led the honorable Young Zhou astray! What have you turned him into?"

After his outburst, he discreetly stashed away a packet of poison powder in his sleeve before also charging forward.

Pang Jian was taken aback.

Weren’t you the one who told Zhou Qingchen not to hold back and to use every means necessary? Why are you blaming me?

Pang Jian moved to join the battle but found himself frozen in shock for the second time.

Whoosh!

The Heartguard Mirror on Zhou Qingchen’s chest let off a dazzling light that shone directly on his opponent’s face.

His opponent held his breath and shut his eyes to guard against the poisonous powder.

Enduring the tingling of his skin, the man managed to escape the cloud of poison powder. However, when he opened his eyes, he was instantly blinded by a flash of light.

The man’s heart was heavy with emotion, but tears eluded him. He flailed his hands in a desperate attempt to defend himself, but Zhou Qingchen unhesitatingly delivered a fatal slash to his abdomen.

By the time Han Duping arrived, Zhou Qingchen had already ripped his long saber out of the man’s body, leaving his corpse to fall to the ground.

"This..." Su Meng’s eyes widened as she stared blankly at Zhou Qingchen.

Didn’t I use the Heartguard Mirror to blind our opponent earlier in the inn? Why would Big Brother Zhou use this tactic?

Worried about Zhou Qingchen’s safety, Jiang Li watched closely as he killed his opponent. Although relieved, her expression also changed. This was different from the Zhou Qingchen she remembered.

Next to her, Luo Hongyan cast Pang Jian a peculiar glance and shook her head in silence.

Turning around, Zhou Qingchen noticed Jiang Li’s peculiar gaze. Feeling like a guilty child, he flusteredly explained, "Senior Sister Jiang, this is not how I normally fight. Uh, Pang Jian recently taught me these tactics. I was concerned about your safety and that Su Meng and the others might be harmed, so I wanted to resolve the situation as quickly as possible."

Jiang Li nodded gently with a faint smile to assure him not to dwell on it.

Zhou Qingchen breathed a sigh of relief. He feared Jiang Li would look down on him and think he used unfair methods to secure his victories.

"How despicable!" Li Jie shook his head. He stared at Zhou Qingchen in shock before disdainfully remarking, "It’s not like you wouldn’t be able to win without resorting to such methods. Why stoop so low?"

"Despicable!"

"To think someone of Marrow Cleansing Realm would resort to poisoning and underhanded tactics against a mere Meridian Opening Realm opponent!"

"Kill those rule-breaking bastards!"

Zhou Qingchen had acted according to Luo Hongyan’s instructions to assert dominance. However, before he could exchange more than a few words with Jiang Li, the crowds that had gathered at the back entrance of the City Lord’s Mansion had filled with righteous indignation.

His attempt to intimidate had inadvertently sparked public outrage.

Han Duping did not have the time to reprimand Zhou Qingchen. Seeing several more people angrily charged toward them, his expression abruptly changed. "What terrible luck! Our plan has backfired on us!"

The first to arrive was a tall, broad-shouldered man with muscles as hard as rocks.

He loudly mobilized the crowd and raised its morale.

"Let’s kill the three young ladies first. They all seem to be at the Meridian Opening Realm! Be careful! Only the brat wielding the long saber has reached the Marrow Cleansing Realm! If they die, we might not need any additional sacrifices!"

That person’s instigation ignited the fury of the crowd, and several more people approached with a menacing look in their eyes.

Zhou Qingchen achieved victory by relying on poisonous powder and had yet to demonstrate his combat prowess. Therefore, they were under the impression that he was not very strong.

Soon, over a dozen people split off from the brutal battlefield to approach Pang Jian and the others. They intended to pick off the three young ladies first, perceiving them to be the weakest targets.

Whoosh!

A spear resembling a fiery meteor flew forward with explosive, scorching heat.

A hideous bloody hole appeared on the muscular chest of the man rallying the crowd.

The man lowered his head and stared in disbelief at the horrifyingly gaping wound in his charred chest before collapsing.

"Pang Jian!" Zhou Qingchen and Han Duping cried out at the same time.

A blur crossed their eyes as Pang Jian darted past them to tear his blood-stained spear out of the fallen corpse.

Pang Jian gave his Dragonwood Spear a slight shake, sending blood splattering, before once again thrusting it at the incoming crowd.

The Dragonwood Spear moved with graceful fluidity. With every hit and strike, blossoms of deep crimson splattered out, each hauntingly beautiful in its tragic elegance.

The Meridian Opening Realm cultivators died one after the other under the relentless assault of the Dragonwood Spear, chests or necks pierced through.

Those making the largest racket were also the weakest outside the City Lord’s Mansion. They hoped to escape death by killing those weaker than themselves and hitting the threshold mandated by Eight Trigrams City.

These individuals were only at the Meridian Opening Realm and their combat prowess was mediocre. Pang Jian could effortlessly kill them.

Pang Jian was like the embodiment of a reaper as he solemnly wielded the Dragonwood Spear. Each thrust of his spear claimed a fresh life.

The essence of the Celestial Phoenix had tempered his body, giving him a synergy between his muscles and bones that far surpassed those in the same cultivation realm. Nobody in the Meridian Opening Realm could compare to him.

In the blink of an eye, over a dozen corpses were strewn between Pang Jian and the back entrance of the City Lord’s Mansion.

Drip! Drip!

Blood dripped onto the ground before disappearing into the stone tile of the plaza, which remained as smooth as jade.

Pang Jian stood determinedly in this sea of corpses. With the Dragonwood Spear in hand, he firmly fixed his gaze ahead.

The cultivators had originally targeted the young ladies in their group and fanned out to surround them. However, they all fell silent when they saw Pang Jian and no one dared to make a move.

Pang Jian’s imposing aura shook one of the cultivators. He licked his dry lips and forced a wan smile as he said, "Little Brother, please don’t misunderstand. We were just upset with the despicable fellow wielding the long saber for using poison powder in battle. We admire honorable warriors like Little Brother!"

"He’s right!"

"Now, that’s a warrior worthy of our admiration!"

"I respect you as a man. I won’t touch the three women you’re protecting!"

The crowd expressed their admiration one after another.

No one dared to suggest hunting down this group of late arrivals again.

Pang Jian remained silent. He carelessly wiped the blood from the Dragonwood Spear on the clothes or a nearby corpse before turning away.

Zhou Qingchen and Han Duping had been planning to intercept those targeting Jiang Li and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing them retreat.

"Let’s go," Pang Jian said from where he stood beside them. Staring puzzledly at the two of them, he asked, "What are you two staring at?"

"No-Nothing," Han Duping stuttered out awkwardly. He then turned to pat Zhou Qingchen’s shoulder. "Let’s go, despicable fellow. If I’m being honest, I don’t approve of your actions either!"

Zhou Qingchen was shocked.

Seeing the trio return with no lingering threat of provocation, Luo Hongyan knitted her brows and muttered to herself. "I wonder if the girl in white died in the front entrance of the City Lord’s Mansion,"

At that moment, the cultivators fighting along the back entrance stopped their battles and waited to see if anything strange had occurred within the City Lord’s Mansion.

A bored male voice drawled out from the City Lord’s Mansion, "It’s not enough. Don’t stop. Continue with the slaughter."

Hearing those words, the flames of slaughter reignited in the eyes of the surrounding cultivators once more.

The carnage erupted once again with a resounding roar!

Luo Hongyan’s brows twitched as she looked at the frightened Jiang Li. "Is the one speaking just now the same person who cut off your arm?"

As Jiang Li was about to answer, she noticed Zhou Qingchen had returned. She hastily shook her head.

Luo Hongyan nodded. She exhaled sharply and said, "It’s ok, I understand."

She understood that the person was indeed the one responsible for the deaths of the Red Mountain Sect’s members and the loss of Jiang Li’s forearm.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qingchen felt like everyone was staring at him with strange eyes and hastily explained himself to Jiang Li with faint embarrassment, "Senior Sister Jiang, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not this kind of person. I didn’t know that guy was only at the Meridian Opening Realm. Old Han asked me to go all out, so..."

"You don’t need to explain yourself. All that matters to me is that you’re alive. I don’t care what methods you use." Jiang Li shook her head and continued softly, "Back then, if we could have relied on poison powder to survive, I would have done the same."

Relief washed over Zhou Qingchen at her words.

With that worry alleviated, Zhou Qingchen reflected on his actions, pondering whether he had made a mistake.

It had simply been too easy when he cooperated with Pang Jian to kill Jian Yaoyang and the others. He did not need to exert much effort to resolve all the threats. Thus, when he encountered a similar situation again, he intuitively resorted to similar methods to deal with the enemy.

The result...

It turned out unexpectedly well but it also attracted a lot of criticism.

"The most important thing is to survive," Pang Jian murmured.

Hearing this, Zhou Qingchen smiled and added, "Indeed, surviving is what matters, the process is secondary."

***

A large square-shaped pool was in the center of the courtyard of the City Lord’s Mansion. At the bottom of the pool lay an ancient bronze chest, a gleaming silver spear, a colorful robe, and a white jade bottle.

The radiant brilliance of these treasures converged into a beam of light that shot toward the sky, showcasing them for all in Eight Trigrams City to see.

Several people had already gathered around the square pool.

Each corner of the pool had a tall platform resembling a stone pillar, and each platform had people on it.

Sitting cross-legged on one of these platforms was a blue robe person with a handsome appearance. This was the person who commanded the cultivators outside to continue their slaughter.

Across from him was Dong Tianze. Dong Tianze sat on the other platform with Leng Yuan from the Sinister Soul Temple standing behind him.

Having long since recovered from his injuries, he had proven his strength through his previous killings outside and earned himself a place on a platform.

Dong Tianze frowned, seeming to have heard a familiar name over the noise of the plaza.

"Pang Jian." After a moment, he shook his head dismissively. "It’s probably my imagination,"

The sounds of slaughter outside soared to the sky, resounding with the clash of metal. Dong Tianze assumed he subconsciously heard the name because he frequently muttered it to himself.

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