Trials of the Abyss

Whoosh!

Yuan Lengshan leaped down from the raised platform.

She stood at the edge of the pool and dipped her delicate white hand into the water, seemingly oblivious to the cold hostility in Pang Jian’s eyes.

Pang Jian’s brows knitted, taking note of the murky energy within him as he maintained his connection with the Startling Slaughter Spear.

The murky energy within him was not replenished after he unleashed the Explosive Dance.

Now that he was out of the darkness, the endless murky energy could no longer stream continuously into his spiritual sea.

Weighing his options, he decided his remaining strength was enough to battle Yuan Lengshan.

In terms of his cultivation realm, he was now equal to Yuan Lengshan. Moreover, he held the highly compatible Startling Slaughter Spear in his hand.

With his spirits high and at the peak of his abilities, he felt confident facing Yuan Lengshan from the Second World in a fight to the death.

Yuan Lengshan stirred the pool water with her hand.

The pool was filled with corpses and reeked of blood. Despite that, two objects in the foul water remained unstained by blood.

The first was a chest that lay undisturbed at the bottom of the pool.

The second was a robe that drifted unceasingly through the pool.

As Yuan Lengshan stirred the pool water, her eyes were fixed on the robe embroidered with sun, moon, and stars. Her crystalline lips curled into a slight smile as she softly commanded, "Come here."

Whoosh!

The resplendent robe flew toward her and Yuan Lengshan caught it by its hem.

Pulling the mysterious treasure out of the pool, she shook it gently, scattering the water droplets clinging to the robe like shattered crystals.

She then draped the robe over her shoulders.

With the robe layered over her white dress, she walked toward Pang Jian.

As she moved, the sun, moon, and stars embroidered on the resplendent robe shimmered and came to life

She exuded a holy aura. It was as if the sun, moon, and stars were shielding her from the sinister forces of the world.

Pang Jian was unfazed as he coldly awaited her approach. The murky energy in his chest surged wildly, echoing within him like beating drums.

Standing on the raised platform, Luo Hongyan’s expression shifted. "Be careful. I tried to take that robe earlier but couldn’t get it to respond."

Lin Beiye’s face darkened as he growled, "It happened again!"

People like them did not have to enter the pool to retrieve the treasures by hand.

Both he and Luo Hongyan had secretly attempted to pull the four treasures from the pool.

Luo Hongyan successfully claimed the white jade porcelain bottle containing the Crystal Snow Lotus.

Unfortunately, despite Lin Beiye’s many attempts, he could not move any of the treasures. The sight of Yuan Lengshan’s success made him feel increasingly frustrated.

"That should belong to me," Qi Qingsong muttered, expression darkening in resentment.

He had also attempted to summon the Startling Slaughter Spear with spiritual power in the middle of slaying those seeking the treasures in the pool.

But like Lin Beiye, he had also failed.

Yuan Lengshan had summoned the Startling Slaughter Spear, and now she also obtained the mysterious robe. This left the others feeling displeased.

The robe did not suit Yuan Lengshan. She looked comically like a child dressed in adult clothes when wearing the imposing garment.

However, Yuan Lengshan did not seem to mind. As she walked, she commented offhandedly, "Speaking of which, outside the mansion, you were the one who informed me about a potential anomaly hidden within the darkness of one of the streets."

Qi Qingsong, Lin Beiye, and Dong Tianze were visibly taken aback by her words.

The trio had entered the City Lord’s Mansion much earlier than the others. Thus, they were unaware of the lurking anomaly in the spreading darkness.

Their sharp gazes instantly shifted to the darkness.

"Pang Jian, did the anomaly lurking in the darkness save your life?" Yuan Lengshan snorted. "The anomaly spared your life and infused your body with murky energy. From that moment on, you ceased to be a member of the four Worlds and became an accomplice to the anomaly."

The expressions of the others changed as they looked at Pang Jian.

"That’s right, the energy he’s infusing into the spear is not spiritual power! It’s the murky energy of the Fifth World!" Dong Tianze exclaimed,

Qi Qingsong and Lin Beiye’s expressions turned grave.

Yuan Lengshan glanced at them and said, "Both of you are from the Sword Pavilion and the Black Valley Sect respectively. You’re different from these insignificant ants. You should know where Eight Trigrams City is located.

"We all know the evil creatures from the Fifth World cannot reach here.

"The anomaly lurking in the darkness also came to Eight Trigrams City through the same means as us. However, the creatures from the Fifth World have corrupted it. The fact that it can hide in the darkness for so long means it has gained the favor of the evil creatures from the Fifth World.

"Since Pang Jian survived with its help, he must’ve also become one of them."

With just a few words, Yuan Lengshan painted Pang Jian as an anomaly allied with the creatures from the Fifth World.

She threw a sidelong glance at Luo Hongyan and sneered, "As for you...it’s not that you don’t want to give it your all. You only intervene at crucial points because the person you inhabit has a low cultivation realm.

"Her spiritual power is limited. Even if you have exquisite control and can unleash its full potential, that fact doesn’t change. She’s weak, and her spiritual power is scarce. It can’t sustain you in prolonged battles.

"You used a ruthless method to kill that woman just so that you could intimidate everyone and make them wary of you. In other words, you’re limited by her cultivation realm and aren’t strong enough to face us head-on!

"Even though your soul surpasses ours, you didn’t dare to reveal yourself in Eight Trigrams City because you were afraid of being suppressed by the city’s rules."

Yuan Lengshan paused, staring frostily at Luo Hongyan. "Did I miss anything?"

"Everything you’ve said is correct." Luo Hongyan nodded with a calm smile. "If this body was in the same cultivation realm as you, all of you would have died long ago. I wouldn’t have had the patience to listen to you go on and on about the petty affairs of the Yuan Family."

Qi Qingsong cut in, "Yuan Lengshan, are you saying all this to ask for our help?"

Yuan Lengshan shook her head. "All I’m asking is for you guys to watch quietly from the sidelines. I’ll pry out the identity of the anomaly lurking in the darkness from Pang Jian."

"Okay," Qi Qingsong readily agreed.

In the darkness, Li Yuqing stopped sipping her fruit wine and glared at Yuan Lengshan.

"What utter nonsense," she sneered. Glancing at the stern-faced Li Jie, she sighed. "How could you be so foolish as to believe her nonsense?"

Her muttering could not be transmitted beyond the darkness. She also had no intention of revealing herself. She was just worried about Pang Jian.

"Great plans are ruined by impatience. If you just held back and refrained from killing that woman, they would’ve ended up fighting amongst themselves. Stepping in would’ve been much easier for you after that." She shook her head with a sigh.

She knew that despite Pang Jian’s icy exterior, he had a heart as fiery as erupting volcanoes.

Compelled to vent his frustrations, Pang Jian had chosen the wrong moment to step into the City Lord’s Mansion.

After Yuan Lengshan leaped down from the raised platform, Pang Jian stayed silent, waiting for her to stop before him.

He neither explained himself nor mentioned that the anomaly in the darkness was just a girl indulging in food and drinks while watching the battles unfold.

Pang Jian instead opted to respond with his spear!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Black spheres surrounded Yuan Lengshan and exploded one after another,

The murky energy within Pang Jian surged forth, converging on Yuan Lengshan!

The robe Yuan Lengshan had draped over her shoulders shone brilliantly!

Countless stars, a radiant sun, and a gleaming crescent moon flickered on the surface of her robe.

Tucking her head into the robe, she used its mystical power to withstand the explosive attacks from Pang Jian.

She was secretly shocked.

Pang Jian had not only broken through to the Marrow Cleansing Realm and acquired the Startling Slaughter Spear, but also mastered its spear techniques within such a brief period of time!

The attacks came with astonishing speed and ferocity. Had she not preemptively obtained the robe from the pool, she would not have dared to stand boldly before Pang Jian.

Standing on the raised platform, Luo Hongyan’s eyes gleamed in fascination. Pang Jian’s newfound power was utterly dumbfounding.

Luo Hongyan sneered in disdain as she watched Yuan Lengshan block the explosion with the resplendent robe.

"Stellar Shift." With a flick of her hand, dazzling starlight blossomed from each of her fingertips.

Luo Hongyan maneuvered the twinkling stars to Yuan Lengshan’s robe, guiding them to the unembroidered areas of the robe.

Boom!

The blank parts of the robe violently exploded.

Yuan Lengshan let out a muffled groan. Crimson blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Staggering backward, she glared at Luo Hongyan.

"Impressive. You can see through how the stars on the robe work and even neutralize them with your power." Yuan Lengshan gracefully leaped toward Luo Hongyan."I guess I’ll just have to kill you first."

Dark "Demon" characters and crimson "Heart" characters flew from her palm and surrounded Luo Hongyan.

In her heart, Luo Hongyan secretly lamented.

Yuan Lengshan was right. Ning Yao was only in the Meridian Opening Realm. The spiritual power she had accumulated in her spiritual sea was limited and was indeed not enough for Luo Hongyan to sustain herself in a prolonged battle.

There was no way for her to confront someone like Yuan Lengshan head-on. Therefore, she had no choice but to retreat.

Qi Qingsong and Lin Beiye believed Yuan Lengshan’s claim about an anomaly lurking in the darkness, including Pang Jian’s connection to it, and so they quietly stood by and watched with cold eyes.

Pang Jian once again thrust his spear at Yuan Lengshan and shouted to Luo Hongyan, "Stand behind me!"

Luo Hongyan was taken aback.

"I can hold off her frontal assault!" Pang Jian shouted again.

Luo Hongyan nodded. Spinning in a graceful circle on the raised platform, she successfully dodged the dark "Demon" characters and crimson "Heart" characters targeting her and landed smoothly behind Pang Jian.

Her bright eyes sparkled with a peculiar light as she stared at Pang Jian’s resolute figure. She softly said, "I’m afraid of Dong Tianze’s Ghost’s Cry. That deadly weapon from the Sinister Soul Temple could severely wound me if I leave my host’s body."

Pang Jian simply grunted in acknowledgment without turning back.

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