Trials of the Abyss

"Tsk tsk, how pitiful." Luo Hongyan stood at the pool’s edge and washed two spatial bracelets in a spot where the water was slightly less bloody.

Once she had cleaned them to her satisfaction, she wore them on her left arm.

The two spatial bracelets belonged to Lan Xi and Yuan Lengshan.

"Ah, the resplendent robe. What a pity. I could’ve made good use of it." She shook her head and sighed. Her bright eyes fell on Qi Qingsong and the other two with a playful smile curling her lips.

After Pang Jian returned to the darkness, Qi Qingsong, Dong Tianze, and Lin Beiye all fell into a solemn silence, not daring to act against Luo Hongyan. They watched helplessly as she claimed the spatial bracelets from Yuan Lengshan and Lan Xi.

Yuan Lengshan’s death had been truly horrific.

With Pang Jian attacking her from behind, Lan Xi’s demise could be chalked up to chance.

However, even though Yuan Lengshan’s talent and strength surpassed that of Lan Xi’s, Pang Jian managed to brutally kill her right before their eyes!

Yuan Lengshan had exploded into a cloud of bloody mist. Not even her bones remained.

Even after Pang Jian returned to the darkness, the three beams of light, each with different colors and distinct energies, were engraved into their memories!

Dong Tianze turned his head and stared at Lin Beiye. "Didn’t you want the Crystal Snow Lotus? Why aren’t you seizing it now? Are you planning to wait until Pang Jian returns from the darkness and joins forces with that woman to kill us?"

Lin Beiye remained impassive. He glanced discreetly at Luo Hongyan but said nothing in reply.

Qi Qingsong shook his head with a bitter smile and kept his thoughts to himself.

Knowing he could not escape, Dong Tianze urged in a low voice, "It’s already come to this, what are you hesitating for? If we wait until Pang Jian returns and joins forces with that woman, they’ll be even harder to deal with. I’m certain I won’t be able to escape. Neither of you can either, right?"

Qi Qingsong continued to smile bitterly and stayed silent.

After a moment of thought, Lin Beiye’s eyes shone fiercely, seemingly prepared to accept Dong Tianze’s proposal.

Luo Hongyan watched the three with a smile. She was aware of what they were whispering about.

Whoosh!

Pang Jian stepped out from the dark tunnel.

Peering at the Startling Slaughter Spear, he noticed it was no longer glowing bright red, so he reached down to pick it up.

As Lin Beiye was about to make a move, Pang Jian approached them with the Startling Slaughter Spear in hand. Seeing Pang Jian’s cold eyes, he unintentionally recalled Yuan Lengshan’s miserable death and hesitated once more.

"Pang Jian, they’re planning to team up against us." Luo Hongyan chuckled, raising her fair arm to admire the two spatial bracelets. "I found two spatial bracelets. They’re better than your spatial pouch. The disciples of the Demon Sect sure have some excellent treasures. Once these eyesores are gone, I’ll give you one."

"Okay," Pang Jian replied simply.

While Lin Beiye hesitated, Pang Jian abruptly darted toward Dong Tianze like an arrow released from a bowstring.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Black spheres exploded above Dong Tianze, Lin Beiye, and Qi Qingsong. Pang Jian gave them no chance to speak.

Qi Qingsong cursed and hastily retreated. He had no intention of blocking the attack straight on.

"You can’t escape!" Dong Tianze roared. He swung his Ghost’s Cry and conjured a sea of golden dagger light above him.

Lin Beiye knew he could not escape this calamity either. Snorting, he shouted, "I’ll deal with the woman!"

As the sea of golden dagger light and the black spheres clashed and exploded, Lin Beiye quietly slipped away, leaving Pang Jian to Dong Tianze.

Dong Tianze now faced the monstrous Pang Jian alone.

The two he had counted on as his allies either avoided the fight or chose to deal with Luo Hongyan, leaving him to fight the most formidable opponent on his own.

Dong Tianze nearly coughed up blood in his fury.

"Two cowards from the Second World!"

He silently cursed both Qi Qingsong and Lin Beiye, along with all their ancestors. Unfortunately, he still had no choice but to brace himself to fight the increasingly powerful Pang Jian.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sea of golden dagger light shattered into fragments of light.

Pang Jian was now in the same cultivation realm as Dong Tianze and wielded the Startling Slaughter Spear. With his broader spiritual sea and a seemingly endless supply of murky energy, Pang Jian did not take long to gain the upper hand.

As the sea of golden dagger light shattered, Dong Tianze saw Pang Jian raise his left hand and extend his palm toward him.

A chill ran down Dong Tianze’s spine.

Pang Jian had killed Yuan Lengshan with the same gesture. The three beams of light from his palm had destroyed the resplendent robe protecting her, then Yuan Lengshan herself.

Realizing the direness of his situation Dong Tianze desperately sought a way to counter Pang Jian’s attack.

Whoosh!

A dark green beam of light with potent corrosive energy shot out from Pang Jian’s palm.

Dong Tianze sighed and reluctantly took out the Ethereal Ghost Token before tossing it into the air.

The many evil spirits engraved on the token flew out, surrounding the token and protecting it from the incoming beam of light.

The corrosive energy instantly dissipated the evil spirits on contact, transforming them into wisps of smoke.

Dong Tianze’s expression changed drastically. Deciding to retreat, he turned and frantically chased after Qi Qingsong.

The dark green, corrosive beam of light relentlessly pursued him, splashing corrosive energy everywhere in its wake.

"Damn you!" Qi Qingsong saw Dong Tianze giving chase and swung his sword at him.

A streak of white sword light flew out. Its sharp sword intent threatened to tear Dong Tianze apart.

"Do you really think you can just escape and do nothing?!" Dong Tianze roared at Qi Qingsong, but under the threat of the sharp sword intent, was forced to stop.

Suddenly, Dong Tianze felt a piercing pain in his brow. A resplendent Celestial Phoenix with a glowing divine aura emerged as if branded onto his forehead.

The Celestial Phoenix unleashed an astonishing pressure as if it had sensed that Dong Tianze was in imminent danger.

"Celestial Phoenix Imprint! This guy’s a Celestial Phoenix Divine Guard!" Li Jie exclaimed from where he had been watching the battle unfold.

He appeared before Dong Tianze so quickly it was as if he had teleported there.

"Pang Jian, give me some face and spare this man!" Li Jie cried, throwing the nearly empty glass bottle in his hand at the incoming corrosive beam of light.

The empty bottle exploded, and its fragments eradicated the beam of light.

Pang Jian stopped with a grunt.

The second and third beams of light forming in his palm did not materialize due to Li Jie’s intervention.

Pang Jian had nothing against Li Jie, so he knitted his brows and waited for Li Jie’s explanation.

He knew Li Jie would not interfere without reason.

"A Celestial Phoenix Divine Guard!" Qi Qingsong silently cursed his bad luck.

As a member of the Sword Pavilion, he had recently heard many legends about the Celestial Phoenix and had learned some inside information.

"The Celestial Phoenix Imprint is indeed mysterious. Even I couldn’t see through it," Li Jie remarked. Then, seeing Pang Jian’s confusion, he sighed and explained, "Before coming to Eight Trigrams City, I received news that the Celestial Phoenix’s inheritance had been claimed. Pang Jian, the sect the inheritor joined has a close relationship with my family, and now that I’ve identified a Celestial Phoenix Divine Guard, I must ensure his survival."

The inheritor of the Celestial Phoenix had joined the Pure Land Sect, and his family had a close relationship with them.

The Pure Land Sect had kept a tight lid on the details of the inheritor. Even Li Jie did not know the details.

However, he knew that every Celestial Phoenix Divine Guard would become a loyal subordinate of the inheritor.

Although Eight Trigrams City was located in the Fifth World, and this Celestial Phoenix Divine Guard and the inheritor could not communicate, Li Jie had to show respect to the Pure Land Sect by saving Dong Tianze.

Having narrowly escaped death, Dong Tianze quietly listened to Li Jie’s explanation with a sullen expression.

He knew it was best to say nothing at this moment.

On the other side of the mansion, a dazzling nebula materialized in front of Lin Beiye’s chest.

Boom!

His eyes filled with terror as Luo Hongyan flung him high into the air.

Lin Beiye was dead before he landed.

Luo Hongyan sneered at Lin Beiye’s corpse, "Yuan Lengshan might have posed a threat to me, but did you, with your fallen cultivation realm, really think I was an easy target?"

Using a secret soul technique she had temporarily restricted Lin Beiye’s movement to kill him in a single strike, and now she had another spatial bracelet in her possession.

Aside from Yuan Lengshan, she was only wary of Dong Tianze’s Ghost’s Cry. Lin Beiye and Qi Qingsong were not threats to her.

Meanwhile, seeing Li Jie protect Dong Tianze, Pang Jian decided not to continue his attack.

"Alright, he can wait."

In that split second of contact, he had sensed Li Jie’s unfathomable strength.

Not to mention, Li Jie had given him, Zhou Qingchen, Su Meng, and Jiang Li bottles of green fruit juice. He even gave Han Duping half a bottle of green fruit juice before he left.

To some extent, they all owed him a favor.

"I’ll deal with the one from the Sword Pavilion first," Pang Jian said, walking past Li Jie and toward Qi Qingsong.

Qi Qingsong groaned, "I’m so unlucky,"

Pang Jian had attacked him twice on the raised platform, but he had only managed to strike Pang Jian once, injuring him with his sword intent.

He held no personal grudge against Pang Jian, having met for the first time in Eight Trigrams City. Even so, Pang Jian refused to let him go, leaving him feeling extremely aggrieved.

"Pang Jian, we have no feud. Why are you doing this?" Qi Qingsong hurriedly tried to persuade. "Besides, I didn’t even participate when Dong Tianze and Lin Beiye attacked you, did I?"

"You’ve severed half of Jiang Li’s arm. I made a promise to someone," Pang Jian replied coldly.

"Just because of that?"

"Yes, just because of that!"

Qi Qingsong glanced at Lin Beiye’s corpse, then at the smiling Luo Hongyan, and finally at the approaching Pang Jian.

"Fine!" Gritting his teeth, Qi Qingsong used his spiritual sword to cut off his left arm.

"Take this arm to the one surnamed Zhou as revenge for that woman! I cut off half of her arm, and now I’m returning a whole arm. Isn’t that enough?" Qi Qingsong kicked his severed arm toward Pang Jian as he sweated profusely from the pain.

Pang Jian stopped. He glanced at the arm before him, then at the ruthless and decisive Qi Qingsong.

"He’s a tough one." Luo Hongyan nodded. Her eyes were filled with admiration as she looked at the grimacing Qi Qingsong. "Such a person could either become a friend or should be eliminated to prevent future trouble."

"I’ll be a good friend!" Qi Qingsong yelled desperately, voice tinged with a sob.

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