Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 343: The Return

Frozen Thunder gradually slowed down.

"Sir!"

The remaining five elders of the Ice Race hurried over from the altar. Their expressions revealed their uncertainty about whether they could adapt to the Abyss.

"The Abyss won't welcome us. The human race despises those like us, who ascend through their bloodline..." Bing Yuan expressed his concern as they approached.

Qi Qingsong and the others also had climbed to the glacier's peak from the ruins below.

"Pang Jian, this fragmented land will inevitably attract the attention of various factions once it appears in the Abyss. His concerns are valid. You'd be wise to sever ties with the Ice Race or it could cause you a great deal of trouble," Qi Qingsong said seriously.

"I've already made arrangements for them," Pang Jian assured. "We'll wait. It's still day in the Abyss. We'll only leave the bizarre mist once it gets dark. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Qi Qingsong, you and Senior Sister Zhuang use the Sword Boat and take the others to Eternal Crossing first.

"I'll meet you at the Sword Pavilion later.

"As for the two of you..." He glanced at Zhou Qingchen and Zhao Yuanqi.

"My Zhou Clan is under the care of the Red Mountain Sect, so naturally, I'll return there." Zhou Qingchen sighed, feeling somewhat sentimental as the time to part drew near, "Who knows what the future holds for the Abyss? I have a feeling we'll be at war with the foreign races sooner than we think."

"I'll also be returning to the Red Mountain Sect. Once we're back, we'll both be promoted to elders," Zhao Yuanqi added.

She pursed her lips at the knowledge that her companions had honed their deadly skills in ways she had yet to experience and made a mental note to be mindful of the dangers of human nature.

If not, she feared she would not be able to adapt to the increasingly harsh environment.

"When we entered the bizarre mist, I'd just broken through to the Profound Abode Realm. Who could've expected me to have refined my divine soul by the time we left?" Zhou Qingchen said with a burst of confidence. "There's definitely a place for me in the Red Mountain Sect now."

"Your future shouldn't be confined to the Red Mountain Sect," Zhuang Yuyan said with a smile. "You and Dong Tianze have gained the most from this trip. You have a hidden talent for soul refinement and have absorbed the most divine essence.

"Based on my observations, you're close to reaching the mid-stage of the Spirit Condensation Realm, right??"

The others looked at Zhou Qingchen in surprise.

"Yeah, pretty much," Zhou Qingchen said, scratching his head with an embarrassed smile. "I didn't expect it either. When I started refining my divine sense at the Profound Abode Realm, I realized I could refine more than I thought."

"Your talent is higher than mine," Zhao Yuanqi admitted, feeling slightly discouraged.

"All right, we'll head back to the Abyss once it's nightfall," Pang Jian said.

Surprisingly, even after arriving at the edge of the bizarre mist, he could still sense the Bee Sovereign and the beehive in Absolute Heaven.

Hopefully, I can maintain contact with the Bee Sovereign after leaving the bizarre mist.

The sky over the Abyss slowly darkened.

On a cloudy night with no stars or moon, a massive fragmented land drifted out of the bizarre mist and plunged swiftly toward the Third World like a specter.

Whoosh!

The Sword Boat carrying Qi Qingsong and the others sped toward Eternal Crossing. The Scarlet Dawn Boat was docked there and Wu Yuan of the Demon Sect could also return to his sect via the spatial teleportation array.

Pang Jian lost contact with the bees inside the bizarre mist once the fragmented land entered the Abyss.

The Bee Sovereign would deal with the Nether Abyss Spirit Bees once he was done with his transformation.

His connection to the bees faded, but others emerged in its place.

The black turtle, the World Eater Vine, and the Giant Abyssal Serpent!

It had been a long time since he could contact these three beings.

When Pang Jian established a connection with them, the three stirred with excitement.

Where have you been?

Father, you've been gone for so long!

Your aura feels ancient.

The black turtle, the World Eater Vine, and the Giant Abyssal Serpent responded one after another.

Their consciousnesses were connected to Pang Jian's divine soul like invisible threads. Unlike before, he could manage multiple conversations simultaneously.

There was no mental strain or confusion.

It was simply another mystery of his soul that had revealed itself since he had advanced to the Spirit Condensation Realm.

Pang Jian then used the three beings to gather information and understand the changes that had occurred in the different worlds of the Abyss while he had been gone.

He soon learned that over two years had passed since he had entered the bizarre mist!

Six months ago, a strange flaming meteor had shot out from the bizarre mist where he had vanished and crashed into the eternally dark Fifth World.

The Giant Abyssal Serpent's bloodline had since advanced to Rank Six and had learned from Yu Xin of the Celestial Race that an Outer God had descended!

That Outer God was named Yan Lie.

Yan Lie first unified the Flame Race and the Radiant Race in the Fifth World, then summoned a council of foreign races across the continents.

Soon after, a new foreign race alliance with a clear leader was formed.

The Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars lost their suppression power with the Outer God's descent and the aid of another towering, mysterious figure.

The foreign races were now free to ascend to the upper worlds regardless of bloodline rank!

Many quickly migrated to the Fourth World and built homes on the fragmented lands there, solidifying their control over the world.

After contaminating the Fourth World, the murky energy of the Fifth World continued to rise and started to seep into the Third World.

The foreign races were gathering their forces and waiting for the murky energy to fully saturate the Third World so they could launch an invasion to claim the two complete continents there.

Whoosh!

A Mountain Stream Spirit Boat from the Celestial Lagoon Sect flew from the Third World toward the Second World.

Frozen Thunder was shrouded in a thin layer of cold mist, and from a distance, appeared as nothing more than a cloud of mist barely noticeable in the darkness of the night.

Pang Jian used the power of his divine soul to study the Mountain Stream Spirit Boat and found it packed with people.

Mortals and cultivators with low cultivation realms filled the boat's decks.

They've started to evacuate people from the Third World? Pang Jian wondered, stunned.

The World Eater Vine, Pang Ling, manifested as a vibrant young woman within Pang Jian's perception of Divine Fortune in the Fourth World.

Father, she—or rather, it—has been to Divine Fortune, she informed

Pang Jian was taken aback. Who?

I'll show you... Pang Ling projected a memory imprinted on her soul.

Luo Hongyan, dressed in a deep black gown that trailed through the air and with skin pale as snow, passed silently through Divine Fortune.

Her attention lingered on the World Tree.

Pang Ling trembled as she cautiously appeared with her spirit body and gazed up at Luo Hongyan with deep reverence.

Luo Hongyan stared back at Pang Ling.

Without a word, Pang Ling allowed her memories of Pang Jian to surge forward.

Luo Hongyan then left.

Afterward, she visited the elegant residence Pang Ling had prepared for Pang Jian in Divine Fortress.

Luo Hongyan sat quietly in the garden and gazed pensively at the blooming lotus flowers in the pond for a while before disappearing.

Father, she...she's become terrifying. Pang Ling said. She's several times more powerful than the one in that wooden statue.

I know, Pang Jian replied with mixed feelings.

He then inquired about the Wood Race.

It seemed the Wood Race elders, including Mu Yuan, had traveled to the Divine Fortune to pay their respects to Pang Ling and treated her as their pillar of faith.

The merged fragmented land of Divine Fortune and Divine Fortress had become a holy land for the Wood Race.

Whoosh!

A few hours later, Frozen Thunder came to rest below the sea of massive boulders where the Celestial Phoenix's remains broke apart in the Third World.

It then started to merge with the Resolute Expanse, which lay hidden beneath the clouds.

The Resolute Expanse was slightly smaller than Frozen Thunder and squeezed itself into the border between the merged Frozen Land and Forbidden Land of the Thunder God.

Boom! Crack!

As soon as the Resolute Expanse came into contact with Frozen Thunder, the black turtle instantly discovered the unique features of the fragmented land.

These fragmented lands are filled with lightning and ice mineral veins! The black turtle roared in delight. With this, I should be able to advance to Rank Eight!

Pang Jian was startled. Will you be able to take human form once you reach Rank Eight?

Yes, The black turtle lazily replied from beneath the ground. I'll start the merging process.

A golden vein embedded within the Resolute Expanse, the spirit vein Pang Jian had nourished with spirit jades, emitted a strange radiance.

Whoosh!

The coiled spirit vein suddenly straightened out.

One end of the spirit vein stretched toward the former Forbidden Land of the Thunder God.

Pang Jian was astonished to see the spirit vein lengthen like a rubber band under the power of the black turtle.

The spirit vein grew thinner as it extended.

Before long, the stretched spirit vein smoothly slipped into the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God.

At that moment, Pang Jian noticed a glowing vein buried beneath the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God.

The vein had been drained of lightning and its power had long since faded, leaving only a faint trace of lightning.

It lay withered deep within the core of the fragmented land.

No! This isn't just a mineral vein! It's a lightning vein containing traces of the Dao of Lightning!

It's just that it's been drained of all its lightning! There's no record of it in my memories!

What exactly is this object?

The black turtle exclaimed in shock.

The normally lazy black turtle became invigorated as it merged with the spirit vein and used it to probe the unusual fluctuations within the lightning vein.

Within it lies incredibly profound and complex traces of Dao of Lightning, comparable to those of a God ruling over a divine domain, the black turtle blurted out in amazement.

A divine domain? A God? Pang Jian was confused.

There's something in my bloodline memory, but it's too ancient and vague to recall clearly.

The black turtle moved within the depths of the earth, diving toward the lightning vein as though swimming through the deep sea.