Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 100: Bidding Farewell to the Homeland

Rumble!

On Central Lake Island in the Fourth World, a white Divine Spirit Pagoda emerged from the rubble.

Luo Hongyan had filled the first floor of the white pagoda with spirit jades and activated the array within to gain control of the pagoda.

"It finally worked." She sighed. Standing at the entrance of the white pagoda in her, she guided the white pagoda toward Pang Jian.

Pang Jian was lying on the ground, spirit stones in both hands.

"Pang Jian!" she yelled in concern, flying out from the pagoda before it could even reach him.

She reached Pang Jian in the blink of an eye.

As she examined him closely, she found his breathing steady and his blood full of vitality. He was merely in a deep sleep.

Relieved, Luo Hongyan smiled and watched the sleeping Pang Jian. "You've fallen asleep. You're really at ease with me, aren't you" 

Memories of their time together in Eight Trigrams City flowed through her mind. A faint smile curled the corners of her lips.

"If you had fallen into such a deep sleep when we first met, I would've tried every means possible to pull the bronze pendant from your chest and uncover its secrets."

She smiled wistfully.

After spending so much time together, those thoughts had long faded, leaving only a mild curiosity about the secrets of the bronze pendant. She had given up the idea of forcefully taking it from Pang Jian.

She now had the Crystal Snow Lotus in her possession. Once she gathered a few more rare spirit materials, she could forge a new body for herself. Thus, her desire for the essence of the Celestial Phoenix had also waned.

She stayed by Pang Jian's side, alternating between watching him and the bizarre mist.

Time passed quietly in this manner.

At night, with the bizarre mist covering the sky, Black Orchid Lake plunged into a darkness similar to Eight Trigrams City.

Fortunately, the Divine Spirit Pagoda from the Sinister Soul Temple glowed in the pitch-black night, preventing total darkness.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Under the light of the white pagoda, Luo Hongyan observed the sleeping Pang Jian. Her heart ached in sympathy.

"The battles in Eight Trigrams City and the struggles with those from the Second World have exhausted him." She sighed guiltily. She had not been able to help much without a physical body. "This won’t do. Those from the upper world could come to investigate. We need to leave the Solitary Mountain Range as soon as possible."

The trial in Eight Trigrams City was over. Dong Tianze, Qi Qingsong, Li Jie, and the others had successfully left.

In the City Lord's Mansion, Pang Jian's use of the murky energy of the Fifth World aroused suspicion in Qi Qingsong, Dong Tianze, and Li Jie that he was colluding with the beings from the Fifth World.

Luo Hongyan feared the survivors from the upper world would come down to investigate. She also feared that Yuan Lengshan's death would alert powerful figures from the Demon Heart Sect.

She mulled over these fears throughout the night. Eventually, dawn broke, though the sky remained dim due to the bizarre mist.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The two spatial bracelets from Lan Xi and Yuan Lengshan flew out from the white pagoda, deftly attaching themselves to Pang Jian's wrists before lifting his sleeping body into the air.

The spatial bracelets then carried Pang Jian to the ground floor of the white pagoda.

The spirit jades from Lan Xi and Yuan Lengshan from the Second World filled the white pagoda with spiritual power. As soon as the sleeping Pang Jian landed, he instinctively absorbed the pure spiritual power around him.

It was almost like a reflex.

"Even in his sleep, he still remembers to fill his spiritual sea," Luo Hongyan chuckled warmly.

The white pagoda rose into the air.

Luo Hongyan dared not break through the bizarre mist covering the sky. Instead, she directed the pagoda southward, intending to leave the Solitary Mountain Range and Northern Qi that way.

She knew that Pang Jian, Zhou Qingchen, Ning Yao, and the others had entered from the south side of the Solitary Mountain Range.

The white pagoda left Central Lake Island and Black Orchid Lake.

A massive gray ape appeared where the bizarre mist had first come into contact with the lake. It had grown bigger than before and towered like a mountain, though much of its body remained hidden in the mist.

With its strange ice-blue eyes, it watched the Divine Spirit Pagoda fade into the distance as if bidding a silent farewell to those inside.

No one knew how long it had stayed in that mist.

Luo Hongyan was unaware of these happenings.

With an abundance of spirit jade, she could freely maneuver the white pagoda, flying south through the Solitary Mountain Range.

The white pagoda flew over Insect Valley, Blackwater Pond, and the withered vine plant.

The pagoda paused occasionally as Luo Hongyan extended her divine sense to check the surrounding area. When she found no abnormalities or signs of powerful beings, she continued. 

Soon, the white pagoda flew out of the Solitary Mountain Range and stopped above the three stone houses where Pang Jian and his sister had lived.

Luo Hongyan glanced down at the still-sleeping Pang Jian and sighed. "Still not awake, huh? Oh well, you can come back later."

With that, the white pagoda flew past the stone houses.

On their journey, Luo Hongyan was shocked to find the bizarre mist remained in the sky. It did not dissipate even after leaving the Solitary Mountain Range!

When they reached the southernmost part of Northern Qi, she noticed the bizarre mist stretch down from the sky to the land.

The bizarre mist was not just covering the sky of Northern Qi, it was enveloping the entire region!

Something felt amiss, and she quickly determined, No matter what happens, I have to risk it and just try rushing out!

Staring at the gray bizarre mist, she guided the white pagoda forward.

She took out a white jade porcelain bottle in preparation.

If things got too dangerous, she planned to use the Crystal Snow Lotus to prematurely refine her bones, even if it meant having a partially formed skeletal body.

Soon, the white pagoda entered the bizarre mist, and she lost all her senses. Even her divine sense dissipated the instant she tried to release it

She could neither hear nor see anything inside the pagoda. She did not even know if the white pagoda was still moving.

Whoosh!

After a long and arduous wait, the white pagoda emerged safely on the other side of the bizarre mist, flying out of the fragmented lands known as Northern Qi and into the regular expanse of the Fourth World.

At that moment, Pang Jian finally woke up.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Luo Hongyan playfully scolded, "You scared me. I thought we were going to die in the bizarre mist."

Pang Jian sat up slowly. The memories of what he had seen from the Fifth World still lingered. He recalled the corpses and bones of the powerful creatures of the Fifth World scattered across the vast wasteland, having tragically perished in their attempt to ascend to the upper worlds.

It took him a while to regain his composure.

Luo Hongyan did not rush him. She simply watched and waited for him to collect his thoughts.

After leaving the bizarre mist, Luo Hongyan maneuvered the white pagoda to hover stationarily.

When Pang Jian finally gathered himself, he turned to ask Luo Hongyan, "How long was I asleep for?"

"You've slept for a very long time." Luo Hongyan smiled gently. "You must've been exhausted, your mental and physical strength were completely drained. Your cultivation realm is still low, and you haven't been able to refine your divine sense. Once you relaxed, you couldn't stay awake."

Pang Jian remained silent.

He knew his mental and physical exhaustion was due to his secret connection with the Giant Abyssal Serpent, but he did not mention this. 

Checking his body, he found his spiritual sea filled with spiritual power.

Pang Jian stood and moved to the entrance of the white pagoda. He saw the bizarre mist ahead, shrouding a piece of land.

"What's that?" Pang Jian asked in astonishment.

"The fragmented land you previously lived in," Luo Hongyan replied with a smile. "The trial ended after you and Li Jie left Eight Trigrams City. Your body was filled with the corrupt energy of the Fifth World and I was worried that the others were suspicious of your alliances, so I wanted to bring you away from Central Lake Island. 

"Also, I wasn't aware that the bizarre mist had completely enveloped Northern Qi, but regardless, I managed to bring us out."

Pang Jian was stunned.

He planned to accumulate spiritual power and ask Luo Hongyan to guide the white pagoda to the north.

Unfortunately, by the time he had awoken, he had already left Northern Qi.

"It's not impossible to come back and visit if you want to later, but it's best not to do so soon." Seeing the regret on his face, Luo Hongyan suggested, "It seems like you've never left Northern Qi. Why don't you take this opportunity to explore the Fourth World?"

The white pagoda changed directions.

Pang Jian stood at the entrance, watching as the view shifted from the bizarre mist covering Northern Qi to the floating fragments of land that was the Fourth World.

The fragmented lands varied in size. Narrow stone bridges connected some, while others were not connected at all.

Small sailboats crawled like snails between the fragmented lands, seemingly transporting people and goods.

Pang Jian knitted his brows as he stared at the strange sight. "This place...Do these fragmented lands, like Northern Qi, make up the Fourth World?"

Luo Hongyan nodded with a smile. "The fractured lands you see before you are under the control of the Ning Clan."

Pang Jian fell silent, momentarily lost.

Peering up at the gray sky, he stared toward the two continents hidden behind the clouds and asked, "Can the Divine Spirit Pagoda reach the Third World?"

"It can." Luo Hongyan nodded gently. "But I don't recommend going there now."

Pang Jian fell silent, realizing she likely had valid reasons for that, and after mulling it over for a bit, found that he agreed.

"Pang Jian, there's no need to rush to the Third World. There are places in the Fourth World that are also suitable for you. Trust me, it's safer for us to stay here for now. You just entered the Marrow Cleansing Realm and need to gather spirit materials to continue strengthening your body," Luo Hongyan advised earnestly.

"Where would be suitable for me?" Pang Jian asked.

Luo Hongyan paused, then smiled. "Do you remember the Shadow Specter Sect?"

Pang Jian nodded.

"After killing Hong Tai, I learned some secrets about the Shadow Specter Sect. We should head to their base of operations." Luo Hongyan hesitated, then added, "I also need to rebuild my physical body, and we might find the necessary spirit materials there. Please help me."