Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 135: A Cruel Sight

After disembarking from the Cloud Sail, Pang Jian stood on the icy ground of Ice Rock Island, frozen like a statue.

He stared blankly at the corpses haphazardly thrown into the pile of rubble.

Wu Yi and Meng Qiulan had deep cavities in their chests, and dark blood dripped from their mouths, suggesting they had suffered fatal internal injuries.

Zhao Ling was likely tortured before her death as her body had been slashed all over and her long, beautiful legs bore many ghastly wounds.

Bai Wei and Bai Zhi seemed to have died from poison as they had purplish-blue lips with blood staining the corners of their mouths.

Bai Wei's left hand clutched a small piece of the spatial pouch Pang Jian had given her. It was evident that someone had tried to snatch the spatial pouch, but she refused to let go. The spatial pouch was torn apart during the struggle, leaving only a scrap behind.

Even in death, her hand tightly gripped that scrap of the spatial pouch, signifying its importance to her.

The bodies of the Shadow Specter Sect's commanders were not even whole, with stray limbs scattered about.

The Shadow Specter Sect members were not particularly noticeable in the mountain of corpses.

But Pang Jian could not take his eyes off of them.

He stood there, staring at them in silence.

The harsh and cold wind caused Pang Jian's face to ache. The chill seeped in from the icy ground, through his feet, and into his body.

The frigid air of Ice Rock Island perfectly mirrored Pang Jian's mood.

Meanwhile, Gao Yuan was standing on the deck of the Cloud Sail when he saw Luo Hongyan and Pang Jian staring fixedly at the pile of corpses.

"Old Yuan!" Gao Yuan called loudly.

A person popped their head out of a Cloud Sail a dozen zhang away. "Why are you shouting?"

Gao Yuan pointed at the pile of corpses and asked in bafflement, "What happened to those two girls? They're clearly sisters. You and I both know the relationship between Maverick Ling Yun and Elder Jiu Yuan of the Blood Moon Sect. With such a beautiful pair of sisters, surely he would've tried to send them to the elder, so why did they die in his territory?"

"Fei Zheng from the Blood Moon Sect also had the same thought," Yuan Fei, a fellow rogue cultivator and old acquaintance of Gao Yuan, sneered. "This group was going to participate in the trade fair hosted by Maverick Ling Yun after arriving at Ice Rock Island.

"Someone among them attempted to exchange some items for marrow cleansing materials. Maverick Ling Yun recognized one of these items as something he had sold to a Blood Moon Sect member but had heard that this person died in Divine Fortune while on a beast-hunting expedition with Fei Zheng.

"Maverick Ling Yun found it suspicious, so he used secret methods to inform his friend, Elder Jiu Yuan, about the matter. He also described the appearances of the sisters to Elder Jiu Yuan.

"Not long after, Zhu Yuanxi, a cultivator in the Innate Realm from the Blood Moon Sect, arrived on a Formless Sailboat under Jiu Yuan's orders. They soon confirmed that this group belonged to the Shadow Specter Sect from the lower world, and with Maverick Ling Yun's approval, Zhu Yuanxi killed them.

"When the sisters heard they were to be sent to Elder Jiu Yuan, they used poison to commit suicide. Zhu Yuanxi interrogated the others about how they escaped Divine Fortune and arrived in the Third World. They were tight-lipped, reportedly refusing to disclose anything before their deaths, and thus, they were all killed.

"I wondered where the Sect Leader of the Shadow Specter Sect found the courage to attack the Blood Moon Sect's beast-hunting sailboat. Even now, Zhu Yuanxi has yet to figure out how they traveled from the lower world to the Three Immortal Islands.

"Before this, only large sects like the Blood Moon Sect, the Radiant Sun Sect, and the Sinister Soul Temple could bring people from the lower world using their flying artifacts," Yuan Fei concluded, shaking his head in confusion.

Gao Yuan was equally astonished.

Yuan Fei sighed and changed the topic, "You're so lucky, Gao Yuan. You managed to make it here without any trouble. You don't know how scared I was when I heard that Dong Tianze from the Sinister Soul Temple was raiding Cloud Sails in this area with his Divine Spirit Pagoda. I was terrified the whole way here, afraid that mad dog would target me."

"What's the Sinister Soul Temple thinking?" Gao Yuan exclaimed. "Even if they're reclusive, offending all the rogue cultivators makes no sense. What benefit do they gain from stirring up so much resentment?"

"The one stirring up trouble is Dong Tianze from the lower world. That guy is insane and capable of anything," Yuan Fei explained.

The two rogue cultivators chatted idly by their respective vessels.

"Let's go," Pang Jian whispered to Luo Hongyan. He turned away from the pile of corpses and headed into the Giant Stone Palace.

"Remember to come back and use my Cloud Sail after the trade fair! I'll give you both a discount," Gao Yuan called out after them when he saw them heading into the Giant Stone Palace.

"Sure," Luo Hongyan responded coldly.

Gao Yuan beamed with joy. "I'll be waiting for you!"

Once Pang Jian and Luo Hongyan disappeared into the Giant Stone Palace, Yuan Fei left his Cloud Sail and approached Gao Yuan's vessel.

"Who are they?" Yuan Fei frowned. "That kid just glanced at the sisters' corpses for a few seconds and you went out of your way to ask me about them. Are they someone important you're trying to curry favor with?"

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you." Gao Yuan grinned and pointed at the sky. "They're a pair of siblings from the Second World. I'm still trying to ingratiate myself with them, but my chances of success are uncertain. You know how it is. Anyone from up there could very well be an important person. I'd consider it a great honor if they even glance at me."

"The Second World?" Yuan Fei's eyes flickered in surprise before he cursed, "Damn you, Gao Yuan. You should've hinted earlier so I could curry favor with them too! If I'd known they were from the Second World, I would've been more detailed in my explanation."

"Have you heard about the catastrophe in the lower world?" Gao Yuan abruptly changed the subject.

Yuan Fei's face turned serious. He nodded and said, "It won't stay hidden for long. After dealing with the members of the Shadow Specter Sect, Zhu Yuanxi took the Formless Sailboat to Cloud Island. I heard the Blood Moon Sect plans to take over Cloud Island to reward the Shangguan and Ouyang Clans for their loyalty."

"The world is getting more chaotic." Gao Yuan smiled bitterly. "If the catastrophe in the lower world continues to spread, the people from the seven major clans will enter the Third World and compete with us for resources."

Yuan Fei sighed. "We should make more trips and earn as many spirit stones as possible. Who knows what the future holds?"

***

After passing beneath the shattered, massive walls of the Giant Stone Palace, Pang Jian and Luo Hongyan entered the city, only to find ruins and crumbling structures.

"Let's find a secluded area so I can give you a new look," Luo Hongyan said as she scanned the area. Once she found a secluded corner, she dragged Pang Jian over and used some dye to adjust his appearance.

Pang Jian was silent. His expression remained wooden as he allowed her to do as she pleased.

Soon after, Pang Jian's face was transformed into one with a dark reddish complexion and a slightly chubby appearance.

"That's more like it," Luo Hongyan said in satisfaction. Putting the dye back into her spatial bracelet, she added, "Anyone who has seen you before, be it Dong Tianze or someone from the Blood Moon Sect, won't recognize this face."

After a long silence, Pang Jian said flatly, "We shouldn't have brought them to the Third World."

Luo Hongyan sighed. It was apparent that the tragic deaths of the Shadow Specter Sect members had left Pang Jian feeling depressed and guilty.

Although Pang Jian had not been all that close to Zhao Ling, Meng Qiulan, and the others, they had still spent time together and even fought battles as allies. The fact that Pang Jian had given his spatial pouch to Bai Wei indicated that he had a good impression of the sisters.

It was natural for him to feel downcast after discovering the tragic fate of Zhao Ling and the rest.

"I was the one to suggest targeting the Blood Moon Sect's beast-hunting sailboat," Pang Jian said tonelessly.

He sighed deeply, then shook his head.

"I'm not blaming myself. The problem started when the Blood Moon Sect's beast-hunting sailboat docked at the Shadow Specter Sect's stronghold in Misty Swamp. When Fei Zheng saw Bai Wei and Bai Zhi, he abducted them to please Jiu Yuan."

Pang Jian paused.

"Fei Zheng's death was his own fault," he finally concluded.

Luo Hongyan nodded, then asked softly, "So, what do you want to do now?"

"The Giant Stone Palace is Maverick Ling Yun's territory. Everyone who comes to trade here must pay him spirit stones. In theory, every trader should be under his protection, but instead, he betrayed Zhao Ling and the others to Jiu Yuan," Pang Jian said solemnly.

"Rules are often used to restrain others. Those who make the rules aren't personally bound to them," Luo Hongyan said sardonically.

"Maverick Ling Yun, Jiu Yuan, and Zhu Yuanxi." Pang Jian stared seriously into Luo Hongyan's eyes and said, "I want them dead."

The image of Bai Wei's corpse clutching a scrap of the spatial pouch lingered in his mind. Rage welled up inside of him. Pang Jian felt he would be left with an unresolved knot in his heart if he did not vent this simmering anger.

Luo Hongyan did not hesitate to offer her support.

"Alright, I'll help you." After a moment of silence, she added, "I've always deliberately kept a distance from the members of the Shadow Specter to avoid any emotional attachments. Once you start to care about them, you'll inevitably feel sad when they die.

"I know how cruel the cultivation world is, and I knew that, at their cultivation level, it would be difficult for them to survive in the Third World. But I didn't expect it to happen so quickly. I could've done better. At the very least, I shouldn't have let you see the cruel sight of their deaths so soon," Luo Hongyan murmured, voice filled with self-reproach.

She had subconsciously wanted to protect Pang Jian, hoping he could focus on his cultivation and remain undisturbed by trivial matters. While Pang Jian was outwardly cold, at his core he was a warmhearted person, which was why she did not want him to get too attached to the members of the Shadow Specter Sect.

Thus, shortly after arriving in the Third World, she decisively parted ways with them.

"It's good that I saw it," Pang Jian said in a low, dull voice. "I'll go through these experiences sooner or later. Their deaths are a warning to me about the world's cruelty."

"You've grown so fast," Luo Hongyan praised.