Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 170: The Mysterious Being

After severing the connection with the Giant Abyssal Serpent, Pang Jian sat in cave dwelling number fifty-six in the Third World, mind racing and unable to calm down for a long time.

As expected, the little tree is the Wood Race's worshiped Sacred Tree. Its life energy extended the old woman's life...

He knew the little tree was not normal, but he could not have imagined that it was closely tied to an intelligent race in the lower world.

Once the Wood Race members from the Fifth World reached the Fourth World and saw the miraculous little tree in Divine Fortune, they would undoubtedly worship it as their deity!

The little tree would have a tribe ready to defend it to the death.

The little tree originated from my bronze pendant and obeys my every command. Doesn't that mean the Wood Race will also follow my orders in the future?

Will the lush Divine Fortune continue to grow after welcoming the members of the Wood Race and allow the little tree to continue to evolve?

Many thoughts flashed through Pang Jian's mind.

Though he had originally intended to ask Yu Xin for spirit materials from high-ranked Vicious Beasts, after their most recent revelation, he decided to give Yu Xin and the Wood Race some time to digest everything.

A single Rank Seven Ice Crystal Beast's horn is worth four hundred thousand spirit stones, so it's definitely possible to earn a million.

Pang Jian resolved to participate in the final day of the trade fair and secure a glimmer of hope for Luo Hongyan from the elders of the Blood Moon Sect and the Sinister Soul Temple.

He planned to wait a while before requesting Yu Xin of the Celestial Race for rare spirit materials from high-ranked Vicious Beasts.

***

Only three people were on Zhao Yuanqi's Scarlet Dawn Boat on The Fifth Peak of the Primordial Wilderness.

The other disciples from the Red Mountain Sect had either gone off to sightsee around the Primordial Wilderness or participate in the trade fair on the First Peak.

"I'm sorry, Yuanqi. I can't help." The tall, handsome Fang Boxuan looked at the silver-haired girl's beautiful face and explained helplessly, "It's not that I don't want to help, but you know Elder Jiu Yuan and I have never gotten along in the Blood Moon Sect. I can't influence him."

Fang Boxuan was a fellow genius from the Third World, a few years older than Zhao Yuanqi, and also in the Profound Abode Realm. A few years ago, they had led their respective teams to explore a spiritual land and had bonded after fighting together

As the strongest new-generation disciple in the Blood Moon Sect, Fang Boxuan had a good impression of the silver-haired girl and had subtly expressed his admiration. Unfortunately, he had never received a response.

Thus, when Zhao Yuanqi took the initiative to invite him today, he was quite flattered. When she asked him to request someone from Jiu Yuan though, he had been forced to refuse after understanding the situation.

"Forget it." Zhao Yuanq closed her eyes dismissively and said, "I won't see you off."

Fang Boxuan smiled bitterly. He got up, bowed, and left the Fifth Peak.

"The Sinister Soul Temple has never been on good terms with us. I can't find anyone to help either." Zhao Yuanqi sighed.

"Junior Sister, I'm already very grateful for everything you've done for me," Jiang Li said worriedly from where she had been sitting quietly in a corner. "I never expected Sister Luo to be a survivor of the Blood Spirit Sect. I don't know why the elders of the Blood Moon Sect and the Sinister Soul Temple insist on taking her away. Regretfully, my cultivation realm is low, and I don't have enough spirit stones."

Zhao Yuanqi knitted her brows. "It's a million spirit stones. Not even I can gather that amount in such a short time."

"Sister Luo always looked out for me during our time in Eight Trigrams City, and I want to do something for her." Despite racking her brains, Jiang Li could not think of a way to rescue Luo Hongyan from Old Monster Cao.

"Pang Jian will be able to avoid this calamity. Qi Qingsong from the Sword Pavilion will protect him with all his might," Zhao Yuanqi comforted, hoping to ease her sadness.

***

Pang Jian took out the manual he had purchased for eighty thousand spirit stones from his spatial bracelet and studied the incomplete manual under the light of the luminous pearls, intending to enhance his combat prowess as much as possible.

The Grand Providence Sacred Body.

The path of body refinement has declined and is no longer mainstream today. The road ahead is fraught with difficulties. Choose wisely...

A note caught Pang Jian's eyes. Frowning, he continued to read.

As he read he learned that body refining techniques like the Grand Providence Sacred Body relied heavily on the blood and flesh of Vicious and Spirit Beasts in the early stages.

Most cultivators no longer pursued the continuous strengthening of their bodies after completing the bone forging, marrow cleansing process. As their cultivation realm improved, their dantian and spirit sea would also hold more spiritual power, which they could use to protect their body and form numerous terrifying killing moves.

Condensing one's spiritual power into a shield, high-grade armor, and spirit artifacts were all methods cultivators could use to protect their bodies.

Moreover, spiritual energy was ubiquitous, and one could refine spiritual qi almost anywhere.

If cultivators found a good place, they could gradually enhance their cultivation realm without spirit stones or spirit jades. The progress could be slow, but it was doable.

On the other hand, if cultivators wished to continue to focus on body refining, they needed to regularly consume the blood and flesh of powerful Vicious and Spirit Beasts. Additionally, spending too much time and effort on body refining could delay their cultivation breakthroughs.

After advancing to the Innate Realm, the strength of a cultivator's body did not affect their cultivation, meaning body refining was no longer necessary.

Thus, over time, body refining fell out of the mainstream.

The first step of the Grand Providence Sacred Body involved opening a new area outside of his dantian and spiritual sea that was capable of storing a large amount of blood essence.

The Providence Mystic Reservoir Acupoint.

Looking at a diagram in the manual, Pang Jian traced a finger below his chest, just beneath his heart.

This is the acupoint!

He channeled blood essence from his limbs and bones into the Providence Mystic Reservoir Acupoint. However, the acupoint remained unmoved, and his efforts were akin to a mosquito hitting an iron board.

This is much harder to open than the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

After some hesitation, Pang Jian retrieved some Vicious Beasts' blood from his spatial bracelet. This blood was from Rank Four and Rank Five Vicious Beasts that Luo Hongyan had looted from rogue cultivators.

Gulp gulp!

Pang Jian drank the blood and waited for the abundant blood essence to disperse.

Gathering the blood essence, he condensed it together to launch another assault on the Providence Mystic Reservoir Acupoint.

This time, the acupoint trembled under the immense impact of the blood essence, though it was still far from opening fully.

Does opening the Providence Mystic Reservoir Acupoint require patience and persistence? Like water eroding stone over time? Or perhaps...

As he thought back to the powerful surge of blood essence from the Rank Seven Ice Crystal Beast, he wondered if a richer blood essence would make it easier to open the Providence Mystic Reservoir Acupoint.

Pang Jian decided to ask Yu Xin for more high-ranked Vicious Beasts' blood.

Before he could establish a connection with the Giant Abyssal Serpent, he noticed the sky brightening outside and heard a knock on the stone door.

"Pang Jian, it's me, Han Ting. Are you going to the trade fair today?" Han Ting asked from outside the cave.

Pang Jian opened the door to find her standing outside alone. He shook his head. "Not for now."

"Qi Qingsong, Zhao Yuanqi, and her senior sister left shortly after you closed the door," Han Ting said.

"Mm." Pang Jian nodded, glancing over at the peaks where the ships of the Blood Moon Sect and the Sinister Soul Temple were anchored.

"Last night, Zhang Bin led Fang Xin over to apologize." Han Ting hesitated, then continued disgustedly, "I kicked both of them out."

Pang Jian did not care about these trivial matters. Turning away, he said indifferently, "I won't be going out today."

He then shut the door.

Those outside could not hear what was happening inside once the stone door was closed. Han Ting and Gao Yuan could not hear his conversation with Qi Qingsong about Luo Hongyan. Thus, they neither knew she was a remnant of the Blood Spirit Sect nor that Old Monster Cao had captured her.

The idea of Zhang Bin leading Fang Xin to apologize was laughable to him as they did not understand the situation.

It's been one night. Yu Xin and the Wood Race would've had the opportunity to discuss many things by now.

Pang Jian then established a connection with the Giant Abyssal Serpent.

Yu Xin sat by a pool, beautiful eyes full of endless confusion as she watched the Giant Abyssal Serpent swim back and forth in the water.

"Xiao Hei, you..." she muttered.

She had left the Wood Race's territory, with the members of the Wood Race endlessly bowing and thanking her the whole way.

The rejuvenated Mu Yuan now believed their Sacred Tree existed in the upper worlds. It had used the Giant Abyssal Serpent as a medium to bestow life energy upon her, extending her life and preventing her from dying of natural causes.

Mu Yuan had many questions about the Giant Abyssal Serpent, but even Yu Xin could not provide the answers.

"Xiao Hei, where did you come from?" Yu Xin wondered aloud.

Splash!

The Giant Abyssal Serpent leaped out of the pool, and using its tail like a sharp blade, it started craving words into the ground.

Yu Xin's eyes lit up. She hastily flew into the sky and peered down.

There's a young sapling of a World Eater Vine in Divine Fortune in the Fourth World.

I'm from the upper worlds and am communicating with you through the Giant Abyssal Serpent. I'm the one who nurtured it and put it in the Fifth World.

Right now, I need high-ranked Vicious Beasts' eyes, horns, and blood. In the future, I will do my best to meet your needs.

Lines of messy characters were scratched on the ground.

Yu Xin's beautiful eyes sparkled, and she covered her mouth in disbelief. It turned out there was a mysterious, powerful being behind Xiao Hei!

The mysterious being had overheard her lamentations and had sent Gold Obsidian, Solar Essence Stones, and Thunderstruck Wood to her through Xiao Hei.