Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 266: Dao of Chaos

A giant umbrella emitting brilliant radiance drifted across the dim sky of the Fourth World like a river of dazzling light.

The ten-zhang-tall wooden figure glanced coldly at the approaching giant umbrella, slowly raising one of its hands.

The raised withered hand released a dense, corrupting energy from its palm that merged with the murky energy on the fragmented land.

Hiss!

Dozens of thorny tendrils shot out from the cracked earth and wrapped around the umbrella's handle. The tendrils crawled along the handle like malevolent creepers, infusing decaying divine power laced with potent, corrosive toxins into the Star Crushing Umbrella.

The bright stars on the umbrella's canopy dimmed and started to go out one after another. The Outer God's decaying divine power also swallowed the moon and the frosty well on the umbrella.

The Star Crushing Umbrella had turned dull and lifeless, filled with an overwhelming aura of death and weakness.

Pang Jian's expression changed and he prepared to throw out the Nine Suns Cauldron.

At that moment, the Outer God's cold eyes fixed on Pang Jian's navel region, where his dantian and spiritual sea resided.

It uttered a sharp command in an unknown language, "Permeate."

The corrupting energy released from its body drew upon the murky energy already on the fragmented land before forcing its way into Pang Jian's body, infiltrating his organs, and reaching his dantian and spiritual sea.

A multitude of corrosive energies, alongside the destructive and chaotic power of demonic flames, raged wildly within Pang Jian's body as they surged toward his dantian and spiritual sea.

Black, gray, dark green, inky blue...

Pang Jian's once serene ocean of green glowing spiritual power rapidly changed color as the infiltrating murky energy ate away at it.

It seemed the wooden figure not only possessed the power to extinguish life but also wielded multiple forms of toxic, corrupting energy.

The Outer God's corrupting energy could manipulate the murky energy in the Fourth World and concentrate its assault on Pang Jian, filling his body and spiritual sea with tainted energy.

In that same unknown language, the Outer God said with cold indifference, "The Human Race..."

Pang Jian could understand the foreign language because of his connection to the World Eater Vine.

The corners of Pang Jian's mouth tugged upward, revealing a strange smile to the Outer God.

He did not resist the invasion of the decaying divine power and corrupting energy. Instead, he simply smiled and spread his arms wide, as if welcoming an even more violent onslaught of corruption.

His eyes held no fear or panic as the corrupting energies eroded all his spiritual power.

The World Eater Vine channeled a constant stream of life energy into Pang Jian, palpably concerned as his spiritual power drained away.

Pang Jian shook his head with a smile. "There's no need to do that."

It did not take long for Pang Jian's body and spiritual sea to be completely tainted. Not even a trace of his spiritual power was left!

At that moment, the corrupting energies still circulating within Pang Jian's body rushed violently toward his spiritual sea!

This time, they were acting outside of the Outer God's control!

Pang Jian's dantian transformed into a pitch-black cauldron that devoured everything within reach like a mysterious void!

Black, murky "seawater" appeared in Pang Jian's depleted spiritual sea!

"Yo-you—" The wooden Outer God was visibly shocked.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

All the murky energy within a dozen-mile radius rushed toward Pang Jian's Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea!

An expansive, boundless black ocean filled Pang Jian's spiritual sea in no time!

The ice pool and fiery pool still existed within the sea of murky energy. The stars, sun, and moon above also remained unchanged, and the swirling lightning vortex only grew more fierce!

None of these other energies had ever conflicted with murky energy. The clash had always been between murky energy and pure spiritual power!

Pang Jian rose, wielding his spear.

"Cosmic Fission!"

A profound darkness condensed around the silver spear in Pang Jian's hand and descended upon the Outer God.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sun, moon, and stars burst forth in the endless darkness!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Hail, massive bolts of lightning, and fiery meteors rained down on the Outer God.

The terror in the Outer God's eyes deepened!

"Chaos!" Pang Jian muttered to himself.

The sun and moon collided; hail and fiery meteors forcibly fused; lightning streaked chaotically; and stars exploded like shattering diamonds within the dark depths of Cosmic Fission.

Pang Jian had fused Li Zhaotian's Chaos Sword Technique with Cosmic Fission to elevate his spear technique to new heights!

A dark cosmos smashed onto the Outer God's head, releasing a torrent of chaotic, violent forces.

The Outer God crouched down and clutched its head.

Hundreds of thorny tendrils wrapped tightly around it to form a dense shield of dried wood.

Boom! Crackle!

Blinding flashes of light, interspersed with the descending darkness, slowly engulfed the Outer God.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The thorny tendrils splintered apart under the force of the ever-fissioning dark cosmos, gradually exposing the Outer God's wooden body as if peeling away its skin.

A grayish-brown light containing a trace of the Outer God's divine power scattered as the tendrils fell apart onto the withered ground.

The light sank into the ground like water merging with the sea and the roots of the little tree quickly absorbed it.

The little tree's soul was boiling with excitement!

It had not expected Pang Jian to display even greater strength after his spiritual power was eroded.

He had become stronger than ever before!

Pang Jian used the Startling Slaughter Spear to unleash the inexhaustible murky energy within him.

Back in Eight Trigrams City, the genius girl of the Li Family had once suggested he stay in the eternally dark Fifth World as his unique Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea was best suited to it.

Pang Jian now realized Li Yuqing was right.

The murky energy was amplified within his Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea, producing astonishing power!

Even he had not anticipated that he could unleash such formidable power with murky energy after reaching the Profound Abode Realm.

I'm much stronger now than in the Marrow Cleansing Realm, and my Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea has become even more mysterious.

Not to mention, I have the added boost of the Chaos Sword Technique.

Pang Jian transformed the Startling Slaughter Spear into a silver lightning bolt and wielded it like a sword.

A murky sword light, filled with chaotic sword intent, slashed down at the wooden figure.

The Outer God, severely wounded by Pang Jian's Cosmic Fission, could no longer rise from its crouched position.

Crack!

Pang Jian's strike cleaved the Outer God's wooden body into two.

Whoosh!

Grayish-brown smoke drifted out from the destroyed body and seeped into Pang Jian's sea of consciousness, attempting to poison his soul with divine consciousness.

As I expected! Pang Jian, more pleased than surprised, did not hesitate to summon the Bee Sovereign from the Gate of the Abyss.

Buzz!

Four golden bees appeared in Pang Jian's sea of consciousness.

The golden bees eagerly flapped their transparent wings as they ravenously chased after the clusters of grayish-brown smoke and absorbed them.

Whoosh!

The four bees split, becoming eight.

The eight golden bees worked together to absorb the remaining divine consciousness of the Outer God.

Soon, all eight bees had swollen bellies, thoroughly satisfied.

Grateful for their feast, the eight bees descended to the acupoints at the bottom of Pang Jian's sea of consciousness and each deposited a drop of golden honey.

With that, the golden bees vanished from his sea of consciousness.

The slightly ajar Gate of the Abyss then drew upon Pang Jian's blood essence to nourish new bee pupae.

Squinting, Pang Jian saw that the beehive had unexpectedly produced eight new bee pupae!

There were now thirteen bee pupae in the beehive, including the Bee Sovereign.

How strange, Pang Jian thought, perplexed at the formation of the bee pupae.

Pang Jian initially assumed the four golden bees that first appeared were the spirits of the four pupae already inside the beehive. However, after the golden bee split from four into eight, the beehive astonishingly formed eight new pupae instead of four as he expected.

While Pang Jian was lost in thought, the thorny tendrils deep in the ground of Misty Swamp were disintegrating as they no longer had divine power to nourish them.

The split halves of the Outer God also fell to the ground.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The corrupted members of the Wood Race collapsed, dead.

Even after death, their corpses continued to taint the fragmented land, causing the surrounding trees, flowers, and plants to wither and die.

"What a terrifying entity!"

"I hope our Sacred Tree is unharmed."

The surviving members of the Wood Race gazed sorrowfully at their fallen kin. They were now aware that there existed an evil capable of infecting their entire race.

Suddenly, their attention was drawn to a distant light.

The little tree's verdant leaves radiated a dazzling divine light, swaying with the joy of surviving a calamity.

It then conveyed a message to Pang Jian.

While joyful, it was also deeply worried about the future.

From its inherited memories, it knew that once an Outer God like the wooden figure appeared, it had to be prepared to face them continuously.

The wooden figure was merely a puppet of an Outer God and was not its true body.

Although it had managed to deal with the wooden figure with Pang Jian's help, the Outer God was now aware of its existence.

The two were fated to be mortal enemies. Now that the Abyss was open, the Outer God would not rest until it dealt with the little tree, seeking to destroy everything it had.

Moreover, the Outer God had the powerful ability to corrupt members of the Wood Race, using its filthy, corrupting power to control them.

The Outer God also had an intimate understanding of the little tree.

The little tree feared the Outer God would try different, more insidious methods to target it in the coming days.

"We must grow quickly," Pang Jian replied. "Only then can we face the invading Outer Gods with composure in this era of chaos and calamity."