Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 373: Unforgettable Times

The Blazing Rainbow Marquis and the Cloud Devourer Marquis wore grave expressions as they summoned a few nobles of the Divine Kingdom within the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom's warship anchored on the Sword Pavilion's Celestial Gate Peak.

Zhu Jinghong, the Blazing Rainbow Marquis, said sorrowfully, "Ying'er and Yutian's soul lamps have gone out. They've died in the lower worlds.

"They refused to heed our warnings and insisted on descending to the Fourth World, wanting to follow that Li Family girl's example.

"They wanted to hunt stronger foreign race warriors to accumulate more contribution points but..."

Zhu Jinghong sighed deeply.

"The Merit Leaderboards that the three Divine Kingdoms and the other major factions of the First World created are supposed to ignite competition among the major factions in the Abyss.

"The young warriors of our Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom hold the top rankings on the Profound Abode Realm and Spirit Condensation Realm leaderboards.

"But none of our Divine Kingdom's disciples are in the top five of the Soul Wandering Realm one. Although Yutian barely squeezed into the top ten, his recklessness cost him dearly in the lower worlds.

"The prestige of our Divine Kingdom cannot be tarnished. This is of great importance."

He eyed the talented young nobles present.

"At least two of you must enter the top ten on the Soul Wandering Realm leaderboard! Those in the top five will receive an additional reward from our Divine Kingdom on top of the standard contribution points!"

The young nobles' blood boiled with excitement.

"Shouldn't we wait for Jiang Ran to finish his meeting to leave?" asked the Cloud Devourer Marquis.

"There's no time, we can't wait."

Zhu Jinghong left to contact Zhou Wenhao and inform him they planned to head to the Third World to join the fight.

Zhou Wenhao was taken aback but dared not delay and quickly used his sword token to contact Chen Weihuang.

He feared Chen Weihuang would use the Sword Pavilion to attack when their warship took flight, so he made sure to inform him in advance.

Before long, Chen Weihuang responded, approving their passage.

***

Three days later, the meeting between the Sword Pavilion's elders finally concluded.

Upon emerging, the four elders headed to Chen Weihuang's residence on the Heaven Departure Peak to update him on the situation.

"Senior Brother Jiang has taken over the authority to manage the clans affiliated with the Sword Pavilion. They'll be reporting to Cai Xin from now on," Liu Junhong said calmly.

"Shi Bingyun will take charge of the external affairs," Xu Yu added.

"The recruitment of new disciples has been handed over to Lu Xiaolin," Wang Ce said.

Guang He nodded woodenly. "We managed to hold onto the Sword Honing Peak. Control over the Scripture Pavilion, the Artifact Pavilion, and the Pill Pavilion remains in my hands for now."

Chen Weihuang had anticipated this. Nodding, he said, "The broken tip of the Arcane Legend Sword has always held voting rights. Jiang Ran, Cai Xin, Shi Bingyun, and Lu Xiaolin each hold one vote. With the sword, that's five votes in his hand and only four in yours due to my master's absence. Naturally, he can push through many decisions."

The Pavilion Master alone had three votes. If Li Zhaotian had been present at the elders' meeting, none of Jiang Ran's plans would be able to proceed.

Jiang Ran had sought the tip of the Arcane Legend Sword and took advantage of Li Zhaotian's absence to forcibly convene the elders' meeting and secure some authority for his supporters.

Xu Yu took a sip of tea. "He also mentioned that Pang Jian needs to prove his combat prowess and capabilities. You and that girl, Hu Yuanfei have already proven yourselves worthy of being personal disciples of the Pavilion Master, but he hasn't."

"Prove himself by participating in the Merit Leaderboards?" Chen Weihuang knitted his brows.

Xu Yu nodded. "Pang Jian is in the Soul Wandering Realm. Jiang Ran said he should participate and make it into the top ten to prove himself."

"He's clearly making things difficult for Pang Jian on purpose!" Wang Ce snorted coldly.

"Pang Jian broke through to the Soul Wandering Realm after returning from Absolute Heaven. The three Soul Wandering Realm rogue cultivators he defeated after that don't prove much," Liu Junhong said with a bitter smile. "The top ten on the Soul Wandering Realm leaderboard are all top talents from the major factions and getting on that list will be easier said than done."

Xu Yu sighed. "Rumors have spread that the Pavilion Master chose Pang Jian intending to pass on his legacy to him"

She shot a concerned glance at Chen Weihuang to gauge his reaction.

Chen Weihuang's expression remained unchanged. "I will always respect my master's decisions, regardless of whether they're right or wrong."

Xu Yu sighed in relief, having previously worried that internal conflicts would arise between Chen Weihuang and Pang Jian.

"If Pang Jian truly enters the top ten, Senior Brother Jiang will have no grounds to continue making trouble," Xu Yu said. "Even those within the Sword Pavilion following his orders would find it hard to criticize the Pavilion Master's judgment.

"If Pang Jian lives up to expectations and reaches a higher cultivation realm, taking over the Sword Pavilion will naturally become more acceptable."

Wang Ce chimed in, "In essence, Pang Jian had to prove himself first."

Chen Weihuang nodded. "It's not entirely unreasonable."

Guang He was startled, eyes flashing with surprise. "Chen Weihuang, do you think he can do it?"

Wang Ce, Xu Yu, and Liu Junhong shared the same doubts.

After all, Pang Jian was still young, and his cultivation had progressed so rapidly that they feared his foundation was not solid.

There were many illustrious figures in the Soul Wandering Realm: Fan Chen from the Supreme Monad Divine Kingdom, Liu Youyu from the Primeval Pillar Divine Kingdom, Zhou Yi from the Nine Tribes Sect, Li Yuqing from the Divine Treasure Sect's Li Family, and Hong Qiming from the Demon Sect.

These people had been celebrated prodigies from a young age and had been nurtured with top-tier pills, treasures, and techniques.

Their skills had been honed through a series of life-and-death battles.

Pang Jian, on the other hand, had been struggling in the Fourth and Third Worlds before Li Zhaotian chose him as a personal disciple.

He also hailed from a remote mountain range in Northern Qi of the Fourth World.

Given these factors and circumstances, the four elders found it hard to believe that Pang Jian could stand out on the Merit Leaderboard for the Soul Wandering Realm and compete against the other talented cultivators within the Abyss.

Chen Weihuang said coolly, "I don't trust him, but I trust my master's judgment."

***

In Misty Swamp, a slender silver sword light streaked from the distant horizon and landed in Li Yuqing's hand.

She stood beneath the little tree in simple white robes. Although she did not wear makeup, she still radiated a natural, elegant charm.

Her eyes brimmed with joy as she held the shrunken Heaven-Splitting Sword.

Over the past few days, her injuries had healed, her spiritual sea had filled with spiritual power, and her combat prowess had returned to its peak.

Gazing wistfully at the projection of Pang Ling on the tree leaves, then at where Pang Jian had just put down a wine jar, she said, "Pang Jian, my family asked me to head to the Sacred Soul Continent. Drinking and chatting with you has been one of the most unforgettable times of my life. But I have to leave now."

"Miss Li, you won't betray me, will you?" Pang Ling asked sweetly.

Li Yuqing laughed. "Considering you helped heal my injuries with all that life energy, I promise not to betray you. I swear I won't even tell my father."

"You're not entirely heartless then!" Pang Ling nodded in satisfaction.

"The Sacred Soul Continent?" Pang Jian's heart skipped a beat as he recalled the giant Gray Ape. "What are you going there for?"

"Why does my family want me to head to the Sacred Soul Continent?" Li Yuqing asked the Heaven-Splitting Sword.

The sword hummed in response.

"It doesn't know either." Li Yuqing frowned, then said to the sword again, "Yes, you're right—the Abyssal Demon Sword and Pang Jian brought it out."

Pang Jian instinctively glanced at where the Abyssal Demon Sword was still stabbed in the ground and asked, "Do they know each other?"

"They're old acquaintances." Li Yuqing chuckled.

Then, communicating silently with the Heaven-Splitting Sword, she said, Make sure not to leak this to the Sword Pavilion. Pang Jian has a secret method to reach this place directly. I'm not going to pry into it, but we also can't let anyone else know, not even those at the Sword Pavilion.

Alright.

"Pang Jian, I'm leaving now, but I'll go to the Sword Pavilion to find you once I finish my tasks." Li Yuqing shot him a bright smile.

Despite noticing many things from the time she sought help from the World Eater Vine to Pang Jian dealing with Zhu Ying and Jiang Yutian, she never delved deeper or questioned Pang Jian.

Neither did she ever properly thank him.

That was simply her nature.

She quietly did what needed to be done and expressed herself through actions rather than words.

"If you encounter a giant Gray Ape with ice-blue eyes on the Sacred Soul Continent, please look after it for me. It has a Rank Eight bloodline and should be capable of transforming into human form.

"Mention my name if you end up in conflict with it. It could help you avoid a fight," Pang Jian advised.

"I'll remember that." Li Yuqing waved with a smile.

She then rode her Heaven-Splitting Sword into the sky and swiftly disappeared into the distance.

Within the Abyssal Demon Sword, the many consciousnesses of the Abyssal Demon endlessly debated.

This lad, though not currently on par with Mo Nan, is bound to surpass him in the future!

That terrifying chest of his—the Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chest—is a wondrous treasure that some World God left behind! He didn't tell that young girl he had it. Something strange is going on here!

He can use that chest to extend his divine soul throughout the Abyss and can even move from the Second World to the Fourth World in the blink of an eye.

I think we need to maintain a good relationship with him for now.

True, he can erase all of our demonic wills and truly obliterate us.

Let's observe him a bit longer, see what other secrets he holds, and accompany him on his journey for a while. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

After much discussion, the consciousnesses reached a consensus to cooperate with Pang Jian for the moment.

"Now that she's gone, I'll focus on training my sword technique."

Pang Jian pulled out the Abyssal Demon Sword in one swift motion and started to unleash the intricate sword techniques with the demonic sword, drawing inspiration from the mysterious phenomena within his Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea.

Nine days later, on a pitch-black night, a terrifying spectacle appeared deep within Misty Swamp.

Demonic shadows flickered as the sun, moon, and stars clashed in the sky. Volcanoes and glaciers collided, and brilliant lightning bolts roamed the sky.

It was like the heavens were collapsing and the earth crumbling.

"The God we worship truly possesses boundless divine power!"

"Her power can manifest the sun, moon, and stars; trigger volcanic eruptions; shake unyielding glaciers; and even summon lightning capable of annihilating worlds."

"She's still young, and her growth has only just begun!"

"In the future, she'll surely be the most powerful God in the starry skies!"

The Wood Race members watching Misty Swamp from Divine Fortune City and Divine Fortress City were filled with excitement and awe.

***

As soon as Pang Jian returned to his residence on the Heaven Departure Peak, he immediately took out his sword token.

A flood of messages came pouring through like a rain of light.

"They want me to join the fight in the Third World?"