Trials of the Abyss

Near the Sacred Soul Continent in the Second World, a hundred-zhang-long, thirty-zhang-wide Demon Incursion Ship floated in the air like a black Vicious Beast.

In comparison, the Scarlet Dawn Boat was like a small fish in a river facing a Vicious Beast in the sea.

A woman, dressed in purple robes with gemstones sewn into the hem, sparkling earrings, and a pearl necklace, stood on the viewing platform on the fifth floor of the Demon Incursion Ship.

She smiled as she watched the disciples of the Demon Sect on deck teasing the Scarlet Dawn Boat.

The mast of the Demon Incursion Ship had a white flag emblazoned with a single large black character—"Demon".

"Wu Yuan, the little rascals below are teasing the Scarlet Dawn Boat of the Red Mountain Sect," said Chen Lushi, the curvaceous woman in the purple robes.

She turned to smile at the man emerging from a private room on the fifth floor.

"It's nothing serious," she said indifferently. "They only slowed down its ascent. The intensified astral winds will naturally dissipate after we leave. They'll still make it up."

Wu Yuan was a man with thick eyebrows and a steady demeanor. He appeared unconcerned when he heard it was only a Scarlet Dawn Boat from the Red Mountain Sect.

"I heard the Sect Master of the Red Mountain Sect has quite a close relationship with Li Zhaotian." Chen Lushi blinked her beautiful eyes and teased, "Wu Yuan, you're too upright. You should learn to enjoy life."

She licked her red lips.

"I'm willing to teach you..."

"I can't afford to provoke you." Wu Yuan shook his head. "I heard the Sword Pavilion has arranged for Qi Qingsong to lead the team. Come to think of it, I haven't seen him since he voluntarily left the inner sect of the Sword Pavilion."

Chen Lushi pursed her lips when Wu Yuan did not take her bait. "Yes, Qi Qingsong has risen through the ranks and reached the late stage of the Profound Abode Realm. Wu Yuan, will you feel pressured when you face him again?"

"Pressure?" Wu Yuan looked surprised and a hint of pride flashed in his eyes. "He was beneath me even when he was an inner disciple. Surely you don't think he's my match now just because he's also reached the late stage of the Profound Abode Realm, do you?"

"Heh, of course not." Chen Lushi chuckled, the corners of her mouth curling. "Your cultivation of the demonic arts emphasizes patience. No one can match your solid foundation in the Profound Abode Realm.

"Even those from the First World may not be on part with you if they did not have their powerful spirit artifacts."

The two were from the same sect and Chen Lushi was well aware of Wu Yuan's prowess.

***

Two hours later, the Scarlet Dawn Boat stubbornly surged upward and finally broke free from the astral winds after enduring another round of violent astral winds.

"I saw a huge black 'Demon' character on that white, eerie banner," Dong Tianze said coldly.

"That would be the Demon Incursion Ship, a flying vessel of the Demon Sect," Fang Boxuan said bitterly.

The Scarlet Dawn Boat's strenuous ascent had caused him to consume more than half of his spiritual power and he quickly took out spirit jades to recover.

Zhou Qingchen and Zhao Yuanqi were also busy recovering their spiritual power with spirit jades with solemn expressions on their faces.

The Scarlet Dawn Boat did not rush toward the Sacred Soul Continent and instead stopped to rest on a cloud.

"The Demon Sect..." Dong Tianze frowned.

Fang Boxuan sighed as he glanced at the silent Pang Jian. "The Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion may be recognized as the strongest human cultivator in the Second World, but in terms of sects, the Demon Sect is the most powerful.

"Li Zhaotian is in the late stage of the Immortal Realm and has unparalleled swordsmanship. No one in the Second World is his match when it comes to one-on-one combat. But Li Zhaotian is also the Sword Pavilion's only late-stage Immortal Realm cultivator.

"Meanwhile, the Demon Sect has three late-stage Immortal Realm cultivators, which is why it's considered the most powerful sect in the Second World."

Surprise flickered in Pang Jian's eyes at this newfound information.

"They didn't truly mean us harm. They were just playing around. Let's not think about seeking revenge," Fang Boxuan said with a bitter smile, wanting to keep a low profile and avoid trouble. "We weren't seriously injured, and the Scarlet Dawn Boat wasn't destroyed. Let's not dwell on this."

"We'll settle things in Absolute Heaven." Zhao Yuanqi snorted.

Their antics had cost her nearly a thousand spirit jades, and she would soon need to head into the Scarlet Dawn Boat's cabin to replace the depleted spirit jades in the arrays with fresh ones.

"If possible, try not to provoke the Demon Sect in Absolute Heaven. I'm serious," Fang Boxuan advised.

Ding!

The sword token hanging from Pang Jian's waist rang crisply.

Pang Jian reached down to grab it.

"Pang Jian! You finally arrived!" Qi Qingsong exclaimed. "You should be near the Sacred Soul Continent. Hurry over and find me!

"I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

The sword token Qi Qingsong had given him still maintained its basic sound-transmitting capabilities even after Li Zhaotian's modifications.

Thus, Qi Qingsong could sense when Pang Jian was within a certain range of him with the sword token.

"Give me a location," answered Pang Jian.

"Southwest of the Sacred Soul Continent, in a fragmented land called Eternal Crossing. Hurry up and get over here. Also, don't put the sword token back into your spatial bracelet. We need to stay in touch."

"Do you know where a fragmented land called Eternal Crossing is?" Pang Jian asked Zhao Yuanqi.

The silver-haired girl shook her head. "I don't know where Eternal Crossing is, but I know how to get to the southwest of the Sacred Soul Continent. Everyone, let's recover first. Once we've regained our strength, I'll activate the Scarlet Dawn Boat."

The group quietly started to meditate.

Pang Jian had barely expended any spiritual power, and so chose not to meditate. Instead, he walked to the edge of the Scarlet Dawn Boat and stared out at the Sacred Soul Continent, nestled among numerous floating fragmented lands with drifting white clouds around it.

The Dragon Lair Sect was on the Sacred Soul Continent.

The continent also boasted vast groups of Spirit Beasts.

In the Second World, the Demon Sect, the Black Valley Sect, and some smaller sects controlled the Demon Abyss Continent.

The Sword Pavilion, the Celestial Lagoon Sect, and some smaller forces dominated the Heaven Awakening Continent.

The Demon Abyss Continent and the Heaven Awakening Continent were domains of human sects, while the Sacred Soul Continent was a haven for Spirit Beasts.

This continent was unique in the Abyss as the only complete land without human sects and entirely controlled by Spirit Beasts.

The Dragon Lair Sect was the most powerful force on the Sacred Soul Continent.

An hour later, Zhao Yuanqi entered the cabin to replace the spirit jades in the array.

Dong Tianze stood up and walked over to Pang Jian with a stern expression.

Copying Pang Jian, Dong Tianze leaned on the ship's railing and stared out at the Sacred Soul Continent.

Then, in a deep voice, he said, "I don't know why, but just looking at this continent makes my blood boil."

Pang Jian looked at him in surprise.

Despite harboring deep resentment toward Pang Jian, Dong Tianze was only willing to talk with him.

He pointed at his forehead, where a dazzling Celestial Phoenix Imprint briefly appeared. "The Celestial Phoenix Imprint has a special connection to the Sacred Soul Continent. Whoever created the essence of the Celestial Phoenix and condensed the Celestial Phoenix Imprint likely visited the Sacred Soul Continent more than once."

Fang Boxuan casually interjected, "The Celestial Phoenix was once one of the overlords of the Sacred Soul Continent. It constantly suppressed the Thunder Dragon before its demise."

Dong Tianze's eyes brightened. "How do you know?"

"That's what our deceased Sect Master Tang said," Fang Boxuan replied, still sitting cross-legged with spirit jades in each hand. "During the peak era of the Sacred Soul Continent, four Rank Ten Spirit Beasts resided there: the Celestial Phoenix, the Thunder Dragon, the Black Turtle, and the Primordial Serpent.

"Sadly, the Celestial Phoenix died; the Black Turtle left the Sacred Soul Continent and its whereabouts are unknown; and the Primordial Serpent is said to have tried breaking out of the Abyss. It ultimately failed though, and nobody knows whether it survived the attempt.

"Now, only the ancient Thunder Dragon remains in the Sacred Soul Continent, slumbering in the Dragon Lair Sect. Because of this, the Sacred Soul Continent, which the powerful sects of the First World once feared, has gradually declined.

"However, the weakness of the Sacred Soul Continent is only when compared to the superpowers of the First World.

"Even the demoted Sword Pavilion and Demon Sect lack the profound heritage of the Sacred Soul Continent in the Second World.

"As long as the ancient Thunder Dragon is alive, the real strength of the Dragon Lair Sect still surpasses that of the Demon Sect and Sword Pavilion," Fang Boxuan explained.

"The Four Great Spirit Beasts: The Celestial Phoenix, the Thunder Dragon, the Black Turtle, and the Primordial Serpent!" Zhou Qingchen took a deep breath, stood up, and leaned on the ship's edge. Gazing out at the distant Sacred Soul Continent, he said, "A continent in the Second World that was once stronger than the human sects of the First World, entirely governed by sentient Spirit Beasts. How extraordinary."

"Yes, but our destination isn't the Sacred Soul Continent," Zhao Yuanqi reminded as she left the cabin. "We're just stopping nearby for a while. We're not staying long, so don't get too excited."

After a long break, the Scarlet Dawn Boat eventually roared back into motion.

The Sacred Soul Continent grew larger as they approached.

The floating fragmented lands around the continent were lush with vegetation. Flying vessels could be seen docked on them, with some even having cities with unmistakably human design.

"What are those cities?" Zhou Qingchen asked.

"People who serve the Spirit Beasts and do business with them can't build cities on the Sacred Soul Continent, so they gather on the floating fragmented lands around it. They specialize in trading with the Spirit Beasts of the Sacred Soul Continent," Fang Boxuan replied with a smile.

"Have you been here before?" Zhou Qingchen asked in surprise.

Fang Boxuan nodded with a complex expression. "Yes, I've been here."

With that, he suddenly lost interest in the conversation.

Before Zhou Qingchen could ask more, Fang Boxuan closed his eyes, swallowed a Blood Enhancing Pill, and resumed cultivating with spirit jades.

Under Zhao Yuanqi's piloting, the Scarlet Dawn Boat arrived at Eternal Crossing by dusk.

Pang Jian glanced down and saw a fragmented land shaped like a long sword.

A silver boat docked at the hilt of the "sword" next to a constantly flashing array.

"A teleportation array?" Pang Jian was stunned.

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