Trials of the Abyss

"Pang Jian, a follower of an Outer God?" the survivors in the forest murmured, searching the skies for Pang Jian.

They soon spotted him on the Heavenly Roc Warship with golden ropes binding him firmly in place, no matter how much he struggled.

"Fu Wangchen! Stop spewing nonsense, you bastard!" Qi Qingsong took off on his spirit sword again.

A streak of azure sword light shot toward the Heavenly Roc Warship.

"I already told you, he's not the same person you once knew." Fu Wangchen's expression darkened, raising his hand to unleash a golden radiance.

Nine massive rocs emerged and let out ear-splitting cries. Their flaming wings appeared as if forged from molten gold and iron.

The giant rocs' cries shattered Qi Qingsong's dreamy azure sword light before it could manifest into a tangible dream.

The illusory realm vanished.

Qi Qingsong groaned, feeling as if someone had forcibly pulled him from a dream and drenched him with a bucket of cold water.

"Junior Brother Qi, calm down!" Zhuang Yuyan rushed to his side. "Let's try to understand the situation first! Be glad he wasn't trying to severely injure you, or else..."

Her implication was clear—Fu Wangchen could have thoroughly dealt with Qi Qingsong if he wanted to.

"I have undeniable evidence proving Pang Jian is the one controlling the Nether Abyss Spirit Bees!" Fu Wangchen coldly glanced down at Zhuang Yuyan as he said with a grave expression, "This is a serious matter. I must capture Pang Jian first. I'll give you all an explanation after!"

"Then, show us your proof!" Zhuang Yuyan shouted, still restraining Qi Qingsong.

"It's strange..." Jiang Chao from the Celestial Lagoon Sect muttered.

"Senior Sister, you said a golden bee led us out of the bizarre mist," Wu Yuan of the Demon Sect said, raising an eyebrow. "If the owner of the golden bees isn't Fu Wangchen, but Pang Jian from the Sword Pavilion, then that means we owe our lives to Pang Jian.

"Why would he save us if he's a follower of or has been corrupted by an Outer God? Don't forget he also warned me about those living dead," The usually reticent Wu Yuan said with an uncharacteristically large amount of words.

Chang Li, Xiao Yu, and the others nodded in agreement.

"The Outer Gods are likely just divided into different factions. The one who corrupted Pang Jian and led us into Absolute Heaven is from the Nether Abyss," Chen Lushi coldly remarked. "The Outer Gods that the Ghost Race, the Wood Race, the Carapace Race, and the Earth Scorpion Race worship could be his enemies."

"That makes sense!"

"That must be it!"

Several others backed up Chen Lushi.

Wu Yuan shook his head, staring at the Heavenly Roc Warship and the golden ropes binding Pang Jian, and said nothing more.

"He killed the son of the Armor-Breaking Marquis from the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom," Fu Wangchen revealed, raising his hand to make a grabbing motion in the air.

Drops of golden blood emerged from the mystical bird's wing bones and the piercing cries of the golden-winged rocs filled the air.

Boom!

A tremendous force surged into Pang Jian's body, causing him to shake violently.

His green protective shield, which he had summoned when captured, shattered with a bang.

Even his bones creaked under the pressure—even though they were solid as refined steel due to his Illusory Bone Realm—and his joints twisted unnaturally as if about to dislocate. ℞ＡŊоBƐṠ

Pang Jian felt like his skeleton was on the verge of breaking into pieces and hurriedly gathered his strength to resist.

However, before Pang Jian could do anything, the foreign power from the golden ropes swiftly bound his spiritual sea.

When he inspected his spiritual sea with his divine sense, he saw a ring of golden ripples forming along its edges.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Faint images of golden rocs flew within the golden ripples, shimmering feathers exuding an oppressive aura of confinement.

An aura of sealing radiated from the golden ripples, cutting off the connection between Pang Jian's spiritual sea and his body.

Pang Jian felt like he had reverted to the hunter he was before stepping onto the path of cultivation.

He felt like a mortal.

The Heavenly Roc Warship has greatly amplified Fu Wangchen's power!

Pang Jian forced himself to calm down and suppress his bubbling fury.

Focusing his mind, he was horrified to discover that the golden ripples had also sealed his Providence Mystic Reservoir Acupoint.

The lingering power in the Rank Nine Golden-Winged Giant Roc's skeleton had been refined into golden ropes, and under Fu Wangchen's control, these ropes were the most powerful weapon in Absolute Heaven.

No wonder the soul projection of the Ghost Race's worshiped Outer God was no match for Fu Wangchen.

Fu Wangchen on the Heavenly Roc Warship was as formidable as Pang Jian on the Resolute Expanse.

"Pang Jian, you're trapped on the Heavenly Roc Warship. Even if you were in the Spirit Condensation Realm, you still wouldn't be able to escape," Lu Jie of the Forsaken Expanse said softly.

A group of cultivators from the Forsaken Expanse Sect stopped about a dozen zhang away, gazing at Pang Jian as if he were a monster.

"Just surrender and let Junior Brother Fu examine your sea of consciousness. Maybe he can purge the corruption of the Outer God from you," Lu Jie advised kindly. "Only then will you have a slim chance of survival and regain your true self."

She had complete faith in Fu Wangchen and was convinced an Outer God had indeed corrupted Pang Jian.

My dantian, spiritual sea, and Providence Mystic Reservoir Acupoint have all been sealed.

Pang Jian silently assessed his options as he prepared to launch a counterattack.

After all, the black turtle scute, the eight Leaves of Life, and his sea of consciousness were all still intact and available for him to use.

Whoosh!

As Pang Jian was about to mobilize his remaining strength, a spatial ring floated out from Pang Jian's pocket and landed in Fu Wangchen's hand.

Fu Wangchen held up the ring and waved it toward Zhuang Yuyan. "This item belonged to the son of the Armor-Breaking Marquis, correct? You and the rest of the Sword Pavilion disciples should know he killed the gravely injured Li Yuanchen."

Zhuang Yuyan anxiously tried to argue, "That's true, but—"

"Miss Zhuang, you still trust him because you don't understand what Nether Abyss Spirit Bees represent." Fu Wangchen sighed deeply.

With a casual squeeze, the spatial ring shattered into crystal dust and scattered in the wind.

He did not care about Li Yuanchen's possessions and wished to exhibit his lack of interest in Pang Jian's treasures.

"I learned through the divine consciousness of the Skull Crusher that those golden bees are a dire omen from the Nether Abyss.

"Those creatures..." Fu Wangchen's expression grew somber. "They feed on the divine consciousness of Outer Gods! The golden Nether Abyss Spirit Bee is an especially vicious breed, so much so that even the Outer Gods view them as forbidden creatures!

"Whenever golden Nether Abyss Spirit Bees appear in the outer worlds, the mightiest of those worlds always hunt them down.

"The Outer Gods consider the Nether Abyss a forbidden zone, and no one knows what's happening inside.

"Do you realize the gravity of the situation? If Pang Jian has truly caught the attention of a wicked Outer God from the Nether Abyss and can communicate with the Nether Abyss Spirit Bee?" Fu Wangchen asked coldly.

Zhuang Yuyan was horrified.

"Little Junior Brother probably doesn't know where Nether Abyss Spirit Bees come from! Brother Fu, there's likely a misunderstanding here!" she cried.

"I captured him to investigate whether his true self has been erased," Fu Wangchen said solemnly. "If his true self still exists, I'll do everything in my power to eradicate the foreign forces from his sea of consciousness and preserve his life."

Then, raising his voice, he declared, "Everyone! I lured Pang Jian onto the Heavenly Roc Warship and captured him out of necessity. I hope you understand.

"Even I am not confident I can restrain him completely without the Heavenly Roc Warship."

Despite his words addressing everyone, his eyes remained fixed on the Sword Pavilion's group.

Swoosh!

Fu Wangchen appeared before Pang Jian and held up the black gauze he had taken from him earlier. "I'll use this God-Blocking Divine Shroud to wrap your body, preventing the Outer God from the Nether Abyss from continuing to corrupt you.

"Don't worry, I'll find a way to save you."

With that, Fu Wangchen started wrapping Pang Jian from the legs up, even covering the golden ropes that bound him.

Whoosh!

The pitch-black Black Iron Mountain surged into the sky, burning with black demonic flames and emanating the aura of Spirit Devils and Vicious Beast's souls.

"Dong Tianze, don't be rash!" Zhuang Yuyan shouted, having been convinced by Fu Wangchen's words.

"Even if an Outer God has corrupted Pang Jian, it should be up to us to confirm it, not him!" Dong Tianze roared. The Celestial Phoenix Imprint on his forehead glowed brightly. "No one has the right to imprison him or pry into his sea of consciousness!"

Whoosh!

A dazzling Celestial Phoenix appeared above Dong Tianze's head.

The Celestial Phoenix enveloped Dong Tianze in its radiant glow, making him seem like a divine warrior descended from the heavens.

Whoosh!

The Celestial Phoenix's massive wings cut through the sky.

Dao, seemingly capable of severing all things, emerged from its ethereal wings and sliced apart the golden light barrier beneath the Heavenly Roc Warship as effortlessly as cutting through tofu.

The sea of golden light split in two, revealing the gleaming bones of the Golden-Winged Giant Roc.

"The Celestial Phoenix has appeared!"

"He's a Divine Guard!"

"The Celestial Phoenix has restrained our Golden-Winged Giant Roc!"

"The Celestial Phoenix is the king of all avians!"

The members of the Forsaken Expanse Sect paled.

The Heavenly Roc Warship was forged from the remains of the Rank Nine Golden-Winged Giant Roc and its profoundly mysterious bloodline powered the ship.

However, even when the Rank Six Golden-Winged Giant Roc was alive, it would still bow its head in submission before the Celestial Phoenix.

After all, the Celestial Phoenix was the king of all avians in the Abyss and commanded a natural bloodline suppression over all other avians.

"Stubborn fool!" Fu Wangchen coldly snorted, pausing his actions to summon the hundred-zhang-tall Dharma Idol of a long-dead True God.

An oppressive divine might poured from the giant Dharma Idol sat on a lotus platform.

Endless karmic flames surrounded the ancient god Dharma Idol as it slowly pressed its hands down.

Pillars of roaring karmic flames shot toward the Celestial Phoenix, crashing down on it, the Black Iron Mountain, and Dong Tianze, sending them all plummeting back into the forest.

The oppressive power of the Dharma Idol stunned everyone present and left them dazed.

By the time they regained their senses, Dong Tianze and the Black Iron Mountain had fallen into the thick canopy of foliage and crashed into an ancient tree.

The strike had deformed the Black Iron Mountain, causing it to lose all trace of its former mystique.

Dong Tianze could do nothing but take in heavy, gasping breaths.

"He just fabricated a bunch of excuses to steal Pang Jian's unique powers!" Zhou Qingchen glared at the sky, frustrated at his inability to fly.

Rage blazed in his eyes as he unleashed the long blades from his back, determined to help.

"Calm down!"

"Don't throw your life away!"

Zhuang Yuyan and Zhao Yuanqi yelled at the same time.

"If not for Pang Jian guiding you out of the endless bizarre mist with his golden bees, you would all still be struggling in there! You bunch of despicable ingrates, benefiting from his help and pretending to be virtuous!" Zhou Qingchen cursed.

Shooting daggers at Chen Lushi of the Demon Sect, Jiang Chao of the Celestial Lagoon Sect, and the others, he spat. "The Demon Sect, the Celestial Lagoon Sect, the Forsaken Expanse Sect—all of you should've perished in the bizarre mist!"

Zhou Qingchen's long blades shot up toward the sky.

Golden rays descended, shattering the blades mid-air and instantly leaving Zhou Qingchen seriously injured.

"Don't strike again, or you'll die!" Zhao Yuanqi cried, opening her gourd and absorbing Zhou Qingchen.

"As I thought, Pang Jian is the true master behind the golden bees." Chen Lushi bit her lip and her expression hardened. "Those golden bees are vicious creatures from the Nether Abyss! An Outer God from the Nether Abyss must've corrupted him, just as Brother Fu said."

Wu Yuan remained silent.

Chang Li from the Skyveil Cliff Sect, Xiao Yu from the Xiao Clan, and the rest stared blankly at the sky, too afraid to refute Chen Lushi, let alone challenge Fu Wangchen of the Forsaken Expanse Sect.

"Senior Brother Jiang, who should we believe?" Lu Xiangyi whispered.

"All the flying vessels are destroyed and we'll have to rely on the Heavenly Roc Warship to leave Absolute Heaven." Jiang Chao softly sighed. Although he was still skeptical, the Forsaken Expanse Sect's overwhelming power did not leave much room for him to question them. "We can't interfere. All we can do is watch."

"Understood." The others nodded.

Whoosh!

Lu Jie of the Forsaken Expanse Sect descended from the mystical bird's skeleton, crossed the sea of golden light, and approached Zhuang Yuyan and Qi Qingsong.

The sight of the ruined Black Iron Mountain and the heavily injured yet still fierce-looking Dong Tianze caused her to frown.

"Our Junior Brother Fu means no harm, nor does he wish to take Pang Jian's life," she said. "We fought against the Ghost Race together, so I know you haven't been corrupted.

"Qi Qingsong, please approach this matter calmly."

"Calmly?" Qi Qingsong sneered, anger rising. "Pang Jian is my junior brother and a personal disciple of our Pavilion Master. What gives Fu Wangchen the right to declare him a heretical cultivator with just his words?

"Those golden bees, these so-called Nether Abyss Spirit Bees—how do we know Fu Wangchen isn't just spouting nonsense?"

Qi Qingsong prepared to attack with his Blue Dream Sword once again.

"Qi Qingsong, Junior Brother Fu can't be mistaken." After a moment of hesitation, Lu Jie suggested, "How about you hand over your Blue Dream Sword to your Senior Sister Zhuang and I'll take you to the Heavenly Roc Warship.

"You can watch as Junior Brother Fu casts his secret arts and see for yourself if there's truly anything wrong with Pang Jian."

"Fine!"

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