Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 205: Revenge

On the summit of the First Peak of the Primordial Wilderness, Pang Jian stared coldly at those before him as he nonchalantly sat down. The Star Crushing Umbrella hovered above him and he placed his Startling Slaughter Spear within easy reach.

The Spirit Condensation Realm cultivators were engaged in fierce combat with Rank Six foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts. Despite this, Pang Jian showed no intent to join the fray.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The radiant lights of the stars and moon on the Star Crushing Umbrella cascaded down from the canopy's edge and enveloped Pang Jian in a pristine glow.

Cao Mang, Jiu Yuan, Lou Yunming, Lady Hua...

Pang Jian's icy gaze swept over the battlefield. The events in the trading hall replayed vividly in his mind. He looked at Cao Mang and the others as though they were nothing more than lifeless corpses.

Harmonizing with the land, Pang Jian saw both the intricate details and the larger scope of the battlefield.

Dozens of foreign race warriors and Rank Six Vicious Beasts fought against nearly twice as many human cultivators in the Spirit Condensation Realm. These battles were not limited to the open outdoor space of the summit. Vicious Beasts also pursued Spirit Condensation Realm rogue cultivators in the trading hall, spilling their blood all over the cultivation mats.

The heavily injured rogue cultivators struggled to fend off the Vicious Beasts' attacks. The remains of Ice Sculpture Beasts, Ghost Apes, and Demon Scale Race warriors were scattered across the summit.

The air was thick with the stench of blood. Broken bones and shattered pieces of spirit artifacts mingled with dirty blood and severed limbs.

Jiu Yuan, Lady Hua, and Lou Yunming are all in the early stages of the Spirit Condensation Realm. Wei Wenhan and Cao Mang are in the middle stages.

Pang Jian's scrutinizing gaze could discern the cultivation realm of anyone he looked at. Barring the forbidden regions such as the brain and sea of consciousness, he could perceive the strength and purity of not only the spiritual power within the human cultivators but also the murky energy within the invading forces from the Fifth World.

He could even see the extent to which their bodies had been tempered.

The smallest details of a living being's body, including the flow of spiritual power and blood were visible to him. With his newfound ability to harmonize with the land, Pang Jian was akin to a demigod in the Primordial Wilderness. Although his cultivation realm was lower than those on the summit, he had other profound abilities that far surpassed everyone else.

Even though Cao Mang is in the middle stage of the Spirit Condensation Realm, with the Spirit Slaughtering Astral Array bolstering him, his combat prowess is equivalent to someone in the late stage of the Spirit Condensation Realm. No wonder he's so arrogant. Pang Jian sneered.

The battle between the human cultivators and invading forces was unceasing as everyone struggled to fend off the enemies before them.

Pang Jian's sudden appearance and bizarre act of sitting calmly on the ground aroused suspicion among the crowd, but nobody had time to investigate further.

Some said nothing because they were aware of Pang Jian's low cultivation realm and felt his participation in the battle would not affect the outcome. Meanwhile, those who disliked him, such as Jiu Yuan, Lou Yunming, and Cao Mang, were too preoccupied to deal with him.

Pang Jian was the only bystander on the chaotic battlefield.

I'll kill whoever dares to come at me first, regardless of whether they're human or foreign race.

Pang Jian maintained his connection with the black turtle and continued to observe the battlefield.

He then noticed the black turtle, which had hidden in the nameless fragmented land below, had actually grown to a size comparable to the one on Central Lake Island!

The black turtle Pang Jian had nourished with meat and blood from high-ranked Vicious Beasts only revealed its enormous body when it emerged to absorb the underground spirit vein.

Without Pang Jian's noticing, it had grown to the size of the one on Central Lake Island.

Rumble!

The mountains in the Primordial Wilderness quaked, forming fissures and sending boulders rolling down.

The spirit vein deep within the Primordial Wilderness had unfurled from its coiled state as the black turtle pulled it down toward its nameless fragmented land clinging to the bottom of the Primordial Wilderness.

Once the underground spirit vein was fully transferred to the nameless fragmented land, the Primordial Wilderness would experience catastrophic earthquakes, with the nine peaks likely collapsing.

The renowned fragmented land would become barren, ceasing to be a coveted trading hub for rogue cultivators and it would lose its rich spiritual qi.

You dared to capture someone close to me. For that, I will destroy your home. Pang Jian coldly snorted.

Pang Jian quietly monitored the entire battlefield, mind brimming with malicious intent as he patiently waited for somebody to attack him.

Whoosh!

A familiar-looking Spirit Devil lunged at him from behind.

Pang Jian's eyebrows twitched. Maverick Ling Yun.

Luo Hongyan's Spirit Devil was connected to an iron cauldron with a black crow emblem in Lou Yunming's hand. It was clear Lou Yunming had secretly released it.

It seemed Cao Mang had given Lou Yunming some of the captured Spirit Devils.

The elder of the Sinister Soul Temple was now fighting a Rank Six Ice Sculpture Beast.

You're first.

Pang Jian stood up and slowly turned the Star Crushing Umbrella with his left hand.

Whoosh!

A bone-chilling white beam shot out from one of the umbrella's ribs and pierced the Spirit Devil Maverick Ling Yun.

Poof!

The extremely cold energy instantly destroyed the Spirit Devil.

A Profound Abode Realm Spirit Devil dares to seek trouble with me?

Pang Jian coldly called, "Lou Yunming!"

Lou Yunming was taken aback. The elder of the Sinister Soul Temple had been observing Pang Jian through the Spirit Devil, not expecting that Ling Yun would be destroyed so quickly.

Realizing his attack had been exposed, Lou Yunming's face darkened as he replied, "I'm here."

Whoosh!

Lou Yunming formed a gray, cloud-like protective shield and rushed straight toward Pang Jian. The Rank Six Ice Sculpture Beast he had been fighting chased after him

"You're a member of the human race. Since you dared to climb the summit, you should be fighting the foreign races with us!" Lou Yunming scolded righteously. "How dare you wear the Sword Pavilion's robes!"

He resented Pang Jian for revealing the connection between Dong Tianze and the Shadow Specter Sect on Ice Rock Island, nearly causing the Sinister Soul Temple to take the blame. If the Sinister Soul Temple were to collapse, the very foundation of Lou Yunming's survival would be gone.

"You should be fighting the enemies with the Star Crushing Umbrella, not sitting on the sidelines!" Lou Yunming maliciously led the Rank Six Ice Sculpture Beast toward Pang Jian.

He intended to use it to kill Pang Jian without getting his hands dirty as he could not afford to openly attack a fellow human during a fight with the invading forces of the Fifth World.

However, while Lou Yunming had his reservations, Pang Jian did not.

Black turtle, don't swallow the entire underground spirit vein just yet. Leave some for me to draw strength from, Pang Jian said.

The black turtle agreed.

As Lou Yunming led the Rank Six Ice Sculpture Beast toward Pang Jian, his gray protective shield abruptly shattered with a resounding boom.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Radiant light appeared beside his protective shield and obliterated his defenses.

"Spirit Slaughtering Astral Array!" Lou Yunming screamed in horror.

The burst of sharp light from the ground had torn through his gray, cloud-like protective shield!

This was the light of the Spirit Slaughtering Astral Array under Cao Mang's control!

"Cao Mang! You—" Lou Yunming instinctively looked toward where Cao Mang was fighting a bitter battle against Yu Gu.

Did the Spirit Slaughtering Astral Array reactivate without Old Monster Cao's knowledge? he wondered in bewilderment.

Whoosh!

A giant umbrella descended from the sky.

The sparkling stars and a bright full moon cast their radiant light on Lou Yunming as a cold mist wafted down from the ice pool overhead.

Lou Yunming felt as though he had been transported from the First Peak of the Primordial Wilderness into the depths of a starry night sky.

It was not until he saw Pang Jian, standing on a silver spear in the river of stars above him, that Lou Yunming realized something was wrong.

"Pang Jian?!" Lou Yunming's mind was in turmoil.

Trapped within the small world inside the Star Crushing Umbrella, Lou Yunming felt an overwhelming celestial force suppress and constrain him.

Pang Jian, surrounded by the radiance of the stars and moon, was like a deity ruling over the small world within the umbrella. This sight filled Lou Yunming with a profound sense of fear and unease.

"That's right. It's me," Pang Jian calmly replied. He descended on his silver spear and used his spiritual power to manipulate the umbrella's handle.

The Star Crushing Umbrella started to spin. It was like Pang Jian had set a brilliant galaxy in motion.

The stars streaked across the fabric of the umbrella like shooting stars. The bright moon was like an all-seeing eye that reflected Lou Yunming's every move. A cascade of otherworldly light descended from the umbrella and formed a cage that separated Pang Jian and Lou Yunming from the outside world.

Boom!

The Rank Six Ice Sculpture Beast that had been chasing Lou Yunming crashed heavily into the umbrella's expanded canopy.

Whoosh!

Boundless stellar and lunar energy burst forth in a surge of immense power that rippled across the umbrella's canopy, targeting the Ice Sculpture Beast and causing its wings to bleed profusely.

The heavily injured Rank Six Ice Sculpture Beast let out a sharp screech and flew away to attack a Spirit Condensation Spirit Realm rogue cultivator.

"Lou Yunming is trapped under the Star Crushing Umbrella!"

"Pang Jian can control the umbrella!"

"Damn it, he's targeting Lou Yunming!"

"Pang Jian, do you know what you're doing?"

"He's gone mad!"

The other cultivators had noticed the unusual commotion at the corner of the summit.

They watched as the Star Crushing Umbrella grew larger and larger before crashing down from the sky and enveloping Lou Yunming.

The radiant light of the umbrella turned murky, obscuring Pang Jian and Lou Yunming from the outside world.