Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 368: Gazing at the Sea of Mist from the Starry Skies

The boundless starry skies stretched out beyond the Abyss.

Brilliant stars hung high above, casting their light on the endless sea of gray mist.

Whoosh!

A streak of golden radiance shot out from the vast sea of mist, floating above it as it observed the world below alongside the stars and the moon.

This golden streak was a wisp of consciousness separated from Pang Jian's divine soul.

It was the same as the divine consciousness that Outer Gods used to inhabit puppet bodies.

Pang Jian came to a realization.

Divine consciousness is separated into divine essence and will, with divine essence being pure soul essence while one's will carries one's thoughts.

My divine soul is made up of divine essence, and when I injected my will into it, I obtained divine consciousness.

Although this divine consciousness originates from my divine soul, it can exist independently outside of it and can possess living bodies or attach to foreign objects to exert power.

Once the divine soul is refined, divine consciousness can be released outward to perform wonders like spiritual power or blood essence.

A strong fluctuation of consciousness spread out from the golden light.

The bizarre mist!

The endless sea of gray mist beneath the brilliant stars and moon could be seen with great clarity from their bird's eye view.

Pang Jian expanded his perception.

The sea of mist seemed truly endless, extending infinitely in every direction.

Suddenly, a black wisp appeared beside the golden radiance and exclaimed in astonishment, "I'm out!"

It was a wisp of the Abyssal Demon's consciousness.

Although the divine soul and demonic soul of the man and sword had remained within the Sword Pavilion in the Second World of the Abyss, their consciousnesses had managed to go beyond the Abyss.

Unlike before, Pang Jian's consciousness did not go to the moon and instead hovered in the starry skies above the Abyss.

He could gaze directly down at the infinite gray bizarre mist, the vastness of which he could not begin to fathom.

Its depths held countless secrets.

Somewhere within it was also the Abyss.

Worlds bearing the name "Abyss," like the Nether Abyss, the Abyss, and the Thunder Abyss, all lay hidden within the depths of the bizarre mist.

The only reason Pang Jian still knew the position of the Abyss was because his consciousness could sense his divine soul.

The pain from the cracked ribs in his physical body, the healing effects of the pill his senior brother had given him, and the feeling of life energy repairing his bones—he could perceive all that through this strand of consciousness.

When the Abyss opened, Outer Gods could send their divine consciousness through its barriers and descend into special altars or puppet bodies.

Meanwhile, Pang Jian could extend his consciousness into the starry skies from within the Abyss.

He was doing the exact opposite of the Outer Gods.

"Your divine soul is so unique! And your consciousness can easily cross the barriers of the Abyss! Who are you?" A note of terror tinged the Abyssal Demon's voice.

The black cloud representing the Abyssal Demon's consciousness surged, roaming through the starry skies above the bizarre mist, seemingly searching for fellow Demon Race.

Pang Jian, on the other hand, continued to observe the peculiarities of the space around it, making sure to also keep an eye on the bright full moon where the Moon God resided.

Whoosh!

The moon shone brilliantly millions of li away.

Moonlight spread like rippling waves, infused with divine power that could probe the souls of all beings.

"Pang Jian!" A loud, resounding voice reverberated across the starry skies above the bizarre mist.

Pang Jian snorted coldly. "Persistent, aren't you?"

His golden streak of consciousness wrapped around the Abyssal Demon's consciousness and followed the connection to his divine soul back to his body.

Bang!

Pang Jian pushed open the copper chest.

Grasping the Abyssal Demon Sword, he stepped out.

"I heard your purpose is to slay Outer Gods. I possess that ability. Moreover, I can freely traverse the bizarre mist and find the other part of you," he revealed to the sword.

He hoped that two rounds of tempering with the copper chest had properly ground down its defiant edge.

"I surrender," the Abyssal Demon responded weakly from within the broken sword. "You aren't stronger than Mo Nan, but your potential far surpasses his. You...I truly cannot fathom you. I've never encountered anyone as unique as you."

"Good." Pang Jian gently nodded before infusing the Abyssal Demon Sword with his spiritual power.

Whoosh!

The black crystalline sword transformed into a towering beam of divine light that radiated with a brilliant green glow.

Pang Jian peered into the sword with his divine sense.

A straight river of green light flowed through a dark space, with specks of demonic wills drifting along the stream and gradually merging into it.

The green river became infused with the Abyssal Demon's power and gained a myriad of peculiarities.

Whoosh!

Green sword lights shot out from the broken sword's edge.

Bursts of demonic lights, flames, and clouds emerged.

The Abyssal Demon conjured bewitching women, terrifying demonic eyes, carnivorous flowers, and other terrifying creatures.

These strange beings were conjured from the spiritual power within the green sword light, creating a spectacle of demonic chaos that played out like a scene of the Demons wreaking havoc on the world.

Pang Jian was astonished.

The spiritual power he provided was enough for the Abyssal Demon Sword to conjure the illusions he saw when he first touched the broken sword in the Sword Pavilion into reality.

One after another, these illusory beings were manifested into vivid reality, each carrying the demonic wills of the Abyssal Demon.

The beam of green radiant sword light shot out, creating a bizarre world within Pang Jian's cave residence.

Enchanting demonesses from the Demon Race in the outer worlds smiled alluringly as they slowly disrobed, casting seductive glances and making flirtatious gestures toward Pang Jian.

Hundreds of deep purple demonic flowers howled at Pang Jian as if about to devour him.

Pitch-black eyes emitted an eerie light as if intending to extract his soul.

Terrifying creatures—unlike anything Pang Jian had seen before—growled as they charged at him.

The Abyssal Demon's power had amplified the spiritual power Pang Jian had infused into the sword and manifested a domain capable of trapping and attacking him.

The Abyssal Demon was using a new method to resist him!

"Again?" Pang Jian sneered.

The Heart of Winter flew out, filling his cave residence with a cold mist that enveloped all the conjured beings.

Pang Jian then drew on the lightning from the lightning vortex in his spiritual sea, which had been on the verge of collapsing from the weight of the Thunder Pool.

Cold energy mixed with the blinding lightning to create a small storm within Pang Jian's cave residence.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The demonic manifestations were swiftly wiped out.

Pang Jian sent his divine sense into the sword in his hand and eradicated the Abyssal Demon's demonic wills.

"You think using a trace of my spiritual power is enough to turn the tide against me?" he scoffed. "You never learn."

With that, he threw the Abyssal Demon Sword back into the copper chest. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Although Pang Jian had only seen the tip of the iceberg when it came to the power of the Abyssal Demon Sword, this experience allowed him to grasp the Abyssal Demon's cunning and defiant nature.

Even after tempering it twice with the copper chest, allowing it to roam the starry skies, and promising to help recover the other half of the sword, the Abyssal Demon was still unwilling to submit.

Instead, it feigned obedience while secretly waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Unfortunately for the Abyssal Demon, good always triumphed over evil, and Pang Jian once again eradicated the Abyssal Demon's demonic wills with the Heart of Winter.

Half a day later, Pang Jian's injuries fully recovered and his broken ribs were as good as new.

The World Eater Vine contacted him. Father, the person you asked me to find came to me on her own.

Pang Jian's mind raced.

He gazed into Misty Swamp and soon spotted Li Yuqing slumped weakly beneath the deliberately shrunken World Eater Vine in bloodstained clothes.

"I have something to discuss with Pang Jian," she said seriously.

The leaves of the small glowing tree rustled.

Li Yuqing frowned. "I know you can communicate with him."

Pang Jian appeared out of thin air. "I'm here."

The young girl, now slimmer with more refined facial features, stared at Pang Jian with astonishment. "How did you get here so quickly?"

She sought the World Eater Vine out in her wounded state because of its mysterious connection with Pang Jian.

Originally, she planned to have it relay a message to Pang Jian, asking him to notify the Li Family of the Divine Treasure Sect to arrange for a powerful escort to take her back to the First World.

She had not expected Pang Jian to appear before her.

Pang Jian unceremoniously commanded, "Help me heal her!"

Alright.

Leaves drifted gently onto Li Yuqing's delicate shoulders, and their green glow seeped into her body.

Rich life energy flowed through Li Yuqing's body like a gentle stream, mending her injured organs, meridians, and blood vessels.

The furrowed lines on her brow eased slightly.

Unfortunately, dense murky energy continued to seep through her flesh and bones.

Her crystalline lips curled bitterly. "I had a treasure that could resist the murky energy and allowed me to see in the darkness of the Fifth World, but it was destroyed in battle.

"Moreover, my spiritual sea has dried up and the murky energy corrupts whatever spiritual power I gather when I try, so I can't summon a protective shield.

"And..." Li Yuqing bit her lip. "There are two people from the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom, one surnamed Jiang and the other Zhu. They're also in the Soul Wandering Realm, though their rankings on the leaderboard are far below mine.

"They saw I was severely injured and have been tailing me ever since. They'll likely find me soon.

"Pang Jian, I'd like you to use the Sword Pavilion's channels to inform my family so they can send someone to escort me back."

Whoosh!

Pang Jian summoned a protective shield and enveloped Li Yuqing within it.

Crouching down, he pulled out several healing pills and said, "These should help with your recovery."

Li Yuqing gently shook her head even as warmth swelled in her heart.

"I've already taken healing pills. All pills need time to mend injuries, even with the life energy the World Eater Vine is providing.

"The main problem is my spiritual sea—it's too severely depleted to fill up.

"My divine soul is also badly damaged. Even with pills, my divine soul will still take time to recover.

"I'm afraid my time is running out."