Trials of the Abyss

After severing their connection, Pang Jian advanced swiftly through the depths of the earth, Black Turtle Shield in hand.

The distance between Blackflame Mountain and the Greencliff Mountain Range was not far, and the blackish-yellow fragmented land within his spiritual sea allowed him to travel underground as easily as walking on the surface.

A few hours later, a sea of lightning appeared before him!

Bolts of lightning, imbued with the aura of a dragon, shot downward from the surface, penetrating hundreds of zhang into the earth.

The violent lightning bolts radiated a divine power capable of annihilating everything, each strong enough to obliterate a Rank Eight Great Fey.

If several lightning bolts were to converge, even a Rank Nine Fey King would be reduced to ash.

The ancient Thunder Dragon! Pang Jian was shocked.

As he stood before the sea of lightning, the Thunder Pool in his lightning vortex started to stir uncontrollably, yearning to absorb these lightning bolts unique to the Abyss.

Fear drained the color from Pang Jian's face and his heart pounded wildly as he struggled to suppress the Thunder Pool.

He hastily backed away from the sea of lightning, not daring to touch it, approach it, or do anything but observe it from afar.

The ancient Thunder Dragon would undoubtedly sense it if Pang Jian attempted to draw these lightning bolts into the Thunder Pool.

If that happened, the Thunder Dragon would almost certainly come to obliterate him and seize the Thunder Pool that once belonged to the Duke of Thunder.

Even invoking his master's name would be useless at that point.

Crackle!

Lightning bolts intertwined, scattering blinding arcs of light everywhere as the sea of lightning seeped even deeper underground.

Pang Jian could not help but marvel, How incredible. His power is truly beyond imagination.

The ancient Thunder Dragon had sealed the three battlefields where the Fey Kings fought after awakening from his slumber.

Not just the skies but the underground as well!

His Rank Ten bloodline meant no one could interfere in or spy on the battles of the six Fey Kings.

The True Gods of the human race were closely monitoring the struggle for the position of Fey God from across the Abyss.

Unfortunately, the ancient Thunder Dragon's lightning barrier meant they, like everybody else, remained ignorant of the events unfolding within.

Any being that attempted to cross the sea of lightning would face the ancient Thunder Dragon's wrath.

I have no choice but to go deeper.

Pang Jian mustered his strength and descended deeper into the earth.

Three hundred zhang, five hundred zhang, seven hundred zhang…

The sea of violent lightning remained ever-present!

Pang Jian deliberately circled the barrier, only to find that the sea of lightning had completely surrounded the Greencliff Mountain Range, fully covering the Rock Bear's territory.

More shocking was the fact that this was just one of three locations.

The other two battlefields were likely in similar states.

The ancient Thunder Dragon's display of power had left Pang Jian in awe. Facing the dazzling sea of lightning, Pang Jian truly grasped the terrifying might of the ancient Thunder Dragon.

The suffocating pressure of the Dragon Lair Sect now seemed even more unbearable than before.

A Rank Ten Fey God's strength is absurdly overwhelming. Even that lion-tiger hybrid creature lost in the bizarre mist pales in comparison to the ancient Thunder Dragon!

This ancient Thunder Dragon would likely rank among the most extraordinary Thunder Gods, even in the vast starry skies!

Pang Jian descended further into the earth.

At a depth of one thousand zhang, the sea of lightning finally showed signs of dissipating, with the lightning bolts within it starting to fade and flicker intermittently.

Pang Jian's eyes lit up as he desperately channeled the earth energy within his spiritual sea.

Even his tough body, honed through relentless tempering, was starting to feel the crushing pressure of the earth at this depth.

His bones were showing signs of strain and discomfort.

Pang Jian had expended significant effort toward tempering his physical body and still felt an alarmingly extreme amount of discomfort. A human cultivator of the same cultivation realm would likely have been crushed under the pressure long ago.

Even so, the gradually dissipating sea of lightning gave Pang Jian a glimpse of hope. Gritting his teeth, he persevered, forcing himself to continue descending.

The lightning bolts grew weaker the lower he went, and the flashes within the sea of lightning became intermittent and faint.

Even the mighty ancient Thunder Dragon's divine power was inevitably stretched thin when extended across vast distances from the Dragon Lair Sect.

Not to mention, its divine power was also subject to the crushing pressure of the earth's gravity.

When Pang Jian descended to a depth of one thousand three hundred zhang, his skin started to crack and bleed. The Golden Body Realm he had cultivated was nearing its limit.

Almost there!

Ignoring his wounds, he continued to descend against the unimaginable pressure, until finally, the lightning bolts disappeared.

Pang Jian then stopped descending and started advancing instead.

A sense of relief filled him.

He then noticed the blood from his wounds was flowing into the countless black turtle scutes that seemed to make up the Black Turtle Shield.

Something peculiar was happening on the surface of the Black Turtle Shield.

Whoosh!

A miniature fragmented land appeared on the surface of the Black Turtle Shield.

This fragmented land resembled the patchwork style of the Resolute Expanse, complete with mountains, rivers, lakes, hills, barren plains, and even ancient cities!

He sensed the spirit and mineral veins within the fragmented land, each incredibly rare and capable of drawing in the surrounding spiritual qi of heaven and earth.

He even detected murky energy!

According to legend, the mystical fragmented land the black turtle carried was the best possible foundation for a sect!

Human powerhouses throughout history have sought this fragmented land, hoping to establish a sect there!

To think the black turtle merged it with the Black Turtle Shield!

This artifact is undoubtedly an extraordinary divine artifact. I can't believe the black turtle is offering it to the Rock Bear to aid in his ascension to Fey God.

Pang Jian could not help but feel profound respect for the black turtle.

The black turtle had truly given its all, sparing no effort for the prosperity of the Fey Race and the benefit of future generations, even at the cost of its life.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The earth-shaking battle of the Fey Kings above was reduced to faint tremors deep underground, sounding like light footsteps to Pang Jian.

Boom!

A resounding boom echoed as the Rock Bear descended into the depths of the earth in an instant.

The Rock Bear had grown to almost twice its previous size, towering at nearly a thousand zhang tall. He was covered in blood and his fierce eyes glared downward, exuding an intimidating aura of divine majesty.

"The Bl–Black Turtle Shield Armor!" the Rock Bear exclaimed with a slight tremble in his voice.

Strangely enough, the black turtle referred to the divine artifact as the Black Turtle Shield, while the Rock Bear called it the Black Turtle Shield Armor.

The Rock Bear's eyes darted between the shield and the heavily-injured Pang Jian.

Pang Jian smiled and raised the Black Turtle Shield Armor toward the Rock Bear. "I brought this here for you."

"Leave now! Go back the same way you came!"

The Rock Bear's massive paw pressed downward.

It was like he had manifested a colossal heart within his palm, exuding profound mysteries tied to the Dao of Earth.

The Black Turtle Shield Armor resonated with the Rock Bear and flew straight into his palm.

The moment the Black Turtle Shield Armor left his grasp, the terrifying pressure of the earth's gravity struck Pang Jian.

Crack! Crack!

Pang Jian's face twisted in pain as his bones fractured and his inner organs shifted violently.

Excruciating pain shot through his entire body as the impact of his severe injuries hit him.

Pang Jian was left on the verge of losing consciousness.

It appeared his ability to dive over a thousand zhang underground could not solely be attributed to the fragmented land within his spiritual sea. The Black Turtle Shield Armor had actually alleviated much of the pressure.

Without it, the full force of gravity pulled on him, catching him unprepared and wounding him further.

"Go!" the Rock Bear roared.

A surge of earth energy enveloped Pang Jian's body and pushed him upward, rapidly carrying him out of the depths.

"Yuan Min learned through the Dragon Lair Sect that I've healed my injuries using a drop of his ancestor's blood essence.

"Long Yan's arrival and my avoidance of him worked against me.

"That ancient Thunder Dragon sensed when that drop of Fey God's blood essence left the crystal vial. They knew everything from the start!

"Yuan Min came prepared with something to counter me. I would've died if you hadn't brought me this Black Turtle Shield Armor!"

The Rock Bear's voice echoed through the earth energy encasing Pang Jian, but he was too injured and dazed to respond.

Pang Jian instinctively drew on the earth energy in his spiritual sea to help propel himself upward as the crushing gravity weakened, though it did not take long for him to deplete it.

Not long after, the damage to his inner organs and the strain on his bones and meridians caused him to black out.

When Pang Jian regained consciousness, it felt as though only the blink of an eye had passed.

However, when he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the grass in a secluded valley, staring into the pitch-black eyes of a predator.

The Fey King White Lynx!

The White Lynx was in a beast form, clutching a blood-colored beast's eye in one paw to conceal her aura.

She was perched on a tree branch, hiding her body among the leaves in a deliberate attempt to conceal her presence.

Even so, Pang Jian had immediately sensed her gaze when it landed on him, causing every hair on his body to stand on end.

An unmistakable murderous intent emanated from the White Lynx's cold eyes. She seemed to harbor malicious designs against him.

Pang Jian summoned the Heart of Winter, grasping the Abyssal Demon Sword in one hand and his sword token tightly in his other.

Although the Dragon Lair Sect's punishment had left the Rank Nine White Lynx gravely wounded, Pang Jian knew he was still no match for her.

His first thought was to contact Hu Yuanfei for help, but as he was about to send a message, he hesitated.

Hu Yuanfei, like him, was only in the Soul Wandering Realm, and Pang Jian could not help but wonder if she could stand against the White Lynx.

The memory of the White Lynx imprisoning the others' divine souls was still vivid in his mind.

Pang Jian dismissed the idea of calling for help, taking a deep breath to force himself to remain calm.

Feigning composure, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

The White Lynx transformed into her human form and let out a regretful sigh.

"Other Fey Kings have seized my territory, and all my loyal followers have been replaced," she said with a bitter smile.

She brushed aside her silver-white hair, which concealed her scarred, but no less delicate face.

Fine scars marred her beauty, causing her once flawless face to now resemble an eerily cracked porcelain mask.

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