Trials of the Abyss-Chapter 630: Roaming the Fifth World

Pang Jian's black-clad figure slowly appeared in the depths of the hazy, otherworldly domain.

His sharply defined face exuded calm composure, as if he were merely strolling through his own backyard.

At times, the corners of his lips curled into a faint smile, as though he had come to some kind of realization.

Unlike Gui Mu, Zhu Ji, and Li Wang, Pang Jian displayed no restlessness at all. He did not seem like someone trapped.

His figure in this strange domain appeared as insignificant as a speck of dust. The True Gods had to channel their divine power to their eyes to make out his features.

The True Gods quickly realized that Pang Jian had not summoned his Immortal Divine Soul or formed any protective shield around himself.

It was clear that the forces attacking Li Wang and the others were, in contrast, welcoming to him.

Based on his expression and demeanor, Pang Jian was enjoying the environment, like a fish in water.

"Brother Jiang, you were the first to arrive here. Did you see Pang Jian enter?" Liu Fu of the Primeval Pillar Divine Kingdom asked in confusion.

Jiang Fan, the founder of the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom, wore an imperial crown and regal golden robes. His face, concealed behind a beaded curtain, twisted in displeasure at Liu Fu's words. "Liu Fu, are you doubting me?"

The three Divine Kingdoms of the Eastern Land had a history of repeated conflicts, and the True Gods behind them rarely saw eye to eye.

In the past, there were even times when the Supreme Monad Divine Kingdom and Primeval Pillar Divine Kingdom joined forces against the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom.

Since Zhu Ji, the other True God of the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom, was indifferent to worldly affairs, Jiang Fan was often the one to confront Liu Fu and the deceased Fan Ao.

Liu Fu shook his head. "You know that's not what I meant."

This was a time of great peril for the human race, and Liu Fu would not pick a fight with Jiang Fan at this critical stage.

Jiang Fan gave a slight nod. "I've not taken a step away since arriving. My eyes have been fixed on this place the entire time.

"I'm certain Pang Jian never appeared here, at least not after I arrived."

Yin Ji, a tall, graceful woman with cascading black hair that flowed like a waterfall down to her ankles, observed, "It's a projection, not his true physical body."

"That's right," Wanderer Tian Du agreed. "His figure is different from Zhu Ji and the others."

"Zhaotian, can you tell if that's his true physical body or Immortal Divine Soul?" Yin Ji asked, glancing at the burly giant beside her with boundless tenderness.

"That seems to be his physical body," Li Zhaotian said in a deep voice.

After ascending to godhood and harmonizing with the barrier, he could perceive every True God bearing Fortune within the Abyss, as long as they were within its walls.

This perception, however, was partially dependent on the concentration of spiritual qi.

Li Zhaotian could precisely locate the other True Gods in the First or Second Worlds using the Fortune they carried as a marker.

When Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul descended into the Fourth World, Li Zhaotian's perception became hazy and imprecise.

This perception only grew fainter after Pang Jian entered Northern Qi and ventured deeper into the bizarre mist.

While Li Zhaotian could confirm that Pang Jian was still within the Abyss, he could no longer pinpoint his exact location.

He could sense Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul as long as it was within the Abyss. This was because Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul was fused with Fortune.

At the moment, he knew that Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul was not within the Abyss as he could not sense the Fortune within it, meaning the figure in that hazy, otherworldly domain was, in all likelihood, Pang Jian's physical body.

"His physical body? Why would he appear in that damned place?" Li Yuanli stroked his chin in deep thought. "And more importantly, Gui Mu actually sensed him. How unbelievable!"

Pang Jian's figure at the center of the six artifacts grew clearer and more distinct as they conversed.

A detailed environment also started to form around him.

First, a grand mansion appeared, then a city around it, followed by a colossal azure pillar that seemed to pierce the heavens!

The city rested upon the pillar, with the mansion at its center, forming the shape of eight trigrams.

Pang Jian stepped out from the City Lord's Mansion, strolling leisurely down a wide, deserted street, continuously drawing on the murky energy of the Fifth World.

"The fifth Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar!"

"Eight Trigrams City!"

"He's in the Fifth World!"

The True Gods exclaimed, minds buzzing with endless questions.

How did Pang Jian's physical body end up in Eight Trigrams City?

Why is his figure in the strange domain that the Sovereign created? And why can Gui Mu sense him?

"The only ones fortunate enough to have come into contact with the World God of the previous era are Li Wang and Gui Mu," Jiang Fan recalled. "Perhaps Gui Mu has a unique sensitivity to what that World God left behind?"

Liu Fu frowned. "But Li Wang hasn't shown any unusual reactions."

"Li Wang's perception likely isn't as sharp as Gui Mu's," Jiang Fan pointed out.

Su Wanrou turned to Li Zhaotian with knitted brows. "Mr. Li, it's far too dangerous for Pang Jian to be in Eight Trigrams City. His physical body isn't as strong as his Immortal Divine Soul. If the powerhouses of the foreign races discover him..."

"Zhaotian, should we go down and bring him back?" Yin Ji asked.

The two had a favorable impression of Pang Jian and were willing to risk infiltrating the Fifth World to retrieve him if necessary.

"Does this kid seem even the slightest bit concerned about his own safety?" Li Zhaotian shook his head with a smile. "We have no idea how he got there. The foreign race powerhouses likely don't know he's there either.

"Look at him, strolling through Eight Trigrams City like it's his home. Why worry? There's no need for concern.

"His appearance has become a beacon that even Gui Mu can sense. We just need to wait and see what happens when my little disciple crosses paths with Gui Mu," Li Zhaotian reassured the crowd.

***

Back at Eight Trigrams City, Pang Jian remained completely unaware of the group of True Gods watching him.

He strolled leisurely through the familiar Eight Trigrams City, retracing his steps along the same street he had once taken to enter the City Lord's Mansion, this time, heading out of the city.

Before long, he stood at the edge of the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar outside Eight Trigrams City.

Murky energy surged through his body, flooding his meridians, flesh, and dantian.

The fragmented land of crystalline spiritual qi in his dantian prevented the corruption of murky energy or the leakage of spiritual qi from his body.

This meant Pang Jian could slightly alter his appearance and walk freely across the continents of the Fifth World without drawing suspicion.

The Radiant Race and the Flame Race bear the closest resemblance to the human race, differing only in hair color, skin tone, and eye shape.

Activating his Grand Providence Sacred Body, he adjusted his bone structure and skin tone before dispersing solar radiance from within his chest, blending it with the murky energy coursing through his meridians.

His hair and eyebrows changed colors, and solar markings formed on the visible parts of his body.

Pang Jian had transformed into a Radiant Race warrior.

Then, shifting his aura, he gathered the earthflames from his fiery pool and fused its scorching heat with the murky energy. Fiery patterns imbued with mystical flames took shape in his body, transforming Pang Jian into a young Flame Race warrior.

Though he lacked their actual bloodline, his features and aura were indistinguishable from those of the Radiant Race or Flame Race.

Without probing his bloodline or delving into his sea of consciousness, others would struggle to recognize him as a human, even while face-to-face with him.

Pang Jian was confident he could move freely across the seven continents of the Fifth World with either of the two guises.

Going down for a look won't hurt.

Rising into the air, he glided down from the top of the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar.

In the past, this pillar would radiate a brilliant azure divine light whenever the foreign race powerhouses attempted to ascend to the upper worlds, reflecting the sun, moons, and stars in a display of wondrous phenomena.

Now, it was nothing more than an enormous stone pillar. Its suppression was no more.

The upheaval in the Fifth World had started with this Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar. This pillar was the first to falter after Pang Jian took the Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chest away.

That event had triggered a cascading series of chain reactions.

I'm not entirely blameless in what happened back then.

Landing among the skeletons at the base of the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar, Pang Jian gazed up at the towering structure piercing the sky and murmured, "For a time, I was a willing accomplice in the foreign races' ascension to the upper world."

Fortunately, these sentiments were beyond the reach of the True Gods in the First World.

When Pang Jian flew off the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar, he, Eight Trigrams City, and the pillar itself vanished before the True Gods' eyes.

Pang Jian also disappeared from Gui Mu's perception.

Gui Mu suddenly halted in the hazy domain, spreading her divine sense in confusion.

Meanwhile, Li Zhaotian and the others could only watch as the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar and Pang Jian inexplicably vanished into thin air.

***

An air of desolation, decay, and despair clung to the vast, skeleton-littered wilderness surrounding the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar on the Fifth Continent of the Fifth World.

Many foreign race powerhouses had attempted to break through the pillar's seal and ascend to the upper worlds over millennia, only to meet their demise.

Their bodies plummeted from the sky, smashing into the ground in a gruesome spray of blood and bones. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

As Pang Jian stood in the barren expanse, he could feel the murky energy carrying traces of those fallen powerhouses' lingering resentment.

New specks of impurities appeared in the ever-growing stone inside his dantian, seemingly imprinted with the essence of the continent.

The composition of murky energy varied depending on the region, and the murky energy at the base of the fifth Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar was laced with the will of the fallen.

Pang Jian lingered for a while before venturing into the vast wilderness.

It did not take long for him to arrive at the mountain range where the one-eyed giant, Ah Man, had once resided.

In the past, Vicious Beasts and sinister, man-eating plants lurked in the shadows of this place.

Now, Vicious Beasts were scarce, and the sinister, man-eating plants remained unusually docile as Pang Jian roamed the area in the guise of a Radiant Race warrior.

Pang Jian emanated a fierce presence with his fiery red hair cascading over his shoulders, distinct solar markings, and his coiled muscles bared to the elements. The solar sigil gleaming on his forehead only solidified his disguise.

The once-hostile Vicious Beasts and man-eating plants now instinctively shrank away from him.

Pang Jian chuckled as he recalled the first time he had teleported here through the Giant Abyssal Serpent. Back then, every shadow seemed ominous, and every sight had filled him with unease.

His pores and dantian continued to draw in the murky energy around him.

The murky energy in this area was largely composed of rich earth energy.

This was likely due to Ah Man, the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Mountains. His presence had subtly altered the energy composition of this region over the years.

Pang Jian followed the traces of earth energy to its most concentrated place, Split Sky City.

Arriving alone at the gate of the imposing city, Pang Jian silently spread his divine sense and carefully observed the area from the shadows.

It quickly became clear that only a few one-eyed giants remained in Split Sky City.

Moreover, they were mostly elders, children, or warriors with diluted bloodlines.

All factions across the seven continents had embarked on the ascension to the upper worlds. The powerful one-eyed giants were no exception to this, dispatching in waves to the upper worlds.

The one-eyed giants were originally from the upper worlds, and many among them yearned to return to their homeland in the Third World.

The Sovereign's presence as a driving force for the war only further convinced the one-eyed giants that victory was certain, prompting them to commit to migrating their race to the Third World.

Many of their treasured artifacts and resources in Split Sky City had already been taken to the upper worlds alongside their warriors.

The elders and children left behind served as the contingency for their bloodline. If this war failed and those in the upper worlds perished, at least Split Sky City would still have its young. There would still be hope for the one-eyed giants' resurgence in the future.

Outside the city, Pang Jian, still in his Radiant Race warrior disguise, observed silently from the shadows of a concealed corner for a while before taking his leave.

With all their warriors in the upper worlds, not a single one-eyed giant detected his presence.

After traveling for some time, Pang Jian arrived at the former domain of the Wood Race.

Treehouses lined the carnivorous giant trees towering dozens of zhang high over the forest. The bloodthirsty plants and flowers in the area also exuded a terrifying aura.

The environment here resembled Misty Swamp, with the murky energy infused with an abundance of wood energy, though to a far inferior extent.

More importantly, this region lacked a World Tree, the sacred being capable of nurturing the Wood Race's bloodline, healing their wounds, and ensuring their evolution.

Pang Jian was taken aback as he explored.

The Wood Race has completely migrated. Not even the elderly, weak, sick, or disabled remained.

The Wood Race regards the World Tree as their foundation. Their homeland is always with it, he realized.

Suddenly, Pang Jian noticed the gray-black crystal hovering above the darkness in his dantian rapidly expanding.

Absorbing the murky energy from different regions of the Fifth Continent caused the crystal to grow astonishingly quickly.

Intrigued, he deliberately started traversing unfamiliar regions such as the territories of the Ghost Race and the Demon Scale Race.

As expected, the gray-black crystal expanded from the continuous influx of murky energy, eventually forming into a small fragmented land.

The fragmented land resembled the one formed from crystalline spiritual qi. It materialized above the darkness but beneath the sea of demonic energy, adding yet another piece to the enigmatic world within his dantian.