Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 496: Amass Power

"This place is truly remarkable."

Yuan Qi gazed at the Frozen Land from the air, gray robes fluttering around his upright figure.

His ice-blue eyes swept over the towering glaciers, the frozen lakes, and the snowflakes drifting gently from the sky. He could sense the extraordinary ice veins beneath the earth, unlike any in the Abyss.

"That icy expanse was once the domain of an Ice Demon from the outer worlds," Pang Jian casually explained, leading Yuan Qi to a lush, green mountain within the Resolute Expanse. Gesturing toward the verdant landscape below, he said, "Most of the time, I stay around here."

The black turtle's return and the Black Turtle Shield Armor from his previous Rank Ten incarnation had subtly altered the Resolute Expanse, exponentially increasing the fragmented land's ability to absorb the spiritual qi of heaven and earth.

Having visited the Heaven Awakening and the Demon Abyss Continents, Pang Jian was certain that the density of spiritual qi on the Resolute Expanse now rivaled sect strongholds like the Sword Pavilion or the Demon Abyss.

Even the spiritual qi in bustling cities on the Heaven Awakening and Demon Abyss Continents could not compare to the Resolute Expanse.

In other words, the Resolute Expanse had transformed into an ideal site for founding a sect or establishing a powerful stronghold.

The white mist and drifting clouds surrounding the fragmented land had also developed a subtle power of concealment.

When Pang Jian left to greet Yuan Qi, he noticed that the Resolute Expanse could conceal itself at will.

Even high-level cultivators would likely fail to sense its presence unless they already knew of its existence.

Faint spatial ripples had also emerged in certain areas where spiritual qi condensed and merged with the spirit and mineral veins below.

It seemed as though small pocket dimensions were on the verge of forming.

Pang Jian recognized this as the precursor to a Blessed Land.

A Blessed Land was a self-contained world that existed within the Abyss while still maintaining independence from it.

These worlds were born from the Abyss itself, essentially creating a world within a world.

Blessed Lands could foster rare mineral veins and spiritual herbs, harboring wonders that transcended the ordinary world.

As an Earth Spirit, a high-ranked black turtle could create Blessed Lands from the fragmented land it inhabited.

"The fragmented land hidden in the bizarre mist in the far north of the Fourth World is far more barren than this," Yuan Qi said, descending atop a mountain peak to take in the marvels of the land. His ice-blue eyes were filled with amazement. "This place belongs to you?"

Pang Jian gently nodded.

Yuan Qi pointed toward the Ice Race's territory and asked eagerly, "Can I stay in the mountains or by the ice lakes for a while?"

"You don't have to report back to Northern Qi?" Pang Jian asked

"I went to the Sacred Soul Continent to help Elder Bear complete his bloodline and assist him in competing for the position of Fey God. After that, I headed to the Dragon Lair Sect to extend an invitation to the dragons, asking one of them to visit Northern Qi to discuss the future of the Fey Race."

Yuan Qi scratched his head.

"I've done everything they asked of me. They didn't tell me when to return, or whether I needed to go back at all."

"You're welcome to stay here as long as you like," Pang Jian invited. "Just don't harm the Ice Race that lives there. Other than that, you're free to do as you please."

Yuan Qi grunted in acknowledgment before falling silent, a faint sorrow rippling from him.

"I wandered alone after the little Gray Apes loyal to me died in the Solitary Mountain Range," he said softly. "All I know is that, years ago, you and your father saved my life.

"Later, the Fey Race on the fragmented land hidden in the bizarre mist took me in, but they only wanted me to work for them.

"I left Northern Qi to do what they asked. I kept their secrets and repaid the care they showed me over the years. I owe them nothing now."

Boom!

Yuan Qi unleashed his true form, transforming into a towering giant Gray Ape, hundreds of zhang tall, before soaring toward the Frozen Land.

The frightened Ice Race watched as his massive form suddenly plummeted, shattering the thick ice covering the frozen lake and sinking into its depths.

Pang Jian could sense the ice veins beneath the Frozen Land resonating with Yuan Qi's crystal bloodline chains.

Clearly, Yuan Qi was meditating on the hidden Dao of Cold buried within the Frozen Land.

If he, too, is a Rank Ten Fey God that Father resurrected...then he likely also has the potential to return to his peak within a short time.

Yuan Qi, the Giant Abyssal Serpent, the black turtle, and the Ice Armor Eel Dragon...

As Pang Jian pondered, a vivid image arose in his mind.

Yuan Qi, the Giant Abyssal Serpent, and the Ice Armor Eel Dragon are all at the peak of Rank Nine. I have close ties with all of them. Couldn't I overturn the entire Abyss if they each become a Rank Ten Fey God?

A Fey God's combat prowess is formidable. A single Fey God can stand against several Rank Ten foreign race powerhouses or True Gods.

When I ascend to the True God Realm with my sister Pang Lin and my master...

If I can sway enough Fey Gods to my side, could I be the one to shape the future of the Abyss?

With these thoughts in mind, Pang Jian contacted Li Zhaotian through the sword token.

"Master, I want to house some Fey Race on the fragmented land I'm based in. So long as I remain here, this place will eventually be exposed. Will True Gods like Li Wang use this against me?"

Li Zhaotian's response came swiftly. "Do as you please."

"Is there no issue with this?"

"What issue could there be? You're the World God of this era! According to Li Wang and the others, the World God serves as a bridge between the human race in the Abyss and the ancient Fey Race."

"Master, I don't know what my responsibilities are or what I'm supposed to do in the future."

"You don't need to know everything. Just follow your heart and act as you see fit.

"Oh, and, since you're confident that you've sealed that Primordial Demon, I'll focus on recovering as quickly as possible and regaining the cultivation realm I've lost.

"I'll make a second attempt at the True God Realm soon. I'll become a True God as long as no external forces interfere.

"Once I ascend to godhood, I'll be your greatest supporter!"

***

Pang Jian developed the Resolute Expanse with reckless abandon.

The murky energy still needed time to gather and would not be flooding into the Second World yet.

He planned to turn the fragmented land into a formidable stronghold against future invasions before murky energy surged upward again.

On a starry night several days later, the Ice Armor Eel Dragon descended into the Resolute Expanse in his human form alongside the Fey King White Lynx and several golden bees.

"Damn, the Abyss really is the best! This place is far more saturated with spiritual qi than Absolute Heaven!" The Ice Armor Eel Dragon sighed. "It's such a shame. If I'd returned just a little sooner, it wouldn't have been that Rock Bear ascending to the rank of the Fey God but me!"

The Ice Armor Eel Dragon, naturally attuned to the elements of Water, Ice, and Lightning, descended into the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God and stood in the ruins of the fallen Duke of Thunder's Divine Court of Thunder.

"I like places with water and forest," the Ice Armor Eel Dragon remarked, glancing at Pang Jian with a trace of dissatisfaction in his eyes. "The spiritual qi here is dense, but there are no lakes, aquatic plants, or trees."

The Ice Armor Eel Dragon was likely the most powerful Rank Nine Fey King in the Abyss after absorbing the heart and body of the Rank Nine Long Zhan. If a new position for Fey God was to open up, he was practically guaranteed to become a Fey God—provided the Dragon Lair Sect permitted his participation in the battle, of course.

The presence of the Ice Armor Eel Dragon, the White Lynx, the black turtle, and Yuan Qi meant the Resolute Expanse had quickly become one of the most formidable strongholds in the Second World alongside the Dragon Lair Sect and the Sword Pavilion.

"Shaping this place to your liking won't be difficult," Pang Jian said as he examined several crater-like areas, already planning to divert water into them.

Vegetation was an issue easily solved with the World Eater Vine's help.

"I just wonder, will you stand by me when the time comes and I need your help?" Pang Jian asked.

"I wouldn't have obtained that dragon heart without you, so at the very least, I owe you for that. Besides..." A light flickered in the Rank Nine Ice Armor Eel Dragon's eyes, with beams intertwining like threads of memory. "I vaguely recall that my situation before I was captured and taken to Absolute Heaven was...not the best.

"That person wasn't trying to harm me. He was helping me.

"I may not be a human, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to repay a debt."

Pang Jian remained silent for a moment, then said, "This place will be exactly as you want it in no more than half a month."

***

The spiritual qi in Hollow Yin of the Second World was scarce, and the fragmented land was overcrowded with people from the lower worlds.

Recently, unease had gripped everyone there.

Rumors swirled like snowflakes as news of the Demon Sect's betrayal spread.

The high-ranking members of the most powerful sect in the Second World had descended into the Third World to join the foreign races.

Whispers also circulated, stating that the murky energy would continue to rise.

The refugees on Hollow Yin did not know where they would go if murky energy also contaminated the Second World.

In a damp valley, the remaining Sinister Soul Temple disciples, too weak to have participated in the fight in the Third World, looked anxiously at Dong Tianze.

Scattered among them were Lei Kun, Han Ting, and others Dong Tianze had once saved.

"Junior Brother Dong, is there any way for us to go to the First World?" a gloomy-faced girl in the Profound Abode Realm asked dejectedly. "We're too weak to fight. We'll die if the murky energy rises and the foreign races invade."

Dong Tianze found himself at a loss.

At that moment, Lei Kun suddenly asked. "Do you know where Pang Jian is?"