Trials of the Abyss

Boom!

Another wooden door was violently knocked down.

The puzzled Luo Hongyan stared in astonishment at the broken wooden door from within the prismatic crystal.

"Senior Jiu Yuan!" Qi Qingsong called as he entered. Seeing Jiu Yuan carrying the prismatic crystal on his back, he added solemnly, "The fighting outside is fierce, and the foreign race warriors are charging the First Peak. Carrying such a large crystal is extremely inconvenient for both fighting and fleeing.

"How about..." Qi Qingsong trailed off, glancing at Luo Hongyan. “I've gained nothing from this trip. I have only three hundred thousand spirit stones and I haven’t spent a single one yet. How about you sell her to me?

"Three hundred thousand spirit stones are all I have, but I'm being sincere in my offer! Senior Jiu Yuan, I'm an inner disciple of the Sword Pavilion. Consider this an establishment of a good relationship between us. What do you say?”

Foreign race warriors, fierce fighting… Luo Hongyan was shocked by Qi Qingsong's words.

"Kill!"

“Prepare for battle!”

Fierce shouts and angry cries came from outside the trading hall.

Luo Hongyan finally understood what had happened with the Mirror Tunnel on the surface of Emerald Lake.

“Qi Qingsong, if not for you being acquainted with Pang Jian and protecting him this whole time, I would've given her to you for that price,” Jiu Yuan sneered, shaking his head.

Based on Pang Jian's earlier threat and the coldness in his eyes, Jiu Yuan knew that he would not let him go as long as Pang Jian lived. Furthermore, if Jiu Yuan were to hand Luo Hongyan over to Qi Qingsong, Qi Qingsong would undoubtedly release her.

Cao Mang had made it clear to Jiu Yuan that Luo Hongyan was a powerful cultivator and a troublesome figure from the early years of the Blood Spirit Sect. If she were to continue regaining her strength, it would not be long before even Cao Mang could not handle her. She had to either die or be eternally suppressed by the Sinister Soul Temple.

In other words, she could not be allowed to escape unscathed.

“Three hundred thousand spirit stones is quite a bit, Senior Jiu Yuan. Don’t be so uptight. Be merciful when you can,” Qi Qingsong persuaded.

“She's not for sale!” Jiu Yuan coldly snorted.

“Fine then, good luck to you.” Qi Qingsong nodded decisively and headed outside.

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw warriors from the Celestial Race and the Demon Scale Race charging toward the First Peak of the Primordial Wilderness.

“Cao Mang, from now on, you'll no longer have a place in the human world!”

“Lady Hua, even if you survive this calamity, you'll still be doomed!”

Rogue cultivators with higher cultivation realms were angrily rebuking Cao Mang and Lady Hua on the summit of the First Peak. Many cultivators were panicking and the situation was slowly but surely descending into chaos.

Seeing this, Qi Qingsong decided not to waste any time and hastily descended the stone steps to cave dwelling number fifty-six.

"Pang Jian, the foreign race warriors have suddenly invaded the Primordial Wilderness. Hurry and follow me to escape—" Qi Qingsong's words abruptly cut off when he realized cave dwelling number fifty-six was empty. "What?!"

Qi Qingsong's anger flared. Grabbing his token, he shouted furiously into it, “Pang Jian, where did you go? Why didn’t you stay in the cave? I told you to stay put!”

There was no response.

Qi Qingsong's heart sank.

The situation in the Primordial Wilderness was chaotic. The foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts from the Fifth World were everywhere, clashing fiercely with the cultivators attending the trade fair. The peaks with flying vessels had become primary targets for the foreign race warriors.

Pang Jian had left the First Peak and was likely to have encountered trouble.

"I should first find a flying vessel to leave. If that's not possible, I'll then look for a Cloud Sail!" Qi Qingsong decided, heading to the adjacent cave dwelling to look for Gao Yuan. Unfortunately for him, the boatman had long since left and was nowhere to be found.

Boom!

Crack!

The Scarlet Dawn Boat was flying from the Fifth Peak to the First Peak when the massive arm of a towering one-eyed giant struck it. Sparks flew from its iron hull as several visible cracks appeared from the impact. Despite its unsteady flight, it managed to evade further attacks from the one-eyed giant and reached the summit of the First Peak.

"As expected of a high-quality flying vessel crafted by the Divine Treasure Sect!" Qi Qingsong exclaimed admiringly, rushing up toward the summit of the First Peak.

Qi Qingsong had since apologized to Jiang Li and even helped her regenerate her severed arm, thus he hoped that Zhao Yuanqi would be willing to give him a ride out of the Primordial Wilderness on the Scarlet Dawn Boat.

However, just as he arrived at the summit, he saw Zhao Yuanqi and Jiang Li leaving on the Scarlet Dawn Boat, ignoring the desperate shouts from below.

“Everyone, the Scarlet Dawn Boat Boat is damaged and can’t carry too many people. Please take care of yourselves.” Zhao Yuanqi stood at the front of the Scarlet Dawn Boat and shook her head at the hopeful onlookers below. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you!"

If the one-eyed giant had not damaged the Scarlet Dawn Boat, she would have taken in more people. But now, she had to prioritize the safety of her sect members and ensure the Scarlet Dawn Boat could safely leave the Primordial Wilderness. She could not afford to play the role of a good Samaritan.

“Damn it, I shouldn't have gone looking for that bastard Pang Jian!” Qi Qingsong felt like crying. If he had not gone to Pang Jian's cave dwelling and had instead stayed on the summit with Zhao Yuanqi, he could have had a chance to board the Scarlet Dawn Boat with Jiang Li.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground rumbled.

Peering down, Qi Qingsong saw members of the Ghost Race and the Demon Scale Race, along with many Rank Five Vicious Beasts like Ghost Apes, Demon Armor Beasts, Ice Sculpture Beasts, and Blood-Marked Pythons, gathering around the foot of the First Peak.

Cultivators loyal to Cao Mang and Lady Hua left their cave dwellings to fight in fierce battles against the Vicious Beasts and foreign race warriors.

The First Peak had become the focus of the foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts' attack.

"Cao Mang and Lady Hua are at the summit. Perhaps they really are behind this…” Qi Qingsong muttered to himself as he climbed down the stone steps.

Armed with a white protective shield and a glowing sword, Qi Qingsong was prepared to confront the warriors from the Ghost Race and Demon Scale Race, as well as the Rank Five Vicious Beasts as he descended the mountain. Rank Five Vicious Beasts were equivalent to cultivators in the Profound Abode Realm like himself, so he readied himself for a tough fight.

Strangely enough, he found that neither the short, sinister Ghost Race warriors; the towering, fierce Demon Scale Race warriors; nor the Rank Five Vicious Beasts noticed him despite their proximity. It was as if they had all gone blind and were completely unaware of his presence.

He faced no resistance on his descent from the summit to the foot of the First Peak. From the ground, he could see foreign race warriors and Vicious Beasts clashing with human cultivators in front of every cave on the First Peak.

“This…” Qi Qingsong scratched his head in bafflement.

Turning around, he saw that the branches of giant trees had pierced through the hull of several Cloud Sails anchored at the foot of the mountain. Many rogue cultivators were engaged in fierce battles with these monstrous trees as warriors from the Wood Race had seamlessly merged with the trees and were controlling them to attack the rogue cultivators.

Just like when he was descending, despite the warriors from the Wood Race surrounding him, he was not attacked!

A Wood Race warrior with pale green eyes rubbed his nose, as if he had caught a whiff of something unpleasant, and consciously averted his gaze from Qi Qingsong.

“Do I stink or something?” Though bewildered, Qi Qingsong took the opportunity to escape, cautiously avoiding the Wood Race warriors in the forest at the mountain’s base.

Surprisingly, no one paid him any attention.

***

A massive green boulder came whistling down from the sky toward the summit of the First Peak. Yu Gu flapped his wings to control the wind and guided the boulder with pinpoint accuracy toward Jiu Yuan, who was carrying the prismatic crystal on his back.

Boom!

The massive green boulder exploded with the terrifying power of a Rank Six one-eyed giant, sending dozens of millstone-sized fragments raining down on Jiu Yuan.

Jiu Yuan soon found himself in a rain of falling rocks. His steps grew incredibly heavy as his body felt like it had been filled with lead. It was as though an invisible cage had confined him and was rendering him immobile.

As the green rocks came crashing down, they struck his feet and the prismatic crystal on his back.

Crack!

The prismatic crystal on Jiu Yuan's back cracked as the falling debris struck it.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

More millstone-sized fragments relentlessly pounded Jiu Yuan's back, eventually burying him in rubble.

Cao Mang, Lady Hua, and rogue cultivators like Lian Feng stared at the buried Jiu Yuan with perplexed expressions. They could not understand why the Celestial Race warrior was singling Jiu Yuan out.

“Damn it!” Jiu Yuan cursed from under the rubble.

Boom!

A seductive figure shrouded in a blood-colored mist emerged from the debris.

Luo Hongyan had broken free.

Glancing down at the buried Jiu Yuan, she then turned to stare deeply at Cao Mang before hastily flying away. She knew she was no match for either of them. Thus, she seized the opportunity to distance herself from the First Peak as quickly as possible using the unique properties of her body forged with the Crystal Snow Lotus.

“If that woman survives, she'll be a major threat to us!” Lady Hua whispered through gritted teeth.

Cao Mang nodded seriously, prepared to pursue and eliminate Luo Hongyan.

Whoosh!

At that moment, Yu Gu landed in front of Cao Mang on the summit of the First Peak and said politely, "Cao Mang, I'm the one your trade partner from the Fifth World."

Countless curses boiled up inside Cao Mang, but he knew that voicing them would be useless. Noticing the suspicious looks from those still on the summit, Cao Mang instantly gave up on pursuing Luo Hongyan.

Proving his innocence took precedence as he would no longer have any place in the human world otherwise. That was far more threatening than Luo Hongyan surviving!

"Don't slander Old Man Cao! He never had any dealings with any foreign races!" Lady Hua shouted. “You’re deliberately slandering Old Man Cao to incite internal conflict and facilitate your plan!”

She then secretly transmitted a mental message to Cao Mang. Old Man Cao, the only way to prove our innocence is to kill these foreign race warriors! As long as we wipe them out and kill them all, we can clear ourselves of any suspicion!

Got it. Cao Mang unhesitatingly charged at Yu Gu.

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