Trials of the Abyss

Whoosh!

The bat-like Outer God the Sinister Soul Temple's Cult Leader had driven away reappeared in the distant sky.

An ominous dark yellow banner full of holes fluttered beside it, with cold, sinister eyes peering out of the ragged holes in the banner.

Soon after, two more Outer Gods, each with three heads and six arms, arrived together.

Six Outer Gods in total now surrounded their group. There was the arachnid god, the wooden figure, the black bat, the dark yellow banner, and the two three-headed gods.

Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!

Silver light flared overhead.

In the blink of an eye, the overwhelming sword intent had clashed with waves of malicious energy hundreds of times.

A massive silver sword hung motionless in the air. Its radiant sword light shredded the malicious energy trying to encroach upon them, keeping them safe beneath its protection.

Streams of silver sword light transformed into swirling petals, blossoming into visions of wind, flowers, snow, and moonlight. They condensed into towering mountains and vast rivers and even morphed into grand palaces and stately pavilions.

These images merged into a boundless sea of brilliant sword light above Li Yuqing's head to become a separate realm embodying the unyielding laws of heaven and earth.

The gathered Outer Gods gazed solemnly at the sea of sword light, expressions dark and eyes wary.

Li Yuqing ignored their cautious stares, frowning as her eyes stayed locked on the distant horizon.

None of these six Outer Gods was the leader.

"Sister–Sister Luo!" Jiang Li cried out in shock.

Pang Jian's heart skipped a beat as he followed her gaze. A graceful figure had appeared atop the black bat's head—it was none other than Luo Hongyan!

Vivid flowers bloomed in the space behind Luo Hongyan and the melodic chants of divine hymns filled the air.

As she lightly stepped on the Outer God's head, fantastical worlds unfolded behind her, as though each blossoming flower had been placed in a distant, otherworldly time and space.

Divine light radiated from the ethereal worlds behind Luo Hongyan, coalescing around her to create an overwhelming aura of sovereign authority.

"Miss Luo!" Gao Yuan and Han Ting shouted in alarm.

"Why's she standing on the head of an Outer God?" Zhao Yuanqi's face paled.

"She's a remnant of the Blood Spirit Sect. An Outer God must've possessed her. She's just a puppet for its descent now," Tang Hongxiong sneered, scornfully eyeing the stunning figure atop the bat. "An Outer God using her body to descend means her soul has long since been obliterated."

"Pang Jian!" Zhou Qingchen firmly grabbed Pang Jian's shoulder. "She's not the person you once knew. You must stay clear-headed!"

"Don't do anything reckless, Pang Jian!" Han Duping also advised solemnly.

Pang Jian's breath grew heavy, eyes locked on Luo Hongyan as if he had not heard the others' warnings.

Luo Hongyan was still in her red gown. A faint blood mist surrounded her graceful figure, and her stunning face exuded a serene calmness.

Her gaze swept across their group as though observing mere rocks and trees.

However, when her eyes fell on Pang Jian, a flicker of complex emotions crossed her face like she was recalling distant memories.

"She's the one—she's a high-ranking Outer God!" Li Yuqing exclaimed.

The massive silver sword unleashed a terrifying sword intent that seemed to tear heaven and earth apart. Sharp waves of sword intent slashed through the air, ripping apart the very fabric of space.

Everyone beneath the massive sword felt the world around them spinning.

Rumble!

The ground split into deep chasms and the sky tore apart as space itself distorted.

"Dissipate!" Li Yuqing yelled as she adjusted her sword stance.

A ring of silvery-white sword light expanded outward from above. It was like a Star Crushing Umbrella magnified millions of times.

The sword light obliterated the toxins, dark anomalies, malevolent energy, and corrupting divine consciousness attempting to invade.

She had nullified the combined assault of the six Outer Gods with a single sweep of her sword!

Once the sword light faded, the sky returned to normal and the earth no longer trembled.

The groups felt like Li Yuqing's sword strike had sent them to, then pulled them back from another dimension.

The tip of the massive silvery-white sword pointed skyward, piercing through the sea of silvery sword light in the sky like a towering mountain in a vast ocean.

"Pang Jian, they're right. Now that a high-ranking Outer God has possessed her, she's no longer the Luo Hongyan you knew," Li Yuqing warned solemnly. "Don't try to approach her or communicate. It's pointless.

"When the will of a high-ranking Outer God descends, the host's original consciousness is erased.

"Remember, the Luo Hongyan you knew is dead. What you see now is an Outer God. She's their leader and our greatest enemy."

Pang Jian stared almost uncomprehendingly at Luo Hongyan as memories of their past interactions flashed through his mind.

She had the same body, but her soul…

Her soul had likely changed.

He had wanted to tell her he had killed Jiu Yuan, Lou Yunming, and Cao Mang to avenge her, but now, there was no longer any point,

"Brother, stay strong," Zhou Qingchen consoled. Seeing that Pang Jian was holding up relatively well, he released his grip and said lowly, "Too many have already died in Spirit Offering. These Outer Gods killed Yang Rui, Xie Xiwen, and other exceptional talents from the Third World. Now that she's fallen too. All you can do is accept it."

Jiang Li bit her lip, "I never thought Sister Luo would end up like this."

"The remnant of the Blood Spirit Sect should've remained sealed. She never should've been freed," Cult Leader Yin Yiqing said coldly as he glared at Luo Hongyan. "We kept her sealed for centuries to prevent exactly this—"

Yin Yiqing's words came to an abrupt halt when Luo Hongyan's gaze swept over him, eyes briefly flashing with a cold light.

The Cult Leader of the Sinister Soul Temple released the Stele of Wandering Souls, unleashing thousands of Spirit Devils and sending his soul out of his body to command them as before.

The Spirit Devils chanted ancient inscriptions, and Yin Yiqing's soul, perched atop the stele, commanded them like the ruler of the underworld.

The sky transformed into a ghostly realm as the Spirit Devils surged forward with the massive stele like an army of phantom soldiers.

Dense, bone-chilling Profound Yin energy filled the space beneath the sea of silver sword light. Everyone's bodies and souls, including Pang Jian, shivered like Yin Yiqing was dragging them into the underworld.

Rogue cultivators in the Spirit Condensation Realm, such as Lian Feng and Dongye Jing, had been filled with anxiety and fear. However, their expressions shifted to awe when they saw Yin Yiqing unleashing an aura more overwhelming than before.

"The Cult Leader of the Sinister Soul Temple is truly formidable with his Soul Wandering Realm cultivation," a rogue cultivator said admiringly.

Tang Hongxiong let out a cold snort. "Hmph. It seems this guy never went all out in our previous clashes."

The power of high-ranking Outer Gods is something I've only heard of but never seen. Perhaps this Yin Yiqing might… Li Yuqing silently raised her guard.

She did not intervene, wanting to observe how the high-ranking Outer God possessing Luo Hongyan would respond.

Some of the other Outer Gods—the arachnid god, the wooden figure, and the dark yellow banner—watched Yin Yiqing's soul like they were looking at a dead man.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Massive lotus flowers blossomed in the sky above Luo Hongyan.

An overwhelming divine presence radiated from each lotus blocking out the sky. Some were as red as blood and others as cold as ice.

Luo Hongyan, surrounded by a mist of blood atop the bat-like god, floated gracefully toward the giant stele.

The blood mist expanded outward!

Luo Hongyan's special body, forged from the Crystal Snow Lotus, slowly grew larger within the blood mist.

In just ten breaths time, her body had astonishingly grown a hundredfold in size!

Her head touched the sky and her feet rested on the ground. Colossal lotus flowers surrounded her towering figure.

She then extended her hand out toward the Stele of Wandering Souls.

Her crystalline hand, so large it seemed capable of uprooting mountains, grabbed the massive stele like a mere pebble.

Yin Yiqing's soul was trapped within her crimson hand, sizzling away into dark green smoke under her terrifying power.

In just a few seconds, his soul was reduced to a mere wisp, which she then turned into a Spirit Devil and placed into the stele.

The Stele of the Wandering Souls had gained another soul.

Thump!

Yin Yiqing's physical body stiffened, then collapsed backward, lifeless.

"Cult Leader!" Han Zhiyuan paled in shock.

He knelt beside Yin Yiqing, checking for breath and a heartbeat, but found none—his old friend was dead.

Yin Yiqing dreamed of ascending to the Immortal Realm and leading the Sinister Soul Temple to the Second World. Unfortunately, the remnant of the Blood Spirit Sect had effortlessly slain him.

After wresting control of the Stele of Wandering Souls from Yin Yiqing, Luo Hongyan turned her attention toward Tang Hongxiong of the Blood Moon Sect.

A faint light flickered in her serene eyes once more.

"I'll handle this!" Tang Hongxiong roared.

He soared toward the sky, crossed the sea of silver sword light, and launched a furious assault on Luo Hongyan.

A massive blood-gushing well appeared beneath Tang Hongxiong's feet. He stepped onto it and released the vigorous blood essence within his body.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Massive blood orbs exploded like shattered suns, forming a vast sea of blood that engulfed Luo Hongyan, her lotuses, and everything else in its path.

"Another fool just rushing to his death." Li Yuqing regretfully shook her head.

Before she could finish her sentence, all the blood in the sky recoiled back into the well, with Tang Hongxiong's towering frame following suit!

"Aahhhh!" Tang Hongxiong howled in agony as he was forced into the well.

His bones snapped and his muscular body rapidly withered.

The massive well swallowed him whole.

Luo Hongyan then nonchalantly extended her hand and pulled the well toward her.

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