Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 441: Building a World in One's Spiritual Sea

The White Lynx stood by the lakeside, her mind in turmoil.

This Ice Armor Eel Dragon that had once roamed the Fifth World belonged to a branch of the Dragon Race, much like the Giant Abyssal Serpent.

It was far more challenging for dragons of unorthodox origins to shed their original forms and transform into True Dragons compared to those born into the Dragon Lair Sect's lineage.

For them to be the proverbial carp leaping over the dragon's gate[1] was by no means an easy feat.

According to her bloodline memories of the ancient Fey Race, dragons not born of the Dragon Lair Sect's lineage were known as wild dragons.

Even if they endured countless hardships and overcame many obstacles to become True Dragons, they would never gain recognition from the Dragon Lair Sect.

Shockingly, this Ice Armor Eel Dragon, born in the Fifth World and confined to Absolute Heaven, not only possessed a complete bloodline but had also ascended to the rank of a Fey King in an exceptionally short span of time.

More terrifying still was that the Ice Armor Eel Dragon gave off an aura far stronger than ancient Fey Kings like the Blood Jade Scorpion, the Four-Eyed Spirit Fox, and the Frostfeather Drake.

Are the Dragon Race just the darlings of the Fey Race? To the point that even the unorthodox branches of their lineage possess such terrifying potential?

The more the White Lynx thought about it, the more dejected she became, and she could not help but silently curse the injustice of fate.

Why was I born into the lineage of the White Lynx and not as a descendant of the extraordinary Dragon Race?

Meanwhile, the Bee Sovereign, still in his humanoid form that eerily resembled Pang Jian, stared fixedly at the bizarre mist with his compound eyes.

"A True God has gravely injured the Five-Clawed Gold Dragon. He's fleeing toward us," the Bee Sovereign said, radiating a murderous aura. "He's less than a tenth of his original dragon form and likely has less than a tenth of his original combat prowess.

"I propose we join forces to hunt down this Rank Nine Five-Clawed Gold Dragon.

"I only want his soul. You two can divide his body among yourselves."

The Bee Sovereign did not want the Five-Clawed Gold Dragon to disrupt Pang Jian's breakthrough into the Nirvana Realm.

In his eyes, the wisest course of action was to kill the Five-Clawed Gold Dragon within the bizarre mist before it reached Absolute Heaven. @@novelbin@@

"A heavily injured Five-Clawed Gold Dragon? And only in Rank Nine? Hehe!" The Ice Armor Eel Dragon grinned wickedly, revealing his gleaming white fangs. He pounded his chest. "I can handle that dragon on my own!

"Little Lynx, you look pretty scared. Stay out of this fight! And don't even think about taking his heart!"

The Ice Armor Eel Dragon was unaware of the significance of the Dragon Lair Sect and Long Zhan's esteemed status among the Fey Race in the Abyss. He did not know to fear Long Zhan and was thus eager to charge into the bizarre mist to claim his heart.

Although both belonged to the Dragon Race, Long Zhan was a pure-blooded Five-Clawed Gold Dragon.

If the Ice Armor Eel Dragon were to devour Long Zhan's heart, he could ascend to the rank of a Fey God!

"I won't get involved!" the White Lynx squealed.

Her fear of Long Zhan and the Dragon Lair Sect ran deep. Even gravely injured, she dared not make a move against him, much less consume his flesh or blood.

Doing so would leave traces within her body that the ancient Thunder Dragon would undoubtedly detect.

If the ancient Thunder Dragon discovered her involvement in Long Zhan's death, there was nowhere she could hide in the Abyss to escape his wrath.

"What about Pang Jian? Has he returned? He promised to take me out of here once he understood the situation outside!" the Ice Armor Eel Dragon bellowed.

After all, the appearance of the White Lynx and her harmonious interactions with the Bee Sovereign could only be attributed to Pang Jian!

A stirring of ambition had taken root within the Ice Armor Eel Dragon when he heard that the strongest Fey Kings on the Sacred Soul Continent were vying for the position of Fey God.

He also wished to leave Absolute Heaven and see if there was a chance for him in the Abyss.

"He's currently breaking through to the Nirvana Realm. Don't worry, he'll succeed soon," the Bee Sovereign said in his cold, detached manner as he ascended into the air and headed toward the bizarre mist. "He'll guide you out of here once he stabilizes his cultivation realm."

"He owes me, so he'd better take me out!" the Ice Armor Eel Dragon roared, flying after the Bee Sovereign.

The Ice Armor Eel Dragon had developed a reverence toward Pang Jian since seeing the Gate of the Abyss and learning of Pang Jian's background.

He had a faint feeling that his fate was closely tied to Pang Jian's.

It was like his many years of existence in Absolute Heaven had culminated toward this moment—for Pang Jian to take him out.

This feeling had only grown since he ascended to Rank Nine and became a Fey King.

Many strange memories had been sealed and buried deep within his heart, and during his advancement to Rank Nine, he had caught glimpses of peculiar scenes.

These scenes depicted a Rank Ten Ice Armor Eel Dragon dominating the dark world of the Fifth World.

The ancient Ice Armor Eel Dragon had once stepped out of the boundless darkness of the Fifth World to challenge the True Dragons in the upper worlds, striving to carve a new path for the unorthodox branches of the Dragon Race.

At times, he felt like the Rank Ten Ice Armor Eel Dragon was his ancestor, but other times, he had the fleeting impression that it was himself.

As his bloodline advanced and his strength grew, these feelings became increasingly complex, leaving him more uncertain than ever about his true background.

After the Bee Sovereign and the Ice Armor Eel Dragon soared into the sky, the White Lynx's eyes revealed an internal struggle. After a long hesitation, she gritted her teeth and followed after them in a streak of silver light.

***

In a forest of gnarled and menacing trees, Pang Jian's physical body sat cross-legged in front of the enormous beehive, the powdered remnants of spirit jades and spirit stones scattered around him.

Beneath the thick layer of powder lay a sword that resembled black jade, within which the struggle between the two halves of the Abyssal Demon had finally reached its conclusion.

The Abyssal Demon that had been suppressed in the Sword Pavilion ultimately defeated the one that had been lost in the bizarre mist.

The key to its victory lay in the new knowledge it had absorbed and the Dao it had comprehended over the years of being surrounded by other divine swords.

Once it merged with the ancient Abyssal Demon, the lost fragments of its memory began to resurface.

The demonic light, flames, and clouds representing the Abyssal Demon grew stronger within the inner world of the sword.

It fed on the dark thoughts and malicious intent of the independent-minded golden bees, the Ice Armor Eel Dragon, and the White Lynx to further enhance its strength.

Only Pang Jian and the Bee Sovereign, with their flawless souls, remained impervious, leaving it unable to siphon anything from them.

As long as Pang Jian remained focused on his cultivation and did not hold the sword, the Abyssal Demon could not communicate with him.

Even injured, a Rank Nine Five-Clawed Gold Dragon won't be easy to handle. Its claws and horns are among the sharpest materials in existence. If they could be fused into this sword...

The Abyssal Demon brimmed with anticipation, yearning for Pang Jian to reach out and touch the sword.

It wanted to strike another deal with him.

***

Whoosh!

Pang Jian's divine soul left the beehive and returned to his sea of consciousness.

Using the nourishment of blood essence and Soul Enriching Pills, he continued to temper his divine soul according to the Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art, monitoring the state of his spiritual sea as he did.

His vast spiritual sea had shrunk several times over while the green stone that resembled a fragmented land had grown to encompass the fiery pool, the ice pool, the lightning vortex that held the Thunder pool, and the blackish-yellow fragmented land that the black turtle had bestowed on him.

A silent void surrounded the vast sea that the dark green fragmented land rested in, and the dazzling radiance of the sun, moon, and stars cascaded down upon it from above.

To Pang Jian's surprise, the fiery pool on the dark green fragmented land was actively absorbing the sunlight, while the ice pool drew in the moonlight and starlight.

The fiery pool complemented the blazing solar energy, while the cold energy in the ice pool harmonized seamlessly with the stellar and lunar energies, vividly showcasing their unique characteristics.

As the Heart of Winter at the bottom of the ice pool absorbed the radiance of the moon and stars, the Dao of Cold that the Ice Demon had comprehended within it subtly transformed.

Pang Jian quietly observed and gained profound insights thanks to the increased intelligence he gained from the tempering of his divine soul.

The Ice Demon's comprehended Dao of Cold became clear under the light of the moon and stars.

When Pang Jian reflected on these comprehensions again, he found it much easier than before.

Even the Thunder Pool in the lightning vortex felt more connected to Pang Jian than before.

When he attempted to study the Dao of Lighting in the Thunder Pool with his divine sense, the Lightning Dao Seals transformed into blinding streaks of lightning as if demonstrating the profound intricacies of their Dao.

The lightning transformed into symbols that depicted the apocalyptic Dao of Lightning that the Duke of Thunder had comprehended.

Pang Jian examined it carefully but found himself mentally exhausted after only a moment.

The Heavenly Dao within the Thunder Pool required immense effort and concentration to comprehend.

Unfortunately, he was still at a critical point of his breakthrough and knew this was not the time to invest too much energy into it.

When advancing to the Nirvana Realm, one's spiritual sea will slowly transform into a fragmented land. The divine artifacts resting on this fragmented land can be studied through my divine soul, though the process will require an extensive amount of time, Pang Jian noted as he continued to observe the changes in his spiritual sea.

After some time, the liquid spiritual power within his spiritual sea completely disappeared, leaving behind only the dark green fragmented land.

The dark green fragmented land of pure spiritual power floated within the void of his spiritual sea.

The blackish-yellow fragmented land that the black turtle had bestowed on him had transformed into a small blackish-yellow mountain atop the dark green fragmented land while the fiery pool, the ice pool, and the Thunder Pool had all recessed downward.

Three slender crystalline threads extended from the fiery pool, the ice pool, and the Thunder Pool, penetrating the ground of the dark green fragmented land in intricate structures that resembled rare mineral veins.

All of this occurred naturally, without any interference from Pang Jian.

As his peculiar Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea evolved, it appeared destined to manifest into a miniature world.

Unfortunately, this world was still incomplete, with many missing elements.

The Dao of Cold, the Dao of Lightning, and the Dao of Fire that I've comprehended will become the Heavenly Daos of this world. This fragmented land, rich with spiritual power, will serve as the foundation, with unique crystalline veins, mountains, lightning, and flames within it...

Pang Jian's consciousness explored the dark green fragmented land, fully immersing him in the miniature world.

Unbeknownst to him, the spiritual qi within Absolute Heaven had become increasingly thin.

He was like a bottomless pit, devouring all the spiritual qi in the restricted area to construct the miraculous world within his spiritual sea.

It was not until the dark green fragmented land in his spiritual sea ceased to expand that Pang Jian realized something was amiss.

The inflow of spiritual qi from his surroundings came to an abrupt stop, jolting him out of his trance.

It seemed his advancement to the Nirvana Realm had come to a close.

He then established a connection to the Bee Sovereign and several golden bees.

The Bee Sovereign was in human form, standing atop one of the icy crystalline horns of the Ice Armor Eel Dragon in the gray bizarre mist.

Perched on the other horn was the White Lynx.

The Ice Armor Eel Dragon was in his true form, which stretched over a thousand zhang in length. His body was covered in scales that resembled ice crystals and cold mist swirled around his massive frame as it roamed through the bizarre mist.

In comparison, the Five-Clawed Gold Dragon was ten times smaller than the Ice Armor Eel Dragon.

Long Zhan's radiant golden scales shimmered as he trembled, leaving a trail of blood as he fled.

The Ice Armor Eel Dragon gave chase!

The Five-Clawed Gold Dragon, infamous across the Sacred Soul Continent and among the Fey Race, had suffered humiliation after humiliation since entering the bizarre mist.

First, he was toyed with, then True God Fan Ao severely injured him, and now the Ice Armor Eel Dragon was relentlessly pursuing him.

The domineering demeanor Long Zhan had once displayed when he killed Fan Chen on the Sacred Soul Continent had completely vanished.

"Old fool, let's see where you can run to now!" The Ice Armor Eel Dragon laughed wildly.

Bolts of lightning and clusters of icy storms spewed from the Ice Armor Eel Dragon's mouth, exploding in Long Zhan's escape path and worsening his injuries.

Long Zhan's golden eyes burned with frustration and humiliation. He had never endured such disgrace before.

The Ice Armor Eel Dragon from the Fifth World belonged to an offshoot of the Dragon Race.

Pure-blooded dragons like him had always looked down upon wild dragons like it.

Long Zhan had always prided himself on his noble bloodline, so for a wild dragon to hunt him was an indescribable torment.

He never could have expected that choosing a random direction in his desperation to escape Fan Ao would lead him straight into a Rank Nine wild dragon.

Worse still, this Rank Nine wild dragon had a complete bloodline containing the Dao of Water, the Dao of Lightning, and the Dao of Ice, all of which could be wielded in harmony.

As Long Zhan fled, he could not help but lament his misfortune.

If he had been born with three innate bloodline mysteries like the Ice Armor Eel Dragon, he would not have needed to wait for Fan Ao to die.

He would have long ascended to a Rank Ten Fey God using an unclaimed path.

Neither Fan Ao nor the wild dragon would be hunting him if that were the case.

Whoosh!

Long Zhan desperately unleashed the Dragon Race's blood escape technique one last time.

Having exhausted himself, he had no choice but to brace himself for death.

Suddenly, a man clad in silver armor appeared out of thin air, calm eyes gazing at him through the mask.

The golden bee monitoring this scene perished instantly.

The Bee Sovereign had been guiding the Ice Armor Eel Dragon toward Long Zhan with the help of the golden bees but fell silent at the man's appearance.

"Directions! Quickly, give me a direction! He's finished!" the Ice Armor Eel Dragon urged the Bee Sovereign. "I want his heart. Once I have that, I'll leave this place and join the struggle for the position of Fey God!"

1. This idiom, 鱼跃龙门 (yú yuè lóng mén), is rooted in Chinese mythology and describes a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate to transform into a dragon, symbolizing extraordinary success achieved through great effort and overcoming significant challenges. It is often used as a metaphor for achieving great things, especially in the context of personal growth, career advancement, or achieving a once-distant dream. ☜