Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 486: The Fallen Demon Sect

The demonic stone acted as a transmission device for the Demon Gods in the starry skies.

A Demon observed Pang Jian through the demonic stone, examining his flesh and blood, assessing his powerful aura, and sensing his formidable divine soul fluctuations.

Not bad, truly remarkable. The Demon Scale Race has weak souls while the human race has fragile bodies. Neither is the optimal vessel for the Primordial Demon. But this young man... he's the perfect vessel. Even the Primordial Demon will be pleased with him.

The more the Demon observed, the more satisfied it became.

It used a secret technique unique to it and the Primordial Demon to quietly communicate with the other Demon Gods before continuing its persuasions.

Pang Jian, you are far more suited to becoming a Demon than your master, Li Zhaotian. You possess a stronger physique, a more powerful divine soul, and a rare Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea.

Pang Jian, you're already wielding that sword and cultivating demonic techniques. Why don't you join us?

The starry skies are vast and boundless. If you're willing to aid the Primordial Demon's growth, you could rise as one of its Great Demon Gods when it ascends to become the Sovereign of all Demons.

We're even willing to entrust the Abyss and the Demon Realms surrounding it to you.

The Demon patiently painted a grand and alluring vision.

Its soothing voice rippled through Pang Jian's mind like waves on a serene lake, slowly eroding at his will in an attempt to leave an indelible impression.

Many Demon Sect disciples, particularly those cultivating unconventional demonic techniques, could not resist such temptation.

Even a prodigy like Wu Yuan had a profound mark imprinted on his divine soul. He willingly submitted to the voice in his head and now collaborated with Xuan Ying to slay the cultivators on the Demon Abyss Continent.

The Demon was confident that Pang Jian would eventually succumb to its persuasion as well. This was the reason it stopped Xuan Ying from attacking Pang Jian.

Within Pang Jian's sea of consciousness, his golden divine soul radiated three thousand beams of golden light.

The radiance of his divine soul illuminated the illusory nature of the wonderful visions the Demon painted. His heart remained steadfast, immovable like a rock.

Maintaining a connection with the Abyssal Demon, he silently communicated with it as he comprehended the Primeval Demon Fusion Art.

He had long known that Demon Sect disciples like Wu Yuan would occasionally hear the enticing whispers of Demon Gods.

The Demon Races were the masters at leading people astray and were skilled in manipulating hearts.

As they whispered sweet temptation into the ears of the Demon Sect disciples, they would take the opportunity to plant seeds of demonic wills within them.

These seeds of demonic wills would take root, growing unnoticed over time until they one day bloomed and bore fruit.

At this moment, many disciples from the branches of the Demon Sect in the Soul Wandering Realm, the Nirvana Realm, and the Immortal Realm rose into the air.

They joined forces with Xuan Ying and Wu Yuan, taking out treasured artifacts and employing unorthodox demonic techniques to slaughter high-level cultivators.

Meanwhile, Li Wang was occupied with purging the main sect and could not assist.

The transformation of the demonic stone and the carefully laid out plans of the Demon Gods in the outer worlds had caused nearly all the surviving Demon Sect disciples to betray the human race.

The calamity of the Demon Abyss Continent had only just begun.

Whoosh!

A greenish-black lotus platform rose from a deep pit in the Demon Sect and soared toward the colossal Demon Subjugating Shrine.

Xiang Shengwei gazed solemnly at the Demon Subjugating Shrine with his greenish-black eyes and smiled faintly.

"Li Wang, this shrine you meticulously crafted cannot suppress a Great Demon God like me.

"This continent will transform into a Demon Realm when the Demon Lair is activated and the Primordial Demon awakens.

"How will you fight us in our Demon Realm, Li Wang, when you have not even descended in person?"

The greenish-black lotus platform turned grotesque and skeletal, sprouting bone spikes like the unfurling of a peacock's tail.

Chants of praise from believers echoed from the increasingly horrifying lotus platform. Sinister demonic flames ignited, radiating an overwhelming aura of corruption as the platform charged toward the Demon Subjugating Shrine.

Whoosh!

The lotus platform, and Xiang Shengwei atop it, entered the Demon Subjugating Shrine through an open window.

At the same time, two peak Immortal Realm elders of the Demon Sect soared toward the vast sky above.

One elder sneered coldly as enormous phantom bone wings appeared behind him.

He rushed toward the stars in the sky, destroying them one after another.

The other Demon Sect elder shot toward the blazing sun.

Whoosh!

The peak Immortal Realm elder dove into the blazing sun, smothering its radiance with his power.

The magnificent sky that Li Wang had created was once again plunged into darkness. Ying Yue had claimed the moons, the sun had been snuffed out, and the stars had been destroyed.

As the majestic starry skies collapsed, the greenish-black Heaven-Encompassing Demonic Array appeared once more.

"Xiang Shengwei, Chen Xuanfeng, and Qu Long have been corrupted! And all three of them are in the peak Immortal Realm!"

"The Demon Sect has completely fallen!"

"Chen Xuanfeng and Qu Long have torn apart Li Wang's starry sky!"

The cultivators on the Demon Abyss Continent wailed in despair.

Li Wang, unable to descend in person, had failed to resolve the calamity of the Demon Abyss Continent.

***

Outside of the Demon Abyss Continent, Li Wang was relaying the happenings within to the others.

"Xiang Shengwei, Chen Xuanfeng, and Qu Long are the three strongest Immortal Realm cultivators of the Demon Sect. Demon Gods have bewitched all three.

"Xiang Shengwei's willpower was the strongest, but unfortunately, He Motian directly possessed him.

"Chen Xuanfeng and Qu Long have secretly struck deals with the Demon Gods Tian Wei and Qing Ji to become their followers.

"Most of the Soul Wandering Realm and Nirvana Realm disciples of the Demon Sect have chosen to pledge loyalty to whichever Demon Gods corresponds to the demonic techniques they cultivated.

"He Motian, the one possessing Xiang Shengwei, has entered the shrine and is attempting to rescue the Demon Gods I've sealed there.

"If the situation still doesn't improve..." Li Wang hesitated. "If the situation still doesn't improve, I will forcibly shatter the barrier that shrouds the Demon Abyss Continent.

"I will do whatever it takes to stop the Demon Gods' atrocities, even if it means letting the continent crumble into fragments and losing the countless lives on it now.

"They created this barrier to be tied to the essence of the continent because they know we're unwilling to sacrifice so many lives. They intend to exploit our compassion and humanity to manipulate us.

"I will not let them succeed," Li Wang said resolutely.

Li Wang's decision caused subtle changes in the expressions of Liu Fu, Li Yuanli, and Dong Shangqing, but this time, none of them strongly opposed him.

The Demon Sect had fallen, and Xiang Shengwei, Chen Xuanfeng, and Qu Long were either possessed or had become the followers of powerful Demon Gods.

The Demon Gods in the outer worlds evidently had far-reaching schemes that extended well beyond the mere conquest of a single continent in the Abyss.

Sacrificing the inhabitants of the Demon Abyss Continent had become an unfortunate but necessary course of action to prevent further chaos and minimize future losses.

They were all True Gods. They all understood the weight of history.

Complete continents that once existed in the Second, Third, and even the Fourth Worlds had been destroyed. The fragmented lands that remained were proof of past destruction for the future of the human race.

After all, nobody would willingly destroy their own foundations unless it was truly a last resort.

"What about Pang Jian?" Dong Shangqing asked, his brows knitting. "Where is he? He was the first to detect the anomaly in the Demon Abyss and escaped to deliver the warning. He's this era's World God, what's he doing right now?"

Li Wang focused his divine sense, then remarked in surprise, "He-He's next to the demonic stone!

"He's absorbing its demonic energy!

"It seems the Demon Gods have corrupted him. He's already cultivating an unorthodox demonic technique."

"Li Wang, if there's no other solution, then just shatter the Heaven-Encompassing Demonic Array!" Liu Fu urged sharply.

"Let me observe a while longer."

***

Pang Jian sat cross-legged next to the demonic stone as he comprehended the Primeval Demon Fusion Art.

He had managed to block out the Demon's temptations and had since entered a mysterious state.

A distant part of him sensed that the Gate of the Abyss on his chest had swung open.

The efficiency of his Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea in absorbing demonic energy surged a hundredfold with the doors of the bronze pendant open!

Whoosh!

All the demonic energy within the Demon Abyss rushed madly toward Pang Jian as though an ancient behemoth was gulping it down.

Only a small portion of the demonic energy streamed into the black-gold sword in his hand, with ninety percent flowing directly into Pang Jian's body.

Some of the demonic energy entered the fragmented land within his dantian, but the Gate of the Abyss absorbed most of it.

An hour later, the demonic energy within the Demon Abyss was completely depleted, and Pang Jian had transformed into a greenish-black sphere of light at its center.

The greenish-black sphere grew dissatisfied with the lack of demonic energy and ascended into the air.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The remaining demonic energy that Li Wang's starry skies had not purified surged toward the greenish-black sphere of light that was Pang Jian.

Demonic energy flowed toward him from all across the continent.

However, it still did not satisfy him as he found the demonic energy too thin and diluted.

He sought a denser, more abundant source of demonic energy, instinctively ascending higher and higher toward the greenish-black barrier shrouding the Demon Abyss Continent.

A soft exclamation escaped from Li Wang within the Demon Subjugating Shrine.

Xuan Ying and Ying Yue also noticed the greenish-black sphere of light slowly rising toward the barrier.

As they studied the sphere, they soon realized that Pang Jian was at its core.

"What's he doing?" Ying Yue exclaimed in shock.

An overwhelming will emanated from the demonic blade in Xuan Ying's hand. Her eyes flashed with a fierce light as she abandoned Ying Yue to pursue Pang Jian.