Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 491: The Chain of Events

Li Zhaotian grinned from ear to ear.

Down on the Demon Abyss Continent, Li Wang was busy dealing with the Demon Subjugating Shrine that Great Demon God He Motian had seized.

Liu Fu was fending off the two Immortal Realm elders of the Demon Sect who had fallen onto the demonic path.

Dong Shangqing was pursuing Xuan Ying.

Only Li Yuanli had flown out from the continent below with the Qilin Bell.

The four True Gods were all occupied. Meanwhile, the Demon Sect's elders and protectors were fleeing in different directions.

Only Li Zhaotian stood idly by Pang Jian's side, nervously waiting for him to awaken.

He was afraid Pang Jian would fail to resist the temptations of the Demon Gods, fall into the mire of demonic influence, and receive a demonic imprint on his divine soul.

Or worse, a Demon God could have possessed him.

If that were to happen, it would mean that he and his disciple had never truly met.

Li Zhaotian would have to live with that lifelong regret of never meeting his disciple before a Demon God possessed Pang Jian.

When Pang Jian called him "Master," all of Li Zhaotian's worries vanished and his spirits instantly lifted.

His disciple was safe and sound. Pang Jian did not succumb to the demonic path.

Li Zhaotian wanted to shout this news to all the True Gods under the heavens.

The overwhelming joy filling his chest simply could not be contained, and his true emotions were laid bare.

As Pang Jian watched the burly man before him dance about with excitement, a rare smile curled the corner of his mouth.

Pang Jian could feel his master's genuine affection for him.

Until now, they had only ever communicated through the sword token. This was the first time they had ever met in person.

Pang Jian felt this master of his was extremely approachable, likely because Li Zhaotian was not a traditional mentor.

His master's constant guidance in sword techniques, selfless dedication, and their natural compatibility undeniably helped their mutual bond as well.

"Master, I'm fine."

Pang Jian sheathed his black-gold sword and silently communicated with the Abyssal Demon.

According to the Abyssal Demon, the Demon Fetus would take some time to awaken again after their intense battle.

"The Abyssal Demon drew the Demon Fetus into the sword. The Demon Gods in the outer worlds created this Demon Fetus and were planning to nurture it into a Sovereign. It's the cause of the upheaval in the Demon Abyss Continent," Pang Jian explained.

Li Zhaotian's broad beam slowly faded as his eyes narrowed.

"The Demon Fetus? The Primordial Demon, the Progenitor of all Demons?!" Li Zhaotian exclaimed. "I sensed an overwhelming malevolence when I was on the brink of ascending to the True God Realm. I abandoned my ascension to foil its plans."

Everything fell into place as master and disciple compared their experiences.

The Primordial Demon's original plan was to possess Li Zhaotian's True God body.

Had it succeeded, the Primordial Demon would have been far stronger than Li Zhaotian could ever be through ordinary ascension, allowing it to overpower all the True Gods of the human race.

The Demon Gods in the outer worlds could then descend into the bodies of Rank Nine Demon Scale Race warriors and Immortal Realm elders of the Demon Sect using the Demon Lair.

The Demon Races would inevitably become the most dominant force in the Abyss, and it would have only been a matter of time until the human race went extinct.

Li Zhaotian's decisive abandonment of his ascension disrupted the Primordial Demon's plans, leaving it severely wounded and mentally fractured.

However, even then, it could have still recovered within the Demon Lair, using the dark thoughts of those on the Demon Abyss Continent.

Once its power was restored, the demonic stone from the starry skies could have served as a temporary body, allowing it to wield formidable strength once more.

Unfortunately for the Primordial Demon, another unexpected event occurred.

The Abyssal Demon had exploited their shared origin to trap it within the Abyssal Demon Sword while its mind was clouded.

When it awoke within the sword, it noticed Pang Jian's tempered physique, unique divine soul, and rare Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea.

Pang Jian's exceptional potential was such that the Primordial Demon regarded him as a vessel more promising than even Li Zhaotian.

It planned to absorb demonic energy to strengthen itself so it could seize Pang Jian's body.

The only problem was that Pang Jian had ended up absorbing most of the demonic energy instead, leaving it starved and unable to regain its strength.

After that, Pang Jian entered the world of the Abyssal Demon Sword with his golden divine soul and struck a decisive blow.

The full story finally came to light as the master and disciple shared their experiences.

"What do you plan to do with it?" Li Zhaotian asked, small eyes gleaming coldly. "Forget the Abyssal Demon, let's focus on killing the Demon Fetus first! That thing is a dire threat to us in the Abyss. Who knows what it could become in the future?"

"I have a way to handle it. Sealing it temporarily won't be an issue," Pang Jian assured. Coughing lightly, he added, "Master, since you know I'm supposedly a World God, you can trust that I have a solution."

"I've only heard of World Gods. I've never actually met one, so I have no idea what you're capable of," Li Zhaotian said, still skeptical.

"Trust me. I have it handled."

At that moment, Li Yuanli approached and tossed the Qilin Bell over.

"Fatty Li, keep an eye on Li Jie for me. I'm heading down to handle those Demon Sect's elders and quell the rebellion."

"Aren't the three of them enough? There's no one above the Immortal Realm down there. Can He Motian really turn the tide in Xiang Shengwei's body?" Li Zhaotian scoffed.

"I'm just worried that—"

Before Li Yuanli could finish his sentence, an unforeseen change happened.

In the region where Xuan Ying of the Demon Scale Race had fled, Faint wrinkles spread visibly across the air.

Seven Mirror Tunnels quietly materialized from within the distortions.

Six of the seven Mirror Tunnels shone brightly as six artifacts—a knife, sword, hammer, spear, mirror, and flag—emerged from within.

These six artifacts had once been placed in White Bone City, Blackwood Village, Blood Prison Village, Death Spirit Town, Sinister Soul Town, and Ghost Spirit Town to act as instruments of suppression against the inhabitants of the Fifth World.

Whoosh!

The lone Mirror Tunnel without an artifact carried away the fleeing Xuan Ying.

The six Mirror Tunnels with artifacts simultaneously locked onto Dong Shangqing of the Ancient Law Sect.

Dong Shangqing's expression shifted and he hastily summoned his Dharma Idol.

The compass beneath his feet transformed into a world of its own. His towering Dharma Idol, a thousand zhang tall, shimmered as talismans the size of palms covered its body.

Landscapes filled with talismans appeared behind his Dharma Idol as it resonated with the Ancient Law Sect in the Northern Ruin.

The six artifacts abruptly expanded, and waves of divine power surged from the six Mirror Tunnels.

Dong Shangqing was horrified.

"Six divine beings...and their auras are unified!"

He could sense a divine being behind each Mirror Tunnel, all pouring their divine power into the six artifacts as a unit.

These six immense pressures bore down on Dong Shangqing.

The talismans covering Dong Shangqing's Dharma Idol exploded under the crushing weight.

True God Dong Shangqing could not sustain his Dharma Idol. It soon collapsed, returning him to his original form.

Whoosh!

The Mirror Tunnel that had taken Xuan Ying detached from the other six, picking up the fleeing Wu Yuan, Chen Xuanfeng, Qu Long, and the many other Demon Sect disciples on the demonic path.

It also seized the shrunken demonic stone, the Demon Lair, resting at the bottom of the Demon Abyss.

The Mirror Tunnel then descended onto the Demon Subjugating Shrine, shrouding it like a massive curtain.

Crack!

The Demon Subjugating Shrine shattered.

Fortunately, Li Wang had already eradicated the unsealed Demon Gods within the shrine.

He had even summoned a starry river to swallow the possessed Xiang Shengwei.

Boom!

Xiang Shengwei's body burst apart in the starry river.

However, the Great Demon God He Motian was not so easily destroyed. A massive figure with four heads, four faces, and four arms emerged from Xiang Shengwei's body.

He Motian, possessing Xiang Shengwei's divine soul, seized the opportunity to escape through the Mirror Tunnel.

"It's that one in the Fifth World! She's behind this!" Li Wang cried in alarm.

The six stationary Mirror Tunnels faded, and the lone wandering Mirror Tunnel sank toward the Third World.

Li Wang, Li Yuanli, Liu Fu, and the battered Dong Shangqing pursued the elusive Mirror Tunnel, transforming into streaks of light as they attempted to intercept it.

Whoosh!

An image appeared in the Mirror Tunnel as it sank into the murky energy.

Eight figures stood on the summits of thousand-zhang-high mountains. Some were towering and imposing while others were short and hunched. One figure was wreathed in blazing flames while another exuded an eerie, sinister aura.

Each of the eight figures occupied their own peak. They appeared to be gathering their strength and preparing to strike.

"Li Bai."

"Lie Yang."

"Wu Bi."

"Ah Man."

"Sha Jia."

"Jing Sha."

"Chi Feng."

"Qi Xu."

The eight Rank Ten foreign race warriors in the Mirror Tunnel quietly uttered their names.

When the four True Gods saw this, they immediately halted their descent, expressions grim.

The eight foreign race powerhouses and the four human race True Gods locked eyes through the Mirror Tunnel.