Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 530: A Resounding Victory

A dilapidated warship and the Outer God Yang Luo's human-faced spider-body puppet vessel both disintegrated into dust.

True God Liu Fu took a single step and appeared beside Jiang Fan.

"If Jiang Ran were still alive, these wicked individuals wouldn't have readily shown themselves," he sneered, glancing at the dried well where the woman was drawing upon the divine seat. "There's someone else protecting her."

The tall and burly Jiang Fan replied indifferently, "Then please find that person."

Liu Fu took out the Celestial Profound Mirror.

The colossal mirror flew upward, its surface glistening with crystalline ripples as it reflected every nook and cranny of the area below.

An ancient, withered tree with bark resembling dragon scales appeared in the mirror.

The ten-zhang-tall tree exuding an aura of death unexpectedly concealed a man within its trunk.

He was tall and refined, like a razor-sharp blade.

The tree's dragon-scale-like bark had fused with his flesh.

When the man noticed he had been discovered, the ancient tree exploded into splinters.

Whoosh!

He condensed into a streak of black light and shot out of the fragmented land.

"Chi Feng of the Blackhorn Race!" Jiang Fan sneered.

A massive imperial crown descended upon the fleeing Chi Feng.

Boom!

Fallen divine kingdoms appeared behind the imperial crown.

The Eternal Glory Divine Kingdom, the Celestial Radiance Divine Kingdom, the Heaven-Rivaling Divine Kingdom, and the Heaven-Pacifying Divine Kingdom were divine kingdoms that once stood tall in the Eastern Land.

These fallen civilizations unleashed earth-shattering power when they materialized.

Jade seals, sacred insignias, imperial decrees, and maps of sacred territories unfolded within these divine kingdoms, each emanating an aura of regality.

As the founder of his own divine kingdom, Jiang Fan had single-handedly annihilated other kingdoms to elevate the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom to the pinnacle of power in the Eastern Land.

He ascended to the True God Realm through the Dao of the Monarch after harnessing the cosmic destiny of other divine kingdoms.

The imperial crown was his ultimate treasure as it allowed him to rule the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom and compel the submission of its subjects.

Chi Feng of the Blackhorn Race was attempting to escape into one of the Mirror Tunnels and return to the Fifth World, only for the imperial crown to subdue him.

His reflection within the Celestial Profound Mirror became distinct, and Liu Fu's divine artifact only restrained him further.

Gui Mu approached from high above.

The three True Gods worked together to seal the fate of the Rank Ten warrior of the Blackhorn Race.

There was no hope of survival for Chi Feng.

***

Li Wang appeared beside a crystal-clear stream in the western region of the Imperial Dominion and crouched by its bank.

Gazing at the scattered pebbles at the bottom of the stream, he grinned and asked, "He Motian, how long do you think you can hide?

"We constructed another teleportation array beneath the barren wasteland in the south, where the Pool of Reincarnation once resided within the Sunken Crypt.

"This array also affects the six hidden Mirror Tunnels around the fragmented land. Those Mirror Tunnels have long lost their ability to shuttle back and forth, but you're probably already aware of that.

"We were willing to sacrifice the entire Imperial Dominion just to ambush you. Did you really think we'd let you leave unscathed?"

As Li Wang spoke, Li Yuanli of the Divine Treasure Sect and Dong Shangqing of the Ancient Law Sect arrived, mimicking Li Wang's actions as they similarly crouched beside the stream.

They had arrived in the Imperial Dominion through the teleportation array established in the Sunken Crypt soon after Gui Mu.

The gazes of these three True Gods all fell upon an inconspicuous black pebble at the bottom of the stream.

After a long silence, a voice sighed.

"The cunning and treachery of the human race are no less despicable than those of us, the Demon Races.

"I never expected that Xiang Shengwei's divine soul, which I worked so hard to seize and refine into this vessel, would be wasted here in the Imperial Dominion," He Motian said regretfully.

Several Great Demon Gods had worked together to devise a grand plan, aiming to revive the Primordial Demon using Li Zhaotian. Unfortunately, it failed when Li Zhaotian unexpectedly abandoned his path to godhood.

To this day, they remain unaware of where the Primordial Demon was taken.

After their carefully orchestrated plan failed, the Sovereign in the Fifth World secretly made new arrangements. They worked with Zi Mo, the high-ranking God of the Ghost Race, to help two heretical cultivators ascend to the True God Realm in the Imperial Dominion.

This was designed to lure the True Gods of the human race so they could ambush and eliminate them using the six hidden Mirror Tunnels.

That Sovereign had also once saved He Motian. Thus, the leader of the Demon Races in the outer worlds naturally responded to her plans with unwavering support and cooperation.

He was the black star in the sky that had killed Shang Xiuchun and devoured Jiang Ran's divine soul, taking control of his body.

After eluding Gui Mu's detection, he used a secret technique to transform himself into an unremarkable pebble and hide in the nearby stream.

Despite his efforts, Li Wang had still discovered him in the end.

"He Motian, you truly underestimate us humans," Dong Shangqing of the Ancient Law Sect sneered. "Did you truly think the minor setbacks we suffered on the Dark Abyss and Cosmic Skies Continents of the Third World would crush us? That we'd fall into irreversible decline?

"The human race has ruled the Abyss for over thirty thousand years. Do you think we could've maintained dominance if we were so easily defeated?"

The pebble at the bottom of the stream responded with an eruption of demonic energy, turning the waters a deep, ghostly black as He Motian resolved to fight to the death.

"Li Wang, how did you find me?" He Motian asked.

"When the Demon Subjugating Shrine was destroyed, a trace of starlight seeped into your demonic soul.

"I spent over a century refining that trace of starlight. It was drawn from celestial radiance and is so subtle that even the Gods in the starry skies can't detect it," Li Wang explained with a smile.

Dong Shangqing shook his sleeve.

His compass slipped into the blackened stream with radiant streaks of light.

Tiny talismans flared within the radiance, forming the Cosmos Inversion Chaos Array that sealed off any opportunity for He Motian's demonic will to escape.

Li Yuanli smiled brightly.

Blackgold Wood, Mystic Gourd, Iron Radiance Stone, and the Heaven-Reaching Sacred Bamboo appeared around the stream, and Li Yuanli guided them to form a grand array using his divine soul.

The array, named Demon Entrapment, was an unparalleled masterpiece Li Yuanli had created shortly after the battle on the Demon Abyss Continent.

Unlike before, Li Wang, Li Yuanli, and Dong Shangqing were fully prepared.

Even if He Motian's true body descended, he would struggle to prevail against them, let alone in this half-divine vessel he resided in.

***

Zi Mo, He Motian, You Kui, Yang Luo, Wu Bi, Chi Feng, and countless heretical cultivators were destined to perish in the Imperial Dominion.

The True Gods of the human race had meticulously planned their counterattack, allowing them to achieve a decisive and overwhelming victory.

The rise of murky energy had allowed the foreign races in the Fifth World to conquer the Third and Fourth Worlds.

During this time, the Dragon Lair Sect had declared neutrality, depriving the human race of a steadfast ally.

The Demon Sect on the Demon Abyss Continent had also defected to the side of the foreign races. Meanwhile, heretical cultivators were spreading rumors far and wide to sow division within the human race.

Li Wang and Gui Mu had led the True Gods in laying their plans in these dire times. In sacrificing the Imperial Dominion and seven thousand righteous rogue cultivators, they dealt a devastating blow to the rampant arrogance of their enemies.

The half-divine bodies of Zi Mo and He Motian had been killed alongside You Kui and Yang Luo.

Wu Bi and Chi Feng, two Rank Ten foreign race warriors, had also perished.

This was an undeniable victory for the human race.

***

The battle between Wanderer Tian Du and Mu Wentao in Imperial Dominion City had concluded.

Mu Wentao glanced at the crystalline radiance descending into Pang Jian's sea of consciousness before vanishing from the city.

No one knew where he went, nor did anyone pursue him.

He was a True God of the human race and Gui Mu's junior brother. Only Gui Mu could decide on his fate now.

After Mu Wentao's departure, Wanderer Tian Du approached Pang Jian, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Li Zhaotian isn't here, so I'll be your protector in his stead.

Your path to godhood is one that no one can interfere with. Your fate rests solely in your hands.

All I can do is ensure no one disturbs you.