Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 531: The Gathering of Outer Gods

In the cold depths of the starry skies beyond the Abyss, the Frost Crystal God piloted her divine platform, making her way to the Moon God. As she passed through a nebula, she knitted her brows and pulled to a stop.

Nestled between three massive stars was a nebula that churned with divine power. The imposing figures of Outer Gods could be seen within it.

Light swirled around them, amplifying the size of their already colossal forms.

Over a dozen Outer Gods had gathered in their true bodies.

However, the Frost Crystal God was clearly not among those invited.

In the center of the nebula stood He Motian, a towering figure with four heads, four arms, and four faces. His majestic figure emanated a magnetic field of demonic energy that spanned millions of zhang. This force was capable of crushing even the tiniest stars in the distance.

Zi Mo, the high-ranking God of the Ghost Race, had a slender body with eerie soul rivers surrounding her like ribbons. Each of these soul rivers was filled with wandering souls and spectral entities.

There were several rivers, with each corresponding to a world under Zi Mo's dominion, where she controlled life, death, and the cycle of reincarnation.

Zi Mo's divine platform, forged from multiple Sunken Crypts, hovered beneath her. While conversing with He Motian, she noticed the passing of the Frost Crystal God.

Zi Mo shot her a casual glance, seemingly indifferent to her presence.

The Frost Crystal God, on the other hand, respectfully bowed toward Zi Mo and He Motian from afar before preparing to leave.

Zi Mo and He Motian were high-ranked Outer Gods, while she was only a mid-ranked Outer God. It was customary among the Outer Gods to show respect to those of higher rank.

"Wait for me," the Moon God called out from within the nebula.

Steering her divine platform, she flew out from the nebula brimming with divine power.

The Frost Crystal God was surprised to see that the Moon God had been among those invited to the gathering.

Studying the eager expressions of the other Outer Gods within the nebula, the Frost Crystal God abruptly realized that her reclusive nature was likely the reason she had been excluded.

Soon after, the Moon God and the Frost Crystal God departed from the nebula and headed toward the moon together.

On their way, the Frost Crystal God could not help but ask, "What happened?"

"Their plot against the human race in the Abyss has failed," Moon God Ying Yue explained. "Both He Motian and ZI Mo's half-divine bodies were obliterated in the Imperial Dominion.

"They won't be able to forge new battle-ready bodies for some time. The losses were significant.

"The Rank Ten warriors Wu Bi and Chi Feng from the Fifth World also perished.

"Mu Wentao, a True God supporting Zi Mo, has been exposed. The other True Gods of the human race will likely hunt him down.

"A cultivator worshiping Zi Mo attempted to ascend to the True God Realm through the Dao of Ghost but failed in their breakthrough.

"Strangely, the cluster of clouds symbolizing the divine seat did not immediately dissipate but was instead drawn toward that rogue named Pang Jian.

"Another, attempting to ascend as a God of Death, is under the close watch of the True Gods.

"Also—"

"Wait!" the Frost Crystal God interrupted, her icy gaze glowing brilliantly. "Did you say Pang Jian? The one from the Sword Pavilion? He's trying to ascend to godhood?

"Isn't he only in the Nirvana Realm? How could someone in the Nirvana Realm ascend to godhood?"

Ying Yue's cold expression deepened from within her moonlit divine platform. "Why are you so interested in him?"

Ying Yue recalled the humiliation she had endured through her human vessel on the Demon Abyss Continent because of him.

The corners of the Frost Crystal God's lips curved. "He's an interesting fellow."

"You've come into contact with him?"

"You could say that."

"Through divine sense?"

"Yes—ah, how did you know?"

After a brief exchange, the two fell into silence.

***

Dawn broke in the Imperial Dominion.

Aboard an anchored Sword Boat in the skies beyond the fragmented land, Liu Junhong's sword token was ringing urgently.

Ding! Ding!

Guang He and Wang Ce grasped their sword tokens as well.

The messages came from Xu Yu.

She informed them that Great Elder Jiang Ran had perished in the Imperial Dominion, and the Celestial Gate carrying his Dao of Sword had been destroyed.

"Where are the True Gods?!" Liu Junhong snarled, unable to suppress his fury.

"They're there. They've always been there," Xu Yu replied after a brief silence. "They already knew about the upheaval in the Imperial Dominion and were prepared for it.

"Wu Bi and Chi Feng, two Rank Ten foreign race warriors, were killed. He Motian's and Zi Mo's half-divine bodies were also destroyed.

"Even You Kui, Yang Luo, and many other Outer Gods puppet vessels were completely eliminated.

"However, they sacrificed seven thousand righteous rogue cultivators and Senior Brother Jiang Ran for this victory.

"Li Wang has sent word that the upheaval in the Imperial Dominion has been resolved. The six Mirrored Tunnels that the Sovereign set up are no longer functional.

"The Sword Boat can proceed to the Imperial Dominion without fear of the foreign races ambushing it."

At that moment, Xu Yu received another message.

"Wait, what?!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "Pang Jian is in the Imperial Dominion! He's drawn in a cluster of clouds symbolizing a divine seat and is attempting to ascend to godhood while still in the Nirvana Realm!"

"What?!"

The three elders of the Sword Pavilion were shaken to their core.

News of Jiang Ran's death, the True Gods' schemes, and the foreign races' defeat were all temporarily set aside as the Sword Boat set off for the Imperial Dominion at full speed.

***

At the bottom of a dried-up well in the eastern region of the Imperial Dominion, a pale-skinned woman in a black stone coffin continued to absorb the thick aura of death and merge it with the radiant clouds symbolizing a divine seat.

She seemed completely unaware that the world outside had been turned upside down, oblivious to the fact that her protectors—the wooden statue, Mu Weifeng, and the Blackhorn Race's Chi Feng—had already perished.

Above the well, Gui Mu wove sinister Netherworld Specter Karma Threads through Chi Feng's corpse as she unraveled everything the foreign race powerhouse had experienced in life.

Harnessing the power of the Netherworld Specter Karma Threads, Gui Mu extracted critical information from Chi Feng, learning everything from the intricate schemes of the Sovereign in the Fifth World to the number of Outer Gods currently in the Abyss.

She then used the threads to hunt down several of his close associates within the Blackhorn Race.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The soul of a Rank Nine warrior of the Blackhorn Race was extinguished with every Netherworld Specter Karma Thread that snapped.

Gui Mu used Chi Feng's Rank Ten bloodline to trace seven powerful Blackhorn Race warriors and systematically eliminate them, nearly wiping out their entire elite force in one fell swoop.

The Blackhorn Race of the Fifth World would be irreversibly crippled after this and would no longer pose a threat to the human race.

Boom!

Gui Mu casually discarded Chi Feng's corpse as she landed beside the dried-up well.

The woman attempting to ascend to the True God Realm absorbed the aura of death that surged from the perished Rank Ten warrior. A grayish flow of light visibly poured into the well and intertwined with the crystalline radiance above the woman's head.

Jiang Fan, his long hair draping over his shoulders and his imperial crown upon his head, hovered above, gazing down at the well.

"She has no protectors left. It's clearly a dead end for her, yet she persists in striving for godhood," Jiang Fan curiously remarked. "She would perish the instant any one of us intervened. Why not just give up on ascending to the True God Realm?"

Liu Fu stood beside the well. "She likely has a deep-seated obsession with ascending."

"I'll be her protector. I want to see if she can truly ascend to the True God Realm through the Dao of Death," Gui Mu said, no hint of jest in her voice. "I'm genuinely curious whether this Dao is even viable."

Jiang Fan and Liu Fu were stunned.

"Don't worry. The three of us are here. Even if she succeeds in becoming the God of Death, she will still perish soon after ascending," Gui Mu said, glancing toward Imperial Dominion City. "Pang Jian is attempting to ascend to godhood despite only being in the Nirvana Realm.

"He knows the impossibility of it, but he still stubbornly pushes forward, just like her.

"Let them carry on. I'm only interested in the results. Aren't you curious as well?"

Jiang Fan and Liu Fu exchanged glances before nodding.

"It wouldn't hurt to observe."

***

In Imperial Dominion City, Wanderer Tian Du pressed his white lantern onto the Abyssal Demon Sword in Pang Jian's hand, rendering the Abyssal Demon helpless using the immense power he had imprinted upon the city in advance.

"Don't blame me for sealing you," he muttered. "Your sudden interruption caused Mo Nan to fail when he attempted to ascend to the True God Realm.

"You then possessed Mo Nan and used his body to wreak havoc. I have no wish to see history repeat itself, so I'll preemptively seal you first."

The white lantern emitted a ghostly white flame that illuminated the Abyssal Demon Sword.

Everything inside the small world of the sword had turned a stark white. The Abyssal Demon's consciousness flickered as the six demonic realms were silenced and the demonic energy became dormant.

***

In the Resolute Expanse, the Thunderclap, Verdure, and Frostclad Paradises had successfully formed.

The moment the third Blessed Land formed, the ancient black turtle, lying dormant deep underground, opened his eyes.

His bloodline had evolved from Rank Eight to Rank Nine, transforming him into a Fey King.

His combat prowess would be significantly enhanced within the Resolute Expanse, his meticulously refined domain.

Although he was still only in Rank Nine, his combat prowess on the Resolute Expense was comparable to a Rank Ten Fey God.t

Long-buried ancient memories surface one after another. As the black turtle was sifting through them, he sensed something amiss from Pang Jian's side.

He's attempting to ascend as an Immortal Realm God from the Nirvana Realm! he realized in shock.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The dense spiritual qi of the Resolute Expanse suddenly condensed and cascaded like radiant rain into the depths of the earth.

Using their connection, the black turtle channeled pure, abundant spiritual qi directly into Pang Jian's dantian.

He knew from his memories as a Fey God that ascending to an Immortal Realm God from the Nirvana Realm was theoretically possible.

However, the fact was that no one had ever succeeded in practice.