Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 532: Immortal Divine Soul

Pang Jian's path to godhood was initiated without any prior warning.

The radiant clouds symbolizing a divine seat had recognized the potential within him after the Gate of the Abyss illuminated his divine soul.

This caused his path to godhood to be unexpectedly initiated.

Pang Jian was unprepared.

Jiang Cen, his master Li Zhaotian, the late Jiang Ran, and even the pale-skinned woman in the well nearby had all prepared for an untold amount of time before attempting to ascend to the True God Realm.

Every aspirant striving for godhood spared no effort, amassing immense resources and manpower to achieve perfection, leaving no margin for error.

Pills, spiritual materials, arrays, protectors, carefully chosen locations, and the precise balance of energy, mind, and spirit were all meticulously planned out.

Even the smallest oversight could destroy their path entirely.

A True God represented the pinnacle of power, capable of propelling an obscure sect to unimaginable heights and reshaping the balance of an entire region.

The Sword Pavilion and the Demon Sect had languished in the Second World for years, unable to ascend to the First World, solely because they lacked a True God.

True Gods were the foundation of a powerful sect, and the birth of one naturally had profound implications for a faction's supremacy.

The once-unmatched momentum of the Sword Pavilion suffered a devastating blow when Li Zhaotian failed to ascend to the True God Realm.

In the eyes of many, Li Zhaotian's failure was tantamount to cutting off the Sword Pavilion's future. The perceived impossibility of the sect to return to the First World caused their disciples to lose their elevated status.

No one could have anticipated that Li Zhaotian's recently accepted disciple, Pang Jian, would embark on the path to godhood so soon!

The path to godhood is fraught with hardships. Even the slightest misstep can lead to eternal ruin.

Wanderer Tian Du sighed heavily as he vigilantly scanned his surroundings.

Jiang Cen already claimed half of the Imperial Dominion's spiritual qi, while the woman in the east has absorbed the rest.

Those attempting ascension have one crucial opportunity to amass vast amounts of spiritual qi early in the process. Unfortunately for him, the spiritual qi here is woefully insufficient for that.

One normally started the ascension process by amassing an enormous reserve of spiritual qi and concentrating it in their dantian.

Only after the dantian overflowed with spiritual qi did one summon the cluster of clouds symbolizing the divine seat and carefully fuse it with their divine soul.

The divine soul's fusion with the crystalline radiance required an immense amount of spiritual qi to support the process.

This was the reason it was vital to accumulate spiritual qi early on.

As Pang Jian's temporary protector during his ascension, Wanderer Tian Du proactively constructed a spirit-gathering array beside Pang Jian when he noticed the severe lack of spiritual qi.

The spirit-gathering array, constructed from spirit jade and spirit crystals, produced spiritual qi as dense as flowing clouds, but its efficiency in channeling into Pang Jian's body was disappointingly low.

This was because Pang Jian devoted all his focus to merging with the crystalline radiance, leaving little room to absorb the spiritual qi from the array.

His lack of preparation, combined with his mere Nirvana Realm cultivation, resulted in a severe depletion of spiritual qi within his body.

This isn't good. A shortage of spiritual qi could render him unable to sustain the fusion between his divine soul and the crystalline radiance. Wanderer Tian Du frowned, concern etched across his face.

As he was about to contact Li Wang and the other True Gods for help, something extraordinary happened to Pang Jian.

The concentration of spiritual qi within Pang Jian surged in an instant!

As a True God, Wanderer Tian Du did not need to probe Pang Jian's dantian to sense the overwhelming waves of rich spiritual qi emanating from within him.

Wanderer Tian Du was astonished.

An external force is defying the constraints of space and time to pour spiritual qi directly into Pang Jian's dantian!

***

Pang Ling's spirit body was nestled within the radiant trunk of a sacred tree in Misty Swamp, maintaining a connection with Pang Jian so she could channel her refined life energy to him.

Her true form towered hundreds of zhang tall, with a massive tree trunk so thick it took dozens of people to encircle it.

She had since grown into a majestic tree the size of a mountain in Misty Swamp of Divine Fortune.

After annexing several fragmented lands, her divine power grew, allowing her to harvest greater amounts of wood energy and elevate the bloodline ranks of the Wood Race.

When Pang Jian attempted to ascend to godhood in the Imperial Dominion with his Nirvana Realm cultivation, the vast knowledge concealed within the divine seat also awakened many of her hidden memories.

These memories included the evolutionary stages of beings like herself, and based on her newfound understanding, she realized she was at Rank Eight.

Buried deep in her memories was the awareness that she could ascend to a maximum of Rank Twelve.

At Rank Twelve, she could roam the boundless starry skies and pierce stars with her branches. She could then either imbue them with unparalleled wood energy or completely drain them of vitality.

Helping father is also helping myself. My potential to advance is intricately tied to him. When he needs my support, I need to offer him my all.

Her towering tree form shrank as her abundant life energy flowed into Pang Jian.

***

A golden beehive whistled ominously deep within the bizarre mist. Atop it stood the Bee Sovereign, clad in what seemed like golden armor.

Tens of thousands of golden bees lay dormant within the beehive, awaiting the moment they could leave the bizarre mist, establish a connection with Pang Jian, and channel their soul essence to him.

A lone golden bee flitted back and forth at the boundary between the bizarre mist and the Abyss.

The Bee Sovereign remained fully informed of Pang Jian's status through this bee's repeated comings and goings. This was how he knew that Pang Jian was attempting to ascend to godhood with his Nirvana Realm cultivation.

Spiritual qi, an understanding of one's Dao, soul essence, and luck were all indispensable for those ascending to godhood.

The most critical factor of these was the divine soul.

The Bee Sovereign and the golden bees could channel their soul essence into Pang Jian's divine soul through their shared connection.

Pang Jian would never fail due to a lack of soul essence, provided the beehive was brought into the Abyss.

We too will benefit if you manage to become an Immortal Realm God. The stronger you are, the more secure our position will be.

The Bee Sovereign emerged from the bizarre mist with the beehive to support Pang Jian.

***

The crystalline radiance symbolizing a divine seat within Pang Jian's sea of consciousness was like a bridge connecting the heavens above and the underworld below.

This guiding beam was a mystical substance encompassing the mysteries tied to Pang Jian himself.

Pang Jian's once-ethereal divine soul gradually solidified as it fused with the crystalline radiance.

The divine soul was a spiritual entity; a fusion of divine consciousness, memories, and soul essence.

Though possessing both form and shadow, the divine soul was ultimately not a physical body of flesh and blood. One's corporeal self was vital for anchoring the divine soul.

The physical body was the source of many powers as it housed the dantian and the Providence Mystic Reservoir Acupoint, as well as one's vital organs, flesh, and blood.

The fundamental laws of the world were shattered when that ray of light representing the divine seat fused with Pang Jian's divine soul.

Pang Jian's ethereal divine soul rapidly condensed into a tangible form.

The fusion of the divine seat granted the once-ethereal divine soul a framework of bone and flesh, endowing it with all the elements required for independent existence.

Immortal Realm Gods were known for their Immortal Divine Souls.

Once formed, this divine soul could exist independently from one's physical body, persisting eternally even if one's body perished and decayed.

In other words, Pang Jian's divine soul would transcend his mortal body if he successfully fused his divine soul with the crystalline radiance to form an Immortal Divine Soul.

A critical piece of information rushed into his mind.

Immediately after forming, Immortal Divine Souls would break free from the constraint of one's mortal body, escape the confines of the Abyss, and soar beyond the barrier to roam the starry skies!

Pang Jian's heart trembled.

The escape path that the True Gods and Fey Gods of the Abyss had long sought would be effortlessly presented before him with the formation of his Immortal Divine Soul.

He would not need to exhaust his strength breaking through the barrier.

His Immortal Divine Soul would cross it on its own upon formation.

More information continued to appear in his mind as the crystalline radiance merged with his divine soul.

The Nirvana Realm signifies transcendence over life and death, to achieve rebirth through destruction. Breaking through the Nirvana Realm means breaking the chains of karma and attaining true liberation to achieve immortality.

The profound truths revealed to each cultivator during their ascension were unique to the individual and closely connected to their personal Dao.

This served to fill in the gaps in one's knowledge and refine their understanding.

Pang Jian's grasp of the Nirvana Realm was shallow and his comprehension of the Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea was vague. He also had no prior knowledge about Immortal Divine Souls.

Thus, the crystalline radiance bestowed a torrent of knowledge to illuminate him on these matters.

Organizing and processing this influx of information allowed Pang Jian to overcome his deficiencies and identify his flaws.

Unfortunately, this process demanded an immeasurable amount of spiritual qi, blood essence, and soul essence.

As the crystalline radiance merged with his divine soul, it greedily drew from his body, as though seeking to drain him entirely.

The ascension process and the realization of his Immortal Divine Soul seemed as though it would exhaust his mortal body to its limits.

A terrifying thought occurred to Pang Jian.

The formation of his Immortal Divine Soul felt as though it would suck his entire body dry if his internal reserves proved insufficient.

It was akin to certain creatures that devoured their own discarded shells as they grew.

If his internal reserves proved insufficient, the Immortal Divine Soul would consume his physical body to fuel its transformation and emerge in radiant glory in its place.

Fortunately, he could feel the black turtle, the Nether Abyss Spirit Bees, and Pang Ling's selfless support.

The black turtle offered rich spiritual qi, vast blood essence, and metal energy.

Having since ascended to Rank Nine, the black turtle gave everything he could, sparing no effort to aid Pang Jian.

Outside the bizarre mist, thousands upon thousands of golden bees released strands of soul essence from within the massive golden beehive to aid Pang Jian in solidifying his Immortal Divine Soul.

Pang Ling, meanwhile, ceaselessly poured life energy into Pang Jian.

The human race cultivation system in the Abyss had only ever theorized the formation of an Immortal Divine Soul.

However, the selfless efforts of these extraordinary beings were now bringing this unprecedented achievement to fruition.

***

Gui Mu sat alone above the dried well in the eastern region of the Imperial Dominion.

Li Wang had instructed several other True Gods to spread out across the fragmented land.

"There's no movement from the six Mirror Tunnels, but they also have yet to vanish," he observed.

Despite their decisive victory, Li Wang remained vigilant. He was well aware that their adversary in the Fifth World was a Sovereign.

Every precaution was necessary when dealing with a Sovereign.

Li Wang retrieved a clay jar, pouring starlight-infused water onto his hand and scattering it in the air to reveal one of the concealed Mirror Tunnels.

This Mirror Tunnel was constructed through spatial techniques and a vast amount of divine power, with seven torn spatial rifts surrounding it.

Murky energy churned within the slender spatial rifts, shrouding them in pitch-black darkness.

All seven spatial rifts were clearly connected to the Fifth World of the Abyss.

Forty-two such spatial rifts were scattered across the Imperial Dominion, seven for each of the six Mirror Tunnels.

Fortunately, the teleportation array deep within the Sunken Crypt restricted these spatial rifts and prevented anything from passing through.

Although Li Wang knew that these forty-two spatial rifts were contained, he could not help but feel uneasy.

The spatial rifts and the Mirror Tunnels tied to them had not disappeared. This caused him to suspect that the Sovereign had not yet given up.

He knew the spatial rifts and the Mirror Tunnels could act as the Sovereign's eyes and ears.

In other words, the Six Mirror Tunnels and forty-two spatial rifts in the outer edge of the Imperial Dominion allowed the Sovereign to observe the fragmented land from multiple angles.

That Sovereign could be watching them from the Fifth World at this very moment.

They could be monitoring the dried well near Gui Mu or Pang Jian's ascension within Imperial Dominion City.

Dong Shangqing of the Ancient Law Sect sneered. "Is that Sovereign so unwilling to accept failure?"

"Perhaps she never knew defeat," Jiang Fan said as he peered up at the bright sky. "A Sovereign plotted against the Abyss, attempting to eliminate us in one sweep, only to fail. This could be an unbearable humiliation for someone like them."

"Something feels off," Liu Fu said with knitted brows. When the others turned to him, he shook his head. "I can't quite put my finger on what it is.

"But if their plan failed, why didn't they just retract their divine power and dismantle the spatial rifts and Mirror Tunnels?

"The fact that they still remain suggests that the Sovereign hasn't given up. I fear they could still have a hidden move up their sleeve."

***

A figure shrouded in a mist of blood loomed atop a Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar in the Fifth World.

The Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar had stood for tens of thousands of years on the First Continent. Towering stone mountains surrounded it, with each stretching tens of thousands of zhang into the sky.

Atop the peaks of these mountains stood the Rank Ten overlords of the Fifth World: Li Bai of the Demon Scale Race, Lie Yang of the Radiant Race, Ah Man of the one-eyed giants, Sha Jia of the Celestial Race, Jing Sha of the Dark Shadow Race, and Qi Xu of the Flame Race.

Six Mirror Tunnels connected to the Second World hovered above these mighty figures.

These Mirror Tunnels resembled vertical, unblinking eyes, each showing their respective views of the Imperial Dominion on the other side.

Li Wang, Li Yuanli, Dong Shangqing, Liu Fu, and Jiang Fan could be seen through one of the Mirror Tunnels.

The powerful foreign races below could see and hear the True Gods' conversation with crystal clarity, down to even the subtle shifts in their expressions.

They had witnessed everything from Wu Bi and Chi Feng's deaths to the destruction of He Motian's and Zi Mo's half-divine bodies.

The Sovereign's grand plan had failed. The Mirror Tunnels were no longer functional, and the spatial rifts had lost their intended effects.

Despite this, not one Rank Ten foreign race warrior dared to question the Sovereign or voice the slightest dissatisfaction.

Recent events had forced them to recognize the Sovereign's exalted and unparalleled status among the Outer Gods.

Mere Rank Ten beings like themselves were no more than ants in the eyes of the Sovereign, like dust that could be wiped away with a mere swipe of the hand.

If this were the vast starry skies instead of the Abyss, they would not even qualify to stand before the Sovereign.

Even a high-ranking Outer God was an unattainable existence to them.

A Sovereign stood above even the high-ranking Outer God.

The insurmountable gap between their statuses, powers, and levels of existence meant that none of the Rank Ten foreign races dared to harbor the slightest dissatisfaction at their loss.

They dared not even feel such emotions in the depth of their hearts.

Their reverence and fear for this Sovereign was boundless in equal measure.

The Sovereign had never once offered an explanation, nor did she need to.

Her will was absolute and her majesty eternal.

The Sovereign atop the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar in the Fifth World suddenly closed her eyes.

At the bottom of the dried well in the eastern region of the Imperial Dominion, the pale woman ascending through the Dao of Death opened her eyes within the black stone coffin.

The cluster of clouds symbolizing her divine seat had completely disappeared.

Waves of deathly aura flowed beneath the ground of Imperial Dominion City and across the entire Imperial Dominion.

These waves astonishingly evaded the notice of Gui Mu and the True Gods, even as they converged on the black stone coffin where she resided.

Whoosh!

The black stone coffin plummeted hundreds of li into the subterranean reaches of the Imperial Dominion.

The coffin then headed directly to the Sunken Crypt beneath the southern barren wasteland and came to a rest in the pit where the Pool of Reincarnation had once rested.

An octagonal teleportation array now occupied this pit, glowing brilliantly within the swirling Profound Yin energy.

This was the array that had rendered the six Mirror Tunnels and the forty-two spatial rifts ineffective.

The pale woman stepped out from the black stone coffin.

Boundless divine power, infused with the aura of death, surged forth. Using the black stone coffin as an amplifier, she obliterated the octagonal teleportation array in a single blow.

The spatial rifts and the six Mirror Tunnels vanished right under the noses of Li Wang and the other True Gods.

By the time Gui Mu had noticed that the black stone coffin was gone, it had already been far too late to intervene.

Gui Mu had every confidence that she could suppress the birth of a new god, regardless of how exceptional they were.

However, the same could not be said for a Sovereign.

This Sovereign possessed six distinct consciousnesses, each capable of splitting off and independently ascending to godhood.

The one above the black stone coffin was merely one of them.