Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 193: The Desperate Battle of the Foreign Races

So you're coming for that spirit vein! Pang Jian exclaimed in excitement.

After forming his divine sense, Pang Jian noticed his communication with the black turtle had become much smoother. The black turtle understood his transmitted thoughts more accurately and could express itself more easily as well.

Divine sense may not drastically boost my combat prowess, but its versatile applications are incredibly beneficial to me, Pang Jian thought.

Delighted, Pang Jian continued to converse with the black turtle.

The black turtle told Pang Jian that his presence in the Primordial Wilderness had allowed it to detect the underground spirit vein. For the black turtle, a spirit vein was far more precious than a mineral vein as it was crucial for its advancement and the creation of a blessed land.

In that case, let me help you become stronger and assist you in obtaining that spirit vein!

Sinking to the riverbed, Pang Jian retrieved the barrels containing the blood of the Rank Seven Scarlet-Eyed Demon Wolf and the Rank Seven Blood Lizard from his spatial bracelet and sent them over to the black turtle using his bronze pendant.

The black turtle eagerly devoured the blood of the Rank Seven Vicious Beasts, causing its body to swell once again. Its massive feet glowed with divine light and the natural patterns on its shell seemed to wriggle as if they were alive. Finally, an immense surge of blood essence burst forth.

The nameless fragmented land rumbled as clusters of faint spiritual qi were rapidly drawn to it.

The black turtle then transmitted an astonishing message. As long as Pang Jian set foot on its territory, he could wield some of its power. This would allow Pang Jian to harmonize with the land, greatly enhancing his strength and granting him unique abilities.

Harmonizing with the land? Pang Jian wondered, brows twitching.

Maintaining his connection with the black turtle, he attempted to examine the nameless fragmented land.

His perception through the black turtle was amplified a thousandfold!

Pang Jian could sense every blade of grass, tree, mountain, stone, and creature within the forest of the vast nameless fragmented land!

He could even sense the blood flowing within the birds and beasts.

Even the smallest insects and the thin wings on their backs were visible to Pang Jian.

So this is harmonizing with the land!

Pang Jian realized he could direct the increasingly dense spiritual qi within the nameless fragmented land at will. He could concentrate the spiritual qi in the forest on Cloud Island or divert it elsewhere.

If I can manipulate the spiritual qi in the nameless fragmented land, does that mean I could infuse my attacks with the abundant spiritual qi while I'm there? Could I deny my enemies access to spiritual qi if they were on the nameless fragmented land? Pang Jian pondered.

Noting the direction of his thoughts, the black turtle informed Pang Jian that the fragmented land's power could suppress and weaken anyone on it, preventing them from fully utilizing their strength.

Pang Jian was amazed.

I can weaken my enemy's strength while significantly enhancing mine!

He recalled how Ni Chen from the Blood Moon Sect had attempted to create a sinister crimson canopy in Misty Swamp, claiming it would boost the Blood Moon Sect disciples' strength while limiting the strength of outsiders.

However, Luo Hongyan's Spirit Devils had torn apart the canopy before it could fully form, so Pang Jian never got to experience its intricacies.

According to the black turtle, its nameless fragmented land worked in the same way, allowing it to achieve an almost god-like status while restricting all other inhabitants on it.

Thanks to you, I can wield your authority on that nameless fragmented land. I can freely use the spiritual qi and observe everyone's every move. If anyone dares to oppose me, their strength will be greatly diminished while mine increases. This... Pang Jian's eyes lit up with excitement.

If what the black turtle says is true, wouldn't I, Pang Jian, with only my Profound Abode Realm cultivation, be able to contend with Spirit Condensation Realm cultivators on its nameless fragmented land?

Pang Jian could not help but fantasize about luring Jiu Yuan, Lou Yunming, and the other Spirit Condensation Realm elders to that nameless fragmented land and killing them one by one.

Crack!

Boom!

The black turtle continued to grow, causing the surrounding stones to crack and the ground of the fragmented land to shake. The blood of Rank Seven Vicious Beasts had provided the black turtle with immense help in boosting its strength and size.

As it was about to enter a brief slumber, the black turtle transmitted one last message, stating that it could influence parts of the Primordial Wilderness and turn it into its dominion once it arrived.

I could influence the Primordial Wilderness! A plan began to form in Pang Jian's mind.

Over the next few days, Pang Jian remained patient, periodically connecting to the black turtle as he awaited the arrival of the nameless fragmented land. The fragmented land continued to travel onward despite the black turtle being in a state of hibernation.

The black turtle had cleverly maneuvered the nameless fragmented land beneath thick clouds bordering the Third and Fourth World so it could travel undetected.

The thick clouds beneath the Third World meant that the inhabitants of the Fourth World only ever saw a perpetual gray sky and could never see the sun, moon, or stars. At best, they could occasionally glimpse the floating fragmented lands above the clouds.

One day, in a cave on the Fourth Peak, after lying in the copper chest to absorb solar, lunar, and stellar energies, Pang Jian reestablished a connection with the black turtle.

The black turtle was now extremely close to the Primordial Wilderness. It was so close that he could see the vague outline of the Primordial Wilderness from the nameless fragmented land.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

A Fire Cloud Ship and a Formless Sailboat left the Primordial Wilderness and headed toward the Fourth World. Boarded on the flying vessels were members of the Celestial Race, the Ghost Race, the Demon Scale Race, and the Wood Race.

These foreign race warriors were carrying their spoils from the Primordial Wilderness to the contaminated Fourth World, intending to deliver the crucial spirit materials from the Fourth World to the Fifth World.

Rumble!

In the cave, Pang Jian suddenly felt the ground tremble. Pushing aside the rocks blocking the entrance, he stood on the mountainside of the Fourth Peak and gazed into the distance.

Five towering one-eyed giants, each several dozen zhang tall, were climbing the First Peak under the cover of night. Although they had bodies as tough as granite, they were covered in bone-deep wounds. Strangely enough, no blood flowed from these wounds.

Blinding lights shot out from the cave dwellings and killing arrays embedded within the stone paths as the one-eyed giants climbed the First Peak.

The two-thousand-zhang-high First Peak of the Primordial Wilderness was like a spiked beast inflicting constant injury to the one-eyed giants.

Despite their growing wounds, the howling one-eyed giants relentlessly continued their ascent.

Whoosh!

The warriors of the Celestial Race and the Demon Scale Race on the Second Peak flew toward the summit of the First Peak. The members of the Wood Race and the Ghost Race had already left the Third Peak and coordinated with the one-eyed giants to launch a fearless assault on the summit of the First Peak.

It was destined to be a fierce battle.

A one-eyed giant finally managed to reach the summit when an enormous three-legged cauldron appeared. The cauldron's walls were engraved with nine suns, which blazed with a brilliant light.

Boom!

The cauldron struck the one-eyed giant. and it fell from the First Peak, causing the ground to tremble once more. Just like that, the powerful one-eyed giant was met with a heroic end.

"The Nine Suns Cauldron is truly extraordinary!"

"The Radiant Sun Sect must trust Yang Rui immensely to bestow such a high-grade spiritual artifact upon him for protection."

Exclamations of awe echoed from a distant valley and Pang Jian could faintly hear their words from where he stood halfway up the Fourth Peak

Pang Jian continued to watch the battle closely.

That night, three one-eyed giants met their end. Dozens of warriors from the Ghost Race, the Wood Race, and the Demon Scale Race perished, and over a hundred Rank Four and Rank Five Vicious Beasts lay dead.

Their bodies were strewn across the valleys of the First Peak.

None of the invading forces had managed to break through the Spirit Slaughtering Astral Array and reach the summit of the First Peak. The foreign race warriors eventually retreated, regrouping at the Second Peak and the Third Peak to heal their injuries and prepare for another assault.

"The foreign race warriors won't last much longer." Huang Qi's voice came from beneath a long, narrow rock below Pang Jian. He grinned and waved at Pang Jian before continuing, "The weaker foreign race warriors have already flown away on flying vessels. The ones left behind don't seem to plan on leaving alive.

"Cao Mang and the others won't need reinforcements after one or two more waves of their suicidal assaults on the summit. At that point, Old Monster Cao will likely even leave the summit to hunt them.

"They'll eventually meet their doom if they can't break the Spirit Slaughtering Astral Array and just keep attacking recklessly," Huang Qi said, shaking his head regretfully.

Pang Jian leaped down and stood beside Huang Qi to stare at the scattered rogue cultivators and noble family elders in a distant valley.

Those people...

"Shouldn't the foreign race warriors have noticed them?" Pang Jian asked. "Why haven't they attacked?"

"They tried," Huang Qi said with a smile. "But whenever the foreign race warriors riding black wyverns approached, they scattered and hid in the nearby forests, caves, and valleys before concealing their presence.

"The foreign race warriors have limited manpower now that they've lost some of their numbers and sent people to the Fourth World. They don't have the resources to play hide-and-seek with these cultivators.

"They also seem to have realized the spirit materials these cultivators carry are largely redundant and aren't worth their time to pursue.

"The invading forces are more interested in capturing the First Peak and seizing the treasures from Spirit Condensation Realm cultivators like Cao Mang, Lady Hua, Jiu Yuan, Lou Yunming, and Wei Wenhan. Their main objective in coming here is to collect rare spirit materials, not to kill human cultivators."

Pang Jian nodded in understanding.

The two chatted for some time on the mountainside of the Fourth Peak when Pang Jian noticed a giant umbrella approaching from the Fifth Peak.

"Liang Ying of the Star River Alliance," Pang Jian said coldly.