Trials of the Abyss

When none of the dozen or so living dead responded, Ye Fei shouted again, "Luo Yuan, I know it's you! I can't think of anyone from our Black Valley Sect or your Sword Pavilion with such strength and methods!"

"If this Luo Yuan exists, then it must be him!" Fang Boxuan agreed.

"Luo Yuan, an outer disciple from the Sword Pavilion..." Lu Lingchan's bamboo flute hummed as she said with cold defiance, "I'd like to see what makes someone with more divine sense than me so extraordinary!"

The others also stared intently below, scanning the faces of the living dead as they tried to identify the hidden culprit.

Meanwhile, Pang Jian rubbed his temples and quietly shook his head, feeling like he was suffering from an unexpected disaster.

The murderer is hiding among the living dead...

He summoned his golden divine sense out of his sea of consciousness and into his eyes.

Pang Jian examined each living dead with his golden eyes, studying their facial expressions and body to see if he could identify the hidden culprit.

Even after a careful round of scrutinization, he found nothing unusual.

There were sixteen living dead, and their expressions, eyes, breathing, and movements were almost identical.

Unfortunately, Pang Jian's golden eyes could not penetrate their sea of consciousness to see their thoughts.

"This person is dangerous. Everyone must be careful," Qi Qingsong cautioned as he summoned his Blue Dream Sword.

He was contemplating whether or not to use his recently comprehended Dream Sword Technique to probe their minds with an enchanting dreamscape.

"I'll find him!" Dong Tianze suddenly shouted, leaping down and summoning his Ghost's Cry. "The Sinister Soul Temple technique I practice includes a secret art that allows me to perceive the minds of others and probe their thoughts. Normally, the target must be completely restrained to cast it, but with their current state that's not an issue.

"I'll test them one by one. If anyone resists, they're the culprit. I can also see the true thoughts of those who don't resist and confirm they've truly lost all hope."

Everyone's eyes brightened.

The rest of them descended from the balcony and spread around Dong Tianze on the deck.

"Dong Tianze, will your secret art destroy their sea of consciousness?" Qi Qingsong asked seriously.

Out of the sixteen, nine were from the Sword Pavilion and he feared they would end up losing their souls if Dong Tianze performed his secret art.

As the leader of the Sword Pavilion expedition, he felt responsible for protecting the survivors and preserving their lives.

Dong Tianze shook his head. "No, it won't."

Qi Qingsong relaxed.

"Alright then, go ahead and cast your secret art. We'll cover you!" Qi Qingsong said with fierce eyes. "I also want to see if this Luo Yuan is hiding among the living dead." Ṛá𐌽ổꞖƐṠ

Zhuang Yuyan added, "Go ahead. Such a person is truly terrifying. It's best to root him out as soon as possible for everyone's sake."

"Pang Jian, do you also think someone is hiding among them?" Zhou Qingchen asked uneasily, having stuck close to Pang Jian after descending from the balcony. "What kind of person could be vicious enough to disguise themselves as one of the living dead? What's he planning?"

"He wants to survive alone by seizing everyone's spirit jades and prolonging his life as much as possible," Pang Jian replied, maintaining his vigilance. "If this person truly exists, he'll surely try to kill us all."

Earlier, he had not been overly concerned about finding the culprit.

But Zhuang Yuyan's analysis had sent a chill running down his spine.

A person cunning enough to hide among the living dead was too dangerous to let lie!

No one could predict what he would do next if they did not deal with him.

"You'll be the first," Dong Tianze said, pointing his Ghost's Cry at the forehead of one of the living dead.

The living dead was an elderly outer disciple of the Sword Pavilion in blue robes. He sat hunched over his spirit sword, which rested on his crossed legs.

The sword's blade was bright and clear like spring water was flowing through it.

His eyes were tightly shut with spirit jades in both palms and his entire body was enveloped in a watery-blue glow.

"Soul Search," Dong Tianze shouted coldly.

The holes on the blade of Ghost's Cry let out a piercing screech as wisps of greenish-gray shadows flew out, passing through the disciple's protective shield to land on his ears, the corner of his eyes, and forehead.

As the others observed, they noticed the wisps of greenish-gray shadows clinging to the disciple's skin as if listening to something.

The process only lasted for a few breaths.

Sweat beaded on Dong Tianze's face as he performed the secret art. His breathing grew heavy and his eyes widened in shock.

He hurriedly retracted the shadows, looking somewhat disheveled.

"It's not him."

Dong Tianze shook his head as his face paled.

"What did you sense?" Pang Jian curiously asked.

"A dead silence." Dong Tianze took a deep breath, complexion ashen as he said gravely, "His thoughts are completely stagnant. There's just a despair so overwhelming it started to affect me!"

Dong Tianze was shaken to the core,

"I—my willpower was being worn down. I felt compelled to give up all hope like him, to sit there lifelessly just waiting for death to arrive! I would've ended up like him if I hadn't snapped out of it in time."

With that, Dong Tianze took a Mind Soothing Pill and tried to gather himself.

"Ended up like him?"

Everyone's expressions became uneasy after hearing Dong Tianze's words.

"Let me rest for a moment." Dong Tianze closed his eyes to meditate, looking like he was trying to emerge from a terrible nightmare.

After some time, he regained his composure and moved on to the next person.

Wisps of greenish-gray shadows once again flew out from the holes on the blade of Ghost's Cry, passed through the protective shield of a Black Valley Sect disciple, and clung to their forehead, eyes, and ears.

The greenish-gray shadows seemed like little ghosts, listening closely to the person's innermost thoughts and sensing their consciousness.

Soon, Dong Tianze's forehead was again covered in cold sweat and his face paled as he exhausted his mental strength.

"This one isn't it either!" he muttered through gritted teeth.

As he prepared to retract the shadows, Dong Tianze realized they had been tainted by the aura of dead silence in the other person's mind.

He panted like his soul had been injured. "I'll need a longer break this time!"

"Are you alright?" Pang Jian asked quietly.

Dong Tianze opened his eyes, glanced at Pang Jian, and shook his head.

"I'm fine, it's just exhausting," he said. "Just because they have a protective shield doesn't mean they're safe. Something seems to have infiltrated their soul after they lost hope.

"Their state as living dead isn't a natural progression. I suspect some external force is at play."

Everyone was shocked.

Unease flickered in Zhuang Yuyan's eyes. "Are you saying we haven't been affected because our willpower is strong enough? Because we haven't given up hope?"

The Sword Boat could be stuck in the bizarre mist for a long time.

Even those with strong willpower would eventually lose hope.

Once the flame of hope in their hearts went out, this unknown force would penetrate their protective shield and eat away at their souls.

If that happened, the shadow of death would loom over them all.

Even Zhuang Yuyan could not confidently say she would still hold hope for being saved after a few years or decades.

"That's right." Dong Tianze nodded, taking a Soul Nourishing Pill to restore his mental strength.

Probing the thoughts of the two people had drained him and left him with the urge to give up like them.

If that thought were to take root, Dong Tianze felt he, too, would become one of the living dead.

Pang Jian glanced at an elderly female disciple from the Black Valley Sect and asked, "What's her name and cultivation realm?"

"Her name is Xu Jie, an outer disciple. She's in the late stage of the Profound Abode Realm." answered Lu Lianchen, the outer disciple of the Black Valley Sect, as he approached the elderly female disciple, "She's over a hundred years old, the oldest among us, and has the worst cultivation talent."

Xu Jie's hands were covered in wrinkled skin like chicken skin and her face bore deep wrinkles. It was rare for a disciple in the Second World to be a hundred years old and still in the Profound Abode Realm.

"What's wrong with her?" Lu Lingchan also approached, carefully observing Xu Jie with a confused look on her face.

She knew nothing about Xu Jie and had not paid much attention to her before Pang Jian pointed her out.

As a personal disciple of the Valley Master, Lu Lingchan stood far above the least talented outer disciple, Xu Jie, and there was a natural divide between their statuses.

"Did you notice something?" Zhuang Yuyan asked softly, leaning closer to Pang Jian.

Her eyes roamed his face as if seeing through his thoughts.

This Junior Brother is quite handsome. He's much more manly than the slick and laidback Qi Qingsong. she thought, lips curling into a faint smile.

"Pang Jian, what's going on?"

"Is it her?"

Qi Qingsong and Fang Boxuan asked.

Zhao Yuanqi hesitated, then took the large red gourd off her back and prepared herself in advance.

Zhou Qingchen, my gourd can suck you in. If things go awry, remember not to resist when I aim the mouth of the gourd at you, she whispered mentally using a secret technique of the Red Mountain Sect.

Zhou Qingchen glanced at her with a strange expression.

There are almost a dozen people here, all on high alert. How much trouble could one hidden troublemaker be? he thought. Not to mention, we also have Zhuang Yuyan, a Spirit Condensation Realm cultivator!

Zhou Qingchen felt Zhao Yuanqi was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Pang Jian did not answer their questions. Instead, he turned to Dong Tianze and said seriously, "Probe her thoughts next."

"Alright." Dong Tianze agreed without hesitation. Then, after a moment, he said, "Actually, I don't think there's a need to keep probing. These people are practically already dead and are beyond saving. We should just start killing them. Pang Jian, if you suspect her, I'll kill her for you."

The ruthless Dong Tianze then grabbed his Ghost's Cry and prepared to strike, unconcerned about whether the person was the hidden culprit.

Qi Qingsong's expression changed. "No!"

"She has a heartbeat, knows to summon a protective shield for protection, and is still absorbing the spiritual power from spirit jades." Lu Lingchan quickly added. "She's clearly alive. How could you just kill her?

"Pang Jian, why do you suspect her? If there's no concrete evidence, have Dong Tianze probe her thoughts first! You can't just kill her without proof!"

Although Xu Jie's cultivation talent was poor, she was still a disciple of the Black Valley Sect. As the leader of the Black Valley Sect's expedition party, Lu Lingchan felt it was her responsibility to protect any of her surviving sect members.

Dong Tianze scoffed coldly. "The living dead can't come back. Their self-awareness and consciousness have already been worn away."

"Are you saying they've lost their self-awareness?" Pang Jian asked.

"That's right."

Pang Jian nodded. "I understand."

His Startling Slaughter Spear shot toward the elderly Xu Jie without warning!

The spear's tip shone dazzlingly!

Earthflame, cold, solar, lunar, and stellar energy were forcibly fused at the tip of the spear, erupting and clashing violently upon contact with Xu Jie.

The brilliant spear light, unleashed through the Chaos Sword Technique, shattered Xu Jie's protective shield.

Boom!

Xu Jie vanished.

She was now on the third-floor balcony of the Sword Boat!

Her long fingernails, sharp as blades, slashed at her face and body before peeling away her skin.

From her body emerged a tiny figure covered in blood.

A person had been hiding in Xu Jie's skin all along and was now revealing his true appearance.

Crack! Crack!

The person's joints popped and his body grew as his appearance changed.

Soon, a young man with a sallow face stood before everyone.

"I knew it! It's Luo Yuan!" Ye Fei shouted in shock as he pointed at the figure on the balcony. "He's the outer disciple from the Sword Pavilion! He appeared in Cloud Lightning! He's Luo Yuan!"

Pang Jian's mind was in turmoil and his consciousness seemed to blur. He felt utterly confused.

The person looked exactly like the face he had taken on in Cloud Lightning!

"This…" Dong Tianze was also dumbfounded.

This Sword Pavilion disciple was the same person who had once traded with him using the Ghost Altar—Pang Jian's other face!

If this is Luo Yuan, then who was Pang Jian?

Dong Tianze's perplexed gaze darted between the man on the third-floor balcony and Pang Jian's face. Although he wanted to ask Pang Jian what was happening, he had enough awareness to hold back.

"You're right, I'm Luo Yuan," the man calmly admitted.

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