Trials of the Abyss

A powerful soul fluctuation emanated from deep within the mountain.

Even without releasing his golden divine soul, Pang Jian could sense the unique aura of a powerful Ghost Race warrior when his Sword Board approached the base of the mountain.

His golden divine soul, infused with divine consciousness, possessed a sensitivity far surpassing others with the same cultivation realm.

"Alright!" Zhu Wenle decisively agreed. Turning to his subordinates, he commanded, "Stay here. I'll drag out the mastermind myself."

With that, he shot toward the towering mountain, his massive fan trailing behind him.

The warship hovering in the air adjusted its angle with a loud rumble.

A row of azure-gold cannons on the ship aimed at the mountain's summit, ready to annihilate any Vicious Beasts that showed themselves.

Huff! Huff!

At that moment, a thickly furred creature emerged from the murky river, heaving labored breaths.

The creature had a broad frame and was ten zhang tall. The flesh beneath its black fur twisted and churned, oozing a blood-tinged fluid that filled the air with a nauseating stench.

Deep crimson eyes glared fiercely at its surroundings, seemingly soulless and devoid of humanity. It appeared to be severely injured as the skin of its bloodied palms—as large as palm-leaf fans and covered in black fur—were shredded to reveal the raw flesh beneath.

"Transformation, human race, Bloodthirst Elixir..." it mumbled incoherently as it kneaded the bloody flesh of his chest with his massive palms.

The Blazing Rainbow Army watched in horror as it let out a guttural roar and launched itself upward with an explosive stomp.

Its flesh burst open with a thunderous crack, bones snapping and popping as it grew large with each passing second.

Boom!

It tore open a hole in the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom's warship and entered the hull.

The cultivators manning the azure-gold cannons were torn apart, remains strewn across the deck.

A terrified Blazing Rainbow Army officer screamed, "It's Rank Eight Vicious Beast attempting its first transformation!"

Boom!

The hundred-zhang-long warship from the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom was smashed into pieces, scattering to the ground in a rain of debris.

Zhu Wenle had been heading to the summit, but seeing this, immediately turned back to intervene.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Nine towering palaces appeared in quick succession.

Zhu Wenle attempted to use the same tactic he had employed against the Scarlet-Eyed Demon Wolf to crush the Vicious Beast.

The wreckage of the warship was engulfed in the Vicious Beast's blood essence. Rising back into the air, the debris hurtled toward Zhu Wenle's summoned palaces, leaving them teetering on the brink of collapse.

Roar!

The Vicious Beast reverted to its original form, which resembled a bear. Natural ridges covered its pitch-black body and it wore demonic armor.

Charging alongside the warship wreckage toward Zhu Wenle, it hurled the massive azure-gold cannons like mere toys.

Each cannon struck Zhu Wenle's summoned mountains, palaces, and towers, thoroughly disintegrating them in cascades of radiant fragments.

The towering Savage Bear stood at several dozen zhang tall after its bloodline was forcibly elevated to Rank Eight.

Though it had gained the ability to take on a human form, the venomous effects of the Bloodthirst Elixir stifled the remarkable intelligence that should have accompanied the breakthrough.

With a foreboding sense of impending death, it rampaged with its newfound strength, seeking to unleash its fury upon the world.

Crack!

The Savage Bear tore off parts of its demonic armor from its body and hurled it with as much strength as it could muster.

The armor's blood-stained edges were as sharp as serrated blades. As it spun through the air, it shredded the Blazing Rainbow Army's weapons and bodies into pieces.

Tearing off several more fragments of demonic armor, the Savage Bear hurled them into the air, precisely controlling them with its Rank Eight bloodline.

Scraps of demonic armor sliced through the air, cutting through soldiers of the Blazing Rainbow Army below the Soul Wandering Realm like blocks of tofu.

In no time at all, the bodies of fifty or sixty soldiers and members of the Zhu Clan lay strewn across the battlefield.

Pang Jian played with the tiny Primal Sphere on the Sword Boat and observed the carnage with a cold, detached gaze.

Yu Huan and the Celestial Lagoon Sect disciples watched the brutal battlefield with mounting terror from ten li away.

The Flying Fish Boat, which had previously withdrawn after seeing Pang Jian's ability, reappeared, whistling through the air as it accelerated toward the battlefield.

"It's Liu Youyu!" Yu Huan shouted with relief as the Flying Fish Boat flew overhead.

"She was here all along!" Her assuring presence calmed the other Celestial Lagoon Sect disciples.

After all, Liu Youyu ranked third on the Soul Wandering Realm leaderboard. Her extraordinary strength and divine artifact enabled her to slay Rank Eight Vicious Beasts and foreign races with ease.

Whoosh!

The Flying Fish Boat stopped beside the Sword Boat.

"Step back, don't go to the summit of that mountain. There's likely a Rank Eight foreign race warrior there," Liu Youyu cautioned from within her Flying Fish Boat. "A Rank Eight Vicious Beast is troublesome enough. Even I need to put in considerable effort to kill one, so don't act recklessly."

Whoosh!

A dazzling mirror emerged from within the Flying Fish Boat, its reflective surface aimed directly at the rampaging Rank Eight Savage Bear.

The mirror radiated a fierce light and exuded a terrifying aura that could seemingly tear through all beings.

"Celestial Profound Mirror, Flesh Rending," Liu Youyu said softly from within her Flying Fish Boat.

Beams of blinding sword light flickered inside the mirror. It was like a cultivator wielding a sword with immense killing intent against the Savage Bear that the foreign races brought over from the Fifth World.

Caught in the Celestial Profound Mirror's radiance, the Savage Bear let out a heartbreaking howl and collapsed.

Its body was covered in wounds, and it crumpled, limp and defeated, into a pool of its own blood.

"Thank you, Miss Liu," Zhu Wenle hurriedly called out in gratitude, feeling slightly overwhelmed.

"She truly lives up to her reputation as third on the Soul Wandering Realm leaderboard!"

"Liu Youyu is truly formidable!"

Yu Huan and the other Celestial Lagoon Sect disciples praised her repeatedly.

Pang Jian was also amazed.

He had not expected the Celestial Profound Mirror's radiance to subdue the Rank Eight Savage Bear so quickly.

Zhu Wenle, resisting the greed in his heart, stepped aside and pointed to the incapacitated Savage Bear. "It's yours! Your contribution points will rise by another ten thousand points with this Rank Eight Vicious Beast! Miss Liu, you can now surpass Zhou Yi of the Nine Tribes Sect and bring honor to our Eastern Lands!"

The Primeval Pillar Divine Kingdom was one of the three Divine Kingdoms, and Liu Youyu's higher ranking would naturally bring great pride to the Eastern Land.

"This is Vicious Beast was artificially advanced to Rank EIght. Strictly speaking, it's not truly a Rank Eight Vicious Beast," Liu Youyu said, still hiding within her Flying Fish Boat. "It's a relatively weaker Vicious Beast and cannot be measured as a true Rank Eight. It'll only be worth four to five thousand contribution points at most—not enough to catch up to Zhou Yi."

Zhu Wenle maintained his smile. "Haha, then you can just kill one more!"

The wrecked warship, the fallen Blazing Rainbow Army soldiers, and the deaths of the Zhu Clan members did not seem to dampen his good spirits.

After mulling over the situation, Zhu Wenle decided to abandon his pursuit of the mastermind.

"There's a powerhouse hiding in this mountain," he said solemnly. "If they can command a Rank Eight Vicious Beast, they're bound to be formidable. The rest is up to you."

With that, he flew toward the gathering of surviving Blazing Rainbow Army soldiers.

Whoosh!

A dark beam shot forth from the Savage Bear's forehead as Zhu Wenle flew past.

It pierced his back, and his body abruptly halted mid-air.

The smile on Zhu Wenle's face dropped. His eyes turned an eerie green, and ghostly sigil-like tattoos appeared across his cheeks and neck.

It was as though Zhu Wenle had transformed from a human into a ghastly demon.

"Your Highness!" The Blazing Rainbow Army soldiers cried out in shock.

Pang Jian knitted his brows. Focusing his mind, his eyes took on a golden hue as he tried to take in every detail.

A green Soul Flame had seeped into Zhu Wenle's sea of consciousness and ensnared his divine soul, turning him into the puppet of a powerful Ghost Race warrior.

"I am Gui Ji, from the Heavenly Ghost World beyond the Abyss," introduced the entity possessing Zhu Wenle. A cold smile stretched across Zhu Wenle's face. "The Bloodthirst Elixir was my creation.

"As for the rest of you..."

His eerie green eyes glinted maliciously as a piercing shriek echoed from Zhu Wenle's mouth.

A pale green magpie flew out from an Ice Sculpture Beast on the brutal battlefield where Ning Shuo and the other Demon Sect disciples were fighting hundreds of li away.

The magpie cleaved Ning Shuo in the Soul Wandering Realm like a sharp sword.

Both his divine soul and physical body were split into two, resulting in instant death.

After killing Ning Shuo, the magpie went on to hunt down the other human race cultivators.

Cultivators in the Soul Wandering Realm, the Spirit Condensation Realm, and the Profound Abode Realm alike were sliced into two like they were no more than paper.

Elsewhere, in the team of elders from the Radiant Sun Sect and members of the Black Valley Sect, a snow-white serpent was devouring cultivators with abandon.

A single piercing screech from Gui Ji had set a deathly plan into motion. Two Vicious Beasts whose bloodlines were forcefully elevated to Rank Eight were summoned.

Terrifying power erupted from them as their life force drained.

Pang Jian cast a long, piercing look at Gui Ji from aboard the Sword Boat and said softly to Liu Youyu, "You handle Gui Ji. I'll take care of the magpie and the serpent."

The Sword Boat shot off like lightning.

Secretly taking out the wooden token inscribed with the character “Liu," he informed, "The Soul Flame of a powerful Ghost Race warrior has possessed Zhu Wenle's divine soul.

"He's hiding his real body in the mountains. Also, the Soul Flame he released doesn't reflect his full power.

"I'll eliminate the rampaging Vicious Beasts first, then return to drag out his true body. All you need to do is keep him occupied."

Liu Youyu quietly emerged from her Flying Fish Boat with the Celestial Profound Mirror hovering above her head.

Watching the Sword Boat depart with a strange expression, she quietly replied into the wooden token, "Although forcibly elevated, those Vicious Beasts still wield power far beyond Rank Seven. Don't push yourself too hard."

"You don't have to tell me what to do. I know my limits!" Pang Jian responded gruffly.

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