Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 270: Sun Temple

A grand golden palace appeared within the eternally blazing sun, like the abode of a god.

Pang Jian's eyes burned just looking at it. The sun's flames seemed to scorch his bones and soul.

Even so, he continued to stare determinedly.

He had to know whether it was real or an illusion. He needed to be certain.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Each Three-Legged Golden Crow stirred up endless divine solar flames as if manifesting and evolving the Dao of the Great Sun.

The light of the mystical golden throne grew more and more intense.

Pang Jian's eyes teared up from the blinding light and he had no choice but to close them.

After closing his eyes, he noticed the miniature sun within his dantian emitting a similar radiance.

Sizzle!

Strands of blazing solar radiance flowed into Pang Jian's eyes, tempering his pupils and adapting them to the terrifying power of the sun overhead.

The sunlight tempered Pang Jian's golden eyes, and soon, he no longer shed tears.

Could this be an illusion?

Pang Jian reached out to confirm that he was still inside the copper chest.

Looking over his body, he found no other abnormalities besides the miniature sun within his dantian channeling solar radiance into his eyes.

Feeling slightly skeptical, Pang Jian opened his eyes and focused on the sun above once more.

Unlike before, the intense sunlight no longer affected him as his eyes gradually adapted.

The golden throne...

Pang Jian tried to bring himself closer to the majestic palace.

Boom!

The enormous golden throne reappeared, filling Pang Jian's entire vision.

The Three-Legged Golden Crows still circled above the throne, wings creating seas of divine solar flames.

Pang Jian then directed his attention away from the golden throne with rippling spatial fluctuations.

The magnificent golden palace appeared to be floating above the blazing sun.

The sun's surface constantly erupted with scorching flames, creating terrifying storms and strange sunspots.

Although the majestic golden palace resting above this turbulent surface endured the repeated bombardment of violent sunspots, it remained steadfast and unmoving.

Pang Jian stared unblinkingly, unaware the divine consciousness infused into the golden divine sense within his golden eyes was gradually being drained.

How come I've never seen a golden palace above the sun?

Could the Sun God those heretical cultivators in Spirit Offering talked about really reside on the sun?

The Flame Race and the Radiant Race in the Fifth World of the Abyss worship the Sun God. Could he be the owner of that palace?

Pang Jian's mind raced.

The mysterious palace on the sun had likely appeared because the Abyss had opened up. He could likely see it because of the copper chest, the bronze pendant known as the Gate of the Abyss, and the strands of golden divine sense.

As Pang Jian observed, he came to believe that this was not an illusion, but a direct glimpse into what was happening on the sun in real time!

Boom!

A towering figure appeared on the golden throne.

The Three-Legged Golden Crows circling the golden throne descended and bowed in worship on the sacred stones around the throne.

Although Pang Jian tried to study the towering figure, he could not see his face. He also could not estimate the newcomer's height and build as he could not determine the size of the throne.

All he could see was the figure sitting upright on the golden throne, back facing Pang Jian and covered in golden armor.

The armor did not look like a man-made object but instead a part of his body.

A blazing sphere of light protruded from the center of the figure's back. Pang Jian could not help but feel this sphere of light was a refined, condensed version of an actual sun!

"I came because the Abyss has reopened," the figure said to the Three-Legged Golden Crows prostrating on the ground.

His divine power surged as his divine voice rang out.

Pang Jian felt his golden eyes burn painfully again. Tears flowed uncontrollably, and he could no longer see or hear the figure.

He's a real Outer God!

He was now certain the towering figure on the golden throne was a genuine Outer God!

It was highly likely that he was the Sun God the heretical cultivators had mentioned!

A strong sense of unease rose in Pang Jian's heart.

The sun is right outside the Abyss, and people from the First, Second, and Third Worlds can all see it when the weather is clear. That means the sun isn't far from the Abyss.

Could an Outer God enter the Abyss in their true body?

Would the True Gods in the First World of the Abyss stand a chance if he came?

What would happen to the beings in the Abyss if the True Gods were defeated? Would they face annihilation or eternal enslavement?

The more Pang Jian thought about it, the more pessimistic he felt about the future. An overwhelming feeling of hopelessness filled him.

It seemed time was running out.

No matter how hard he, the World Eater Vine, and the black turtle worked to improve themselves, they would be helpless to resist if an Outer God like the Sun God were to descend in their true form.

Pang Jian, no longer able to gaze at the sun above, could only sit in the copper chest, mind restless and eyes in pain.

If the Sun God could enter the Abyss, wouldn't that mean the Outer God targeting the World Eater Vine could also do the same? Pang Jian pondered in restless silence.

Eventually, the stars and a bright full moon replaced the blazing sun in the sky.

The stars and the moon...

Pang Jian could not resist.

As he stared at the moon, he channeled his golden divine sense into his eyes, hoping to get a closer glimpse.

A barren, pockmarked landscape appeared.

This is the moon?

Pang Jian was taken aback.

He had always thought the moon was enchanting, but its surface was unexpectedly bleak and desolate.

A corpse abruptly appeared before him.

It was an elderly male of the Celestial Race in a fine robe and twelve pairs of pure white wings.

Surprisingly, his face and body had not decayed at all. They had been preserved intact.

The elderly member of the Celestial Race leaned against a small pile of stones on the moon's surface with his eyes shut.

He wore no ornaments and had no items by his side, only a finely crafted robe wrapped around his slightly thin body.

It was unclear how long he had been dead.

A member of the Celestial Race with twelve pairs of wings...

Pang Jian studied him for a moment before shifting his attention elsewhere, hoping to explore more of the moon's mysteries.

Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of exhaustion hit Pang Jian.

The twelve strands of golden divine sense flowing into his eyes had become as thin as hair.

His thoughts became foggy and disjointed, making it hard to think. Pang Jian quickly pushed open the copper chest and swallowed a Soul Nourishing Pill.

As the pill dissolved, soul essence slowly seeped into his sea of consciousness.

But the soul essence from the Soul Nourishing Pill did not strengthen the depleted strands of golden divine sense.

Ordinary divine sense allows me to communicate with the black turtle in the Third World, the little tree in this world, and the Giant Abyssal Serpent in the Fifth World.

Golden divine sense is infused with divine consciousness and allows me to gaze into the starry skies, but they cannot be restored with Soul Nourishing Pills, Pang Jian theorized.

To test this theory, he tried to establish a connection with the Giant Abyssal Serpent in the Fifth World while his twelve strands of golden divine sense were weak.

The connection was established instantly!

A massive Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar was anchored in an icy wilderness, with bones and intact corpses of Vicious Beasts surrounding it, filling the cold and desolate land.

Like the other Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar, this one also emitted the same azure radiance and aura of suppression.

Yu Xin had crossed the endless black sea with the Giant Abyssal Serpent from the Fifth Continent and was gazing at the Fourth Continent's Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar from afar.

The leaders of all the races of the Fourth Continent had gathered beneath the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar, eagerly waiting to hear her experiences.

They wanted to know how those from the Fifth Continent managed to send their people to the Fourth World despite the terrifying threat of the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar.

The Giant Abyssal Serpent abruptly stopped in its tracks.

"What's wrong, Xiao Hei?" Yu Xin asked in surprise as she dismounted from the back of the Giant Abyssal Serpent.

She understood the moment she peered into the serpent's deep, dark eyes.

"It's him."

Placing a finger on the forehead of the Giant Abyssal Serpent, she established a connection with Pang Jian.

What power level would a being with twelve pairs of wings have in your Celestial Race? Pang Jian immediately asked.

Twelve pairs?! The Celestial Maiden was stunned at the question. After all, even she had only seven pairs of pure white wings.

She thought for a moment before replying, There has never been a member with twelve pairs of wings in the history of our Celestial Race. Such beings only exist in our legends.

Ten pairs of wings for the Celestial Race signifies a bloodline of the Rank Ten, which is equivalent to a True God for the human race.

According to legend, when we still lived in the First World of the Abyss, there were accounts of members sensing a being with twelve pairs of wings when the Abyss opened.

Unfortunately, its authenticity could never be verified as there was never a direct sighting and it was classified as a legend.

It is true though that the wings of our Celestial Race do increase with each breakthrough in our bloodline. If a being with twelve pairs of wings truly exists in this world, it would undoubtedly surpass what you humans call a True God.

Such a being would likely fall into the category of divine beings.