Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 367: The Jiang Clan of the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom

The two Immortal Realm marquises from the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom chose to stand down when faced with the might of the suspended Sword Pavilion.

The young nobles also lost their arrogance.

Pang Jian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and put away the Startling Slaughter Spear with a cold glare at the Cloud Devourer Marquis.

Given the vast difference in their cultivation realms, it was no surprise he had sustained injuries from a single clash.

Still, he firmly etched the image of this Cloud Devourer Marquis from the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom into his memory.

The mid-stage Immortal Realm...

Just a few years ago, Pang Jian had been but a mere hunter in the Solitary Mountain Range. Since then, he had become a core member of the Sword Pavilion, and his cultivation had even reached the mid-stage of the Soul Wandering Realm.

Pang Jian wholeheartedly believed he would have the power to personally make the Cloud Devourer Marquis pay in the near future.

"If not for the protection of this Sword Pavilion—" Huang Tunyun clutched his wound with one hand and pointed at Pang Jian and Chen Weihuang with his free one. "You! And you! Be careful of the day you leave the Sword Pavilion!"

With that, he retreated into the warship to tend to his injuries.

Zhu Jinghong, the Blazing Rainbow Marquis, calmly added, "The Sword Pavilion and Li Zhaotian cannot protect you two forever."

Buzz!

Another brilliant sword light shot out from the Sword Pavilion, enveloping Zhu Jinghong with its colorful light.

It carried a profound sword intent capable of destroying all living beings.

Zhu Jinghong's expression changed drastically. As he was about to activate his Celestial Rainbow Heaven Severing Art, he felt the oppressive force of sword intents bearing down on him.

The sword intents were tearing apart his sea of consciousness. Tiny sword lights surrounded his divine soul like a school of fish.

Fear surged in Zhu Jinghong's heart and he no longer dared to utter a single word.

Moments earlier, the fat elder and the thin elder had been observing the situation from the first floor of the Sword Pavilion.

The fat elder shook his head with a soft laugh. "That Zhu brat is spouting nonsense in my Sword Pavilion. Let's teach him a lesson."

At that moment, slender threads of sword light pierced into Zhu Jinghong's body through the center of his forehead.

The Blazing Rainbow Marquis from the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom gritted his teeth with a muffled groan as blood oozed from all over his body.

Following the Cloud Devourer Marquis's footsteps, he too hurriedly retreated into the warship, no longer daring to show his face.

Bang!

The windows on the majestic all slammed tightly shut.

The young nobles from the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom hoping to explore the Sword Pavilion now huddled silently in their rooms.

The two disciples of the Great Elder Jiang Ran, Zhou Wenhao and Su Li, remained silent.

They had not expected Chen Weihuang to summon help from the divine swords on the Sword Pavilion's first floor.

The Sword Pavilion and the divine swords inside held supreme authority within the sect. Their response surpassed the command of even the Pavilion Master!

Since they had injured the Cloud Devourer Marquis and the Blazing Rainbow Marquis, even Jiang Ran would have had no choice but to accept it if he were present.

Chen Weihuang scoffed. "If not for Elder Jiang Ran's presence, the sword light would've torn apart this warship from the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom the instant it entered the Sword Pavilion's territory."

He then waved Pang Jian over and led the way back to the Heaven Departure Peak.

The projections of the divine swords on the first floor of the Sword Pavilion disappeared.

"Senior Brother Chen is so formidable!"

Disciples on the Elusive Peak, the Breakthrough Peak, the Enlightenment Peak, and the Fate Severing Peak cheered as they watched them leave.

In stark contrast, Zhou Wenhao and Su Li looked utterly humiliated.

***

Once they arrived at the Heaven Departure Peak, Chen Weihuang turned to look at Pang Jian and nodded in approval.

"It's our duty to shoulder the responsibility when our master is absent. Your performance wasn't bad. You didn't disgrace our master."

"What's the background of the Jiang Clan of the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom? The Great Elder is also surnamed Jiang. Is he...?" Pang Jian asked in a low voice.

Chen Weihuang glanced at the sky, hesitating briefly before pointing at the sword token on Pang Jian's waist.

Pang Jian nodded in understanding.

Information about the Jiang Clan of the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom flowed from Chen Weihuang's icon in the sword token. He explained the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom's situation and the relationship between Great Elder Jiang Ran and the Jiang Clan in detail.

Both the Zhu and Jiang Clans in the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom had True Gods within their ranks, and the Divine King of the Divine Kingdom often came from one of the two clans.

The Zhu and Jiang Clans had been intermarrying for generations and were as close as one family.

Jiang Ran was originally a branch member of the Jiang Clan.

He joined the Sword Pavilion when it was still in the First World, with the last Sword God accepting him as a disciple.

The Jiang Clan initially paid Jiang Ran little attention because of his unremarkable talent and abilities. However, his influence within the clan rose as he gradually made a name for himself in the Sword Pavilion.

By the time Jiang Ran became the Great Elder of the Sword Pavilion, the Jiang Clan had grown highly appreciative of him.

The Jiang Clan later fully supported Jiang Ran's bid to become a True God, hoping he could replace Li Zhaotian as the Pavillion Master of the Sword Pavilion.

When Jiang Ran's attempt failed, the True God from the Jiang Clan intervened, saving his life by ensuring that he merely fell in cultivation realms instead of facing complete annihilation.

"The Jiang Clan has been trying to use Jiang Ran to gain control over our Sword Pavilion," Chen Weihuang said through the sword token.

Pang Jian nodded in understanding.

Chen Weihuang then handed him a large red healing pill. "Return to your residence and take this for your injuries. I'll update you on the situation once the elders' meeting concludes. No matter what happens, we cannot allow Jiang Ran to ally with outsiders and act arrogantly within our Sword Pavilion while our master is away."

Pang Jian bowed and said, "Understood."

He felt a clear change in Chen Weihuang's attitude toward him.

"Master was right. You're young, full of energy, and have courage," Chen Weihuang said with a slight smile. "Don't disappoint our master."

"Senior Brother, what do you mean?"

"The Sword Pavilion will need you to take the lead in the future." Chen Weihuang said in a low voice.

***

Chen Weihuang's parting words echoed in Pang Jian's mind as he swallowed the healing pill in his cave residence.

He felt a weight on his shoulders. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Great Elder Jiang Ran, the two Immortal Realm marquises, and the True God of the Jiang Clan overseeing the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom—each of these figures could easily crush him right now.

To bring the Sword Pavilion to the First World, he would have to trample these seemingly insurmountable figures beneath his feet.

A higher cultivation realm and greater strength. That's the only way to help the Sword Pavilion through the trials ahead.

I'll need the Abyssal Demon Sword!

Pang Jian lifted the lid of the copper chest and took out the black, crystalline sword.

"I accept my fate. I'm willing to acknowledge you as my master," the Abyssal Sword murmured. "Master..."

Its demonic wills appeared dazed with their strange manifestations of light, flames, and clouds.

Unfortunately, they did not remain that way for long.

It quickly started to draw strength from the dark desires, evil thoughts, and ambitions lurking in the hearts of the Sword Pavilion disciples.

"The Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom! The malicious thoughts from the Cloud Devourer Marquis and Blazing Rainbow Marquis run deep!" The Abyssal Demon Sword grew excited. "Haha! Those two want to kill you and Chen Weihuang!

"They believe Li Zhaotian will perish in his attempt to become a True God. They've come under orders from the Jiang Clan to help Jiang Ran seize control of the Sword Pavilion.

"Jiang Ran has already returned to the peak of the Immortal Realm thanks to the support of the Jiang Clan's True God."

The Abyssal Demon Sword relayed the thoughts and emotions of those present in the Sword Pavilion to Pang Jian as it recovered.

At that moment, a message from Chen Weihuang came through the sword token, "There's an insider report. The girl from the Divine Treasure Sect's Li Family killed two Rank Eight foreign race powerhouses but was severely injured in the process.

"She went missing in the Fourth World.

"Her contribution points have yet to be tallied. Once they are, she'll return to the top of the Soul Wandering Realm leaderboard.

"I heard you two have some history and thought you should know. Not to mention, she wields the Heaven-Splitting Sword and has deep ties to our Sword Pavilion."

Pang Jian’s heart tightened and he hastily checked for related information using his sword token.

Strangely, no information about Li Yuqing could be found through the Sword Pavilion's information network.

When he expressed his confusion, Chen Weihuang explained, "If this news spreads, Zhou Wenhao, Su Li, and other disciples of certain elders would learn of it too. This isn't the kind of information we want to make public, so I had someone from Senior Xu's side keep it under wraps."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Pang Jian established a connection with the World Eater Vine and instructed it to keep an eye out for Li Yuqing.

The World Eater Vine was rooted in the Fourth World and had many Wood Race followers. It was much better equipped to gather information on Li Yuqing than Pang Jian could alone.

I hope you're alright.

Pang Jian then gripped the Abyssal Demon Sword, took a deep breath, and ran his golden divine sense along the blade.

Now, let's see how I can wield you.

Unlike the divine swords within the Sword Pavilion, the Abyssal Demon Sword could not act on its own.

It could only unleash its full strength when its wielder held it and infused it with power.

However, when someone held the Abyssal Demon Sword, a struggle of mutual influence would commence between the sword and its wielder.

Either the Abyssal Demon Sword would submit to the wielder's control or the wielder would succumb to its corruption and become its puppet.

The Abyssal Demon Sword had previously refused to submit to Pang Jian, but after two stints in the copper chest, it now addressed him as master.

Pang Jian only wished he had somewhere to test the true power of the demonic sword.

The Resolute Expanse, or perhaps...

The Abyssal Demon Sword let out a terrified scream as Pang Jian jumped into the copper chest and snapped the lid shut with it still in hand.

"No!" The Abyssal Demon's helpless cries echoed in the confined space. Its desperate exclamations soon turned into ones of awe. "We're in the same box! How—Why did it transform into an entirely new space when you entered?!"

Stars shone like diamonds and the bright moon illuminated the sky above them. The Abyssal Demon had never experienced this before.

"Pang Jian, it feels like I've returned home. You—Just who are you?"

The Abyssal Demon's consciousnesses intertwined with a wisp of Pang Jian's consciousness, and together, they soared upward from the inner space of the copper chest.

A man and a sword seemed to pierce through the barrier of the Abyss to appear in the starry skies.