Trials of the Abyss

There are no other worlds outside….

Pang Jian was stunned.

Despite repeated Pang Jian's questioning, Bing Ji firmly maintained that there had never been any other fragmented lands outside their Frozen Land.

Invaders had either stumbled upon their Frozen Land by accident after being lost in the bizarre mist or had used special artifacts or compasses to guide them across the bizarre mist to the Frozen Land.

In any case, they never came from the fragmented lands adjacent to the Frozen Land.

The Ice Race elders also said the invaders' souls held no memories of adjacent fragmented lands either.

Absolute Heaven, the Frozen Land, and the fragmented lands of lightning and flames likely existed in separate regions of the bizarre mist in the past.

The Observer had mentioned a grand event that occurred once every hundred thousand years.

Pang Jian's mind conjured up a scenario.

A power surpassing the gods, capable of influencing or even controlling the bizarre mist, bringing the four fragmented lands together.

"We're almost there." Bing Ji pointed excitedly at the majestic mountaintop. "The seven elders have been waiting for this day for a very long time. Traveler from afar, please help us unravel this mystery!"

Pang Jian's heart trembled as he stared at the summit of the mountain, gaze locked onto the enormous ice heart Bing Ji had called the Heart of Winter.

The rich divine consciousness flowing from the Heart of Winter became perceptible as the Spirit Avian approached.

The faint cold mist coming from the Heart of Winter had already obscured the ice fortress on the mountaintop, and the kneeling Ice Race members could no longer be seen from afar.

Only the altar, the six towering ice pillars surrounding it, and the dazzling radiance of the Heart of Winter were visible.

Shhk!

Thin, crystalline ice shards appeared along the Heart of Winter's surface, with a cold light glowing within.

The small ice crystals sparkled with divine light and twinkled like distant stars against the night sky as if hiding within them the mysterious secrets of the cold.

Pang Jian strained his eyes, but could not perceive what lay at the center of the Heart of Winter despite his efforts. All he could make out was a dense white mist concealing something far more mysterious within its depths.

Could the Ice Demon have targeted me?

Pang Jian raised his guard.

He suspected the Ice Demon's consciousness still resided within the Heart of Winter, absorbing the blood essence and soul remnants of the invading foreign races while exerting its influence over the Frozen Land.

Bee Sovereign, what should we do if the Ice Demon targets us? Pang Jian asked.

If you can't make it believe you're its follower, you can try to guide its divine consciousness into your sea of consciousness. We can erase its will if its divine consciousness falls within what I can devour.

If it's too strong, we'll both die.

I'm still too weak. I've only recently awakened and have not harvested enough divine consciousness. Otherwise, something like this, which only contains a fraction of an Outer God, wouldn't be much of a challenge for me, the Bee Sovereign said helplessly.

We'll just have to proceed cautiously and deal with whatever comes our way, Pang Jian replied.

Master, there's movement in Absolute Heaven. You should pay attention, the Bee Sovereign warned.

Pang Jian sent a wisp of his consciousness into a golden bee and saw Zhao Yuanqi's gourd rise from the lake into the air.

Dong Tianze, Qi Qingsong, Zhuang Yuyan, Zhou Qingchen, and Zhao Yuanqi all stood on the guard.

"Let's head toward the frozen fragmented land. I suspect Pang Jian is there." Zhuang Yuyan said, glancing at the others. "None of us know how many foreign races are hiding on the icy peaks of that fragmented land. I'll ask you one last time—are you sure about this?"

Staying in Absolute Heaven meant facing the uncertain threat of the possibly corrupted Fu Wangchen.

The Rank Eight Ice Armor Eel Dragon had not reappeared since diving back into the lake and posed no immediate threat for now.

If they stayed in Absolute Heaven and remained cautious, they likely would not die anytime soon.

However, venturing into an entirely unknown fragmented land was a gamble and they had no idea what they could encounter.

"I trust Pang Jian more than Fu Wangchen." Qi Qingsong snorted, hugging his Blue Dream Sword against his chest. "If an Outer God truly corrupted that arrogant Fu Wangchen, he'll surely wipe out everyone in Absolute Heaven.

"Senior Sister, the longer we stay in Absolute Heaven, the greater the risk. I've made up my mind—we need to find Pang Jian as soon as possible!"

"I don't need to think it over. If Pang Jian says Fu Wangchen is corrupted, he's corrupted!" Zhou Qingchen huffed. "And Senior Sister Zhao, don't just suck me into your gourd without warning next time!"

Zhao Yuanqi only hummed coolly in response.

Dong Tianze had been the most severely injured and still looked extremely pale even after their brief rest.

"I have no choice. A Divine Guard has already marked me. If I don't leave, I'm dead," he said.

"Is that Divine Guard in the Spirit Condensation Realm?" Zhuang Yuyan asked seriously.

Dong Tianze nodded. "It feels that way."

"No wonder you urged me to leave that forest in such a hurry," Zhao Yuanqi said, frowning. "Is the Divine Guard in that forest?"

"I sensed him in there, so he must be," Dong Tianze muttered, head lowered and expression grim. "I've lost the Black Iron Mountain and have suffered serious injuries. If I don't leave, he'll kill me and strip me of my Celestial Phoenix Imprint."

"You're quite loyal," Qi Qingsong sarcastically remarked.

Whoosh!

A golden bee suddenly appeared.

It stopped in front of the gourd and said to the quintet, "Don't come to the Frozen Land. The situation here is complicated. The Ice Race will just slaughter you."

The startled quintet bombarded the golden bee with a slew of questions.

"Pang Jian, are you alright?"

"Are you safe?"

"The Ice Race? What race is that?"

Pang Jian truthfully shared what he had seen and experienced in the Frozen Land with them, causing Zhao Yuanqi to halt her gourd.

"Stay in Absolute Heaven for now," he advised. "Whatever you do, avoid Fu Wangchen. Let me figure out the situation here first and determine if it's safe for you to come over.

"Also, Dong Tianze, the rogue cultivator in the forest named Ling He is most likely the Divine Guard you spoke of."

"The rogue cultivator Ling He." Dong Tianze nodded.

"Remember to keep your distance from Fu Wangchen, and don't approach anyone from the Forsaken Expanse Sect. It's best if you find a secluded spot and wait for my signal. Fu Wangchen hasn't completely lost his self-awareness yet, but he's gradually falling.

"Those staying with him will most likely die. None of them will be able to escape."

***

On the peak of the Sacred Mountain in the Frozen Land stood an ice fortress with a massive altar in its center.

Six towering ice pillars surrounded the altar, on which sat a glowing crystalline heart known as the Heart of Winter.

Seven elderly Ice Race members sat around the massive heart of ice, shrouded in thick white mist.

Thousands of Ice Race members knelt in reverence in the square beneath the altar and the nearby viewing platforms. Some could even be seen kneeling through the open windows of the surrounding towers.

They all gazed at the crystalline heart known as the Heart of Winter, praying with deep devotion.

Whoosh!

A Spirit Avian landed on the square.

"Bing Ji!" A tall Ice Race warrior with an iron spear reprimanded, "How dare you bring an outsider here!"

Bing Ji hurriedly explained, "Lord Bing Yun, he shares our faith. He carries the aura of the Ice Demon!"

"The Ice Demon?!" exclaimed the seven elders sitting on the altar, eyes simultaneously flying open.

Piercing gazes landed uncomfortably on Pang Jian and he felt like he was standing on needles.

"He shares our faith and carries the aura of the Ice Demon!" A small, frail elder with white hair stood up, murky eyes clearing, "Come up!"

Pang Jian stared at him in bewilderment.

"If the Ice Demon has recognized you, you'll be able to withstand the energy emanating from the Heart of Winter.

“If not…” The elder pointed to the mountains where the corpses of many foreign races had been thrown and sneered, "That'll be your fate!"

Chilling stares fixated on Pang Jian from throughout the ice fortress.

The aura of the seven Ice Race elders and the cold eyes of the Ice Race warriors gave Pang Jian an intense headache.

If he could not endure the extreme cold of the Heart of Winter, he would face the wrath of the entire Ice Race.

High risk, high reward. I'll only have a chance to steal the divine consciousness within the Heart of Winter if I pass this test.

Pang Jian warned the Bee Sovereign to carefully conceal its aura and avoid exposure at all costs.

Then, he approached the altar under the escort of Bing Ji and the Spirit Avian.

The altar was surprisingly familiar and resembled the one he had seen in the palace beneath Ice Rock City and Spirit Offering.

However, those two altars were broken and were also much smaller in comparison.

This altar, on the other hand, was intact and the six towering ice pillars surrounding it had no cracks.

Maybe I could actually communicate with the Ice Demon, Pang Jian thought offhandedly.

Stepping onto the altar, he mimicked the Ice Race elders and sat down cross-legged.

He then focused his attention on the ice pool in his spiritual sea and tried to sense the cold energy within the altar, just as he had done beneath Ice Rock City.

Vividly recalling how a bone-chilling cold pierced into his soul when he had closed his eyes at the ruined altar in Spirit Offering, Pang Jian vigilantly kept his eyes open this time.

He instantly felt like he had been transported to a world of dark, icy desolation.

Even so, he resolutely kept his eyes open, staring at the Heart of Winter and observing the crystalline ice shards on its surface.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Frosty mist swirled as cold energy flowed into his spiritual sea and merged with his small ice pool.

Pang Jian's ice pool grew larger!

The icy hostility of the seven Rank Six Ice Race elders vanished.

"He was telling the truth!"

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