Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 328: The Descent of an Outer God!

Bolts of violent lightning struck the Thunder Pool, disappearing into it and mending its cracked walls.

An ethereal consciousness drifted like a specter above the Thunder Pool, growing stronger at an astonishing speed.

The all-encompassing will of an Outer God was being injected into the Thunder Pool.

"It's here!" The Observer growled in a low voice.

Its soul within the banner appeared to have been waiting for this moment for a long time.

"So, the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God still drifts within the endless depths of the bizarre mist," a deep roaring voice echoed from the grayish-brown iron tree.

The branches of the iron tree crackled with lightning as the consciousness of the Outer God settled within it.

Flickering images appeared around the iron tree, before vanishing just as abruptly.

The iron tree was the vessel all along.

Pang Jian sharpened his gaze.

Boom! Creak!

The iron tree pulled its roots from the bottom of the Thunder Pool, bare branches twisting and contorting into a strange elongated form.

Then, like a dough being kneaded, the branches fused to form a robust grayish-brown beast body.

Two orbs of azure light rested in place of the beast's eyes, glowing with the intensity of concentrated lightning.

The beast resembled a leopard, with a round head and a large tail. Crackling lightning streaked across its grayish-brown skin.

Its glowing azure eyes gleamed as it gazed curiously at the Heart of Winter and the nine towering glaciers.

Although Pang Jian stood at the center of the glaciers and beneath the Heart of Winter, the beast paid him no mind.

"The Thunderveil Godbeast!"

"It's really the Thunderveil Godbeast!"

"It was once an ally of our Ancestral God, but after our God had passed away, it never appeared in the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God again!"

"It betrayed our Ancestral God! It leaked that our God was injured while comprehending the Dao of Lightning!"

The surviving members of the Thunder Race rose into the air in their tattered flying vessels and glared hatefully at the new God of the Thunder Abyss.

"The Thunderveil Godbeast!" The Ice Race cried in alarm.

"It's descended," The Observer murmured.

Pang Jian watched on with a cold expression.

The leopard-shaped God of the Thunder Abyss slowly paced within the Thunder Pool, stepping on the Dao Seals with a look of bliss.

Zzzt!

Every Dao Seal it stepped on twisted and trembled as if resisting its trampling.

The feline face of the Thunderveil Godbeast revealed human-like excitement and anticipation.

"The core of the Divine Court of Thunder has started to restore itself. In the future, I'll rebuild the Divine Court and replace the Duke of Thunder as the supreme ruler of those cultivating Dao of Lightning.

"The Duke of Thunder is dead, but I will usher in a new era, and the Thunder Abyss will continue to dominate all worlds." The Thunderveil Godbeast's loud voice reverberated throughout the merged fragmented lands. "Duke of Thunder, I will follow the path of your Dao and elevate the Thunder Abyss to new heights."

Its look of satisfaction only grew as it stepped on the Dao Seals as if trampling on the fallen Duke of Thunder.

The Thunderveil Godbeast's voice resonated with the bloodlines of the surviving members of the Thunder Race, awakening ancient bloodline imprints and reviving long-lost secret techniques.

However, instead of being overjoyed, the members of the Thunder Race cursed the Thunderveil Godbeast for its betrayal.

They felt no reverence toward the Thunderveil Godbeast.

The beast's azure eyes darkened when it noticed their disrespect.

"Who told you about my past with the Duke of Thunder? Your ancestors are long dead and have not returned to the Thunder Abyss for ages. You should not know of those events lost to time." The Thunderveil Godbeast narrowed its eyes.

Scanning its surroundings, it finally noticed a dull yellow banner hovering high above.

"So, it's one of the Observers that the Nether Demon Race worships. Which Observer are you? Number Seven, or Number Nine?"

"Number Nine," the Observer calmly replied.

"Was the rising of the Thunder Pool and the gathering of lightning your doing?" The Thunderveil Godbeast asked, still pacing in its puppet body formed from the iron tree.

Observer Number Nine responded, "I've done many things for you. I guided the invading foreign races here to excavate the Thunder Pool, revealed your existence to them, and even sparked the interest of a human from the Abyss.

"I won't go into the details. You can see the results for yourself. The Thunder Pool has gathered the lightning, allowing you to sense its renewal.

"Be careful of the human named Pang Jian, he carries with him Nether Abyss—"

Poof!

The golden bees devoured the last sliver of the Observer's divine consciousness.

"Observer Number Nine. I'll remember you." The Thunderveil Godbeast nodded solemnly. "I'll reward you handsomely once I take control of this Thunder Pool and remove it from this bizarre-mist-shrouded void!"

The Thunderveil Godbeast then turned its attention to the Thunder Race with a frown.

"The Thunder Race still residing in the Thunder Abyss know nothing of the past and regard me as their only God. Even after the Duke of Thunder's death, I protected them because of old sentiment and ensured they were not wiped out. But to prevent you from spreading this information, I have no choice..."

Zzzt! Zzzt!

Hundreds of lightning bolts shot out of the Thunder Pool and struck the remaining Thunder Race members, reducing them to bloody mists.

Only the puppet body of the Thunderveil Godbeast and Pang Jian were left in the vast Forbidden Land of the Thunder God.

The Thunderveil Godbeast's glowing eyes landed on Pang Jian. "The Frost Crystal God has also been searching for the Heart of Winter. I could sell it for a good price. You've certainly caught my attention, human from the Abyss. You possess Nether Abyss Spirit Bees."

Pang Jian frowned. "The Observer didn't even finish their sentence."

"The Moon God and a few lower-ranking Outer Gods have already informed me of your existence," the Thunderveil Godbeast sneered. "The puppet bodies you destroyed here are all connected to Outer Gods, and we naturally have our ways of communicating.

"Your name is already widely known among the Outer Gods, Pang Jian of the Abyss."

Crackle! Crackle!

The Thunder Pool slowly rose out of the pit.

The Thunderveil Godbeast glared at the Ice Race warriors outside the fragmented land and snorted.

"I can sense the fragments of the Divine Court with the Thunder Pool. It doesn't matter how far those with the fragments run. Your fates are sealed. You will die!" It roared, loud enough to be heard even past the shrouding cold mist that blanketed the land.

Bing Yuan, Bing Ying, and the other Ice Race warriors were horrified. Suddenly, the fragments of the Divine Court they had seized seemed like a deadly burden.

"Prepare to die."

As the Thunderveil Godbeast was about to act, a strange expression crossed its eyes and it turned to glance at the fiery fragmented land in the distance.

Whoosh!

A tall divine figure emerged from the barrier of flames and stared coldly at the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God.

Yang Luo, the arachnid Outer God, had since transformed her spider legs into bony spurs that fanned out behind her like a peacock's tail. Her stunning face morphed into one of astonishment.

"The two fragmented lands have merged." Her elegant brows knitted and two divine lights shot out from her cold eyes.

Boom! Boom!

The light pierced the mist covering the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God and the Frozen Land, allowing her to gaze at the truth beneath.

"The Heart of Winter, the Thunder Pool, nine glaciers, and...Lei Meng!" Yang Luo's expression shifted dramatically.

Narrowing her eyes, she then caught sight of Pang Jian's tiny figure, causing a frigid look to appear on her flawless face.

"Who's there?" You Kui, the worshiped Outer God of the Ghost Race, floated out of the fiery fragmented land and hovered beside Yang Luo.

He had since shrunk into a terrifying specter wrapped in a black cloak.

"Who possesses such extraordinary power to merge two fragmented lands in this tightly regulated void?" He wondered aloud, gathering his divine might to investigate. "Is it that human boy who killed Ka Zi of the Wood Race and destroyed one of your puppet bodies in the Abyss?"

Besides Lei Meng, only Pang Jian remained in the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God. It could not be anybody but him.

"Lei Meng!" You Kui cried. "The Divine Court of Thunder was left in ruins. How did Lei Meng sense the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God and forge such a perfect puppet body?

"If I'm not mistaken, that puppet body is made from the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree!"

Meanwhile, the Ice Armor Eel Dragon had been lurking in a lake in Absolute Heaven and consuming the golden blood of the Golden-Winged Giant Roc when it felt the disturbance in the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God.

Its body was covered in ice-crystal scales and resembled a silver mountain stretching across the void as it soared into the sky to gaze at the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two ice vortexes appeared in its eyes, emitting a force that seemed to suck everything into their depths.

These ice vortexes pulled Yang Luo and You Kui, attempting to draw them straight into its fierce eyes.

"Filthy beast, you're seeking death!" You Kui coldly snorted, before retreating into the fiery fragmented land.

Yang Luo coldly eyed the Ice Armor Eel Dragon and said indifferently, "If you have the courage, go to the newly merged fragmented land."

With that, she vanished, flying millions of li from the fiery fragmented land to the newly merged fragmented land in just a few breaths.

"Outer Gods cannot manifest their true bodies in this space. Do you think I'm afraid of you?" The Ice Armor Eel Dragon grinned, eyes gleaming with murderous intent. "Lightning and ice are energies I can absorb as well. I'd like to see who dares challenge me in this space where Outer Gods' true bodies cannot descend!"

It then opened its mouth and roared.

Several tiny figures appeared on its tongue—some dead and some awaiting death.

Fu Wangchen, Jiang Chao, Chen Lushi, Fang Boxuan, and many others from the Second World were covered in the Ice Armor Eel Dragon's thick saliva.

Sea Race warriors emerged from the gaps in its scales with their weapons in hand.

"Sea God!"

"Sea God!"

The roars of the Sea Race warriors echoed like crashing waves, clearly regarding the Ice Armor Eel Dragon as one of their pillars of faith.

"Bing Yuan, Bing Ying, take everyone—including my friends—into the Frozen Land!" Pang Jian shouted urgently.

The two approaching transcendent beings made him realize the coming battle would not be one-on-one.

If the Ice Race remained in the sky, the incoming powerhouses would almost certainly wipe them out.

Qi Qingsong, Zhuang Yuyan, and the others were not qualified to participate in this fight as they did not possess divine artifacts or Nether Abyss Spirit Bees.

"Understood!" The Ice Race warriors quickly took Qi Qingsong and the others to the altar in the Frozen Land.

It did not take long for the Outer God, Yang Luo, and the Ice Armor Eel Dragon to pass through the thin cold mist above the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God.

Whoosh!

The cold energy and lightning in the dense white mist surged toward the Ice Armor Eel Dragon's door-sized scales as it passed through it, causing its body to swell to nearly eight hundred zhang in length.

It resembled a mountain covered in ice crystals as it descended toward the Thunder Pool.

"Sea God!" The Sea Race shouted fervently from where they stood on its back or within the gaps of its scales.

To the Sea Race, the Ice Armor Eel Dragon was an unmatched battleship capable of leading them through the endless bizarre mist and to salvation.

Zzzt! Zzzt!

Thin bolts of lightning and dense cold energy continued to pour into the massive body of the Ice Armor Eel Dragon from within the blackened pits and ruined city.

It opened its mouth, panting heavily as if letting out a sinister laugh.

As Pang Jian squinted his eyes to study it, he noticed many bodies on the Ice Armor Eel Dragon's swamp-like tongue, all covered in its sticky saliva.

Other than the unconscious Fu Wangchen, the rest stared at Pang Jian with wide eyes.

Fang Boxuan, Chen Lushi, Jiang Chao, and Xiao Yu silently mouthed his name in disbelief.

Their eyes were filled with desperation as if begging for him to save them from their torment.

Those with weaker cultivation realms occasionally exploded into clouds of blood and slipped down Ice Armor Eel Dragon's throat.

"Pang Jian..."

"Pang Jian!"

Fang Boxuan, Chen Lushi, and the others screamed through the murky saliva, voices filled with horror and despair.

"I should've left with them!" Fang Boxuan cried in bitter regret as he wiped away the soul-corroding saliva. "Pang Jian! This Ice Armor Eel Dragon comes from the Fifth World of the Abyss!

"It has imprisoned us and is feeding on our memories to gain an understanding of the Abyss. Once our memories are drained, we'll die inside its mouth.

"Pang Jian!" Fang Boxuan shouted, voice growing weaker with every passing second.

A blank look overtook his face as if abruptly forgetting what he had just been doing and saying. It was like he had forgotten who he was.