Trials of the Abyss

Unable to get his hands on the two crucial manuals, Pang Jian continued his attempts at mastering the Abyssal Demon Sword in his cave residence on the Heaven Departure Peak.

Unfortunately, he made no progress.

The Abyssal Demon was defiant, but if its sword soul were truly eliminated, the Abyssal Demon Sword would be rendered useless.

However, if he did not eradicate the Abyssal Demon, its demonic wills would always regenerate no matter how many times he erased them.

The Demon Race of the outer worlds is difficult to deal with, Pang Jian lamented, holding his sword token as he browsed the recent news through the sword-shaped symbols.

Most major powers had been focused on the Third World lately.

The three Divine Kingdoms in the Eastern Land had each dispatched their generals and marquises to the Cosmic Skies and Dark Abyss Continents in preparation for the coming battles.

The murky energy from the Fourth World was expected to reach the thick leaden clouds beneath the Third World in a month or two.

When that happened, war would break out.

There were also rumors about movements among the major sects in the First World: the Ghost Sacrifice Sect and the Nine Tribes Sect in the Southern Gorge; the Pure Land Sect and the Divine Treasure Sect in the Western Loam; and the Forsaken Expanse Sect and the Ancient Law Sect in the Northern Ruin had all sent representatives to the Third World.

Through the sword token, Pang Jian gained a relatively clear understanding of the key figures and major forces in the First and Second Worlds.

He also learned that his master was in the Nine Tribes Sect in the Southern Gorge, discussing important matters with several True Gods.

The host of the gathering was the highly respected Sect Master of the Nine Tribes Sect, Li Wang, an ancient True God.

The four Divine Kings of the three Divine Kingdoms in the Eastern Land had also personally visited the Nine Tribes Sect in the Southern Gorge.

According to the Sword Pavilion's information, the True Gods had held discussions about the invading forces from the lower worlds and the threat of the Outer Gods from above.

The Eastern Land has four Divine Kings, all of whom are True Gods.

In the Southern Gorge, the Ghost Sacrifice Sect has two True Gods and the Nine Tribes Sect has one.

In the Western Loam, the Pure Land Sect has two True Gods, and the Divine Treasure Sect has one.

In the Northern Ruin, the Forsaken Expanse Sect has two True Gods, and the Ancient Law Sect has one.

There are also two True Gods unaffiliated with any sects.

If we exclude the ancient Thunder Dragon of the Dragon Lair Sect on the Sacred Soul Continent, the black turtle[1], and the Primordial Serpent, we have fifteen True Gods on the human race's side.

That's more than double the Fifth World, as each of the seven continents seems to only have one Rank Ten powerhouse.

No wonder their discussions are centered on the Outer Gods.

Pang Jian reflected in silence.

After some time, someone knocked on his door.

"The four elders have summoned you," Chen Weihuang, Pang Jian's senior brother, said coldly.

Pang Jian opened the door to see Chen Weihuang standing alone. "What do they want with me?"

Chen Weihuang glanced at the sword hanging from Pang Jian's waist. "It's because of the Abyssal Demon Sword."

"The Abyssal Demon Sword?"

"You'll find out once you meet them."

"Alright."

A short while later, Pang Jian entered a grand, roofless hall on the Sword Honing Peak.

Inside were the four elders Pang Jian had met before—Liu Junhong, Xu Yu, Guang He, and Wang Ce—alongside three unfamiliar old men and a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man exuded a gentle demeanor, and Su Li, the disciple of Great Elder Jiang Ran, stood behind him.

"Pang Jian, this is Elder Cai Xin, Elder Lu Xiaolin, and Elder Shi Bingyun," Xu Yu introduced. A stern expression replaced her usual smile. "All the elders of the Sword Pavilion are present except for the Great Elder."

"I'm here to represent my master," said the middle-aged man. Smiling slightly, he said, "I'm Zhou Wenhao."

Pang Jian cupped his hands and gave a perfunctory bow.

He had since learned from Qi Qingsong, Zhuang Yuyan, and the information from the sword token that the three elders were all aligned with Great Elder Jiang Ran.

The three elders and their associates acted as Jiang Ran's eyes and ears while he was not in the Sword Pavilion.

Zhou Wenhao cleared his throat and said seriously, "Recently, there have been cases of outer sect disciples unable to control their inner evil desires and committing shameful acts against women.

"There have also been cases of outer sect disciples holding grudges against each other and violating sect rules by engaging in life-or-death battles in nearby towns.

"Many others have experienced inner turmoil during their cultivation, causing them to fail in their attempts to break through their cultivation realms.

"Some have even been overwhelmed with sorrow and have committed suicide by poisoning.

"All kinds of troubling incidents have been happening with increasing frequency lately, and there are no signs of it stopping," Zhou Wenhao said, eyes fixed on the Abyssal Demon Sword on Pang Jian's waist. "Junior Brother Pang, if you can't control the Abyssal Demon Sword, you have two options.

"You can either return it to the Sword Pavilion, so the three divine swords can suppress it, or take it with you and leave. You can find a desolate place and return after you've subdued it."

It seemed the three elders and Zhou Wenhao had gathered here to hold Pang Jian accountable.

"It may not be the Abyssal Demon Sword's doing." Wang Ce frowned.

"Senior Uncle Wang, surely you know what the Abyssal Demon Sword is like," Zhou Wenhao said, narrowing his eyes. "Its sword soul is forged from a Demon Race warrior from the outer worlds!

"Even if you've never encountered one, you surely know what they specialize in.

"The Abyssal Demon Sword draws power from the evil thoughts of living beings and magnifies the darkness in people's hearts!

"It gains strength from amplifying their evil desires and inciting them to act on them!

"There's no doubt that Junior Brother Pang severely weakened the Abyssal Demon Sword while trying to refine it. In retaliation, it's been stirring up evil thoughts and causing turmoil across the Sword Pavilion!"

Although Zhou Wenhao was a junior, he openly confronted Elder Wang Ce, showing no respect for his elders.

"Pang Jian," Guang He said in a deep voice. "Were you aware of this?"

"No," Pang Jian denied.

At the same time, he sent a trace of his divine sense into the Abyssal Demon Sword.

Clusters of the Abyssal Demon's demonic wills constantly shifted within the sword. As expected, it had fully regained its strength.

It wasn't me! the Abyssal Demon cried when it saw Pang Jian's golden divine sense enter the sword. It feared he would once again eradicate its demonic wills. At least, not entirely!

I merely absorbed the dark thoughts born from their evil desires. I didn't incite them to act on them!

Of course, I could and would like to do that, but I don't dare to act with those old men in the Sword Pavilion around.

Don't just pin everything on me!

The Abyssal Demon's consciousnesses surged from the clusters of cloud and flame.

Feeling as if he too had been set up, Pang Jian calmly stated, "It wasn't its doing."

"Junior Brother Pang, we know very well what it's capable of. Even if you don't, you can't say it wasn't responsible." Zhou Wenhao sighed. "The Abyssal Demon Sword is extremely dangerous.

"Please believe me, Junior Brother. Return the sword to the Sword Pavilion as soon as possible. You simply aren't capable of wielding it."

Su Li mocked, "The Pavilion Master's personal disciple chose a demonic sword from the Demon Sword Sect, but can't control it. How ironic. If you can't handle the responsibility, you should let it go sooner rather than later."

"That's right, every sword and position comes with responsibilities," Elder Cai Xin agreed.

"If you can't manage it, it's better to leave the Sword Pavilion with the sword and return once you've subdued the Abyssal Demon," Elder Lu Xiaolin added.

Pang Jian had only been at the Sword Pavilion for a few days.

He could not retrieve the second half of the Grand Providence Sacred Body or the Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art and was now being pressured to leave because of the Abyssal Demon Sword.

As Li Zhaotian's personal disciple, being forced to leave in such a humiliating manner would surely make him the laughingstock of the sect.

He would never be able to hold his head high in the Sword Pavilion again.

"I can't prove the sword wasn't involved, but can you prove those evil acts were its doing?" Pang Jian questioned Zhou Wenhao.

Zhou Wenhao clapped his hands. "Bai Chuan!"

A pale-faced disciple in blue robes entered the hall and bowed to Lu Xiaolin, addressing him as master.

Then, he addressed the matter at hand, "While I was studying the profound intricacies of the Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art, I sensed the corruption of evil thoughts and demonic intentions formed from sword intent. There were seductive women, man-eating demonic flowers, and..."

He described the same thing Pang Jian had experienced when he first touched the sword hilt of the Abyssal Demon Sword—when the Abyssal Demon manifested in his sea of consciousness.

Even Pang Jian could not help but wonder if the Abyssal Demon had indeed corrupted Bai Chuan.

It has nothing to do with me. The evil in his heart led him to destroy the two manuals. He did it to ensure you'd never get the complete versions. He cursed you and even wished for the Pavilion Master to die. Someone is pulling the strings behind him, the Abyssal Demon defended itself from within the sword.

"Pang Jian, do you have anything to say?" Su Li sneered.

Lu Xiaolin said firmly, "The Abyssal Demon Sword's influence almost killed my disciple. If we allow Pang Jian to stay in the Sword Pavilion with it, more tragedies will surely follow!"

Cai Xin nodded. "He can't remain in the Sword Pavilion!"

The three elders directed their accusations at Pang Jian, intent on forcing him to leave the Sword Pavilion.

Even the four elders were troubled. Although they wanted to protect Pang Jian, they could not find an appropriate counterargument.

"What's your name?" Pang Jian asked Bai Chuan, though he already knew the answer.

"Bai Chuan."

"Bai Chuan!" Pang Jian shouted.

Bai Chuan looked at Pang Jian in surprise.

Whoosh!

A flash of golden light shot from Pang Jian's brow, entering Bai Chuan's sea of consciousness and locking onto his panicked divine soul.

"No soul-searching among fellow disciples!"

"Pang Jian! This is against the rules!"

"Soul-searching techniques against sect members are forbidden in the Sword Pavilion!"

The elders cried out in shock.

The golden light quickly returned to Pang Jian.

"No one told me that was a rule in our Sword Pavilion," he said calmly. "I won't do it again."

He then glanced at Su Li.

"I saw it. Senior Brother Su instructed Bai Chuan to feign madness and destroy the second halves of the Grand Providence Sacred Body and Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art.

"I also saw images of Senior Brother Su inciting people to commit evil acts in the memories of Bai Chuan's divine soul.

"If you don't believe me, you can perform the soul-searching technique to verify it."

1. This is not the same as Pang Jian's black turtle. ☜

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