Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 229: The Lightning Retribution Grounds

Lei Kun stared at Pang Jian in amazement.

Are all Sword Pavilion disciples this ridiculously strong?

After I left the Primordial Wilderness, Pang Jian killed Liang Ying, Luo Yunming, Jiu Yuan, and Cao Mang.

And now, there's Luo Yuan, who managed to survive attacks of that magnitude with just his Profound Abode Realm cultivation!

Unaware the two were the same person, Lei Kun could not help but let his thoughts wander.

"Senior Lei, could you tell me more about the Lightning Retribution Grounds?" Pang Jian asked curiously.

In the Primordial Wilderness, Pang Jian had already noticed Lei Kun's preoccupation with saving face. The fiery-tempered rogue cultivator was easy to get along with as long as he was shown the proper respect.

"Of course."

Lei Kun rarely encountered a polite disciple from the upper world, especially one from a sect he respected like the Sword Pavilion, so he was more than happy to explain.

"Cloud Lightning is a fragment that fell from the First World," he began.

Pang Jian was taken aback. "A fragment?"

"Yes, it's a fragment of a larger piece of land!" Lei Kun explained seriously. "Before that white crane appeared, I would come here regularly to cultivate. I'm a lightning-attribute cultivator, so I paid particular attention to this restricted area. I doubt anyone in the Third World understands it better than I do."

He paused and glanced up at the sky.

"Legend has it that Cloud Lightning belonged to a sect called the Profound Lightning Pavilion, which once stood in the First World!

"Thousands of years ago, an ancient Thunder Dragon attacked the Profound Lightning Pavilion, and the Pavilion Master was killed on the spot.

"The enraged Thunder Dragon tore apart the massive landmass belonging to the Profound Lightning Pavilion, and a fragment fell into the Third World.

"That fragment is Cloud Lightning, which we're standing on right now," Lei Kun solemnly recounted.

It's another Thunder Dragon! Pang Jian frowned.

A Thunder Dragon had also split apart the Three Immortals Island, driving out the one-eyed giants and forcing them into the Fifth World.

The vision he had seen while becoming one with the world on the icy altar had shown him just how powerful Thunder Dragons could be.

"That ancient Thunder Dragon is still alive, hibernating in the Dragon Lair Sect in the Second World. It—" Lei Kun abruptly lowered his voice and whispered reverently, "The Pavilion Master of the Profound Lightning Pavilion had a great conflict with the Thunder Dragon over the Dao of Lightning, which is why the Thunder Dragon killed him.

"This Thunder Dragon has done a great service to our human race, having helped eradicate several evil races during ancient times.

"I also heard that this Thunder Dragon played a significant role in the fall of the Celestial Phoenix.

"Because of this, the powerful sects of the First World did not seek revenge against the Thunder Dragon, even though it killed the Pavilion Master of the Profound Lightning Pavilion, and instead allowed it to stay in the Dragon Lair Sect.

"As for the Lightning Retribution Grounds beneath us, it's said that Profound Lightning Pavilion once used it to attract and harness lightning.

"Since it was originally in the First World, close to the sky of the Abyss, it was prone to drawing down profound thunder from beyond the heavens."

Lei Kun had dedicated himself to training in Cloud Lightning and was extremely knowledgeable about its history.

"In the past, this restricted area was home to many Vicious Beasts that thrived by absorbing lightning. But when that white crane appeared, it cunningly killed off all these Vicious Beasts. It treats Cloud Lightning like its personal territory and attacks anyone who dares to enter.

"Damn it! Before it showed up, I was the strongest one here!" Lei Kun cursed angrily.

A crane's cry suddenly pierced the air.

Lei Kun's eyes sparked with lightning as he glared at the misty sky. "It's coming again!"

The white crane reappeared in the clouds, flapping its wings and sending thick bolts of lightning crashing down.

"My master will eventually slay the ancient Thunder Dragon in the Dragon Lair Sect. My master has already claimed the Dao of Lightning path to godhood!

"An old one and a young one, two lower world scum. The two of you dare to linger in my territory!

"Hmph, did you think I couldn't hear what the two of you were talking about? I've been watching your every move this whole time!"

Boom!

Lightning bolts engulfed the area around Pang Jian and Lei Kun with a thunderous roar.

Whoosh!

The two reacted in near unison—with one summoning a green protective shield and the other releasing lightning to form a small pool of lightning.

Lei Kun laughed as he tossed out a silver thunder bead. "The fact that you couldn't kill Luo Yuan shows that you've grown weak, you feathered beast!"

He calmly used the bead to absorb some of the weaker lightning, then channeled it into the lightning pool surrounding him.

Pulling out a flag, Lei Kun taunted, "The ancient Thunder Dragon has long dominated the Dao of Lightning's path to godhood. How dare your master challenge the Thunder Dragon for this divine path?

"In the Abyss, the ultimate power of lightning belongs to that ancient Thunder Dragon in the Dragon Lair Sect!

"No one else will successfully ascend to godhood by following this Dao for as long as it lives!"

"Shut your filthy mouth! You wretched fool, you don't know the might of my master!" the white crane screeched in fury. "This path to godhood by the Dao of Lightning belongs to my master now. If that old dragon won't step aside, he'll have to die!"

It seemed to consider anyone who insulted or doubted its master its mortal enemy.

A path to godhood...is that something that can be fought over? Can only one True God emerge on any given path in the Abyss?" Pang Jian pondered as he endured the lightning strikes with his green protective shield.

The conversation between Lei Kun and the white crane had brought about new revelations. The path of cultivation was indeed fraught with hidden obstacles.

"You two lowly scums from the lower world will die today! Especially you, you old dog!" the white crane squawked. "I've calculated it perfectly this time. There's a special void right mixed into this wave of lightning!

"Let's see how you two survive this!"

Lei Kun looked confused.

"A special...void rift?" he muttered, seemingly unaware that such a thing existed in Cloud Lightning.

Pang Jian, however, remained calm.

He had long since noticed a slender streak of abnormal lightning among the storm of lightning bolts. It seemed to tear through the void, carving out a narrow rift in the sky above the restricted area.

Dense bizarre mist appeared within the strange rift. The rift seemed like it was connected to the edge of the Abyss.

The special "lightning" he had absorbed with the bronze pendant was likely similar to this void rift.

Crackle!

Though the rift widened, it did not force its way through Pang Jian's protective shield or enter the bronze pendant.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Golden lightning bolts shot out from the rift and mingled with the white lightning.

The sinister white crane's white lightning shone with a golden hue when the golden lightning touched it.

Moreover, the lightning seemed to be frozen in time.

Dozens of massive lightning bolts hung above the Lightning Retribution Grounds like solid golden waterfalls.

Crackle!

One end of the gold-tinged lightning stretched toward the sky and the other pierced straight into the ground.

The two ends moved in opposite directions, but the middle section remained suspended unmoving in the air.

The white crane's eyes filled with horror.

"Ah! How could this happen?" it cried.

It had not expected the void rift to widen unendingly, with no signs of sealing back shut.

At that moment, the bronze pendant—also known as the Gate of the Abyss—started to heat up.

An eerie realization struck Pang Jian as he stared at the ever-widening rift.

It seemed the Gate of the Abyss' presence was causing the rift to tear open even further, allowing golden lightning to shoot out from within.

Meanwhile, cultivators wandering in other parts of the restricted area had noticed the unusual phenomenon occurring in the Lightning Retribution Grounds.

"A golden lightning storm appears in the southwest!"

"That white crane, Lei Kun, and Luo Yuan are all caught in it!"

"We have to see what's going on!"

Despite knowing the dangers, they desperately rushed over from all over to investigate.

Massive golden lightning bolts were frozen in place in the Lightning Retribution Grounds.

Lei Kun was stunned to find the lightning was no longer attacking him. His shock deepened as he turned to gaze at the void rift, which was splitting open more and more.

"Bizarre mist!" he cried in horror as he caught a glimpse of the bizarre mist within the void rift.

He was already contemplating how to escape.

Cultivators in the Abyss revered the supernatural bizarre mist, viewing it as a mysterious force beyond even the power of gods.

Therefore, when Lei Kun caught sight of the bizarre mist, his first thought was to flee as quickly as possible. He no longer wished to remain in Cloud Lightning.

Pang Jian, on the other hand, felt a strange affinity with the bizarre mist and watched in captivation as the void rift widened.

Carefully avoiding the thick golden lightning bolts, he approached the void rift, eager to see what mysteries lay hidden within the depths of the bizarre mist.

"Luo Yuan, don't go near it!" Lei Kun shouted in alarm.

Pang Jian acted as though he had not heard him.

The white crane dodged the soaring golden lightning in the sky. Its control over the lightning had completely spiraled out of its grasp, and it could no longer attack Pang Jian and Lei Kun.

"Something's not right; this isn't how it's supposed to be! You two lower-world scums, you must've messed up my plans!" it cursed.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Slender golden lightning bolts shot out from the depths of the bizarre mist within the void rift like golden dragons, creating a chaotic mix of energies in the area.

Crackle! Crackle!

The golden lightning hung like waterfalls in the sky. As its ends stretched, it drilled deep caverns into the basin below as if intending to pierce straight through Cloud Lightning.

On the plateau of the towering hills, He Hui, Ning Wei, and an elder from the Star River Alliance had also noticed the unusual phenomena in the basin. They watched as streaks of golden lightning shot straight into the sky.

"What on earth is happening?!" shouted all who saw the terrifying sight.

By this time, Pang Jian had already reached the edge of the void rift. Maintaining his sturdy green protective shield as a precaution, he squinted as he peered into the depths of the bizarre mist within the void rift.

He saw a massive creature attempting to emerge from the bizarre mist.