Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 239: The World Tree

"Of course, the noble families are just lapdogs of the major sects. They wouldn't dare bark at their masters," Wang Yun, the rogue cultivator, sneered mockingly from the side.

Pang Jian did not respond.

Most of the passengers on Wang Ying's Cloud Sail were not new to the Dark Abyss Continent, so they were not particularly curious about it.

They sat on the deck, either silently meditating or whispering among themselves.

Unlike the others, Pang Jian often stood at the edge of the Cloud Sail, gazing at the far away vast landscape or taking in the majestic cities as they passed. After all, he was not from the Third World.

Pang Jian's indifferent expression did not accurately portray his excitement at seeing a real, complete continent for the first time.

It had only been a little over two years since the Ning Clan broke the fence of his house and forced him to guide them through the Solitary Mountain Range.

Two years ago, he had been gazing at the sky from his family courtyard and fantasizing about the scenery above.

The Cosmic Skies and the Dark Abyss, the two legendary continents in the Third World, had been nothing more than a distant, unattainable dream for him.

He could never have imagined that he would find himself standing in the upper worlds he had only dreamed of as a child.

Now, he was a middle-stage Profound Abode Realm cultivator with limitless potential.

If all went well, the Sword Pavilion in the Second World would soon officially recognize him as one of their disciples.

It all felt like a dream.

Pang Jian was filled with emotion.

He took a deep breath and looked back at the towering cities the Cloud Sail had flown past.

The Dark Abyss Continent was truly enormous. Even dozens of Divine Fortunes combined would not match its size.

The massive Dark Abyss Continent was home to many famous mountains and rivers, with dozens of human-built cities scattered like stars across the land.

Noble families allied with the Blood Moon Sect and the Star River Alliance ruled these cities.

The spiritual qi of heaven and earth was more concentrated in the cities, allowing both cultivators and non-cultivators living there to experience its wondrous effects.

Even non-cultivators could live to a hundred years old if they resided in these cities.

Cultivators in the Meridian Opening and Marrow Cleansing Realms could live up to two hundred years, and those with higher cultivation realms enjoyed even longer lifespans.

It was no wonder that those in the Fourth World longed to come to complete continents like the Cosmic Skies and Dark Abyss Continent.

One day, Pang Jian sat quietly in a corner of the deck, refining his control over his divine senses.

At the moment, he could freely manipulate fifty strands of his divine senses at once.

With a single thought, he could gather these fifty strands of divine sense in one spot or disperse them across the corners of his sea of consciousness.

But that was his limit.

He could only control about two-fifths of his one hundred and twenty-eight strands of divine sense. Once he had control over all one hundred and twenty-eight strands, he would be ready to advance to the late stage of the Profound Abode Realm.

In the middle of refining his control over his divine senses, Pang Jian suddenly sensed a call for help from the little tree in Misty Swamp.

The last time the little tree had sought help, Li Yuqing intended to destroy Divine Fortune, leaving the little tree with no choice but to seek aid from its master.

This was the second time the little tree had ever called for Pang Jian's help and he did not dare take it lightly.

Pang Jian established a connection.

"Hmm?!" The little tree instantly drained the divine sense in Pang Jian's sea of consciousness dry.

The finger-thick strands of divine sense shrunk as the mental energy within was rapidly siphoned away.

Pang Jian stifled a grunt as he turned his attention to the situation in Divine Fortune and tried to figure out what was happening.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Thick branches filled Pang Jian's sight.

These thick branches, glowing with green divine light and as thick as dragons, shot out from the edges of Divine Fortune.

Dozens of these thick, glowing branches extended toward the distant sea of clouds.

Pang Jian was shocked.

Deep underground in Divine Fortune, a small mountain of tangled roots from the World Eater Vine radiated incredibly dense life energy.

All the vegetation in Divine Fortune was channeling their energy to the roots of the World Eater Vine.

Clusters of green light were concentrated along the World Eater Vine's roots.

Above ground, members of the Wood Race sat quietly beneath its canopy. They reverently held its drooping leaves and branches, faces alight with excitement and joy.

The World Eater Vine was gathering energy from the strange flowers and plants it had nurtured within Divine Fortune. It also gathered the members of the Wood Race in one place.

It was about to annex another fragmented land!

The thick, glowing branches could grow and extend outward indefinitely, allowing it to reach another fragmented land and merge it with Divine Fortune.

The World Eater Vine had gathered all the life energy it could muster from the surrounding vegetation to achieve this.

The problem was mental energy.

I understand!

Pang Jian unhesitatingly allowed the World Eater Vine to draw upon the unique energy within his sea of consciousness.

If not for the selfless help of the World Eater Vine and the black turtle, the white crane's lightning would have long struck Pang Jian down in Cloud Lightning.

He, the little tree, and the black turtle in the Resolute Expanse shared a bond of mutual prosperity and decline—no matter how much energy he had to give, it was worth it.

Half an hour later, dozens of thick, dragon-like branches had extended hundreds of miles through the sea of clouds in the Fourth World.

Some of the strange flowers and plants in Misty Swamp started to wither and Pang Jian’s one hundred and twenty-eight strands of divine sense had become hair-thin.

The little tree had completely drained his mental energy.

But it still demanded more.

Pang Jian, now groggy and on the verge of collapse, knew the little tree was at a critical moment. Forcing himself to stay awake, he reached into his spatial bracelet for a Mind Soothing Pill, only to realize he had run out.

I'll just have to use Soul Nourishing Pills!

Although a Soul Nourishing Pill was worth ten Mind Soothing Pills, Pang Jian did not hesitate to take one out and swallow it.

A distinct wave of soul essence spread out as the pill took effect. Pang Jian actively guided it straight into his sea of consciousness.

Pang Jian's dried-up strands of divine sense swelled and strengthened.

Soul Nourishing Pills are far more effective than Mind Soothing Pills.

All of Pang Jian's earlier fatigue vanished and he felt revitalized.

He then decisively swallowed another Soul Nourishing Pill.

The soul essence released in his body became even more noticeable with two pills in his system, drawing the attention of many on the Cloud Sail.

"Such rich soul essence!"

"The soul essence that nourishes divine sense—this isn’t something a Mind Soothing Pill can produce. This is a Soul Nourishing Pill!"

"Oh my god! This guy is so wasteful! Spirit Condensation Realm cultivators use Soul Nourishing Pills to temper their souls, and he's just using it to cultivate divine sense!"

"And not just one—he swallowed two Soul Nourishing Pills!"

Many aboard the Cloud Sail stared at the meditating Pang Jian in shock.

In their eyes, Pang Jian was a reckless spendthrift and a treasure-laden sheep ripe for the picking.

A rogue cultivator in the late stage of the Profound Abode Realm licked his lips and sidled up to Wang Ying. "Sister Ying, what’s the deal with him? He’s got a spatial bracelet and can casually pull out two Soul Nourishing Pills—he can’t be some nobody, right?"

Wang Ying was also staring at the now incredibly eye-catching Pang Jian in surprise.

After a brief hesitation, she frowned and warned, "Crazy Ma, don't cause trouble on my Cloud Sail."

"Of course, I’ll show you some respect while I'm aboard your Cloud Sail. But once we disembark...heh heh," replied the rogue cultivator, whose real name was Ma Feng. He grinned wickedly and asked again, "Do you know who he is?"

"I only know he calls himself Gao Song," Wang Ying said lowly, eyes still on the meditating Pang Jian. "He's one of the rogue cultivators who managed to make it out from Cloud Lightning alive, but I’ve never seen him fight. My guess is that he’s in the early to middle stage of the Profound Abode Realm.

"Crazy Ma, it's best not to provoke him if you don't know anything about him. Anyone who can pull out two Soul Nourishing Pills like that isn’t just some nobody. I advise you to think twice before acting!"

As Wang Ying spoke, her gaze remained fixed on Pang Jian, eyes glinting with uncertainty.

It seemed she, too, was tempted.

"Hehe, if I get what I want, I'll share some with you." Ma Feng chuckled.

Several other rogue cultivators huddled around Ma Feng and Wang Ying, whispering among themselves as they eyed Pang Jian.

Meanwhile, in the Fourth World, dozens of thick, green branches extended thousands of miles from Divine Fortune.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The green-glowing branches finally pierced into another fragmented land called Divine Fortress like a knife through tofu.

Once inside, the branches spread throughout the fragmented land, sprouting thorns that resembled barbed spikes as they went.

Rumble! Rumble!

Both Divine Fortune and Divine Fortress shook.

The two adjacent fragmented lands that were thousands of miles apart drew closer to each other.

"The Sacred Tree did it!"

"Our Sacred Tree, the World Tree, has taken a crucial step!"

"It's exercising its innate abilities!"

The members of the Wood Race trembled with excitement when they felt the gentle movement of Divine Fortune. Some were even moved to tears.

Li Yuqing had called the little tree the World Eater Vine, but to the Wood Race, it was the World Tree.

World Eater. The World. [1]

Pang Jian was shocked.

The World Tree.

He then realized that the little tree had stopped draining Pang Jian's divine sense once its branches had deeply embedded their barbed thorns into Divine Fortress.

Seeing the drained state of his sea of consciousness, he quietly took out a third Soul Nourishing Pill, closed his eyes, and continued to meditate.

1. The Chinese characters for World Eater (蚀界) and World (世界) have the same pronunciation but different meanings. ☜