Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 309: Blood Paints the Sky

Fu Wangchen leaped off the Heavenly Roc Warship after delivering the blow to Qi Qingsong.

"Trying to escape?" Fu Wangchen locked onto the fleeing Pang Jian from a distance with the divine eye on his forehead. "Many Outer Gods are watching the area beyond this restricted area like predators. Are you planning to hunt them with your Nether Abyss Spirit Bees?"

He seemed to cover a million zhang with every step and almost looked like he was teleporting.

It did not take long for him to close in on Pang Jian.

As Pang Jian flew through the air, he glanced back and saw Fu Wangchen strike Qi Qingsong down into the lake.

Fu Wangchen of the Forsaken Expanse Sect!

Pang Jian took a deep breath to temper his frustrations.

Although he was sorely tempted to battle the future master of the Forsaken Expanse Sect, he knew the Heavenly Roc Warship and the ancient god Dharma Idol meant he would be fighting a losing battle.

Fu Wangchen would just capture him again if he stayed.

Fu Wangchen's target was him, not Qi Qingsong, Dong Tianze, or the others. Therefore, the best way to ensure their safety was to escape.

Pang Jian flew even faster.

"Divine Illumination Mirror!"

A square, silver mirror rose up behind Fu Wangchen, with its smooth surface facing Pang Jian.

The instant Pang Jian's figure appeared in the mirror, his real body froze mid-air.

The Divine Illumination Mirror also severed his connections to the golden bees and the Bee Sovereign.

Faint silhouettes of ancient phantoms appeared along the edges of the bright mirror, resembling the dead powerhouses of the Forsaken Expanse Sect.

The phantoms silently watched Pang Jian's reflected figure in the mirrored world, exuding an ancient, mysterious aura as if from bygone eras.

The past and present appeared to overlap.

"Pang Jian, you won't be able to escape," Fu Wangchen said before stepping into the mirror.

He appeared inside the mirrored world like a towering god, a million times larger than Pang Jian.

A cold smile pulled across his face as he punched Pang Jian's reflection in the mirror.

An overwhelming divine might descended on the mirrored Pang Jian.

The real Pang Jian hastily gathered his strength and summoned the Star Crushing Umbrella, the Nine Suns Cauldron, and the Startling Slaughter Spear.

Whoosh!

The Star Crushing Umbrella expanded dozens of times and its canopy glowed with brilliant starlight and moonlight. A crystalline ice well appeared on top of it, emitting a cold mist as it erupted with shards of ice and vibrant green spiritual power.

Beneath the umbrella, nine blazing miniature suns held up a crimson cauldron.

Below that was Pang Jian with his protective shield, spinning his Startling Slaughter Spear to unleash Silver Crescents.

This multi-layered defense created a stunning spectacle, leaving many in Absolute Heaven in awe. They had not realized how powerful Pang Jian truly was until now.

"This guy has so many tricks up his sleeve!"

"He could probably fight someone in the Spirit Condensation Realm, even while in the Profound Abode Realm."

"It's a shame his opponent is Fu Wangchen from the Forsaken Expanse Sect. His Divine Illumination Mirror is a quasi-divine artifact!"

"No wonder the Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion took him as a personal disciple."

The crowd murmured in shock at Pang Jian's desperate display of power.

That surprise was short-lived, however, as the giant Fu Wangchen inside the mirror unleashed a heaven-shattering punch on the mirrored Pang Jian.

Boom!

The real Pang Jian outside the mirror felt the impact of the blow.

The Star Crushing Umbrella was the first to break under the devastating force as its spokes snapped apart.

Endless starlight and moonlight exploded like a collapsing galaxy before fading into the sky.

The scorching suns around the Nine Suns Cauldron were extinguished like candle flames.

Crack!

The Nine Suns Cauldron was crushed, becoming as useless as the destroyed Black Iron Mountain.

"Again!" Fu Wangchen rained punches down on Pang Jian in the mirrored world.

Pang Jian could not see his attacker from outside the mirrored world and could only feel the immense force striking him from every direction.

The Silver Crescents exploded one by one, and Pang Jian's protective shield shattered.

Even the black turtle scute's defensive barrier cracked under the relentless assault.

Soon, Pang Jian's entire body was covered in blood, with countless bones broken.

"Fu Wangchen! How dare you!" Zhuang Yuyan stood in fury.

Her mother-child spirit swords shot out, creating a world of flames. The Vermilion Bird and Fiery Qilin roared as they rushed toward the Divine Illumination Mirror.

"Fool!" Fu Wangchen snorted coldly from within the mirrored world.

Boom!

The towering Dharma Idol flew out from the Heavenly Roc Warship and rushed into the fiery world. Still seated on a lotus platform burning with karmic fire, it swiftly crushed the Vermilion Bird and the Fiery Qilin representing Zhuang Yuyan's two spirit swords.

The Vermilion Bird and the Fiery Qilin cried in agony as the fiery world was reduced to nothing.

"Heavenly Roc! Hunt down the heretic fiends with me!" Fu Wangchen commanded.

The Heavenly Roc Warship hovering above the forest let out a screech.

Golden lightning streaked through the golden-winged roc's skeleton, releasing the immense power lying dormant within.

The legendary Rank Nine Golden-Winged Giant Roc seemed to have returned from the dead.

It soared through the sky, drawing closer to Fu Wangchen.

However, as it passed over a lake, a massive vortex unexpectedly appeared on the lake's calm surface.

A powerful force suddenly pulled the Rank Nine Golden-Winged Giant Roc down, rendering it immobile.

Whoosh!

A colossal creature emerged from the depths of the lake and launched itself fiercely toward the Golden-Winged Giant Roc in the sky.

The colossal creature resembled a giant eel, with a long, slender neck and a body over five hundred zhang long, covered in shimmering scales that resembled ice crystals.

Its enormous, icy blue eyes shone with greed as its flat body shot toward the Golden-Winged Giant Roc like a sword.

A sharp horn gleamed coldly on its head, radiating a blinding divine light!

Crack!

The sharp horn, as thick as a massive pillar and filled with boundless malice, pierced straight through the skeleton of the Golden-Winged Giant Roc.

It then clamped down on the wings of the Golden-Winged Giant Roc with its claws and fangs before violently shaking it.

The massive wings and the building atop them crumbled to pieces.

The members of the Forsaken Expanse Sect mounting the golden-winged rocs screamed in terror.

"Ice Armor Eel Dragon!"

"It's at least Rank Eight!"

Lu Jie and the burly man paled with fear.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Ice Armor Eel Dragon's falling scales sliced apart the golden-winged rocs, turning them back into droplets of golden blood.

It then opened its mouth and eagerly drank the rain of golden blood before dragging the Heavenly Roc Warship into the depths of the lake.

"Ice Armor Eel Dragon!" Fu Wangchen screamed with a horrified expression.

Stepping out of the Divine Illumination Mirror, he abandoned his attack on Pang Jian.

He quickly adjusted the angle of the mirror to reflect the Ice Armor Eel Dragon's massive body, temporarily freezing it in the middle of dragging the giant Heavenly Roc Warship into the lake.

The Ice Armor Eel Dragon's eyes flashed with confusion.

It suddenly dove downward with all its might.

The image of the Ice Armor Eel Dragon in the Divine Illumination Mirror cracked as it broke free from the quasi-divine artifact's restraint.

Fu Wangchen groaned, blood trickling from his eyes as he summoned the ancient god Dharma Idol once again, intending to plunge into the lake to retrieve the Heavenly Roc Warship.

"Junior Brother Fu, don't go down there! That Ice Armor Eel Dragon is at least Rank Eight. It's far beyond what you can handle!" Lu Jie screamed in horror.

She flew through the air on a golden feather, bringing her fellow disciples to safety.

Those able to fly all fled Heavenly Roc Warship and placed as much distance between themselves and the lake as possible.

The lake swallowed the rest.

"I—" Fu Wangchen hovered in the air, watching as one of his fellow disciples struggled desperately in the water only to be dragged into the lake's depths.

The deep blue lake water turned murky.

Fu Wangchen could not see the bottom of the lake, even with his divine third eye.

Although he wanted to dive in and investigate, he could not help but hesitate.

"Don't go!" Lu Jie screamed again, flying toward Fu Wangchen on the golden feather and forcibly pulling him onto it.

Ice Armor Eel Dragon...

Pang Jian had taken the chance to flee Absolute Heaven and had witnessed the incredible scene through the eyes of his golden bees.

He never could have imagined that a Rank Eight Vicious Beast would attack the Heavenly Roc Warship and drag it into the lake.

Even without the Golden-Winged Giant Roc, Fu Wangchen still had the ancient god Dharma Idol, the Divine Illumination Mirror, and his Spirit Condensation Realm cultivation.

Pang Jian's face was covered in blood, and his bloodshot eyes coldly glared at the dejected Fu Wangchen from a distance.

Rich life energy and blood essence flowed within him, stabilizing his injuries.

Pang Jian sighed and shook his head.

No, it's still a hopeless fight.

The members of the Demon Sect, the Celestial Lagoon Sect, the Skyveil Cliff Sect, and the Xiao Clan considered Fu Wangchen their leader and followed his commands.

If he turned around, he would have to face all of them.

Moreover, he was in poor condition. The Star Crushing Umbrella and the Nine Suns Cauldron had been destroyed, and his internal energies were nearly depleted.

Pang Jian resisted the urge to turn back and instead eyed the other three fragmented lands.

The frozen fragmented land!

Pang Jian could use the Gate of the Abyss once more as his connections to the bees had been restored,

"Teleport!"

He disappeared from the outer edges of Absolute Heaven.

By the time Fu Wangchen realized what had happened, Pang Jian was already gone.

Atop a floating boulder high above the forest, Wu Yuan of the Demon Sect sat, staring at where Pang Jian had vanished.

"He can even teleport."

Wu Yuan had kept his eyes on Pang Jian while everyone else was focused on Fu Wangchen and the Ice Armor Eel Dragon, and so, had been the only one to see Pang Jian teleport away.