Trials of the Abyss

A Sword Boat was anchored on a rocky mountain peak in the Greencliff Mountain Range.

The prodigies of the human race's major factions were gathered under the starry, moonlit sky, reflecting on the setback they had suffered at the hands of the White Lynx.

Even with her incomplete bloodline, the Rank Nine Fey King had rendered their divine artifacts ineffective and plunged their souls into helplessness.

The Rank Eight Yuan Qi's towering two-hundred-zhang ape form exuded an overwhelming aura, leaving them deeply awestruck.

That night, their preconceived notions about the Fey Race were dramatically shattered.

The Fey Race was not merely a source of meat, blood, and materials for their pills and artifacts, and the true Great Feys were far more formidable than they had imagined.

The gaps in strength are not insurmountable, Pang Jian thought, sitting quietly in a corner as he silently circulated his energies.

As he observed the stars in his dantian with his divine sense, he noticed faint arcane bloodline lightning representing the Dao of Stars flickering within them.

The Dao of Cold comprehended by the Ice Demon was etched within the crystal core of the Heart of Winter.

The Dao of Lightning within the Lightning Dao Seals streaking within the Thunder Pool were also clear and profound.

Despite this, Pang Jian realized he had yet to truly grasp the deeper truths of these Heavenly Daos.

Although he could harness the stellar energy within the stars, wield the cold energy from the Heart of Winter, and even draw on some of the lightning from the Thunder Pool, his comprehension of the underlying Daos governing these energies was undeniably shallow.

Not comprehending these Daos is likely limiting my combat prowess.

With this in mind, he sent his divine soul into his spiritual sea, diving into the crystalline core of the Heart of Winter and immersing himself in the shimmering, icy radiance of the Dao of Cold.

In an instant, his body was encased in ice.

Below, near a deep pit in the ground, Yuan Qi—still in his ape form—raised his head and glanced over at where Pang Jian sat atop the rocky peak.

"A frost-element divine artifact, containing the Dao of Cold, and it doesn't even belong to the human race," Yuan Qi observed.

Baring his teeth in a grin, he resumed pouring buckets of fresh blood from Fey Race with attributes similar to the Rock Bear's bloodline into the pit, creating a new blood pool.

Not long after, the old Rock Bear materialized from thin air and lay comfortably in the pool of blood.

Waves of blood-colored light rippled, and visible crystal bloodline chains intertwined around its chest.

The Rock Bear had devoured the heart of the Rank Nine Fey King Black Stork and was now deciphering the profound mysteries embedded within it.

The Rock Bear squinted his eyes as his gaze settled on Dong Tianze.

"That brat," he muttered. Then, in a booming voice, he called, "Come down here!"

Pang Jian opened his eyes within the frozen block encasing him, brows knitted.

"There's an aura on you—one that belongs to Lady Celestial Phoenix. You must be a Divine Guard," the Rock Bear said, a kind expression on his wrinkled, furry face. "I have something for you!"

Dong Tianze glanced at Pang Jian in hesitation.

After receiving a nod of approval from Pang Jian, he descended from the mountain peak and approached the Rank Nine Rock Bear.

"When I was young, I was once a follower of Lady Celestial Phoenix. Ah, so many years have passed, but Lady Celestial Phoenix's majestic presence remains vivid in my memories, impossible to forget."

The Rock Bear's bloodline stirred and a powerful force drew Dong Tianze in to hover before its chest.

Before Dong Tianze was a swirling nexus of blood-colored light of intertwining bloodline mysteries, He could feel strands of arcane bloodline lightning coursing chaotically around him.

"Use the Imprint Lady Celestial Phoenix left on your brow to comprehend and absorb as much as you can—it's all yours," the Rock Bear said in a rumbling voice.

Dong Tianze's eyes lit up.

Sitting cross-legged amidst the rippling blood-colored light, he activated the Celestial Phoenix Imprint on his forehead and immersed his divine soul into the Celestial Phoenix Imprint.

He felt like he had transformed into a young Fey Race warrior, wandering through a sea of light formed by the crystal bloodline chains.

"Pang Jian and Dong Tianze are truly the favored prodigies of the human race in the Abyss," Dong Wenjian remarked enviously to his partner, Lin Manhe. "As you said, unstoppable prodigies will emerge whenever a great calamity befalls the Abyss. This era, it's Pang Jian and Dong Tianz—"

At that moment, he noticed a deep crimson mountain emerging from the center of Zhou Qingchen's brow.

The mountain suddenly transformed into Zhou Qingchen.

"Hsi divine soul is leaving the body! He's broken through to the Soul Wandering Realm!" Hu Yuanfei exclaimed, eyes wide as she observed a bright red orb floating in front of Zhou Qingchen's chest.

Surging blood essence within the orb repeatedly tempered Zhou Qingchen's body.

"The blood essence of the Great Feys has greatly aided me," Zhou Qingchen said brightly. Noticing Pang Jian looking his way, he explained, "My divine soul also contains divine consciousness and heavily relies on the tempering of my physical body.

"I recall you mentioning that tempering our physical body would help us break through to the Soul Wandering Realm.

"When we killed those Great Feys earlier, my Divine Origin Pearl absorbed a considerable amount of blood essence.

"When I tempered my body with that blood essence, my divine soul became light and ethereal, allowing it to effortlessly leave my body."

Zhou Qingchen's divine soul flitted about briefly before finally returning to his sea of consciousness.

"Add Zhou Qingchen to the list! You guys who fought your way out of the Fourth World truly have terrifying potential," Dong Wenjian remarked with growing amazement.

Meanwhile, Fan Chen, Hu Yuanfei, and Liu Youyu were muttering to themselves.

"Using blood essence to temper the physical body."

"Strengthening the physical body also strengthens the divine soul."

"Looks like I need to reconsider my approach."

In the days that followed, the prodigies of the human race started delving into the body-refining techniques they knew. They focused on tempering their bodies and refining their physiques using the spoils from slaying the Great Feys.

One day, Yuan Qi transformed into his human form, glancing nervously at the Rock Bear lying in the pit.

The Rock Bear had since absorbed all the blood Yuan Qi had poured into the pit and was now staring quietly up at the blazing sun in the sky.

Its rays were blinding, but the Rock Bear was unbothered.

Instead, he focused on the rhythmic thundering of its heart, patiently awaiting the spontaneous resurgence of its dormant bloodline.

The Fey Race's ritual, the Return to Antiquity, had reached its critical final step.

Yuan Qi had done all he could.

The awakening of the Rock Bear's dormant bloodline hinged on this moment.

If his ancestors' comprehensions in his bloodline were to manifest, the Rock Bear would undoubtedly become the most likely candidate to ascend to the rank of Fey God, especially given his age, status, and deep foundation.

The White Lynx suddenly appeared.

She retained the appearance of a petite human girl, with her long, silver-white hair cascading down her front and partially covering her face.

The Fey King stood atop a different rocky peak, her small frame appearing desolate and forlorn.

"I'm sorry," she said with a tired helplessness. "I dare not go against the Dragon Lair Sect."

The Rock Bear coldly snorted. "You came just to tell me this?"

"No." The White Lynx sighed faintly and lowered her head like a guilty child. "I've reported your situation and the appearance of the Gray Ape to the Dragon Lair Sect."

She glanced at Yuan Qi.

"I told them everything, including what you told me about the ancient Fey Race hidden in Northern Qi and the one capable of rivaling the Thunder Dragon. I dared not keep any of it secret."

The Rock Bear let out a long sigh. "Few Fey Race have the courage to oppose the Dragon Lair Sect. I don't blame you."

Yuan Qi, on the other hand, was outraged. His expression twisted in fury as he pointed at the Rank Nine prodigy of the Fey Race.

"You! Even if you don't dare to defy the Dragon Lair Sect, that's no reason to disclose what I told you in confidence!

"Lady White Lynx, you're a prodigy of our Fey Race's new generation. Where are your principles?"

"I'm sorry." The White Lynx brushed her silver hair away from her delicate face.

Her once-pristine face was riddled with deep wounds. The jarring red of her flesh was painful to look at.

"I'm sorry, but I'm powerless against the Dragon Lair Sect. I'm not one of the six qualified to compete for the Fey God seat, which means the Dragon Lair Sect can deal with me as they please."

She then transformed into her snow-white lynx form, revealing bone-deep wounds that extended across her small frame. Strangely enough, although the whites of her bones were exposed in some places, no blood flowed from her injuries.

The sharp-eyed Pang Jian used his golden divine soul to examine the White Lynx more closely and soon noticed that the meridians deep within her body had been severed in many places.

Just several days ago, this prodigy of the Fey Race, had displayed her earth-shattering combat prowess against them.

However, it was clear she had since suffered severe, irreparable injuries.

Even if Yuan Qi performed the Return to Antiquity ritual for her now, it was unlikely she could ever reach her full potential.

The White Lynx glanced at the prodigies of the human race.

"I came to warn you that the Dragon Lair Sect is now aware of you.

"Run. Find a way to escape the Sacred Soul Continent—the Dragon Lair Sect's territory. Outsiders who dare to interfere with the struggle for the position of Fey God can be justifiably killed here.

"The True Gods behind you should have warned you against setting foot on the Sacred Soul Continent, especially not during this critical period.

"If you continue to meddle in the struggle for the position of Fey God, the Dragon Lair Sect will kill you, and the True Gods will have no grounds to object.

"Good luck."

With that, the Rank Nine White Lynx dragged her injured body back toward her territory.

Flashes of arcane bloodline lightning erupted from the Rock Bear's chest and he dove into the ground with a roar.

"I'll reclaim the bloodline mysteries that rightfully belong to me!" he bellowed, deep rumbling with an undertone of anger.

Yuan Qi had been about to berate the White Lynx but bit back his scathing words when she decided to warn them despite her miserable state.

As he watched the White Lynx disappear into the distance, he could not help but feel he had gained deeper insight into the Dragon Lair Sect's oppressive influence on the Fey Race and the unparalleled might of the ancient Thunder Dragon.

The number of Fey Race in the Abyss brave enough to challenge the Dragon Lair Sect could truly be counted on one hand.

Even the White Lynx—hesitant as she was to defy the Dragon Lair Sect—had suffered such a cruel fate.

If the Rock Bear failed to ascend to the rank of Fey God, one could only imagine the fate that awaited it after the struggle was over.

"You guys stay here. I'm going to speak with her, Pang Jian said abruptly, flying after the retreating White Lynx.

Yuan Qi stared at his departing figure in shock.

"I may be able to help her," Pang Jian called back in explanation.