Trials of the Abyss-Chapter 703: The Bottom of the "Well"

At the edge of the battlefield on the outer reaches of the Western Loam, Long Xiao was forced to divert more of the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree's power toward fighting Dong Tianze and Wu Yuan.

The sea of lightning that trapped the Qilin Bell was also withdrawn, allowing Li Jie to break free as it gathered around Long Xiao.

Wearing the Qilin Bell like a suit of armor, Li Jie stared up at Dong Shangqing's towering Dharma Idol.

"Senior Dong!" Li Jie shouted, his youthful round face filled with indignation, "You've been hovering outside the Western Loam this whole time. Why did you only arrive now?

"Li Wang descended into the Fifth World to fight the foreign races alongside my father. No other True Gods are left in the upper worlds.

"You know this, so why aren't you and Senior Pei stepping in to stop that ancient Thunder Dragon?

"You've only lingered on the outskirts since arriving. Senior Pei hasn't shown himself at all! I would like to ask both seniors: Why?"

Li Jie's forehead was flushed red with anger. Long Xiao's lightning had killed two Immortal Realm elders from his sect, his father's soul lamp was extinguished, and his elder sister's fate remained unknown.

Li Jie had been drowning in grief over his father's presumed death when Long Xiao appeared. However, he never forgot his father's words.

The three great powers, the Divine Treasure Sect, the Pure Land Sect, and the Sword Pavilion, had remained close allies across generations. When either the Pure Land Sect or the Sword Pavilion faced a calamity that threatened the survival of their sects, the Divine Treasure Sect had to assist them with all their strength at all costs.

This was an unspoken pact the three sects had vowed to uphold in secret.

So when the Pure Land Sect came under assault from the rampaging Thunder Dragon, the Sword Pavilion did not hesitate to dispatch three Immortal Realm elders, even bringing their Sword Pavilion along.

Meanwhile, Li Jie suppressed the sorrow in his heart and, despite the elders' repeated attempts to stop him, risked death to appear before the ancient Thunder Dragon.

With his father gone, he chose to uphold that ancient alliance. Although he did everything he could, he was, at the end of the day, still an artifact refiner, not known for combat prowess within the Divine Treasure Sect. That responsibility had always belonged to his sister, Li Yuqing.

If Dong Tianze had not appeared when he did, Li Jie would already be dead.

In contrast, the True Gods of the Ancient Law Sect and the Forsaken Expanse Sect, the two figures expected to appear during this crisis, did absolutely nothing. One stood idly by, watching with cold detachment, while the other did not even bother to appear.

Li Jie had every right to be furious. That he still addressed Dong Shangqing as Senior Dong and maintained a tone of respect was already a show of tremendous restraint.

Dong Shangqing let out a bitter smile, quietly withdrawing his towering Dharma Idol and descending to hover next to Li Jie.

"I'm aware of your father's situation. My condolences." The True God of the Ancient Law Sect understood the grief and turmoil in Li Jie's heart. "If nothing unexpected happens, I too will perish in the Abyss. I've long accepted that fate."

Li Jie was stunned.

"Any True God unable to withstand the pressure of the foreign races is bound to fall during this once-in-a-hundred-millennia grand event," Dong Shangqing continued, his gaze resting on the ever-deepening crimson of the vast expanse in the distance. "I didn't act immediately because I already received word that Dong Tianze and Wu Yuan would come to aid you.

"Also, I believed that the ancient Thunder Dragon would still care for the dragons of the Dragon Lair Sect and wouldn't escalate things to a point of no return."

Dong Shangqing let out a long sigh.

"Most importantly, neither I nor Master Pei has the confidence to subdue that ancient Thunder Dragon. We feared that we'd only provoke his fury further if we acted rashly. He could cause even greater havoc in his fit of madness.

"The Fey Race still has another Fey God, the Rock Bear. If we pushed Long Xiao into a corner, he would surely show up too, so we decided to wait and see what Wu Yuan and Dong Tianze could accomplish first—whether they had the strength to suppress him.

"Li Wang and the others have descended to the Fifth World. With Liu Fu dead, the upper worlds are under immense strain. We have no room for error. Our duty is not just to protect the Pure Land Sect, but to safeguard all the sects and survivors in the First and Second Worlds.

"It's precisely because of this heavy responsibility, where a single mistake could lead to total ruin, that we act with such restraint.

"I hope you and your Divine Treasure Sect can come to understand our position as well," Dong Shangqing said with an expression of helplessness.

Behind Li Jie, three elders from the Divine Treasure Sect arrived aboard a Shooting Star Boat. They had heard Dong Shangqing's words from afar and greeted the graceful True God with respectful bows.

"Li Jie, return to the sect with us at once!" one of the elders called out sternly.

"Senior Dong," Li Jie lowered his head and bowed deeply, his voice soft. "Forgive me for my rudeness. I couldn't understand your burden."

Dong Shangqing waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine. Wu Yuan and Dong Tianze have surprised me. I don't believe the ancient Thunder Dragon will be turning the heavens over after all."

Pausing, he briefly glanced between the elders and Li Jie.

"The members of the Li Family have always been worthy of our respect."

Of all the cultivators on the Western Loam, only this chubby youth from the Li Family dared to charge forward with his Qilin Bell and face the crushing might of the ancient Thunder Dragon.

His father was dead, and his sister was missing. Despite this, this youth held fast to the duty his father entrusted to him.

Dong Shangqing was quietly moved.

***

In the darkness of the Seventh World of the Abyss, a massive expanse of bronze suddenly appeared below Pang Jian.

Its surface was smooth, with no inscriptions or marks of any kind. The bronze expanse was unimaginably vast, stretching across the entire bottom of the Seventh World like a colossal bronze continent.

As far as Pang Jian could see, it was all bronze and nothing else. Even if all the known continents across the First to Fifth Worlds of the Abyss were fused together, it still would not be anywhere as vast.

The edges of this bronze expanse connected seamlessly to the bizarre mist and the boundary walls of the Seventh World.

How is one supposed to leave the Seventh World through such a barrier? Pang Jian wondered. The well-shaped Abyss has a true bottom after all, this massive bronze continent.

It's not some intangible barrier like I expected, but a solid bottom. If one wishes to leave through the depths of the Abyss, there seems to be no other way but to pierce through it.

But how thick is it? And what is it made of?

As Pang Jian pondered this, he briefly glanced at the bronze pendant at his chest.

His face twisted with shock.

The Gate of the Abyss was made of the same bronze as the continent.

Taking off the pendant and flipping it over, he saw that the characters for "Shadow" and "Thunder" had appeared on the back, next to the character for "Abyss."

Aside from the engraved characters, the smooth surface of the pendant was identical to the massive expanse of bronze underneath Pang Jian.

It was as if the Gate of the Abyss had been cut directly from the bronze expanse, shaped into a gate, etched with mysterious markings, and imbued with the power to traverse the worlds of the Abyss.

Did my father also stand here once? Do the bronze pendants of the World Gods come from this place?

Why is the bottom of the Abyss so different from the Shadow Abyss or the Thunder Abyss? Why does it have a colossal bronze continent that bars all living beings from crossing?

Can this bronze continent be pierced through? Could one break through this barrier and escape?

Pang Jian shot downward and slammed into the bronze continent like a cannonball. The instant he came into contact with the bronze expanse, the Gate of the Abyss in his hand grew warm.

Curious, he channeled power into the pendant. His connections with Pang Ling, the black turtle, the Bee Sovereign, the golden bees, and even the seven Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars were all reestablished. The only exception was the Black Dragon King.

Even his Immortal Divine Soul's path through the bizarre mist to the Nether Abyss became clear in his mind's eye.

His perception surged dozens of times because of the bronze continent beneath his feet and the pendant in his grasp.

***

Beneath the Glazed Purification Divine Array in the First World, Pang Lin and the elders from the Sword Pavilion joined Wu Sujin and the others in the secluded valley where Wang Beihong, Huang Yun, and the elders of the Pure Land Sect were gathered.

The group stared anxiously at the sky above, where the crimson expanse continued to deepen.

Dong Tianze and Wu Yuan's arrival and attack against Long Xiao had steadied the hearts of those below, but worry still lingered.

They feared that the two freshly ascended and seemingly inexperienced True Gods would be unable to withstand Long Xiao's overwhelming ferocity. After all, Long Xiao's fearsome reputation was well-earned. He was a savage Fey God of the ancient era.

"I didn't expect the Pavilion Master to have played a role in guiding both Dong Tianze and Wu Yuan," Guang He murmured, rubbing his temples. "Let's hope this doesn't prove to be a mistake."

Liu Junhong and Wang Ce stood nearby, their expressions equally conflicted.

The three sword souls within the Sword Pavilion had revealed Li Zhaotian's actions to them, from entrusting the Bloodthirsty Sword to Dong Tianze to tacitly approving of Wu Yuan's ascension through the Dao of Demon.

Dong Tianze and Wu Yuan came here out of loyalty to Pang Jian, standing up for Pang Lin in her hour of need and joining forces against the domineering Thunder Dragon of the Dragon Lair Sect.

However, this did not guarantee the future. There were unmistakable signs of Dong Tianze cultivating the Blood God Technique. His connection to Liu Fu's death also could not be ignored. They could not help but question if he would someday lose control and fall into madness.

Wu Yuan, on the other hand, was a prodigy of the Dao of Demon and had risen with the support of many powerful Demon Gods from beyond the Abyss. This undoubtedly made him one of the most coveted vessels for those Demon Gods to possess. Great Demon God He Motian and the Primordial Demon would not simply let Wu Yuan go.

Dong Tianze and Wu Yuan only became more dangerous as they grew stronger. If the day came that either ever lost their sense of self, it could have disastrous consequences for the human race.

The three elders and the sword souls within the Sword Pavilion could not help but worry about the future. One sigh after another echoed in their hearts at the thought of the two turning on the human race.

At that moment, the golden bee perched on Pang Lin's shoulder blinked, its eyes gleaming with startling intelligence.

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