Trials of the Abyss
Chapter 654: Epiphany

Chapter 654: Epiphany

The Black Dragon King's appearance still resembled Pang Jian's, though he was noticeably shorter than before.

His once oppressive aura, which had barely contained his violent nature, had drastically changed after becoming a Fey God.

Even when Pang Jian and Li Yuqing focused their eyes on the darkness surging behind the Black Dragon King, they still could not discern what had become of Qi Xu.

Still, the absence of Corruption seeping out meant Qi Xu was still alive. It also showed that the Black Dragon King had heeded Pang Jian's words, at least for now.

The Fey God unexpectedly broke the silence.

"Pang Jian."

Unlike before, he no longer addressed Pang Jian as "Master," nor did he use honorifics.

"Without your aid, Sha Jia of the Celestial Race would have killed me on the Fey Spirit Continent. My existence in this life would have ended there."

A sharp glint flickered through Li Yuqing's bright eyes at the Black Dragon King's words.

This life!

The Black Dragon King had inadvertently confirmed his reincarnated identity with that simple phrase.

Pang Jian had previously made it clear that he had nurtured both the Black Dragon King and the Rank Ten World Eater Vine.

Does Pang Jian truly have such a divine technique? Is it because he's the World God of this era?

A dazzling light flickered in Li Yuqing's bright eyes, and ripples stirred in the depths of her mind. It seemed her understanding of Pang Jian's abilities was still too shallow.

Her fate-related techniques were already beyond comprehension, but Pang Jian's ability to resurrect a Fey God seemed even more unfathomable in her eyes.

"Of course, you've also helped me many times before."

The Black Dragon King's eyes, dark as the depths of Blackwater Pond, held a fleeting nostalgia as he recalled the time he possessed a Black-White King Python and fought alongside Pang Jian.

After that came Eight Trigrams City and the Fifth World. Fragments of the past flashed through his mind.

The Black Dragon King closed his eyes, suppressing the flood of memories.

"As repayment, I will ensure your safety during this stage, when you need someone to guard you," he said. "As for everything else, my thoughts are still unclear. I do not wish to speak of it. So please, do not ask."

With that, his human form faded back into the darkness.

His eyes gleamed with a piercing radiance from within the darkness as he gazed at Pang Jian's brow, as if trying to pierce through his sea of consciousness.

"Be careful."

Pang Jian frowned.

The Black Dragon King had clearly recovered some memories after becoming a Rank Ten Fey God, but was deliberately staying silent.

Is it because Li Yuqing is here?

Their connection still remained intact. If the Black Dragon King wished to speak privately, he could easily switch to soul transmission.

The only issue was that the Black Dragon King had refused to establish a connection since teleporting from the Resolute Expanse.

Worse still, he even acted as if he intended to walk away after settling old debts.

Were there unresolved grievances between my father and the Black Dragon King in the past?

Is that why he's trying to sever ties, intending to repay what he owes before going his own way?

Pang Jian's brows knitted as he let out a low scoff, displeasure flickering in his eyes.

Dark thoughts stirred deep within his mind as he recalled the past.

Pang Jian had only remained cautious in the beginning, when he first discovered the Black Dragon King's soul had possessed the Black-White King Python.

After that, he treated him with nothing but sincerity.

When they parted ways, he even invited the Black Dragon King to leave with him, but the Black Dragon King had chosen to stay behind.

In Eight Trigrams City, he had watched as the Black Dragon King, reborn as a Giant Abyssal Serpent, manifested within the Gate of the Abyss.

When the Black Dragon King expressed his hunger for murky energy, Pang Jian spared no effort in assisting him, ensuring he could overcome the difficulties of his early transformation, until he successfully stepped out from the bronze pendant.

Though Pang Jian regretted their later separation, he understood the necessity.

The Black Dragon King's bloodline thrived on murky energy, and he belonged in the Fifth World. Had he followed Pang Jian back to Northern Qi, it would have only stunted his potential as a reborn Black Dragon King.

Even when the Black Dragon King met Yu Xin and came to regard her as another master, Pang Jian did nothing but hope for his well-being.

Pang Jian never harbored any ill will toward the Black Dragon King. On the contrary, he had always done his utmost to help him.

When the Black Dragon King encountered difficulties in his ascension to godhood, Pang Jian was the first to extend a helping hand.

He did not know what kind of relationship his father and the Black Dragon King's past self had shared, but searching through his memories, he felt that he had never personally wronged the Black Dragon King.

Despite this, the Black Dragon King did not hesitate to distance himself once he ascended as a Fey God. It was hard not to see it as discarding the bridge after crossing the river. [1]

Pang Jian could not help but feel rather frustrated and displeased.

A trace of resentment crept into his heart as he glared into the darkness, eyes locking onto the Black Dragon King.

The Black Dragon King had never seen such hostility in Pang Jian's expression before. Especially not directed toward him.

Meeting Pang Jian's glare, he quietly repeated, "Be careful."

He then vanished completely into the darkness.

A subtle shift rippled through Pang Jian's aura.

"He's afraid of you," Li Yuqing softly interrupted Pang Jian's spiraling thoughts. "He fears you, but he's also worried for you. I don't know why because he won't say it outright, but it's as if—"

Li Yuqing paused to consider her words.

"It's as if he wants to be close to you, but something is holding him back."

Pang Jian froze.

His mind was clouded with resentment toward the Black Dragon King, consumed with thoughts of restraining and controlling him.

With the Gate of the Abyss, his Immortal Divine Soul, and his second ascension to godhood, Pang Jian undoubtedly had the power to make the Black Dragon King bow in submission.

Somewhere in his subconscious, he had brushed aside the Black Dragon King's repeated warnings to be careful.

Why did I dismiss it? Why was I consumed with the Black Dragon King's coldness, forgetting all that came before?

Once, he had jokingly complained to the Black Dragon King about not receiving anything from him despite obtaining blood essence from the black turtle, life energy from Pang Ling, and soul essence from the Bee Sovereign.

Feeling wronged, the Black Dragon King had offered him a portion of the murky energy he had refined.

That incident had caused him no small amount of trouble.

However, it also proved that the Black Dragon King had not refused to share murky energy out of reluctance, but because it was neither what Pang Jian wanted nor needed.

Pang Jian had conveniently forgotten the Black Dragon King's kindness, instead only focusing on the fact that he was distancing himself.

That alone was enough for resentment and malice to take root within him.

Pang Jian's mind jolted into full alertness from this realization.

Only after reflecting did Pang Jian realize this was not him!

Combining Li Yuqing's words with this experience, he quickly realized why the cultivators attempting to ascend with murky energy before had all succumbed to the demonic path.

"Keep an eye on our surroundings!" Pang Jian shouted, face twisting with alarm. "I need to look for something!"

"Find what?" Li Yuqing asked, startled.

"A demon!"

Pang Jian's focus sharpened as he meticulously examined his body.

He first focused on his dantian.

The greenish-black sea of demonic energy acted as a barrier, separating the fragmented land of crystalline spiritual qi above from the seven fragmented lands of crystalline murky energy below.

This sea of demonic energy acted as a kind of "sky," holding within it many profound insights into the Dao of Demon.

The Heaven-Encompassing Demonic Array, which once engulfed the Demon Abyss Continent and prevented even the True Gods from venturing inside, had seemingly been replicated within his dantian.

It concealed numerous secret techniques that only Demon Gods and supreme masters of the Dao of Demon could truly comprehend.

He suspected that this region was where the root of the problem—the place that had given birth to the demon within him.

Determined to find the truth, he searched tirelessly, channeling the radiance from the sun, moons, and stars to scrutinize the greenish-black "sky."

Despite combing through it repeatedly, he sensed no foreign will beyond his control. That "sky" was nothing more than a fusion of demonic energy and demonic techniques.

Could it be the Abyssal Demon? Before leaving, could he have—

The thought was dismissed as quickly as it appeared.

If the Abyssal Demon truly wished to plot against him, the perfect opportunity would have been while Pang Jian was refining You Kui's Divine Persona in the underground cavern.

The fact that the Abyssal Demon had instead taken Pang Jian's appearance as a distraction for the Outer Gods proved his loyalty.

Who could it be? Where are they hiding?

Pang Jian meticulously searched through his organs, bones, and heart. Even after surveying every corner of his body, he still found nothing.

No foreign will was disrupting his mind or stirring malicious thoughts within him.

The Demon Gods in the starry skies are completely severed from the Abyss, so there's likely no way for them to interfere either.

I, too, am proficient in demonic techniques and even cultivated the Primeval Demon Fusion Art. What kind of demon could possibly escape my perception and poison my mind without a trace?

Li Bai is dead, and the Demon Sect has yet to produce another figure of great ambition. Who else could—

Pang Jian's mind trembled with realization.

The Primordial Demon!

The Primordial Demon had previously escaped from the Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chest.

When Luo Hongyan saw that the chest was empty, she immediately descended into the endless darkness of the Fifth World.

Among all the demonic forces still present in the Abyss, only the Primordial Demon could influence Pang Jian in such an insidious, imperceptible way.

If this truly is the Primordial Demon, how did it enter my body?

Pang Jian quickly came to a conclusion.

The cluster of Corruption!

A fragment—perhaps even the entirety—of the Primordial Demon's will was likely within the cluster of Corruption he had drawn from the darkness.

Is it you? Are you the one subtly influencing me and distorting my emotions? Are you about to repeat what you once tried to do to my master?

Primordial Demon!

Pang Jian's voice reverberated through his sea of consciousness and his gradually solidifying second soul like thunder.

You noticed a little too soon. A thought surfaced in his mind.

Though this thought seemed to originate from Pang Jian, it was undeniably not his own.

As it took shape within his mind, it transformed into a voice that carried an entirely different will.

1. Crossing the river and then dismantling the bridge (过河拆桥) is a Chinese idiom. It describes someone who betrays their benefactor after achieving success, using someone's help to reach a goal, and then discarding them once they are no longer useful. ☜