Trials of the Abyss
Chapter 661: Different Courses of History

Chapter 661: Different Courses of History

Pang Jian's eyes flashed with surprise.

The two Thunder Race powerhouses attacked him without hesitation before he even truly set foot in the Thunder Abyss, when he was still near the boundary wall.

Their desire for the Thunder Pool and their covetous thoughts toward his Five Thunder Annihilation were not subtle.

When they realized they could not take him down, their attitudes turned cold, clearly wishing for him to leave as soon as possible.

In contrast, the unicorn was warm and welcoming, even offering to guide him through the Thunder Abyss.

You showed me all that hostility, and now you ask if I'm willing to help your Thunder Race?

Pang Jian found the situation flat-out ridiculous.

"I have no intention of surrendering your ancestor's divine artifact to you," he said bluntly.

Lei Ying let out a heavy sigh, exuding an air of heroic grace in her silver armor.

"We already know that taking the Thunder Pool from you is beyond our reach." She could tell that Pang Jian remained guarded, and she herself was wary of the three Fey Gods secretly eavesdropping. So, she simply added, "We'll talk once we reach Thunder God Mountain."

Transforming into a streak of silver light, she pierced through the dense lightning and soared toward the summit of Thunder God Mountain.

Pang Jian swiftly followed.

Thunder rumbled across the sky as massive lightning bolts, thick as waterfalls, writhed above the mountain peak.

The lightning flashed both up toward the barrier of the Thunder Abyss and down into the depths of endless lightning vortexes.

A thousand-zhang-tall Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree had taken root at the center of the mountaintop, many fist-sized fruits hanging heavily from its branches.

The fruits were adorned with silver-white scales that resembled the natural protective armor of a dragon.

Vortexes of condensed lightning churned at the base of the colossal tree, constantly drawing in power from their surroundings.

Standing at the peak of Thunder God Mountain was akin to stepping into an entirely different realm.

"A Blessed Land!" Pang Jian narrowed his eyes, sensing the power within the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree's fruits, the lightning vortexes below, and the rumbling sky above. "The three Fey Gods simply leave this Blessed Land untouched?"

The three Fey Gods clearly outmatched the two Thunder Race warriors with their superior strength. It made no sense that they had not claimed this Blessed Land for themselves.

"Of course, they want to set foot here," Lei Ying said, gazing at the Dao Fruits from beneath the sacred tree. "But they can't. Our bloodline is the key to setting foot on this place. Even though our ancestor has long since fallen, he still left something behind for us.

"The only reason you can enter is because you carry our ancestor's divine artifact."

Assured that the Fey Gods could not eavesdrop while they were on the mountain, Lei Ying cut straight to the chase.

"I want you to kill the three Fey Gods for us."

Pang Jian, holding the Thunder Pool in one hand and Five Thunder Annihilation in the other, casually asked, "Why?"

Five Thunder Annihilation, the divine artifact of the Thunderveil Godbeast, showed no particular reaction to this Blessed Land. The Thunder Pool, on the other hand, immediately started absorbing the surrounding lightning.

Silver-white, golden, emerald green, deep azure, and dark crimson bolts of lightning were drawn into it.

The naturally formed Blessed Land at the peak of Thunder God Mountain gathered lightning from across the Thunder Abyss.

At its center stood a colossal Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree, its branches bearing Dao Fruits. Consuming the Dao Fruits would grant insights into the Dao of Lightning.

This was the Sacred Land of the Thunder Race, a place that every Thunder God across the starry skies revered, yet reaching it was an almost impossible feat.

"Let me first tell you about our ancestor's story."

Lei Ying sat down beneath the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree, allowing Pang Jian to continue absorbing lightning through the Thunder Pool.

"The ancient history of the Thunder Abyss is recorded in our race's sacred texts. Before our ancestor became the first Thunder God, the Ghost Race and the Demon Races plagued the Thunder Abyss.

"Before the birth of the first Thunder God, many among the Thunder Race worshiped the Outer Gods.

"When our ancestor stood at the peak of Rank Nine, on the verge of ascending as a Rank Ten powerhouse, a powerful Demon God attempted to seize his body.

"The Demon God failed, but our ancestor was not left unscathed. He suffered a period of madness, his mind lost to chaos.

"In that frenzied state, he slaughtered his own kin, his descendants perishing at his own hands.

"The Demon God seeking to possess our ancestor believed that he would never overcome his inner demons after slaughtering his own kin and would inevitably fall to the demonic path.

"However, through sheer resilience, our ancestor endured the torment of his inner demons and risked everything to become a Rank Ten powerhouse.

"After achieving this breakthrough, he immediately cleansed the Thunder Abyss of the Ghost Race and the Demon Races, eradicating them from this world.

"When he later breached the barrier and stepped into the starry skies, he carried this hatred with him, regarding the Ghost Race and Demon Races as eternal enemies.

"During his descent into madness, the Ghost Race in the Thunder Abyss launched a massive invasion, seizing the opportunity to exterminate the Thunder Race. Our ancestor was certain that his descent into madness and the Ghost Race's sudden assault were part of a premeditated scheme between the two races.

"His hatred for the Ghost Race and the Demon Races burned fiercely throughout his entire life.

"After ascending as a high-ranking God and forging the Divine Court of Thunder, he wielded his dominion over all Thunder Gods with absolute authority, and with it, waged war against the divine beings of the Ghost Race and the Demon Races," Lei Ying explained.

"I was unaware of what the Duke of Thunder had endured in this world," Pang Jian admitted, feeling somewhat moved.

It was no wonder the Duke of Thunder's lifelong obsession was the eradication of the Ghost Race and the Demon Races after slaughtering nearly all his kin under the corruption of a Demon God.

"The three Fey Gods I want you to help me kill have built an altar to worship the Great Demon God, He Motian.

"He Motian is a ruling figure among the Demon Gods. For years, he's orchestrated the persecution of our Thunder Race.

"Many of our Thunder Race and Thunder Gods have perished at his hands, both in the starry skies and within the Thunder Abyss.

"Even if Lei Fan and I join forces, we can barely handle one of the Fey Gods. We have no chance without your help," Lei Ying said calmly.

Though she was the one seeking help, she carried herself with an air of detachment, as if the matter had nothing to do with her at all.

"The Fey Gods of the Thunder Abyss willingly align themselves with the Demon Gods?" Pang Jian was perplexed.

Lei Ying gave him a surprised look. "Why is that shocking? Even the Thunderveil Godbeast once maintained a close relationship with the divine beings of the Ghost Race and the Demon Races after entering the starry skies."

Pang Jian paused at the realization that his previous assumptions had been too simplistic. Different worlds and histories shaped vastly different realities.

In the Abyss, foreign races like the Thunder Race had once toppled the dominance of the Fey Race, stripping them of their supremacy.

Thus, the Fey Race in the Abyss naturally bore deep resentment toward the foreign races.

This was the reason for the Fey Gods' repeated alliance with the human race. Historically, the Fey Race and the human race had always worked together to crush the foreign races of the Fifth World, ensuring that they never rose to power again.

The Fey Race in the Abyss despised the foreign races of the Fifth World, and by extension, the Outer Gods in the starry skies.

However, the Thunder Abyss had no such history.

Fey Gods like the unicorn, Vermilion Bird, and Water Serpent bore no deep-seated grudges against the foreign races of this world or the Outer Gods in the starry skies.

The Thunderveil Godbeast's precedent gave them the option to align themselves with the Outer Gods and forge mutually beneficial relationships.

The Outer Gods seemed just as eager to welcome them, using them as a wedge to further divide the Fey Gods of the Ancient Fey World.

"Does He Motian know about my arrival in the Thunder Abyss?" Pang Jian asked.

"He does," Lei Ying confirmed. "He's already informed Zi Mo of the Ghost Race. Before long, the Outer Gods pursuing you will be gathered outside the Thunder Abyss.

"The three Fey Gods want to keep you here to buy time so they can lure you into leaving the Thunder Abyss unprepared when the time comes.

"Once you step out, you will be walking straight into a death trap."

"What did they use to threaten you two?" Pang Jian asked curiously.

Lei Ying lowered her head. "The lives of our Thunder Race within the Thunder Abyss. If we leak this information and fail, we will die as well."

"Quite the heavy price," Pang Jian remarked. "Your fellow warrior has chosen to turn a blind eye. Why haven't you?"

"Lei Fan probably believes that we stand no chance against the three Fey Gods, even if the three of us work together," Lei Ying answered seriously. "And also because you are a True God of the human race. Getting involved with you likely won't bode well for our Thunder Race's future."

"And you? Why are you telling me this?" Pang Jian pressed.

"The Thunder Race's situation has never been favorable. Not in the starry skies or within our own Thunder Abyss. Lei Fan and I were doomed to have no future from the moment those three Fey Gods aligned themselves with He Motian.

"Lei Fan thinks that a path will reveal itself if we endure for long enough. But it won't. Waiting will change nothing. No miracle will come.

"We've already lived under their shadow for all this time. Now, our suffering in the future will only deepen.

"Without outside intervention, Lei Fan and I cannot possibly escape this situation. And if we fall, it'll likely be impossible for another Thunder Race warrior to ever rise to our level again.

"The Thunder Race is already on the verge of extinction. We have to fight. Our only other option is to sit here and wait for death."

Despite the stakes, Lei Ying remained eerily composed, as if fear and anxiety were foreign concepts to her.

Pang Jian offered a deliberately ambiguous response. "I'll wait until those three Fey Gods personally come and 'invite' me to leave the Thunder Abyss."

"In that case, many thanks." Lei Ying stood up and bowed in reluctant gratitude. "I also ask for your forgiveness for our previous recklessness."

***

In the bizarre mist back at the Fifth World of the Abyss, Pang Jian's physical body let out a long breath.

Li Yuqing's bright eyes lit up. "Did it work?"

The Black Dragon King appeared, its pitch-black eyes fixed on Pang Jian's physical body.

No earth-shattering aura or overwhelming divine presence surged from Pang Jian. On the surface, he seemed unchanged.

Pang Jian nodded.

"It worked."