Trials of the Abyss
Chapter 669: Challenging a High-Ranking God

Chapter 669: Challenging a High-Ranking God

Sha Jia reached out and grasped the air, causing the Veil of Light to shrink down into her palm. It was as if she had seized the essence of infinite radiance.

Her delicate, porcelain-white hand seemed to transform into the source of all light in the Fifth World, with the brilliance of the sun, moon, and stars, as well as the glow of candlelight, lanterns, and roaring flames, all concentrated on her palm.

First, her hand glowed, then her silver spear.

It did not take long for her entire being to shine with brilliance.

Beams of light solidified into razor-sharp swords, each engraved with the profound mysteries of her bloodline, embodying her Dao of Radiant Illumination.

Sha Jia hurled the silver spear in her grasp!

The spear, capable of piercing all darkness, illuminated the dark skies of the Fifth World as it shot straight for Pang Jian's chest.

Pang Jian closed his eyes. Gazing through the omniscient perspective of his Divine Persona, he saw dozens of radiant lightning coiling around the spear. Each bolt embodied the Heavenly Dao intricately tied to the essence of light itself.

"This is the Fifth World," he said calmly.

The darkness immediately seemed to engulf the light, causing all the incoming rays of divine radiance, including the silver spear itself, to slow down their approach.

"The eternal darkness of the Fifth World doesn't allow light from the upper worlds to pierce through. This is the immutable law of the Fifth World. Your Dao of Radiant Illumination doesn't belong here."

Pang Jian's Divine Persona stirred the darkness and murky energy of the Fifth World into a surge.

The rays of divine radiance piercing toward Pang Jian, the silver spear, and the bloodline divine abilities Sha Jia had engraved into this strike, abruptly felt the counterbalance of the Heavenly Dao!

It was like the darkness of the Fifth World had taken on a will of its own, oppressing all sources of light and, by extension, Sha Jia herself!

Pang Jian hovered in the sky, his black robes blending seamlessly with the darkness of the Fifth World.

The endless darkness of the Fifth World answered his call, surging forth in a wave of murky energy at his Divine Persona's command.

Sha Jia's dazzling spear, imbued with the Dao of Radiant Illumination, struggled in this murky atmosphere, like a fish trapped in muddy waters.

The murky energy within the darkness, infused with violence, destruction, and toxicity, relentlessly eroded Sha Jia's divine power!

Beams of light vanished as if an invisible hand of darkness was snuffing them out one after another.

The brilliance of the silver spear and the Veil of Light in Sha Jia's palm faded into dim obscurity as they were drenched in endless darkness.

Pang Jian's Five Thunder Annihilation reappeared once again, freed from the Veil of Light.

"Soul Severance!"

Eyes still closed, Pang Jian swung Ghostflare, unleashing a razor-sharp streak of emerald light that cut through the darkness and murky energy, slashing toward Sha Jia.

The attack manifested directly within her sea of consciousness, ignoring distance and bypassing Sha Jia's soul defenses.

The emerald light cleaved her ethereal soul in half!

Combined with the mid-grade divine artifact Ghostflare, You Kui's Soul Severance turned into a lethal strike, capable of killing even a Rank Ten powerhouse like Sha Jia!

The surrounding light extinguished when her soul was split into two.

Suddenly, a blazing streak of fire shot from Yan Lie's palm and pierced directly into Sha Jia's brow.

An orange-red flame shielded her writhing soul, which was on the verge of being torn apart under the lingering force of Soul Severance. Pang Jian's emerald light was destroyed in an instant.

Yan Lie's eyes flickered with undisguised shock.

"That's a soul-severing killing art of the Ghost Race! Boy, where did you learn such a sinister and ruthless technique?"

He appeared beside Sha Jia, shielding the Celestial Race powerhouse, his expression cold as he gazed at Pang Jian.

"Even the True God of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect does not have such a technique!"

Jing Sha and Lie Yang, still standing on the Forbidden Land of the Fire God, were both stunned into silence.

Not long ago, Lie Yang had fought Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul in the bizarre mist, trading blows on equal footing. However, the Pang Jian before him was entirely different from the one he had previously faced.

An instinctive fear rose within him.

Lie Yang could no longer focus on the words being exchanged between Pang Jian and Yan Lie.

Sha Jia's combat prowess was on par with his own, and after escaping the Fifth World, both became among the top of the Rank Ten powerhouses in individual combat prowess.

Despite this, the Sovereign always showed Sha Jia greater attention, even personally guiding her, causing Lie Yang to believe that Sha Jia was stronger than him.

Sha Jia lost just like that?

First, the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Mountains, Ah Man, was wounded. Now, Sha Jia's soul has suffered a devastating blow. Just how powerful is Pang Jian?

Has this Sword God of the human race always been this terrifying?

Pang Jian's display of sheer power left the Patriarch of the Radiant Race thoroughly shaken. He could not help but question whether his convictions, their efforts, and everything they had fought for were all in vain.

Jing Sha of the Dark Shadow Race glanced between Yan Lie and Pang Jian. Doubt crept into her heart. Can the Fire God even defeat Pang Jian?

A dangerous aura emanated from Pang Jian.

"Li Bai, Jiu Luo, and Chi Feng are dead.

"I threw Qi Xu into the Sixth World.

"Ah Man couldn't stop me, and Sha Jia suffered heavy injuries after nearly having her soul erased.

"Yan Lie, you're a high-ranking God. I don't know how much strength you've recovered since reviving, but as far as I can see, there's no one here truly worth fighting besides you."

Pang Jian bowed slightly to Yan Lie.

"Please grant me your guidance in battle."

This was an open challenge to Fire God Yan Lie!

Although there were still other Rank Ten powerhouses in the Abyss, none seemed worth his attention anymore.

In Pang Jian's eyes, his true adversaries were Yan Lie, the Primordial Demon, and the Sovereign.

"You've since ascended as a mid-ranking God. There's no pride to be found in you defeating Sha Jia and injuring Ah Man," Yan Lie sneered, voice laced with contempt. "Your rank is clearly above theirs. Victory was always within your grasp.

"Even your divine artifact is of a higher tier than theirs. Winning against them is hardly worth boasting about.

"What surprises me is why you believe you are worthy of challenging me.

"Even though I am not at my peak strength, I am still a high-ranking God. But you? You're just a fledgling who hasn't even grasped what it means to be a mid-ranking God. Where does your confidence come from?

"You're forgetting your place, boy."

A small spark ignited at the tip of Yan Lie's finger.

The tiny ember, fueled by his blood, radiated a soul-stirring light. The moment it appeared, an intense heat pressed down on those watching.

A single glance at the flickering ember was enough for an oppressive weight to settle in the chests of Lie Yang, Jing Sha, and Ah Man.

Deep crimson flames, as red as blood, ignited around Pang Jian.

The flames surged violently, crackling as they purged the murky energy and darkness infused with Pang Jian's divine sense.

All forms of destruction, corrosion, lightning, and cold energy lurking in the shadows were reduced to nothingness.

Tiny motes of flame appeared across Pang Jian's body, dantian, and sea of consciousness.

Pang Jian trembled violently.

Tiny worlds engulfed in flames were taking shape within his dantian, sea of consciousness, and organs, as if turning his body into a mystical fiery world drifting through the vast starry skies.

Entire worlds emerged from the flickering motes of flame, each filled with races resembling the Flame Race, thriving through generation after generation.

Fire-attribute beasts and flame spirits roamed freely, darting through magma and playing in blazing rivers.

Dao Seals containing the true essence of the Dao of Fire were etched deep within the fabric of these worlds.

A single drop of Yan Lie's blood had given birth to innumerable fiery worlds.

The blood at Yan Lie's fingertip burned on, flooding Pang Jian's body and sea of consciousness with blazing worlds of fire.

The domains and worlds under Yan Lie's dominion were all imprinted upon Pang Jian through this drop of blood.

Yan Lie had forged a connection to the territories under his control using Pang Jian's body, employing an unfathomable technique to suppress and restrain him.

"I will say, I'm surprised you escaped the Sixth World. Let me see for myself what exactly you discovered there. While I'm at it, I'll retrieve Qi Xu as well.

"Are Li Wang, Zhu Ji, and Gui Mu still trapped in the Sixth World?

"Or perhaps...they're inside that chest of yours?"

Yan Lie gazed at the tiny ember burning at his fingertip.

His finger slowly lowered.

Pang Jian's body sank with it, an invisible force dragging him down toward the Sixth World.

It was like when Pang Jian controlled Qi Xu. His body acted completely beyond his control.

The fiery worlds blazing within his organs, dantian, meridians, and sea of consciousness worked together to force him down, dragging him deeper with every breath.

"You still don't understand the divide between Gods. It's a chasm that cannot be crossed." Yan Lie shook his head. "You haven't even grasped the authority and divine power a mid-ranking God can wield."

Twitching his finger, he sent a surge of divine power through the ember, effortlessly unlatching the Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chest with a single arc of fiery lightning.

The lid of the chest swung open, and Gui Mu, Li Wang, and Zhu Ji appeared in the Fifth World.

"Pang Jian!"

The three True Gods saw crimson flickers of flame igniting across Pang Jian's body, forcing him into an uncontrollable descent.

"How unexpected. Not only did you escape, you even brought them out with you," Yan Lie marveled. Sighing, he added, "What a shame. They've lingered in the Sixth World for far too long. It seems they have little strength left."

Of the three, only Zhu Ji retained the strength to fight.

"Jing Sha, Lie Yang, Ah Man, kill these True Gods," Yan Lie commanded. "Once these three are gone, the human race will no longer have the power to stand against us."