Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 114: Returning with Riches

After Luo Hongyan disappeared, Zhao Ling and the others breathed a sigh of relief before speculating about her identity and background.

"Who is she?"

"She seems to know a lot about the Blood Moon Sect. She easily destroyed the Eye of Imprint and dealt with that strange blood shadow."

"Such a person shouldn't be in the Fourth World!"

Boom!

The blood cocoon exploded. The freed Pang Jian saw the astonished trio from the Shadow Specter Sect.

Although he had been immobilized in the blood cocoon, he could still hear the conversation between Luo Hongyan and the mysterious figure, so he had a rough understanding of what had transpired.

"I'm lucky I had backup," he muttered solem.

Even the Blood Moon Sect members present did not know about the mysterious blood shadow, let alone the Shadow Specter Sect. This was exactly the unexpected element Pang Jian had feared.

Without Luo Hongyan's intervention, he would have been in grave danger as the mysterious blood shadow would likely have dealt with him once the blood cocoon immobilized him.

He could have been severely injured or even killed.

"Hong Jian, are you alright?" Wu Yi asked, stepping through the pools of blood as he hurried over.

"I'm fine." Pang Jian shook his head, pulling his sleeve down to cover the spatial bracelet on his wrist. He put on a mask of surprise as he asked, "Who was that woman just now?"

"Someone like us, who was plotting against the Blood Moon Sect," Zhao Ling answered shakily as she finally pulled her gaze from the staircase where Luo Hongyan had left. "If not for her..."

Meng Qiulan was also relieved. "Yes, without her intervention, the consequences would've been unimaginable!"

"Hong Jian, you really surprised me. You killed Fei Zheng of the Blood Moon Sect. You'll surely make a name for yourself within the Shadow Specter Sect! The Sect leader will pay special attention to you and might even meet you personally!" Wu Yi said admiringly.

Zhao Ling also looked at him with newfound respect. She nodded. "I underestimated you. I thought your lack of battle experience would drag us down."

Meng Qiulan was also about to praise him when Fan Liang's terrified screams rang out from the deck, "Hall Masters! The Gilded Chariot of the Star River Alliance and the Fire Cloud Ship of the Radiant Sun Sect are descending from the sky!"

Meng Qiulan and Zhao Ling's expressions changed dramatically. "We must leave quickly! Powerful people are coming!"

"Hurry! Collect whatever you can from the cabin and leave this beast-hunting sailboat immediately!" Wu Yi commanded, pulling out a spatial pouch as he searched the cabin.

Meng Qiulan and Zhao Ling also leaped into action, ignoring the blood and corpses on the ground.

Only Pang Jian stayed still.

After breaking free from the blood cocoon, he saw a familiar spatial bracelet floating toward the staircase behind Luo Hongyan. He knew Luo Hongyan had not been idle when he saw the empty cabinets.

He and Luo Hongyan had collected almost all of the beast blood, so he had no interest in competing with Meng Qiulan and the others for the remaining scraps.

"Hong Jian, why are you just standing there? Hurry and collect the beast's blood!" Zhao Ling said, standing on the corpse of a Blood Moon Sect member as she used her spatial pouch to collect beast blood from a high shelf. "You fought so hard to kill Fei Zheng for this beast blood, didn't you?"

"Not necessarily," said Wu Yi. "Hall Master Meng promised to send Bai Wei and Bai Zhi to serve Little Brother Hong. Heh, the courage of young men often comes from women!"

Hearing those words, Zhao Ling looked at Pang Jian with disdain and snorted. "You're just like Yang Yuansen!"

"Hong Jian, I'll keep my word. The two sisters will be under your care from now on," Meng Qiulan stated firmly.

Pang Jian shook his head. "No need."

He then walked toward the staircase.

The appearance of the Star River Alliance and the Radiant Sun Sect gave him a sense of foreboding. The catastrophe in the Ouyang Clan's territory was likely spreading. That was the only reason he could think of for the powerful sects of the Third World to appear so frequently in the Fourth World

As soon as he left the cabin, he heard Bai Wei's cheerful voice.

"Hong Jian!"

The two sisters stood at the staircase leading to the cabin. They saw a stunningly beautiful figure wrapped in a bloody mist depart, but before they could react, Pang Jian emerged after her.

The sisters cheered and rushed toward Pang Jian.

He ignored them as he looked up at the night sky.

The chariot bathed in golden light and the ship supported by fiery clouds were both strikingly visible in the darkness of the night.

Based on his knowledge of spirit artifacts, Pang Jian knew that these two descending flying vessels would soon arrive in Divine Fortune. They would likely dock near Divine Fortune City and question the members of the Shangguan Clan about the situation.

"Hong Jian." The bold Bai Wei tugged at Pang Jian's arm. "My master, is she...those from the upper worlds are coming. Will my master and the others be alright?"

The fragrance from her body wafted to Pang Jian, causing his nose to twitch. He turned his attention to the pair of sisters before him.

The older sister had a voluptuous figure with a face that exuded innocence and allure. The younger sister was more delicate and slender with a timid demeanor that evoked one's protective instinct.

"They'll be fine. They'll come up soon." Pang Jian looked at them, then added, "I have to go."

He put away his Startling Slaughter Spear and returned to the building on Musical Instrument Street where he had placed the white porcelain bottle, leaving the two sisters behind.

Whoosh!

Luo Hongyan emerged from the shadows, smiling as she looked at him. "Those pretty sisters seemed quite disappointed."

"Not as pretty as you," Pang Jian replied offhandedly.

"Of course," Luo Hongyan readily agreed. She removed the spatial bracelet from her snow-white wrist, placed it on the table, and gracefully floated back into the white porcelain bottle before saying with a serious expression, "We need to get to the blood pool in Misty Swamp as soon as possible. We have plenty of beast blood now, but I still need to purify it through the blood pool."

"Alright."

Once she settled on top of the Crystal Snow Lotus, Pang Jian sealed the bottle with a stopper to prevent her presence from leaking out.

"The Star River Alliance, the Radiant Sun Sect, and the Blood Moon Sect are already here. Other upper world sects may also come. The fragmented lands of Divine Fortune will likely become very lively. I hope the Shadow Specter Sect can hold out."

***

Meng Qiulan poked her head out from inside the cabin and saw her two disciples staring dejectedly toward Musical Instrument Street.

"Where's Hong Jian?" she asked in confusion

"He...he left," Bai Wei replied bitterly.

"He left?" Meng Qiulan was taken aback. "I promised him you two would serve him together after this mission. How could he leave without taking you?"

"Ah!" The younger sister, Bai Zhi, gasped. Her eyes revealed a hint of joy.

"We, um, he—" Bai Wei stammered in shock.

"You two useless girls. You couldn't even keep him here!" Meng Qiulan snorted, looking up at the sky. "Quick, follow me out!"

Bai Wei and Bai Zhi hastily went after her.

"Hong Jian actually left first," Wu Yi said with a peculiar expression as he watched the two sisters following Meng Qiulan off the deck. "That's odd. Is that boy truly not interested in those sisters?"

Zhao Ling was also puzzled.

"He didn't take the beast's blood or meat from the cabin, nor did he pry out the spirit jades or spirit stones. Those sisters, whom even Yang Yuansen coveted, didn't interest him at all." Shaking her head, Zhao Ling wondered aloud, "What's he after?"

Wu Yi coughed awkwardly in response to her comments. "Maybe he already got what he wanted. I noticed he took Fei Zheng's spatial pouch. It likely contains beast blood, probably from Rank Three Vicious Beasts."

Zhao Ling nodded in agreement.

***

An hour later, the City Lord of Divine Fortune City, Shangguan Dong, dressed in a yellow brocade robe, led a group of cultivators from the Shangguan Clan and the Ouyang Clan to the Formless Sailboat. They stood on the deck littered with corpses.

The black flag on the mast had a large hole in it, and the Eye of Imprint had disappeared.

The gruesome carnage inside the cabin was nauseating.

"It's the Shadow Specter Sect!" Shangguan Dong shouted angrily.

"It seems the Shadow Specter has gone all out this time!" Ouyang Quan frowned. "Fei Zheng was at the peak of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, and even he was killed. The Sect Leader of the Shadow Specter may have personally come to Divine Fortune. Also, Yang Yuansen and his two subordinates likely revealed their identities on purpose to distract us!"

The Blood Moon Sect backed both the Shangguan Clan and the Ouyang Clan. Neither clan knew how to face the Blood Moon Sect's wrath after a raid that looted all their beast blood and meat, while also killing four of their Marrow Cleansing Realm cultivators.

An advisor from the Shangguan Clan came rushing from the southern district. "City Lord, the Radiant Sun Sect and the Star River Alliance are asking for you. The Gilded Chariot and the Fire Cloud Ship are docked in front of the south gate. They don't know about the misfortune that's befallen the Blood Moon Sect yet."

Hearing this, Shangguan Dong nodded bitterly.

He ordered the city guards to hunt down the members of the Shadow Specter Sect and track their movements, then headed to the south gate.

***

The following evening, in Misty Swamp, several powerful members of the Shadow Specter Sect gathered at the rendezvous point.

Yang Yuansen burst into the room as they were counting their spoils.

"The Shangguan Clan and the Ouyang Clan were hunting me and you didn't even think to help. Instead, you went to raid that beast-hunting sailboat!" He glared at Meng Qiulan, Zhao Ling, and Wu Yi, and shouted, "Where's that Hong Jian kid? I want to see how he killed Fei Zheng!"

His subordinates had told him that Meng Qiulan had given the rescued sisters to Pang Jian.

He had lost two of his capable Marrow Cleansing Realm subordinates and had been injured by Shangguan Dong and the others but had received nothing in return. Meanwhile, Meng Qiulan, Zhao Ling, and the others had reaped great rewards.

So, he had come to claim his share.

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