Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 384: Gathering of Young Geniuses

A long strip of silver-white land had emerged in the far west of the Fourth World, bordering the bizarre mist and the boundary wall.

Though most of it was still hidden within the bizarre mist, as time passed, more and more of it was gradually revealed.

Several figures hovered above the emerging continent—Zhou Yi of the Nine Tribes Sect, Liu Youyu of the Primeval Pillar Divine Kingdom, Fan Chen of the Supreme Monad Divine Kingdom, Cai Shaoheng of the Black Valley Sect, Hu Yuanfei of the Sword Pavilion, and Shen Yanxi of the Forsaken Expanse Sect.

On the Soul Wandering Realm leaderboard, Zhou Yi ranked second, Liu Youyu third, Fan Chen fifth, Cai Shaoheng sixth, Hu Yuanfei seventh, and Shen Yanxi tenth.

These prominent figures all turned their attention to a frail woman with skin so pale her veins could be seen.

She was Ling Yimo from the Ghost Sacrifice Sect.

At the moment, Ling Yimo was crouching on a frost-covered patch of land on the continent half-hidden in the bizarre mist.

It was the chest cavity of a long-deceased dragon.

The dragon's skeleton was over ten thousand zhang long, and faint traces of coldness radiated from the hollow of its ribs where its heart once sat.

No flesh remained on its silver-white bones, which were smooth as a mirror and gave off a soft, pale glow.

The group could not detect any unique aura or trace of lingering divine power from the dragon's remains.

Only Ling Yimo from the Ghost Sacrifice Sect, presently ranked first on the Spirit Condensation Realm leaderboard, could decipher some mysteries from the residual cold within the dragon's chest cavity.

Hu Yuanfei was hovering on her sword above the Flying Fish Boat. Glancing down, she noticed Liu Youyu hunched over and muttering to herself while clutching a wooden token.

Lowering her voice, Hu Yuanfei asked, "Little Fish[1], have you met my little junior brother?"

"I have." Liu Youyu replied in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, afraid of disturbing Ling Yimo. "My name is Liu Youyu, not Little Fish!"

"My master calls you Little Fish, so I'll call you Little Fish too!" Hu Yuanfei's lips curved into a smirk. "So, how is that kid?"

"How...how is he?" Liu Youyu stammered, bewildered.

"Is he as foolish as Chen Weihuang?" Hu Yuanfei asked seriously.

Comparing Chen Weihuang's stoic face to Pang Jian's cold demeanor, Liu Youyu gently nodded. "I'd say they're about the same."

"I knew it! Every disciple my master takes is just as dull as the last." Hu Yuanfei scoffed. Shooting Liu Youyu a glare, she added, "And you're no different!"

The genius young girl from the Primeval Pillar Divine Kingdom knew Hu Yuanfei had a sharp temper and chose to stay silent rather than argue.

"Hu Yuanfei, can't you keep your mouth shut?" Shen Yanxi from the Forsaken Expanse Sect huffed, a cloud of green mist enveloping her. "You haven't stopped talking since you arrived—always chatting with one person or another.

"Ling Yimo needs total silence to perform her secret art and you keep interrupting her!"

"It's none of your business!" Hu Yuanfei snapped. Then, in a taunting voice, she mocked, "Shen Yanxi, I heard you had feelings for your senior brother Fu Wangchen.

"Haha! You're so shameless! You're nearly fifty years old and still pining after a thirty-year-old like Fu Wangchen.

"It's too bad that kid wasn't up to it and ended up dying in Absolute Heaven."

"Hu Yuanfei! You're over forty yourself!" Shen Yanxi shot back angrily.

"Yeah, but I'm not gunning for my junior disciple like you are. I'm not that shameless." Hu Yuanfei laughed heartily.

"Enough!" Zhou Yi of the Nine Tribes Sect rubbed his forehead. "Chatting quietly is fine, but bickering like this will actually disrupt Ling Yimo."

The handsome Zhou Yi exuded a striking aura with his jade ruler in hand.

Hu Yuanfei lowered her voice and asked Zhou Yi. "They say that Hong Qiming from the Demon Sect also invited my little junior brother. Where is he?"

"Hong Qiming hasn't even arrived yet. How would I know where Pang Jian is?" Zhou Yi replied with a wry smile before glancing at Fan Chen

Fan Chen was sitting cross-legged atop the skull of the silver-white dragon skeleton, white robes blending seamlessly with the pristine bones.

“Does the Supreme Monad Divine Kingdom's archives contain any record of this continent?” Zhou Yi asked.

Fan Chen shook his head. "I haven't found anything so far."

Since childhood, the mysteries of the Abyss had captivated him, and naturally, he grew well-versed in historical records about it.

Lost histories, ancient ruins buried by time, restricted areas with ties to the bizarre mist, the endless conflicts between the human race and foreign races, and information about Vicious and Spirit Beasts—Fan Chen was more knowledgeable about such matters than anyone else.

The Supreme Monad Divine Kingdom's archives also surpassed those of any other sect or faction.

Thus, when Zhou Yi discovered the continent emerging from the bizarre mist, his first thought was to invite Fan Chen.

Whoosh!

Four figures enveloped in demonic light descended from the thick leaden clouds under the cover of the pitch-black sky. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

When they landed, the four figures dispersed.

Hu Yuanfei gestured, "Get over here!"

Pang Jian was easily recognizable with his blue robes and sword token at his waist, and Hu Yuanfei identified her little junior brother at a glance.

"Senior Sister Hu," Pang Jian greeted with a respectful bow before leading Zhou Qingchen to join her.

"You came. And you brought a tagalong with you." Hu Yuanfei scoffed. "A wild-looking one at that."

Zhou Qingchen looked every bit the rough fighter with his unkempt full beard and bloodstained robes.

Laughing heartily, Zhou Qingchen bowed toward Hu Yuanfei. "I've long heard of Senior Sister Hu's reputation, and meeting you today, I see it's truly well-deserved!"

The Sword Pavilion backed the Red Mountain Sect. As such, the Red Mountain Sect's disciples felt a natural kinship with Sword Pavilion's disciples.

Since returning from Absolute Heaven, several elders from the Red Mountain Sect had hinted at their Sect Master's relationship with Li Zhaotian.

Though he looked rough, Zhou Qingchen was tactful, and his friendly overtures pleased Hu Yuanfei.

"Not bad, kid." Hu Yuanfei nodded approvingly before turning to Pang Jian. "The Red Mountain Sect has always been an ally of our Sword Pavilion. I heard you two are close friends—or rather, best friends. Hmph, you picked a good one.

"At least you have a friend, unlike Chen Weihuang. He not only doesn't have friends, he also doesn't like trials, and spends all his time either in the Sword Pavilion or the Cosmic Skies Continent."

Hu Yuanfei was once again the only one chattering nonstop.

Pang Jian was surprised. The only thing he knew about his senior sister before this was her infamous fiery temper.

Unexpectedly, she appeared to hold some resentment toward his senior brother and was not afraid to voice it.

Feeling slightly awkward, Pang Jian remained silent, and his eyes quietly swept over the surrounding figures.

As Pang Jian's gaze landed on each person, Hu Yuanfei explained, "That's Zhou Yi from the Nine Tribes Sect. He's in the late stage of the Soul Wandering Realm and is the organizer of this expedition.

"That pretty boy in white is Fan Chen from the Supreme Monad Divine Kingdom. His cultivation realm is about the same as Zhou Yi's.

"That old geezer with the scowl is Cai Shaoheng from the Black Valley Sect. That old fellow is pushing a hundred years old—there's nothing much to say about him besides that."

"The woman from the Forsaken Expanse Sect is Shen Yanxi, the senior sister of the late Fu Wangchen. She's quite shameless and has a thing for younger junior brothers, so keep your distance!"

Of those whose names she called out, only Zhou Yi shot them a calm, indifferent smile.

Meanwhile, Fan Chen, Cai Shaoheng, and Shen Yanxi each looked more displeased than the last.

Hu Yuanfei's descriptions of them were truly vexing—the pretty boy Fan Chen, the old geezer Cai Shaoheng, and the shameless Shen Yanxi.

Although she had lowered her voice to a whisper, they were all in the Soul Wandering Realm and could still hear her clearly with their heightened senses.

"Over there in the dragon's chest cavity is Ling Yimo from the Ghost Sacrifice Sect. She's ranked first on the Spirit Condensation Realm leaderboard.

"She'll probably break through soon. When she does, she'll be as monstrous as Li Yuqing.

"There's one more...huh, where'd he go?"

Hu Yuanfei glanced around the area around the massive dragon's skeleton.

A young man crouching under the dragon's bones sighed, raised his head, and helplessly said, "Senior Sister Hu, I'm right here."

"That's Lu Yanshu from the Pure Land Sect, ranked second on the Spirit Condensation Realm leaderboard, another pretty boy," Hu Yuanfei commented.

Despite expecting her remark, Lu Yanshu's face still darkened before he retreated back under the skeleton.

The Pure Land Sect and the Divine Treasure Sect had always had a close relationship with the Sword Pavilion.

When he was young, Lu Yanshu had gone to the Sword Pavilion under the guidance of his elders to try his luck, and though he left empty-handed, he still admired the Sword Pavilion for its long history.

Hu Yuanfei pointed to a couple standing by the dragon's tail.

"Those are Dong Wenjian and Lin Manhe. They're geniuses from the Ancient Law Sect, on par with Fu Wangchen when he was alive." She then added, "Showing off your affection in public is a quick path to death."

The two acted as if they had not heard Hu Yuanfei and continued to chat with soft smiles.

Suddenly, Ling Yimo, still crouching in the dragon's chest cavity, asked softly, "Does anyone here have a cold-attribute artifact?"

Hu Yuanfei fell silent, not wanting to disrupt important matters.

“I have a Wintersheen Pearl. It's a sacred artifact,” Lu Yanshu from the Pure Land Sect said softly.

"Not the Wintersheen Pearl."

The pale Ling Yimo frowned. "Something has triggered the lingering cold energy. That item is likely of divine grade."

She stepped forward to look between Hong Qiming, Wu Yuan, Pang Jian, and Zhou Qingchen.

"One of you four who just arrived has something that resonates with the residual power of this Frost Dragon."

Both Wu Yuan and Zhou Qingchen instinctively turned toward Pang Jian.

They had returned from Absolute Heaven with Pang Jian and were aware that the Ice Race's revered divine artifact, the Heart of Winter, was with him.

Wu Yuan and Zhou Qingchen's looks left no need for further confirmation.

"Would you mind coming down to assist me?" Ling Yimo asked Pang Jian.

"A divine grade cold-attribute artifact..." Hu Yuanfei gritted her teeth. "That fat old man has always been biased! When he took me in as a disciple, he promised me a divine grade artifact, but in the end, I got nothing!"

As Pang Jian made his way toward the dragon's chest cavity, she could not help but cast a resentful glare at him.

"First, the Abyssal Demon Sword, and now, a divine grade cold-attribute artifact...that fat old man!"

Zhou Qingchen cleared his throat quietly. "Ahem, Senior Sister Hu, the divine artifact in Pang Jian's possession was one he found on his own."

"Oh." Her mumblings changed their tune. "My little junior brother has big responsibilities ahead. Having a few more treasures is necessary for protection. It's not like I'm jealous of him or anything."

Zhou Qingchen nodded quickly like a pecking chicken. "Of course! Senior Sister Hu has a magnanimous spirit and true grace!"

1. This is a play on Liu Youyu's name (柳游鱼), with 游鱼 literally meaning "swimming fish". ☜