Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 352: Merit Points

"Do you know what you're saying?" The fat elder's face paled and the sword within his body trembled slightly. "Taking the Sword Pavilion out of the Abyss? There've been generations of Sword Gods, but none could accomplish that. No one who has left the Abyss has ever returned safely! Do you honestly think he can do it?"

"Hah, I think you're crazier than the Abyssal Demon!" Lady Feng scoffed. "How did such a thought pop into your head?"

The thin elder remained silent as he retreated into his sword body and transformed into a translucent, cyan spirit sword.

Whoosh!

Images of the sun, moon, stars, birds, flowers, mountains, rivers, and runic patterns emerged on the sword's surface.

If Pang Jian had not already left, he would have realized the images mirrored the strange symbols he had seen on the seven Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars.

Woong! Woong!

The White Bone Sword let out a low hum.

It seemed like it wanted to say something but was being silenced.

***

Whoosh!

Pang Jian hovered outside the Sword Pavilion, expression bewildered and with the Abyssal Demon Sword in hand.

The demonic sword was unexpectedly calm, though its soul essence was quietly gathering.

"Pang Jian!"

The four Immortal Realm elders, Liu Junhong, Guang He, Wang Ce, and Xu Yu, called out from where they surrounded the outside of the first floor of the Sword Pavilion.

Gazes converged on Pang Jian from the Heaven Departure Peak, the Breakthrough Peak, the Elusive Peak, the Enlightenment Peak, the Fate Severing Peak, and the Sword Honing Peak.

Everyone saw the black broken sword in his hand.

Liu Junhong's expression was solemn as he asked, "Is that the Abyssal Demon Sword?"

"It is," Xu Yu replied with a bitter smile.

Guang He and Wang Ce remained silent.

The sword that had once had a terrifying reputation in the Abyss was now in Pang Jian's hands.

Its unexpected calmness made it even more unnerving.

The more subdued it seemed, the more everyone's unease grew.

"Pang Jian, this sword should not have left the Sword Pavilion. Even its creator, the former Sect Master of the Demon Sword Sect, Mo Nan, lost control and fell into madness," Guang He said seriously.

"Pang Jian, it's just a broken sword. You can choose something better," Xu Yu advised gently.

Liu Junhong was much more straightforward in comparison. "Switch swords or you'll be dead before you know it."

Wang Ce shook his head but said nothing.

None of the four elders believed Pang Jian could handle the Abyssal Demon Sword.

In their youth, they too had gone to the first floor of the Sword Pavilion and encountered the Abyssal Demon Sword.

It was a sword that excelled at corrupting people's minds.

Knowing this, they had all resisted its allure and chosen other swords.

In their eyes, Pang Jian wielding such a sword would only lead to his downfall.

"I want to go back!" the Abyssal Demon Sword shrieked in despair.

Whoosh!

The black crystal sword struggled free from Pang Jian's grasp and fled back to the first floor of the Sword Pavilion.

“You old fool!” Its enraged cries echoed from the Sword Pavilion.

The four elders and the rest of the Sword Pavilion watching from the nearby peaks were bewildered.

"You made your choice. There's no going back now!" the thin elder sneered as he shooed him away.

A streak of black light shot out and the broken demonic sword once again hovered before Pang Jian.

“Pang Jian, as its master, you should discipline it!” the thin elder advised.

"Oh." As Pang Jian grasped the hilt, he swept his golden divine soul through the sword. Clusters of writhing dark demonic wills were crushed, smothering the Abyssal Demon Sword's rebellious spirit.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Clusters of demonic wills burst like bubbles and the sword's resistance was soon replaced with cries of surrender.

The once-defiant soul of the demonic sword fell completely silent.

The four elders had initially intended to intervene and Chen Weihuang had also arrived to persuade Pang Jian. However, the sword's unusual behavior stunned them all into silence.

None of them had ever seen the Abyssal Demon Sword so obedient, let alone heard it beg for mercy.

Their gazes toward Pang Jian became slightly peculiar.

"Pang Jian, did you really choose the Abyssal Demon Sword?" Qi Qingsong cried out, unsure whether to be excited or disappointed. "The Abyssal Demon Sword, the White Bone Sword, and the Bloodthirsty Sword have been sealed in the Sword Pavilion for a long time. They weren't meant for us to choose from!

"Pang Jian, get rid of the Abyssal Demon Sword while you still can! You can't control it!" Qi Qingsong urged, concerned for Pang Jian's safety.

Zhuang Yuyan added, "Any other sword would be better than the Abyssal Demon Sword! It's a cursed sword!"

"It's quite well-behaved now, though," Elder Xu Yu remarked thoughtfully. Smiling, she gestured toward the Heaven Departure Peak and said, "The selection is over. We should introduce you to the others. Come, let's head to the Pavilion Master's Peak."

Everyone flew to the Heaven Departure Peak and Xu Yu introduced them one by one.

"This is Liu Junhong, the master of the Enlightenment Peak and Qi Qingsong's master.

"This is Wang Ce, the master of Breakthrough Peak.

"And that's Guang He, the master of Elusive Peak and Zhuang Yuyan's master.

"My name is Xu Yu and I'm the master of Fate Severing Peak.

It seemed Xu Yu was the only female Immortal Realm elder.

She smiled and continued, "Besides Chen Weihuang, you also have a senior sister named Hu Yuanfei. She's on the Cosmic Skies Continent in the Third World, leading our Sword Pavilion in the first wave of battles against the foreign races."

"Greetings, elders," Pang Jian respectfully greeted.

Liu Junhong nodded. "No need to be so formal. Stay close to Qi Qingsong in the future. He speaks very highly of you."

"Will do," Pang Jian replied.

Still holding the Abyssal Demon Sword, he then attempted to store it in his spatial bracelet.

It did not work.

Frowning, he asked, "Does this sword have a scabbard?"

"No, the scabbard was lost along with the other half of the sword in the bizarre mist," Liu Junhong said with a chuckle. "You can ask the Divine Treasure Sect to make you a new one, but you'll need to fully subdue the sword soul first. I believe you're more than capable of that."

Guang He interjected, "I've already calculated your merit points. They're recorded in your sword token.

"With that token, you can head to the Sword Honing Peak and select any cultivation techniques, armor, pills, or tools you need. The training rooms on the Sword Honing Peak can also be rented.

"You can ask the others for more details," Guang He said, shooting one last look at the broken sword before leaving.

Liu Junhong, Wang Ce, and Xu Yu stayed behind, explaining how to use the merit points in the sword token and sharing more information about the Abyssal Demon Sword.

Chen Weihuang remained mostly silent and listened quietly.

Merit points...

Pang Jian's divine sense reached into the sword token, revealing a clear number floating in the world within.

Nine thousand eight hundred.

Beneath the number were sword-shaped symbols, each representing different functions like sending messages or accessing recorded information.

As Pang Jian sent his divine sense into one of the symbols, a flood of news regarding recent major events in the Abyss flowed into his mind—who among the strongest sects of the First World had broken through to the Immortal Realm, who had died, and who had scheduled duels to the death.

The Sword Pavilion evidently had a dedicated department that gathered and shared intelligence with its core members through the sword tokens.

There were also symbols marking the locations of teleportation arrays within the Sword Pavilion for ease of travel.

This small sword token was filled with useful features and was completely different from the one Pang Jian had before.

Liu Junhong smiled lightly at his surprised expression. "Inner disciples are the core of the Sword Pavilion. Their sword tokens are far more advanced than those of outer disciples.

"After all, inner disciples will eventually become protectors or elders, responsible for guarding and leading the Sword Pavilion's resurgence. Naturally, the resources available to them differ from those for outer disciples." n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Pang Jian nodded.

"By the way, how many merit points did Guang He calculate for you?" Xu Yu asked with a smile.

"Nine thousand eight hundred."

"Not bad, he didn't skimp on that." Xu Yu laughed. "That's plenty to select some valuable treasures from the Sword Pavilion. Ah, my disciples could never compare."

"There's nothing we can do but feel envious of Li Zhaotian." Wang Ce and Liu Junhong said with a sigh.

The elders then advised Pang Jian to refine the Abyssal Demon Sword's soul as soon as possible before departing, with Pang Jian nodding like a pecking chicken.

Once all the elders had left, Chen Weihuang, Pang Jian's fellow disciple of the Pavilion Master, led him into a cave residence within the Heaven Departure Peak. "This residence will be yours from now on. It's best if you stay here until our master returns.

"The cave has arrays to dispel inner demons and should help you resist the Abyssal Demon Sword."

Chen Weihuang then turned and left.

Pang Jian explored his residence. It had five rooms: a bedroom, a washroom, a study, a practice room, and a guest room.

He took a deep breath in the spacious but simple guest room. The spiritual qi was dense and there was a calming force in the air.

Buzz!

His sword token trembled.

Small glowing dots appeared on the sword token as Pang Jian held it.

Three tiny characters formed from the glowing dots—Qi Qingsong.

Using his divine sense, he heard Qi Qingsong's voice coming from within the sword token.

"Pang Jian, Zhuang Yuyan and I have arranged a banquet for you at the Drunken Cloud Pavilion down the mountain. It's tonight, so make sure you come."

Buzz!

Another voice came from the sword token.

"Disciple, you chose the Abyssal Demon Sword? Haha, not bad, not bad. You didn't let me down. Be careful not to let its influence sway you and don't listen to anything it says.

"The Abyssal Demon Sword's soul was refined from a Demon Race warrior from the outer worlds.

"The Demon Race in the outer worlds is said to have bewitched some cultivators and taught them their cultivation techniques. These bewitched cultivators then founded the Heavenly Demon Sect, a branch of the Demon Sect.

"The Demon Race in the outer worlds are masters of deception and are adept at subtly altering one's nature.

"Remember, never listen to a word it says," Li Zhaotian warned.