Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 39: Central Lake Island

A thin mist gracefully settled in the early light of dawn.

Everyone was poised and ready to depart.

As their guide, Pang Jian had long since made the necessary preparations. Seeing that everyone was ready, he started to head toward Black Orchid Lake that he had secretly set as their destination.

After he set off, Luo Hongyan lazily stretched her body and nimbly descended from the tree branches. She approached Pang Jian and asked, "How was your rest last night?"

"Not bad." Pang Jian did not mention He Rong's visit, only exchanging pleasantries with her before resolutely continuing on his way.

Luo Hongyan also acted as if nothing had happened the previous night and together, they continued on their journey, chatting away as they walked.

She paid no mind to He Rong, Su Yuntian, and the others trailing behind.

Pang Jian, on the other hand, would occasionally glance back while speaking with Luo Hongyan. He noticed He Rong and Su Yuntian huddled together, whispering with faces clouded with concern.

An hour later, Su Yuntian mustered the courage to step forward and said, "Miss Ning, please wait a moment."

Luo Hongyan frowned impatiently. She turned her head and asked coldly, "What is it?"

"It's..." Su Yuntian nervously cleared his throat. Seeing He Rong continuing to stay silent, he forced himself to continue, "Do you know who killed Ziren?"

"It was someone from the Shadow Specter Sect. He wore a golden mask and met his end at the bottom of Blackwater Pond. It seems he was slain by the Black and White King Python when it lost control. I was outside the pond at the time, so I cannot say for certain how he died."

Luo Hongyan had overheard the conversation between He Rong and Pang Jian last night through the Spirit Devil and deliberately aided Pang Jian in concealing the truth.

Pang Jian stared at her in surprise.

"It was Dong Qianfeng!" Su Yuntian exclaimed with a somber tone and expression. "Pang Jian managed to get a good look at his face. It was scarred all over. It was none other than Dong Qianfeng, the man who was expelled from the Radiant Sun Sect!"

Luo Hongyan feigned surprise. "So, it was him."

"Though he's in our generation, his cultivation talent far surpasses mine and He Rong's. Neither of us was qualified to be accepted by the sects in the upper world. However, Dong Qianfeng had long joined the Radiant Sun Sect." With a solemn expression, Su Yuntian continued his recount, "It's unclear whom he offended or what mistake he made in the Radiant Sun Sect, but he was punished by having his face scarred and was ultimately expelled."

"The Dong Clan did not dare to question the Radiant Sun Sect's decision, nor did they dare to accept him back into their clan. Up until now, Dong Qianfeng's whereabouts were unknown. I would never have thought he'd return from the Third World and become a member of the Shadow Specter Sect."

Luo Hongyan said indifferently, "He's already dead, so what's there to worry about?"

"He's dead but the leader of the search party sent by the Dong Clan was none other than his adopted son, Dong Tianze!" Su Yuntian said with a trembling voice.

When he mentioned Dong Tianze, the fear in his eyes seemed to surpass that of Dong Qianfeng.

Su Yuntian sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead in distress. "Dong Tianze isn't a true member of the Dong Clan. He's someone Dong Qianfeng brought in from outside and adopted as his own.

"Dong Tianze is ruthless, bloodthirsty, and has formidable combat prowess, even among the Dong Clan's new generation. Rumor has it he's already embarked on the bone forging, marrow cleansing process, and rejected the Radiant Sun Sect's recruitment attempts.

"The Radiant Sun Sect is the backer of the Dong Clan. If he dared to reject the Radiant Sun Sect, it must have been because of Dong Qianfeng's expulsion. Since Dong Qianfeng was a member of the Shadow Specter Sect, could Dong Tianze have joined them as well?

"With his cunning and ruthlessness, if he's colluding with the Shadow Specter Sect, none of us from the seven major clans would likely escape the Solitary Mountain Range unscathed."

As Su Yuntian spoke, his daughter, Su Meng, appeared shocked. She was clearly aware of the danger posed by Dong Tianze.

The members of the Su Clan and the He Clan were equally shaken by the mention of Dong Tianze's name as if the tolling of death bells reverberated in their minds.

Luo Hongyan remained unperturbed. "So, what are you suggesting?"

"Both of us have decided to withdraw from the Solitary Mountain Range. We will return to report the collusion between Dong Qianfeng and the Shadow Specter Sect. The matter of Dong Tianze will be left to the Dong Clan to deal with," Su Yuntian said, voice tinged with apprehension.

After he finished, he glanced at Su Meng.

The one he was most worried about was his daughter, Su Meng.

He was not afraid of dying, but Su Meng was young and still had a promising future ahead of her. He had high hopes for her. After all, she had already caught the attention of the Radiant Sun Sect and was poised to go to the upper world to cultivate soon.

Su Meng must not encounter any mishaps in the Solitary Mountain Range!

"Suit yourselves," Luo Hongyan said indifferently. Ignoring Pang Jian's bewildered gaze, she strode past him, as though abandoning the Su Clan and the He Clan.

Her indifferent attitude left Su Yuntian and He Rong secretly displeased, but at the same time, they also breathed a sigh of relief.

Shortly after, they approached Pang Jian to ask about the quickest route to exit the Solitary Mountain Range and return to human civilization.

Just as Pang Jian was about to respond, a startled cry from Luo Hongyan echoed from a distance.

Hearing her cry, Pang Jian paid no more attention to the two of them. He darted off like lightning, Dragonwood Spear in hand, leaving Su Yuntian and He Rong dumbfounded by his incredible speed.

The two exchanged a glance. They had yet to receive the information about the route from Pang Jian, so they reluctantly decided to follow him.

A corpse lay among dried bloodstained grasses, emitting a foul stench. The body appeared to be that of a female cultivator. Her long hair was strewn about and her clothes adorned with fragmented star patterns.

It looked like wild beasts had ravaged her body. A white jade hairpin rested in her bloody left palm.

The white jade hairpin glowed. Contrasting starkly with the brutal and bloody scene, its radiance appeared immaculate and pristine.

He Rong and Su Yuntian rushed over. They glanced at the clothing on the corpse and quickly concluded, "She's from the Star River Alliance!"

The Gilded Chariot had crashed next to Crescent Moon Lake, but there was no sign of any members of the Star River Alliance. It seemed they had evacuated from the chariot after the crash.

"No wonder we couldn't find anything valuable in the Gilded Chariot," He Rong murmured. stroking his chin.

Su Yuntian stared at the white jade hairpin. He could not help but feel it would suit his daughter once it had been cleaned.

"Looks like a low-grade spirit artifact," Luo Hongyan muttered from beside the corpse before kicking the hand holding the white jade pin.

The white jade hairpin flared with a bright light, unexpectedly flying out and shot toward a nearby tree. It pierced through the tree trunk and landed on the grass beside Su Meng.

After piercing through the tree trunk, the bloodstains on the hairpin miraculously disappeared, enhancing its outstanding jade-like quality.

Gazing at the hairpin nestled in the grass, Su Meng felt a slight longing in her heart.

However, considering the hairpin had just been stained with blood and was kicked away by Luo Hongyan, she felt too embarrassed to pick it up.

"Take it if you like it. I don't care for it anyway." Luo Hongyan chuckled lightly. With an indifferent tone, she said, "If I'm not mistaken, we will probably find more spirit artifacts from the corpses of the members of the Star River Alliance ahead. There should be some as exquisite as this white jade hairpin."

"Thank you, Miss Ning!" Su Yuntian said, rubbing his hands together. He shot a stern look at Su Meng.

"Thank you, sister!" Su Meng said, tactfully omitting the "Ning" character.

She happily wrapped the white jade hairpin in a handkerchief, looking forward to cleaning it thoroughly and exploring its wonders later.

"Brother Su, we might as well take a look while we're here," He Rong suggested.

Su Yuntian nodded. "Sure...sure, why not."

The two had intended to leave the Solitary Mountain Range as soon as possible, but now, they temporarily dispelled that thought. Instead, they decided to accompany Pang Jian and Ning Yao for a bit longer, hoping to discover something new.

***

Pang Jian continued to lead the way.

During their journey, they encountered several corpses belonging to the Star River Alliance.

According to Luo Hongyan's arrangements, all the artifacts found on the corpses were divided between the Su Clan and the He Clan, while the spirit stones were all given to Pang Jian.

Meanwhile, Luo Hongyan did not take anything at all.

This distribution met no objections from the members of the Su Clan and the He Clan. They perceived her actions as a sign of her affection toward Pang Jian, not taking anything for herself and only striving to secure spirit stones for Pang Jian.

Drawn by the artifacts left on the corpses of the Star River Alliance members, Su Yuntian and He Rong no longer spoke of leaving, and everyone continued peacefully without any incidents.

One day, Pang Jian stepped out from a waist-high thicket of grass and shouted, "We're here!"

As he emerged from the thicket, he was greeted by a light blue lake much larger than Crescent Moon Lake.

Before him, the lake shimmered with a subtle azure tint, distinct from the pristine white of Crescent Moon Lake.

The reason for this contrast was the salinity of Black Orchid Lake's waters.

Beneath the icy lake waters were many small fish swimming about. These fish tasted exceptionally delicious.

Pang Jian licked his lips as he recalled the delectable taste of those small fish. Despite having eaten not long ago, he felt himself grow hungry again.

The next to arrive at the lakeshore was Luo Hongyan. Her eyes lit up, surprised by the scenery before her. "This is Black Orchid Lake?"

Nestled in the center of the light blue lake sat a strange little island. The island had a small hill adorned with colorful flowers and lush vegetation.

There was no place in the entire Solitary Mountain Range where the flora was as densely packed and vibrant as on that island.

The island had been designated as a forbidden zone, but even the usually disinterested Pang Jian could not help but steal a few extra glances every time he passed by.

It was just that pretty.

However, Pang Jian always adhered to his father's advice and never ventured to the island in the lake, only sticking to its perimeter.

Whoosh!

As Pang Jian gazed at the familiar island in the lake, he suddenly noticed something flying above the hill on the island.

After squinting and observing closely, he finally made out the object and exclaimed, "The Sinister Soul Temple's Divine Spirit Pagoda!"

Of the three objects descended from the sky, the Star River Alliance's Gilded Chariot and the Blood Moon Sect's Formless Sailboat were either crashed or grounded, unable to move.

However, to his surprise, the Divine Spirit Pagoda of the Sinister Soul Temple was still airborne and was currently above the forbidden zone.

“What a beautiful island!” Su Meng exclaimed as she stepped out, gazing at the picturesque Central Lake Island with its vibrant flowers and serene light blue waters. She found herself momentarily entranced by the scene.

She said wistfully, "I never expected to find such a beautiful island in a desolate place like the Solitary Mountain Range."

"It's the Sinister Soul Temple's Divine Spirit Pagoda!" Su Yuntian and He Rong also spotted the white pagoda.

Luo Hongyan gazed at the island in the middle of the lake. Her expression was calm and serene, yet her eyes shone with a strange light.

"The fact that the Divine Spirit Pagoda is airborne indicates that there are people on the island," she muttered. She paused, knitting her brows. "Although it's not visible from here, there must be a bone of the Celestial Phoenix on that island, deeply embedded in the ground below."

She then looked toward Pang Jian.

"You're aware that there must be a fourth bone of the Celestial Phoenix buried deep somewhere on the island, right?" she asked.

Pang Jian nodded.