Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 180: Spear Manipulation!

Vivid red clouds hung across the sky as dusk fell in the Primordial Wilderness.

The battle at Emerald Lake had alarmed many disciples from the Star River Alliance and the Sinister Soul Temple on the Sixth and Seventh Peaks. Many disciples from the two sects stood on the edge of the summits and peered down at the scene below.

"That young man in black down there—"

"That's Pang Jian!"

"Pang Jian? You mean the one with all those Rank Seven Vicious Beast spirit materials?"

"Yes, that's him!"

It took a while for the disciples of the Star River Alliance on the Sixth Peak and the members of the Sinister Soul Temple on the Seventh Peak to recognize Pang Jian.

These ordinary disciples did not have the privilege to participate in the final day of the trade fair and had been waiting at their respective peaks for their elders to return. With nothing to do but idle away, the commotion below had caught their attention, and they eagerly watched the spectacle unfold.

"The person who died at the foot of our mountain looks like Xu Li from the Blood Moon Sect!" exclaimed a disciple from the Sinister Soul Temple. He had often battled the Blood Moon Sect and had quickly recognized the impaled figure.

"This Pang Jian is incredibly strong!"

"His expertly controlled spear killed two late-stage Innate Realm cultivators! Has he advanced to the Profound Abode Realm?"

"It doesn't seem like it!"

The disciples on the two peaks discussed fervently. Pang Jian's name and ruthless ferocity were deeply etched into their minds.

Below, the black-clad Pang Jian stepped out from the waist-high grass.

Crack!

The vegetation before him froze and shattered as the Startling Slaughter Spear flew past.

Boom!

Even the roots could not withstand the destructive cold energy and exploded with a loud bang.

The Startling Slaughter Spear's winding trajectory created many meandering paths in the nearly half-mile distance ahead of Pang Jian. The crackling of frozen vegetation filled the air. Wood chips and leaves were scattered all over.

"Pang—he's Pang Jian!" A rogue cultivator pieced together. "Pang Jian was the one selling the spirit materials of the Rank Seven Ice Crystal Beast, the Rank Seven Scarlet-Eyed Demon Wolf, the Rank Seven Blood Lizard, and the Rank Seven Double-Faced Ghost Spider at the trade fair!"

Dozens of astonished gazes landed on Pang Jian.

"Zhang Bin..." Gazing at Zhang Bin's frozen, rigid corpse, a rogue cultivator soon realized what had transpired. "Zhang Bin and his group always work together. If Zhang Bin showed up, Lin Fan, Tu Hui, and Zhang Long must be nearby! Pang Jian emerged from that remote area up ahead. Could it be that they—"

"They wanted to kill him and steal his treasures!"

"That must be it!"

The rogue cultivators finally understood the situation.

The wealthy Pang Jian had appeared in a secluded corner of Emerald Lake and had been attacked by Zhang Bin and his group. They had planned to defeat him and seize his vast collection of spirit stones only to end up being killed themselves!

"Pang Jian," Han Ting called out softly, further confirming the black-clad youth's identity.

Many rogue cultivators wore expressions of envy at the realization.

Han Ting had been the object of many a cultivator's private fantasies because of her incredibly alluring figure, with many dropping countless hints toward her.

Unfortunately for them, Han Ting had always maintained her purity. The many "flies" buzzing around her found no opening and had eventually given up.

Zhang Bin was the exception to this as he remained persistently fixated on her. But in the end...

Everyone turned toward Pang Jian, realizing Zhang Bin's death was likely also related to the rumors surrounding Pang Jian and Han Ting.

Wasn't the one spreading those rumors and gossiping behind their backs none other than Zhang Bin's female companion, Fang Xin?

"Why haven't you left yet?" Pang Jian asked, staring at Han Ting with a frown. "Did you drink the herbal juice Gao Yuan sent you?"

"Yes, I did." Han Ting nodded with a smile, warmth welling up in her heart.

She had been too ashamed to stay at cave dwelling number fifty-seven after Pang Jian's cold rejection of her advances. Unexpectedly, Gao Yuan had someone deliver Pang Jian's herbal juice to her. Drinking it had soothed her inner sadness and made her feel like Pang Jian still cared about her.

Han Ting could not help but suspect that Pang Jian's sudden appearance at Emerald Lake was related to her. She even suspected he had killed Zhang Bin and his group to help her permanently resolve her grudges.

"I originally planned to head to the Dark Abyss Continent, but only two Cloud Ships were scheduled to go. Both ships leave after the trade fair ends tomorrow so I have no choice but to wait," Han Ting explained softly.

Pang Jian nodded without a word.

Squinting his eyes, he reached out to the energies infused in the Startling Slaughter Spear, and with a single thought, it returned to him in a straight silver streak.

A bone-chilling aura emanated from Pang Jian when the spear landed in his palm.

Crackle!

Spiritual power, cold energy, lunar energy, and stellar energy rushed into the spear shaft, causing it to glow a dazzling silver and radiate an icy coldness.

"Go!" The recharged Startling Slaughter Spear once again transformed into a silver streak and pierced through an Innate Realm rogue cultivator's chest, killing him on impact.

"Pang Jian!"

"You!"

The rogue cultivators shouted in horror.

"Zhang Bin and his group coveted my spatial bracelet and tried to kill me for my spirit stones. The one who died at the foot of the Seventh Peak and the one I killed just now had the same idea."

Pang Jian rotated his wrist in the air, causing the Startling Slaughter Spear to wind and twist in response.

"All of you, leave this area now!"

The silver spear circled commandingly around Pang Jian, forming a ring of white mist that forced back the approaching rogue cultivators. As it circled, the cold white mist spread, freezing the surrounding vegetation and causing the rogue cultivators to feel like they had plunged into an icy abyss.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The tents around Emerald Lake exploded and the rogue cultivators retreated while cursing. Before long, all the rogue cultivators had fled, leaving only Han Ting behind.

Whoosh!

The Startling Slaughter Spear returned to Pang Jian once more.

The Innate Realm, the vast expanse of my spiritual sea, and spear manipulation!

Pang Jian tightened his grip on the Startling Slaughter Spear, eyes gleaming with a piercing intensity. Han Ting was afraid to meet his sharp gaze.

Throwing the Startling Slaughter Spear to the retreating Zhang Bin had merely been a spur-of-the-moment attack. However, he quickly realized that the infused energies in the spear kept it under his control!

As long as he imbued the Startling Slaughter Spear with his spiritual power, cold energy, lunar energy, and stellar energy, he could exert precise control over it. Unfortunately, infusing additional energy into the spear after it left his hand was challenging.

This meant he could only manipulate his spear to surprise weaker opponents as he would struggle to recall the Startling Slaughter Spear if the infused energies were exhausted.

Moreover, the Startling Slaughter Spear could only unleash its full power when it was in his hand. He had dared to manipulate his spear to kill Zhang Bin because he sensed that Zhang Bin, although in the late stage of the Innate Realm, had a spiritual sea less than a quarter the size of his own!

"Pang Jian, I heard your sister..." Han Ting trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

Late last night, Old Monster Cao had released information about a rare treasure to be sold at today's event. After some investigation, those in the Primordial Wilderness learned it was a beautiful woman in a red dress.

Han Ting had also heard that the stunning woman in the red dress had arrived with Pang Jian and Gao Yuan.

Pang Jian's heart tightened and his gaze turned cold. "Quick, go find Gao Yuan and have him move his Cloud Sail to the sky. It won't be long before I leave the Primordial Wilderness. I'll be joining you soon."

"Why not now?" Han Ting asked.

"I need time to sort through the items on Zhang Bin and his group," Pang Jian replied.

"Oh!" Han Ting nodded in understanding. Following Pang Jian's instructions, she headed straight to the First Peak of the Primordial Wilderness.

Glancing up, Pang Jian took a moment to note the blurry figures dotting the summits of the Sixth and Seventh Peaks.

He then went on to loot Zhang Bin's and Xu Li's spirit artifacts and spatial pouches.

Surprisingly, he found a blood talisman grasped in Xu Li's hand. Ni Chen, from the battle in Misty Swamp, had also possessed a blood talisman.

The Blood Moon Sect. He's Jiu Yuan's lackey! Pang Jian realized.

Xu Li had followed him all the way to Emerald Lake. Pang Jian had noticed his presence early on and planned to lure him to a secluded spot to kill him. However, Zhang Bin and his group had attacked first.

Thus, after dealing with Zhang Bin's group, Pang Jian took the opportunity to kill Xu Li while he was at it, assuming Xu Li was just another rogue cultivator with bad intentions. He had not expected that Xu Li was a member of the Blood Moon Sect.

"Xu Li? Where are you?" Jiu Yuan's deep voice echoed from the blood talisman.

Pang Jian did not respond.

Returning to the secluded area in the thicket, he stripped the spatial pouches from the bodies of Fang Xin and the others, not bothering to check the contents.

Pang Jian then sat down in the densest part of the thicket, took out some spirit stones, and closed his eyes to meditate.

The disciples on the Sixth and Seventh Peaks had watched Pang Jian's actions the whole time. They saw him kill, collect his spoils, then sit facing Emerald Lake and use spirit stones to recover his energy.

In their eyes, this was the expected routine of a rogue cultivator after a kill, and the disciples from the Star River Alliance and the Sinister Soul Temple soon lost interest in Pang Jian.