Trials of the Abyss-Chapter 543: Return

Pang Jian's departure left the elders of the Shadow Abyss utterly bereft of hope.

For the centuries since the Star Devourer appeared in the Shadow Abyss, they had used altars to call upon their God, pleading for salvation. Every month, they sent cries of despair to the starry skies, but the Shadow God never responded.

Pang Jian's decisive strike to seize a detached limb of the Star Devourer had sparked a fire within them.

They had hoped that the nightmare terrorizing the Shadow Abyss would finally end. However, despite his promises, Pang Jian had retreated into the bizarre mist and vanished from the Shadow Abyss.

"It's over. This world is finished. We just have to accept that we're all at the Star Devourer's mercy, nothing more than livestock for it to slaughter as it pleases," an elder of the Geospirit Race despaired.

"He'll return!" the High Priest of the Shadow Spirit Race exclaimed, trying to rally the group.

As he gazed at the six floating continents and the grayish-yellow star far above, the elderly High Priest could not help but recall the family members he had lost to the Star Devourer.

Seven of his descendants, including sons, daughters, and grandchildren, had reached Rank Nine, only to become a delicacy for the Star Devourer.

In the early days, when the Star Devourer had yet to reveal its unrivaled dominance over the Shadow Abyss, it had once feigned vulnerability, allowing itself to appear injured to give the inhabitants false hope.

The High Priest's descendants had naively believed its act and had mistakenly assumed they could defeat it.

His two bravest sons fell first. His daughter then brought the race's most treasured artifact to confront the Star Devourer, only to meet the same fate.

At one point, the inhabitants of the Shadow Abyss organized an assault, arming twelve Rank Nine warriors with their most powerful artifacts in an all-out attack against the Star Devourer.

The result was all twelve of their souls being devoured.

The resolve of the inhabitants was shattered after that, and no more significant offensives were mounted. Instead, they turned to divine intervention.

Every elder present, regardless of race, had lost descendants to the Star Devourer, with their loved ones' souls being consumed.

They would not have resorted to begging for divine favor if even a sliver of hope remained. Especially not to Pang Jian, a God they did not even worship.

"His words were merely to placate us," an elderly woman from the Dark Shadow Race said mournfully, head bowed in resignation. "I watched his battle with the Star Devourer. He knows full well he is no match for it.

"The Star Devourer cannot exert its full strength while digesting the star. That's the only reason he could seize an opportunity to steal a limb.

"If he truly had the strength, he wouldn't have fled when the other eight limbs pursued him."

The elderly woman raised her head, weary eyes scanning the hopeful faces of her companions before letting out a sorrowful sigh.

"Disperse. He's not coming back."

***

A bright moon hung high in the sky of the Abyss, with only a sparse scattering of stars surrounding it.

Autumn passed into winter, and heavy snow fell relentlessly over the Imperial Dominion, transforming the desolate Imperial Dominion City into a silver-white expanse.

Li Zhaotian had long since ordered Liu Junhong and the other elders to return to either the Sword Pavilion or the Resolute Expanse.

A long time had passed, but Pang Jian's divine soul still had not returned.

Wanderer Tian Du, Liu Fu, and Li Yuanli waited and waited. However, while Pang Jian's physical body remained unharmed, his divine soul remained nowhere to be found.

They soon came to believe that Pang Jian's divine soul was lost in the bizarre mist. If this were true, he would take an exceedingly long time to return, that was if he came back at all.

Their patience wore thin after guarding Pang Jian's body for a year and a half. They could not possibly stay in Imperial Dominion City forever.

Thus, unable to endure any longer, the three True Gods slowly departed.

In the end, only Li Zhaotian remained in the lifeless Imperial Dominion City, holding onto the hope that Pang Jian's divine soul would one day return.

Snowflakes, no larger than a fingertip, piled higher and higher until Li Zhaotian and Pang Jian became a pair of large and small snowmen.

Day and night continued to cycle, but the pair in the Imperial Dominion seemed frozen in time.

Li Zhaotian was wholly focused on Pang Jian's return and paid little attention to the outside world. His sword intent gradually sealed off the fragmented land, barring rogue cultivators from approaching.

Only two snowmen remained.

This went on for an exceedingly long time until, one day, a disturbance arose within Pang Jian's chest.

Spatial ripples were visibly spreading.

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Boom!

The thick snow enveloping a rotund figure was sent flying.

Li Zhaotian's small yet incongruously sharp eyes lit up with a brilliance rivaling the stars in the cold night sky. Staring unblinkingly at the smaller snowman, he quietly unleashed his divine sense to study every detail.

He was visibly tense, nervously rubbing his hands together, sending snowflakes and ice crystals scattering everywhere. After a moment of hesitation, he stepped forward, crunching through the thick snow as he approached Pang Jian.

Then, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The smaller snowman's shoulders trembled, causing snowflakes to tumble off.

The corners of Li Zhaotian's mouth twitched, and a beam of genuine joy spread across his plump face. The sheer exuberance of his expression caused his eyes to appear even smaller, the curve of his chubby cheeks almost squeezing them shut.

"My good disciple. You've returned. I always knew you would! You're blessed and could never lose your way in the vast starry skies.

"Those self-righteous fools said you squandered a divine seat in the Abyss, said you fused with the divine seat only to have your divine soul perish in the starry skies.

"Damn it, those backbiting scoundrels! If I weren't here guarding you, I'd have cut out their wagging tongues!" rambled Li Zhaotian.

His bear-like figure stood rooted in the snow, gesticulating wildly as if trying to convey something profound.

Although he was the Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion and the most gifted sword cultivator of his era, he had a childlike heart and youthful vigor that belied his age. He lacked the dignity expected of a Pavilion Master and the authority typical of a master.

His sole desire as the Pavilion Master was to uphold the trust that the Sword Gods of the past had bestowed upon him and lead the Sword Pavilion to unprecedented heights.

As a man, he also wished his cherished confidantes safety and happiness.

However, more than anything, he wanted his disciples to thrive. He was willing to be their unwavering pillar of support and shield them from the tyranny of any sect or True God if necessary.

Li Zhaotian was the Pavilion Master, a gentleman, and a master. He had always shouldered everything he could with unwavering resolve.

The snow on the smaller snowman scattered, and Pang Jian opened his eyes.

When Pang Jian saw the rotund man before him, brimming with joy and excitement, he could not help but break into a radiant smile of his own.

"Master."

Only Li Zhaotian had ever treated Pang Jian with such care since his father's disappearance. The man before him brought a warmth that filled his heart with gratitude.

When he was trapped in the Fey Spirit Continent, his master had ventured into the perilous lower worlds to search for him, despite being only in the peak of the Immortal Realm. He had even fought Li Bai, a Rank Ten powerhouse of the Demon Scale Race, for Pang Jian.

When the Dragon Lair Sect tried to oppress Pang Jian, Li Zhaotian publicly declared he was entering seclusion to break through to the True God Realm to deter the domineering dragons from making reckless moves.

Pang Jian felt incredibly fortunate to have such a supportive and caring master.

Having successfully fused his divine soul with a divine seat to form an Immortal Divine Soul, Pang Jian was resolved to take up the Sword Pavilion's heavy burdens and shoulder all responsibilities for the sake of the man standing before him.

"Don't worry. I'm fine," Pang Jian assured. Despite rarely smiling, he found his lips unwittingly curving into a grin whenever he was with his master. "Master, is the Sword Pavilion well? Is this world still intact?"

"You've returned. That alone makes this world whole," Li Zhaotian replied with a hearty laugh.

Although master and disciple mostly communicated through sword tokens, there was never any sense of awkwardness when meeting in person. After all, emotions were the most important part of any deep bond.

The wonders of the Immortal Divine Soul, the sensation of breaking free from the bizarre mist, the tribulations of the world known as the Shadow Abyss, the intricate composition of the Star Devourer, and the details of his battle against it—to Li Zhaotian, Pang Jian held nothing back, recounting everything truthfully.

Master and disciple pair animatedly conversed in the snowy city, each speaking their minds without restraint.

***

Aboard the shuttle-shaped ship in the Shadow Abyss, above the altar originally dedicated to the Shadow God, Holy Maiden Cui Ling sensed an unfamiliar will during her latest successful communion with the starry skies.

I am the Frost Crystal God, a God from beyond your world. I intend to aid you in eradicating the Star Devourer. You'll need to build two new altars, one for me and one for another God.

I will instruct you on how to build them, how to select suitable vessels for us, and how to facilitate our descent. If you comply, I guarantee the Star Devourer will meet its end.

The trembling body of the Holy Maiden betrayed her emotions as she listened intently.

Her tears flowed uncontrollably as she called out in a daze, "High Priest! High Priest!"

***

The other True God from the Ghost Sacrifice Sect, Mu Wentao, entered the Dragon Lair Sect in the Sacred Soul Continent.

"Pang Jian has officially returned after nearly two years," he reported.

A deep roar echoed through the cavern.

The ancient Rank Nine dragons listening to Mu Wentao with their heads lowered all left.

A robust figure clad in green suddenly appeared. The prominent dragon horns protruding from his forehead were entwined with strands of lightning as fine as hair.

His oppressive aura filled the cavern, overwhelming even for a True God like Mu Wentao.

"A True God in the Immortal Realm? This has never happened before," the ancient Thunder Dragon said slowly, gazing down at Mu Wentao from atop a stone platform. "Can such a being even be considered a True God? There have to be some shortcomings to such an ascension."

Mu Wentao shook his head. "There's no precedent, so we truly don't know."

"The Sword Pavilion is far, but that Resolute Expanse is relatively near the Sacred Soul Continent." The ancient Thunder Dragon stroked his chin in thought. "I'll make some arrangements to test the authenticity of this so-called True God."