Trials of the Abyss-Chapter 513: Dark Ghost Ritual

For a moment, Xing Heng doubted his ears.

Kill Pang Jian and spare Dong Tianze?

If his orders were reversed to instead kill Dong Tianze and leave Pang Jian alive, he would have at least found it reasonable.

Dong Tianze had no strong backing and had already been branded as a remnant of the Blood Spirit Sect. Naturally, killing him would not stir much trouble.

Pang Jian, on the other hand, was the Sword Pavilion's rising star!

He was Li Zhaotian's final disciple! A prodigy with the potential to lead the Sword Pavilion in the future!

The Sword Pavilion would be thrown into chaos if he were killed.

Leaving aside his status, Pang Jian's combat prowess was formidable. The fact that he had destroyed the Witchghost Flag with just two sword strikes was evidence that he was not someone easily killed.

Xing Heng's expression was uncertain as he gripped the black jade token, making no further moves as he hesitated to respond.

He internally weighed the risks. On one side stood Pang Jian, the prodigy of the Sword Pavilion, and on the other stood the high-ranking leader of his sect.

Meanwhile, Qian Bo and Yang Ronghao dared not move from where they stood, feet rooted to the lakebed.

The spectating rogue cultivators from across the Imperial Dominion also stayed silent.

Their eyes flickered between Pang Jian and Xing Heng, waiting to see who would make the next move.

"Xing Heng, take your men and leave. Now." Pang Jian's cold voice echoed across the still waters, impatience flashing in his eyes.

He held his sword in his right hand and his sword token in his left.

The three sword-shaped symbols representing Liu Junhong, Xu Yu, and the Great Elder Jiang Ran shone brightly within the sword token.

The three Immortal Realm elders of the Sword Pavilion had projected their divine sense into Pang Jian's sword token and were watching his every move.

When Pang Jian learned that the Ghost Sacrifice Sect was hunting Dong Tianze, he had been upfront with Liu Junhong and Xu Yu about his intention to intervene.

After all, he was up against the Ghost Sacrifice Sect. They had stood tall in the Southern Gorge for tens of thousands of years and even boasted two True Gods.

Li Wang was aware of Pang Jian's standing as a World God, so he assumed that Gui Mu of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect likely knew as well.

Moreover, he believed Gui Mu was likely uninvolved in the pursuit of Dong Tianze.

If this confrontation escalated, it would inevitably draw her attention.

As the World God of this era, Pang Jian saw himself as a bridge between the human race and the Fey Race.

The threat of the foreign races placed immense pressure on the True Gods of the human race, meaning they would inevitably find Pang Jian's role useful in the future.

The fact that Li Chu of the Forsaken Expanse Sect had not reappeared at the Resolute Expanse only confirmed his suspicions that his standing as a World God was valuable.

This fact gave Pang Jian the confidence to challenge an Immortal Realm protector of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect.

Aside from his master, Li Zhaotian, no one else in the Sword Pavilion knew of his standing as a World God.

His master was still in seclusion and was in a critical stage of his recovery. Even Pang Jian could not reach him with his sword token.

Under these circumstances, the Immortal Realm elders of the Sword Pavilion were unaware of the hidden confidence his World God position gave him. They only knew he intended to rescue a friend from the grasp of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect.

Xu Yu immediately relayed the information to the others when she got the news.

Liu Junhong, Guang He, and Wang Ce gathered at the teleportation array in the Resolute Expanse while Pang Jian appeared at the Imperial Dominion.

Even Great Elder Jiang Ran arrived to stand with them.

Four Immortal Realm powerhouses waited by the teleportation array in the Resolute Expanse, ready to step into the Imperial Dominion at a moment's notice.

Despite the Sword Pavilion's weakened state following Li Zhaotian's failed ascension to the True God Realm, their unwavering support remained.

Although they knew the enemy they faced was the Ghost Sacrifice Sect, the dominant faction of the Southern Gorge, none of the elders hesitated. Not one sought to avoid danger, and not one considered the consequences.

This was the Sword Pavilion!

After all, the human race and the Abyss needed the Sword Pavilion. The Sword Pavilion simply could not be allowed to fall so easily.

Pang Jian let a trace of his diverse energies seep out, and the black-gold divine sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling brilliance that demanded everyone's attention.

The Abyssal Demon had long ceased its study of the demon orb within the sword. Demonic energy had since solidified the six demonic realms, and they radiated with profound and mysterious wonders.

Pang Jian wielded a divine sword that could shake the heavens. Not to mention, the entire Sword Pavilion stood behind him.

Naturally, he was confident he could cut down Xing Heng.

If my master's drop in cultivation realm has weakened the Sword Pavilion, then I will just take his place. I will restore the Sword Pavilion to its former glory!

The more I prove my strength, the more the True Gods will tolerate me!

If I can kill Xing Heng, an Immortal Realm cultivator, while still in the Nirvana Realm, it will be undeniable proof that I'm destined to become the next Sword God!

The human race needs a Sword God. And if that Sword God also happens to be a World God, it won't matter how much they despise me; they will have no choice but to ensure I survive!

With his resolve set, Pang Jian struck again at the still-wavering Xing Heng.

Pang Jian's sword intent surged, causing the temperature over the northern region of the Imperial Dominion to plummet.

Delicate snowflakes drifted from the black-gold divine sword in Pang Jian's hand.

The sun blazed fiercely above the Abyss, beating down with its relentless heat.

Despite this, the sky around Pang Jian transformed into an eerie domain of extreme cold as the snowflakes descended.

His sword intent had saturated the heavens and the earth.

Each of those breathtakingly beautiful snowflakes was his sword light!

Pang Jian's sword light no longer took the form of the usual flowing river of light, instead dispersing into falling snowflakes that filled the air.

An extreme cold engulfed everything as the snowflakes descended, with the corresponding Daos hidden within.

Alongside it came an unrestrained surge of killing intent!

The sudden flurry of murderous intent snapped Xing Heng out of his internal conflict. At that moment, he realized that the prodigy of the Sword Pavilion truly planned to kill him!

Pang Jian was not just here to save Dong Tianze. He was here to kill Xing Heng!

"How bold!" Xing Heng's fury burned away his hesitation.

There was no need for cautious indecision when he was already seen as prey.

He no longer cared how fiercely the Sword Pavilion would retaliate if Pang Jian were to die.

"Dark Ghost Ritual!"

A gray stone altar materialized beneath his feet.

Pillars, stones engraved with intricate reliefs, decayed bones, and withered wood hovered around the gray stone altar.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Fierce spectral entities emerged from the pillars, engraved stones, decayed bones, and withered wood.

Their forms were grotesque, and their auras eerie. Moreover, they numbered in the tens of thousands!

Among them were the souls of deceased human cultivators, refined souls of the Fey Race, and even a small number of souls from foreign races of the Fifth World.

These spectral entities, collectively known as vengeful spirits, had been tightly sealed within the pillars, engraved stones, decayed bones, and withered wood.

At Xing Heng's summons, they knelt in worship before the gray stone altar as if they were offering reverence to a God.

A faint, eerie light flickered on Xing Heng's forehead, shimmering from within his sea of consciousness as it consumed the essence born from the offerings of the spectral entities like a black hole.

Whoosh!

A colossal Dark Ghost appeared behind him, mirroring Xing Heng's likeness except a thousand times larger.

The Dark Ghost opened its mouth and inhaled deeply, devouring all the fierce spectral entities in a single gulp.

Then, wielding the gray stone altar, it advanced through the drifting snowflakes, rising to where Pang Jian was unleashing his sword light from above.

The snowflakes, infused with the Dao of Cold, fell upon the towering Dark Ghost.

Heavy cracking sounds filled the air.

Each snowflake became as heavy as a mountain upon contact with physical matter or spirits. The cold energy within then erupted alongside the Dao of Cold, unleashing devastating power.

The Dark Ghost's massive form merely trembled slightly when the snowflakes landed on it.

In contrast, violent tremors erupted across the fragmented land as the snowflakes settled on the ancient trees, rocks, and lake below.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The northern region of the Imperial Dominion quaked endlessly.

Trees fell as the snowflakes struck them, rocks crumbled to dust, and deep craters formed as they hit the ground.

Only after seeing their earth-shattering impact did the onlookers truly understand the terrifying sword power hidden within those seemingly unremarkable snowflakes!

"Do you really think that destroying my Witchghost Flag with the help of a divine artifact gives you the upper hand? Pang Jian, even your master, Li Zhaotian, only dared to challenge Li Chu when they were in the same cultivation realm!

"You're merely in the Nirvana Realm, an entire cultivation realm below me. What gives you the right to harbor killing intent toward me?

"Who gave you such blind arrogance?"

Xing Heng's voice rang out sharply as he continuously formed hand seals.

The Dark Ghost bared its fangs in a twisted grin, spewing forth a torrent of Azure Netherworld Ghostfire that engulfed Pang Jian, extinguishing the icy domain around him.

The Azure Netherworld Ghostfire was refined from the souls of spectral entities and could turn any living being it touched into a sinister wraith in mere moments.

Sizzle!

A protective shield appeared around Pang Jian.

Xing Heng sneered coldly as he shifted his hand seals from a distance.

The Dark Ghost's arms morphed into razor-sharp claws, blazing with Azure Netherworld Ghostfire. It resembled a vengeful deity of the underworld wielding ghostly blades to reap the souls of the living in the mortal realm.

Pang Jian's protective shield warped under the Dark Ghost's relentless assault.

Lin Miaojin of the Soughing Wind Pavilion anxiously flew into the air from the treetops to gain a better view.

"Being an entire cultivation realm above makes a big difference," she muttered as she gazed at the battlefield. Her eyes were fixed on Pang Jian as the Azure Netherworld Ghostfire swallowed him.

A green protective shield had appeared just in time to shield Pang Jian from the Azure Netherworld Ghostfire.

Though the protective shield protected Pang Jian from the Azure Netherworld Ghostfire, the towering Dark Ghost relentlessly struck at it, causing the protective shield to tremble as if on the verge of shattering.

"Huang Qi, when do you think the Immortal Realm elders from the Sword Pavilion will show themselves?" Lin Miaojin asked.

The Sword Pavilion surely would not let Pang Jian descend upon the Imperial Dominion without protection. There had to be elders hidden nearby, ready to intervene the instant Pang Jian was in danger.

Lin Miaojin was certain a flash of sword light from one of the elders would soon illuminate the skies of the Imperial Dominion.

Huang Qi shook his head. "I don't know."

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Several dozen li behind them, the hook-nosed old man chuckled softly. "There are no hidden protectors. And those who could have descended won't make it in time."

As he muttered those words, the teleportation array in the Imperial Dominion City inexplicably collapsed with a thunderous crash.