Trials of the Abyss-Chapter 547: The Illusory Maple Forest

This matter had been weighing on Pang Jian's mind for a long time, and he resolved to reveal the truth now that he was a True God himself.

Dong Tianze, Zhou Qingchen, Qi Qingsong, and Wu Yuan had all kept the truth tightly under wraps since returning from Absolute Heaven precisely because Fu Wangchen's master was a True God, and Li Chu fiercely protected his own.

Moreover, the Forsaken Expanse Sect was one of the strongest factions in the First World.

After setting his sights on Lu Lingchan of the Black Valley Sect for his disciple, Li Chu had even orchestrated the annihilation of the Fang Clan because of her betrothal to Fang Boxuan.

The immense threat Li Chu posed left Qi Qingsong and the others with no choice but to conceal the truth.

Fu Wangchen's death had been a case of him reaping what he had sown.

Pang Jian knew he had acted with integrity and had a clear conscience. In his eyes, there was no reason the truth could not be revealed.

A deep sense of injustice rose up within Pang Jian every time he thought about how Li Chu's looming influence had forced everyone into lies. He had long ago resolved to reveal the truth with dignity and pride when the time came.

That day was today.

There were many things about Li Chu that irked Pang Jian, from his role in the Fang Clan's demise to his indulgence of Fu Wangchen.

If not for his status as a World God, Li Chu would never have retreated from the Resolute Expanse before.

Pang Jian had since ascended to godhood.

This meant Li Chu now treated him with grace and sincerity he never would have afforded him in the past.

Regardless, Pang Jian refused to accept it.

Pang Jian wanted to see if this True God of the Forsaken Expanse Sect would lose his composure and show murderous intent in battle after finding out the truth.

As a True God himself, Pang Jian was confident he could face any storm Li Chu might unleash.

He was no longer afraid.

Contrary to Pang Jian's expectations, Li Chu outwardly seemed to regain his composure. He neither flew into a rage nor attacked immediately, as if utterly indifferent to the cause of Fu Wangchen's death.

"The truth isn't important. What truly matters is that you, Pang Jian, have fused with a divine seat and ascended to godhood from the Nirvana Realm," Li Chu said calmly. "Now that you're a True God, your words are the truth and law."

A serpent-headed wooden staff appeared in Li Chu's hand.

"The Outer Gods in the starry skies don't care about the lives or thoughts of their weaker followers. Once one reaches a certain power and level of existence, concepts like right and wrong cease to matter.

"Besides, that boy has been dead for many years. No matter how talented he once was, the dead are dead. I wouldn't lose my temper over someone long gone."

Li Chu's composure remained impeccable. However, the disdain for all beings beneath the True God Realm conveyed in his words left Pang Jian deeply uneasy.

At that moment, Pang Jian realized that many of the True Gods likely shared Li Chu's worldview. They saw themselves as fundamentally different from the rest of the human race after ascending to godhood and becoming the strongest in the Abyss.

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To them, the title of God meant standing above the mundane. Those not fused with a divine seat were nothing more than mere mortals.

The True Gods believed they were inherently superior, a mindset that eerily mirrored that of the Outer Gods.

"You're the senior. Please, go ahead." Pang Jian tightened his grip on the Abyssal Demon Sword and summoned the Heart of Winter as he waited for Li Chu to strike.

Their ideologies were worlds apart, but that did not matter to Pang Jian. After all, he had no intention of changing Li Chu's mind. He simply wanted to use the True God as a stepping stone to establish his authority.

"Very well," Li Chu said with a smile and a nod.

His serpent-headed wooden staff was crafted from the skull of a Rank Nine Jungle Spirit Python and imbued with the essence of wood spirits. Although it had yet to reach the level of a divine artifact, it was not far off.

Li Chu's longing for the Verdure Paradise of the Resolute Expanse stemmed from his desire for precious wood-attribute treasures. These would allow him to integrate new materials into the staff, catalyzing a transformation into a divine artifact of unparalleled brilliance.

"My homeland was nestled within a maple forest," Li Chu muttered.

The divine power of a True God was akin to a decree of heaven, allowing them to use the principles of their Dao to create an entire world.

A maple forest, red as the evening sun, materialized around Li Chu and Pang Jian. It was a manifestation of Li Chu's insights into his Heavenly Dao, fused with boundless wood energy to recreate the maple forest of his homeland.

This forest, buried in the depths of his memory and fondly recalled numerous times, formed the foundation of Li Chu's first divine technique, which he activated with a light tap of his staff.

Brilliant red maple leaves drifted in the air like drunken fireflies. Under the radiant sunlight, the leaves gleamed like crimson jade or radiant stars, glowing with an otherworldly light.

From Pang Jian's point of view, it looked as though Li Chu had completely disappeared, yet his presence lingered in each maple leaf.

One such leaf floated toward Pang Jian's left shoulder.

Pang Jian did not put up a defense, instead silently observing the peculiar leaf as it entered his body with a burst of excruciating pain. It felt like it was scraping his bones.

Focusing on the pain, he tracked the leaf's trajectory as it drifted toward his dantian.

Pang Jian's flesh and blood seemed nonexistent to the leaf. It moved freely within him as easily as it did in the air. The incomprehensibly sharp leaf sliced through everything in its path, from his organs and muscles to his very bones.

The power of a True God was indeed unfathomable. A single falling leaf displayed countless profound mysteries, forcing Pang Jian to reassess Li Chu's abilities.

Even the weakest True God is still a True God. They're not to be underestimated.

"Annihilate," Pang Jian mumbled.

A sound thundered from his internal organs as though born of the heavens themselves. Boundless blood essence surged forth in a roaring crimson torrent that erupted violently from his meridians to destroy the maple leaf.

The maple leaf was reduced to threads of spiritual power and wood energy, which dispersed within his body.

In the fragmented land in his dantian, the secluded valley symbolizing Pang Jian's Dao of Verdure underwent a dramatic shift. An invasive will seized the flowers, grass, and trees that Pang Jian had painstakingly nurtured within the valley.

"How peculiar. This Dao is unfamiliar to me. It doesn't seem to originate from the Abyss, or at least, I've never encountered it before.

"No...wait. I feel like I've seen something like this recorded somewhere, but it was so long ago—so long that I can't recall it clearly.

"Pang Jian, you truly are full of surprises. The mysteries within your body..."

Li Chu's voice echoed through the trees, leaves, and even the skies that the illusory forest concealed. He was simultaneously both outside and inside Pang Jian, scrutinizing every aspect of him.

More maple leaves fell.

Pang Jian summoned his protective shield, but it failed to block them. The leaves simply drifted onto his body as though his protective shield was not there.

Before long, more than a dozen red maple leaves slid into Pang Jian's body like sharp blades, with countless more drifting downward, converging on him.

His expression remained calm even through the excruciating, bone-carving pain. Although his body showed no external signs of injury, his muscles and flesh were being shredded beneath the surface.

Still not going to fight back? the Abyssal Demon asked, voice sharp with urgency. It's fine to want to study the techniques of a True God, but that doesn't mean you can afford to be so reckless and simply endure without fighting back.

Were it not for Pang Jian restraining him, the Abyssal Demon would have unleashed its overwhelming power the instant the maple forest appeared.

Li Chu has yet to penetrate my sea of consciousness, and my Immortal Divine Soul remains untouched, Pang Jian replied, eyes narrowing. It doesn't matter how severely he damages my body as long as my Immortal Divine Soul still remains. I can always just restore everything afterward.

The pain was real, and so was this maple forest. Every single leaf was alive and carried Li Chu's spiritual power, wood energy, Dao insights, and even his will.

While Li Chu appeared to have vanished, the truth was that he was actually everywhere. His power had seeped into every visible and invisible part of the forest. The only place left untouched was Pang Jian's sea of consciousness.

It was not that Li Chu could not enter, but that he did not dare to. He could always adjust the trajectory of the falling leaves to land on Pang Jian's crown and enter his sea of consciousness.

In fact, several leaves had seemingly headed for Pang Jian's sea of consciousness, only to divert at the very last second.

An unsettling pang of dread seemed to fill him every time he approached the region housing Pang Jian's divine soul.

Delving into Pang Jian's sea of consciousness to scrutinize his Immortal Divine Soul was the quickest way to understand him, but Li Chu simply could not bring himself to do it.

Instead, the leaves drifted within Pang Jian's body, slicing through his flesh and unsettling the valley representing his Dao of Verdure as they studied the intricacies of his unique dantian.

Li Chu decided to work his way from outside in, starting with the physical body before targeting the sea of consciousness.

"Freeze." Pang Jian's body sank into the Heart of Winter beneath him.

The cold energy emanating from the Heart of Winter merged seamlessly with the fragmented land in his dantian and the Dao of Cold in his Immortal Divine Soul. A peculiar star within him suddenly blazed with dazzling brilliance.

Crackle!

Pang Jian's body seemed to transform into the coldest domain imaginable, with his very essence becoming a glacial sanctuary echoing the frigid extremes of the starry skies.

The drifting maple leaves all froze upon contact.

Pang Jian was encased in an eternal glacier, his body turned into a mass of ice. The intense cold seemed to seal everything except his brain.

He then noticed faint specks within his body, each imbued with Li Chu's will. These specks settled into the valley on the fragmented land in his dantian, clung to his bones, and latched onto his organs as they meticulously analyzed his physical body.