Trials of the Abyss-Chapter 619: A Grand Ambush

The Patriarch of the Demon Scale Race was dressed in flowing snow-white robes and bore streaks of silver at his temples. His appearance was strikingly handsome and effortlessly refined.

"So, that World Eater Vine was uprooted and taken away to become nourishment for a branch of the Fey Race here." Li Bai could not help but sigh as he gazed at the lifeless World Tree. "The World God who created this place is truly extraordinary."

Lie Yang gritted his teeth. "If not for that World God's interference, we would've successfully ascended at least three times!"

"But what can we do?" Li Bai chuckled softly. "He's human. If he had been born of the Fifth World's races, we would've long since established ourselves in the First World."

Lie Yang fell briefly silent, then declared, "That's why the new World God has to die."

Li Bai nodded. "Naturally."

"But do we really need to go to such lengths just for Pang Jian?" Lie Yang snorted in displeasure. "Qi Xu and I are already here. Why do we need the rest of you?"

"I'm merely following orders," Li Bai replied indifferently.

The newly ascended Rank Ten powerhouse of the Ghost Race, Jiu Luo, remained silent.

He and Qi Xu were considered juniors, whereas Lie Yang of the Radiant Race and Li Bai of the Demon Scale Race were legends of the Fifth World.

Following Wu Bi's death, Jiu Luo only managed to break through to Rank Ten thanks to Zi Mo's assistance.

Aware that his strength and reputation were far beneath theirs, he remained humble and reserved.

"Following orders..." Lie Yang dared not complain further.

With Li Bai's influence in the Fifth World, the only ones truly capable of commanding him were the Great Demon God He Motian and the unfathomable Sovereign.

Lie Yang's backer, the Sun God residing on the sun beyond the Abyss, was only a mid-ranking Outer God.

The Sun God's influence paled in comparison to both Zi Mo, the entity backing Jiu Luo, and He Motian, the one supporting Li Bai.

This power disparity made Lie Yang sigh inwardly. Back when we ruled the Abyss, the Sun God that the Radiant Race worshiped was a high-ranking God.

I don't know what happened, but that mighty Sun God abandoned the sun above the Abyss and never returned.

The new Sun God is young and of a lower rank, but we're forced to worship him because he wields the divine artifact of the former one.

Once the upheaval in the Abyss settles, I'll leave for the starry skies to refine my bloodline, undergo baptism, and nurture myself in the flames of the Sun God. Given enough time, I, too, could ascend as a low-ranking Sun God.

Seeing that Lie Yang held no further complaints, Li Bai moved on.

"Qi Xu, when Pang Jian returns, you must ensure he can't escape." Li Bai politely addressed Qi Xu, the prodigy of the Flame Race. "Based on our intelligence, he can freely enter and exit the Abyss."

"Rest assured, Lord Li Bai. The instant Pang Jian shows himself, I will ensure he never escapes again," Qi Xu replied, revealing her breathtaking true form within the sphere of searing flames.

Her crimson hair cascaded over her shoulders like molten lava, and her elegant long gown accentuated her tall, statuesque figure.

A glimpse of her snow-white calf was visible beneath her gown's tight-fitting hem. Natural flame-like markings curled mesmerizingly along her skin like flowing rivers of magma.

A scarlet divine sword hovered behind Qi Xu in a roaring blaze.

Tongues of fire continuously refined the sword. Each lick of flame sent showers of sparks scattering in every direction.

"Pang Jian's here!" Qi Xu's eyes lit up, a smirk curling the corner of her lips. "His unique divine body and existence are infused with the profundities of fire. He's like a beacon in the dark to me."

The blazing sphere of fire enveloping her tall figure flared with even greater intensity as she surged into the bizarre mist like a meteor in the night sky.

Arriving at the boundary wall, she summoned an inferno that spread uncontrollably in the bizarre mist.

The raging sea of fire expanded wildly, consuming everything in its path, crashing against the boundary wall, and enveloping its surroundings.

"Radiant Sun Shines Upon the Heavens!" the Patriarch of the Radiant Race cried as he activated his bloodline technique.

A series of dazzling miniature suns appeared within Qi Xu's sea of fire, unleashing an overwhelming brilliance and scorching heat.

Lie Yang and Qi Xu had been paired because of their highly compatible bloodline techniques.

When unleashed in unison, their combined might was nothing short of cataclysmic, exponentially amplifying their individual combat prowess.

Before Li Bai and Jiu Luo had arrived, the two had already fortified the boundary wall, meticulously setting up the Fire World and the Sun Veil as an impenetrable trap.

When they detected Pang Jian's return, they unhesitatingly activated the Fire World and the Sun Veil, ensuring that Pang Jian would have no way to escape through the boundary wall.

When Pang Jian stepped through the boundary wall and entered the Abyss, he immediately noticed the wall of flames and miniature suns sealing off his path behind him.

"Oh? What an extravagant lineup."

A heartbeat later, Lie Yang and Qi Xu appeared.

Pang Jian also noticed Li Bai of the Demon Scale Race and the newly ascended Jiu Luo of the Ghost Race slipping into the bizarre mist ahead, near the lifeless World Tree.

The Fire World and the Sun Veil had completely sealed the boundary wall behind him, while Li Bai and Jiu Luo waited in the vast expanse ahead.

The foreign race powerhouses of the Fifth World had assembled a grand ambush. It was a clear testament to their high regard for him.

Unfortunately, they had no idea just how meaningless this endeavor truly was.

While inside the bizarre mist, communication between Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul and his physical body in the Shadow Abyss was entirely unobstructed. That was not to mention the Bee Sovereign above and the black turtle in the Resolute Expanse.

If Pang Jian wanted to leave, he simply had to establish a connection with his physical body in the Shadow Abyss and open a spatial rift.

Although he could not teleport the Bee Sovereign or the black turtle, as the bronze pendant was with his physical body, escaping to the Shadow Abyss would be effortless.

In other words, the restrictions these four foreign race powerhouses had painstakingly prepared were pointless.

"The Abyssal Demon within your sword is one of the Demon Gods. I have come to reclaim it by divine decree," Li Bai said, pressing a finger against his forehead.

A colossal Demon God suddenly appeared behind him, its entire body covered in green-black scales, exuding a chilling, otherworldly presence. Wisps of demonic energy seeped from the cracks between its scales, and thick black iron chains coiled tightly around its broad waist.

The Demon God crouched low in the bizarre mist behind Li Bai, its eyes glowing like two endless vortexes of darkness.

Its enormous form resembled a sprawling mountain range, exuding an ancient aura as if it had existed since the dawn of creation.

This Demon God was not a true divine being, but a tangible manifestation of Li Bai's blood essence, demonic energy, and divine soul.

"This is the demon within my heart. If I one day step beyond the Abyss and ascend as one of the Demon Gods, this will be my true demonic form." Li Bai landed gracefully on the forehead of the crouching Demon God, a smile playing on his lips. "Lord Abyssal Demon, will you not show yourself?"

"The demon in your heart takes the form of an ancient demon rather than that of the Demon Scale Race," the Abyssal Demon observed as he silently materialized. "Li Bai, you and your daughter, Xuan Ying, are exceptional prodigies of the Demon Race. If this were the outer worlds, you two would be destined to ascend as Demon Gods.

"It's too bad you're trapped within the Abyss. Worse still, you're caught in the grand event that only occurs here once every hundred millennia. I don't even know if I will survive this catastrophe. Your chances are even slimmer."

The Abyssal Demon wielded the Abyssal Demon Sword with an effortless demeanor. His unhurried movement belied an air of danger as he leisurely advanced toward Li Bai.

"Pang Jian, leave Li Bai to me."

Six demonic realms appeared, enclosing the crouching ancient demon within the bizarre mist.

The Abyssal Demon moved like a true sword cultivator as he charged toward Li Bai with the Abyssal Demon Sword.

Pang Jian paused, then muttered, "Well, I certainly don't lack artifacts to use right now."

"Pang Jian, it's been a while. Congratulations on ascending to godhood," Qi Xu of the Flame Race said with a playful smile.

Unlike the hazy presence she once projected in the Cosmic Skies Continent, she was in her true form this time. She stood near the boundary wall behind Pang Jian, fully immersing herself within the blazing Fire World and the Sun Veil.

Her radiant smile gleamed as she spoke.

"I've always liked you, Pang Jian. If you're willing to follow the demonic path like the White Bone Saint Lu Qinghe and Zhou Yi,"—she licked her crimson lips, voice dripping with seduction—"I have the authority to grant you an unrivaled status within the Abyss."

Qi Xu then threw him a bold, flirtatious wink.

She was not a frivolous woman, it was merely that the Flame Race was naturally passionate and uninhibited, unshackled by trivial formalities.

Back in the Third World, Qi Xu had developed an appreciation for Pang Jian when she saw him kill Lie Yi of the Radiant Race and defeat Xuan Ying of the Demon Scale Race.

At the time, however, his cultivation realm was too low to truly catch her interest.

Pang Jian had not yet been worthy of her bloodline rank and status.

Things had changed since then.

Though Pang Jian was a member of the human race, he was also a True God and even carried the title of a World God.

Convincing Pang Jian to defect would not just be a personal victory, but a notable achievement that even the powerhouses of the Fifth World would not dare to object to.

Moreover, Qi Xu had heard whispers of Pang Jian's past entanglement with Luo Hongyan.

After the Sovereign's consciousness fully awakened, her divinity consumed Luo Hongyan's humanity, making her indifferent to her past with Pang Jian.

Just the thought of Luo Hongyan's man belonging to her ignited a burning thrill deep within Qi Xu's heart.

"I watched Lu Qinghe and Zhou Yi die before my very eyes." Pang Jian's expression was cold as ice. "They were wiped out with a mere flick of the Sovereign's hand, like insignificant insects. Not a shred of emotion stirred in the Sovereign's eyes when she did it.

"I will never become someone to be crushed at the Sovereign's whim.

"Even if she's forgotten the past and is no longer the same person she once was, I will find my way to make sure she always knows that I, Pang Jian, am still here.

"She seeks to overturn the order of the Abyss and erase the foundation that the human race has built over thirty thousand years, but I will not allow it."