Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 201: Turning the Tables to Plunder!

Night had fallen in the Primordial Wilderness, but the moon and stars had yet to appear.

"Who buried Nine Heavenly Profound Thunder here?" Liang Ying looked around angrily.

She assumed a rogue cultivator or an elder from a noble family had set this trap earlier as a counterattack against the invading forces from the Fifth World and did not connect it to Pang Jian.

Bang!

The tube containing the Annihilation Needles exploded as well!

Dozens of hair-thin needles pierced through Liang Ying's protective shield, penetrating her flesh and covering her in tiny wounds.

The needles moved within Liang Ying's body and the pain caused her to break out in a cold sweat.

"Annihilation Needles!" Liang Ying screamed in horror.

The vicious needles were specifically designed to penetrate the protective shields of cultivators and even she could not block them with her Spirit Condensation Realm cultivation.

"That's right, they're Annihilation Needles," Pang Jian said maliciously.

Liang Ying had been concentrating on suppressing the Annihilation Needles in her body and only now focused her wandering gaze on Pang Jian.

Her eyes locked onto him!

He was holding another tube of Annihilation Needles in his hands!

"Elder Liang, please accept this gift."

Bang!

The second tube of Annihilation Needles exploded. The needles shot out like a rainstorm, piercing through Liang Ying's protective shield and covering her body with more tiny wounds.

Liang Ying could only hastily protect her chest and forehead with her arms. Her face still ended up with littered cuts, causing her to appear extremely terrifying as blood dripped from the tiny wounds. Her usually kind and gentle face was now unrecognizable.

"Pang Jian!" she yelled, glaring venomously at Pang Jian once she realized what was happening. "You dare attack me? Pang Jian, do you know what you're doing?"

"I know."

Pang Jian took out his Startling Slaughter Spear and stepped onto it, effortlessly manipulating it to close in on Liang Ying. As he did so, he maintained his connection with the black turtle and used his heightened perception to monitor her every move.

He saw the ripples in her spiritual sea, her attempts to destroy the Annihilation Needles with her stellar energy and spiritual power, and the severity of her wounds.

He also saw the intricate arrays within the Star Crushing Umbrella in her hand, alongside the strands of spiritual power and divine sense Liang Ying had infused into it.

A Spirit Condensation Realm cultivator can have their divine sense leave their sea of consciousness and enter their spiritual artifact, Pang Jian marveled as he halted in his tracks.

Standing on the Startling Slaughter Spear, Pang Jian lowered his head to stare at Liang Ying with eyes devoid of emotion. "This is the second time."

"The second time? Pang Jian, what are you talking about?!" Liang Ying screamed as she swallowed a pill. She tried to gather her strength to destroy the tiny Annihilation Needles within her body while waiting for the pill to take effect and help stabilize her injuries.

"This is the second time you've tried to kill me and seize the million spirit stones I possess," Pang Jian calmly looked into her eyes.

Panic flickered through Liang Ying's eyes, but she vehemently denied, "Pang Jian! What nonsense are you spouting? I approached you twice out of goodwill! I was worried you couldn't handle those foreign race warriors and wanted to bring you under my Star Crushing Umbrella. It's one thing if you don't appreciate it, but to accuse me?"

She kept up a righteous and aggrieved demeanor.

Pang Jian sneered inwardly and was about to speak when he noticed Fang Boxuan of the Blood Moon Sect appear at the foot of the Fourth Peak through his god-like perspective.

Fang Boxuan had seen the corpses of the Rank Six Ghost Race warrior and the Rank Five Ghost Ape. After meticulously searching the corpses, he then rushed over to Pang Jian and Liang Ying's location.

Pang Jian decided not to waste his breath and stated bluntly, "You know exactly what you were trying to do. I'm not here to argue with you. I'm only telling you this to explain why I'm going to kill you."

"Kill me? Haha, you want to kill me? Pang Jian, do you even know your own limits?" Liang Ying laughed mockingly.

A young man who just advanced to the Profound Abode Realm dares to claim he'll kill me?

Despite being wounded from the battle with the Ghost Race leader, the Nine Heavenly Profound Thunder, and the Annihilation Needles, Liang Ying still found Pang Jian's words ludicrous.

Whoosh!

The Startling Slaughter Spear shot forward.

Its sharp spearhead made Liang Ying frown.

She tried to lock onto Pang Jian's aura with her divine sense and Spirit Condensation Realm cultivation to track his movements, but to her horror, she could not.

This had never happened to her before in her hundred years of living.

She then noticed another terrifying oddity.

Pang Jian had not only merged with his surroundings but also locked onto her with uncanny precision as he approached on his spear.

Every movement she made, the ripples of her spiritual sea, the spiritual power flowing through her meridians and internal organs, and every Annihilation Needle penetrating her body was under his scrutiny!

It was like he had divine eyes that could see through all her secrets!

"Pang Jian!" Fear filled Liang Ying's heart. Her face paled as she cried, "You, you—"

She suspected that Pang Jian's cultivation realm was actually far above hers and was perhaps even in the Soul Wandering Realm or the Nirvana Realm!

That was the only way she could account for the overwhelming feeling she was experiencing.

"How vicious! You secretly deceived everyone by pretending to be a cultivator in the Profound Abode Realm. You could've effortlessly resolved the crisis of the invading forces from the Fifth World in the Primordial Wilderness, but instead, you-you!

"You're actually—"

Liang Ying summoned the Star Crushing Umbrella in a desperate, last-ditch attempt at survival.

Bang!

The arrays on the umbrella malfunctioned and the brilliant stars on its canopy shone briefly before going out again.

Liang Ying then tossed the Meteorite Pearl into the air in hopes that its defensive power could buy her some time.

Bang!

The Meteorite Pearl also spiraled out of control and all its intricate arrays ceased to function.

At the same time, a colossal force from deep within the ground disrupted Liang Ying's spiritual sea, preventing her from gathering her spiritual power to form a protective shield.

Whoosh!

Liang Ying watched helplessly as the silver spear beneath Pang Jian pierced through her dantian and spiritual sea in her lower abdomen. Leaping down, he grabbed the spear shaft with one hand and mercilessly dragged it upward.

The sharp spearhead sliced through her navel, cutting through her internal organs as it slowly closed in on her heart.

Liang Ying could do nothing to stop Pang Jian. In her eyes, Pang Jian was an evil cultivator whose cultivation realm far surpassed hers. She could not even muster the will to struggle.

"You're right about one thing," Pang Jian said, slowly carving through her flesh with the Startling Slaughter Spear. "I could've effortlessly resolved the invasion of the Primordial Wilderness. After all, I'm the one who invited them here."

Splurt!

Liang Ying's attempt at a response only resulted in her spitting blood.

The spearhead continued to travel upward until it reached her heart. Just before she died, she saw her Star Crushing Umbrella floating above Pang Jian's head.

Whoosh!

The advanced-grade spirit artifact radiated brilliant starlight, and a bright, pristine moon appeared on its canopy. The Star Crushing Umbrella displayed a myriad of new transformations in Pang Jian's hands.

Someone from the upper worlds is plotting to destroy the millennia-old foundation of the human race!

This was the last thought that flashed through Liang Ying's mind before she died.

Meanwhile, Fang Boxuan had come to a stop a hundred zhang away.

Pang Jian!

His expression morphed into one of shock as he took in the familiar valley where the massacre of his senior brothers and sisters had taken place!

Fang Boxuan had stealthily crept over, hoping to scavenge for leftovers, only to freeze when he saw Pang Jian pulling the sharp spear out of Liang Ying's chest.

Pang Jian stood there with the Star Crushing Umbrella in one hand and the silver spear in the other.

Thud!

Liang Ying fell backward to the ground. Even in death, her eyes were wide open and her face was lined with fear.

Her Star Crushing Umbrella was now in Pang Jian's hands. As it expanded, its canopy sparkled with a sea of stars and a bright, pristine moon.

Pang Jian's face could be seen under the light of the stars and moon as he used Liang Ying's clothes to wipe the blood off his spear.

Night had fallen, but the stars and moon had not yet appeared in the sky. Even so, Pang Jian shone brightly in the dark valley because of the light emanating from the umbrella.

Fang Boxuan shuddered at the sight.

Pang Jian killed Liang Ying, a Spirit Condensation Realm elder of the Star River Alliance. He's also taken control of the Star Crushing Umbrella!

Fang Boxuan's mind was in turmoil. His thoughts were in disarray. He felt like he had lost his grip on reality.

Continuing to observe Pang Jian, Fang Boxuan watched as he removed Liang Ying's spatial bracelet and dropped a Nine Heavenly Profound Thunder into the gaping hole in her chest.

The bright light of the Star Crushing Umbrella revealed traces of Annihilation Needles on Liang Ying's body alongside many tiny wounds.

Annihilation Needles! Fang Boxuan felt a pang in his heart.

He suspected Pang Jian had used similar methods as before, ambushing Liang Ying and killing her after she was severely injured.

Even so, Fang Boxuan's heart still trembled with fear.

After all, an entire cultivation realm separated Liang Ying and Pang Jian.

Liang Ying had been in the Spirit Condensation Realm for decades, while Pang Jian had only recently broken through to the Profound Abode Realm.

"This madman is truly capable of anything and possesses power far beyond his cultivation realm!"

Fang Boxuan's scalp tingled and the psychological trauma in his heart grew larger.