Trials of the Abyss

A redemption point lay within a mountain range in the Star River Alliance's territory on the Dark Abyss Continent.

Many cultivators from the Ghost Sacrifice Sect and the Nine Tribes Sect sat below crystalline prisms, observing the movements within their reflective surfaces.

Several cabinets on a square displayed artifacts, pills, techniques, and the blood and meat of high-ranked Vicious Beasts.

Each item was marked with a corresponding number of contribution points.

The Nine Tribes Sect and Ghost Sacrifice Sect managed this redemption point, which had attracted numerous cultivators with its displays.

Rogue cultivators like Lei Kun and Lian Feng used their accumulated contribution points to exchange for artifacts.

Lei Kun was in high spirits because he had learned from some Sword Pavilion disciples that Liu Junhong had accepted his son as a personal disciple.

"Old Lei, you're fortunate to have connections with Pang Jian," Lian Feng said enviously.

Lei Kun laughed heartily as he put away an advanced-grade lightning attribute artifact. "Go invite Gao Yuan and Han Ting, and let's find an inn to celebrate properly! It'll be my treat!"

"In that case, I'll make sure to make the most of it," Lian Feng said with a smile.

Most cultivators had avoided the fragmented lands lately, instead opting to stay on the Dark Abyss Continent.

Flying vessels from the First and Second Worlds arrived in constant waves, with cultivators in the Nirvana and Immortal Realms on board.

A full-scale war was imminent and the main battlefields were the Cosmic Skies and Dark Abyss Continents.

The pressure of the impending battle caused many to seek relief in inns.

"Hey! Zhou Qingchen!"

A startled shout caught the attention of Lei Kun, Lian Feng, and the others.

The removal of Ling Yimo's name and the death of Lu Yanshu meant Wu Yuan was now ranked first on the Spirit Condensation Realm leaderboard.

Zhou Qingchen of the Red Mountain Sect followed closely behind, with over seven thousand contribution points.

Everyone assumed he was here to exchange his contributions points for treasures from the Ghost Sacrifice Sect and the Nine Tribes Sect.

Zhou Qingchen stood below the platform and looked up at Qu Yao, the overseer of the redemption point.

"The Nine Tribes Sect and the Ghost Sacrifice Sect should apologize to all the other factions," he said solemnly. "Under Zhou Yi's orders, Hong Qiming had the Demon Sect disciples lead my rogue cultivator friends into an area overrun with Vicious Beast.

"This ultimately resulted in their deaths!

"Zhou Yi may be dead, but didn't the Nine Tribes Sect nurture him? Shouldn't the Nine Tribes Sect publicly apologize?

"And you, the Ghost Sacrifice Sect!"

Zhou Qingchen turned to the other platform.

"Ling Yimo's soul belongs to an Outer God. Did Gui Mu truly know nothing?

"She and Zhou Yi joined forces on the Fey Spirit Continent to kill countless of our people!

"They killed Su Li of the Sword Pavilion, Cai Shaoheng of the Black Valley Sect, Lu Yanshu of the Pure Land Sect, and Cao Jingbai of the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom!

"Your two sects fostered them. Can you truly say you bear no responsibility at all?"

Zhou Qingchen righteously confronted the representatives of the two sects at the redemption point, having learned about Han Duping's death through the Primeval Pillar Divine Kingdom when he returned to the Dark Abyss Continent.

Their investigation confirmed that Hong Qiming had ordered the disciples of the Demon Sect to relay false information to Han Duping and his group.

Zhou Qingchen shared a close bond with Han Duping and his death deeply saddened him.

The longer he thought about it, the angrier he became.

Unable to contain his rage, he finally came to the redemption point to speak his mind.

The faces of Qu Yao of the Nine Tribes Sect and Shang Jierou of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect darkened.

Though their two sects had faced much criticism because of Zhou Yi and Ling Yimo, such condemnations had always been whispered behind closed doors.

No one had ever dared to confront them openly nor demand they apologize publicly until Zhou Qingchen.

The Nine Tribes Sect and Ghost Sacrifice Sect were among the most powerful factions in the Abyss, with each having a True God.

Li Wang of the Nine Tribes Sect had led the recent True God council in the First World and held great seniority and status among the True Gods.

Zhou Qingchen not only antagonized the Nine Tribes Sect but even had the audacity to bring up Gui Mu!

"Zhou Yi is dead, and the Nine Tribes Sect was entirely unaware of his actions," Qu Yao said in a warning tone. "Kid, you're welcome to exchange your contribution points for artifacts and treasures, but if you continue with this nonsense…"

"The Ghost Sacrifice Sect doesn't owe anyone an explanation!" Shang Jierou declared coldly.

The two Immortal Realm cultivators held high positions in their respective sects. Zhou Qingchen was merely at the Spirit Condensation Realm and a disciple of the Red Mountain Sect in the Third World.

In their eyes, he had no right to lecture them—let alone in public.

Had they not been in the wrong, they would have already taught the brazen Zhou Qingchen a lesson!

Zhou Qingchen tossed away his Mystic Eye.

"I'm leaving this Mystic Eye here today, along with my seven thousand contribution points.

"From now on, I'll be hunting foreign races and Vicious Beasts without taking orders from above.

"My brother is dead—betrayed and killed by our own. I won't fight for a few measly contribution points while this grief and anger fester in my heart."

With that, he turned and left.

The cultivators from different factions, disciples from noble families, and rogue cultivators at the redemption point all watched him leave with newfound respect in their eyes.

They knew Zhou Qingchen, with his abilities and the backing of the Third World's Red Mountain Sect, had no real way to stand against Qu Yao or Shang Jierou.

It took immense courage to say what he had said and throw away the Mystic Eye when it was all he could do.

After all, nobody else would dare to confront the Nine Tribes Sect and the Ghost Sacrifice Sect.

***

Dong Tianze sat beside a Ghost Altar in a dim cave residence in the Sinister Soul Temple, staring curiously at Zhou Qingchen.

Zhou Qingchen had come uninvited and was now heavily drunk.

"All this for Han Duping?" Dong Tianze asked.

The image of that plump man flashed through Dong Tianze's mind.

He had once charged down a small hill with Zhou Qingchen on Central Lake Island to fight Dong Tianze.

Back then, Zhou Qingchen was far from his match.

Despite knowing he could die, Han Duping still charged down, cursing all the way, to protect Zhou Qingchen.

"He was my brother, just like Pang Jian!" Zhou Qingchen said, dropping his wine jug, eyes bleary with intoxication. "If it were Pang Jian, what would you have done?"

Dong Tianze narrowed his eyes, his gaze icy cold. "I'd work hard to advance my cultivation realm, accumulate power, and do everything I could to wipe out the Ghost Sacrifice Sect and the Nine Tribes Sect.

"It wouldn't matter if I couldn't take down those in the True God Realm, the Immortal Realm, or the Nirvana Realm. I would at least start by killing those with lower cultivation realms.

"If the other factions do nothing, or even cooperate with these two sects, I'd join forces with the foreign races.

"I would borrow the strength of the foreign races to utterly destroy the Nine Tribes Sect and the Ghost Sacrifice Sect," Dong Tianze unhesitatingly declared.

His words sobered Zhou Qingchen up slightly.

Zhou Qingchen shook his head at the ruthless yet genuine madman and smiled bitterly. "I'm not as extreme as you, and I could never do that.

"All I can do is use whatever I can to pressure those two sects into admitting their mistakes and publicly apologizing for Old Han's death."

Zhou Qingchen then took a fresh wine jug and continued drinking.

He could not return to the Red Mountain Sect on the Cosmic Skies Continent as foreign races had occupied the fragmented lands between the two continents. There were also no teleportation arrays connecting them.

In his grieving state, the first person that came to mind was Dong Tianze, as they had fought side by side many times and shared a mutual friend.

Whoosh!

Not long after, Pang Jian's figure appeared on the Ghost Altar inside Dong Tianze's cave residence.

A dense forest and a small wooden hut could be seen behind him.

Dong Tianze immediately knew that Pang Jian had returned to the hidden fragmented land he had found below the sea of massive boulders, though he did not know where it had drifted to since.

"What's wrong with Big Brother Zhou?" Pang Jian asked in surprise.

Zhou Qingchen stared at Pang Jian's projection on the Ghost Altar with red eyes. "Pang Jian, you—how did you…?"

Dong Tianze explained their history of communicating through the Shadow Specter Sect's Ghost Altar.

"Old Han is dead because of Zhou Yi and Hong Qiming," Zhou Qingchen confided to Pang Jian.

"He did a lot for that chubby friend of his," Dong Tianze added. "He went to the Ghost Sacrifice Sect and Nine Tribes Sect's redemption point demanding they publicly apologize, and when that failed, he discarded his Mystic Eye and his contribution points."

Pang Jian fell into silence.

After a moment, he vanished from the Ghost Altar.

***

Half a day later, Pang Jian left the Resolute Expanse and boarded a Mountain Stream Spirit Boat to descend to the Dark Abyss Continent.

Pang Jian headed the same redemption point that the Ghost Sacrifice Sect and Nine Tribes Sect oversaw.

He stood beneath Qu Yao's stone platform, clad in blue robes and with his sword token hanging at his waist.

"It's Pang Jian of the Sword Pavilion!"

A wave of cheers erupted throughout the redemption point!

"Pang Jian, are you here to exchange contribution points for spirit artifacts and pills?" Qu Yao greeted warmly, descending from the stone platform with a smile.

The contrast between his treatment of Zhou Qingchen and Pang Jian was like night and day.

"We don't have high-grade spirit swords, but we have seven saint-grade spirit artifacts and two divine-grade pills, plus..." he began, eager to introduce the Nine Tribes Sect's treasures to Pang Jian.

Whoosh!

Shang Jierou approached with a smile. "Our Ghost Ritual Sect holds the largest collection of soul-related artifacts in the Abyss!

"Pang Jian, your thirty-five thousand contribution points are more than enough to obtain our highest saint-grade artifact!"

Pang Jian's status and ranking on the Merit Leaderboard far surpassed that of Zhou Qingchen. Thus, even the proud Qu Yao and Shang Jierou showed him respect.

"I'm leaving the Mystic Eye behind as well."

Pang Jian dropped the crystal prism on the ground.

Without sparing a glance at Qu Yao's or Shang Jierou's darkening expressions, he turned to address the gathered cultivators, "The schemes and betrayal of Zhou Yi of the Nine Tribes Sect and Ling Yimo of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect have led to the deaths of countless prodigies from many factions.

"The Nine Tribes Sect and the Ghost Sacrifice Sect should publicly apologize!"

With that, he strode away in anger.

***

A few hours later, Liu Youyu of the Primeval Pillar Divine Kingdom, Hu Yuanfei of the Sword Pavilion, Dong Wenjian of the Ancient Law Sect, and Fan Chen of the Supreme Monad Divine Kingdom also arrived at the same redemption point.

One after another, they silently threw away their Mystic Eyes like garbage.

The contribution points they had risked their lives to earn, which could be exchanged for precious spirit artifacts and pills, were left entirely unredeemed.