Trials of the Abyss

The raging rivers that Yuan Min had conjured stretched hundreds of li through the Rock Bear's territory in the Greencliff Mountain Range on the Sacred Soul Continent.

A scar-riddled Rock Bear crouched on the ground by the rivers, clutching an enormous, radiant white heart with both hands before swallowing it whole.

When the heart entered his stomach, the Black Turtle Shield Armor covering his chest burst into a dazzling radiance.

The radiance ran through his meridians, aiding him in extracting the energy essential for enhancing his bloodline from Yuan Min's heart.

At the same time, the crystal bloodline chain that had failed to manifest during the Return to Antiquity ritual started to form, thanks to the Rank Nine Fey King's heart and the Black Turtle Shield Armor.

The latent innate abilities of the Rock Bear's lineage surfaced in abundance, imprinting themselves one after another onto his heart.

The wounds and fractured bones on his mangled body rapidly healed under the nourishing surge of blood essence.

A glimmer of hope shone in the Rock Bear's eyes.

"Fey God!"

The Rock Bear exhaled deeply, focusing all his strength on refining Yuan Min's heart and occasionally ripping out chunks of flesh to consume.

Yuan Min's body was his sustenance for his ascension to the rank of a Fey God.

The birth of a new Fey God was a bloody process marked by the death of many top-tier Fey Kings.

Those defeated in battle were often completely devoured, and Yuan Min, once the ruler of a vast sea region, was no exception.

His heart, flesh, and blood essence would become essential components in the Rock Bear's ascension.

"The Black Turtle Shield Armor and Pang Jian of the Sword Pavilion," the Rock Bear muttered in recollection.

When Yuan Min severely injured him and forced him into the depths of the earth, Pang Jian had been there to aid him with the Black Turtle Shield Armor.

The divine artifact, the Black Turtle Shield Armor, had turned the tide, allowing him to kill Yuan Min.

Gratitude toward Pang Jian filled his heart. If the Rock Bear successfully ascended to the rank of a Fey God, he vowed never to forget this life-saving debt.

Crackle!

Lightning streaked across the sky above the Greencliff Mountain Range.

A Rank Nine Ice Crystal Beast descended through the lightning like a massive glacier and landed heavily near the Rock Bear.

The Rock Bear immediately covered the Black Turtle Shield Armor with his massive paw and growled, "There's no Ice Crystal Beast as powerful as you in the Sacred Soul Continent."

The Rank Nine Ice Crystal Beast had emerged through the lightning, meaning it had the approval of the ancient Thunder Dragon.

If the Rock Bear failed to ascend using Yuan Min's heart, the Ice Crystal Beast would be his next opponent.

The Rank Nine Ice Crystal Beast crouched not far from the Rock Bear and said respectfully, "Elder Bear, I come from Northern Qi. I'm here because Yuan Qi has negotiated with the Dragon Lair Sect on our behalf.

"We're all part of the Fey Race. We may have remained hidden within the bizarre mist, but that doesn't mean we don't have the right to compete for the position of Fey God when it becomes available."

The Rock Bear was startled. "Northern Qi?"

"That's right." The Ice Crystal Beast restrained its aura and said calmly, "Elder Bear, I'll patiently wait for you to absorb Yuan Min's heart.

"Rest assured, I'll adhere to the ancient traditions of our Fey Race and face you only when you've recovered your strength."

The Rock Bear looked puzzled. "Yuan Qi came to help awaken my bloodline using the Return to Antiquity ritual under your orders.

"Although not successful, it shows you support me.

"So why aren't you challenging the Frostfeather Drake or the Four-Eyed Spirit Fox instead?"

The Rock Bear had received news that the Frostfeather Drake and the Four-Eyed Spirit Fox had respectively killed the Two-Faced Ghost Spider and the Blood Jade Scorpion.

The three victors were all in the process of consuming the hearts and bodies of their fallen opponents as they made their first attempt at ascending into Fey Gods.

If any of them succeeded, the battles would end.

If all failed, they would have to fight each other.

The Ice Crystal Beast's appearance was clearly an exception to the rules.

Yuan Qi came from Northern Qi to help the Rock Bear awaken his bloodline. It simply did not make sense for him and the Ice Crystal Beast to be adversaries.

Or, at the very least, not in the second round.

"I have no choice. The one who allowed me to enter demanded that I compete with you in the second round." The Ice Crystal Beast lowered its head and sighed. "He knows we're both on the same side and wants us to kill each other.

"I truly hope you succeed on your first attempt, Elder Bear. It's in everyone's best interest that the strongest Rank Nine Fey Kings of this era survive.

"The Frostfeather Drake and the Four-Eyed Spirit Fox are not staunch supporters of the Dragon Lair Sect either—I hope they can survive as well."

The Rock Bear nodded. "I understand."

"Please, Elder Bear, do your best to ascend to the rank of Fey God," the Ice Crystal Beast said solemnly.

***

In a boundless desert on the Sacred Spirit Continent, a white fox with four eyes consumed the heart of the Blood Jade Scorpion and started its attempt to ascend to the rank of Fey God.

Chunks of flesh, brimming with vitality, occasionally flew from the Blood Jade Scorpion's body and landed directly in the Four-Eyed Spirit Fox's mouth.

Ding!

A bell on the Four-Eyed Spirit Fox's wrist rang.

"The Dragon Lair Sect has proposed to the True Gods that Fan Ao die to make way for the Five-Clawed Gold Dragon," Li Yuqing said through the bell. "This struggle for the position of Fey God won't end anytime soon.

"Long Zhan is currently trapped in the bizarre mist with Fan Ao pursuing him. If he manages to escape alive, your ultimate opponent will be Long Zhan."

The Four-Eyed Spirit Fox had barely had time to revel in its victory before receiving this grim news.

"The Five-Clawed Gold Dragon, Long Zhan…" it muttered, well aware of Long Zhan's terrifying combat prowess.

Long Zhan was one of the strongest dragons in the Dragon Lair Sect, second only to the ancient Thunder Dragon, and had reigned as the most formidable Fey King on the Sacred Soul Continent for nearly a thousand years.

The Four-Eyed Spirit Fox had never even considered the possibility that Long Zhan would participate in the struggle for the position of the Fey God.

After all, the path to godhood through the Dao of Metal was firmly occupied for as long as Fan Ao was alive.

If the Dragon Lair Sect truly succeeded in orchestrating Fan Ao's death to clear the way for Long Zhan before any of them ascended to the rank of Fey God, Long Zhan would undoubtedly emerge as the final victor.

An overwhelming sense of urgency filled the Four-Eyed Spirit Fox.

"I can only hope he doesn't emerge from the bizarre mist. If he does, I hope it's after we've already ascended to Fey God!

"I have to advance to Rank Ten before he comes out!"

***

Long Zhan's repeated usage of the Dragon Race's blood escape technique and the encounter with Fan Ao had left him grievously injured and exhausted in the bizarre mist.

As he wandered, he occasionally caught glimpses of a golden bee out of the corner of his eye, but whenever he tried to focus on it, it would vanish without a trace.

"That Sword Pavilion brat is watching me from the shadows." Long Zhan's eyes gleamed savagely. "He's only in the Soul Wandering Realm. Even in this condition, killing someone at his level will be effortless."

He paid no attention to the golden bees as he did not regard Pang Jian as a threat.

What truly concerned him was the possibility of Fan Ao stumbling across him again by sheer luck.

Thus, he chose a direction at random and pressed forward with all his might, caring little about where it would lead.

He reasoned that moving in a straight line was the fastest way to distance himself from Fan Ao and minimize the chances of being found.

***

The Bee Sovereign hovered above Absolute Heaven, observing the Five-Clawed Gold Dragon through a golden bee tailing him.

Long Zhan was unknowingly drawing closer to Absolute Heaven.

The Bee Sovereign glanced down at the sprawling beehive below.

Should I notify him? Will it disrupt his breakthrough if I inform him now?

After a moment of hesitation, the Bee Sovereign flapped his wings and flew upward.

He found the White Lynx, then summoned the Rank Nine Ice Armor Eel Dragon from its palace at the bottom of the lake.

The Ice Armor Eel Dragon appeared at the edge of the lake in the form of a rugged young man. He was clad in gleaming silver armor with a jade-green sash around his waist and a crystalline dragon horn on his forehead.

"Where did this lynx come from? Hmm, and Rank Nine too!" The Ice Armor Eel Dragon stroked the silver whiskers at the corner of his mouth as he studied the White Lynx. "Did you come from the outside?"

"From the Sacred Soul Continent," The White Lynx responded warily, holding a blood-red beast's eye in her paw.

"The Sacred Soul Continent? That's the sacred land that Vicious and Spirit Beast dreams of," the Ice Armor Eel Dragon said longingly. "The legends of that continent are etched into my bloodline memories. I've always wished to go there one day and witness its splendor."

Born in the Fifth World and later confined to Absolute Heaven, he had never actually had the chance to see the world beyond.

"A struggle for the position of Fey God is taking place there right now," the White Lynx said "You're a Rank Nine Fey King and you seem incredibly powerful. You could have a chance to compete for the position."

"The struggle for the position of Fey God? Me? Eligible to compete?!"

"Perhaps..."

"What does it take to qualify?"

"Only the strongest Fey Kings of this era are eligible to vie for the position."

"Ah, then that disqualifies me." The Ice Armor Eel Dragon sighed. "I just barely reached Rank Nine using the blood essence of a Golden-Winged Giant Roc.

"By the way, why are we referred to as the Fey Race?"

The Ice Armor Eel Dragon had grown up within Absolute Heaven, leading him to be largely uninformed about the developments in the Abyss. His curiosity led to a barrage of questions.

The White Lynx patiently answered each one.

Her eyes glinted with a peculiar light as she sensed the extraordinary nature of the Ice Armor Eel Dragon.

Although he far surpassed any Rank Nine Fey King she had encountered, he seemed completely unaware of his own strength and showed a striking lack of confidence.

"Is your bloodline complete? Do you feel it's missing anything?" the White Lynx asked suddenly.

"It's always been complete," the Ice Armor Eel Dragon replied.

"How long did it take for you to become a Rank Nine Fey King since you first gained your memories?"

"I can't remember exactly. Maybe a few decades. Perhaps a century. Time is hard to measure here, so I'm not sure how much time has passed," the Ice Armor Eel Dragon replied honestly.

The White Lynx stared at Ice Armor Eel Dragon, speechless with disbelief.

She was considered relatively young among the Fey Kings, but even she had taken nearly a thousand years to reach Rank Nine.

The idea that this Ice Armor Eel Dragon had achieved it in merely one-tenth of the time it had taken her while confined within Absolute Heaven was almost inconceivable.