The Purgatory Calamity
Chapter 325 - 306 Betrayal_1

Chapter 325: Chapter 306 Betrayal_1

Pang Jian narrowed his eyes slightly.

Eighteen strands of golden Divine Sense fell into his pupils, turning his eyes a golden color.

He didn’t respond to Zhuang Yuyan’s words; instead, he observed seriously those who were paying homage to the Demon Sect and Sky Water Swamp.

"I can’t see."

He frowned to himself.

With golden pupils, he could see quite a few of the exposed oddities, but he couldn’t penetrate the Sea of Consciousness of those people.

Unable to peer into the Sea of Consciousness, it was also impossible to find the Divine Guards that Dong Tianze had mentioned.

"Immortal Realm, I can indeed look up to, but the peak... I don’t have the confidence."

Qi Qingsong stroked the Blue Dream Sword on his lap, as if touching the skin of his most beloved woman, and said with his head down, "In our Sword Tower, only the Tower Master has ascended to the peak of the Immortal Realm in these years, becoming the first person in this realm."

"My master, your master, neither possess such ability."

He paused for a moment and shook his head, "Without a great destiny, without a dazzling enough cultivation talent, it is very hard to reach the peak of the Immortal Realm. As for Divine Enthronement..."

Qi Qingsong could not help but give a bitter smile.

For second Realm forces like the Sword Tower, Demon Sect, Black Valley, and Sky Water Swamp, if any one of them had a successful God Sealer, the sect would be able to move to the First Realm!

Divine Enthronement held epoch-making significance, enough to change the layout of a sect!

If the Sword Tower and Demon Sect had maintained the presence of a True God, why would they have fallen to the Second Realm?

"I’m just saying, you don’t have what it takes, a fact I’d seen long ago."

Zhuang Yuyan, not knowing whether to motivate him or to deliberately provoke him, snorted and said, "Junior brother, as long as you maintain your current state, you will surely reach the peak of the Immortal Realm!"

"The future of the Sword Tower still relies on you, junior brother."

Having said that, Zhuang Yuyan smiled at Pang Jian and said, "For the sake of that person from Heaven Treasure Li Family, and even more for our Sword Tower, you must do your best!"

Pang Jian was surprised.

"Pang Jian, I was the one who brought him into the Sword Tower. If he can ascend to the peak of the Immortal Realm, I, too, will take pride in it."

Qi Qingsong wasn’t upset; he smiled lazily and said, "Sister, you don’t have to use reverse psychology to motivate me. I don’t have such grand ambitions, nor do I have big aspirations. I just want to live well and enjoy the vast and beautiful landscape."

"Ah, I knew it was no use."

Zhuang Yuyan frowned at his lack of ambition, glared at him, and said, "I don’t like this indifferent nature of yours! As a member of the Sword Tower, you don’t have any sharpness in you!"

"Fighting and killing is boring. Let others do it," Qi Qingsong said with a laugh, as indifferent as a pig to scalding water.

"Oh, finally someone comes to pay tribute to our sect!"

Seeing newcomers entering the center of the forest and heading straight towards them, Qi Qingsong’s spirits lifted.

But after one glance at the leading woman, he slumped back down despondently.

"We are from the Qiao family; my name is Qiao Zhen, greetings to you both."

A burly woman with a build resembling a man’s, robust and strong, arrived at Pang Jian’s side and greeted them courteously with clasped hands, "There are more behind us; please look after them."

Zhuang Yuyan smiled and nodded, pointing to a nearby tree and said, "You can rest over there."

"Go over there."

Qiao Zhen ordered, sending seven of the Qiao family’s men while she stayed behind, casually recounting their experiences.

Pang Jian soon learned that the Qiao family was a vassal of the Sword Tower, with their family also located on the Qitian Continent.

Members of the Qiao family with decent cultivation talents would mostly be sent to Sword Tower for arduous cultivation.

Those whom the Sword Tower deemed unworthy would practice their family’s Spirit Spells and secret skills, which was why Qiao Zhen and the others came to visit the Sword Tower first upon arrival.

As a noble force, the Qiao family had their own ships. While Qi Qingsong was waiting in Yuan Ji Fragment Land, the Qiao family took the lead and headed toward the Absolute Sky Forbidden Land.

They had not fallen into disorientation and managed to cross the Mysterious Fog quite smoothly to arrive at the Absolute Sky Forbidden Land.

"When we first came in, we were also shocked, as there were three other Fragment Lands."

Qiao Zhen ate meat voraciously to replenish her Qi and Blood; her actions, bold and man-like, she said, "At first, there were no Alien Tribes appearing, just our own people from Purgatory World scattered around exploring the Absolute Sky Forbidden Land."

"We had planned to figure out the situation in the Absolute Sky Forbidden Land before investigating other Fragment Lands."

"But before long, a dark warship driven by the Extraterrestrial Ghost Race flew in from that land engulfed in flames."

"Then, countless odd-shaped Alien Tribes descended and started killing our people everywhere."

"..."

Qiao Zhen said mournfully, "Our ships were destroyed. Of the more than a hundred people who came in, only eight are left with me, a full nine-tenths dead!"

Elsewhere.

Those close to Sky Water Swamp and Demon Sect, including a group of Individual Cultivators, were also recounting similar experiences.

Pang Jian listened silently.

Suddenly, from the "Spring Eye" beneath his Sea of Consciousness, strands of golden Divine Sense began to surge forth.

The sixteen drops of golden honey excreted by the Bee Insects, after a period of sedimentation and concentration, turned into sixteen new strands of golden Divine Sense.

The total number of golden Divine Sense in his Sea of Consciousness reached thirty-two, and his total Divine Sense increased from one hundred fifty to one hundred sixty-six.

"Boom!"

His Sea of Consciousness shook slightly as strands of Divine Sense extended to the periphery like electricity.

Every ten is a step, breaking through one ten meant an increase in the limit of the Sea of Consciousness.

The newly added sixteen strands of golden Divine Sense allowed him to break through a fifty-one and add a sixty-one.

His Sea of Consciousness expanded rapidly.

At the same time, his perception had greatly improved, and he keenly noticed that Zhuang Yuyan beside him had a complete Soul Magnetic Field in her brain domain.

And Qiao Zhen speaking also had a complete Soul Magnetic Field.

The Soul Breaths of others like Qi Qingsong, Fang Boxuan, and Zhao Yuanqi of the Hollow Profound Realm were disordered and scattered.

"Upon breaking through to the Spirit Condensation Realm and successfully forming the Spiritual Soul, all Divine Sense will converge into one, creating an overall unified Soul Magnetic Field."

Pang Jian realized something.

He looked at Qiao Zhen and suddenly asked, "Are you also in the Spirit Condensation Realm?"

"Spirit Condensation!"

Qi Qingsong and the others were greatly shocked.

Only Zhuang Yuyan remained calm and collected as she smiled and said, "Little junior brother, you’re not in the Spirit Condensation Realm, so how did you sense it?"

"I just suddenly felt it," Pang Jian replied.

"Hmm, I was at Great Perfection in the Hollow Profound Realm before coming here, just one step away from Spirit Condensation," Qiao Zhen also found it strange, and she looked at Pang Jian with surprise, saying, "When the Ghost Clan came, I just happened to succeed in my Spirit Condensation. Because of this, I was able to ensure the survival of seven members of our Qiao family."

Finally, she asked curiously, "You have the Sword Command, so why don’t you wear the clothes of the Sword Tower?"

"Oh, something went wrong, and I just put on whatever clothes I had."

Pang Jian offhandedly answered.

Taking advantage of the expansion of his Sea of Consciousness’ limits, he sensed the other newcomers and quickly noticed a silent Individual Cultivator leaning against a tree, dozing off.

That person looked out of place compared to those who went to meet Chen Lushi at the Demon Sect or those who went to meet Jiang Chao at Sky Water Swamp.

He didn’t interact with others, wearing ragged clothes and without even a storage ring.

Around his waist, he only had a storage pouch; his appearance was the sort that would be lost in a crowd.

"Your observation is pretty accurate; he is also in the Spirit Condensation Realm," Zhuang Yuyan said with a light chuckle.

Before Pang Jian could express his astonishment, she continued, "With over a thousand people entering the Absolute Sky Forbidden Land, and all of them in the Hollow Profound Realm, it’s no wonder that a few have achieved breakthroughs in the Forbidden Land."

"Hmm," Pang Jian nodded.

"Whoo!"

The enormous bird suspended high above slowly descended, halting right above the forest.

This Sky Peng Battleship, forged from the Divine Bones of a ninth-tier Golden-Winged Roc, was incredibly imposing and instantly drew the attention of everyone.

"Pang Jian, come up here to extract the Divine Consciousness of the Skull Breaker,"

Fu Wangchen stood at the forehead of the bird, looking down upon the people below like a God Spirit watching over his subjects.

"He is our hope for survival!" Chen Lushi’s beautiful eyes shone as she spoke.

Some felt immense pressure and whispered amongst the trees, "What’s so great about him? It’s just because he was born into a good family."

"Qi Qingsong, sister Zhuang, don’t let strangers get close. Dong Tianze, Zhou Qingchen, you came with us on the Sword Boat, I don’t want anything to happen to you," Pang Jian said, looking at Zhuang Yuyan.

"What can happen?" Zhuang Yuyan smiled and waved her hand dismissively, "Go ahead, Fu Wangchen is not a petty person, he will keep his promise to you."

"Be careful," Pang Jian cautioned Dong Tianze in the end, not even invoking the profound mysteries of the Mysterious Turtle Shell, and soared into the sky.

"Boom!"

As soon as he settled on the body of the enormous bird, golden divine light burst forth from the bird’s translucent bones, binding him like golden ropes.

"Pang Jian!"

Zhuang Yuyan, Qi Qingsong, Dong Tianze, and Zhou Qingchen screamed in fury.

They charged straight towards the Sky Peng Battleship!

A vast wave of golden light rippled from the two feather bones of the bird, forming a golden chasm that cut off the people below.

"Bang! Bang bang!"

Zhuang Yuyan and the others were like striking a thick golden wall, their heads bursting with golden light, and they fell from the sky back into the forest.

The Black Iron Mountain driven by Dong Tianze was also penetrated by strands of golden light; the Evil Spirit and Ferocious Beast’s souls he had painstakingly condensed were extinguished in a blink of an eye, causing him grave losses instantly.

"Fu Wangchen!"

Zhuang Yuyan summoned two Spirit Swords, her face as cold as frost, and accused, "How dare you cross the river and demolish the bridge?"

"We all come from the same Purgatory World, and when we need to pull together most, you attack my little junior brother. What is it that you’re thinking?"

Behind Zhuang Yuyan, a fiercely burning small world of fire manifested, with the Vermilion Bird and Kylin reappearing.

All those in the forest were also shocked by this scene, not understanding what was happening.

"He has been tainted by an Alien God from the Outer Realm," Fu Wangchen spoke with an unchanging expression, pointing towards Pang Jian who had been bound by the confining force of the Sky Peng Battleship, and explained, "It was only just now that I realized he is the master behind those golden bee insects. The golden bee insects, occasionally one or two appearing from within the depths of the Mysterious Fog, share a spiritual connection with him."

"And these golden bee insects, known as Ming Prison Soul Bees, are one of the most terrifying creatures from the Outer Realm."

"Such a creature does not belong to our Purgatory World and only obeys the strongest Alien God leader of the Netherworld Prison,"

"If he’s able to summon the Outer Realm’s Ming Prison Soul Bees, it proves that he has either become a follower of the Netherworld Prison’s Alien God leader or that his soul has been corrupted and poisoned by that Alien God leader."

"No matter which it is, he cannot be one of us and must be detained first," Fu Wangchen stated righteously.

...