The Purgatory Calamity
Chapter 342 - 322: Encounter in the Void_1

Chapter 342: Chapter 322: Encounter in the Void_1

Absolute Sky Forbidden Land.

The golden bee insect, which had been depressed for quite some time, suddenly spoke again, "Prepare yourselves, and we can set off for the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God. We’ll also join the scramble for fragments of the Thunder Divine Court."

Qi QingSong sprang up and cried out, "Pang Jian, what have you discovered?"

"Pang Jian, why has it taken you so long to make a move?" Zhou Qingchen asked.

"Has it been a long time?" the bee insect wondered.

"Hmm, we’ve not kept track of time, but it feels like it’s been a month," said Zhuang Yuyan, managing a smile and pointing to the lakes below, "None of those who entered the lake, the Sea Clan or the cultivators from various forces, have come out."

She briefed Pang Jian on the situation and pointed towards Wu Yuan, "This is another guy who’s willing to believe you and came over to join us early."

The new generation of talent from the Demon Sect curiously looked at the talking golden bee insect, showing a hint of wariness.

He knew the golden bee was named Ming Prison Soul Bee, which feeds on the Divine Consciousness of Alien Gods from the Outer Realm, a major threat in all the heavens.

The golden bee insect fell silent for a moment, making no comment on Wu Yuan’s arrival, and then said, "Never mind the Absolute Sky Forbidden Land for now, set off immediately, and I will catch up as you are about to arrive."

Zhao Yuanqi threw out a big red gourd of wine and leaped forward to take the lead, saying, "Let’s go."

...

Outside The Frozen Land.

"The Absolute Sky Forbidden Land, the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God, and the shattered land where a Fire God perished..."

Second Elder Ice Plain, Fifth Elder Ice Surplus, and more than a dozen Level Six Ice Tribe warriors, armed with ancestral relics and riding on spiritual birds, floated high in the sky.

They were excited, their eyes searching all around, curious about everything.

This was their first time stepping out of The Frozen Land since they were born.

"He has shown us a path to venture into the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God,"

murmured Ice Surplus.

After advancing to Level Seven and extending her lifespan, all wrinkles vanished from her face, making her look like a stern woman in her fifties.

"Ice Plain, should we follow his advice?"

As she spoke, a light of excitement emerged in her eyes.

Without waiting for Second Elder to respond, she continued, "According to the outsiders, none of the invaders at the Forbidden Land of Thunder God have bloodlines beyond Level Six, and none can ascend to Level Seven. If the two of us go, we only need to be cautious of puppets that might be possessed by an Alien God. We need not worry about the rest."

"Hmm, I understand."

Ice Plain was also eager to try; he fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Ice Surplus, both of us know that the anomalies in The Frozen Land started because of him."

Clutching the Frost Wand, which originally belonged to the Great Elder, his slightly squinted eyes shining with a penetrating light, he said with sorrow, "Our worshipped God Spirit has perished, and the Goddess of Cold Crystal, who occupies our homeland, is still compelling those tribes that worship Her to search for this Fragment Land."

"And for the Tear of Winter!"

Ice Plain took a deep breath and said gravely, "The disappearance of the Heaven Forbidden barrier might lead Her to sense us, and it’s possible that those loyal to Her from the Alien Tribes will come searching soon."

"We must become stronger as quickly as possible!"

"Moreover, our ascension to Level Seven is currently a significant advantage for us! If we delay, those who have entered the Forbidden Land of Thunder God, Flame Forbidden Area, and Absolute Sky Forbidden Land might also break their shackles due to fortuitous encounters."

"Let’s follow his instructions! First, we’ll storm the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God to seek the power that will make us stronger!"

Next to the two Elders, a dozen Level Six Ice Tribe warriors were also bristling with eagerness.

"Alright, I’ll call out the others as well!"

Fifth Elder Ice Surplus nodded emphatically.

An hour later, several hundred Level Six and Level Five Ice Tribe warriors, together with five Ice Tribe Elders, riding on birds born in The Frozen Land, set out in large numbers towards the Forbidden Land of the Thunder God.

...

Altar of Praying to God.

"Halt the breeding of new bee insects; the beast flesh in my hands will soon be entirely depleted."

Pang Jian sat quietly at the altar, briefly communicating with the Bee King before taking out Spirit Jade to absorb its power.

Glancing at the sky where the fog had thinned, Pang Jian felt the bee insects he had released outside, furrowed his brow, and suddenly said, "Elder Ice River, in the future don’t use the Altar of Praying to God for your traditional rituals to communicate with the God Spirit."

"Otherwise, you might connect with the Goddess of Cold Crystal."

Sixth Elder Ice River, a stocky elderly member of the Ice Tribe, left behind to serve at the altar and attend to Pang Jian, paled with fear at the words.

"The Goddess of Cold Crystal might become aware of our existence through this?" stuttered Ice River.

"Hmm."

Pang Jian nodded slightly, "Now that the Heaven Forbidden barrier has vanished, using the Altar of Praying to God to communicate with the Ice Demon might very well connect you to Her."

He now strongly suspected that the cold gaze he had felt at the shattered altar in the Prayer Spirit Forbidden Land back in Purgatory belonged to the new deity of the Profound Ice Realm—the Goddess of Cold Crystal!

As for whom the Cyclops chieftain had connected with through sacrifice at Ice-rock City many years before, whether it was an Ice Demon or the Goddess of Cold Crystal, he wasn’t quite sure.

"Understood! From now on, we will no longer hold any ceremonies to pray to the God Spirit!"

Sixth Elder Ice River took this to heart, feeling somewhat safer only after leaving the altar that once housed the "Heart of Winter."

"My lord, you need only command us, and we will do everything within our power for you,"

said Ice River from below.

Pang Jian nodded slightly, continuing to restore his power using the resources on hand.

In his Dantian Spiritual Sea, despite strenuous efforts, he had only managed to regather about sixty percent of his Spiritual Power; his Spiritual Sea was far from full.

The tiny stars and the grains of rice-sized sun and moon were all dim and lightless.

However, the Flame Pool and Thunder Vortex had received a slight replenishment due to the hidden fire and thunder and lightning in some of the beast flesh.

The eight Leaves of Life were withered and dull, with the Life Vitality within completely depleted.

Only the Sea of Consciousness remained, where three thousand golden Divine Senses hung like a golden waterfall in the sky, exuding infinite majesty and mystique.

"If my vitality were abundant enough and the powers of the Spiritual Sea were full, I should have condensed the Spiritual Soul with three thousand Divine Senses, but unfortunately..."

He sighed inwardly.

With that thought, strands of golden Divine Sense suddenly burst into the Ice Pool, nearly ten times larger than the Flame Pool, reaching the spherical crystal core at the very center of the "Heart of Winter."

"This is the true Star Core of the Star of Winter, there must be wonders inside."

"Hiss!"

Strands of golden Divine Sense, like lightning, rushed toward the walnut-sized crystal core, attempting to peel away the deep-seated secrets.

But the tiny crystal core was as tough as Divine Iron and Fine Gold, and even his golden Divine Sense could not penetrate it, preventing him from glimpsing the secrets within.

"Master, it’s difficult because your Spiritual Soul is not yet condensed."

"Once you forge your Spiritual Soul and try to pry into this crystal core again, you should be able to delve deeper into it."

"I guess, it contains the complete method to divine ascension for the Ice Demon. But, such a path to divinity will not suit you, Master, it will only suit those of the Ice Tribe like Him."

The Bee King transmitted the message.

"The path to divinity?" Pang Jian was taken aback with surprise.

"Yes, the path to divinity for other races, and the Divine Enthronement for the Purgatory Human Tribe, must have different systems," pondered the Bee King, continuing: "The source of power for other races lies in their hearts, in their blood and the Sea of Souls. For your Purgatory Human Race, it is in the dantian Spiritual Sea and Sea of Consciousness."

"The Sea of Souls and Sea of Consciousness may sound different, but in essence, they’re much the same."

"The real difference actually lies in the heart and the dantian Spiritual Sea. The growth and strength of Alien Tribes come through the continuous transformation of the body and the secrets etched in their bloodlines."

"You are of the Human Race, not of the Ice Tribe from the Profound Ice Realm, and you cannot imitate His path to divinity."

"At most, you can only comprehend the laws related to ice and cold therein."

Having absorbed many Divine Consciousnesses, it had awakened many new memories and had once again entered a pupal state within the hive that had expanded countless times over.

"Master, I need to slumber for a while to undergo another evolution."

"Those little guys will cooperate with you afterward, Master."

The Bee King’s consciousness fell silent.

Pang Jian then continued his power recovery.

...

Above the Forbidden Land of Thunder God.

A White Crane, crying out miserably and covered in wounds, burst forth cursing: "Damn Clan of Bright Moon!"

"Slay that White Crane!"

A ship shaped like a crescent moon surged out from the Forbidden Land of Thunder God, followed by about a dozen Alien Tribe warriors in white robes, glaring murderously at the White Crane.

"Drop the Divine Court Fragments, and we may leave your corpse intact!"

"Less blather, this White Crane’s mouth is too foul, not even an intact corpse will be left!"

Members of the Clan of Bright Moon with natural crescent or full moon markings on their foreheads wielded luminous weapons, casting cold moonlight at the White Crane.

The White Crane, surrounded by lightning, darted through the chilling moonlight, its feathers shedding constantly.

Yet it still looked back at the Forbidden Land of Thunder God, reluctant to use its lightning speed to escape.

After a drawn-out struggle, the White Crane’s injuries worsened, and it helplessly flew towards the location of the Absolute Sky Forbidden Land, giving up on competing for the subsequent Divine Court crystals.

Moments later.

"It’s that White Crane!"

Wu Yuan of the Demon Sect frowned and barked deeply.

"A creature of Purgatory!"

The fleeing White Crane, upon seeing familiar humans, exclaimed with relief, "I am the Divine Crane of the Pure Land, sent on the Pure Land’s orders to collect the marbles of thunder for my master! You guys, come over here, help me take down those Alien Clan pursuers!"

It had already forgotten what it had done to the Demon Boat of the Demon Sect outside the Mysterious Fog.

Its haughty demeanor acted as if Qi Qingsong and the others were obliged to comply.

"The Divine Crane of the Pure Land?"

Zhuang Yuyan summoned her Spirit Sword.

She took the lead to leave the gourd, extending her perception to gaze at those from the Clan of Bright Moon who hadn’t appeared in the Absolute Sky Forbidden Land, pursuing behind the White Crane.

Just one look, and her expression turned grave as she whispered, "There’s more than one sixth-level Alien Tribe warrior!"

"Zhao Yuanqi! Quickly avoid this White Crane; don’t let it trick you. We can’t handle its pursuers, no matter if it’s from the Pure Land or not; we need to prioritize our safety!" Zhuang Yuyan shouted in alarm.

"Sword Tower robes?" The White Crane, keen-eyed, spotted her Sect insignia and screeched: "I’m with Luo Yuan and Pang Jian! Your little lot, managing to find your way here from the Mysterious Fog, was also thanks to my guidance!"

"Where’s Luo Yuan? Where is that guy?"

The severely injured crane treated the chance encounter with Zhuang Yuyan and the others as a stroke of destiny, naturally unwilling to let them go and circling around Zhao Yuanqi’s gourd.

The pursuers, naturally, were drawn to follow.

"Luo Yuan, Pang Jian..."

Upon the crane’s words, everyone’s gaze instantly fell on the Golden Bee Insect leading the way in front of them.

"Follow me," said the Bee Insect, resigned to speak.

...