The Purgatory Calamity
Chapter 384 - 363: Sharpening Sword_1

Chapter 384: Chapter 363: Sharpening Sword_1

In his exclusive cave dwellings.

Pang Jian’s consciousness slipped into the sword and he was surprised to see that all the Demon Light, Demon Flames, and complicated, mysterious Demon Patterns that represented the Source Demon had become dim and lusterless.

The tangled multitude of thoughts and consciousness of the Source Demon were in a strange state of confusion.

When his will penetrated it, there wasn’t an immediate reaction from the Source Demon; it seemed oblivious to the fact that it had left the Copper Box.

The thoughts and will of the Source Demon were erratic and it took a long time for them to consolidate.

After a while.

The Source Demon slowly began to hear the malicious thoughts in the hearts of the elders and disciples in the Sword Tower, drawing strength from them.

Only then did it abruptly come to its senses.

"Pang Jian!"

"Where have you thrown me?! That ghastly place, it drove me to the brink of despair! Too terrifying!"

"Damn it, you might as well obliterate all my thoughts and consciousness!"

"I never! Never again do I want to go to that horrifying realm!"

The Source Demon’s screams of fear erupted from different Demon Thoughts and appeared extraordinarily hysterical.

It was as if it had instantly plunged into madness.

"Hiss! Hiss hiss!"

The black Sword Intent and Sword Light, like Demon Fire, were released outwards, trying to escape to the exterior.

"Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh!"

A golden river of God’s Thoughts, as corrosive and poisonous as acid, fell upon the Source Demon’s Demon Thoughts within the sword, eroding and wiping away the Demon Fire, Demon Clouds, and clumps of Demon Patterns.

With the golden Soul Power unique to the Ming Prison Soul Bee, suppressing the will of the Source Demon was as easy as flipping one’s hand.

In no time, the Source Demon was left gasping for breath, no longer daring to rant and rave.

"I, I don’t want to go back, don’t want to enter the box."

It murmured feebly, its voice carrying a plea.

Pang Jian responded with a cold sneer.

At this moment, he also remembered the terrible sensation he had felt when he had jumped into the Copper Box without wearing the badge.

In endless darkness, he couldn’t touch the lid of the box or perceive its bottom.

That place, without sparkling sun or moon, without stars dotting the sky, offered nothing but dead silence and void.

It was a feeling even more terrifying than being in the Mysterious Fog!

In the Mysterious Fog, there was still a faint glimmer of hope.

Occasionally, spatial cracks would appear, potentially revealing living creatures or corpses also lost within the fog.

But that boundless dark place brought only darkness, dead silence, and void, inducing only the deepest despair.

Even he would shudder every time he recalled it.

"This is your punishment."

Pang Jian snorted coldly and commanded, "You dare to manipulate the remnants of the Demon Sword Sect to meticulously plan an assassination on me? Did you think I wouldn’t be able to find out about the things you do in secret?"

He wasn’t really interrogating, nor did he give the Source Demon a chance to defend itself; he assumed the truth of the matter.

By this, he wanted to see the Source Demon’s attitude.

"You’re not my good master." The Source Demon fell silent for a long while before responding in a dismal tone, "Mo Nan’s subordinates still regard me as the spiritual pillar of the Demon Sword Sect. They will find me a better swordbearer!"

"What’s wrong with wanting to escape from your control, not wanting to be enslaved by you?"

These words undoubtedly admitted that it was the mastermind behind everything.

"Brother is right."

Pang Jian muttered to himself.

He quietly observed the state of the Source Demon and gradually noticed that within the sword, the Demon’s consciousness was becoming increasingly muddled.

"No! Not into that Copper Box, the endless dead silence and darkness will drive me insane!"

"Mo Nan! It’s all your fault you useless trash, for not advancing to True God!"

"The old immortals in the Sword Tower, by what right do they suppress me?"

The various consciousnesses of the Source Demon were fragmented and it started to talk nonsense.

It was highly repellent and fearful of the dark, deathly silent environment within the box, and its rambling centered around that.

Pang Jian remained silent, just watching it in its state of confused consciousness, knowing that even without external interference, the Source Demon whose Demon Thoughts had been partially obliterated could recover through the malice of the Sword Tower’s elders and disciples.

"Since it’s so afraid of entering the box, then..." Pang Jian’s thoughts moved, and he threw the Source Demon Sword back into the Copper Box, thinking, "Sharpening the blade, it still needs more sharpening."

"Stop! Pang Jian, I beg you!"

"Don’t put me in there again! That endless dark place, it seems like the most sinister and terrifying darkness below the Fifth Layer of Purgatory in the legends."

"Even my Demon Soul perceives only darkness!"

"Pang Jian, let’s have an open and honest conversation, no –"

The Source Demon pleaded miserably.

Pang Jian turned a deaf ear, and once again he locked the Source Demon Sword in the Copper Box having found the answers he sought.

The more the Source Demon feared something, the more Pang Jian would subject it to that very thing. He wasn’t in a rush to use the sword, so he decided to slowly temper the arrogant nature of this Demon Sword.

"Below the Fifth Layer of Purgatory, the most sinister and terrifying dark place, even the Source Demon feels despair and helplessness."

"This box..."

Pang Jian whispered to himself.

Stepping inside while wearing the "Purgatory Gate," he experienced the outer stars of Purgatory, able to see the sun, the moon, and the stars as if they were within reach, as though he was above the Purgatory Heaven Forbidden.

Without the badge, it seemed like being in the most bottomless region of Purgatory, an endless place of dead silence and darkness.

One heavens, one earth, entering with a copper badge and without one, brought about worlds of difference.

Suddenly, he wanted to explore the secrets of this box.

A wisp of his consciousness entered the Sword Tower, and he sent a thought to the light spot representing Pu Zhaotian, "Master, I want to know about things related to the Heavenly Tribulation Pillar."

After a long wait, Pu Zhaotian did not respond.

In fact, during the three days since he had returned to the Sword Tower from Water Moon Town, Pu Zhaotian had not sought him out via the Sword Command nor had he chatted with him in his usual rambling way, sharing interesting stories about the Purgatory World.

"Could he have been delayed by something?"

After hesitating for a moment, he sent a message to the light spot representing Chen Weihuang, "Senior Brother, I can’t contact Master."

"Neither can I," responded Chen Weihuang promptly.

"Has something happened in the First Realm?"

"I don’t know, but I’m looking into it."

"Who should I consult about things related to the Heavenly Tribulation Pillar in the Sword Tower?"

"Great Elder Jiang Ran."

"Besides him?"

"You can consult the related materials in the Book Tower."

"Alright, thank you, Senior Brother."

After the exchange, Pang Jian emerged from his retreat.

...

Sharpen Blade Peak, Book Tower.

Under Pan Zheng’s guidance, Pang Jian found many ancient tomes related to the Heavenly Tribulation Pillar in a secluded study on the fifth floor of the Book Tower.

He learned the seven Heavenly Tribulation Pillars had stood in the Fifth Layer of Purgatory for ten thousand years.

All the most powerful forces in the First Realm, all the True Gods of that time, and the mighty Heaven Phoenixes were the creators of the Heavenly Tribulation Pillars.

And the contribution of the Heaven Phoenixes was particularly remarkable.

However, the texts did not specify the exact contributions of the Heaven Phoenixes, only mentioning that without them, the seven Heavenly Tribulation Pillars would not exist.

At first, there were no cities or villages above the seven Heavenly Tribulation Pillars.

Merely with the wisdom of the True Gods left behind, and the power exhibited by the seven Heavenly Tribulation Pillars, the creatures of the Fifth Realm, who were greatly weakened at that period, were powerless to resist.

That was because just before the erection of the Heavenly Tribulation Pillars, the Human Race had just achieved a significant victory, vanquishing many of the strongest among the Alien Tribes.

Later, the exiled Alien Tribes gradually adapted to the Filth Alien Power, and over a long period of recuperation, they began to produce warriors with powerful bloodlines.

It was then that city upon city was established atop the pillars, continuously strengthening and perfecting the seven Heavenly Tribulation Pillars.

The seven towns were Bagua City, White Bone City, Blackwood Village, Blood Prison Village, Dead Spirit Town, Yin Spirit Town, and Ghost Spirit Town, each moved atop the pillars during different periods.

Moreover, a saber, sword, hammer, spear, mirror, flag, and box—seven sacred and divine-grade artifacts—were used as Array Eyes and placed within the towns.

The seven towns, with their seven Array Eyes, endowed the Heavenly Tribulation Pillars with even greater strength, significantly enhancing their deterrent power.

In the following eras, mighty beings from the Alien Tribes continued to emerge, but the Heavenly Tribulation Pillars grew ever stronger, always suppressing the Alien strong enough to prevent them from breaking the seal.

The Human Race, thus, lived and worked in peace and contentment in the upper world, undisturbed by the Alien Tribes from the Lower Realm.

"The records do not specify which of the seven items are sacred or divine-grade, nor their names and effects," Pang Jian holding the Sword Command and sent another message to Chen Weihuang seeking help, "I want to know more and more specific things about the Heavenly Tribulation Pillar."

Chen Weihuang fell silent for a long time, then said, "Then you should find Great Elder Jiang Ran."

"Why him again?"

"Previously, he was the one in charge of these matters. He is the oldest Elder and also the last disciple of the Sword God, with some of the more important books related to the Heavenly Tribulation Pillar in his hands."

"Why is he allowed to keep them?"

"Then you should go ask Master."

Chen Weihuang no longer answered him.

...

Days later.

In his cave dwelling, Pang Jian sought to form the Golden Body Realm with his "Great Creation Sacred Body’s" subsequent spells, using the high-grade flesh and blood of ferocious beasts to temper his body and skin.

"Knock, knock!"

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door and said with a laugh, "Brother Pang, it’s been many years since we last met, could you open the door for a chat?"

Pang Jian was startled.

The voice was quite unfamiliar, and after recalling everyone he knew, he could not match the voice to anyone.

"Who are you?"

"Hehe, Solitude Mountain Range, Sun Bin."

Pang Jian was shocked!

Feeling slightly flustered, he quickly approached the stone door, opened it to welcome Sun Bin inside, and then took a deep breath to calm himself before asking, "How did you find me?"

"Your name is well-known in the Purgatory World; it was easy to find you."

Sun Bin’s face was full of smiles.

Licking his lips, the former Guest Elder of Pure Land who had not accepted Pang Jian and had not taken him along, bowed deeply and said, "Brother Pang, I was blind as a dog back then, please do not blame me!"

"Today, I have come especially to offer you a sincere apology, and I beg for your forgiveness!"

He continuously nodded and bowed, with a pained expression, explaining, "I was only a Guest Elder in Pure Land, not an Elder, and my status was not that high. Young Master Pang Lin, although he possessed the innate Thunder Vortex, was not one in ten thousand."

"I did not have the authority, and I did not want to add too much trouble, so..."

"In any case, it was my mistake!"

...