The Purgatory Calamity
Chapter 575 - 543: Return_1

Chapter 575: Chapter 543: Return_1

Pang Jian’s departure left those old men in the Dark Prison without even an inkling of what hope might be.

For centuries, ever since the Star Devourer had appeared in the Dark Prison, they had been praying for help at their Altars of Praying to God, imploring the God Spirits they worshipped.

Every year, every month, they would disperse their mournful soulful pleas to their God Spirits.

But the God of Shadow never responded.

The arrival of Pang Jian, and his successful heist of a limb from the Star Devourer, finally reignited their faith.

They faintly felt that the nightmare which had loomed over the Dark Prison for hundreds of years was about to end.

However, Pang Jian, who had made promises by mouth, still vanished into the Mysterious Fog and disappeared from the Dark Prison.

"It’s over, this world is finished. From now on, let the Star Devourer massacre and butcher at will,"

an old man from the Earth Spirit Clan howled in despair.

"He will come back!" the High Priest of the Dark Spirit Clan encouraged everyone.

Gazing up at the six blocks of land in the sky and the higher, grey-yellow star, this aged and frail elder of the Dark Spirit Clan suddenly remembered his descendants who had been devoured by the Star Devourer.

His sons, daughters, grandsons, a total of seven had ascended to the ninth level of Bloodline.

Without exception, all had become delectable meals for the Star Devourer.

In the beginning, the Star Devourer, not yet revealing His dominant power in the Dark Prison, would still feign injury, thereby continuously giving the various tribes a glimmer of hope and opportunity.

For this reason, the High Priest’s children still naively believed they had a chance to vanquish Him.

First, it was his two most valiant sons, then his daughters, who, armed with their clan’s greatest treasures, confronted the Star Devourer, only to be sequentially killed by Him.

The beings of the Dark Prison had organized twelve powerful individuals with Bloodlines reaching the ninth level, wielding their strongest clan weapons.

In the end, all were devoured soul and all by the Star Devourer.

Since then, the people of the various clans of the Dark Prison had their spirits thoroughly crushed by the Star Devourer.

After that, no more substantial attacks could be formed, and they began to place their hopes on the divine beings beyond the heavens.

Among those eighth-level elders present, whose children and grandchildren hadn’t died, hadn’t had their souls consumed by the Star Devourer?

If there were even a sliver of a chance, a tiny bit of hope, why would they so desperately plead for the favor of a God Spirit?

And Pang Jian was not even the God Spirit they worshipped.

"His words were just a way to fob us off. I was paying attention throughout the battle between him and the Star Devourer," an old crone from the Shadow Clan said with a drooping head, her voice somber: "He is no match for the Star Devourer, and he knows it in his heart."

"Indeed, the Star Devourer cannot exert his full power when digesting a star, which indeed gave him an opportunity."

"Snatching a limb from the Star Devourer, he seemed quite content with that. If he really had the ability, he wouldn’t be merely fleeing during the pursuit by the other eight-limbed levels."

The old crone lifted her head, looked at the group of old friends in front of her who still held some expectations, and said with a heart more despondent than death: "Disperse, he is not coming back."

...

Purgatory, the Second Realm.

The Bright Moon hung high, and the stars were sparse.

As autumn gave way to winter, heavy snow fell over Hongdu Fragment Land, turning Hongdu City into a world draped in white.

The Sword Boat that had carried Yao Junhong and the other Elders had long since been ordered away by Pu Zhaotian; those Elders were now either stationed at Sword Tower or guarding Panshi Fragment Land.

A great deal of time had passed, yet Pang Jian’s Spiritual Soul had not found its way back.

Tian Du San Ren, Liu Fu, and Li Yuanli couldn’t possibly confine themselves to Hongdu City forever.

They waited and waited, and seeing that Pang Jian’s flesh was still unharmed, but his Spiritual Soul was nowhere to be found.

Gradually, they all agreed that Pang Jian’s Spiritual Soul must be trapped deep within the Mysterious Fog.

Even if it could return, it was going to be a long wait.

It might even never come back.

After watching over for a whole year and a half, their patience worn thin, they could no longer stand guard and finally left.

So, only Pu Zhaotian remained in this desolate city, bereft of Individual Cultivators, day in and day out hoping for the return of Pang Jian’s Spiritual Soul.

The large snowflakes piled higher and higher, and Pu Zhaotian and his student Pang Jian became two snowmen, one large and one small.

Day and night swapped ceaselessly, yet it was as if the scene had frozen there, time stopping its flow.

Pu Zhaotian, who earnestly awaited Pang Jian’s return, started to lose concern over the great affairs of the outside world. His Sword Intent gradually sealed the entire Hongdu Fragment Land, keeping any trying Individual Cultivators out.

Only two snowmen remained within the entire Fragment Land.

This went on for a very long time, until a sudden anomaly arose in Pang Jian’s chest, and clear spatial ripples spread out.

"Bang!"

The thick snow encasing the imposing figure suddenly exploded open.

Pu Zhaotian, corpulent and imperious, with small eyes that belied his large frame, sparkled suddenly with a brightness that could rival the stars in a cold night.

He stared intently at the smaller snowman, extending his perception, scrutinizing with careful attention.

He was clearly nervous, hands fumbling anxiously, rubbing the snow and Ice Crystals between his fingers causing them to scatter everywhere.

After a moment of hesitation, he took a step forward, "crunching" on the thick snow as he attempted to approach Pang Jian.

Then he abruptly stopped.

For at that moment, he saw the smaller snowman’s shoulder shake, and snow begin to fall away.

He tugged at the corners of his mouth, his chubby face suddenly brimming with joy springing from his heart.

The smile stretched across his entire face, exaggerated to the point that his eyes seemed even smaller, squeezed by the fat.

"Good disciple."

"You’ve returned, as your teacher I always knew you were blessed by heavens, and you would never get lost beyond the skies."

"Those conceited folks, they said you had squandered a seat of Godhood in Purgatory World, that you’d integrated with the Spiritual Soul but got your spirit shattered in an outer world."

"Damn it! Those backstabbing dogs! If it weren’t for waiting for you, I would have cut out their damn tongues!"

This chubby blue-clothed man, hefty as a big bear, although he stopped in the heavy snow, kept speaking incoherently, waving his arms and legs about as if trying to express something.

Being the current Tower Master of the Sword Tower, the most talented sword cultivator of this age, he possesses a rare and pure heart of a child.

Despite having lived to a reasonable age, he often retains youthful vigor, lacking the dignity of a Tower Master as well as the bearing of a shifu.

He merely hoped to live up to the entrustment of the Sword God, to take Sword Tower to new heights.

He hoped his disciples would live well; he wanted to be the big tree they could rely on, shielding them from any Sect or True God in this world that would oppress them with power.

He also hoped that his close female friends were all doing well.

As the master of the Sword Tower, as a man, as a shifu, he did everything in his power to shoulder everything.

When the snow dissipated, Pang Jian opened his eyes.

Looking at the big burly chubby man before him, whose face was so full of joy that he seemed somewhat at a loss, and seeing the light glistening in his small eyes, Pang Jian smiled brightly: "Shifu."

Ever since his father disappeared, no one else had treated him like this chubby man in front of him.

This chubby man made him feel warm and filled his heart with gratitude.

When he was trapped in the Demon Spirit Continent, it was this man, with the peak cultivation of the Immortal Realm, who risked himself in the perilous lower world to find him.

For his sake, he did not hesitate to fight in a battle with a level ten powerhouse of the Devil Scale Tribe, Li Bai.

When he was suppressed by Dragon Cave in the Saint Spirit Continent, it was this man who declared that he was retreating to attempt advancing to the True God Realm, causing those brutish and violent dragons to dare not act rashly.

Having such a shifu who supported him with everything he had, Pang Jian felt immensely fortunate.

Now, with a seat of Godhood in Purgatory World, he had successfully fused his Spiritual Soul to create an Immortal Primordial Spirit.

Even for the man before him, he was ready to take on the heavy responsibilities of the Sword Tower, to bear it all for him.

"No need to worry, I’m fine."

Pang Jian, who seldom smiled, maintained a smile on his face when he faced this man.

He asked: "Shifu, is Sword Tower still doing well, is this world still doing well?"

"Now that you’re back, this world is very well."

Pu Zhaotian burst into a hearty laugh.

Although the master and disciple mostly communicated through Sword Commands, they never felt unfamiliar when face-to-face.

For kith and kin, words are unnecessary; emotions themselves serve as the deepest bond.

The wonder of the Immortal Primordial Spirit, the sensation of breaking free from the Mysterious Fog, the calamity of another world known as the Dark Prison World, the miraculous structure of the Star Devourer, and the details of his battle with it.

He didn’t conceal anything from Pu Zhaotian, telling the whole truth.

Amidst the fluttering snow in the Fragment Land, master and disciple conversed freely, indulging in their heart-to-heart talk.

...

Dark Prison.

Atop that shuttle-shaped vessel, a platform that should correspond to the God of Shadow, the Saintess Cui Ling once again successfully communicated with the outside world and sensed a frigid, unfamiliar will.

"I am the Goddess of Cold Crystal from outside of your world, I plan to help you eradicate that Star Devourer."

"You need to reconstruct two new Altars of Praying to God following my approach, in the manner of another God Spirit."

"I will tell you how to forge them, how to choose warriors who resonate with us, so that we can complete our descent."

"As long as you comply with our requirements, I assure you that the Star Devourer that infests your world will undoubtedly die in your world."

The Saintess, listening attentively, could not help but tremble.

As she listened, tears streamed down her face.

"High Priest!"

"High Priest!"

She cried out unconsciously.

...

Saint Spirit Continent.

Mu Wentao, another True God from the Gui Sacrificial Sect, suddenly entered Dragon Cave and whispered, "In Hondu Fragment Land, where Pang Jian’s Spiritual Soul disappeared for nearly two years, he has officially returned."

A robust dragon roar echoed.

The nine-level Old Dragons in the cave who were listening to Mu Wentao’s words began to leave.

A dashing figure in a green outfit abruptly appeared.

A noticeable dragon horn was on his forehead, wrapped with hair-like strands of lightning.

His arrival filled the entire Dragon Cave with his imposing aura, making Mu Wentao, also a True God, feel overwhelmed.

"A True God that ascended in the Immortal Realm has never appeared before," said the Old Thunder Dragon slowly, seating himself high on a stone platform, looking down at Mu Wentao. "Can such a True God really be considered a True God? Doesn’t an ascension from the Immortal Realm come with flaws?"

Mu Wentao shook his head: "Since there’s no precedent, nothing is known."

"Sword Tower is far away, but Panshi Fragment Land, where that so-called Pang Jian is, is not too far from the Saint Spirit Continent," pondered the Old Thunder Dragon, stroking his chin. "I will arrange something, to test the mettle of this new True God."

...