The Purgatory Calamity
Chapter 716 - 678 Continue Exploring_1

Chapter 716: Chapter 678 Continue Exploring_1

Sixth Realm.

Through the vision of the Black Dragon King, Pang Jian learned everything that happened in the Upper Realm.

The Tian Du San Ren had died, and Li Yuanli had died as well, both of whom Pang Jian held dear like Liu Fu.

Yet they had died so silently.

Li Wang, Zhu Ji, Ghost Mother, including Su Wenrou from the Pure Land, showed only a flicker of sorrow for the demise of their companions, with little sign of deep grief.

Death, to these beings who had ascended to True Gods, seemed to be a common affair.

To pursue the Great Dao, must one really be so indifferent?

Do all who become God Spirits view life and death with such disregard, neglecting personal emotions?

Like Luo Hongyan?

Pang Jian shook his head in gloom, finding it difficult to understand.

His Shifu had reminded him more than once not to extinguish his humanity. His Immortal Primordial Spirit and his current True Body, now that he had forged his God Status, still had rich emotions.

But it seemed not all True Gods were like him.

The awakened Luo Hongyan, disregarding their past experiences defending Cloud Marsh together, was now showcasing thunderous methods, making Pang Jian, who had long given up any illusions, realize he would eventually face this calamity.

"What’s to come, will eventually come."

He pondered how to break through this situation.

"Huh!"

After the Black Dragon King appeared in the Sixth Realm, he summoned it through Soul Sensing.

Meanwhile, a wisp of his will always resided in Qi Xu, still directing Qi Xu to keep sinking, hoping to reach the Seventh Realm as soon as possible.

"Where are They, exactly?"

Pang Jian couldn’t help but feel doubtful towards Luo Hongyan.

The return of the six items, the death of Liu Fu, the spread of Death Force in the Upper Realm, and the deaths of Tian Du San Ren and Li Yuanli—all signs pointed to Their activities above.

Yet They had never truly revealed Themselves anywhere.

Even in the vague shadows cast by the Mysterious Heavenly Divine Mirror, there was no clear face, making it hard for Pang Jian to confirm it was Them.

Pang Jian suspected that They were still in the Seventh Realm, still in that land of Eternal Darkness.

And Qi Xu was an eye meant to explore the Seventh Realm, to search for Them.

"They are too powerful; we cannot contend," said the Black Dragon King as it drew near, its profound soul voice full of unease. "A mere glimpse of the power from a Sovereign-level God Spirit has already annihilated three True Gods."

"To Them, the True Gods of the Human Race are as feeble as ants, too easy to kill."

"Zhu Ji, Li Wang, Ghost Mother, and even that Su Wenrou, none could withstand Them."

"Pang Jian, the Human Race, and all the Alien Tribes of the Fifth Realm combined are no match for Them. Once They harbor malice towards the Human Race, I feel this battle is over."

"You might as well find a way to leave and seek out those vanished Human True Gods in the vast reaches of the Star River," the Black Dragon continued.

This Black Dragon, which had contended with Long Xiao and left a great name in the Fifth Realm, appeared deeply subdued after witnessing Luo Hongyan’s terrifying power.

It did not see any chances for the Human Race anymore.

It was unwilling to stay in the Fifth Realm, not wanting to continue suffering from the encroachment of the Death Force, and came to join Pang Jian.

Its mood was complicated.

It knew after becoming a Demon God with Filthy Essence, it had no chance of leaving the Heaven Forbidden of the First Realm. And with the recent anomalies in the Sixth and Seventh Realms.

It began to fantasize about finding a successful path to escape from the lower worlds of Purgatory.

If Pang Jian, the Sovereign, and the Original Demon could continuously break through the established rules after sinking below, was it possible, with the once in a hundred-thousand-year great calamity, that there was hope of escaping Purgatory?

"To leave, I am willing to drop my grudge against Long Xiao and disregard the future of the Purgatory Demon Race. With Them in Purgatory, other life and races lose hope," it said.

"No matter what They want to do, I feel that no one can stop or change Their pursuit."

"With such a vast world outside, we might as well leave and no longer bother with the rights and wrongs within Purgatory," it added.

After uttering these last words, the Black Dragon King had arrived in front of Pang Jian.

Its body, spanning over ten thousand feet, appeared extremely ferocious and imposing in the land thick with Filth Alien Power and surging Dark Energy, its dragon eyes filled with hope.

"I am determined to leave, and I shall not return to Purgatory," it said.

With his mood soured by the deaths of Liu Fu and others, Pang Jian replied, "The strife in Purgatory indeed doesn’t concern you. If possible, I will help you leave Purgatory."

"In the Outer Star River, I wish to see your presence," the Black Dragon King spoke solemnly.

Pang Jian declared, "I will not die in Purgatory!"

"Huh!"

After a period of sinking, Qi Xu’s body finally fell into an eternally dark void.

That was the legendary Seventh Realm.

"Hmm!"

Suddenly, a light laughter sounded.

After the laugh, a youth with cyanotic skin, handsome features, and a soft demeanor appeared.

His disheveled long hair flew wildly without inhibition.

He was very similar to the Source Demon, yet he was not the Source Demon, but the Original Demon.

"You seem to be called Qi Xu?"

He pursed his lips in a smile, squinting earnestly as he looked, before chuckling, "Eh, Pang Jian’s soul thought is actually inside. Ha, Pang Jian, you should be able to see me. Very good, very good!"

Above His head in the void, an infinitely vast demon shadow hovered, akin to the embodiment of His Demon Tao Spell.

He raised His hand and pointed towards Qi Xu’s forehead.

"Hiss!"

A stream of Demon Light shot out, immediately severing the Soul Sensing between Pang Jian and Qi Xu.

"If you want to know what’s happening here, then come down yourself," the voice of the Original Demon, emanating from the last vanishing soul thought, arose: "Pang Jian, because that person has confined most of My power here, you were lucky enough to forge God Status. Otherwise, your body would have been Mine!"

"If you’re brave enough, come down and have a real fight with Me. Remember to bring that Thunder Pond, and those Thunderbolt treasures!"

The Original Demon provocatively taunted.

After that, Pang Jian could no longer sense any anomalies, knowing that the Original Demon’s soul corruption power had overwhelmed Qi Xu’s mind.

Whether Qi Xu was alive or dead, whether he remained free or became His puppet depended on His whim.

"That person..."

Pang Jian’s mind trembled slightly.

The one referred to by the Original Demon was naturally Luo Hongyan; only the Sovereign could confine the Original Demon’s power within the Seventh Realm, preventing Him from unleashing His full strength.

What exactly happened in the Seventh Realm?

Pang Jian held immense curiosity in his heart, and he very much wanted to descend immediately to the Lower Realm to glimpse the truth.

However, the Thunder Pond was not at hand, and his current power might not necessarily be enough to defeat the Original Demon, who was openly challenging him, trying to provoke him with a reverse-psychology tactic.

The Original Demon seemed to be seeking his descent.

The Original Demon was cunning and insidious, with every word He spoke being ambiguous between truth and lies. Pang Jian had to consider deeply whether the Original Demon’s provocation and stimulation could possibly have a hidden agenda.

Was it possible that the Original Demon had realized He had exposed Himself, and, being in a weakened state, was deliberately playing a bluff?

If so, could this be the best opportunity to enter?

And if I guess wrong, what price will I pay?

A body that possesses the power of a Middle-level God and has successfully forged God Status is one thing; My Immortal Primordial Spirit still survives in Thunder Prison.

If the True Body perishes and the Primordial Spirit can live independently, then it wouldn’t be true death.

"I’ll take the gamble!"

A series of thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning, and Pang Jian made up his mind.

"Hei, I shall still address you as Hei. I shall explore the Seventh Realm on your behalf first; you stay here for now," Pang Jian suddenly said.

The Black Dragon King was taken aback: "I wasn’t urging you. Also, if we are to explore the Seventh Realm, I meant that we would go together. At no time did I think of having you sacrifice yourself for me."

True emotions shone through Him.

He hadn’t expected that His eager longing and His proposal would immediately get a response from Pang Jian.

Nor did He expect that Pang Jian was ready to delve into the Seventh Realm right then and still perceive the mysteries of the world below for Him.

"I know," Pang Jian nodded lightly and said, "I have two bodies; I’m not afraid to sacrifice one. In the current Seventh Realm, there’s the Original Demon, and perhaps Him."

"When I sent Qi Xu down, our Soul Sensing remained; so would ours."

"I’m not sure if I can return to the Sixth Realm after going down, but I’ll tell you what I encounter. Whether you decide to live out your days in Purgatory or follow in the footsteps of those Ancient Demon Gods will be up to you."

Having spoken, Pang Jian began to descend.

He moved swifter than Qi Xu, like a beam of dim phosphorescence, vanishing from the Black Dragon King’s sight in the blink of an eye.

Yet the Soul Sensing between him and the Black Dragon King remained intact.

For some reason, the Black Dragon King simply silently sensed his descent trajectory, sensing his location.

Even though they could communicate, even though they could continue to reveal their inner thoughts, neither opened their mouths to speak.

...

Thunder Prison.

Within the void of the Divine Mountain, where Thunder and Lightning intertwine, the unicorn, the Divine Bird Vermilion Bird, and the giant serpent—all three Demon Gods of this domain—converged.

"Lei Ying!"

The entirely pearly-white unicorn called out atop the mountain peak, saying, "That esteemed guest, did He achieve significant gains on Thunder God Mountain?"

The Vermilion Bird and the giant serpent scrutinized the thunderous activity at the mountain peak.

These two level ten Demon Gods saw no discernible pathways cleaving through the dense Thunder and Lightning, nor did they see Lei Ying coming out as usual.

Lei Ying didn’t even respond with a word from the mountain peak to address Them.

After a moment, somewhat displeased, the unicorn said, "Lei Ying, that guest is not just your Thunder Clan’s guest. He is an honored guest of our entire Thunder Prison. Please do not keep Him on Thunder God Mountain indefinitely."

The Vermilion Bird also said, "We have matters to consult with Him too!"

"What matters?"

Pang Jian’s serene voice, rising from the summit of Thunder God Mountain abuzz with lightning, lightly said, "Lei Ying is currently unavailable, so whatever you three have to discuss, feel free to address it directly with Me."

"Haha! Good, that’s great! Congratulations to You, Sir!" the unicorn laughed heartily, saying, "Would You kindly come out for a chat?"

"Of course."

Before the expectant gaze of the three Demon Gods, Pang Jian emerged empty-handed from Thunder God Mountain and approached Them.

"Where’s the Thunder Pond?" the Vermilion Bird asked eagerly.

Pang Jian pointed towards the mountain summit, saying, "The Thunder Pond is still inside. Now, what guidance do You three have for Me?"

...