Trials of the Abyss
Chapter 758: Lamentveil World

Chapter 758: Lamentveil World

Brother Dong, where are you? Can you help me with something?

Pang Lin's sweet voice echoed gently in Dong Tianze's mind.

Far away on the Dark Abyss Continent, the air of a cave dwelling of the Sinister Soul Temple was heavy with bloody mist.

These tiny droplets of blood, each bearing a distinct hue and gleaming like crystalline gems, slowly arranged themselves into complex arrays.

If one were to magnify these droplets a millionfold, one would see intricate networks of interwoven crystal bloodline chains within, each containing the profound essence of an entire bloodline.

Dong Tianze sat motionless within this bloody mist, using his divine soul to unravel the mysteries of those bloodlines and absorb their secrets.

The ancient Thunder Dragon has already been captured and imprisoned on the Resolute Expanse. No faction among the human sects of the upper worlds would dare to move against the Pure Land Sect or Pang Lin, and no other race has the strength to pose a threat.

Who could possibly pose a threat to Pang Lin under such circumstances? he wondered, puzzled.

Still, Dong Tianze withdrew his power. The dense red mist within the cave poured violently back into his body, carrying the scattered blood droplets with it.

The Celestial Phoenix Imprint between his brows flared to life.

Its light pierced the gloom of the cave, illuminating it as brightly as day. Even the spiderwebs hanging in the corners glowed with a strange, sacred purity under its brilliance.

The ancient Thunder Dragon is dead. I've consumed all his insights into the Dao of Lightning in the form of Dao Fruit. And... Pang Lin trailed off, sounding a little embarrassed. I've reached the peak of the Immortal Realm. I already have the qualifications to become a True God, but there's no Fortune available.

Not long ago, Li Yuqing seized a cluster of Fortune and successfully became a True God.

I don't know how long I'll have to wait to ascend as well.

Pang Lin let out a soft, disappointed sigh.

Dong Tianze had been secluded in the cave dwelling for a long time and was unaware of the state of the outside world, so he asked a few questions for clarification.

He soon learned that the veil over the Fifth World had vanished under the pull of an unknown force, and that the True Gods had all escaped from the Fifth World.

Zhu Ji, in particular, had ascended beyond the True God Realm, breaking into a mysterious new realm while within the Abyss.

This ignited the hopes of the other True Gods. They had all since gone into seclusion, tempering their cultivation realms in hopes of making a similar breakthrough to face the challenges ahead.

So what you're saying is that a True God has to die for a cluster of Fortune to become available? Dong Tianze confirmed, already mentally running through the names of True Gods.

Several candidates came to mind—Li Wang, Gui Mu, Jiang Fan, Dong Shangqing, and Pei Yishan.

Zhu Ji had already broken through to the next realm, so Dong Tianze dismissed him outright.

Though Dong Shangqing had not acted back when the ancient Thunder Dragon attacked the Pure Land Sect, he had at least rushed over with the intention to help. For that, Dong Tianze also excluded him.

That left only Li Wang, Gui Mu, and Jiang Fan.

The human race will have far greater confidence facing what lies ahead with both Li Yuqing and me as True Gods, Pang Lin said softly. Honestly, many of the older True Gods can no longer keep up with the times.

Dong Tianze nodded. I feel the same.

In his eyes, the dead True Gods like Wanderer Tian Du, Li Yuanli, Lin Qiyang, and Li Chu had been long overdue for elimination.

Among those alive, Yin Ji, Dong Shangqing, and Jiang Fan were also clearly on the weaker side.

My brother already helped me deal with that ancient Thunder Dragon, and he's still stationed in the Fifth World. Besides, killing a True God would damage the unity within the human race, so... Pang Lin's voice trailed off, sounding hesitant.

Dong Tianze frowned. You don't need to tell him. The burden he carries is heavy enough. I have nothing to lose. My sect is gone, and my master is dead. I've got no attachments. I'm not afraid of the consequences. Just say it. Who's your target?

The inheritance I received comes from the Celestial Phoenix. You were once a Divine Guard. The ones responsible for her death were Long Xiao, Zhu Ji, Li Wang, Gui Mu, Liu Fu, and Jiang Fan. Long Xiao and Liu Fu are already dead; Zhu Ji is beyond your reach; and Li Wang and Gui Mu are difficult to kill. So, what about Jiang Fan?

A flash of crimson flickered in Dong Tianze's eyes. Jiang Fan, the mightiest emperor of the mortal realm? Very well, Jiang Fan, it is! I believe I can surpass him now that I've stabilized my cultivation realm as a Blood God!

Brother Dong, I learned that the realms after the True God Realm are the Ascendant God Realm, the Transcendent God Realm, and the Exalted God Realm, Pang Lin explained. The True God Realm corresponds to a low-ranking God, the Ascendant God Realm to a mid-ranking God, the Transcendent God Realm to a high-ranking God, and the Exalted God Realm to a Sovereign.

There are cultivation methods for these higher realms in the legacy I received from the Celestial Phoenix, but I've yet to fully comprehend them. I can only tell you what I understand about the Ascendant God Realm for now.

She then briefly described the details of the Ascendant God Realm, from the transformation of the divine soul to the direction of advancement in one's Heavenly Dao.

Dong Tianze's eyes lit up. Listening with full concentration, he quickly gained clarity on his next breakthrough.

After a long while, he let out a deep breath and said, I'm more confident in my ability to kill Jiang Fan now!

***

In the Murkriver Demon Realm in the starry skies, there lay a world known as the Lamentveil World, a highly developed world of the Demon Races, home to ancient demonic kingdoms that had stood unshaken for tens of thousands of years.

One could find all manner of Demon Races in this world—the Nether Demon Race, the Earth Demon Race, the Horned Demon Race, the Dark Demon Race, and the Demon Scale Race—each wildly different in appearance but similar in their use of demonic energy.

In the remote mountain forests far from civilization, demonic energy drifted like a mist that lingered throughout the year.

There, a young woman of the Nether Demon Race with the same origin as the Abyssal Demon moved through the woods, quietly picking herbs with graceful movements.

In the middle of picking a crimson fruit known as the Seven Emotions Demonfruit from its branch, she suddenly looked up—the presence of an uninvited guest had startled her.

A handsome man with a black-gold demon sword had silently appeared before her.

She frowned at the inexplicable sense of familiarity that struck her. It felt as though their souls resonated with each other, their bloodline echoing in perfect harmony.

"Who are you?" Yuan Hui asked, curious.

"I'm like you," the Abyssal Demon said with a smile. "I'm one of his nine fragments."

"What do you mean, one of his nine fragments?" Yuan Hui frowned in confusion. "I've rarely left the Lamentveil World since becoming a Demon God. I hardly interact with other Demon Gods as well. I don't quite understand what you're talking about."

"You truly don't know?" the Abyssal Demon asked in surprise.

Yuan Hui shook her head.

Staring into her eyes, the Abyssal Demon probed with their shared soul resonance and discovered something strange. Though she was a mid-ranking God, her emotions were strangely intense, unlike the usual aloofness that characterized Gods.

Her attachment to another divine being ran so deep that it was as if it were rooted in her soul.

Many of her core memories, especially those linked to the Primordial Demon, had been stripped away. Even the image of the divine being she adored appeared deliberately veiled when the Abyssal Demon tried to glimpse it.

"Let me explain, so you can understand clearly when you become a part of my strength," the Abyssal Demon said, choosing not to press further. "There are nine beings like you and me. We are fragments of a greater design. Our origin, the Primordial Demon, is in the Abyss.

"You..."

The Abyssal Demon hesitated.

"I couldn't see the face of the one you love in your memories. You don't know your true identity, but he does.

"He approached you, made you fall for him, and then stole the insights into the Primordial Demon's Dao of Demon that lay hidden in your mind. He even stole the truth of your existence from you.

"Where is this love of yours? What is his name?" the Abyssal Demon asked.

Demonic energy churned in the air, slowly coalescing into a cold, indifferent face.

Pang Jian watched the situation unfold from within the distant Abyss.

Not long ago, the Abyssal Demon had defeated yet another adversary with his help, leaving only two remaining: the demoness before him and the strongest among them.

This lack of memories was an unexpected development.

"He's—" Yuan Hui opened her mouth to speak the name of her love, only to find she could no longer remember it.

A realization struck her.

He had been gone for a long, long time, never returning as promised. He never came back to share an endless life with her in the Lamentveil World.

She was a Demon God, meaning her life was nearly endless, but even she could no longer recall how many years she had waited for him in this world.

If not for the Abyssal Demon casting doubt on her situation, she would have simply clung to that hope, believing that he would one day come back to her.

Time had slipped quietly away, taking her memories of him and even his name with it.

"He Motian set the plan of having the Primordial Demon ascend as a Sovereign in motion with the full agreement of the other Great Demon Gods," the Abyssal Demon said to Pang Jian, glancing up at the sky. "Only a high-ranking God could have extracted her memories like this. That means that one of those Great Demon Gods has been working in secret to sabotage He Motian's plan."

"Hold on a moment," Pang Jian replied, voice ringing out across the sky.

Activating the power of the demonic cloak, he probed the Great Demon Gods—He Motian, Fa Ji, and Luan Ji—for any traces connecting them to the Lamentveil World.

None of their true bodies or manifestations were active within the Lamentveil World, and Pang Jian could investigate if they had ever visited; uncovering such traces would require peeling back layers of their memories. That would demand considerable time and effort.

Instead, with a shift of his divine sense, Pang Jian drew upon his power and the demonic energy within the cloak to carefully sculpt detailed likenesses of He Motian's, Fa Ji's, and Luan Ji's many different forms.

Demonic figures, male and female, old and young, descended from above to hover before Yuan Hui.

"Is the one you knew among them?" Pang Jian asked.

"Ah Ji!" Yuan Hui burst into tears, pointing at a tall, strikingly handsome demon. "His name is Ah Ji! I remember now!"