Chapter 347: The Seven Needles

Each of the seven continents in the Fifth World of the Abyss had a Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar to suppress the foreign races there.

Since their construction, the foreign races in the Fifth World had lived in their shadows.

Unexpectedly, seven needles corresponding to the seven Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars of the Fifth World had appeared within the Gate of the Abyss!

Pang Jian's soul trembled.

They weren't there before. Why did they suddenly appear?

According to the Giant Abyssal Serpent, the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars on the seven continents of the Fifth World have all lost their deterrent power recently. This could be due to the arrival of the Fire God, Yan Lie, or perhaps...

Is it because of her?

The longer Pang Jian thought about it, the more terrified he became.

He could not help but feel that Luo Hongyan and Yan Lie had erased the inscriptions that the human race powerhouses from the First World left on the seven Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars, causing them to malfunction altogether.

Why did the seven corresponding needles appear in the Gate of the Abyss when the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars had lost their power?

Could they act as teleportation points?

Pang Jian focused his energy on one of the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars.

Whoosh!

He appeared in the familiar Eight Trigrams City, right next to the pool in the City Lord's Mansion.

Dense murky energy surged toward him and attempted to dissolve the spiritual power in his spiritual sea.

Pang Jian summoned a protective shield to isolate the murky energy before returning his divine soul to his sea of consciousness.

He then fanned his divine sense out to perceive his surroundings.

The Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar towering over the cold wilderness no longer emitted the azure brilliance it did before.

The suns, moons, stars, mountains, rivers, and other rune patterns that once brimmed with hidden mysteries of the Dao were no longer visible.

The Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar's mystical power had been lost and Eight Trigrams City showed no trace of its former wonder.

Unlike before, no foreign race powerhouses gathered nearby, attempting to break through the oppressive force of the pillar.

The foreign races of the Fifth World seemed to have forgotten it entirely.

Pang Jian peered at the sky and saw strange ships transporting powerful foreign race warriors to the Fourth World.

Foreign races from the outer worlds on that fiery fragmented land also brought their warships to the Fifth World.

They'll surely tell the foreign races in the Fifth World how magnificent the world beyond is and remind them that the Gods they worship still exist in the starry skies.

Their arrival brought the most important thing—faith.

A worried expression crossed Pang Jian's face.

Whoosh!

Pang Jian teleported to another Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar.

At the top of this pillar stood a deserted village built primarily from black wood.

In the village was a pool similar to the one in Eight Trigrams City, though the water showed no signs of a Mirror Tunnel.

They seem quite similar. Their purpose should be comparable to that of Eight Trigrams City.

Pang Jian scanned the entire village with his divine sense but detected nothing unusual.

There was no array core like the copper chest in the pool.

It seems something similar to the copper chest was once here, but the powerhouses of the First World or those who destroyed the pillars probably claimed it.

Pang Jian teleported to the other Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars with his bronze pendant.

At the top of each one were cities, towns, and villages, alongside a pool that once served as a Mirror Tunnel.

There were no signs of life in the seven cities, towns, and villages, nor was there anything resembling the copper chest.

No foreign races assembled around the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars and Pang Jian could not gather any valuable information in the end.

Finding nothing, he reluctantly returned to the Resolute Expanse in the Third World.

***

Two figures silently appeared after Pang Jian left the city atop the last Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillar.

It was the Fire God, Yan Lie, and Luo Hongyan.

Yan Lie had taken on the appearance of the Flame Race after hiding his true body, while Luo Hongyan still wore her pitch-black robes.

As Yan Lie stood in the desolate city named White Bone City, he frowned.

"Is he the new World God of the Abyss? Each generation of World Gods has contributed to the forging of these seven Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars, right? You allowed him to resonate with the pillars when you erased the marks of the seven True Gods of the human race from the First World."

Luo Hongyan remained silent as she drifted through White Bone City.

White Bone City was once infamous in the Abyss for its boundless ferocity.

Her divine power flowed into the pillar, rummaging through the starry inscriptions to uncover its secrets.

After a long time, she finally said in a calm voice, "Eight Trigrams City, White Bone City, Blackwood Village, Blood Prison Village, Dead Spirit Town, Sinister Soul Town, and Ghost Spirit Town committed heinous deeds that stirred both the wrath of heaven and the anger of the human race in the Abyss.

"That's why they were placed atop the Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars and used to perform blood and soul sacrifices to provide the pillars with special energy.

"Erasing the accumulated energy of resentment in these seven cities, towns, and villages significantly weakened the pillars' might, but deciphering the mysteries of the pillars will still be extremely challenging.

"But..." A strange smile crept onto her lips. "The copper chest he took back then created a small flaw in the complete array. Moreover, the disintegration of the Celestial Phoenix's remains also lent us a helping hand.

"Without these unexpected events, I wouldn't have been able to deal with the seven Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars even if I had gathered some of my divine power within the Abyss."

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Six items—a knife, a sword, a hammer, a spear, a mirror, and a flag—appeared in the air behind her.

These were the array cores of the other six Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars.

"As long as we can refine these items, we won't even need to destroy the seven Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars.

"These items were incredibly difficult to forge and contain the accumulated wisdom of countless human powerhouses from the Abyss. If we can get them under our control, the seven Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars will become formidable weapons in our hands.

"With these, we can easily eliminate the True Gods of the Abyss."

***

A secluded land filled with beautiful mountains rested in the Western Loam of the First World.

Spirit Avians spread their wings, dancing gracefully atop the peaks, while intelligent beasts basked in the sun while enjoying mouth-watering fruits.

Unlike the hostile beasts of the Sacred Soul Continent, these beasts lived in harmony and never engaged in conflict.

The rich spiritual qi was as thick as water and the rare fruits were abundant. Streams flowed gently in the valleys between the mountains and neat houses with red brick and jade roofs sat in the open plains.

Many exquisitely dressed people lived in the villages nestled among the mountains. Although they did not go out of their way to cultivate, their cultivation realms still steadily rose, allowing them to enjoy long lifespans.

This was the most renowned sacred land for the human race in the Abyss—the Pure Land Sect.

Near the top of one of the steep mountain peaks was a wide cave.

Whoosh!

Sun Bin rushed in and sought an audience at the cave's entrance.

"Lord Crane!" he called.

There was no response from the tightly shut stone door.

"Lord Crane!" Sun Bin persisted.

The white crane reluctantly flapped its wings and opened the sealed stone door.

"How annoying!" It looked impatient as it stared at Sun Bin with cold eyes. "My master hasn't returned yet. She went somewhere to undergo trials, and only the Sect Master of the Pure Land Sect knows where.

"You've been coming here non-stop and without reason for the past six months. What exactly do you want?

"If it weren't for you finding my master in the lower worlds, I would've killed you already!" The white crane fumed.

Sun Bin entered the cave, clasped his hands in greeting, and shot the white crane a flattering smile. "Lord Crane, I've been busy gathering information and I learned some astonishing news! The one you mentioned died in Absolute Heaven, Pang Jian, is alive!"

"What?" The white crane was taken aback. "I saw a group of powerful foreign races surrounding them before I left. Some of those foreign races were in Rank Seven! I thought they were doomed, but it seems they were fortunate!"

"Li Zhaotian of the Sword Pavilion took Pang Jian in as a personal disciple. Pang Jian is also the same one you previously called Luo Yuan." Sun Bin's expression turned strange as he took a deep breath. "He comes from Northern Qi in the Fourth World. Specifically, from a place called the Solitary Mountain Range, where he was once a hunter!"

"What's strange about that?" the white crane asked curiously.

Sun Bin's expression was serious. "Lord Crane, do you know the true name of your master?"

"Pang Lin, why?" The white crane responded, puzzled.

Sun Bin's body trembled as he said in a low voice, "She, like Pang Jian, also comes from the Solitary Mountain Range of the Fourth World! I brought her to the Pure Land Sect after seeing she had a natural lightning vortex."

"I know you brought her here. Do you think I'd pay you any attention otherwise?" The white crane huffed. "Pang Jian, Pang Lin, are they from the same village?"

"Not from the same village; he's your master's biological brother!" Sun Bin exclaimed.

"Bio-biological brother?!" The white crane froze. Then, snapping out of its momentary daze, it shrieked, "He never told me! He didn't mention it when he learned my master's name in Cloud Lightning!

"Damn it! He knew from the very beginning!

"I can't believe he's my master's bio-biological brother! I—" The white crane stammered.

At that moment, it finally understood why Pang Jian had spared it back on Cloud Lightning.

It turned out its master was Pang Jian's sister!

"Where is he? I need to find him right now! I want to clarify the situation!" The white crane screeched, preparing to leave.

Sun Bin quickly blocked its path. "Lord Crane! Let's wait for your master to return so we can inform her of this news!

"Also, I believe we should keep their relationship a secret! The Pure Land Sect has intentionally concealed your master's name, origin, and background.

"The sect doesn't want the ancient Thunder from the Dragon Lair Sect to find out about your master too soon!

"Lord Crane, please calm down!"