Chapter 628: In the Beginning

Lately, Pang Jian contemplated a crucial question.

The Fey Race was naturally attuned to both spiritual qi and murky energy. The upper worlds had Fey Gods like Long Xiao and the Rock Bear, while the lower worlds had Fey Gods like the Nine-Headed Bird.

Long Xiao and the Rock Bear had ascended as Fey Gods using spiritual qi, and the divine seats they claimed likely bolstered the Fey Race.

The fallen Nine-Headed Bird and the Giant Abyssal Serpent, on the other hand, relied on a concentrated murky energy drawn from the darkness, similar to the foreign races' ascension to Rank Ten.

This revelation caused Pang Jian to reflect on his own situation.

Long ago, when he first stepped into Eight Trigrams City, his dantian had been drained of spiritual qi, forcing him to absorb the murky energy around him. That was when he discovered that murky energy could also serve as a viable power source.

In fact, murky energy had fueled his breakthrough into the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

At that time, he realized that murky energy was actually better suited for body refinement in the Marrow Cleansing Realm than spiritual qi.

Body refinement was a cycle of destruction and reconstruction, and murky energy possessed an extreme destructive force, making it a superior medium for tempering the body.

Li Yuqing had also mentioned that his Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea was innately attuned to the environment of the Fifth World.

If he remained in the Fifth World, abandoning spiritual qi to instead cultivate with murky energy, he would have likely achieved great success.

Similarly, the black turtle could likely purge all spiritual qi from his flesh, bones, and meridians, then temper his heart and body with murky energy. If so, he could perhaps even extract the concentrated murky energy from the darkness and ascend as a Fey God, much like the Giant Abyssal Serpent.

After all, the Rock Bear had already claimed dominion over the Dao of Earth in the upper worlds.

As long as the Rock Bear lived, the black turtle could never ascend as a Fey God through that Heavenly Dao.

For many human cultivators in the upper worlds, as well as the Fey Race, with their predetermined bloodline attributes, their paths to godhood were singular and exclusive.

The Rock Bear's bloodline was inherently tied to the Dao of Earth, leaving him with no choice but to ascend to godhood through that Heavenly Dao.

The singularity of spiritual qi prevented the black turtle from reclaiming his place among the Fey Gods through the same Heavenly Dao as the Rock Bear.

With Pang Ling in Rank Ten and the Giant Abyssal Serpent ascending to godhood, Pang Jian could not help but consider the black turtle's future as well. It was possible that there was another path for the black turtle to ascend to godhood.

"I don't know if it's possible, but I have no desire to descend into the lower worlds and temper my body with murky energy," the black turtle said, still in the form of a middle-aged man.

His aura was as imposing as a mountain. Standing on the frozen lake, his steady gaze seemed to conceal the weight of the heavens.

Pang Jian could feel the unseen burden the black turtle bore, a weight he could never put down.

The black turtle was the oldest living member of the Fey Race. Even Long Xiao, the Celestial Phoenix, and the Primordial Serpent had not lived as long as he had.

For ages, he had carried the Fey Race on his back, just as he now carried the Resolute Expanse.

"I remembered something." The black turtle narrowed his eyes, staring into the darkness beneath the frozen lake. "To ascend as a Fey God through murky energy is to sever all hope of ever leaving the Abyss.

"The barrier forbids anyone tainted by murky energy from passing through and leaving the Abyss," the black turtle said with quiet gravity as he glanced up at the sky of the First World.

Pang Jian was shaken to his core.

He had no reason to doubt the black turtle.

That meant Fey Gods like the Nine-Headed Bird, the Giant Abyssal Serpent, and most of the Rank Ten foreign race powerhouses in the Fifth World could never leave the Abyss!

"Long Xiao knows this as well," the black turtle continued calmly. "That's why every pure-blooded dragon from the Dragon Lair Sect has chosen to cleanse their bloodline and temper their hearts with spiritual qi.

"Why do you think Long Zhan, the most gifted Five-Clawed Gold Dragon, waited for Fan Ao to die? Why didn't he simply descend into the Fifth World and temper his heart with murky energy?

"If he were to ascend as a Rank Ten Dragon God in the Fifth World, Long Zhan would've spent his life in vain, never able to break through the barrier, forever losing the chance to leave the Abyss."

The skin on the black turtle's forehead tightened. A sharp pain emanated from behind his brow. It was a pain that came from his very soul.

Many of his memories remained sealed as he had yet to reclaim his place among the Fey Gods, and forcefully recalling them in advance left him in excruciating agony.

"Those who ascend to godhood through murky energy have to leave through the endless darkness below, but that path has yet to be proven viable. None who delve into the darkness have ever been seen again!"

Several of the fine blood vessels in his eyes burst. Blood trickled down his cheeks like tears as he panted violently, slowly sitting down onto the icy surface of the frozen lake.

Covering his eyes with both hands, he let out a low, hoarse roar, "I remember now!

"Long, long ago, only the First World was overflowing with spiritual qi. The other four worlds below were filled with murky energy.

"At that time, we, the Fey Race, were the rulers of the Abyss. All other beings were nothing more than mere prey to us.

"Our bloodlines and bodies were far better suited for tempering through murky energy!

"Back then, the powerful members of the Fey Race thrived in a world saturated with murky energy! Especially the Fifth World!

"The strongest of the Fey Race, with the most long-standing lineages, ruled over the Fifth World, where the murky energy was densest!

"In those days, Fey Gods only ever ascended using murky energy. They roamed freely across the Abyss as its undisputed masters.

"However, none of them could leave the Abyss. The barrier simply didn't allow it. They could see the sun, moon, and stars beyond, but could never reach them.

"Those who ventured into the depths of the eternal darkness were never seen again."

The black turtle clutched his face, blood seeping through the gaps between his fingers.

Pang Jian felt the violent surges in the black turtle's blood and sensed the turmoil in his soul.

"Stop forcing yourself to remember! Don't speak any further!" Pang Jian urged, alarmed.

The black turtle remained resolute. "I know more. Back then, the Fey Race in the First World had the lowest status.

"The Fey Gods' most severe punishment for members of the Fey Race was to exile them to the First World. They would be forbidden from descending to the lower worlds ever again, just as the foreign races in the Fifth World were not allowed to ascend to the upper worlds.

"Those Fey Race had no choice but to turn to spiritual qi to temper their bloodlines and bodies.

"Still, this process was slow, far slower than tempering one's body with murky energy. Their bloodline advancement was stunted, and their growth agonizingly inefficient.

"At the time, the spiritual qi in the First World was sparse, unlike today.

"It continued like this until-until—" The black turtle shuddered, breathing labored as the pain in his soul intensified. "Until, at long last, a Fey God was born in the First World!

"I can't remember who it was. I've forgotten everything about this Fey God, but I know they escaped!

"They carved a path to godhood in the First World of the Abyss, tempering their flesh, blood, and bones with spiritual qi. Their journey was far longer than any other Fey God, but they did it. They rose to godhood through an entirely new method."

"This Fey God was free from the constraints of the barrier, or at least, only lightly bound by it. In the end, they broke free and soared into the starry skies.

"This Fey God changed everything. They overturned the entire balance.

"Afterward, the most exceptional young members of the Fey Race were all sent to the First World. The mighty Fey Gods started forcing their descendants to walk the same arduous path.

"This path was slower, more perilous, and filled with obstacles, but it led to freedom!

"The ancient Fey Gods were forever trapped within the Abyss, but they still could not help but long for the starry skies beyond. Unable to leave themselves, they placed their hopes on the next generation.

"More and more Fey Race went to live in the First World, and the spiritual qi there gradually grew denser.

"As the years passed, more Fey Kings ascended to godhood using the spiritual qi of the First World, and an increasing number of Fey Gods broke free from the Abyss!

"The continents in the First World became saturated with the Fey Race, and the increasing amounts of spiritual qi even started flowing downward."

Blood seeped through the black turtle's fingers, staining his body as his exhausted, weary voice abruptly fell silent.

The black turtle then sank into the depths of the Resolute Expanse without another word.

The Resolute Expanse quaked as the black turtle shed his human form, reverting to his colossal turtle form and sinking into slumber deep underground.

His soul was gravely wounded.

Memories buried in the deepest recesses of his soul, memories that were supposed to have remained dormant until he ascended back to Rank Ten, had been forcibly unearthed.

This was far more than his soul could endure. The backlash struck him hard.

Even though he knew the agony and cost of digging up these sealed memories, he had to speak.

He refused to descend into the Fifth World and temper his body with the murky energy. He would not become like the Fey Gods of old, forever losing the chance to leave the Abyss.

Even so, with the Rock Bear occupying the Dao of Earth, it was impossible for the black turtle to ascend to godhood.

Caught between two impossible paths, the only way to analyze the secrets of both spiritual qi and the murky energy was to endure the backlash and suffer unbearable wounds to force out his memories.

Gravely injured, he now slipped into slumber, uncertain of when he would awaken again.

Pang Jian stood motionless on the frozen lake.

He and the black turtle had chosen this lake for the Giant Abyssal Serpent's ascension because it was in a secluded corner of the Frozen Land.

After deciding on the location, the black turtle, harmonizing with the Resolute Expanse, erected protective barriers around the lake.

Ashen-white frigid mist shrouded the frozen lake's perimeter, making it difficult for the Ice Race and the others on the Resolute Expanse to approach.

This was for security and to prevent any leaks of information.

The black turtle's meticulous preparations had concealed Pang Jian's return, allowing him to remain undetected even as he stood out on the icy lake.

In this quiet solitude, Pang Jian carefully pieced together the monumental revelations the black turtle had imparted.

One fact in particular stood out among the memories the black turtle had unearthed. At some point in the history of the Abyss, only the First World had been filled with spiritual qi, and even then, it was sparse.

Could the entire Abyss have been filled solely with murky energy in the past? Perhaps in a time so distant even the black turtle knows nothing of it?

When did spiritual qi first appear? How did it come into existence? Why could it only be found in the upper worlds of the Abyss?

The connection between spiritual qi and the barrier is undeniable.

If the Fifth World has the densest murky energy, does that mean an entirely different kind of barrier could exist at the bottom of the Abyss?

Perhaps the strange energy that fuels the ascension of the foreign races and the ancient Fey Gods is brewed from the depths below, waiting for those with the strongest bloodline ranks to absorb it.

Pang Jian had countless questions and theories, but no way to answer them.

The truth would remain out of reach until somebody ventured into the eternal darkness below and explored its depths.

However, not a single powerhouse of the Abyss had ever returned after such a journey.

The black turtle would rather wait indefinitely than temper his heart with murky energy. That path seemed like a road to certain doom, and he refused to abandon the hope of one day leaving the Abyss.

At that moment, Pang Jian recalled the ancient demonic script etched in the skeleton of a Rank Ten Frost Dragon on the Fey Spirit Continent, one which Zi Mo had deliberately tried to conceal from them.

The true path for all beings in this world lies beneath the Fifth World, in the darkness beneath the darkness.

As a Sovereign, Luo Hongyan had never cared for the survival of the human race.

She had primarily remained in the Fifth World throughout the conflict.

Pang Jian had previously sealed the Primordial Demon within the Heaven-Earth Cosmos Chest, only for it to mysteriously disappear.

When Luo Hongyan discovered this, she decisively plunged into the darkness below the Fifth World.

It seemed the divine beings beyond the Abyss all held a vested interest in that darkness and the secrets within its depths.

If that ancient demonic script is true, ascending to godhood through murky energy isn't necessarily a dead end.

Pang Jian stared at the darkness swirling within the frozen lake, deep in thought.

Murky energy churned in unrelenting waves beneath the ice.

After a long contemplation, Pang Jian slowly crouched down, pressed his palm against the icy surface of the frozen lake, and attempted to draw forth the murky energy from below.

He knew spiritual qi and murky energy were inherently incompatible within his dantian.

Whenever the two forces clashed, they ignited a violent reaction, one powerful enough to shatter his dantian or destroy his body in the blink of an eye.

Not long ago, when he descended into the Fourth World with his Immortal Divine Soul, he had once again experienced the corrosive properties of murky energy.

Pang Jian had been forced to summon a protective shield to prevent the murky energy from invading his Immortal Divine Soul.

At this moment, his Immortal Divine Soul was soaring through the bizarre mist, racing toward You Kui's hiding place.

The Fortune in his Immortal Divine Soul had reacted negatively to murky energy.

His physical body, stripped of both Fortune and divine soul, had already absorbed murky energy multiple times. Moreover, the spiritual qi in his spiritual sea had long since been refined into crystalline form, manifesting as a fragmented land in his dantian.

Thus, even if the murky energy surged into his dantian, it would not necessarily come into direct contact with the crystallized spiritual qi.

Pang Jian believed he could prevent the two forces from meeting.

Murky energy flowed like a turbid stream into his palm, following his meridians into his dantian.

Unexpectedly, the murky energy surfaced within the darkness beneath the greenish-black sea of demonic energy!

This darkness had formed when he slaughtered the Outer God Dark Bat and devoured it through the Primeval Demon Fusion Art.

Murky energy emerged from the darkness at the deepest depths of his dantian. It was like a reflection of the Abyss itself.

In response to Pang Jian's will, the murky energy rose from the depths of his dantian.