Trials of the Abyss

Pang Jian leaned against the window of his room on the third floor, expression calm as he absorbed what he had overheard from Fang Boxuan.

The genius of the Blood Moon Sect elite turned out to have an unexpected background.

He's the young master of the Fang Clan in the Second World?

Pang Jian recalled how Fang Boxuan persuaded everyone not to seek revenge against the Demon Sect after the Demon Incursion Ship toyed with Zhao Yuanqi's Scarlet Dawn Boat.

He also repeatedly reminded everyone that the Demon Sect was the strongest sect in the Second World.

The Fang Clan had once served the Demon Sect and had been the foremost great clan in the Second World, only to be met with a catastrophic end simply because they did not comply with the Demon Sect's orders.

Pang Jian was perplexed.

Fang Boxuan is a victim. He should hate the Demon Sect to the core. So why did he advise everyone to remain calm?

Does he just not want the Demon Sect to notice him? Is he so afraid he doesn't even dare to think of revenge?

Time continued to pass on the motionless Sword Boat.

Everyone held out hope for another group or some other intelligent being to arrive.

They yearned for someone to come and pull them out of the endless bizarre mist.

Even the banner that had released countless green ants would bring them joy and excitement at this point.

The unchanging situation left everyone restless and struggling to endure for what felt like an eternity.

Despite this, there was no sign of the situation changing.

The flame of hope in everyone's hearts slowly died out with the flow of time.

Eventually, everyone lost the will to cultivate, expressions dazed as they stared blankly into the ever-present bizarre mist.

Pang Jian no longer pondered over the Chaos Sword Technique. He merely maintained his protective shield and silently observed the myriad human emotions that passed through those on the Sword Boat.

One day, an outer disciple of the Sword Pavilion broke down, having had enough of the prolonged fear and despair.

"I can't wait for a miracle anymore. I don't want to end up like Wang Ji, succumbing to the bizarre mist when my spirit jades run out," he screamed madly from the deck.

Splurt!

He slit his own throat with his spirit sword and fell dead to the ground.

The wave of despair from his suicide spread quickly.

Everyone watched as his flesh decomposed and his bones crumbled into dust, becoming part of the bizarre mist.

An outer disciple of the Black Valley Sect approached his junior sister.

"Wang Xin, before I die, I want to..." he trailed off hopefully, no longer able to suppress his feelings. "I'm an outer disciple, and you're an inner disciple. Your master has always disapproved of us.

"I don't have many spirit jades left. I doubt I can last more than a few days. Wang Xin, if you're willing, we could..."

He looked nervously at his beloved.

The petite female disciple from Black Valley Sect bit her lip, tears welling up as she nodded gently. "I'm willing."

The two then went hand-in-hand to the first floor of the Sword Boat and found an empty room to consummate their feelings.

An outer disciple of the Sword Pavilion summoned his spirit sword and pointed it at his fellow disciple. "Zhao Liqun! I've tolerated you for a long time! My Phantom Cloud Sword developed problems after you borrowed it for a few days! You despicable scoundrel, I almost died in a beast hunt because of that!" ＲἁŊꝋᛒЁŠ

Zhao Liqun sneered, "You and I both had a chance to be promoted to inner disciples in the next test. You were my biggest competitor. It was only natural for me to want you dead."

"Haha! Zhao Liqun, we're all going to die anyway, but at the very least, I can make sure you die before me!"

The two disciples from the Sword Pavilion dueled on the large deck.

Qi Qingsong watched on with a dark look on his face.

They each shattered the other's protective shields in a blinding show of sword light, and the strange forces in the bizarre mist tainted them at almost the same time.

Their flesh corroded and their blood-stained bones turned to powder before blowing away.

Qi Qingsong remained silent throughout.

At a time when no hope was in sight, order had little meaning.

He could not restrain those resigned to fate and those who sought death.

His words held no meaning to those determined to die.

Bang!

A beautiful female outer disciple from the Black Valley Sect had been leaning against an inner disciple when she abruptly struck him with a fatal blow that caved his chest in.

The tan, short, and ugly inner disciple could hardly believe it.

Pointing his finger at her, he asked, "Why?"

Ptui!

The female disciple spat at the inner disciple and stepped away from his dimming pale blue protective shield.

"If not for you giving me pills now and then and teaching me cultivation techniques, I would never have served someone as disgusting as you!" she snapped. "Take a good look at yourself. Did you really think I would love you and serve you willingly?"

Her expression darkened and she laughed maniacally.

"Liu Hai, I've avenged you. Back then, you were killed by Fan Qi's schemes. I knew I wasn't his match, so I pretended not to know and endured. But today, I finally killed him!"

After confirming the inner disciple named Fan Qi had truly died, the female disciple let out a relieved laugh and ended her own life.

Despair spread like an infection.

Similar incidents occurred frequently on the Sword Boat as negative emotions fermented and brewed.

Everyone soon became numb to it.

"Life is ever-changing, but the human heart is full of unpredictability and deceit," Zhou Qingchen said as he joined Pang Jian by the window. After a moment of reflection, he said, "Pang Jian, I'm running low on spirit jades."

Pang Jian hummed in acknowledgment.

Taking out half of his own spirit jades, he handed them to Zhou Qingchen.

A complex mixture of emotions welled up within him.

He felt like he had witnessed the full complexity of the human heart during this time on the Sword Boat.

The actions of the desperate could no longer surprise him.

In fact, they were almost expected.

Through a void rift in Cloud Lightning, Pang Jian had seen a mighty, lion-and-tiger-like mysterious creature go berserk upon sensing a precise coordinate of the Abyss.

He now understood the fervent hope and sense of urgency in that being's heart.

It was not until he found himself lost in the bizarre mist that he truly grasped how excruciatingly unbearable it was to endure in such an endless, hopeless environment.

Death would indeed be a release.

They had nothing to do but watch their spirit jades dwindle and see those around them disintegrate into nothingness when they succumbed to the bizarre mist.

For those with weak willpower, this was a slow, torturous assault on the heart and soul more terrifying than death.

Pang Jian did not know how long they had been trapped in the bizarre mist.

The people on the Sword Boat were already showing their ugliest sides. The dark corners of everyone's hearts surged to the surface.

How many years did that mysterious creature drift in the bizarre mist? he wondered. How long did it endure such torment?

That creature did not even have a single intelligent being to talk to.

However, even with its flesh corroded to only a skeleton, it still fought to survive.

The strong remain strong because of their unwavering will and their refusal to give up, Pang Jian realized.

He viewed this situation as a trial to temper his heart and strengthen his will.

Steeling his resolve, he prepared himself to never give up, even if he was standing at death's door.

After some more time had passed, Pang Jian left his room to find Qi Qingsong. He found him sitting listlessly on the third-floor balcony.

"We should collect and distribute the belongings of the deceased that still contain spiritual power," Pang Jian suggested. "We can prioritize those with no spirit jades left, so long as they're still holding out hope and are willing to keep waiting."

Qi Qingsong was startled. "You still haven't given up?"

"As long as we're alive, there's still hope."

"I..."

A ripple of emotion stirred in Qi Qingsong's otherwise calm heart.

The ripple grew, and a light filled his previously dull eyes.

"Alright, I'll take command and handle the distribution!"

Qi Qingsong flew down from the third-floor balcony of the Sword Boat and collected the belongings left by the disintegrated bodies.

He tried to rally everyone with words of encouragement, loudly urging everyone to keep holding on and not to give up.

Not many truly listened.

Most stared at him with blank eyes.

Although they were still breathing, a lifeless grayness clouded their gaze.

They no longer had the heart, willpower, or desire to survive and did not respond regardless of what Qi Qingsong said to them.

They simply sat on the deck in a daze, body numb as they mechanically gripped spirit jades in their palms and absorbed the spiritual power within.

Once the spiritual power in the spirit jades ran out, they would take out another spirit jade or two and repeat the process.

When they ran out of spirit jades, they would let their protective shields disappear and allow themselves to become part of the bizarre mist.

They were still alive, but they acted like they were already dead.

"It's useless. Nothing you say will get through to them. I don't think they can even hear you anymore because they've already given up," the silver-haired Zhao Yuanqi said to Qi Qingsong, sitting wearily on the deck. "What people fear most is losing all hope.

"The only thing that'll rouse them is if this Sword Boat reaches Absolute Heaven or returns to the Abyss.

"If not, it doesn't matter what you say. It won't matter. They can't hear it. Perhaps they don't want to hear it." Zhao Yuanqi shook her head with a sigh.

Qi Qingsong was horrified.

As he stared at the living dead sitting there numbly, a profound fear surged within him.

He turned to look at Pang Jian on the balcony.

If Pang Jian hadn't come to find me and spoken to me—if Pang Jian hadn't helped me regain my faith and resolve, would I have become like those people? he wondered.

He could not remember how long he had been sitting idly, nor how long it had been since he last spoke before Pang Jian came looking for him.

Those needing to vent their negative emotions or settle old scores had done so already.

It had been a long time since there had been any conflict on the boat.

Although there were still a fair few survivors left on the Sword Boat, nobody had spoken in ages.

Everyone had eventually just…stopped.

Qi Qingsong himself had also grown numb, like one of those hopeless, living dead.

A sudden, overwhelming terror gripped his heart.

When he looked closely, he realized that those with life still in their eyes were indeed few.

"How could this be?"

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