Trials of the Abyss

Blood streamed from the Five-Clawed Gold Dragon's wounds like a torrential downpour.

Pang Jian continued to unleash blinding streaks of sword light as he appeared and disappeared unpredictably, making it impossible for the severely injured Long Zhan to track his movements.

Gruesome gashes accrued on the Five-Clawed Gold Dragon's massive body.

"His blood is also a treasure!" the Ice Armor Eel Dragon roared as he spewed icy breath.

Chilling storms formed below Long Zhan's colossal frame, capturing the golden blood as it spilled.

The White Lynx on one of the Ice Armor Eel Dragon's horns transformed into her human form.

She brushed her hair away from her delicate face, dark eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

"The Five-Clawed Gold Dragon that the Fey Race so fears is about to meet his end in the bizarre mist.

"He carried out bloody atrocities on behalf of the Dragon Lair Sect.

"The Fey Kings and Great Feys on the Sacred Soul Continent were forced to live under his shadow, cowed by his ruthless tyranny.

"Long Zhan!" she called, voice raising as she channeled years of pent-up frustration and resentment into her words. "You had it coming!"

Long Zhan was drenched in blood, golden scales cracked and torn apart. The sight of the Ice Armor Eel Dragon told him that his end was near.

With a furious roar, he bellowed, "If I die, you'll all face the wrath of the Dragon Lair Sect!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Some of his treasures plundered over the years exploded in flashes of dazzling light beneath his belly and his beating heart ignited with golden flames.

"He's trying to destroy his heart and erase his bloodline mysteries!" the Ice Armor Eel Dragon shrieked, ignoring Pang Jian's ongoing sword strikes as he breathed out an icy storm.

"I want his soul," the Bee Sovereign declared.

A streak of golden light flashed as he pierced Long Zhan's head in search of the Rank Nine Five-Clawed Gold Dragon's soul.

"I want his horns and claws," Pang Jian added.

As the Ice Armor Eel Dragon's icy storm engulfed Long Zhan, Pang Jian swung the Abyssal Demon Sword, aiming for one of his golden horns.

Clang!

A burst of golden light flared as the Abyssal Demon Sword was deflected. It did not pierce through Long Zhan's horn but ended up embedded in Long Zhan's forehead instead.

He has to die for his horns to lose their bloodline protection. Once that happens, I can refine it with this sword, the Abyssal Demon Sword excitedly transmitted. ꞦåɴŏBЕŚ

"A Rank Nine Five-Clawed Gold Dragon's heart cannot be allowed to be destroyed!" the Ice Armor Eel Dragon howled, pouring all of his power into the icy storm to prevent Long Zhan from burning away his heart.

In Long Zhan's mind, the Bee Sovereign's swarm of golden bees was gnawing away at a slender golden soul.

Bang!

Pang Jian swung the Abyssal Demon Sword once more and the blade finally sunk deep into one of the Five-Clawed Gold Dragon's horns.

Specks of golden light and dust streamed into the Abyssal Demon Sword, enhancing its sharpness and resilience.

The black jade of the Abyssal Demon Sword gradually gained a lustrous golden hue.

"Pang Jian!" Fan Ao's voice suddenly rang out, appearing on his golden platform soon after.

As Fan Ao's eyes darted between the lifeless Five-Clawed Gold Dragon and Pang Jian, his expression grew somewhat complicated.

Fearing Pang Jian would fail to kill Long Zhan, he ultimately returned instead of continuing his pursuit.

He simply could not shake his unease until he confirmed that Long Zhan was dead with his own eyes. Only after this threat had been eliminated could he focus on other matters.

A Rank Nine Ice Armor Eel Dragon, a Rank Nine White Lynx, and a golden-colored soul within Long Zhan's mind, and they're all clearly allied with Pang Jian, Fan Ao observed, finally understanding why Pang Jian had been so confident about killing Long Zhan.

"Pang Jian, who are these companions of yours?" Fan Ao asked.

His appearance visibly startled those feasting on the Five-Clawed Gold Dragon.

The Ice Armor Eel Dragon had already plunged his shrunken claw into the Five-Clawed Gold Dragon's abdomen and clutched Long Zhan's heart firmly in his grasp.

Fearing that Fan Ao had come to claim Long Zhan's corpse, the Ice Armor Eel Dragon growled warily, "This is an internal matter of the Dragon Race! You have no right to interfere as a True God of the human race!"

"They're my friends," Pang Jian replied seriously.

Fan Ao nodded simply.

"I'll take one horn out of the bizarre mist. A horn from a Rank Nine Five-Clawed Gold Dragon will strengthen my artifact.

"If the ancient Thunder Dragon senses Long Zhan's aura on me, he'll think I killed him in the bizarre mist.

"Li Zhaotian has yet to advance to the True God Realm and the Sword Pavilion cannot withstand the Dragon Lair Sect's wrath as things stand now. I'll bear the responsibility for Long Zhan's death."

Fan Ao then summoned the "Monad" character and used it to slice off one of Long Zhan's horns along with part of his scalp.

As he set the horn down on his golden platform, he let out a rare smile.

"I'll pretend I never saw your friends."

Whoosh!

With that, the golden platform vanished into the distance.

A sense of relief filled the True God.

The pressure he felt from the Dragon Lair Sect's demands lifted from his shoulders.

He had eliminated a significant threat to the future of the human race. After this, the other True Gods could also no longer pin their hopes on the Five-Clawed Gold Dragon.

It did not matter if Fan Ao had to fight a Rank Ten foreign race warrior from the Fifth World to the death or face the enraged ancient Thunder Dragon's wrath. At least now he could say that he had no regrets.

***

A sorrowful wail echoed from the depths of the Dragon Lair Sect, reverberating across the entire Sacred Soul Continent.

The black turtle, still in his human form, had been resting in his wooden hut crafted from withered branches when the sound roused him.

"What could've happened to make that old bastard so heartbroken? Did a dragon he deeply valued perish?"

The black turtle knew the ancient Thunder Dragon well.

Only the death of an exceptional descendant could have driven the ancient Thunder Dragon to such grief.

Meanwhile, in a resplendent golden palace, a Rank Eight Ice Dragon in human form had been entertaining Yuan Qi.

The two had been engaged in a cordial discussion for some time, and the Ice Dragon was just about to see Yuan Qi off when the mournful wail echoed.

The Ice Dragon's body trembled uncontrollably and his expression changed drastically.

"Long Zhan—Long Zhan has died!"

Many dragons also wailed in anguish throughout the Dragon Lair Sect, overcome with grief and fury at Long Zhan's death.

"The sharpest blade of our Dragon Lair Sect has died outside the Sacred Soul Continent! Our Ancestor has sensed his death!"

"Our Ancestor allowed only six Fey Kings to compete for the position of Fey God instead of eight to pave the way for Long Zhan!"

"This position of Fey God was part of our Ancestor's meticulous efforts to ensure Long Zhan's ascension!"

The dragons cried in despair.

However, joy could also be found between the sorrow.

The Four-Eyed Spirit Fox, the Frostfeather Drake, and the Rock Bear rejoiced at the confirmation that the terrifying Five-Clawed Gold Dragon had perished.

Their exuberance was unrestrained.

"Elder Bear, shall we begin our battle?" asked the Rank Nine Ice Crystal Beast.

"Let's fight," the Rock Bear agreed, fighting spirit blazing. "This is my only chance at survival. I won't hold back."

"Please, Elder Bear, fight with everything you have!"

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