Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 260: Teaching

An Outer God? Which one? Pang Jian asked in surprise.

The black turtle informed Pang Jian that the arachnid Outer God was wandering in the sea of massive boulders above the Resolute Expanse.

It also mentioned that it would need time to prepare and could require Pang Jian's assistance once ready to take action.

Understood, Pang Jian agreed without hesitation.

After severing the connection, he wondered, The arachnid Outer God is in the sea of massive boulders near the ruins of the Celestial Phoenix—what could it be planning?

Pang Jian then realized his perspective had been visible to the black turtle in Spirit Offering. Back then, he had established a connection to it, intending to send Zhou Qingchen and the others to the Resolute Expanse when the situation was dire.

The black turtle had seen the Outer Gods surrounding them and thus knew to refer to the creature with the face of a human and the body of a spider as an Outer God.

***

Two days later, Pang Jian was meditating in his room, once again focusing on mastering his divine sense.

Ding!

His sword token rang, and Pang Jian gripped it uneasily as he prepared to listen to whatever bizarre words his eccentric master had to say.

Pang Jian had mixed feelings toward his unpredictable master. On one hand, he admired his incredible abilities, but on the other, he was wary of the unorthodox nature of his teachings.

Li Zhaotian's booming laughter came from the sword token.

"Pang Jian, channel your spiritual power into the sword token and pay close attention to what I'm going to show you!"

Here we go again. Pang Jian sighed to himself before obediently following the instruction.

He could not shake the feeling that his master was actually rather unreliable.

Although Li Yuqing had expressed praise and admiration for the Pavilion Master, Pang Jian could not help but suspect it was because of the close ties between the Divine Treasure Sect's Li Family and the Sword Pavilion, with Li Yuqing herself also wielding a massive silver sword.

Pang Jian channeled his spiritual energy into the sword token.

Whoosh!

His spiritual power coalesced into a shallow pool within the miniature world inside the sword token.

Tiny stars shimmered above the pool, alongside a thumbnail-sized sun and moon. Within the pool lay a piece of an ice crystal, a flickering flame, and a swirling vortex of lightning.

Pang Jian's Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea had been meticulously replicated within the world of the sword token!

As Pang Jian focused his consciousness within the world of the sword token, he felt like he was gazing directly into his own Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea.

The only difference was the large, imposing man in a blue robe sitting above the pool of spiritual power.

"My dear disciple, after pondering for a few days, I've realized the existing sword techniques in the Sword Pavilion don't quite align with your Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea. So, I've created a new sword technique tailored just for you!

"This sword technique is uniquely suited to you and will become the foundation of your future path!"

With that, the manifestation of Li Zhaotian's soul started to expand the small world within the sword token, shaping its inner space.

Bringing his two fingers together, he drew in the powers of the sun, moon, stars, ice, earthflame, and lightning. These energies swirled around his fingertips, forming an intricate sword intent as a gleaming sword light extended outward.

"The sword technique I've created for you is called the Chaos Sword Technique. When you advance to the Immortal Realm in the future, you will ascend to godhood through the Dao of Chaos.

"After much deliberation, I've concluded that chaos is the foundation of your Dao.

"Watch this..."

Hiss!

Li Zhaotian twirled his two fingers. One fingertip held a sword light formed from cold energy, while the other had one formed from earthflame energy.

The two incompatible forces of ice and fire slithered side by side like two serpents, before suddenly tangling together.

Boom!

The entangled sword lights exploded in a devastating burst of destructive force.

"That's not all."

Li Zhaotian then demonstrated the violent detonation of solar and lunar energy colliding, as well as the explosion fusion of cold and solar energy.

"Your Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea can hold incompatible energies and keep them stable within your spiritual sea.

"When you combine energies that naturally harmonize, you achieve decent power. But the resulting impact and destructive power of forcibly merging opposing forces is far more terrifying!

"My disciple, I want you to comprehend the Chaos Sword Technique so you can reveal the other side of your Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea.

"This method of forcibly melding incompatible energies, in defiance of the natural order, will be the path of your future Dao!"

Li Zhaotian stood up and swung his sword.

His sword movements were grand and sweeping, exuding an imposing aura that was sometimes as unshakable as a mountain, and at other times, seemingly sharp enough to split the heavens with a single strike.

Despite his bulky form, Li Zhaotian's movements were fluid and natural.

"The Dao of Sword is a Heavenly Dao. To comprehend a Dao of Sword is to grasp a facet of the Heavenly Dao," Li Zhaotian casually explained as he unleashed sword strikes.

The energies stored in Pang Jian's Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea were represented in each strike, blending with chaotic, violent, and reality-warping sword techniques Pang Jian could never have imagined.

The combination of incompatible energies created explosive power that tore through the very fabric of space.

"So it can be done like this..."

Pang Jian was amazed, having never considered using the energies within him in such a manner.

When fusing energies, he had always been cautious to avoid any contact between conflicting ones.

His usual combat style involved merging compatible energies like solar energy, earthflame energy, and lightning, or combining cold energy, lunar energy, stellar energy, and lightning into a single attack.

This strategy had given him an edge over most cultivators at his level.

However, the Pavilion Master of the Pavilion Sect had devised an entirely new combat technique for him after just a few days!

"Take your time to study it. There's no rush," said the manifestation of Li Zhaotian's soul before disappearing.

Although his soul had disappeared, afterimages of Li Zhaotian remained within the small world of the sword token, endlessly demonstrating the Chaos Sword Technique.

Hiss!

Boom!

Bang!

Although there were initially around a dozen or so afterimages and sword lights embodying the essence of chaos, they gradually multiplied.

As new radiant sword lights appeared, the small world within the sword token expanded.

Though Li Zhaotian's soul had vanished, the sword intent and sword light he had left behind generated an ever-increasing number of variations.

Pang Jian was astonished.

The Immortal Realm! Is his sword intent and sword light eternal and indestructible?

For the following days, Pang Jian focused on studying the Chaos Sword Technique within the sword token.

Every few hours, he would emerge mentally exhausted, with his divine sense weakened and thinned. Comprehending the Chaos Sword Technique was even more draining than communicating with the Giant Abyssal Serpent in the Fifth World.

Each time, he consumed a Soul Nourishing Pill to recover.

The Dao of Chaos is indeed the one best suited for me. It'll be the key to my future ascension into godhood.

Pang Jian enthusiastically delved deeper into his studies.

Over time, the small world within the sword token expanded, eventually housing thousands of Li Zhaotian's afterimages!

The rotund men in blue robes continuously developed new sword techniques according to the Dao of Chaos.

Tens of thousands of sword lights crisscrossed like webs of lightning, flowing like rivers and filling the sky within the sword token. Every inch of space was saturated with sword intent.

Some sword lights contained cold and earthflame energies, while others blended solar and earthflame energies, or lightning and cold energy. Some even combined stellar energy, earthflame, and cold energy.

Endless combinations manifested within the sword lights, with only a few managing to merge harmoniously.

Most of the sword lights exploded at some point, unleashing the destructive power born from the chaotic collision of incompatible energies.

When sword lights exploded, Li Zhaotian's afterimages reformed new ones.

Although the real Li Zhaotian was elsewhere, he had the power to supply a constant stream of energy to the sword token's world, allowing the afterimages to endlessly develop the sword techniques.

It seemed even the passage of time or the collapse of worlds would not erase his presence.

But Pang Jian finally reached his limit.

Once he ran out of Soul Nourishing Pills, his final attempt to comprehend the Chaos Sword Technique ended with him falling into a deep sleep.

He slept for an entire day and night.

He only woke up when someone shook him.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Zhou Qingchen's clean-shaven face.

"Big Brother Zhou..."

Pang Jian's head spun and his mind was still filled with the afterimages of sword light. Clenching his fist, he realized the sword token was still gripped tightly in his hand.

Focusing on Zhou Qingchen, he asked, "Why are you here?"

"The Red Mountain Sect's new Scarlet Dawn Boat has arrived. We wanted to ask where you plan to go next." Zhou Qingchen frowned at him. "I knocked on your door for ages, but you didn't respond, so I had to break in. I never expected that you'd be out cold like that!"

Jiang Li and Han Duping were also in the room, looking at him with puzzled expressions.

"Little Brother Pang, if it weren't for the fact that you live alone, I'd have thought you were up to something shady!" Han Duping teased suggestively.

"Enough nonsense!" Jiang Li's face flushed.

Three days ago, Han Duping had been looking for Zhou Qingchen, but could not find him in his room. So, he started shouting in the courtyard, and before long, he saw Zhou Qingchen leaving Jiang Li's room.

Pang Jian rubbed his temples.

"I'm fine, just drained from trying to control my divine sense."

He was eager to head to the shops in Snow Peak City to purchase more Soul Nourishing Pills so he could continue studying the Chaos Sword Technique.

Boom!

A loud explosion came from outside the estate where they were staying.