Chapter 479: Cataclysmic Apocalypse
The sky above was dark and the ground below was silent.
The mountain-like purple demonic stone emanated a greenish-black radiance, which grew increasingly dense and oppressive over time.
Pang Jian stood near the foot of the demonic stone and bathed in its radiance. It felt like he was submerged in an endless ocean.
As he stared motionlessly at the demonic stone, he noticed the demonic energy radiating from the stone was starting to drift outward like a smoky haze.
The dense demonic energy appeared to be seeping through the shimmering barrier enclosing the Demon Abyss, into the outside world.
A chill ran down Pang Jian's spine.
Demonic energy could twist hearts and tempt people toward evil. It had been confined to the Demon Abyss to spare the inhabitants of the Demon Abyss Continent from its corrupting influence.
This was the reason only those prepared to withstand its temptations were permitted to enter the Demon Abyss to cultivate.
However, even with such restrictions, cultivators often fell into madness and succumbed to the wicked thoughts in their hearts while in the Demon Abyss.
Even cultivators skilled in controlling their inner desires were still susceptible to the demonic stone's corrupting influence.
It would be catastrophic if the demonic energy had truly spread throughout the Demon Abyss Continent, corrupting cultivators of smaller sects and non-cultivators in the cities.
Pang Jian could not help but imagine the Demon Abyss Continent descending into utter chaos.
As he wavered over how to awaken Wu Yuan and the Abyssal Demon in the black-gold sword, the towering purple demonic stone suddenly trembled.
Boom!
The purple demonic stone transformed into a purple abyss capable of devouring the souls of all living beings!
It unleashed an indescribable, terrifying pull that targeted only the soul!
The enormous golden divine soul hovering in Pang Jian's sea of consciousness was caught in the demonic stone's pull.
His golden divine soul struggled uncontrollably against the force drawing it out of his sea of consciousness and into the demonic stone.
If Pang Jian's divine soul left his body, he would become like Xuan Ying and Wu Yuan, an empty husk devoid of a soul.
Stop!
Pang Jian mustered all his strength, stirring his dantian and setting his Providence Mystic Reservoir Acupoint into a boiling surge.
He encased his body with layer after layer of energy and relied on his indomitable willpower to endure.
Even then, he struggled tirelessly against the boundlessly evil demonic stone.
His golden divine soul felt as though invisible threads bound it, dragging it violently toward the edge of his sea of consciousness.
Pang Jian's entire being became focused on his golden divine soul.
In his mind, he visualized his golden divine soul as a majestic mountain tens of thousands of zhang tall, firmly rooted within his sea of consciousness with an immovable force anchoring it down.
Whoosh!
His divine soul transformed into a towering golden mountain, radiating three thousand blinding rays of golden light imbued with abundant divine consciousness.
Each ray of golden light seemed to embody the Heavenly Daos and was imprinted with profound esoteric techniques.
Pang Jian's veins bulged and his expression twisted as he let out pained roars.
Blood streamed from his seven orifices, streaking down his face and neck like slender snakes of red.
At that moment, Pang Jian made for a truly fearsome sight.
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Even the divine consciousness in Moon God Ying Yue's vessel was drawn away!
Pang Jian poured all his strength into steadying his will and spirit, using every fiber of his being to resist the soul-devouring pull of the demonic stone.
Just as Pang Jian felt his endurance reaching its limit and his willpower nearing exhaustion, the soul-devouring pull emanating from the demonic stone abruptly weakened.
Pang Jian gasped desperately for air. The unexpected respite caused him to choke on the blood and spittle in his mouth.
He coughed up uncontrollably, hacking up blood, some of which he swallowed back down.
Forcing himself to calm down, Pang Jian wiped the blood from his face, hastily retrieved a Soul Enriching Pill and a Great Blood Enhancing Pill from his spatial ring, and swallowed them without hesitation.
Rubbing his eyes to clear away the blood, he fixed his gaze on the enormous demonic stone once again.
Divine souls and incomplete souls alike flocked toward the demonic stone like birds returning to their nests.
This demonic stone had been on the continent for many years. Many cultivators entered the Demon Abyss to temper their hearts.
Unfortunately, it appeared this tremor had widespread effects, and even those scattered far from the demonic stone also had their souls forcibly pulled away.
The Demon Abyss was likely filled with living corpses, souls all drawn away from their seas of consciousness.
Xuan Ying, Wu Yuan, and the others had likely been caught in an initial weaker wave of the demonic stone's soul-devouring pull and had failed to resist it.
As a result, their souls had been drawn away, leaving only their bodies behind.
The tremor that Pang Jian had experienced was probably the second wave. Its effects rippled throughout the entire Demon Abyss, stripping the souls of all those within.
There was a first and a second wave, so does that mean there'll be a third?
The soul-devouring pull of a third wave could affect the Demon Abyss Continent beyond the Demon Abyss.
This realization sent chills down Pang Jian's spine.
His unique divine soul had barely withstood the second wave, and even then, he was left in a wretched state, nearly failing to hold on.
If even he struggled to this extent, it was unlikely that many others could endure the soul-devouring pull either.
The changes in the Demon Abyss and the anomaly of the demonic stone are beyond my ability to handle!
Pang Jian glanced at Wu Yuan's motionless body and the soulless black-gold sword as he anxiously weighed his options.
The Abyssal Demon was once a Demon God. Perhaps he could break free from the demonic stone on his own.
If I were to take this sword away, he would have no vessel to return to.
The demonic stone acknowledged Wu Yuan. He even cultivated the Demon Stone Art.
They'll likely awaken on their own when their souls return to their body or vessel.
After mulling it over, Pang Jian tossed the sword scabbard next to the Abyssal Demon Sword as a sign that he had been here.
He then raised his head to peer up at the sky.
Those entering the Demon Abyss typically started from the edges, gradually approaching the demonic stone to acclimate themselves to the intensifying pressure of demonic energy.
Naturally, leaving was far simpler, especially since demonic energy no longer affected him.
Whoosh!
Pang Jian stood the Heart of Winter and ascended from the center of the Demon Abyss like an icy star, effortlessly crossing the greenish-black barrier and returning to the world beyond.
The sight that greeted him left him stunned.
The world outside was eerily similar to the Demon Abyss. A greenish-black curtain of demonic energy covered the sky, obscuring the sun, stars, and moon.
A demonic canopy had enclosed the Demon Abyss Continent of the Second World.
Pang Jian hovered in the air, using his divine sense to survey the continent below.
Invisible demonic energy radiated from the greenish-black barrier of the Demon Abyss, silently corrupting the spiritual qi of heaven and earth on the continent.
The spiritual qi within a radius of millions of li around the Demon Abyss had already transformed into demonic energy.
The corruption was spreading. It would eventually engulf the entire continent.
At this rate, the Demon Abyss Continent of the Second World would soon be devoid of spiritual qi.
In its place would be demonic energy typically found only in the starry skies.
If that happened, the Demon Abyss Continent would truly live up to its name, becoming the continent most suitable for the survival of the Demon Races.
In the starry skies, such lands were known as Demon Realms.
"Pang Jian!" Li Jie shouted, startling Pang Jian out of his thoughts.
The abnormalities of the continent distracted Pang Jian, and he did not even notice Li Jie approaching him on the Qilin Bell until he called out.
A group of powerful cultivators trailed behind Li Jie, all dressed in different attire, indicating they belonged to different sects and clans. Almost all of them were at the Nirvana Realm or Immortal Realm.
"The continent has been sealed off! The demonic energy from the Demon Abyss has spilled out, causing everyone it touches to descend into mindless slaughter.
"The brutal bloodbaths that used to be confined to the Demon Abyss have spread across the entire continent.
"We can't get out, and it seems no one from the outside can get in either.
"Pang Jian, I believe the root of all these problems is that demonic stone below!
"I've gathered the remaining strong cultivators still retaining their sanity and brought them here. I'm hoping we can work together to resolve this horrific calamity in the Demon Abyss Continent!
"This is Elder Duan Yun of the Black Valley Sect. He's in the mid-stage of the Immortal Realm.
"And this is..." Li Jie rapidly introduced those present to Pang Jian.
Most were powerhouses from the Black Valley Sect, along with leaders of smaller sects and patriarchs of prominent clans. In total, there were a few dozen cultivators.
"Pang Jian of the Sword Pavilion!"
The group cast Pang Jian a deep, assessing glance before bombarding him with questions about the Demon Abyss. They wanted to know what had occurred in its depths.
"Where are the people from the Demon Sect?" Pang Jian asked instead of answering.
The Demon Sect was the true ruler of the Demon Abyss Continent and housed the most formidable powerhouses. Normally, Demon Sect leaders like Xiang Shengwei would step forward to save the day, not the Immortal Realm cultivators of the Black Valley Sect.
"The Demon Sect..." Elder Duan Yun of the Black Valley Sect shook his head furiously, already disheveled hair adding to his haggard appearance. "They most likely caused this disaster!
"We've tried every method to contact Xiang Shengwei and the Immortal Realm elders of the Demon Sect, but no one responded!
"It's as though all the powerhouses of the Demon Sect are dead! None of them have responded to us!"
Duan Yun glared in the direction of the Demon Sect, a flicker of fear and dread crossing his eyes.
"I suspect the Demon Sect is the cause of this catastrophe!"