Trials of the Abyss-Chapter 539: Roaming the Shadow Abyss

The Shadow Spirit Race was not much different from the foreign races in the Abyss. Their power system also relied on the evolution of bloodlines, with strong individuals among them capable of advancing into godhood.

Moreover, they also had altars that allowed communication with their Gods.

Pang Jian was already well aware of how these altars functioned. They served as spatial coordinates that the Outer Gods could perceive.

These altars guided the descent of their divine consciousness into such worlds through special objects or individuals. Whether the descended divine consciousness possessed a person or attached itself to a special artifact depended entirely on the preferences of the individual God.

The Shadow Spirit Race's altar was originally meant to connect with their revered Shadow God, a divine being born from their race.

However, when Pang Jian stepped onto the altar, a star imbued with the divine power of the Frost Crystal God within his body stirred

Remarkably, this alerted the Frost Crystal God herself. The voice of the Frost Crystal God resonated in his mind, tinged with joy and free of hostility.

Only then did Pang Jian notice that a star, radiating a chilling yet brilliant light within his Immortal Divine Soul, was resonating with the Frost Crystal God.

He could establish a connection with the Frost Crystal God through the altar and the star within his chest.

An intangible will descended from the sky, settling upon the Shadow Spirit Race's altar and enveloping Pang Jian.

You're not in the Abyss! Pang Jian, where are you? asked the Frost Crystal God.

The Shadow Spirit Race's members erupted into a frenzy!

An extraordinary event was unfolding at the ever-silent altar. A hazy god had manifested, and another divine consciousness had descended soon after!

What does it matter where I am?

Despite his blunt words, an inexplicable sense of joy surged within him when the divine consciousness of the Frost Crystal God descended.

Pang Jian hastily attempted to sever the connection with the Frost Crystal God. There were pressing matters before him. He could not afford to become entangled with the Frost Crystal God at this time.

Are you lost beyond the starry skies? Where are you? I can come to you! No, wait...you're still within the bizarre mist but not near the Abyss! the Frost Crystal God called out anxiously. Pang Jian, tell me where you are! Wandering recklessly within the bizarre mist will get you killed with your cultivation realm!

Mind your own business.

With that, Pang Jian stepped off the altar, cutting off his connection with the Frost Crystal God. He then turned his attention to the Shadow Spirit Race.

The Shadow Spirit Race was tall and slender in build, with striking appearances regardless of gender.

The Holy Maiden kneeling before the altar was a perfect example, with finely shaped brows, an elegant figure, and pale green eyes that resembled a tranquil lake.

Pang Jian's divine sense swept over the members of the Shadow Spirit Race, silently assessing their bloodline ranks, vitality, bone density, and the energy contained within their blood and internal organs.

The seven elderly members, including the High Priest, were at Rank Eight while the younger members, including the Holy Maiden, had bloodlines ranging from Rank Six to Rank Seven.

The High Priest's aura carried a distinct wood energy, suggesting that his bloodline techniques were closely tied to the Wood element. The other elderly members exhibited a mix of energies, from a chilling coldness, misty water vapor, and powerful earth energy, to even faint stellar energy.

The varied energies of the Shadow Abyss were reflected in the multifaceted bloodlines of its inhabitants.

They don't rely on a single attribute for their bloodlines. They're somewhat similar to the Dragon Race in this respect. How remarkable.

Pang Jian observed the excited yet apprehensive members of the Shadow Spirit Race before him.

"What is the exact form of the Star Devourer?" he asked. "Do you have any Rank Ten warriors among you capable of defeating it?"

The Shadow Spirit Race was thrilled at his words. Perhaps this visitor from the starry skies had heard Cui Ling's pleas.

"Cui Ling, bring out the painting of the Star Devourer," the High Priest urgently commanded.

After issuing the instruction, he bowed deeply to Pang Jian in the ceremonial manner of the Shadow Spirit Race and wept bitterly.

"I don't know how to address you, Great One, but please save the inhabitants of our Shadow Abyss.

"The Star Devourer has been devouring the fragmented lands of the Shadow Abyss and has since started consuming the three main continents. We cannot do anything about it, for it consumes the souls of our strongest warriors the moment they show themselves."

The other members of the Shadow Spirit Race quickly followed the High Priest's actions, kneeling in reverence and desperation. Holy Maiden Cui Ling, too, dared not rise, presenting a scroll to Pang Jian from her kneeling position.

Pang Jian was clad in nothing but the hazy radiance of starlight that shrouded his Immortal Divine Soul. Accepting the scroll, he unrolled it to see that the Star Devourer had the form of an enormous web.

The grid-like structure of the massive web featured eye-like organs that emitted a cold, piercing glow. Though it was merely a painting, Pang Jian still felt uncomfortable just looking at the glowing pupils within the web.

The threads forming the web appeared to be the Star Devourer's limbs. However, they were clearly not composed of flesh and blood, instead seeming more akin to flexible metal. Faint lights flowed through the threads, emanating an aura that appeared to be the very soul essence of the Star Devourer.

This was truly a being unlike any Pang Jian had ever encountered before. No wonder Pan Di had referred to it as an Aberrant Spirit. If not for this prior knowledge, Pang Jian would have likely mistaken it for an artifact-bound spirit.

Net-like artifacts existed in the Abyss. If one were to enlarge such an artifact a billion times and imbue it with a soul, it would greatly resemble the Star Devourer.

"Is this being truly born naturally? It's not something artificially created?" Pang Jian asked in astonishment.

The Shadow Spirit Race all shook their heads in response.

Pang Jian then questioned them further about the Star Devourer.

The Aberrant Spirit had simply appeared in the Shadow Abyss one day, though it had not initially been so powerful.

The Star Devourer grew in size as it devoured fragmented lands, continents, and stars. Although its movements were not particularly fast, it was incredibly durable.

Every thread of its body was a deadly weapon, impervious to cutting by metal and resistant to fire and water. It also had remarkable intelligence and was adept at employing soul techniques for attacks.

It entirely consumed the essence of fragmented lands, continents, and stars, reducing them to nothing but dust.

The Shadow Spirit Race had no clear answer as to whether a Rank Ten warrior from their race could defeat the Star Devourer, as no Rank Ten warriors had appeared since its appearance.

However, based on the fear etched on their faces, Pang Jian surmised that even if such a warrior were to appear, their confidence in overcoming the Star Devourer would be minimal.

After inquiring about the Shadow Abyss as a whole, Pang Jian said, "I'll go and explore your world for a bit."

With that, he departed.

Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul could absorb the various energies present in the Shadow Abyss at a far greater efficiency than his physical body.

This meant that Pang Jian could sustain himself indefinitely within the Shadow Abyss with nothing but his Immortal Divine Soul.

His Immortal Divine Soul flew through the Shadow Abyss with incredible speed, streaking across the world like a flash of lightning, far surpassing the speed of the Shadow Spirit Race's flying vessels.

He refrained from approaching the grayish-yellow star, suppressing his aura as he explored.

The Shadow Spirit Race's descriptions of their world could not compare to experiencing it firsthand. This was his first time entering another Abyss, and his curiosity drove him to explore it thoroughly. The matter of the Star Devourer was set aside for the moment.

He soon discovered that the Shadow Abyss was static and lacked multiple layers. At its lowest point lay the same bizarre mist and boundary walls as those encircling its periphery.

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Interestingly, the sky above was not shrouded in the bizarre mist, allowing its inhabitants to view the starry skies. Although there was no bizarre mist in the sky, the invisible barrier restricting the entry and exit of all beings within the Shadow Abyss was still there.

Before the arrival of the Star Devourer, the Shadow Abyss had nine continents and several scattered fragmented lands floating within it. The arrangement of these landmasses was reminiscent of the structure of one layer in the Abyss.

The Shadow Spirit Race dominated the Shadow Abyss, with the second-largest group being the Dark Shadow Race. Interestingly, the latter race also existed in the Fifth World of the Abyss.

Though the Shadow Spirit Race and the Dark Shadow Race bore similar appearances, they each had innate characteristics, with the former being naturally slender and frail, while the latter tended to have more robust and powerful builds.

The Shadow Spirit Race had weaker physical constitutions but strong souls, while the Dark Shadow Race was the opposite.

The Shadow Spirit Race was the most powerful race in the Shadow Abyss and had maintained an unshaken position of dominance since the beginning. The Dark Shadow Race, in contrast, existed as nothing more than a subordinate to the Shadow Spirit Race, or put more plainly, as their servants.

These two races were the largest, most influential groups in terms of both population and presence. Beyond them were smaller, less populous races such as the Sea Race, the Geospirit Race, and the Mountain Spirit Race.

Surprisingly, the Shadow Abyss also housed groups of beasts, which they referred to as Exotic Beasts.

The Exotic Beasts of the Shadow Abyss were essentially the same as the Vicious and Spirit Beasts of the Abyss, differing only in name.

Some of these species overlapped with those found in the Abyss, while others were unique to the Shadow Abyss.

The key distinction between the beasts of the Abyss and the Shadow Abyss lay in their bloodline ranks.

Exotic Beasts in the Shadow Abyss had extremely low bloodline ranks, with even Rank Seven Exotic Beasts being rare. Pang Jian did not detect any in Rank Eight at all during his explorations.

Moreover, all the Exotic Beasts in the Shadow Abyss lacked awakened intelligence and could not be classified as members of the Fey Race. They were simply categorized as mere beasts.

Pang Jian gained a thorough understanding of the Shadow Abyss after wandering through the six remaining continents and observing the different races, their combat prowess, and the composition of their energies.

In terms of development, the Shadow Abyss was far less advanced than the Abyss, likely due to its static nature and the incomplete composition of its energies.

The Abyss had over a dozen True Gods, nearly a hundred Immortal Realm powerhouses, a significant number of Rank Ten foreign race warriors, and even more in Rank Nine.

At the Fey Race's peak, they boasted four powerful Fey Gods, and even at present, there still existed three Fey Gods within the Abyss.

It was no wonder the Outer Gods were watching the Abyss with covetous eyes. The Shadow Abyss, in contrast, was so weak that it lacked even a single Rank Ten warrior, making it unworthy of the attention of Outer Gods.

Aberrant Spirits are key materials for many Outer Gods when crafting divine artifacts. The Star Devourer's slow speed makes it ideal for testing its strength. At worst, I can still retreat if needed.

After gaining a thorough understanding of the Shadow Abyss, Pang Jian decided to make his move.

He soared toward the grayish-yellow star in the sky.