Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 3: A glimpse into the doorway

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"Pot sky, lake sky."

Pang Jian, who was keeping calm and relaxed, suddenly had a sense one day and realized something clearly.

The human mind is like a calm and clear lake.

The water was extremely deep, but clear enough that one should be able to see things at the bottom of the lake.

However, whenever distracting thoughts arise and wild ideas arise, the clear and calm lake surface is like being thrown with stones, causing ripples to appear on the surface.

After the ripples formed, they merged with each other, stirring up the surface of the lake, making it difficult to see anything clearly on the bottom of the lake.

Only by eliminating the many distracting thoughts in the mind, maintaining inner peace and focusing on oneself, can the lake of the heart stop being constantly rippled and one can look at oneself clearly.

After realizing this, Pang Jian devoted himself to practicing for a long time. He felt increasingly calm, and his mind gradually became clearer.

In this state, Pang Jian could feel his abdominal cavity gently expanding when he took deep breaths, like a gentle massage for his internal organs, making them active and full of strength.

He immediately understood that being able to see through the mysteries within oneself is the so-called awakening.

At this point, he had gained a glimpse of the key to the cultivation method of "Hutian Yangqi Jue".

Just this step brought Pang Jian great benefits. Every time he woke up from meditation, he felt refreshed and his mind was clear.

His hearing and vision also improved slightly, and his inner anxiety and irritability were greatly alleviated.

"Huh?"

One day, Pang Jian, who was concentrating his mind on feeling the existence of Qi, felt the warmth in his chest.

With a frown, he lifted up his shirt and looked at the bronze pendant that was close to his skin.

The pendant is simple and rustic, and the back of it fits the skin, smooth as warm jade.

The front side is in the shape of a bronze door, filled with unknown textures, and with two circular handles, which seem to be able to open the door.

This was the only thing his father left him, which he tore from his neck before he passed away that day.

Pang Jian has been wearing the bronze pendant for several years without any abnormality or special features. However, he has been practicing the "Hutian Yangqi Jue" recently. Whenever he senses the movement of "qi", the bronze pendant always becomes too warm.

Holding the bronze plate in front of his chest, Pang Jian rubbed the front of the plate with his fingertips, feeling the rough texture, and gently pulled the ring handle.

The bronze door-shaped pendant did not open the door, nor did it become anything strange as a result of his operation.

The unusual warmth of the object was broken by his clearing of mind and quickly returned to normal.

Pang Jian didn't take it seriously. After getting up, washing, and eating, he began the next round of concentrating on comprehending the "Qi".

During this process, the bronze plate on his chest became warm again, but Pang Jian no longer paid attention to it.

This day.

Pang Jian, who was concentrating on observing himself and practicing, was disturbed by the noise from the outside world.

After stepping out of the stone house, he saw several pieces of dry bones suddenly appear in the dark sky above his head and fall towards the north of the fourth realm like meteors.

They disappeared into the depths of the silent mountains, causing the earth to shake and roar, and the stone house behind Pang Jian to shake violently.

Even from such a distance, Pang Jian could hear the fearful and excited roars of the beasts in the mountains.

Pang Jian naturally thought of the scene of a piece of white divine bone piercing through the divine bird Green Eagle, and vaguely felt that the dry bones falling from the sky might have the same origin as that piece of divine bone.

The difference is that the divine bone that killed Qing Jiu was as crystal clear as jade, and it emitted a brilliant divine light.

The dry bones that fell into the silent mountains were gray and lifeless, and the mysterious power they contained seemed to be exhausted, appearing dull and lifeless.

Pang Jian was alarmed by the unusual changes in the sky, so he temporarily suspended his practice of "Hutian Yangqi Jue" and paid close attention to the changes in the sky.

Half a day later.

Pang Jian saw a golden chariot bathed in divine light, which first emerged from the depths of the thick clouds and swooped all the way down into the depths of the silent mountains.

When the chariot landed, there was a roar in the mountain and a dazzling golden light column rushed into the air, and it took a long time before slowly falling back.

A day passed.

Another huge sailing ship also descended from the sky, with a black silk flag fluttering on the sailboat. In the center of the flag, there was a blood-red crescent moon floating up and down, releasing a captivating and mysterious light.

Soon after, another translucent five-story white tower appeared, slowly rotating and sinking from the upper world.

The chariot, the sailboat, and the white pagoda were all extraordinary things that fascinated Pang Jian.

Pang Jian gradually understood and realized that something must have happened deep in the silent mountains.

The high-ranking figures from the upper realm either came to search for the dead bones or to find out about the abnormality of the "strange fog".

Pang Jian, who had been hunting in the Cenji Mountains for many years, was very familiar with most areas in the mountains. He knew clearly where there were dangers in the depths of the mountains, rivers and lakes, and where his father had designated as restricted areas and prohibited entry.

Although he was extremely curious, since he knew that great changes had taken place in the Cenji Mountains, he decided to postpone hunting in the mountains for the sake of caution and focus on the rare spiritual skills in his hands.

After that, he paid attention for a while, and seeing that no more strange objects from the upper realm fell, he returned to the house to continue practicing.

The "qi" recorded in "Hutian Yangqi Jue" is different from the air he breathes. It is not to be breathed into the abdominal cavity, but needs to sink into the Dantian spiritual sea.

This kind of "qi" is called "spiritual energy", which possesses magical power and is the fundamental reason why qi cultivators are so powerful.

Pang Jian restrained his inner curiosity and suppressed his desire to explore. When he felt the existence of "spiritual energy", he could often hear roars coming from the depths of the silent mountains, people's roars and screams, and the wailing and roaring of wild beasts.

He was certain that a fierce battle would break out deep in the Silent Mountains, so he restrained his desire to explore even more.

“It’s right here.”

Pang Jian, who was practicing hard that day, was startled by a sound outside the courtyard and hurried out to check.

Perhaps because he was practicing too hard and concentrating on examining the exquisiteness of his own abdominal cavity, Pang Jian did not hear the sound of horse hooves.

“Crack!”

The man drove his horse forward without any hesitation. The heavy hooves of the horse destroyed the fence and rushed directly into the courtyard.

"People in Linshan Town said that you hunt in the Cenji Mountains all year round and are most familiar with that part of the mountains. Is that true?"

A gloomy old man with a goatee rode an armored warhorse to Pang Jian. He had no intention of dismounting to speak. He just looked down at Pang Jian and said in an attitude that could not be refused: "We are going to the Cenji Mountains. We need someone who is familiar with the terrain and environment to lead the way. That person is you."

"No." Knowing that there was unrest in the mountains recently, Pang Jian gritted his teeth and refused.

"That's not up to you."

The old man grinned strangely, untied the thick black rope on the saddle, and made a gesture as if he was going to abduct Pang Jian by force.

"Let me talk to him!"

Behind the old man, a young girl shouted softly and came riding a majestic white horse.

When she got to the old man, she also had no intention of getting off the horse. She just casually threw a cloth bag to Pang Jian and said coldly as if giving alms: "We are not unreasonable. We have a reward for you."

On the white horse, the girl was wearing neat clothes, had a pretty face, and well-proportioned curves, looking very heroic.

Compared with the girl before her, the young women in Linshan Town were like the light of a grain of rice compared to the brilliance of the full moon.

Pang Jian, who had been active in the Cenji Mountains since he was a child and seldom went to Linshan Town, fixed his eyes on the girl and was absent-minded for a moment.

"Look at me again and I'll dig your eyes out."

Before Pang Jian could take a closer look, he saw a thin young man in a white robe riding a black horse behind, his slender eyes filled with cold scolding.

Pang Jian said nothing, silently withdrew his gaze, and picked up the cloth bag on the ground.

After opening it, he found that it was full of large pieces of silver, enough for him to exchange for rice, flour, grain and oil for several years to meet his daily needs.

Pang Jian held the cloth bag tightly and thought that since the mountain had been quiet for a long time, perhaps the previous riots and disputes had already subsided.

He also wanted to know what happened inside, so he said, "Okay."

"Hey, you turned out to be a greedy kid." The gloomy old man chuckled, raised his hand and pointed to the location of the Cenji Mountains, and said, "You lead the way."

Pang Jian looked at the snow-white horse the girl was riding and said, "Walking is too slow. I want to get on the horse."

"Get on the horse?"

The young man in white robe on the black horse had always looked at Pang Jian with cold eyes. Hearing this, he became angry again: "Do whatever I tell you to do. If you dare to say one more word, I will cut off your tongue."

He was going to dig out his eyes and cut off his tongue. Pang Jian could not help but look at the young man who was glaring at him, and then at the beautiful girl with heroic spirit. He guessed that the young man must be in love with the girl in front of him.

"Can you ride a horse?" the girl asked coldly.

"I am a hunter in the mountains. Do you think I can do it?" Pang Jian asked instead of answering.

The girl was surprised. She had not expected Pang Jian to ask her a question. Her eyes suddenly showed a strange color. She nodded slightly and ordered, "Liu Qi, you and Zhang Heng will ride on the same horse. Let him ride your horse."

"oh."

One of them dismounted unwillingly, pulled the reins and led the horse to Pang Jian, patted the head of his beloved red horse, whispered something, and then said, "It has a fierce temper. If you get hurt by it, don't blame me."

After saying this, he turned his head with a smile and glanced at the young man in white robe.

The young man looked approving.

Pang Jian said nothing, went back to the house to prepare the bow and arrows and long sword, and then carried the bamboo basket on his back. Then he took the reins, stepped on the stirrup, mounted the horse, and immediately whipped the horse and rushed towards the silent mountains.

“Bang, bang, bang!”

The chestnut warhorse suddenly broke into a gallop, swaying wildly along the way, like a ferocious beast that had never been tamed.

Pang Jian's upper body swayed violently with the warhorse, but his lower body remained close to the horse's back, as if rooted there. No matter how the warhorse tossed him, he was not thrown off.

The warhorse galloped violently towards the Cenji Mountains, trying every means to get rid of Pang Jian, but ultimately failed.

After a moment, the exhausted warhorse gradually calmed down as if it had accepted its fate.

"This kid has something." The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“I hope this trip goes well.”

The heroic girl sighed softly, her face full of sorrow. Her gaze did not linger on Pang Jian and the irritable horse at all, but was always focused on the depths of the Cencei Mountains. She said, "The people from the Blood Moon, Yinling Temple, and Lieyang Sect in the upper realm have gone deep into them and their lives and deaths are unknown. So far, none of them has been able to get out."

The girl paused for a moment and continued, "Part of the northernmost area of the Ceji Mountains is shrouded in strange fog. It is most likely a forbidden area. I wonder how many unknown horrors have been bred there."

"You shouldn't have gone there. You are destined to go to the upper realm, so how can you take risks there?" the young man in white robe shouted.

"From the moment we embark on this path of cultivation, you and I will no longer have a stable life." The girl shook her head slowly, her fair and flawless face full of determination, and she said calmly: "The great changes have subsided, and it is relatively safe."

"If I die while exploring the Silent Mountains, it will prove that I am not capable enough and have insufficient luck, and I won't live long in the upper realm."

"Let's go."

After giving the order, she led the herdsmen forward, and everyone had to hurry to follow.

For new books, I will update two chapters every day, both in the morning. I am very happy to see some old friends appear, either silently voting or rewarding comments. I didn't expect that everyone would still remember Lao Ni after a few years.

Finally, I would like to express my special thanks to the first leader of this book, “Shangxian Qitian”, and bow to him.

(End of this chapter)