Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 416: Another Side of the Fey Race

Chapter 416: Another Side of the Fey Race

Countless shrimp-like and crab-like Lesser Feys roamed the depths of the sea.

Fey Race that had not reached Rank Eight and could not transform into human form were referred to as Lesser Fey.

Both Vicious Beasts and Spirit Beasts belonged to the Fey Race and, upon reaching Rank Eight, could transform into human form and attain intelligence comparable to that of humans.

However, only some of the older generation still knew of this and recognized those above Rank Eight as intelligent species—the Fey Race—rather than mere beasts.

The rarity of Rank Eight Vicious and Spirit Beasts, combined with the general lack of knowledge about the Abyss' history, meant that most inhabitants of the Abyss remained ignorant about the Fey Race.

Whoosh!

Several enormous shells drifted along the deep-sea floor, carrying humans atop them.

Like Pang Jian and Hu Yuanfei, these humans also had their protective shields activated, indicating they were likely rogue cultivators.

The humans were taken aback when they spotted Pang Jian and Hu Yuanfei.

"Granny Bai, these two guests look unfamiliar. Where are they from?" someone called from a distance,

The Rank Eight White Python pointed at the sword tokens hanging from Pang Jian's and Hu Yuanfei's waists with a proud expression.

"They're from the Sword Pavillion!"

The rogue cultivators hastily bowed respectfully to Pang Jian and Hu Yuanfei.

"Lord Yuan Min is entertaining guests now, so keep your distance!" the white-robed old woman ordered.

“Understood!

The rogue cultivators on the shell quickly made themselves scarce.

"Many small factions on the fragmented lands surrounding the Sacred Soul Continent maintain relations with us," she explained offhandedly. "They bring us foods, herbs, and precious minerals from the various worlds of the Abyss.

"In return, we give them special ores that help with their cultivation."

Pang Jian gently nodded and spread his divine sense to investigate the world beneath the sea.

Palaces built from coral and gemstones, resembling the residences of Sea Gods, were scattered across different regions of the seabed.

Pang Jian could sense powerful members of the Fey Race moving about within each uniquely designed palace, including Rank Sevens, Rank Eights, and even several Rank Nine Fey Kings.

There were also a number of humans accompanying the Fey Race.

He also noticed piles of human bones left completely exposed in the sand near the palaces.

"You guys seem to have killed quite a few humans," Hu Yuanfei said with a frown.

The old woman's eyes glinted frostily.

"Human cultivators have insisted on exploring our lands for thousands of years.

"They were accustomed to their ways outside and thought the Sacred Soul Continent was no different. So, here they remain, buried."

She bared her sharp fangs in a cold laugh.

"What kind of life do we, the Fey Race, lead on the continents and fragmented lands outside the Sacred Soul Continent?

"I'm originally from a fragmented land in the Third World.

"As far back as I can remember, human cultivators hunted all the Fey Race on that fragmented land.

"They flayed our skins, extracted our bones, and harvested our hearts, claws, and teeth to be refined into pills and artifacts.

"No matter how many lower-level human cultivators we killed, it wasn't long before more powerful human cultivators arrived in droves.

"Our fate was ultimately for human cultivators to hunt us down and turn our bodies into trophies.

"I fought desperately to survive, devouring other members of the Fey Race with similarly ranked bloodlines until I finally had enough strength to reach our Fey Race's sanctuary—the Sacred Soul Continent.

"Only here did I truly find the dignity our Fey Race deserves!

"We, the Fey Race, have a place where we can live like the human race here."

The old woman casually pointed at a pile of bones.

The grayish-brown bones were strikingly visible on the sandy white of the seabed.

"Those young disciples from the Second World thought they could come to the Sacred Soul Continent and hunt the Fey Race as they pleased, just as they did on the outside.

"Their elders clearly failed to teach them about the Sacred Soul Continent!"

She pointed to another pile.

"Those bones over there are from a party from the three Divine Kingdoms from the Eastern Land of the First World.

"They came with a plan, organized and ready to hunt the Fey Race on the Sacred Soul Continent!

"And also..." the old woman continued, pointing at various piles of bones and reciting the origins of the deceased like listing treasures.

The bones spanned individuals from every world of the Abyss!

Even disciples and protectors from the Nine Tribes Sect, the Ghost Sacrifice Sect, the Forsaken Expanse Sect, the Pure Land, and the Ancient Law Sect had perished here.

"The True Gods haven't flown into a rage over this?" Pang Jian asked in surprise.

"Every major faction has thousands of disciples," the old woman said coldly. "If they died here on the Sacred Soul Continent, it means their faction failed to teach or discipline them. How can they blame us?

"Countless human cultivators have slaughtered our Fey Race outside of this continent. What about us? Where do we go to voice our grievances?"

The truth in her words left Pang Jian unable to say anything more.

Before long, a grand underwater palace came into view, with Hai Fang and the other sea lion Great Feys waiting outside in their human forms.

"Sister Bai!" They bowed to the white-robed old woman, then happily clasped their hands to welcome Pang Jian and Hu Yuanfei.

"Let me send a message to my master first," Hu Yuanfei informed the old woman when they reached the palace entrance.

The old woman frowned but said nothing.

Hu Yuanfei calmly grasped her sword token to send a brief message, but her expression turned strange after a moment.

Coughing twice to clear her throat, she turned to Pang Jian and said, "Master just blew up on me, scolding me because you hadn't replied to his messages."

Pang Jian's expression remained unchanged. "I'll respond later."

"You'd better think about how you're going to respond to him."

Only after ensuring their master, Li Zhaotian, knew their whereabouts, did Hu Yuanfei signal the Great Feys to lead the way to meet the Fey King Yuan Min.

This was a precaution in case the Fey Race harbored any ill intentions.

She knew her master's temperament, and the Fey Kings on the Sacred Soul Continent were likely aware of it too.

If anything were to happen to her and Pang Jian while in Fey King Yuan Min's territory, Li Zhaotian would undoubtedly personally hold Fey King Yuan Min responsible at sword point.

With Li Zhaotian's combat prowess, no Fey King on the Sacred Soul Continent could stand against him.

Moreover, Li Zhaotian had the entire Sword Pavilion at his back, along with multiple powerful cultivators in the Immortal realm.

"Please," the white-robed old woman invited, personally leading the way into the palace.

Pang Jian and Hu Yuanfei followed her into a magnificent crystal hall under the curious and astonished gazes of other Great and Lesser Feys.

Gemstones, pearls, and gold and silver adorned the hall.

Fey King Yuan Min sat regally on a white jade throne, dressed in an exquisitely embroidered robe of purple and gold. A faint smile on his lips as he looked at the two guests.

"I am Yuan Min." Gesturing to two other Fey Kings in human form sitting on his left and right, he introduced, "Golden Carp and Black Stork. They're good friends of mine."

The two Rank Nine Fey Kings consisted of one man and one woman, with several Rank Eight Great Feys standing behind them.

All the Fey Race in the lavishly decorated hall were in human form, making Pang Jian feel like he had entered a human sect rather than a Fey Race's domain.

Young maidens and pale, youthful boys moved gracefully among the crowd, serving delicacies and wine to the guests.

Occasionally, a brutish Great Fey would pull a favored girl or boy into their embrace and toy with them, lecherous smiles on their face.

The young boys and girls were actually cultivators in the Marrow Cleansing Realm, each with a Water-Breathing Pearl in their mouths.

They wore stiff smiles and held a bone-deep fear in their eyes.

"What're you cowering for? Do you think you're still in the outside world? Your life and death became ours the moment your kin sent you here!"

A Great Fey with a slender male human form suddenly bit down on a young girl's pale neck, viciously sucking the blood from her body.

The young girl's blood seemed ten times sweeter than the wine in his hand, and he greedily gulped down her blood with a look of blissful satisfaction on his face.

Snap!

A female Great Fey twisted the neck of a young boy.

The female Great Fey then reverted to her true form—a massive Black Elephant—and swallowed the fair-skinned young boy in a single gulp.

"Many thanks to Lord Yuan Min for the hospitality!" She laughed heartily

Fey King Yuan Min watched indifferently from his high position.

Perhaps he intended to intimidate Pang Jian and Hu Yuanfei through the unrestrained actions of the Great Feys.

Pang Jian's expression was grim. He avoided looking at the laughing Great Feys and focused instead on Hu Yuanfei.

"Senior Sister, have you come to the Sacred Soul Continent before? Is it always like this? Have the Fey Race on the Sacred Soul Continent always behaved this way?"

Hu Yuanfei also wore a troubled expression.

"No," she replied. After a brief pause, she directly addressed the Fey Kings and Great Feys, "As far as I know, the Sacred Soul Continent was not like this when the Celestial Phoenix ruled the Fey Race."

Fey King Yuan Min descended from his jade throne and approached Hu Yuanfei, a glass of crimson wine mixed with the blood of young girls in his hand.

"In that case, may I ask you, how did Lady Celestial Phoenix die?" He took a sip of his blood-wine drink before sneering, "If not for your True Gods scheming to lure Lady Celestial Phoenix away from the Sacred Soul Continent, Lady Celestial Phoenix would not have perished so easily.

"Could the human race have erected the Seven Heaven Ascension Tribulation Pillars in the Fifth World without Lady Celestial Phoenix's help?"

He downed the wine in one gulp.

"I'm merely giving you a glimpse of how the human race has always treated our Fey Race, and you already can't bear it?" Fey King Yuan Min mocked. "Isn't this how you humans treat our Fey Race outside the Sacred Soul Continent? In all the continents and fragmented lands across the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Worlds of the Abyss?

"I'm simply treating your kind with the same courtesy you treat us with! Can't handle it?"

Yuan Min's laughter echoed like thunder, causing waves to crash and spiritual power within the sea to surge wildly.

"There's no rule saying that only humans are allowed to hunt and kill the Fey Race, but the Fey Race aren't allowed to eat humans!"

Howl!

Roar!

Each of the transformed Great Feys seized the young boys and girls moving through the lavish hall.

Over a dozen young boys and girls were devoured in the blink of an eye.

Blood dripped from the mouths of the Great Feys. Bits of flesh caught between their teeth as they tossed aside bloody bones without care.

It seemed this was Fey King Yuan Min's usual way of entertaining guests.

Only today, there were also two young humans among them.