Chapter 83

"Hmph, you've gone too far!" That voice, undisguised resentment, echoed leisurely above Xuanyang Sect: "Wantonly slaughtering my Fuguang Sect's people, is Xuanyang Sect planning to provoke war?" That ethereal, calm speech, as if wrapped in ancient might, spread out, like a towering mountain pressing down, revealing terror.

"Monitoring my Xuanyang Sect deserves execution—what's wrong with that?" In the forbidden land deep within Xuanyang Sect, it was as if a massive sun slowly rose on the horizon, instantly shattering that pressure. Next, an elderly figure strode steadily through the void, each step seeming to crush mountains and rivers. This person was Yang Tian Elder Ancestor, who had just finished his seclusion.

Upon hearing the news that Lin Wu Ren was about to break through, Yang Tian Elder Ancestor's first reaction was annoyance. Because he had still been making thorough preparations, and was also plotting for his grand-nephew's breakthrough. Lin Wu Ren and Yang Hao were both masters he highly regarded. In his view, once they ascended to the Venerable Realm, they would surely advance vigorously and could become key figures capable of succeeding him in guarding the sect. But now, Lin Wu Ren had broken through hastily due to an accident. Moreover, in the void there even appeared an old coot from the Fuguang Sect daring to speak wildly here? This made Yang Tian Elder Ancestor's anger blaze even fiercer.

"Yang Tian, you slaughtered my sect's elder and shattered a wisp of my consciousness—do you truly think you're invincible? Believe it or not, I will let your Xuanyang Sect's mountain gate be utterly buried!" That ethereal voice rang out again, this time wrapped in blazing fury.

Yang Tian Elder Ancestor's mouth corners twitched up slightly, revealing a cold smile as he replied: "Excellent! If my grand-nephew encounters any mishap today, tomorrow I will personally go to your Fuguang Sect and pay a visit—what's the harm?" He had been worrying about his pent-up anger with nowhere to vent, never expecting this old coot to actually come knocking on his door.

After Yang Tian Elder Ancestor's words fell, there was no response in the void for a moment. Next, he flickered and instantly appeared beside Lin Wu Ren, asking: "Are you all ready?"

Lin Wu Ren, whose aura had been overbearing and unmatched, now squeezed out a smile uglier than a cry, saying: "Uncle, if I said I was prepared, would you believe me? I went to the inner gate to watch Qin Yu challenge the Leize tribulation, and for some reason I became linked with the heavenly tribulation; my inner qi surged instantly, and I broke through on my own, unable to suppress it." Lin Wu Ren now felt deep regret; had he known, he would have continued lecturing at the Green Mountain and avoided this mess. This impromptu breakthrough left no time for preparations; he could rely only on himself. If nothing unexpected happened, he feared it would be nine deaths out of ten. After all, the higher the ultimate degree of a breakthrough in a realm, the stronger the tribulation that comes. Even though he was invincible in the Heavenly Origin Realm, able to suppress Grandmaster-level cultivators of the entire Canglan Realm and even counter-kill those just entering the Venerable Realm, his breakthrough tribulation would still be several times stronger than that of an ordinary cultivator. Thus, the chance of failure was extremely high, especially since he hadn't even had time to set up a defensive formation against the heavenly punishment.

Yang Tian Elder Ancestor's mouth twitched slightly, thinking, how did this matter get tied to my disciple? Then he let out a long sigh and said: "At the critical moment, crush this jade pendant, and I can intervene once for you. But I dare not guarantee I can get you out safely." He also felt a headache; Lin Wu Ren must not die. Because as soon as Lin Wu Ren breaks through to the Venerable Realm, even if just an initial entry, facing three or four layers of Venerable cultivators, he would feel no fear and could guard Xuanyang Sect. Even the sect master Yang Hao falls short of him in this regard. After saying that, Yang Tian Elder Ancestor's figure faded and returned to the Xuanyang Sect. After all, the heavenly punishment's power is immense; even if he intervenes, he could easily suffer heavy injury. Still, this is a Venerable tribulation—once successfully broken through, one can command the power of heaven and earth.

"Thank you, Grand Ancestor! I'll first test the depth of this heavenly punishment." Lin Wu Ren lightly exhaled a turbid breath, carefully placing the jade pendant in his bosom. Next, he stepped forward, his form shooting straight toward the clouds. His rich qi and blood radiated from every inch of his muscle, as if he wanted to pierce the heavens. In an instant, his entire aura underwent a earth-shaking change, becoming so mighty that one dared not look directly. Dao essence began to slowly circulate around him; Lin Wu Ren waited quietly, adjusting his invincible aura to its peak, preparing to fully face this breakthrough tribulation.

"Boom—!" At that moment, countless silver-white lightning bolts in the storm clouds swiftly converged, actually condensing into a humanoid phantom. A radiant phantom sun slowly coalesced behind it. If Yang Hao and others, or even Qin Yu were present now, they would surely be astonished. For this is precisely the Niepan Jie Ling that had acted earlier in the Leize tribulation. If it had not repeatedly acted before, drawing upon the thunderous Dao power of this heaven and earth, such a terrifying tribulation cloud would not have formed, nor would it have caused Lin Wu Ren's spiritual qi to surge, directly shattering his bottleneck and breaking through to the Venerable Realm.

Niepan Jie Ling's eyelids twitched slightly, its expression indifferent, as it looked down from high above. But soon it showed a hint of surprise: "Huh, this is actually on Xuanyang Sect's territory? Could it be that this person breaking through has some connection with the young master?" At this moment, it felt somewhat uncertain. If it truly was a Xuanyang Sect powerhouse breaking through, should it lend a hand to help them succeed? However, this tribulation cloud formed by gathering thunderous Dao power is immensely strong, clearly triggered by a Grandmaster-level cultivator breaking through to the extreme.

Nirvana Tribulation Spirit's gaze swept downward, finally locking onto Lin Wu Ren. "Hmm… he is not within Xuanyang Sect's territory, nor has he mobilized Xuanyang Sect's grand formation to resist the heavenly punishment. It seems this person is likely just passing by, possibly even coming to target Xuanyang Sect. In this era, his strength is indeed not weak. But… alas, he has encountered me." Nirvana Tribulation Spirit pondered for a moment, then concluded that this person had no relation to Xuanyang Sect. Otherwise, why not activate the sect's grand formation? Even if using the spirit-gathering array inside, it could aid in restoring spiritual power during the tribulation resistance. Moreover, those Xuanyang Sect elders below appeared to have no intention of helping.

Nirvana Tribulation Spirit instantly determined that this person was very likely coming to target Xuanyang Sect! This thought made it instantly furious: "Even the sect where the young master resides has someone daring to encroach? Simply courting death!"

As soon as the words fell, Niepan Jie Ling directly mobilized some forbidden destructive power, merging it into the storm clouds. Instantly, a terrifying aura surged out, many times stronger than before. Countless silver-white lightning dragons churned in the clouds, then locked onto Lin Wu Ren.

"Huh?" Lin Wu Ren, who was preparing to welcome the heavenly punishment, momentarily stalled. He wondered in his heart why… the tribulation's power seemed to have grown stronger again? Full of doubt, he had no idea what was happening; a strong sense of unease welled up, leaving him restless.

"Boom!" But before he could react, the lightning dragons came crashing at him frenziedly. Each dragon contained immensely destructive power, its annihilating aura shocking. Even before the lightning dragons truly touched his body, Lin Wu Ren felt his skin as if it were about to explode.

Immediately, he clenched his fists, Dao essence wrapping around them like light, blinding and eye-catching, like a blazing sun. Then he violently thrust out his fists. "Boom—!" A deep, muffled roar sounded, and a towering surge of air exploded in the void instantly. The impact of the two sides twisted and distorted the entire space.

The first round of heavenly punishment ended, smoke and dust gradually dissipating. At this moment, Lin Wu Ren's whole body was already soaked in blood, his skin badly damaged, his entire frame trembling violently, clearly unable to bear much more. He was utterly dazed, because… this damn thing simply isn't a normal Venerable tribulation! This heavenly punishment's power is absolutely bolstered by heaven and earth! He had once observed up close others breaking through the Venerable tribulation; the heavenly punishment they endured was simply five or six times weaker than what he faces now! Even a fourth-layer Venerable cultivator here would probably not withstand three rounds of such punishment.

"It's over, completely over. Someone damn it is deliberately targeting me!" Lin Wu Ren's face turned as pale as paper, he clenched his teeth against the piercing pain all over, and roared wildly in his mind.