Chapter 88

Inside Profound Yang Sect, the senior members were immersed in a scene of jubilation. However, at this moment, in the void outside the sect's mountain gate, Cheng Zhenren, Sword Feather Sect Master, and the other heavenly pride who had once been suppressed by Lin Wu Ren were witnessing a change that shocked them greatly.

They stared fixedly at Lin Wu Ren amidst the heavenly tribulation, only to see that the Lin Wu Ren who had seemed on the brink of death now appeared reborn from fire, bursting with vigor. This sight left them stunned, their anger flaring up in their chests.

"What on earth is happening? Why has the power of this heavenly tribulation suddenly weakened so much?" Cheng Zhenren muttered to himself, his sturdy body unconsciously tensing.

"We've reached the eighth heavenly tribulation—could Lin Wu Ren really be about to break through to become a Venerable?" His voice was full of disbelief.

One must remember that not long ago, Lin Wu Ren was in a sorry state, his breath so weak it was barely detectable, his vitality like a candle in the wind, liable to go out at any moment. Yet now he exudes vigorous life force, attacking the heavenly tribulation in near-perfect condition. This stark contrast is truly hard to accept.

For those heavenly pride who had once been suppressed by Lin Wu Ren, he was like a nightmare from their youth, a shadow that loomed over their entire lives. Their hatred for Lin Wu Ren had long been buried deep in their hearts; for years they had pursued him desperately, hoping only to one day see him fall and quell their hatred.

They had thought they were gradually healing their inner wounds, their Dao hearts slowly regaining calm. But now, seeing Lin Wu Ren on the verge of breaking through to the Venerable realm, how could they endure?

"Hum!" A faint yet sharp sword cry suddenly rang out, shattering the silence of the void. Sword Feather Sect Master's face was grim as water; he slowly drew a long sword from the void. The blade was extremely sharp, its surface etched with mysterious sigils, faintly exuding a biting chill.

"Anyone can break through the Venerable tribulation, but Lin Wu Ren absolutely cannot!" Sword Feather Sect Master gritted his teeth, enunciating each word: "I once lost to him; today is his death day!"

In his view, this was his only chance to defeat Lin Wu Ren. If he acted within the heavenly tribulation, he could provoke it, causing it to wield greater heavenly power to utterly slay Lin Wu Ren.

As Sword Feather Sect Master moved, several vague figures gradually appeared in the void. Their expressions were equally grave, clearly they had rushed over upon hearing the news of Lin Wu Ren's impending breakthrough to the Venerable realm.

"The Primordial Spirit Elder of the Floating Light Sect? And the Vast Sea Blade Warrior…" Cheng Zhenren narrowed his eyes at these uninvited guests, instantly grasping their purpose.

He knew clearly that everyone shared the same thought. When Lin Wu Ren was at the Sect Master level, he already possessed the terrifying battle power to overcome Venerables undefeated—such strength was astonishing. Once he broke through to become a Venerable, he would surely become another Yangtian Old Ancestor, after which taking revenge would be as hard as climbing to heaven.

Besides Sword Feather Sect Master, the others were mostly elders or top experts from other lineages of the Canglan Realm. Between them and Lin Wu Ren, without exception lay deep grudges. Back then, Lin Wu Ren had swept across a domain, offending countless people; now these former foes had gathered here, and they would naturally not let him break through easily.

"No need for many words—Lin Wu Ren must not break through; we will intervene in the heavenly tribulation!" said a burly man wielding a heavy blade, his voice laced with icy killing intent. "I thought we wouldn't have to act, but Lin Wu Ren actually turned the tables. Hmph, this time I'll settle old and new grudges—I'll send him to hell!"

As his words fell, the surrounding air seemed to instantly drop to freezing point, sending a chill down one's spine.

"He's about to succeed; just the two of us won't be enough—everyone act together, no holding back!" said a man in white robes with his hands behind his back, his voice low. "Once Lin Wu Ren breaks through, he won't spare us who've been scheming in the shadows; his aura has already locked onto us."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. Soon they reached a consensus, preparing to join forces against Lin Wu Ren.

Cheng Zhenren gazed at the assembly before him, thinking silently. The Heavenly Origin peak experts who had come numbered five in total; such strength would be more than enough to outright besiege Lin Wu Ren. Yet he also understood that interfering with the heavenly tribulation is a grave taboo against heavenly law—once they act, the tribulation will regard them as transcenders and empower its attack with heavenly force. If they fail to survive the tribulation, only death and the disappearance of their Dao await.

This is why, upon seeing Lin Wu Ren begin his breakthrough, they did not act immediately. After all, to personally witness their enemy perish in the heavenly tribulation is the best possible outcome for them.

"Good! I'll make the first move and cut down Lin Wu Ren!" Sword Feather Sect Master shouted with great vigor. A long sword appeared beneath his feet, instantly enlarging into a stream of light that shot toward Lin Wu Ren like lightning.

The piercing sword intent spread rapidly from Sword Feather Sect Master, forming a mighty domain that enveloped Lin Wu Ren within the heavenly tribulation. Sword Feather Sect Master brimmed with confidence, believing that after enduring the earlier tribulations, Lin Wu Ren must be weakened to the extreme; even if his vitality seemed vigorous, it was merely a spent force, and this sword of his would surely slay him.

Seeing this, Cheng Zhenren and the others exchanged a glance, resolve flashing in their eyes, then each turned into a divine radiance that shot toward Lin Wu Ren.

"Lin Wu Ren, today is your death day—no one can save you!"

"Prepare to die!"

Their roaring voices rolled like thunder, echoing within the mountain gate of Profound Yang Sect. The Profound Yang Sect elders who were observing the tribulation heard the roar and their faces instantly turned pale. They never imagined that someone would intervene at this critical moment to disrupt Elder Lin's breakthrough.

Meanwhile, deep within the heavenly tribulation, Lin Wu Ren witnessed this scene; his eyes showed not a trace of fear, but a flicker of joy. Originally, he had worried that after his breakthrough these enemies would seize the chance to flee, so he had even preemptively locked his aura onto them. After all, upon returning to the mountain gate, having just broken through to the Venerable realm, he might not be able to immediately pursue them.

Yet now these old enemies had actually come to his door of their own accord, and even entered the range of the heavenly tribulation! Moreover, at this moment his strength was at its peak.

"Sword Feather, while I was in seclusion you killed three Earth Mystic Elders and one Heavenly Origin Elder of my Profound Yang Sect, and now you dare to walk into the trap?" Lin Wu Ren roared, stepping forward; his aura surged to its peak. He clenched his right fist, countless strands of energy gathering within, an invincible force shooting straight to the heavens.

The once unstoppable Sword Feather Sect Master, faced with this mighty aura, actually halted on the spot. He widened his eyes, face full of disbelief: "Is… this still someone undergoing tribulation? Why is his aura so full?"

Yet before he could think further, Lin Wu Ren's figure approached like a ghost. In an instant, heaven and earth seemed to lose all color, leaving only Lin Wu Ren's demonic god–like silhouette.

"Boom!" Lin Wu Ren unleashed a punch that contained the power to destroy heaven and earth; the void beneath it twisted and warped, as if on the verge of collapse, with black cracks spreading through it.

"Oh no! We've been tricked—he was feigning weakness all along, deliberately luring us into action!" Sword Feather Sect Master cried out in terror, quickly swinging his spirit sword to block. Yet all that was heard was a crisp "Crack!" as his spirit sword snapped like fragile straw beneath Lin Wu Ren's fist.

"Pfft!" Lin Wu Ren's right fist slammed heavily into Sword Feather Sect Master's chest; a tremendous force erupted, his chest as if struck by a heavy hammer, blood spurting from his mouth like a fountain.

Sword Feather Sect Master's eyes filled with fear and despair; his vitality was rapidly draining from his body. Lin Wu Ren seized his neck and squeezed hard—there was a crisp "Crack!" as his neck broke. Thereafter, Lin Wu Ren's domineering spiritual aura surged forth, utterly shattering his body, flesh and blood spraying into the air.

This sight left Cheng Zhenren, who had just entered the heavenly tribulation, and the Vast Sea Blade Warrior, among others, standing frozen in shock, unable to utter a word.

Everyone knows that one undergoing tribulation is usually exhausted at the final stage; even if the process is relatively easy, it's impossible to be as fierce as Lin Wu Ren. Moreover, the combat power he now displays is beyond imagination, several times stronger than when he was at the Heavenly Origin realm.

They had personally witnessed Lin Wu Ren's battle where he overcame a Venerable, but even then Lin Wu Ren could not have blown away a Heavenly Origin peak swordsman with a single punch!

"Impossible, he must be forcing himself—he's already at the end of his tether!" Cheng Zhenren gritted his teeth, refusing to believe what he saw.

"Exactly, how could he possibly maintain such perfect condition during the eighth Venerable tribulation? Let's all attack together, interfere with the heavenly tribulation, let it draw on heavenly power—we'll surely suppress him!" the Vast Sea Blade Warrior also shouted loudly.

"Hmph, I'll just break through right here, provoke another Venerable tribulation—I'd like to see how he gets out of this dead end!" an elder‑type figure snorted coldly, then immediately began striking his bottleneck, preparing to break through to Venerable and draw down a tribulation.

Seeing this, everyone voiced agreement, believing Lin Wu Ren was merely bluffing, trying to scare them off. Thinking of that, a hint of a smile appeared on their faces.

Soon, two of the powerhouses successfully broke through their bottlenecks, summoning their own Venerable tribulations. For a moment, the void flashed with lightning and thunder as mighty heavenly power began to gather.

At that moment, the Niepan Jie Ling amidst the thunderclouds blinked slightly at the sight. It thought to itself: "My lord never said this would happen. Still, this is a good opportunity to show friendliness and goodwill to my lord. I'll certainly help, but I can't be too obvious, or the Dao of Thunder will find out and I'll be in big trouble."

"Should I directly use the heavenly tribulation to strike down these people, or continuously bestow primal power upon Lin Wu Ren to aid him?" the Niepan Jie Ling pondered, weighing the pros and cons in its mind.