Chapter 307

Having returned from the Five Elements Secret Realm, over half a month has passed.

At the summit of the Cloud Sea, this isolated peak forbidden zone, surrounded by endless clouds and mist, today the atmosphere is exceptionally solemn and stern.

On the mountain peak platform, the formerly surging sea of clouds seemed to be pushed aside by an invisible force, revealing a clear void a hundred zhang across. Heavenly light poured down from the nine heavens, shining upon the newly arranged strange objects on the platform that flickered with various spiritual lights.

Wang Ping stood alone at the center of the platform, his green robe fluttering lightly in the breeze.

His eyes were half-closed, his face calm as water, yet the faint five-colored Dao resonance swirling around him and the barely perceptible chaos aura made the space seem somewhat distorted and unreal.

His condition had been adjusted to an unprecedented peak.

Within his dantian, five Golden Cores were full and round, their inner luster like five miniature stars, slowly rotating along an unfathomable trajectory.

Their qi mechanisms were linked, the Five Elements spiritual power circulating endlessly, yet at the extreme of that circulation a hint of reverse-return appeared—this was the essential change produced after fusing the 'innate Five Elements essence' with the 'Five Elements reverse-birth chaos' Dao resonance.

In his sea of consciousness, the light of the will-star shone steadily; his mid-Nascent Soul divine sense was vast as a nebula, reflecting every inner and outer change in minute detail.

That spark of 'life-and-death insight' gained from the life-and-death trials of the Tower to Heaven burned quietly in the depths of his mind, awaiting the critical moment to ignite the ultimate transformation.

Within his left arm, the chaos aura was more active and robust than ever; it was no longer a barely perceptible wisp but had become a grayish stream that seemed able to devour all light while harboring limitless vitality, flowing slowly through his meridians and blending perfectly with the Five Elements spiritual power.

All preparations are complete, only the east wind is lacking.

And this 'east wind' is precisely the final condition needed to condense a Nascent Soul—the 'Yin-Yang Harmonizing Furnace'.

Wang Ping slowly opened his eyes, his gaze turning to his master, Jiang Mingyuan, who stood with hands behind his back at the edge of the platform.

Jiang Mingyuan seemed to sense it, turning his head to meet Wang Ping's eyes. Without words, Wang Ping saw affirmation, expectation, and a rare solemnity in his master's deep, calm gaze.

"Ping'er," Jiang Mingyuan spoke, his voice calm yet undeniable, "'The Yin-Yang Harmonizing Furnace' has been prepared for you by your master."

"However, this 'furnace' is not substantive; it borrows the power of heaven and earth, artificially crafting a 'small world' at a specific spacetime node. Today, using this cloud-sea summit as the base, we will lay the 'Five Elements Chaos Grand Formation', drawing the pure and clear qi of the nine heavens as yang, linking the power of the nine nether earth veins as yin, and at the formation's core open for you a temporary yet stable 'Yin-Yang Creation Furnace'."

Wang Ping's heart jolted. To use a formation to forcefully open a temporary space capable of Yin-Yang creation is nothing short of defying heaven! The required materials, understanding of formation Dao, and grasp of heavenly laws are terrifyingly high. For his master to go this far to help him condense a Nascent Soul...

"Thank you, Master, for your great kindness!" Wang Ping bowed deeply; this favor weighed heavier than mountains.

Jiang Mingyuan waved his hand: "I will oversee the laying of the formation, but its core hub must be infused with your own Five Elements Dao foundation and chaos true intent."

"This formation is both your furnace for condensing a Nascent Soul and the formation that will draw the heavenly tribulation to temper your Nascent Soul. The tribulation is imminent, no small matter; you must be mentally prepared."

"I understand, Master," Wang Ping said solemnly. Condensing a Nascent Soul is inherently defying heaven and will inevitably invite tribulation; seeking to become a chaos Five Elements Nascent Soul, the tribulation he draws will likely far exceed the ordinary.

Jiang Mingyuan said no more, his body slowly rising to hover in midair above the platform.

His sleeves moved without wind, and a vast, sea-like yet illusory and intangible terrifying aura spread out, instantly enveloping the entire cloud-sea summit.

In an instant, the clouds and mist on the peak stilled completely, even light seeming to congeal.

The next moment, Jiang Mingyuan lifted his hands, his ten fingers dancing like butterflies among flowers, forming one ancient seal after another, each exquisitely complex and brimming with endless Dao resonance.

"Fix the heavens and earth, initial separation of Yin and Yang!"

With a low shout, the eighty-one banners previously buried at specific positions around the platform all blazed forth with light! The banners varied in material: there were the 'Li Fire Banner' wholly red as fire, the 'Kan Water Banner' dark blue like water, the 'Zhen Wood Banner' lush green, the 'Dui Metal Banner' sharp and gleaming, the 'Gen Earth Banner' heavy and steady, plus some banners of chaotic hue and unfathomable aura.

The light of the eighty-one banners linked, instantly outlining in the air above the platform a colossal three-dimensional formation diagram covering a hundred zhang in every direction! The diagram was exceedingly intricate, layer upon layer; at its core one could faintly see the Yin-Yang fish entwined, around them the Five Elements directions turning, and beyond that, flickering glimpses of the Eight Trigrams, stars, and even chaos cloud patterns.

Even as a mere illusion, its emanating spatial undulations and lawful suppression made Wang Ping feel his breath slightly constricted.

"Five Elements turning, construct the foundation!"

Jiang Mingyuan changed his seal. On the platform floor, the patterns previously etched with powder of the five supreme-grade spirit stones mixed with other rare materials lit up one after another! Red, yellow, green, white, and blue five-colored brilliance came alive, flowing and converging along the mysterious trajectories, ultimately forming on the ground a radiant, extraordinarily stable Five Elements Circulation Grand Formation base! Vast and pure Five Elements spiritual qi rose from the plate, pouring into the three-dimensional formation diagram above.

"Chaos as the guide, command the hub!"

Jiang Mingyuan looked at Wang Ping. Understanding, Wang Ping immediately sat cross-legged at the exact center of the ground-based Five Elements formation plate. He drew a deep breath, sank his mind into his dantian and left arm, and exerted his utmost to drive his Five Elements spiritual power and chaos aura.

Hum!

Wang Ping's whole body erupted with five-colored divine light shooting skyward, perfectly merging with the Five Elements spiritual qi of the ground plate, making its radiance even brighter. At the same time, a thread of pure grayish chaos aura rose slowly from his crown like a spiritual snake, actively swimming toward the core of the above three-dimensional formation diagram—the junction where the Yin-Yang fish meet.

At the instant the chaos aura merged into the core of the formation diagram—

Boom!

The entire three-dimensional formation diagram shuddered violently, instantly shifting from illusion to substance! It became a real, enormous spherical formation space woven from countless flowing light chains of law. Inside the formation space, clear and turbid were distinct: above, clear qi rose, evolving illusory images of sun, moon, and stars, showering pure yang warmth; below, turbid qi sank, as if communicating with the nine nether, surging forth heavy yin spirit power.

Yin and Yang qi circulated and mingled within the formation, forming a wondrous balance and vitality.

And at the very center of the Yin-Yang confluence, precisely where Wang Ping sat cross-legged, the Five Elements spiritual qi was abundant and stable, Yin and Yang powers harmonized and nourished, with a hint of chaos Dao resonance permeating, forming an environment nearly perfect for the 'Yin-Yang Creation Furnace'!

"Formation complete!" Jiang Mingyuan lowered his hands, his body slowly descending to the platform's edge, his face showing a hint of fatigue but his eyes still bright and sharp. "Ping'er, this formation can last three days. Within these three days, a radius of a hundred li around this place will have Yin and Yang isolated, the Five Elements ordered—this is the optimal time for you to condense your Nascent Soul."

"However, the formation will also greatly increase the attraction of your own aura and Dao resonance to heaven and earth, so the timing and intensity of the heavenly tribulation's descent will likely far exceed expectations. You… are you ready?"

Wang Ping, situated at the heart of the Yin-Yang Creation Furnace, felt the surrounding gentle yet mighty power that perfectly matched his Dao foundation, filling his mind with tranquility and resolve. He lifted his head, gazing at the sky beyond the formation that seemed to be growing dim and oppressive, and replied in a low voice:

"Disciple, I am ready."

The instant his words fell, it was as if some unseen principle had been stirred.

The cloud-sea summit's air, which had been isolated and calmed by the formation's power, suddenly, without warning, wind rose and clouds surged!

It was not a natural wind, but a howl born of heavenly law! Above the nine heavens, unknown when, heavy leaden clouds gathered; those clouds were not black but displayed a strange, ever-shifting chaos hue, within which flickers of five-colored lightning could be seen coiling like dragons and snakes.

A vast, majestic, cold, terrifying heavenly might that seemed intent on crushing all who defy heaven pressed down like a tangible weight from the firmament! Even with the 'Five Elements Chaos Grand Formation' isolating it, Wang Ping still felt his soul throb, as if gripped by an invisible giant hand.

Here it comes! The Nascent Soul tribulation!

And it is absolutely not an ordinary forty-nine lightning tribulation!

Jiang Mingyuan stood outside the formation, gazing up at the chaos-colored tribulation clouds, his pupils narrowing slightly as he murmured: "Indeed… a chaos Five Elements Nascent Soul draws the legendary 'Five Elements Chaos Tribulation'… Ping'er, this tribulation comes in three waves, each fiercer than the last; only by relying on your own Dao can you hard‑head it through."

As if confirming Jiang Mingyuan's words, the chaos tribulation clouds churned violently, their center collapsing suddenly into a massive vortex!

The first wave of tribulation descends!

Boom—!!

Earth‑shaking thunder roared, not from the nine heavens but as if directly echoing in the depths of the soul! Within the chaos tribulation cloud vortex, five thick as can be, pure‑to‑the‑extent divine bolts, like primordial thunder dragons, tore through the sky and struck down fiercely!

Metal‑phase divine lightning, pure white and blinding, carrying the slash to extinguish all sharpness and killing intent!

Wood‑phase divine lightning, lush and verdant, yet containing the dual extremes of stimulating life and annihilating life!

Water Divine Thunder, deep azure and profound, utmost yin and utmost cold, freezing the divine soul!

Fire Divine Thunder, crimson scorching the sky, incinerating all things, violently fierce and unmatched!

Earth Divine Thunder, earth-yellow and heavy, heavy as a mountain, suppressing everything!

This is not simple five-element lightning, but contains the will to annihilate the five elements' fundamental source—the "Five Elements Annihilation Divine Thunder"! The five thunders are not scattered; during their descent, their qi pulls each other, faintly forming a destructive Five Elements Annihilation formation that completely locks onto and covers the formation space where Wang Ping is.

Before the lightning arrives, the terrifying aura that annihilates all life and collapses all laws has already descended! The yin-yang clear and turbid qi at the outer edge of the formation space violently surges, emitting an unbearable hum.

In the formation, Wang Ping's face is grim to the extreme. He can clearly feel that any one of these five divine thunders is enough to easily heavily injure or even kill an ordinary Golden Core perfected cultivator! With the five thunders firing together, supporting each other, their power surges in geometric multiples!

"Five Elements Annihilation? I will use the Five Elements cycle, endless and unceasing, to break your annihilation momentum!"

Wang Ping lets out a long cry, holding nothing back! His cross-legged posture slowly rises, arms spread, and the Five Elements Golden Core inside him spins wildly at an unprecedented speed!

"Five-Colored Divine Light, arise!"

Red, yellow, green, white, blue! Five pillars of light condensed to the extreme, seeming alive, shoot up from above Wang Ping's head! The pillars do not directly clash with the tribulation lightning; instead, they intertwine and swirl above his head, instantly forming a several-zhang-diameter Five-Colored Divine Light Wheel that slowly rotates in reverse.

The divine light wheel rotates in reverse, emitting a profound Dao rhythm of "decomposition", "assimilation", and "rebellion". This is exactly the new form that Wang Ping's Five-Colored Divine Light evolved into after deducing on the Dao platform and gaining insight from the ancient stele—the Reverse Five Elements Divine Light Wheel! It specializes in breaking all orderly Five Elements attacks, disrupting their foundations.

At the same time, Wang Ping rapidly forms seals with both hands, awakening the spirituality of the five core Dao techniques within him simultaneously!

"Golden Yang Blazing Heaven, protect!"

A pure golden-red sun phantom condensed from true sun fire hovers above Wang Ping's head, shedding scorching, pure radiance that burns and purifies all evil yin-cold forces, especially targeting the Water Divine Thunder.

"Yin Stillness Extinction Cold Tide, condense!"

A circle of deep, icy blue light expands with Wang Ping as its center, extreme cold freezing the space, slowing all things, and having a restraining effect on the Fire Divine Thunder.

"White Tiger Slay Divine Sword Gale, slash!"

A pure white sword gale, condensed like substance and bearing the will to slay souls, bursts from Wang Ping's brow, hovers before him, its sharp qi pointing directly at the Metal Divine Thunder.

"Wood Divine Thunder, arise!"

Green lightning arcs around Wang Ping, forming a net of life and destruction intertwined, serving both as defense and counterstrike, aimed at suppressing the Earth Divine Thunder's pressure.

"Gravity·Thousand Peaks Seal Prison, solidify!"

Earth-yellow divine light suffuses Wang Ping's whole body, connecting with the formation earth beneath his feet; a mountain-heavy force field empowers him, stabilizing his foundation and resisting the impact.

The five means are unleashed instantly! This is already the peak of Wang Ping's defense under his current normal state.

Speaking of delay, it's fast!

The five Annihilation Divine Thunderbolts crash into the formation space, first colliding with the Reverse Five Elements Divine Light Wheel.

Sizzle—!!!

A piercing sound of energy annihilation explodes! The Five-Colored Divine Light Wheel spins in reverse like a huge grindstone, boldly meeting the five divine thunders. The violent annihilation force within the thunder is drawn, decomposed, and disrupted by the corresponding attribute divine light within the wheel.

The sharpness of the Metal Thunder is scorched and softened by Fire Divine Light, then penetrated and nullified by Water Divine Light; the life-and-death force of the Wood Thunder is cut off its cycle by Metal Divine Light; the yin-cold of the Water Thunder is borne by Earth Divine Light and evaporated by Fire Divine Light; the ferocity of the Fire Thunder is drenched by Water Divine Light and scattered by Metal Divine Light; the heaviness of the Earth Thunder is pierced by Wood Divine Light and split open by Metal Divine Light.

The Reverse Five Elements Divine Light Wheel violently trembles, its light flickering, obviously under immense pressure. Yet it ultimately succeeds in disrupting the formation of the five divine thunders, dispersing and weakening their power by at least thirty percent!

The remaining seventy percent of power pierces the light wheel and fiercely bombards the layered defenses Wang Ping has set up!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The five booms almost merge into one! The great sun phantom of Golden Yang Blazing Heaven and the Water Divine Thunder annihilate each other, bursting into heavenly ice-and-fire streams. The Yin Stillness Extinction Cold Tide and the Fire Divine Thunder mutually annihilate, sending up rising steam.

The White Tiger Slay Divine Sword Gale shatters part of the Metal Divine Thunder, itself also scattering. The Wood Divine Thunder net intertwines with the Earth Divine Thunder and explodes, lightning scattering in all directions. The gravity field violently fluctuates, the ground beneath Wang Ping's feet shatters, but his stance like a mountain, he stubbornly bears the final remnants of the divine thunder!

Pfft!

Wang Ping's throat sweetens, a mouthful of reverse blood spurts out, his face instantly turning pale. His five viscera and six bowels feel as if struck by a huge hammer, qi and blood churn, his meridians transmit burning pain and numbness.

The spiritual power all over his body is further drastically consumed, the Five-Colored Divine Light dims somewhat.

Merely the first wave of the first tribulation's attack has already given him a serious internal injury!

However, the chaotic tribulation clouds above give him no chance to catch his breath.

Rumble!

Within the vortex, the five-colored lightning again frenziedly gathers! This time, instead of five separate divine thunders, the five-colored lightning entwines and fuses, forming a pillar over one zhang in diameter, inside which five-colored lightning snakes wildly dart and bite, emitting an even more terrifying annihilation aura—the "Five Elements Mixed Annihilation Thunder Pillar"—which crashes down again with the momentum to destroy everything!

Its power is far stronger than the previous five separate thunder strikes—by more than just a fewfold!

"Can't meet it head-on!" Wang Ping's pupils contract sharply. He feels that the power contained in this Mixed Annihilation Thunder Pillar is enough to blast him and his formation space into dust!

In the flash of lightning, inspiration strikes!

He recalls the ancient stele's demonstration of "Five Elements Reverse Birth Chaos"!

Since the five elements' mutual generation can form a cycle, and their mutual overcoming can lead to annihilation…… then in extreme conflict and annihilation, the five elements can also return to chaos! And chaos can embrace, resolve, and even…… devour!

"I will use your annihilating power to aid my initial formation of chaos!"

A flicker of madness and resolve flashes in Wang Ping's eyes! He no longer focuses all his effort on defense; instead, he forcibly condenses the dimmed Five-Colored Divine Light around him, no longer maintaining the Reverse Five Elements Divine Light Wheel form, but transforming it into five pure streams of primal qi that encircle him, following the trajectory of "Five Elements Reverse", beginning to rapidly spin in reverse and collide!

Metal cuts wood, wood conquers earth, earth buries water, water extinguishes fire, fire melts metal!

The five streams of divine light qi, in their reverse collision, fiercely clash and annihilate each other, producing chaotic, destructive energy turbulence that envelops Wang Ping himself; his skin begins to crack, blood seeps out, his breath plummets sharply, as if he is destroying his own Dao foundation!

However, just as this extreme five-element conflict and annihilation reaches its peak, that destructive energy turbulence is about to completely devour Wang Ping—

Within his left arm, the already extremely active chaotic qi, like a shark smelling blood, erupts violently! Following Wang Ping's mental guidance, it frenziedly surges into the center of the five-element annihilation!

As the murky chaotic qi enters, the violent five-element annihilation energy, as if finding its home, instantly "calms" down, being rapidly assimilated, absorbed, and transformed by the chaotic qi!

A tiny yet stable chaotic vortex spontaneously forms before Wang Ping's chest!

And at this very moment, the heaven-earth-destroying "Five Elements Mixed Annihilation Thunder Pillar" happens to crash down!

There is no earth-shattering explosion.

In Jiang Mingyuan's solemn gaze, that pillar which seemed capable of annihilating everything, upon touching Wang Ping's chest's tiny chaotic vortex, actually like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, was silently swallowed by the vortex!

The chaotic vortex violently expands and contracts; inside, the five-colored lightning flickers frenziedly and struggles, but ultimately cannot escape the chaotic vortex's embrace and transformation. After a few breaths, the vortex returns to calm, its volume slightly increased, its hue seeming deeper. And that terrifying Mixed Annihilation Thunder Pillar has vanished without trace.

With chaos, swallow the heavenly tribulation!

Wang Ping lets out a muffled groan; the chaotic vortex before his chest slowly dissipates, returning to his left arm. His face is as pale as paper, his breath feeble to the extreme, his body slightly sways, barely able to stand. Forcibly driving the Five Elements Reverse and controlling the chaotic qi to devour the tribulation lightning consumes his essence enormously, his flesh and meridians also suffering severe damage.

But he ultimately endured this first wave of the "Five Elements Annihilation Divine Thunder" tribulation! Moreover, turning misfortune into blessing, the portion of the tribulation thunder's source that was swallowed, after being transformed by chaos, turned into a strand of exceedingly pure energy, gradually nourishing his damaged body and Dao foundation.

The chaotic tribulation clouds in the sky also seem to have paused momentarily due to this unexpected result. The vortex slowly rotates; the five-colored lightning within has dimmed considerably, but a more yin-cold, mysterious aura that directly targets the soul begins to permeate.

The first tribulation, the Five Elements Annihilation Divine Thunder, has been passed.

But something even more terrifying lies ahead.

Wang Ping forced a breath, quickly swallowed several pre-prepared supreme-grade healing and Yuan-replenishing pills, seized this brief interval, and fully circulated his breath to recover. He knew that the next tribulation would likely not give him another chance to take shortcuts.

Indeed, only ten breaths had passed.

Within the swirling vortex of the Chaos Tribulation Clouds, the five-colored lightning vanished completely, replaced by two distinct yet intertwined strange currents—one black, one white!

The black current was icy and lifeless, as if it could freeze the soul; the white current appeared pure, yet carried an indifferent meaning of purification and stripping away everything.

Yin and Yang energies! But they were not normal Yin and Yang; rather, they contained the will of 'shattering' and 'annihilation' of the soul—Yin-Yang Soul-Shattering Wind!

The second tribulation descends!

Soundlessly, the black-and-white strange currents flowed down from the tribulation cloud vortex.

They appeared slow, but in an instant they pierced the Yin-Yang isolating power of the "Five Elements Chaos Grand Formation," as if the formation had no effect on them.

Actually, the formation is not ineffective; rather, this "Yin-Yang Soul-Shattering Wind" itself is the embodiment of extreme Yin-Yang power, specifically targeting the soul, formless and substanceless, so ordinary physical and energy defenses have little effect against it.

Black and white qi streams entwined and intertwined like two vicious giant pythons, coiling toward Wang Ping at the formation's core. Even before reaching him, Wang Ping felt a sharp, intense pain and icy chill in his soul, as if he were to be frozen, torn apart, and then purified into nothingness by the white qi stream.

In the Sea of Consciousness, the Will Constellation flashed wildly, shedding steadfast light to resist the all-pervasive soul attack. Yet he still felt waves of dizziness, and his soul power was rapidly depleting.

"A tribulation that specifically targets the soul..." Wang Ping felt a heavy heart. His flesh was formidable, his Five Elements Dao Arts profound, but though his soul cultivation had reached mid-Nascent Soul, he lacked a powerful divine ability specialized in defending against soul attacks. Though the previous "Life-Death Insight" spark could protect a fragment of indelible spiritual clarity, if his soul were completely scattered, even that clarity would be hard to preserve.

At the critical moment, Wang Ping's mind was blessed, recalling the second layer of the "Soul-Refining Method," the "Soul-Tempering Chapter," and the continually evolving soul-pacifying runes on his Will Constellation.

"The Soul-Tempering Chapter refines the soul with Dao fire, aiming to enhance the soul's essence and toughness. Meanwhile, the runes on my Will Constellation seem to be evolving toward a 'Divine Sense Ability'... perhaps I can actively provoke it!"

With no time to hesitate, Wang Ping immediately activated the Soul-Refining Method, focusing all his mind and spirit on the Will Constellation in his Sea of Consciousness, attempting to communicate with and activate those flowing profound runes.

Hum!

The Will Constellation shuddered violently! The runes on its surface, which had been slowly flowing, suddenly blazed with radiance! They were no longer mere soul-stabilizing marks; they interlinked and combined, instantly forming around the Will Constellation a complex, intricate, ancient-might exuding "Soul-Pacifying Light Crown"!

The Light Crown slowly rotated, pouring down layer upon layer of pale gold light waves imbued with the intentions of sealing, guarding, and rebounding, firmly protecting Wang Ping's entire Sea of Consciousness.

At the same time, Wang Ping sank his thoughts into that strand of the "Life-Death Insight" spark. This was not for attack; using it as a guide, he ignited his firm belief in "existence" and his relentless pursuit of the "Great Dao," thereby strengthening the origin of his soul to oppose the "Soul-Shattering" intent.

"My Dao Heart is steadfast, unchanged through life and death! My Will is like steel, unground by myriad tribulations! My soul is immortal, my True Spirit eternal!"

Wang Ping let out a silent shout in his heart, his Dao Heart clear and bright, his Will like fire!

The next moment, the Yin-Yang Soul-Shattering Wind descended upon his body!

Hiss—!

Like a red-hot branding iron dropped into ice water, a violent soul clash erupted in the periphery of Wang Ping's Sea of Consciousness! The Soul-Pacifying Light Crown violently trembled, its pale gold light waves shattering layer after layer, yet stubbornly regenerating. The black and white qi streams frenziedly struck and eroded, trying to pierce the Light Crown, to freeze and rend Wang Ping's soul core.

Excruciating pain! An indescribable soul-wracking agony swept over Wang Ping's consciousness! It felt as if countless ice blades and branding irons were simultaneously cutting and searing his soul! His consciousness began to blur, fragments of past memories churning uncontrollably, the seven emotions and six desires infinitely amplified then swiftly stripped away... This was a torture directly targeting the essence of the soul.

The Soul-Pacifying Light Crown flickered erratically, obviously struggling to sustain. Wang Ping clenched his teeth, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his eyes turned red, but the resolve deep in his gaze was like a boulder, firmly guarding that sliver of clarity. The Life-Death Insight spark burned quietly at the center of his Sea of Consciousness, providing the most fundamental support, preventing his True Spirit from being lost or scattered.

This was a contest of will and endurance, a head-on clash of the soul's essence!

Time passed bit by bit, each breath feeling as long as a thousand years.

Finally, as the Soul-Pacifying Light Crown teetered on the brink of total collapse, Wang Ping's soul swayed on the verge of falling, his consciousness about to plunge into darkness—

That violent Yin-Yang Soul-Shattering Wind seemed to have also reached some limit, its power beginning to gradually wane.

And Wang Ping's Will, having undergone this extreme painful tempering, was like steel forged through a thousand hammerings—becoming more solid and pure! Though the Soul-Pacifying Light Crown was damaged, its runes, under pressure, underwent further fusion and evolution, faintly revealing a higher realm of "All Dharmas Do Not Invade" and "Soul Eternal and Stable."

After persisting for another dozen breaths, the black and white qi streams finally dissipated completely.

Wang Ping, as if utterly exhausted, slumped to the ground, gasping heavily, fine traces of blood seeping from his seven orifices, his soul transmitting waves of emptiness and numbness after the intense pain. Yet he could feel that, although his soul had suffered considerable injury, its essence had undergone unprecedented tempering and elevation, its strength and toughness now approaching late Nascent Soul! The Soul-Pacifying Light Crown had also preliminarily stabilized, becoming a powerful passive soul-defense divine ability for him.

The second tribulation, the Yin-Yang Soul-Shattering Wind, has been passed!

The cost was heavy, but the gain was also immense.

However, the chaotic tribulation clouds above gave Wang Ping no time to rejoice. At the moment the Yin-Yang Soul-Shattering Wind dispersed, the center of the clouds' vortex, which had been slowly rotating, suddenly became viscous and profound, as if transformed into an abyss capable of devouring everything.

A tiny gray-white flame, utterly inconspicuous, faintly ignited from the heart of the abyss.

The flame was extremely small, like a candle in the wind, seeming about to extinguish at any moment. Yet at the instant it appeared, the temperature of heaven and earth did not rise; instead, an indescribable "cold" and "emptiness" emanating from the depths of the soul spread throughout.

It was not cold, but rather the sense of "void" that all things will ultimately return to extinction and all meaning will ultimately dissolve.

The third tribulation—Chaos Heart-Devouring Fire!

This fire does not burn the flesh, nor ignite spiritual power; it specifically devours the Dao Heart, incinerates the will, and grinds away the True Spirit! It is the ultimate form of the heart-demon tribulation, directly targeting the most fundamental meaning of a cultivator's existence! If the Dao Heart is not firm, the will flawed, the True Spirit dulled, then under this fire the Dao Heart will collapse, the will dissipate, the True Spirit burned to nothingness, completely erased from the world, with no chance of reincarnation.

Jiang Mingyuan, outside the formation, saw that gray-white flame and his face finally changed drastically! Even with his Unity Stage cultivation and state of mind, he felt a chill at this moment. "Chaos Heart-Devouring Fire... said to exist only in ancient records as the ultimate heart tribulation... Ping'er..."

Within the formation, Wang Ping had just barely recovered a bit from the soul-wracking pain when he felt a vast terror, vast extinction, vast void silently enveloping him. It was not an external attack, but seemed to arise and spread from the deepest recesses of his own heart.

All his past experiences—childhood hardship, the arduousness of cultivation, the brutality of battle, the joy of opportunity, the yearning for power, the pursuit of longevity, the concern for kin and friends, the hatred for enemies—all his emotions, memories, desires, and obsessions now seemed to become fuel, to be ignited, burned, and turned to ash by the void fire welling up from his heart.

"Why cultivate? Why seek longevity? Why seek power? If all is destined to return to void, what meaning does today's struggle hold?"

"Dear friends will pass away, enemies will be annihilated, mountains and rivers will shift, stars will fall... everything you cling to protect is, before the river of time and the end of chaos, merely a speck of dust."

"Let go, return to chaos, return to void. There is no pain, no struggle, no unfulfilled desire, no parting from love... only eternal tranquility and emptiness."

Countless whispers filled with temptation and destruction rang out directly in the depths of Wang Ping's mind, not from outside, but from his own thoughts splitting and mutating under the influence of the Chaos Heart-Devouring Fire.

Wang Ping's gaze began to show bewilderment and confusion. His aura surged violently, the five-colored divine light flickering on and off, as if even his Dao foundation were about to destabilize. The newly stabilized Soul-Pacifying Light Crown had little effect against this flame arising from within his heart.

The Life-Death Insight spark flickered in his heart's depths, seemingly also being eroded by this void intent.

Crisis! A danger more deadly than his previous bodily wounds and soul agony!

Once his Dao Heart is lost, his will collapses, his True Spirit burned, he will never recover across myriad kalpas!

At this critical juncture, as his consciousness was about to sink into boundless void—

Wang Ping's will to survive and his resolve to seek the Dao, forged through life-and-death trials in the Heaven-Reaching Tower, tempered in the Five Elements Secret Realm, and honed by countless battles and quests—near-instinctive—burst forth like the final immortal spark!

"No!!!"

A roar seemingly emanating from the deepest depths of his soul, mixed with endless unwillingness, indomitability, and no regret, exploded in Wang Ping's heart!

"I cultivate not for eternal longevity! I seek the Dao not for invincibility under heaven!"

"Having endured hardship, I know the value of striving forward! Having experienced life and death, I understand the preciousness of existence!"

"What I guard is the belief in my heart and the path beneath my feet! What I pursue is to pierce the mist and see reality, to transcend myself and touch the infinite!"

Even if bosom friends must eventually part, even if mountains and rivers will eventually collapse, even if stars will eventually fall into oblivion…… but at least, I have truly lived, passionately loved, resolutely walked!

Existence itself is meaning! The process itself is value!

Nothingness wants to devour me? Then let it come! My Dao-heart, my will, my true spirit shall be the firewood that burns this nothingness!

With my Dao-heart as fire, my will as tinder, my true spirit as seed — burn!!!

Boom!

It seemed as if something deep within Wang Ping's soul had been utterly ignited!

It was not the Chaos Devouring Heart Fire, but rather a 'heart fire' he actively ignited, using as fuel his purest 'will to exist' and 'heart seeking the Dao'! This heart fire fused insights of life and death, embraced the seven emotions and six desires, bore all past experiences, yet contained nothing of 'submission' or 'nothingness'!

This heart fire is brilliant, fierce, and eternal! It no longer passively resists the erosion of the Chaos Devouring Heart Fire; instead, it turns the tables, like a spark of a prairie fire, actively sweeping toward the void that permeates the mind to burn it away!

Wherever the heart fire passed, the seductive whispers dissipated, confused thoughts cleared, and the erosion of nothingness receded! The two flames clashed fiercely, collided, and annihilated each other in Wang Ping's mental battlefield!

This is a contest of the Dao-heart, a burning of the will, a tempering of the true spirit!

Wang Ping's cross-legged body shuddered violently, his features twisting — sometimes in agony, sometimes ferocious, sometimes tranquil, sometimes fervent. In his seven apertures, blood no longer flowed; instead, a faint, pure white halo shone forth.

Outside, Jiang Mingyuan watched tensely. He could see the chaotic aura around Wang Ping gradually subside, giving way to a more inward, deeper resonance of Dao — as if tempered by myriad tribulations yet unchanging — beginning to slowly grow and strengthen.

No one knew how long had passed.

Wang Ping's tightly shut eyes slowly opened.

In his eyes, the former five‑element radiance or sharp gleam was gone; instead lay a calm and depth like one who has weathered myriad ages, seen the rise and fall of the world, yet kept his original intent unchanged. At the deepest point of his pupils, a warm, steady point of heart‑fire light glowed quietly.

The five‑colored divine light around him flowed naturally, now more round and flawless, gaining a heavy flavor of the 'Dao'. Though his aura remained weak, beneath that weakness lay a vigorous vitality of breaking‑and‑renewal, reborn anew!

The chaos tribulation clouds in the sky slowed their vortex, then stopped spinning; the deep chaos hue gradually faded and dispersed. The terrifying heavenly might that had filled heaven and earth receded like a tide.

The third tribulation, the Chaos Devouring Heart Fire, is passed!

Thus, the threefold Five Elements Chaos Tribulation has all been overcome!

Wang Ping successfully withstood this anciently rare Nascent Soul heavenly tribulation!

However, at the very moment the tribulation clouds were about to dissipate completely, an anomaly arose again!

At the center of the clouds about to vanish, the final wisp of chaos energy did not simply disappear; instead it suddenly contracted and condensed into a faint grayish light strand, imperceptible yet containing a trace of the purest 'Chaos's End' and 'All Things' Beginning' Dao resonance — as if crossing spacetime, ignoring formation barriers, it silently slipped into Wang Ping's glabella!

Wang Ping's body shuddered, then immediately returned to calm.

The sky cleared completely, cloudless for ten thousand li; sunlight poured down, shining upon the storm‑washed sea of clouds, a scene of peace.

Jiang Mingyuan let out a long breath, finally wearing a smile of relief; his eyes brimmed with satisfaction and awe.

Within the formation, Wang Ping slowly rose to his feet. He felt the earth‑shaking changes within him, especially in his dantian, where the five Golden Cores had vanished, replaced by a cross‑legged seated figure identical in appearance to him, its body flowing with five‑colored light, yet at its chest a point of chaotic star‑jade slowly turning — an infant phantom!

Though small, this phantom radiated immense vitality and vast Dao resonance, tightly bound to his soul and spirit, as if an extension of his life and a vessel of the Great Dao.

Chaos Five Elements Nascent Soul, its embryonic form first condensed!

Although merely an embryonic form, it still needs a long time to nurture, strengthen, and stabilize; yet the most arduous and perilous step has already been crossed!

Wang Ping raised his head, gazing at the bright clear sky, at his Master standing with a smile, and a boundless emotion welled up in his heart.

After the tribulation, the remainder of life; the Dao has just begun to take shape.

The road ahead is long, yet this heart grows ever firmer.