Chapter 291

Heart Demon Tribulation, for the one undergoing it may be several years, decades, or even a hundred years, but to outsiders it is merely a flash, an instant.

Nascent Soul Cultivator

Nascent Soul

Fourth Level

Cold Sword True Lord

Bitter Sword True Lord

Wan Hailin

Vast Sea Spirit Turtle

Cold Chant Flood Dragon

Nine Palace Condensing Ice Formation

Heaven-Covering Hood

Heavenly Tribulation!

The Bitter Sword True Elder lightly brushed his white beard, his expression complex, carrying a hint of lament.

Meanwhile, the Vast Sea Spirit Turtle beneath Wan Hai Lin's feet had eyes full of apprehension.

Compared to human cultivators, the demon race actually holds greater awe for heavenly might and for the tribulation.

For the Yuan Ying Cultivators and Fourth Level beings present, none lack reverence for the tribulation; their passage through it, more or less, carries some luck.

Inside the cultivation chamber.

Yunhe flicked his hand to store the congealed-fat ice-pure lotus, looked up, and though his view could only see the cavern's ceiling, it seemed to pierce the thick rock and ice, letting him see the black clouds and thunder broth brewing above.

However, he was not overly tense; after a light smile, his figure gradually faded.

When he reappeared, he was already above the Ice Immortal Pavilion, half-raising his head, hands behind his back, suspended at the top.

Having reached the Yuan Ying tribulation stage, he no longer needed to be so wary of external enemies.

The power of heaven and earth admits no profanation!

At this moment, relying solely on the ability of a Golden Core cultivator, it is fundamentally impossible to approach.

But if a Yuan Ying Cultivator rashly intrudes beneath the tribulation, heaven and earth will regard him as another undergoing the tribulation.

The tribulation will become stronger, and it will make the intruder share in bearing its power.

No Yuan Ying Cultivator would be foolish enough to charge into the tribulation, for then its might would be utterly beyond what they could withstand.

At this moment, the Cold Chant Flood Dragon had retreated into the cold pool, poking out a pair of eyes to gaze at Yunhe above, his eyes full of awe.

Come on.

Yunhe's robes fluttered in the wind as he smiled at the tribulation, murmuring softly.

The next moment.

The thunderclouds seemed to sense his provocation; with a boom, a golden bolt as thick as a water bucket, as if bearing heaven's might, lanced straight down from the dense black clouds, aimed at Yunhe below.

At that moment, heaven and earth seemed to dim in the glow of that golden light, leaving nothing between them but that bolt.

At that same moment, Yunhe, having taken control of the Nine Palaces Congealing Ice Formation, turned his finger; the patterns on the formation disk flowed, and the opened mountain-guarding grand formation, which had remained active, now actually opened a gap, allowing the lightning to strike through.

Crackle!

Yunhe made no move or defense, simply letting the heavenly lightning strike his body!

"He actually withstood the tribulation with his flesh!" Seeing this, the Cold Sword True Elder's pupils narrowed.

"This fellow Daoist of the Bee has truly extraordinary flesh." The Bitter Sword True Elder couldn't help exclaiming, turning to the Vast Sea Spirit Turtle beside him and asking, "Fellow Daoist Gui, what do you think?"

The Vast Sea Spirit Turtle, which had never spoken since arriving here, opened its mouth for the first time, emitting a deep, heavy sound, its gaze fixed on Yunhe bathed in golden lightning, and slowly said:

"Comparable to the flesh of a mid-stage third-level demon beast; for you human cultivators, this flesh is indeed quite remarkable."

After all, it is a demon beast, and its judgment of Yunhe's bodily strength is extremely keen.

"Oh?" the Bitter Sword True Elder raised his white brows, "I never imagined fellow Daoist Bee would not only possess abundant mana but also such a formidable physique—truly rare. However, withstanding the tribulation with one's flesh is hardly wise, Fellow Daoist Gui—do you know why?"

Before he finished speaking, the Vast Sea Spirit Turtle narrowed its eyes and said, "To temper the flesh with the tribulation."

But it still had another sentence hidden in its heart, unspoken.

"This is the demon race's method!"

Wan Hai Lin felt his heart skip a beat, squeezed out an awkward smile, and said:

"I see; this fellow Daoist Bee truly has great mettle!"

As they spoke, the tribulation gave Yunhe no chance to catch his breath; a second bolt of heavenly lightning crashed down.

Withstanding two tribulation bolts with his flesh!

When the lightning light faded, Yunhe's figure was already a hazy blur, with golden arcs still jumping across him, appearing quite extraordinary.

"He has already reached the limit of a mid-stage third-level demon beast's flesh." The Vast Sea Spirit Turtle said again.

As expected.

As its words fell, Yunhe in the distance swept his palm over his dantian, and a treasure canopy was sacrificed forth, hovering above his head; the bells beneath it rang with a clear "ding-ding-dang-dang".

"Miti Dou?" the Bitter Sword True Elder recognized this treasure canopy, a little surprised.

This magical treasure was originally a middle-grade Fourth Level spiritual treasure, but it declined in rank due to the loss of its artifact spirit; nevertheless, among Yuan Ying Cultivators it is somewhat renowned, being a treasure specifically for countering lightning techniques.

Boom!

Heaven and earth turned white once more.

The ever-mightier thunderbolt struck, hitting the Miti Dou, but in an instant it vanished, transforming into golden arcs that scattered in all directions.

Yet beneath the canopy, Yunhe rolled his sleeves, silently absorbing the scattered arcs, and finally, without a sound, he infused them into his qi sea dantian.

The tribulation layers came one after another, their falling frequency ever increasing; as soon as the Miti Dou blocked one bolt, another immediately followed.

Yunhe's expression gradually grew solemn.

Two bolts of Heavenly Thunder are already the limit this broken treasure can reach; if another came, perhaps it could still block one more, but the treasure would be utterly destroyed, which would be somewhat not worth it.

He curled his wrist, retracting the Sky‑Enveloping Gourd into his body, and simultaneously cast a formula into the array on his hand.

Having already taken control of the Ice Immortal Pavilion's Mountain Guard Array from the Ice Laurel Fairy, he also intends to make use of this array.

As the array patterns on the hand array swirled.

In the sky, the Nine Palaces Condensing Ice Array, which had opened a breach, closed.

A towering ice‑crystal palace illusion rose from the ground, enveloping Yunhe within.

The forces of Heaven and Earth seemed to sense the rise of the Nine Palaces Condensing Ice Array; at the instant the formation fully sealed, two bolts of thunder crashed down almost simultaneously!

Crack!

Enduring the two Heavenly Thunder bolts in succession, the quasi‑Fourth Level Array emitted a crisp sound; the massive palace illusion sprouted huge fissures, finally shattering and revealing the unprotected Ice Immortal Pavilion!

The Thunder Tribulation has already passed six layers!

"Having exhausted external aid, in the end I must rely on myself, right?" Yunhe looked up at the dense black clouds and spoke aloud to himself.

The two bolts that fell almost simultaneously earlier already demonstrated the "attitude" of Heaven and Earth's power.

"Indeed. Though this Thunder Tribulation is Heaven and Earth's obstruction, if I succeed in passing it, the scattered celestial essence will be greatly beneficial to me, who has just entered the Nascent Soul stage."

"If you want me to take it, then I will!"

Yunhe let out a hearty laugh, formed a seal and summoned a small shield, which hovered above his head, rapidly expanding to fully envelop him.

"Raise the Demon Armor!"

Because Yunhe's successful Nascent Soul transformation altered his magical energy, this third‑level supreme treasure now faintly bears a Fourth Level aura.

Above the dome, the seventh bolt of thunder struck without hesitation, booming down!

The most flustered upon seeing this armor was the distant Sea‑Containing Spirit Turtle.

It subconsciously narrowed its pupils, almost letting out a sound; although it finally restrained itself, the look of disbelief on its face could not be suppressed.

Fortunately, Cold Sword True Lord and Bitter Sword True Lord were focused on Yunhe under the tribulation and did not notice the rapidly composed Spirit Turtle's lapse.

However, they did not see it, but Wan Hai Lin, standing atop the Sea‑Containing Spirit Turtle's shell and holding a Beast Taming Token, did notice.

There were two Nascent Soul elder monsters here; he dared not use his divine sense to transmit a query, but he recorded the incident.

Since becoming the Sect Leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and receiving the Beast Taming Token from the Sea‑Containing Spirit Turtle, he had never seen this ancient turtle—whose age even he could not gauge—behave so erratically.

This matter must be of great importance!

Meanwhile.

"Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Sword, emerge!"

A Five‑Colored Sword rose into the air, soaring straight toward the eighth Heavenly Thunder bolt as it fell!

"Sword?!" Upon seeing the flying sword, Cold Sword True Lord's eyes lit up; he apparently had not expected that this fellow bee cultivator's destined treasure was also a sword.

"Is that also Heavenly Thunder power?"

Although Bitter Sword True Lord saw more than Cold Sword True Lord, he too seemed surprised that the flying sword also bore Heavenly Thunder power!

Using Heavenly Thunder to counter Heavenly Thunder?

And moreover, the most important thing.

He could clearly feel that this flying sword was already a Fourth Level treasure!

Although some Yuan Ying Cultivators can, after achieving the Nascent Soul, refine their treasures to Fourth Level, it is truly rare for one to have already refined a treasure to Fourth Level before confronting the Nascent Soul Thunder Tribulation.

After the Nascent Soul stage, the Heart‑Demon Tribulation and the Nascent Soul Thunder Tribulation follow in quick succession.

Cultivators have no time even to familiarize themselves with the magical changes after a breakthrough, let alone refine a treasure!

Moreover, this flying sword gave Bitter Sword True Lord the impression of not being an ordinary Fourth Level treasure!

The Heavenly Thunder power it contains is also not ordinary in strength.

But they did not know that Yunhe's earlier hard resistance to two Heavenly Thunder bolts was not solely to temper his flesh—using the Sky‑Enveloping Gourd to divert the tribulation also absorbed a great deal of scattered Heavenly Thunder energy.

His Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Sword did not achieve Fourth Level through magical refinement; instead, under pure infusion of Heavenly Thunder power, it shattered the Fourth Level treasure shackles!

"Five Elements Sword Formation, combine!!"

Yunhe's gaze turned fierce as he surged upward.

Four more flying swords launched together; the five swords, under the sword formation, merged into a massive blade, slashing the heavens and striking back at the final Thunder Tribulation about to fall.

"Temper the sword with thunder, cut thunder with the sword. Truly a unique method of meeting the tribulation."

Looking at the thunder clouds, split like torn silk and gradually fading, Cold Sword True Lord's eyes revealed a trace of admiration.

He also passed a Thunder Tribulation, but it was under the Snow Sword Sect's Mountain Guard Array; even so, it left him with lingering dread of thunder tribulations, yet he never imagined that the calamity he regarded as a tribulation became a sword‑tempering opportunity in front of Yunhe.

However, as a sword cultivator, he developed considerable interest in Yunhe's Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Sword.

"Could it be that this fellow bee cultivator is also a sword cultivator?"

"The ninefold Thunder Tribulation has dispersed; we have gained another companion."

Bitter Sword True Lord stroked his beard and laughed heartily.

But they did not approach.

Although the Thunder Tribulation has dispersed, those who pass it will gain considerable benefits.

Moreover, after Nascent Soul, tribulations follow one after another, leaving the other side little time to properly comprehend the Nascent Soul changes; this is an excellent opportunity, and disturbing them now would inevitably be seen as interfering with their Dao.

When the tribulations cleared, Yunhe's divine sense naturally noticed Cold Sword True Lord and the others, yet he did not greet them, instead soaring back to his cave to consolidate his Cultivation Base and contemplate.

To him, even two Yuan Ying Cultivators plus a Fourth Level demonic beast, or even double that, is still less important than his own Cultivation Base.

At this point he had successfully entered the Nascent Soul stage and passed the tribulations, achieving the true Yuan Ying realm.

For those fellow cultivators also at the Nascent Soul realm, such fear is no longer necessary.

Sitting cross‑legged atop the Cream‑like Ice‑Clear Lotus, he gathered his mind, feeling his own transformation.

"This truly is the Yuan Ying realm."

Yunhe secretly felt moved.

No wonder a Yuan Ying Cultivator is so nonchalant when facing a Golden Core Cultivator.

Because the gap between Golden Core and Yuan Ying is like a heavenly chasm!

"Yuan Ying realm finally achieved!"

(End of chapter)