With a visible tremor, Lin Langtian's voice filled with humiliation and fear mingling in a grotesque blend… sounded from the floor. "I… I apologize for offending His Excellency. Please forgive my insolence."
Wang Yan's fearful voice immediately followed. "I… I apologize as well, Your Excellency. Please be merciful!"
Lin Yi glared at them both for a while and then gave a curt, almost imperceptible nod. The crushing, universal pressure instantly vanished, leaving behind only the profound silence of the stone hall.
He then glanced toward Ling Qingzhu, his expressionless face transforming into a gentle, faint smile beneath the mask. "Qingzhu," he said, his voice returning to its normal, resonant tone. "I will pay a visit to your Nine Heaven Supreme Purity Sect soon. Just wait for me."
Ignoring the shattered figures of Lin Langtian and Wang Yan, and the stunned expressions of the rest of the onlookers, Lin Yi simply turned and walked toward the exit, his figure calm and unhurried.
"Go, kid! Move!" Little Marten screamed in Lin Dong's mind, urging him. "They will vent their anger on you, if you stay here! Take advantage of the chaos and leave the tomb!" Lin Dong, shaken from his daze, did not need to be told twice. He quickly followed the masked man out of the hall, his mind a turbulent mix of confusion and relief.
Ling Qingzhu, whose cold composure had been utterly shattered by the turn of events and the strange familiarity in Lin Yi's final words to her, glanced at the retreating figure, a thoughtful, unreadable look on her face. Then, thinking of the scene that had transpired inside the hall, a light, violent red covered her cheek and neck, only to vanish instantly, replaced by absolute coldness. She then flew after them, her blue lotus a streak of light.
The rest of the clan members, their faces pale, quickly followed the terrifying powerhouses, unwilling to linger in the presence of the humiliated prodigies.
After a while, outside the tomb complex, a secluded figure stood alone in one corner of the forest.
Lin Langtian, his robes now covered in dust, slammed his fist into the trunk of a massive, ancient tree.
CRACK!
The tree trunk instantly splintered, a shockwave of his Qi Creation Yuan Power erupting outward. A dark, resentful aura began to spread around him, his expression contorted with utter hatred and humiliation.
'Nirvana… Damn Shen Yi!' he screamed internally, the fear still a raw wound, such humiliation he hasn't tasted since breath… the experience is almost suffocating his mind like a trauma, especially recalling everything happened in front of the junior of his clan. 'Why… Why feel so utterly powerless! I need strength, I want revenge. I will definitely kill this bastard with my own hands.'
A dry, evil voice, ancient and subtle, sounded in the deepest recesses of his mind. "Do not worry, Lin Langtian. Your potential is extremely high. Do not let this small setback deter you. You will definitely surpass him… in the future you will have your revenge on that red-haired man."
…
On the other side, in another secluded corner of the vast Sky Flame Mountain Range, the masked figure of Lin Yi appeared upon a sheer cliff face. He was a silent, unmoving silhouette against the churning sky, his blazing red pupils fixed on the heavens.
Dark, bruised-purple clouds, unnatural and immensely oppressive, were gathering with impossible speed above him. The very air had thickened, saturated not merely with the moisture of rain, but with a terrifying, ancient power… the atmosphere of tribulation, a judgment from the great laws of the universe.
Inside the Nirvana Heart Hall, the protective embrace of the Chaos Spirit Lotus Platform had concealed his soul and dismissed the heavenly reckoning following his breakthrough. Now, with the lotus no longer shielding him and its essence transferred, the cosmic ledger had been reconciled. Heaven had finally sensed his Nirvana Second Turn breakthrough, and its judgment was imminent.
With a soundless, terrifying roar, a pillar of multi-hued light… azure, gold, and crimson… suddenly pierced the dark clouds. This was no ordinary lightning; it was the Nirvana Tribulation, the ultimate hurdle for any cultivator seeking the path to true power.
At the same time, Lin Yi's body was jolted by a profound, internal shock. Within the boundless space of his soul and the deep core of his Dantian, similar, brilliant bolts of colorful lightning materialized, striking directly at his spiritual essence and Yuan Power core.
A flicker of genuine surprise crossed Lin Yi's face beneath the simple metallic mask. 'Internal and external tribulation combined? That only occurs after the Third Nirvana Turn for true soul consolidation. The magnitude of this Tribulation is already far exceeding the scope of a mere Second Turn breakthrough. It seems my foundation has become too flawless, and the heavens are calculating the returns I've acquired as part of my own strength.'
A cold, dismissive smile curved his lips. He did not care as his consolidated Second Turn Nirvana Realm was already rock-solid; the massive influx of purified Nirvana Qi from his union with Ling Qingzhu, coupled with the return of twenty thousand Nirvana Pills, meant he was already on the verge of the Third Turn. This massive, combined Tribulation, while terrifying to others, was merely a catalyst for him.
Lin Yi did not release a defensive shield. He did not move to dodge. He simply sat down on his flying sword, crossing his legs in the position of meditation, and urged the powers within. the Primordial Chaos Talisman in his Dantian began to spin with furious, silent velocity, while the nine Destiny Symbols in his spiritual sea radiated an ancient, insatiable hunger.
The moment the external and internal lightning slammed into him… one tearing through his physical form, the other assailing his soul space… a profound, chaotic vortex erupted. The colossal bolts of pure tribulation energy, capable of reducing a Creation Master to ash, were instantly devoured by the Talisman and the Symbols. They did not resist the energy; they consumed it, transforming the destructive power into an immense, torrenting flood of pure, refining essence.
As the tribulation progressed, Lin Yi's strength did not just stabilize; it surged. His physique, already an impenetrable fortress due to the Nirvana Golden Body, became even tougher, each muscle fiber and bone hardened by the pure, lightning-derived energy. His soul, continually absorbing the transformed internal lightning, was reforged, growing at an alarming, almost impossible rate.
…