"Break through to Heavenly Sovereign?" Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, Qing Yanjing was momentarily stunned before she gave a bitter smile and shook her head. As a prodigy of an ancient race, she naturally understood how incredibly difficult it was to reach that realm. Throughout history, countless Earth Sovereigns had found themselves stuck at that very bottleneck. Even with full confidence in her own talent, she estimated that breaking through to the Heavenly Sovereign realm would take several years of cultivation. But right now, they simply didn't have that kind of time.
"You were always curious how I managed to replicate your Sacred Buddha Pagoda, weren't you? In truth, that was done through a dual cultivation method," Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Since it's a dual cultivation technique, it naturally benefits both parties' strength. I assume you already noticed your spiritual energy increased quite a bit after that time, right?"
Hearing Xiao Yan bring that incident up again, Qing Yanjing's delicate face flushed with a mix of shame and fury. But now wasn't the time to dwell on that, so she simply gave a slight nod, acknowledging the truth. After that event, she had indeed felt her spiritual energy rise significantly, even reaching the peak of Greater Earth Sovereign. However, the Heavenly Sovereign realm still remained far away.
"So, if I continue to use that method, perhaps we can both raise our strength further. Then, with some additional energy, I believe we could try to charge into the Heavenly Sovereign realm," Xiao Yan took a deep breath and added, "But for that, I'll need your cooperation. This dual cultivation method only works when both partners are fully aligned in mind and heart. Only then, during the union of yin and yang, can it yield its best effect."
Qing Yanjing's face turned even redder, almost as red as an apple. She hadn't expected that the method Xiao Yan was referring to was this one. But she also understood that he wasn't speaking nonsense. She had once seen in ancient texts that this type of dual cultivation could indeed allow both cultivators to grow stronger—provided their hearts were aligned. And in a situation like this, the more power they could muster, the better their chances of survival.
But to voluntarily cooperate with Xiao Yan… it was something that deeply conflicted with her innermost pride.
A look of internal struggle flickered in her eyes. After a long pause, she finally closed her eyes in resignation. Two streaks of tears silently slipped down her cheeks.
"Let's do it your way…"
Seeing her like this, Xiao Yan felt a rare trace of pity. He gently embraced her and whispered, "This time, I'll be more gentle."
"Thank you," Qing Yanjing replied instinctively, then quickly realized something was off. 'Why am I thanking him? I'm the one being forced here, am I not?'
Unlike their previous painful encounter, Xiao Yan truly was much gentler this time. As a result, Qing Yanjing's experience was vastly different. Realizing this, she did her best to cooperate, both for her own growth and to prepare for the breakthrough. As yin and yang intertwined, both of them felt the energy within their bodies surge to its peak, even brushing against the barrier of the Heavenly Sovereign realm. This was the perfect moment to break through.
'Spirit of the Plane, aid me in breaking through!' Xiao Yan called out in his heart as he sensed that barrier. In the next instant, a torrent of chaotic light burst forth from within his body. The Plane Seed he had acquired back on the Tianxuan Continent was finally showing its true power.
That endless chaotic light spread outward from Xiao Yan's body like ripples, forming a glowing sphere that enveloped both him and Qing Yanjing. The vast, boundless energy surged through Xiao Yan's body, helping him assault the barrier that had trapped so many. And since Qing Yanjing was still connected with him through dual cultivation, that energy flowed into her as well, lowering the difficulty of her own breakthrough.
Just then, a strange vibration echoed across the sky above the Heaven Tomb. Xiao Yan, who was focused on breaking through, opened his eyes and looked up. There, dark storm clouds began to churn and swirl in the murky sky above, as though Heaven itself was preparing to unleash divine judgment.
"That's… the Heavenly Sovereign Tribulation?" Qing Yanjing's pupils constricted slightly. Just as the breakthrough to Earth Sovereign brought a Spirit Tribulation, the leap to Heavenly Sovereign also triggered the fabled Heavenly Sovereign Tribulation. Its might was terrifying. Even true Heavenly Sovereigns found it extremely troublesome, let alone two who had yet to formally break through.
And perhaps because both of them were attempting to break through at the same time, the two tribulations merged and mutated into a single, vastly more powerful Heavenly Sovereign Tribulation. Fueled further by the chaotic energy around the Heaven Tomb, its power escalated yet again. Even though it hadn't descended yet, Qing Yanjing could already feel that its force was enough to overwhelm a late-stage Spiritual-grade Heavenly Sovereign!
"Don't be afraid. Leave it to me," Xiao Yan's voice gently echoed in her ears. For some reason, hearing those words gave Qing Yanjing an odd sense of reassurance. She quietly closed her eyes, preparing to face the oncoming storm.
A deafening boom rang out as countless waves of devastating power rained down upon them from the sky.
Unlike Spirit Tribulations, which took the form of pure lightning, the Heavenly Sovereign Tribulation manifested in many elemental forms. Its might was no less than the apocalyptic disasters of the Ancient Sacred Abyss. At that moment, Xiao Yan rapidly activated all his devouring techniques, absorbing the tribulation's power into his body.
Within his soul sea, the eight Ancestral Symbols hovered silently, drawing in the tribulation's energy. As primordial elemental forces, they naturally resonated with the power of the Heavenly Sovereign Tribulation. Though the Time Ancestral Symbol remained unchanged due to its unique nature, the others began to evolve once again under this trial.
Not only that, but a black flame—born from the tribulation—was also drawn into Xiao Yan's body. It followed the channels of the Flame Mantra, merging with the residual Battle Will Flame left behind by Long Fan. These two terrifying flames, potent enough to injure even a Heavenly Sovereign, fused into the Emperor Flame. The resulting amplification was overwhelming.
Of course, while the tribulation brought great hardship, it also brought great transformation. Though Qing Yanjing managed to endure it, she hadn't received the full baptism of the Heavenly Sovereign Tribulation, meaning her body hadn't evolved and she could only be considered a pseudo-Heavenly Sovereign.
As she grew anxious about this, she suddenly felt a power radiating from Xiao Yan's body. It washed over her, cleansing and reshaping her flesh, helping her ascend fully into the Heavenly Sovereign realm. Clearly, Xiao Yan had anticipated this problem. By refining the tribulation's force and transmitting it in a gentler form, he was helping Qing Yanjing complete her transformation into a true Heavenly Sovereign!
(End of Chapter)
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