From the fake emperor to the concubine

Boom——

The first bolt of lightning struck. It was a thick, silver bolt of lightning, containing terrifying destructive power.

Zheng Yi neither dodged nor evaded, but raised his hand and pointed. A transparent barrier appeared above his head, a protective barrier formed by the power of spacetime.

The lightning struck the barrier, unleashing a blinding flash of light. The barrier trembled violently, but ultimately withstood the attack.

Immediately afterwards, the second and third bolts of heavenly lightning descended in succession. Zheng Yi calmly dealt with them, sometimes using defensive divine powers, and sometimes using offensive divine powers to disperse the heavenly lightning.

The tribulation at the Integration Realm consists of nine bolts of lightning, each stronger than the last. By the seventh bolt, Zheng Yi began to feel the strain. His protective divine power was shattered, and his robes were charred black.

But his eyes grew brighter and brighter. The pressure of the heavenly tribulation actually stimulated his potential. He became more and more proficient in using the power of space and time, and his understanding of the Integration Realm deepened.

As the eighth bolt of heavenly lightning struck, Zheng Yi suddenly unleashed his "Space-Time Imprisonment" divine power. The lightning's speed abruptly slowed, as if it were stuck in quagmire. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zheng Yi used "Void Slash," and a spatial rift appeared out of thin air, swallowing the heavenly lightning.

The final bolt of heavenly lightning was the strongest. It contained all the power of the Heavenly Dao and was intended to completely annihilate the one undergoing tribulation.

Zheng Yi took a deep breath and activated the spatial and temporal spiritual power throughout his body. Countless tiny runes appeared around him, which were the spatial and temporal laws recorded in the "True Scripture of Spacetime".

"Come on!" he shouted, charging towards the heavenly thunder.

boom--

The lightning collided with Zheng Yi, unleashing a deafening roar. The blinding light illuminated the entire sky.

After a long while, the light faded. Zheng Yi's figure appeared in mid-air. He was charred black and covered in blood, looking utterly miserable. But his eyes were incredibly bright, and a smile played on his lips.

He succeeded! He survived all nine bolts of heavenly lightning!

Moreover, during his tribulation, his cultivation became more stable, and his understanding of the laws of space and time deepened. Now, he is a true early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!
The dark clouds in the sky slowly dispersed, replaced by a seven-colored ray of light. It was a reward from Heaven, a gift bestowed upon those who successfully transcended their tribulations.

A seven-colored light shone upon Zheng Yi, and his injuries began to heal rapidly. Moreover, his physical body was tempered by this light, becoming even stronger.

A moment later, Zheng Yi had fully recovered. He felt the surging power within him and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"The Fusion Realm, this is the power of the Fusion Realm!" he murmured. Now, he could unleash a punch with the power he previously needed to use all his divine abilities to achieve. Not to mention, he had also mastered many of the divine abilities of the Time-Space Clan.

Just then, a thought suddenly struck him, and he scanned the distance with his divine sense.

"They're here." Zheng Yi's lips curled into a cold smile.

In the distance, several powerful auras were rapidly approaching. Those auras carried a heavy stench of blood and killing intent; they belonged to the Blood Fiend Alliance.

Clearly, the extraordinary phenomena caused by Zheng Yi's tribulation had alarmed the Blood Fiend Alliance, who were healing. Sensing that someone had broken through to the Integration Realm, they immediately rushed over.

A moment later, five figures appeared on the horizon. It was Blood Fiend Ancestor and his four subordinates.

Of the original seven-person team, two died in the battle with the Silver Ape, leaving only five. Moreover, all of them were injured and their strength was significantly diminished.

The Blood Fiend Ancestor fared even worse. Due to using the forbidden Blood Burning Technique, his cultivation level plummeted from the peak of the late-stage Nascent Soul realm to the middle stage of the late-stage Nascent Soul realm. His face was sallow, and his expression was listless.

But when he saw Zheng Yi standing in the open space, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"The Integration Realm!" he exclaimed. "You actually broke through to the Integration Realm?"

Zheng Yi turned around and calmly looked at the Blood Fiend Ancestor and the others: "Not bad, thank you for helping me hold off the Silver Ape three days ago, giving me time to obtain the Dew of Time. Now, I have broken through to the Integration Realm."

The Blood Fiend Ancestor's face was so dark it was almost dripping with water. He never expected that the Time Dew he had painstakingly sought would be snatched away by this brat. What was even more infuriating was that this brat had used them to fight the Silver Ape to the death, reaping the benefits himself.

"Damn it!" he gritted his teeth, "You dare to play me, kid?"

Zheng Yi said calmly, "So what if I'm playing you? Your Blood Fiend Alliance has killed and robbed, committed countless evil deeds. Today is your death day."

"Arrogant!" the bald cultivator roared. "You think you're invincible just because you've broken through to the Integration Realm? The five of us working together can still kill you!"

Zheng Yi shook his head: "Five people? No, it's eight."

As soon as he finished speaking, the doors of the Tower of Time opened. Bai Ling'er and the silver ape stepped out and stood beside Zheng Yi.

Blood Fiend Ancestor's expression changed drastically: "Silver Ape? You've joined forces with this beast?"

The silver ape roared angrily, clearly displeased with being called a "beast." Now fully recovered from its injuries and with its strength greatly enhanced, it had long wanted to seek revenge against the Blood Fiend Alliance.

"Something's not right!" Blood Fiend Ancestor suddenly realized something. "The three of you have all consumed the Dew of Time?"

Zheng Yi nodded: "That's right, one drop per person, just right."

The Blood Fiend Ancestor was so angry he almost vomited blood. Those three drops of Time Dew should have been his! Now they'd all been divided up by these three!

"Ancestor, what do we do now?" the female cultivator asked in a low voice. She could sense that the current situation was extremely unfavorable for them.

Zheng Yi broke through to the Integration Realm, Bai Ling'er broke through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, and the Silver Ape fully recovered from its injuries and even improved its strength. On their side, not only were two people missing, but everyone was also injured.

Most importantly, the Blood Fiend Ancestor's cultivation level has dropped significantly, and he is no longer a match for Zheng Yi.

The Blood Fiend Ancestor gritted his teeth, his mind racing as he considered a solution. Escape? With Zheng Yi's current Nascent Soul stage cultivation, they might not be able to escape. Fight? That would be suicide.

Just as he was hesitating, Zheng Yi made his move.

His figure suddenly vanished from his spot, and the next moment he appeared in front of the Blood Fiend Alliance members. This "spatial teleportation" was so fast that no one could react.

"Since you're here, stay," Zheng Yi said calmly.

He raised his hand and pointed, and the surrounding space-time suddenly distorted. The Blood Fiend Alliance cultivators were horrified to find that their movements had become extremely slow, as if they were stuck in a quagmire.

This is the power of "time-space confinement"!

"Run!" Blood Fiend Ancestor shouted, trying his best to break free from the spatial and temporal confinement.

But how could Zheng Yi give him a chance? He waved his hand again, and several spatial rifts appeared out of thin air, slashing towards the Blood Fiend Alliance members.

"No—" Several cultivators cried out in despair. Under the constraints of the space-time confinement, they had no way to escape.

Puff puff--

Blood splattered as three cultivators were slain by the spatial rift, their bodies severed. Only the Blood Fiend Ancestor and the female cultivator managed to dodge the fatal attack with their combined strength, but they too were severely injured.

"Demon God's Protection!" The Blood Fiend Ancestor desperately unleashed his divine power, and the crimson demon god reappeared, protecting him. But Zheng Yi merely sneered. He was now a Nascent Soul cultivator, while the Blood Fiend Ancestor had not only suffered a decline in cultivation but was also severely injured. The gap between them was now too great to be bridged.

"Time reversal," Zheng Yi said calmly, unleashing a divine power of the Time-Space Clan.

The figure of the Blood Fiend Ancestor suddenly began to retreat, and the crimson demon god he had conjured began to dissipate. This divine power could actually reverse time!

Of course, this reversal is only localized and consumes a huge amount of resources. But it's enough to deal with the severely injured Blood Fiend Ancestor.

Time rewound three breaths, returning to the moment before the Blood Fiend Ancestor unleashed his divine power. He stared blankly at his hand, his face filled with disbelief.

"What kind of supernatural power is this?" he asked in a trembling voice.

"A divine power to send you on your way." After Zheng Yi finished speaking, a spatial rift appeared and slashed towards the neck of the Blood Fiend Ancestor.

The Blood Fiend Ancestor wanted to dodge, but his severely injured body made him move slowly. Moreover, he was also restricted by the space-time confinement.

puff--

A head flew off, blood gushing forth. The dignified leader of the Blood Fiend Alliance, a powerful expert in the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, perished.

The female cultivator was terrified when she saw this. She turned to flee, but Bai Ling'er's Xuanbing Sword had already arrived and pierced her heart.

At this point, all five members of the Blood Fiend Alliance were wiped out!

The silver ape looked at the corpses scattered on the ground, a gleam of satisfaction flashing in its eyes. It stepped forward and crushed the Blood Fiend Ancestor's corpse with a single stomp, completely venting its anger.

Zheng Yi withdrew his supernatural powers and turned to look at Bai Ling'er: "Are you alright?"

Bai Ling'er shook her head: "I'm fine, I just didn't expect Senior Zheng to be so strong now. A Nascent Soul cultivator is indeed terrifying."

Zheng Yi smiled: "This is all thanks to the Time Dew. By the way, what are your plans next?"

Bai Ling'er thought for a moment and said, "I want to cultivate in this secret realm for a while longer to consolidate my cultivation. After I leave, I want to return to my sect to take revenge."

It turns out that Bai Ling'er also belonged to a sect, but she fled to the Time Realm for refuge because she was persecuted by her enemies. Now that she has broken through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm and obtained new supernatural powers, it's time for her to go back and seek justice.

Zheng Yi nodded: "Then be careful. If you need help, you can come to the Zheng family to find me."

Bai Ling'er bowed gratefully: "Thank you very much, Senior Zheng. I will never forget this kindness."

Zheng Yi then looked at the silver ape: "And you? Are you still going to continue guarding the Tower of Time?"

The silver ape nodded, a resolute look in its eyes. Guarding the Tower of Time was its mission, and the meaning of its existence.

"Alright, see you later." Zheng Yi said, turning to leave.

He had spent enough time in the Time Realm, and now that he had broken through to the Integration Realm, it was time to return to the Zheng family. The threat from the Taixu Sect still lingered, and the family was waiting for him to return and take charge.

Just then, the silver ape suddenly cried out a few times and ran into the Tower of Time. A moment later, it came out carrying a silver token and handed it to Zheng Yi.

Zheng Yi took the token and found that it was engraved with intricate runes and emitted fluctuations of spacetime power.

"This is..." He looked at the silver ape in confusion.

Silver Ape pointed to the instruction board, then to the Tower of Time, and then made a gesture of invitation.

Zheng Yi suddenly realized: "You mean, with this token, I can enter the Time Realm at any time?"

The silver ape nodded.

Zheng Yi was overjoyed. The flow of time in the Time Realm was different, making it a treasure trove for cultivation. With this token, he could come here whenever he needed to cultivate in seclusion, achieving twice the results with half the effort.

"Thank you." He thanked the silver ape solemnly and put away the token.

After bidding farewell to Bai Ling'er and the silver ape, Zheng Yi set off to return. Following the route he had taken, he quickly exited the Time Realm and returned to the outside world's Jue Ling Mountain.

When he emerged from the valley, it was already evening. He calculated the time: he had spent more than three months in the Time Realm, while only about ten days had passed in the outside world.

"It's time to go home," Zheng Yi murmured, then transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the Zheng family's home.

He is now a Nascent Soul cultivator, and his flight speed is several times faster than before. What used to take three days and three nights can now be completed in just one day.

A day later, the Zheng family's mountain gate finally came into view.

The Nine Luminaries Mountain-Protecting Array that shrouded the mountain gate was still operating, emitting powerful defensive fluctuations. It seemed that the Taixu Sect had not yet launched an attack during this period.

Zheng Yi concealed his aura and landed in front of the mountain gate. The disciples guarding the gate were taken aback at first, then shouted with joy, "The patriarch is back! The patriarch is back!"

The news spread quickly, and the entire Zheng family was in an uproar.

Elders Zheng Bowen and Zheng Hongzhi rushed over to greet him. When they saw Zheng Yi, they were all stunned.

The patriarch before them possessed an aura more than ten times stronger than when he left. That domineering pressure was clearly...
"Patriarch, you've broken through to the Integration Realm?" Zheng Bowen asked incredulously.

Zheng Yi smiled and nodded: "Not bad, you broke through by sheer luck."

"That's wonderful!" Zheng Hongzhi exclaimed, tears welling in his eyes. "With the patriarch here, our Zheng family is saved!"

The other elders and disciples also cheered.

Zheng Yi waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet: "How has the family been lately? Has the Taixu Sect made any moves?"

Zheng Bowen respectfully replied, "Reporting to Master, the Taixu Sect has been very quiet lately, without launching any attacks. However, our scouts have reported that they seem to be gathering manpower, possibly planning a large-scale attack."

A cold glint flashed in Zheng Yi's eyes: "Is that so? Then let them come. I'm just looking for an opportunity to establish my authority."

Three days after Zheng Yi returned to the Zheng family, the Taixu Sect finally made a move.

That morning, the security array outside Zheng Family Mountain suddenly emitted violent fluctuations. The disciples on patrol immediately sounded the alarm: "Enemy attack! The Taixu Sect is attacking!"

The Zheng family quickly went into battle alert. Elders Zheng Bowen and Zheng Hongzhi led their core disciples to the mountain gate, ready for battle. Zheng Haoran, Zheng Qingyue, and Zheng Yunfei, three outstanding members of the younger generation, each led a small team and were dispersed to key positions.

Zheng Yi stood on the high platform of the council hall, not revealing himself immediately. He wanted to see the progress of the family's disciples' cultivation during this period, and whether the cultivation techniques, secret manuals, and pills had been used to their full potential.

Outside the mountain gate, a dark mass of figures surged in from the horizon. There were easily over a hundred of them, their imposing presence overwhelming. Leading them was a middle-aged man dressed in a dark blue Daoist robe, with a lightning bolt-shaped mark between his brows. His aura was powerful; he was none other than Mo Qianjue, the Grand Elder of the Taixu Sect, a cultivator at the late Nascent Soul stage. (End of Chapter)