I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Lin Che looked at the Azure Profound Realm Spirit.

"Let's begin replicating the time rules here."

"good!"

The Azure Profound Realm Spirit closed its eyes, and the blue light around its body suddenly receded, replaced by a deep, dark aura, like the night sky.

Its consciousness sank into the deepest part of this secret realm to touch those invisible threads.

Those subtle and mysterious threads that constitute the laws of time.

The threads, like a spider web, were densely intertwined and radiated outward from the time-series crystal, penetrating the light curtain and rock layers, enveloping the entire secret realm.

After a while, it opened its eyes, its pupils gleaming with silver light, and its tone was certain.

"It will take ten hours, as it is estimated, to complete the replication of the time rules here."

"Okay, let's begin."

Lin Che nodded and stopped bothering him.

He took two steps back, leaned against a pale golden light screen, and sat down cross-legged.

As the Azure Profound Realm Spirit began replicating the rules of time, Lin Che focused his attention on the Time Crystal before him.

The fist-sized orb of light still hovered in the center of the space, its seven-colored light flashing on and off, like the breath of someone in a deep sleep.

With each flash, an invisible wave spread outwards.

Lin Che stared at him, beginning to observe him carefully.

However, at that moment, a blinding white light burst forth from the depths of the crystal!

The light was so intense that it engulfed the entire silvery-white stone chamber, submerging Lin Che, the Azure Profound Realm Spirit, and even the pale golden light curtains in a pure white expanse.

Lin Che felt as if he had been pulled into a memory that did not belong to him.

No, it's not a memory, it's a lingering shadow of time.

This is the last scene that was sealed away when the crystal solidified in the void.

Those images should have vanished with the death of their master, but due to the power of the laws of time, they were permanently imprinted deep within the crystal, like insects in amber, enduring for thousands of years without decay.

The scene before my eyes suddenly became clear.

He was no longer standing in that silvery-white stone chamber, but rather on a high platform.

The platform was a hundred feet square, and its surface was engraved with dense array patterns, each pattern radiating a heart-palpitating spiritual pressure.

Those array patterns were not drawn with ink, but were burned inch by inch with spiritual power, their edges gleaming with a dark golden luster, flickering in and out under the reflection of lightning.

The array patterns were arranged in a mysterious and complex manner, layer upon layer, like a huge magic array that enveloped the entire platform.

Thunderclouds gathered all around the high platform.

That was a heavenly tribulation.

The Tribulation of Merging with the Dao.

The purple-gold lightning bolts darted through the clouds, emitting a deafening roar.

The roar didn't enter through the ears, but reverberated directly deep within the soul, each explosion causing one's mind to tremble.

Thunderclouds surged like a boiling ocean, with bolts of lightning occasionally piercing through the clouds, licking the edge of the high platform and splashing up strings of purple-gold sparks.

An elderly man with white hair stood in the center of the high platform.

His face was thin and gaunt, his brows and eyes etched with the vicissitudes of time, his cheekbones high, his eyes deep-set, and his skin like weathered rock, covered with deep wrinkles.

But those eyes were as bright as stars, radiating an unwavering determination.

His robes fluttered in the thunder and wind, and he was surrounded by a pale golden aura that was condensed and did not dissipate, like a second skin that enveloped his entire body.

The heavenly tribulation has passed seven times.

Only two layers remain.

Although the old man's breathing was somewhat disordered and rapid, with his chest heaving, the light in his eyes grew even brighter.

His robes were charred in several places, and the cuff of his left arm had been burned by lightning, revealing the charred skin underneath, but his back remained straight.

If he can withstand these last two tribulations, he will be able to enter the Dao Integration Realm and become the first Dao Integration cultivator in the Southern Region in thousands of years.

At that time, the landscape of the Southern Region will be completely rewritten.

Those powerful Nascent Soul cultivators who entrenched themselves in the Southern Region and held a high position will no longer be able to point fingers at him.

Those small and medium-sized sects and independent cultivators who have been oppressed and exploited will have a real support.

He took a deep breath, and the spiritual energy within his body surged wildly, like a river overflowing its banks, rushing and roaring through his meridians.

The thunderclouds overhead seemed to sense his change, churning even more violently. Purple-gold lightning snakes intertwined and coiled within the clouds, condensing into an even thicker and more terrifying pillar of lightning.

The eighth heavenly tribulation is about to descend.

Just then, three figures appeared simultaneously from three directions in the void.

On the left, a figure dressed in a blue Taoist robe stood with his hands behind his back, his face stern and his eyes sharp as swords.

A long sword, entirely emerald green, floated behind him. Its blade was translucent, like solidified ice crystals, and the words "Qingyun" were engraved on it. Each stroke resembled a sword mark, radiating a chilling sword intent.

The sword intent was so intense that even the surrounding thunderclouds were forced back.

On the right, an old man in white robes stood quietly in the void, his face kind and his beard and hair white, surrounded by a faint fragrance of grass and trees.

Beneath his feet, faint green vines spread through the void, swaying gently in the lightning like living things.

Directly ahead, an old man dressed in a golden robe stepped through the air, his robe embroidered with a huge "方" (square) character, the gold and silver threads shimmering in the lightning.

His face was imposing, his brows held the arrogance of someone who had long held a high position, and his gaze was as cold as ice.

Three oppressive forces, like three towering mountains, pressed down on the old man on the platform from three directions simultaneously.

The old man's expression changed drastically.

"Fang Tianhong... Azure Cloud Sword Master... Old Man of a Hundred Herbs..."

His voice was hoarse, each word as if squeezed from his throat, every word carrying an uncontrollable shock and anger.

"You...you dare to interfere with the Heavenly Tribulation!"

Fang Tianhong stood with his hands behind his back, his face indifferent, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

He didn't even glance at the old man; his gaze was fixed on the distant thunderclouds, as if that was the only thing he cared about.

"Shen Yizhi, you're too naive."

His voice was calm: "The Southern Region has no need for Dao Integration cultivators!"

The Azure Cloud Sword Master remained silent.

He simply stood there quietly, but the pale blue longsword behind him had already been slightly drawn from its sheath, the sword light overflowing from the sheath and leaving a thin, yet extremely sharp, silver line in the void.

The old man stroked his beard and sighed.

The sigh carried a hint of regret and helplessness, but not a trace of hesitation.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, we are old acquaintances. But the three families have reached a consensus on this matter. The balance of the Southern Region cannot be broken, at least not by you."

A sneer crept onto Shen Yizhi's lips.

"balance?"

His voice rose a few decibels, filled with anger that had been suppressed for hundreds of years, an anger that erupted like a volcano and could no longer be contained.

"The balance you speak of is simply the three of you remaining high and mighty, controlling all resources, leaving countless independent cultivators and small sects with no chance of advancement?"

"I, Shen Yizhi, came from humble beginnings as a rogue cultivator. How much hardship and suffering have I endured to get to where I am today? Have you ever cared?"

"Now that I'm about to successfully overcome this tribulation, you're talking about 'balance'?"

"Hahaha……"