I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

"Hahaha--"

He looked up at the sky and laughed loudly, his laughter filled with grief, indignation, and resentment.

The laughter echoed amidst the thunder, was swallowed by the thunderclouds, and torn apart by the roar of the heavenly tribulation, shattering into pieces.

"What a perfect balance! It's wonderful that the Southern Region doesn't need Dao Integration cultivators!"

The laughter stopped abruptly.

His gaze turned icy cold as he stared intently at the three figures.

Those eyes were no longer stars, but two drawn swords, their sharpness fully revealed.

"Since you want to stop us, then you'd better think carefully about the price!"

The voice just fell.

The eighth heavenly tribulation crashed down!

The purple-gold lightning pillar, like divine punishment, tore through the void and struck straight down towards the high platform!

The lightning bolt was as thick as a person's waist, its entire body wrapped in purple-gold arcs of electricity. Wherever it passed, the air was ionized, emitting a piercing buzzing sound.

Even before the lightning bolts arrived, the earth-shattering pressure had already caused the platform to sink slightly.

Fang Tianhong snorted coldly and waved his hand.

A pale blue light curtain unfolded overhead, like an inverted giant bowl, enveloping the entire platform.

On the light screen, countless runes flowed, exuding an ancient and profound aura.

The lightning bolt struck the light barrier, exploding into a sky full of lightning and fire. The light barrier trembled violently, but ultimately did not shatter.

"Let's get started."

Fang Tianhong's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable determination.

The Azure Cloud Sword Master finally made a move.

The pale blue sword behind him suddenly drew its sheath, emitting a clear, melodious sound.

The sword's cry soared into the sky, even suppressing the roar of the heavenly tribulation for a moment.

The longsword transformed into a beam of sword light that reached the heavens and the earth, slashing towards Shen Yizhi on the high platform!

Wherever the sword light passed, the void was torn apart, revealing dark spatial rifts.

Those cracks, like wounds, twisted and writh in the sky, unable to heal for a long time.

The Herbalist also made a move.

With a wave of his hands, countless emerald green vines emerged from the void, like thousands of venomous snakes, coiling towards Shen Yizhi!

The vines were as thick as a child's arm, covered with barbs that gleamed with a faint green light, clearly indicating they were highly poisonous.

Vines surged in from all directions, completely surrounding the platform without leaving a single gap.

A three-way attack.

Heavenly tribulation, sword light, vines.

Shen Yizhi stood on the high platform, looking at the overwhelming offensive, a trace of despair flashing in his eyes.

But he still didn't give up.

The natal magic weapon suddenly burst forth with dazzling light.

It was a bronze mirror, its surface smooth as a mirror, its edges engraved with ancient runes.

The mirror reflected the sky full of thunderclouds, sword light, and vines, and then, the light shone brightly!

A golden light surged from the mirror, enveloping his entire body.

"Break!"

He pushed his hands upwards with all his might, and a golden beam of light burst forth from his palms, shooting straight into the sky!

That was the culmination of his life's cultivation, his final counterattack.

The golden beam of light collided with the heavenly tribulation, exploding into a sky full of lightning and fire.

Lightning and fire scattered, landing on the high platform and scorching the array patterns to pieces.

Sparks flew as the swords clashed.

The sword light was deflected by the beam of light, grazing the edge of the platform and cutting a deep trench in its surface.

It collided with the vine, and the vine broke.

A bright green liquid flowed from the broken surface, evaporating into green mist in the lightning.

But even more vines surged up.

The tribulation continues; the eighth level is not the end, and the ninth level has already begun to brew.

The sword light was deflected, but the Azure Cloud Sword Master merely frowned slightly, flicked his sword finger, and the blue-white longsword slashed down again.

With three attacks from Nascent Soul stage cultivators, plus the eighth Heavenly Tribulation, how could he possibly withstand it alone?

Shen Yizhi's body began to tremble.

Blood began to seep from his seven orifices, flowing from the corners of his eyes, nostrils, mouth, and ears, leaving several dark red marks on his face.

On the golden light shield, cracks became more numerous and denser, spreading outwards from the center like a spider web.

His life force was rapidly waning.

Similarly, all three were severely injured due to the backlash from the heavenly tribulation.

Their faces were pale, their breathing was disordered, and there were traces of blood at the corners of their mouths.

But they showed no sign of stopping.

Why...?

Shen Yizhi's voice was so weak that it was almost inaudible.

"I just want... to give the rogue cultivators of the Southern Region... a way to survive..."

"I just want to... break your three-way monopoly..."

"I just wanted to..."

Before he could finish speaking...

The golden light shield shattered with a crash.

Heavenly tribulation, sword light, and vines all descended upon him simultaneously.

Shen Yizhi's body was torn apart in that instant, turning into a cloud of blood mist.

The blood mist evaporated in the lightning, turning into a faint red mist, which was then dispersed by the aftershocks of the heavenly tribulation and disappeared into the void.

There were no bodies, no belongings, and nothing left behind.

Only one crystal formed from the void at the moment of his fall.

Those were fragments of the laws of time that he had comprehended throughout his life. When he died, they were forcibly condensed by the power of the heavenly tribulation and transformed into a pure mineral containing the power of the laws of time.

The crystals slowly fell, passing through thunderclouds, through rock layers, and landing deep underground.

Millions of years have passed, and it has given birth to this secret realm.

……

The image disappeared.

Lin Che stood in the silvery-white stone chamber, remaining silent for a long time.

The lightning from that scene still lingered in his eyes, and the sound of that sorrowful laughter still echoed in his ears.

His breathing became slightly rapid, and his hands clenched unconsciously, his knuckles turning white.

He raised his head and looked at the Azure Profound Realm Spirit.

The Azure Profound Realm Spirit also looked at him, its eyes shimmering with silver light, seemingly moved by the scene as well.

"I see..." Lin Che murmured softly.

"It wasn't a failed tribulation; he was murdered."

His voice was soft, yet it was exceptionally clear in the silent stone chamber.

"The Fang family... the Qingyun Sword Sect... the Hundred Herbs Valley..."

As he murmured those three names, a complex light flashed in his eyes.

Three Nascent Soul cultivator factions.

The three families joined forces, and even though their Dao foundations were damaged, they desperately tried to stop this rogue cultivator from breaking through to the Dao Integration stage.

The reason is simple: if the other side succeeds, their ruling position will be in jeopardy.

Lin Che felt as if he were seeing himself.

If I were to reach that point one day, achieve perfect spiritual transformation, and begin to merge with the Dao, would I also face the same situation?

Will those three mountains also emerge from the void like they did today, joining forces to block his path forward?

"Heh!" Lin Che chuckled lightly.

Now, there's another reason to confront those three forces in the Southern Region.

Even without that secret about beast taming, once someone reaches the Nascent Soul stage, the Lin family will inevitably become a thorn in their side.

They would absolutely not allow the Lin family to develop at a slow pace.

Just like back then, they wouldn't let Shen Yizhi successfully overcome his tribulation.

It's not because he did anything wrong, but simply because his very existence is a threat.

Lin Che took a deep breath, suppressing his chaotic thoughts.

It's too early to worry now.

Transformation into a deity?

That's still too far off.

He hasn't even reached the late stage of the Golden Core realm yet, and his Nascent Soul stage is just a vague outline; he hasn't even truly touched that threshold.

The most pressing matter at hand is this crystal, the time rule within the secret realm, and the survival of the Lin family in the beast tide.

Take it one step at a time, and seize what you can first.

"Let's continue."