I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

His golden spiritual energy shattered in an instant.

The dense spiritual membrane clinging to the skin crumbled inch by inch under the erosion of the destructive power, like thin ice meeting fire. Tiny golden specks of light scattered in the air and were instantly swallowed by the lightning.

Lei Ling's punch penetrated the skin and seeped into the muscles.

That destructive force was like countless tiny knives, cutting wantonly through his muscle fibers.

Lin Che's earth element surged wildly, and a yellowish-brown spiritual light flickered at the wound, forcibly binding the damaged muscle fibers together.

The muscles are repeatedly torn and healed, each time accompanied by intense pain.

But he didn't retreat even a step; his feet were rooted to the ground, firmly planted on the bluestone platform.

His bones were groaning, his internal organs were trembling, and his blood was boiling.

But Lin Che's eyes remained bright, fixed on the face without features in front of him.

"This is the ninth path?" His voice was hoarse, tinged with blood, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Nothing special."

Lei Ling did not respond.

It retracted its right fist, and then its left fist came at it again.

This punch was heavier, faster, and more ruthless than the first one. The fist tore through the air, emitting a sharp explosion, like the lament of heaven and earth.

Lin Che also threw a left punch.

"boom--!"

The second punch caused fine cracks to appear in the bones of his left arm.

The sound was clearly audible, like a withered branch snapping, and it was particularly jarring on the silent island in the middle of the lake.

The power of the bone marrow in the kidney duct immediately surged up, and the dark blue spiritual light seeped into the bones, filling the cracks. The bones repeatedly cycled between breaking and repairing.

His left sleeve was shattered into pieces, revealing the bulging veins and muscles beneath, and his skin was covered with spiderweb-like bloodstains.

The third punch, the fourth punch, the fifth punch...

Lei Ling's fists rained down like a storm, each punch carrying destructive power, causing the entire secret realm to tremble slightly.

The air was torn apart by the force of the punch, producing a continuous series of booming sounds, and the water on the lake surface was shaken up, turning into a sky full of water mist.

Lin Che met the attack with both fists, each punch met head-on.

His fists were already a bloody mess, with the bones of his knuckles appearing and disappearing, but the true fire blood of the Heart Fire Dao Seed burned after each injury, with crimson flames gushing out from the wounds, scorching and sealing them to prevent excessive blood loss.

The power of the liver wood meridian reconnected the severed meridians, and the blue spiritual light, like silk threads, stitched up the broken joints one by one.

The golden spiritual energy of the Lung Metal Dao Seed re-condensed after being shattered, layer upon layer, covering the torn and bleeding fist.

He neither retreated, nor dodged, nor avoided.

Hard connection.

Ten punches, twenty punches, thirty punches.

Lin Che was covered in blood, his robes were torn, revealing his battered body.

His left shoulder was punched through, leaving a fist-sized hole that ran from front to back, with charred edges and the muscles writhing inside.

Three of his right ribs were broken; the fractured ribs pierced the skin, revealing the white bone fragments.

There are five fist marks on his chest, each so deep that the bone is visible, and the deepest one is so deep that you can almost see the beating heart inside his chest cavity.

But his feet remained firmly planted on the bluestone platform, without taking a single step back.

He is waiting.

The eye of the storm breaks, operating silently.

A blue light flickered deep within his pupils, illuminating every punch, every movement, and every flow of energy from Lei Ling with exquisite detail.

Lei Ling's fist technique has no rules, only pure destruction.

Even things that can be destroyed have their own rules.

The trajectory, force, and speed of each punch gradually became clear to Lin Che.

Those seemingly chaotic fist shadows gradually formed a complete picture in his mind.

He saw it.

After each punch, Lei Ling's "chest" would dim for a moment.

That is the node where its energy flows, the core of the entire Thunder Spirit, the "eye of the storm".

The dimness lasted only a moment, so short as to be almost imperceptible, but for Lin Che, a moment was enough.

Lei Ling's forty-first punch came crashing down.

This punch carried the residual power of the previous forty punches. Wherever the fist passed, the air was compressed into a visible white wave of air, and a deep trench was plowed into the ground.

Lin Che did not block it.

He turned to the side.

That sidestep, the angle, the timing, the speed—all were precise to the millimeter.

Lei Ling's fist grazed his waist, the force of the punch tearing a bloody gash in his side, blood gushing out and staining most of his body red.

At the same time, his right fist was brimming with power.

The immense power of the spleen (earth element), the sharpness of the lungs (metal element), and the blazing intensity of the heart (fire element) combine to form a miniature, dazzling fist blade radiating multicolored light on the fist surface.

The Rift Wind Spear wasn't in his hand, but his hand itself was the spear.

A punch slammed into Lei Ling's chest.

"break."

The force of the punch exploded within Lei Ling's body.

The nine layers of explosive energy, each stronger than the last, detonated in succession within the energy core of the Thunder Spirit.

The first layer: the lightning on Lei Ling's surface began to malfunction; the second layer: cracks spread from his chest outwards; the third layer: Lei Ling's limbs began to disintegrate; the fourth layer, the fifth layer, the sixth layer...

Lei Ling's body trembled violently, and the purple-gold lightning on its surface flew everywhere like out-of-control flames.

The cracks spread from his chest to his entire body, becoming more numerous and denser, like shattered porcelain.

Lei Ling looked down at her disintegrating body.

Then, it exploded.

Fragments of purple-gold lightning rained down, landing on the surface of Shattered Star Lake and creating countless tiny ripples, each ripple carrying a faint spark of electricity.

It landed on the broken branches of the spirit tree, rekindling the charred branches, bringing the withered tree back to life and causing new buds to sprout.

It landed on Lin Che, seeped into his skin, flowed into his meridians, and merged into his dantian.

Those fragments of lightning carried the vitality of the aftermath of the heavenly tribulation, warm and gentle, like the spring sunshine, soothing the hidden wounds in his body one by one.

Within his dantian, the nascent soul that was still developing suddenly opened its eyes.

It opened its mouth and swallowed the incoming fragments of lightning in one gulp.

The nascent soul's body grew at a speed visible to the naked eye.

This is a gift from heaven.

Cultivators who survive the Heavenly Tribulation will gain the recognition of the laws of heaven and earth. The remaining life force in the tribulation lightning will be absorbed by the body and become an aid to breakthrough.

Lin Che was covered in blood, his clothes were torn, and he was in a sorry state.

But his eyes were as bright as stars, and a faint smile played on his lips.

Within his dantian, the nascent soul had fully taken shape.

It sits cross-legged, its hands forming a mudra, its body surrounded by a flowing, ever-changing, five-colored light.

The Five Elements Dao Seeds slowly rotated around the Nascent Soul, like five satellites orbiting the sun, each radiating a warm light.

The thunderclouds dispersed, and the sky returned to the unique azure blue of the secret realm.

Sunlight streamed down from the dome, illuminating the lake and shattering it into countless golden scales that rippled gently in the breeze.

The spirit beasts hiding at the edge of the secret realm felt the terrifying pressure dissipate and began to peek out.

The alligator snapping turtle raised its head from the mud, a relieved glint in its cloudy old eyes.

The Azure Sea Dragon rose from the bottom of the lake, its whiskers swaying gently in the water as if it were nodding in agreement.

The Azure-Eyed Eagle took flight from its nest, circling in the air and uttering a clear, melodious cry.

All the spirit beasts in the secret realm cheered for him at this moment.

Hissing, growling, and croaking blended into a lively symphony that echoed over the island in the middle of the lake.

Lin Che stood on the bluestone platform and slowly raised his right hand.

The bloodstains on his palms were healing at a visible speed.

Pink new flesh grew from the edges of the charred wound, the severed blood vessels reconnected, and layers of broken skin covered it up.

That's the life force of a Nascent Soul cultivator, far surpassing that of a Golden Core cultivator.

His body was automatically repairing itself, and he was getting stronger with every breath.

The heavenly tribulation has passed.

But there is still one hurdle—the tribulation of inner demons.

The inner demons never attack you from the outside; they grow from the softest and most vulnerable part of your heart.

At this moment, Lin Che's sea of ​​consciousness opened wide, and the fear, regret, obsession, and greed hidden deep in his heart transformed into inner demons, which began to take advantage of his vulnerability.

The moment he closed his eyes, the scene before him suddenly changed.

It is no longer the island in the middle of the lake in the Qingxuan Secret Realm, but a majestic mountain gate.

The mountain gate soars into the clouds, constructed entirely of jet-black stone, its surface covered with grotesque reliefs.

Two enormous stone beasts crouch on either side, their eyes bloodshot and lifelike.

Above the mountain gate, four large, dark characters are written in a flamboyant style: "Defying Fate Demon Palace".

Those four characters exuded a chilling aura; every stroke seemed to be written in blood, and looking at them for even a moment made one feel uneasy.

Lin Che stood in front of the mountain gate, dressed in black, with a cold and stern face.

Dozens of corpses lay at my feet.

He recognized those faces; they were the people who had helped him improve his spiritual roots.

They lay on the cold stone steps, blood spreading from beneath them, staining a large area of ​​the ground red, flowing down the steps one by one, forming a dark red stream.

Some had peaceful faces, as if they were asleep; some had their eyes wide open, unable to close them in death; some still retained the expressions of their last moments, showing fear, anger, pleading, and bewilderment.

He remembered every face.

Suddenly, the corpse began to tremble.

The stiff limbs began to twitch, the bent fingers began to straighten, and the broken neck began to twist.

One, two, four, eight... all the corpses began to move.

They struggled to their feet like zombies, their movements stiff and eerie, their joints cracking as if forcibly straightened by an invisible hand.

Suddenly they all sat up.

A pair of bloodshot eyes stared blankly at him.

There was no focus in his eyes, no soul; there was only an empty, mechanical gaze, like that of a manipulated puppet.

They crawled slowly toward him, using their hands and feet, leaving long trails of blood on the ground.

Some dragged their broken legs, some supported themselves on their chins, and some, with only half their bodies remaining, stubbornly crawled forward.

He was still muttering to himself, his voice hoarse and indistinct, like the sound of wind coming from a great distance: "Give me back my life...give me back my life..."

The sound grew closer and clearer, like a million mosquitoes buzzing in your ear, sending chills down your spine.

"Oh."

Lin Che chuckled softly.

Lift your leg and walk over them.

His steps were unhurried, the soles of his boots making a "pat-pat" sound as they stepped into the pool of blood, but he didn't even glance at the corpses.

The crawling corpses swept past him, some grabbing the hem of his clothes, but he shook them off with a gentle shake.

Some grabbed his calves, but he stepped over them and stomped on their wrists. The sound of bones breaking was clearly audible, but he didn't even flinch.

He was simply making use of what he had lost, and he felt no remorse whatsoever.

Most of those people were disciples of the Demon Palace of Rebellion, and were among the few "acquaintances" he knew in the Demon Palace, but they didn't know him well.

He remained hidden in the outer sect for eighteen years, neither competing nor vying for anything, showing no special qualities whatsoever, and his cultivation level never even increased excessively.

That's why he's been able to survive in the outer sect for so long.

He spent eighteen years in seclusion just to improve his qualifications; one can imagine how much humiliation and injustice he must have encountered.

Because at that time, he had no right to resist.

Looking back, it was all worth it.

If you were to ask him where he spent the most time in his life, besides Shattered Star Lake, where else would he have stayed the longest?

This is undoubtedly the Demon Palace of Rebellion before us.

He knew every brick, tile, blade of grass, and tree there as well as his own backyard.

The next moment, a long sword exuding righteous energy slowly appeared in Lin Che's hand.

The sword is long and slender, entirely silver-white, with pale gold runes flowing on its blade, exuding an awe-inspiring and inviolable pressure.

The oppressive aura clashed with the chilling atmosphere of the Demon Palace, like sunlight shining into an abyss, causing the crawling corpses to emit sharp screechs and retreat.

What appeared in Lin Che's hand was the Heavenly Gang Demon-Slaying Sword Qi.

Lin Che slowly raised his eyes.

Before them stood the towering mountain of the Demon Palace of Rebellion.

The next moment, Lin Che raised his hand.

The sword energy pierced through the air and disappeared.

A sword beam streaked across the sky.

The sword's edge left a deep crack in the void, with golden flames burning at its edges, scorching the surrounding blood mist with a hissing sound.

Wherever it went, mountain gates collapsed, boulders exploded, and debris flew everywhere;

The crawling corpses turned into black smoke and vanished under the light of the sword, without even having time to scream.

Those inner demons lurking in the shadows let out sharp screechs, like rats whose tails had been stepped on, and were reduced to nothingness under the illumination of the sword light, leaving not even a trace.

"boom--!"

The mountain gate exploded, shattering into countless black powders that were scattered by the wind like black snowflakes, falling to the ground in a flurry.

The dark characters melted in the sword's edge, turning into wisps of black smoke that rose into the sky and vanished completely, as if they had never existed.

The earth cracked, and the cracks spread in all directions, reaching unfathomable depths.

The sky collapsed, the dark red canopy peeling away piece by piece like torn cloth, revealing the clean sky behind it.

The entire illusion was like a shattered mirror, with cracks spreading in all directions, peeling off piece by piece.

Each fragment reflects the image of Lin Che.

There was him who endured and lay dormant in the Demon Palace, there was him who formed his core by the Shattered Star Lake, there was him who hunted down Golden Core cultivators in the secret realm, and there was him who withstood the Heavenly Tribulation on the Blue Stone Platform.

All the fragments are spinning, breaking, and dissipating, ultimately returning to nothingness.

The tribulation of inner demons is over.

From the moment Lin Che closed his eyes to the moment he opened them, only a breath had passed.

He's an expert at dealing with inner demons!

Open your eyes.

The sunlight shone on his face, warm and comforting.

On the shimmering surface of Broken Star Lake, several birds took flight from the reeds, drawing graceful arcs against the blue sky and white clouds.

The leaves of the Misty Hidden Heart Tea Tree rustled in the breeze, and the emerald green branches and leaves gleamed with a warm luster in the sunlight.

His nascent soul had been completely stabilized in his dantian.

He sat cross-legged in the center of his dantian, his hands forming a hand seal, surrounded by five-colored spiritual energy, with five-colored radiance flowing around him endlessly.

Early stage of Nascent Soul.

Lin Che slowly stood up.

The charred black marks on his body faded at a visible speed, and the broken skin peeled off, revealing brand new, delicate skin underneath, smooth as silk, without a single scar.

The tattered robes disappeared, replaced by a long blue robe that gleamed softly in the sunlight.

His aura shifted from sharp and assertive to restrained and profound, making him appear like an ordinary person as he stood there.

It's not truly ordinary; rather, it's that all its power has been contained to the extreme, without revealing even the slightest bit.

This is the mark of a Nascent Soul cultivator: returning to simplicity and possessing an imposing presence without anger.

"Congratulations, Master, on breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage!" The Burning Heaven Sacred Sparrow descended from the sky and landed in front of Lin Che.

Her eyes were filled with joy, and her voice resonated in Lin Che's heart, tinged with a hint of coquetry and pride, "I knew Master could do it!"

The Azure Profound Realm Spirit descended from the dome and hovered in front of Lin Che, its silvery-white light flickering slightly, like breathing.

Its voice resonated in Lin Che's heart, carrying a rare sense of relief and a hint of relief at surviving a disaster:

"The secret realm is stable and undamaged. If you were any stronger, I wouldn't be able to hold on either. A fourth-tier secret realm can withstand a fourth-tier heavenly tribulation just right. Any more and it would collapse. Master, it's time to put the upgrade of the secret realm on the agenda!"

Lin Che nodded.

"I understand, thank you so much this time!"

As he spoke, he stroked the head of the Burning Sky Sacred Sparrow again, his fingers running over the soft feathers, feeling the warmth hidden beneath them. That warmth traveled from his fingertips to his heart, causing the corners of his mouth to involuntarily turn up.

Not only them, but also Lin Che's other natal spirit beasts and the leaders of various clans have arrived at this moment.

Each spirit beast clan expressed its congratulations to Lin Che in its own way.

Hissing, growling, croaking, dragon's roar, and bell chimes blended into a lively symphony that echoed over the island in the middle of the lake, lingering for a long time.

Lin Che stood on the bluestone platform, looking at the spirit beasts cheering for him around him, and the smile on his lips grew deeper and deeper.

With a wave of his hand, his booming voice echoed throughout the secret realm: "Today, there's plenty of spiritual and physical nourishment!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire secret realm erupted in excitement.

However, Lin Che did not celebrate with them. His gaze seemed to pierce through layers of space, landing on the Shattered Star Lake clan's territory, a smile appearing on his lips: "Looks like there's a good show to watch outside!"