Chapter 1131: Perfect Divine Tribulation

The Netherfrost Divine Lake is undoubtedly the foremost sacred ground in the Snow Song Realm. Within the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect, even Divine Hall disciples consider it a tremendous blessing to enter it just once.

However, ever since Yun Che became Mu Xuanyin's disciple, the lake had practically become his private sanctuary. Especially after Mu Xuanyin "brought him back," he spent over seventy percent of his time within the Netherfrost Divine Lake.

At the center of the divine lake, Yun Che sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. He emitted no aura, yet the surrounding water was drawn up in layers, slowly swirling around him.

What Yun Che was silently influencing was not the water itself, but the profound ice energy contained within it.

Among the powers Yun Che possessed, the Golden Crow Flame power was undoubtedly the strongest, becoming even more formidable after he obtained the complete Golden Crow’s Record of the Burning World. It completely surpassed the Phoenix Flame power, not to mention the weakest, the Ice Phoenix power, which was supported by only a single drop of divine blood.

Yet, Mu Xuanyin had forcibly made him restart the cultivation of the Ice Phoenix God Investiture Canon from the first stage.

Compared to his time at the Frozen Cloud Asgard, where he had to forcefully cultivate the profound arts of the "Ice Spirit Divine Arts" through his own comprehension, this time, with Mu Xuanyin by his side and being in the Netherfrost Divine Lake, which possessed extremely pure profound ice energy, his understanding of the Ice Phoenix God Investiture Canon was naturally vastly different. Even his comprehension of ice laws was subtly undergoing a qualitative change.

After all, considering Mu Xuanyin's level, while Yun Che possessed the Evil God's Profound Veins and unparalleled affinity for elements, his understanding and control of ice laws were realms, perhaps even tens of thousands of realms, below Mu Xuanyin's.

Just then, seven streaks of cold light suddenly appeared out of nowhere, shooting towards his back.

Yun Che reacted almost instantly, his body flashing upwards while maintaining his seated posture, as the seven streaks of cold light passed directly through his afterimage.

Back when Yun Che first entered the Divine Origin Realm, Mu Xuanyin had personally sparred with him daily, without hesitation, to help him comprehend the existence of "tactile sense."

The Divine Origin Realm is the first realm of the Divine Way and a crucial foundational stage. This realm signifies a qualitative change of the body from mortal to divine, with its pinnacle transformation being the awakening of the body's "tactile sense." However, very few can achieve this; many profound practitioners reach the Divine Tribulation Realm or even the Divine Spirit Realm without truly perceiving this tactile sense.

If one could awaken the tactile sense in the Divine Origin Realm and achieve the most perfect Divine Origin Realm, it would lay an incomparably perfect foundation for future progress on the Divine Way.

Yun Che was originally close to achieving this, but due to Mu Xuanyin's Ice Phoenix Primordial Yin, he directly advanced to the Divine Soul Realm. Although his profound energy surged dramatically, it resulted in an incomplete Divine Origin Realm foundation and a lack of understanding of the Divine Soul Realm itself, naturally leading to a hastily laid foundation.

The first thing Mu Xuanyin did for Yun Che was to rebuild his foundation.

After all, Yun Che's profound veins and body were far from ordinary. Thus, although he had formed a very flawed Divine Way foundation, the speed at which he rebuilt it was remarkably fast. While his profound energy had made no progress in the half-year since returning to the Snow Song Realm, his understanding of the Divine Way's laws underwent earth-shattering changes. What was once shrouded in mist was now clear and lucid. His perception of "tactile sense" gradually became clear, then, after reaching a certain critical point, it grew increasingly indistinct until he could no longer perceive it at all.

But after that, he felt a subtle change in his body's perception of the world.

After rebuilding his foundation, Mu Xuanyin finally began guiding him in profound energy cultivation. All the highest-grade spiritual herbs of the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect were unreservedly used on Yun Che by her. From that point, Yun Che's profound cultivation realm advanced at a speed he had never imagined possible—truly astounding progress. In just seven days, he advanced directly from Divine Soul Realm Stage Two to Stage Three. Three months later, he had already entered Divine Soul Realm Stage Four...

...then to the late stage of the Divine Soul Realm, and eventually to its peak.

In this world, forcibly isolated by Mu Xuanyin, where he could not contact anyone outside, the only thing Yun Che could do was cultivate. He gradually fell into a state of obsessive dedication, completely losing track of time. He only sensed the continuous changes in his profound energy and his increasingly clear and thorough understanding of the Divine Way.

The seven streaks of cold light shooting towards Yun Che's back appeared without warning, as if suddenly emerging from a spatial rift. His spiritual perception had not yet registered them, but his body had already reacted instinctively. Yun Che, still in the air, quickly turned. Before he could speak, an irresistible pressure descended from above, forcing him back into the divine lake.

"Master," Yun Che sighed inwardly and bowed from within the lake.

Mu Xuanyin hovered above him, her cold gaze sweeping over his entire body. She seemed to murmur to herself, "It seems the time has come."

"Sit down!"

Giving Yun Che no chance to ask questions, he could only adjust his posture and obediently sit back into the divine lake.

Mu Xuanyin descended from the air and stood before him. With a gentle flick of her right hand, points of blue light flashed. Each flash was accompanied by an aura of bone-chilling cold that was also as vast as the ocean.

These blue lights and auras, guided by Mu Xuanyin's slender finger, surged into Yun Che's glabella.

This was...

Ice Phoenix Divine Blood!

Yun Che was not unfamiliar with the aura of Ice Phoenix Divine Blood. On the day he became Mu Xuanyin's disciple, she had bestowed a drop upon him, a privilege granted only to Mu Xuanyin's direct disciples.

And now, Mu Xuanyin was bestowing Ice Phoenix Divine Blood upon him again, and...

It was a full six drops!

The Ice Phoenix bloodline is difficult to inherit, which is the main reason why the Snow Song Realm is far weaker than the Blazing Heaven Realm. Each drop of Ice Phoenix Origin Blood consumed means one less permanently. Within the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect, only one drop is bestowed upon the Sect Master's direct disciple at intervals of at least a thousand years.

Yet Yun Che had been bestowed a total of seven drops of Ice Phoenix Divine Blood by Mu Xuanyin.

This was unprecedented in the entire history of the Snow Song Realm.

If this news were to spread, it would undoubtedly shock the entire sect.

"Master..."

"Do not get distracted!"

Mu Xuanyin said sternly, "I will not provide any assistance with these six drops of divine blood; you must refine them entirely on your own! The supreme ice laws contained within the Ice Phoenix Divine Blood can only be comprehended if you refine it yourself. This is also your best opportunity to break through to the Divine Tribulation Realm!"

The voice in his ears gradually grew faint, and Yun Che's consciousness was completely withdrawn, focusing entirely on the six drops of Ice Phoenix Divine Blood.

The new divine blood slowly integrated into his bloodline and profound veins. The Dragon God Blood, Phoenix Divine Blood, and Golden Crow Divine Blood within him all reacted, releasing dense divine auras, yet no signs of repulsion, which would typically be expected, appeared.

Mu Xuanyin did not leave; she silently watched Yun Che, sensing the changes in his aura. With her boundless knowledge accumulated over tens of thousands of years, she was absolutely certain that Yun Che was the only one in the entire God Realm, in the entire Primal Chaos, capable of such perfect coexistence of divine blood, divine aura, and divine body.

Seven days later.

Above the Netherfrost Divine Lake, a storm suddenly brewed. Chaotic auras surged towards Yun Che from all directions, even from within the divine lake itself. Yun Che's aura disappeared for a fleeting moment, then violently erupted in the next instant. The surrounding lake water was forcefully pushed away, forming a considerable vortex.

Yun Che's eyes slowly opened. At that very moment, above the divine lake, all the ice spirits ceased their graceful dance. They all surged towards Yun Che as if in a frenzy, vying to flutter around him, accompanied by excited chirps that lingered for a long time.

Yun Che slowly raised his hand, feeling the power surging through his body and profound veins. "This is... the Divine... Tribulation... Realm..."

Mu Xuanyin had spent two full years, setting everything else aside, pouring all her efforts into guiding him, rebuilding his foundation, his unceasing cultivation day and night in the secluded environment, the Snow Song Realm's top-tier spiritual herbs and best environment, and finally, the addition of a full six drops of Ice Phoenix Divine Blood...

After two years, Yun Che had finally broken through the Divine Soul Realm and achieved Divine Tribulation!

This was the moment he had longed for. In fact, he had never believed he could achieve it through cultivation alone. In his understanding, the only thing that could help him realize this extravagant wish was the Five-Element Heaven-Earth Jade Pills.

Yet, the Divine Tribulation Realm he had achieved at this moment was not attained through the Five-Element Heaven-Earth Jade Pills at all, but purely through cultivation. This was something he would never have imagined two years ago.

He should have been excited and ecstatic, but Yun Che at this moment was utterly calm, his heart filled only with deep satisfaction and peaceful joy.

The outcome he had once yearned for and craved so intensely, now felt so natural and inevitable.

"Finally... finally..." Yun Che placed his hands over his heart, murmuring repeatedly.

With every major realm breakthrough, not only would profound energy surge and the realm elevate, but one's perception of the world would also change significantly. However, surprisingly, this time, the change was not obvious, seeming both present and absent.

The sky full of ice spirits still danced around him. As Yun Che's emotions slowly calmed, he noticed that Mu Xuanyin was still by his side, as if she had never left.

"Very good, you have not disappointed me after all." Mu Xuanyin slowly nodded. In two full years, this seemed to be the first word of approval she had uttered.

"In the Divine Origin Realm, the body transcends the mortal; in the Divine Soul Realm, the soul transforms. But the Divine Tribulation Realm is different. Each minor stage advancement only brings a pure increase in profound energy. Moreover, it has only nine minor stages, symbolizing a step-by-step approach to the Tribulation of the Nine Heavens!"

"The Divine Origin Realm and Divine Soul Realm are both foundational stages of the Divine Way. The Divine Tribulation Realm, however, is a step-by-step approach to the true Divine Way. But mortals cultivating to divinity will inevitably face heavenly punishment. Once you reach the peak of Divine Tribulation Realm Stage Nine, taking another step forward will summon a lightning tribulation."

"However, the heavenly tribulation encountered by each profound practitioner attempting to break through the Divine Tribulation Realm is not the same. The higher one's talent, the more jealous the heavens become. Over ninety percent of profound practitioners will face a single lightning tribulation upon breaking through, but those with extremely high talent will encounter two or even multiple lightning tribulations, with each additional layer being a multiple increase in power."

"Although over ninety percent of profound practitioners will only face a single lightning tribulation, nearly sixty percent of them still perish under it. Therefore, in the God Realm, countless profound practitioners who value their lives more than the pursuit of the profound way choose to forcibly suppress their profound energy at the Divine Tribulation Realm, never breaking through for their entire lives."

Mu Bingyun had already told Yun Che all of this when he first arrived in the God Realm, and in much greater detail. Yun Che still listened intently.

"Regarding the Divine Tribulation Realm, I have mentioned it before. My detailed explanation this time is for you to remember one thing."

Mu Xuanyin's tone grew solemn. "In the future, when your profound energy reaches the peak of Divine Tribulation Realm Stage Nine and you are nearing a breakthrough, you must immediately inform me. You absolutely must not take that step on your own!"

"Your essence is still human, after all, but you possess too many things that can be considered world-defying. You should be well aware of your extraordinary talent. By then, if you rashly take that step, the heavenly tribulation that descends will undoubtedly far surpass that of ordinary people. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Yun Che nodded heavily. "Your disciple will remember Master's teachings."

He had just entered the Divine Tribulation Realm. Even with his talent, reaching the peak of the Divine Tribulation Realm would be at least ten years away.

"Furthermore, remember this: although the might of ice is weaker than fire, its numerous variations are far beyond what Golden Crow Flames or Phoenix Flames can compare to. Now that your Ice Phoenix God Investiture Canon has reached great accomplishment, how to best utilize it can only be comprehended by you through your own battles."

"Yes, your disciple will remember," Yun Che respectfully replied.

"Since you've remembered everything, make some preparations, and then head to the Eternal Heaven God Realm to participate in the Profound God Convention you've been so focused on. The Profound God Convention begins in three days."

Mu Xuanyin's tone was utterly calm, but Yun Che was struck as if by lightning, leaping out of the divine lake. "What? Three... three days!?"