Chapter 222: An Unexpected Visitor

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Being detained by Sun-Moon Hall for such an extended period severely hindered their cultivation, which for this batch of inner court students was tantamount to crippling their potential.

Therefore, the sooner they could be released, the better.

However, Sun-Moon Hall delayed it until now.

Even though both sides had already negotiated and finalized the terms of the agreement, Sun-Moon Hall still insisted on detaining the students under the pretense of fearing Shrek would renege on the deal.

As a result, this group of students was held for over a year.

Losing more than a year of cultivation, and needing additional time to readjust to their previous level upon release, meant that these students effectively lost a year and a half of valuable cultivation time.

Naturally, Shrek Academy firmly opposed this.

After heated debate and reasoning, they were only able to bring Beibei back early.

As for Wang Dong and Tang Zhen, the two sect masters of the Clear Sky Sect personally traveled to Mingdu to retrieve them, and Tang Ya was also brought back by them due to her status as the Tang Sect's leader.

Additionally, Su Tong was not on the list of students Sun-Moon Hall returned to Shrek's inner court. Due to the Snow Empress, Su Tong had already been released earlier and had accompanied the Snow Empress to the Extreme North.

---

Star Dou Forest

The Danger Zone at Its Core

Di Tian and several other powerful soul beasts appeared near the Lake of Life, gazing into the distance toward the direction of Sunset Forest.

"What an intense Heavenly Tribulation aura."

The aura from the Reincarnation Grass's 900,000-year tribulation was overwhelming. Even Di Tian, far away in Star Dou Forest, could sense its presence.

It wasn't that the Heavenly Tribulation's range was vast, but rather that the unique fluctuations generated as the tribulation gathered were perceptible to Di Tian and other ancient beasts who had survived multiple Heavenly Tribulations.

Heavenly Tribulations seemed to be a rule imposed after creation, and their manifestation was governed by the laws of the world. As these tribulations formed, traces of those laws would leak out. This 900,000-year-level tribulation stirred those laws so profoundly that even the very rules governing tribulations seemed to tremble, alerting the ancient beasts to its arrival.

Still, even sensing the disturbance from Sunset Forest, they didn't rush over.

There wasn't enough time.

"This tribulation's aura is even stronger than when I faced my 800,000-year Heavenly Tribulation," Di Tian remarked gravely.

What kind of soul beast could be undergoing such a formidable tribulation?

Are there hidden beasts within Sunset Forest?

In all his years, Di Tian had never known of a soul beast in Sunset Forest with such immense age and power.

"Could those prior sensations have been real? A soul beast rapidly undergoing multiple tribulations in a short time?"

But what level would such a beast have started at?

In Di Tian's understanding, Sunset Forest might house one or two 100,000-year soul beasts at most—certainly no great beasts, and absolutely none over 300,000 years old.

From 200,000 years all the way to 900,000 years?

Impossible!

Advancing that far in a single year? Absolutely not!

In short, Di Tian's mind was in turmoil.

He had always considered himself the strongest among soul beasts, having survived eight Heavenly Tribulations and reaching over 800,000 years of cultivation, making him the most powerful being on Douluo Continent.

Though he knew there were beings even stronger, hidden from the world, as far as public knowledge went, he stood at the peak.

Now, was there going to be another?

In truth, surpassing the 900,000-year Heavenly Tribulation didn't necessarily mean one was stronger than Di Tian.

Di Tian was the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King—a true dragon bloodline, and at the Dragon King level no less. In an era when soul beasts could ascend to godhood, he could easily become a first-class god.

With guidance from the Silver Dragon King, his power was unmatched among those at his level.

To Di Tian, the real challenge wasn't the 900,000-year tribulation, but the death tribulation required to become a god.

He hadn't reached 900,000 years of cultivation not due to lack of strength, but simply because he hadn't yet accumulated the necessary years.

What Di Tian didn't know was that the Reincarnation Grass undergoing the 900,000-year tribulation had merely reached that cultivation level; its true strength wasn't sufficient to withstand such a tribulation.

However, the presence of the Thunder Prison Vine helped bear some of the tribulation's force.

Even so, it still suffered injuries to its very essence under the tribulation.

Although it grew amidst the destruction, it hadn't truly broken its limitations.

Fortunately, in the final moments, it became Su Yu's soul spirit and survived.

It was precisely this transition—dying and becoming a soul spirit—that allowed it to gain a unique consciousness. Its mastery of life and death had reached initial completion, meeting Su Yu's expectations.

The fluctuations of the Heavenly Tribulation finally subsided.

"Looks like it failed," Xiong Jun remarked, his rough voice tinged with a trace of disappointment.

"Sigh, I wonder what kind of soul beast it was—quietly cultivating all the way to 900,000 years."

"And it was right here in Sunset Forest."

"Exactly. If it had been a sea soul beast, it would make sense that we didn't detect it. But for such a powerful beast to remain hidden in Sunset Forest… that's truly surprising."

"Could it really have reached 900,000 years by surviving multiple tribulations in a short span?" Xiong Jun, whose cultivation was second only to Di Tian's, had vaguely sensed the fluctuations from the Reincarnation Grass's 800,000-year tribulation earlier. However, the sensation had been so faint that he hadn't paid much attention at the time.

Now, after hearing Xiong Jun's earlier perceptions and observing Di Tian's expression, the other soul beasts felt a sudden chill in their hearts.

Could it really have undergone several tribulations in rapid succession?

"If that's true, then it might be some kind of evil soul beast," Bi Ji speculated, her thoughts drifting to the Dark Devilgod Tiger.

That was a species capable of devouring other soul beasts to rapidly increase its cultivation—a truly wicked soul beast. And the devouring process was incredibly fast. If not actively hunted or suppressed by powerful beings, such a creature could indeed grow rapidly through consumption alone.

Moreover, the Dark Devilgod Tiger was inherently powerful. The strength it gained through devouring wasn't unstable, and it could very likely survive the early tribulations.

"If it really was that kind of soul beast, then perishing under the Heavenly Tribulation might be a blessing. But who knows how many soul beasts it devoured to grow that strong…"

"…"

Di Tian didn't bother listening to the continued discussion among the other great beasts. His figure transformed into a streak of black light as he plunged into the Lake of Life.

Deep within the lake, Di Tian passed through a spatial rift and entered a secluded dimension.

"Lord."

He reported the tribulation's fluctuations to the Silver Dragon King, waiting for her response.

"I'm aware. No need to concern yourself with it," the Silver Dragon King replied. After that, the small dimension fell into silence.

---

Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well

Eight soul rings floated around Su Yu's body.

"I've finally broken through."

This time, Su Yu had been stuck for a long while.

In order to wait for the Nine-Revolution Reincarnation Grass to fully mature and transform into a soul spirit and soul ring, he had, for the first time, stalled at a bottleneck.

By the end of the Soul Master Tournament, Su Yu had already felt he was on the verge of reaching Level 80. Later, while in the Extreme North, he had completed the breakthrough. However, since the Nine-Revolution Reincarnation Grass had not yet matured, his advancement had been delayed.

Still, it was all worth it.

A 900,000-year soul beast soul ring!

It wasn't that Su Yu didn't want to cultivate a divine beast or obtain a god-level soul ring, but the 900,000-year soul ring offered the best value for the effort.

While it seemed like just a difference of 100,000 years, in reality, it was a gap as vast as heaven and earth.

The final tribulation—that was the real death tribulation.

To survive even a shred of it, to capture even a sliver of hope and use it to complete the transformation into a soul spirit?

Heh… the odds were less than one in ten thousand.

And it wasn't something that could be accomplished simply by piling up resources.

Moreover, the 900,000-year Heavenly Tribulation had already left the Thunder Hell Vine and Su Yu himself gravely wounded.

If they had pushed any further, even Su Yu might not have made it out alive.

If he hadn't realized the danger during the 600,000-year tribulation and developed a soul ring linkage technique in time—one that allowed the Thunder Hell Vine to disperse the tribulation's power across other soul rings while absorbing it—Su Yu might have been obliterated during the 900,000-year tribulation.

However, the rewards were absolutely worth it.

At this moment, the eight soul rings floating around Su Yu's body were a dazzling array: red, red, red, orange, orange, orange, red, and orange!

Among them, the fourth to sixth rings each bore 355 golden patterns.

The seventh ring, a mix of red with hints of blue-green, carried an impressive seven golden patterns.

The eighth orange ring was even more striking—it held nine golden patterns.

It could be said that the enormous amount of life essence liquid absorbed from the God Realm to nurture the Reincarnation Grass had been a completely worthwhile investment.

Not only had the Reincarnation Grass been cultivated to 900,000 years, but its cultivation was directly transferred into Su Yu's soul as a soul spirit and soul ring. Additionally, during each of the Grass's tribulations, heavenly tribulation energy was drawn repeatedly from the world, which the Thunder Hell Vine absorbed, thereby enhancing the age of Su Yu's other soul rings.

At the same time, the increase in soul ring years also propelled Su Yu's cultivation forward.

This time, after absorbing the Nine-Revolution Reincarnation Grass as his eighth ring, combined with a year's worth of training and the gains from absorbing tribulation energy, Su Yu's soul power had skyrocketed to Level 89!

He was now just one step—condensing his second soul core—away from breaking through to Titled Douluo.

However, the greatest challenge Su Yu currently faced wasn't condensing the second soul core.

It was choosing his ninth soul ring.

With the foundation laid by the previous eight rings, Su Yu's strength had reached unprecedented levels.

As such, if his ninth soul ring's quality fell even slightly below that of the Nine-Revolution Reincarnation Grass, Su Yu absolutely could not accept it.

"Sigh… one step at a time," Su Yu muttered to himself.

Even now, he still adhered to the principle he had believed in from the very beginning—the most fundamental path of the Blue Silver Grass.

Life!

The Reincarnation Grass had completed the aspect of death, the opposite of life. So now, how should he choose his ninth ring to reflect life itself?

"My teacher has already sent word—the five spots to train in the Sea God Pavilion this time will go to me, Yuhao, Xiaomeng, and Bai Feng."

Essentially, all the top talents connected to Su Yu had secured the slots.

However, they had all earned their places through their own strength.

Even without Su Yu's influence, Huo Yuhao, Xiao Hongchen, and Meng Hongchen were still among the top-tier talents in the Sun Moon Empire and would have qualified on their own merit.

As for Bai Feng, although being Su Yu's disciple gave her an advantage, most of her achievements still came from her own hard work.

"First, I'll head back to Shrek and complete the Fifth Trial."

The chance to cultivate in the Sea God Pavilion was truly rare. After all, the Sea God Pavilion was the Golden Ancient Tree, and the Golden Ancient Tree was the core of the entire plane.

In essence, Su Yu would be cultivating within the very source of the world's power.

Of course, perhaps it wasn't that exaggerated—or rather, the benefits gained from the Sea God Pavilion varied depending on the individual.

"I wonder what insights I'll gain? Since the trial requires me to use the Golden Ancient Tree to communicate with the will of the world, then it must be possible. And if I can connect with the world's will, could I possibly comprehend the rules of the world through the Golden Ancient Tree…?"

And the Golden Ancient Tree itself…

Suddenly, a spark of inspiration lit up in Su Yu's mind—he might have just found the direction for his ninth soul ring.

"Hmm?"

Before Su Yu could even set off, he sensed the arrival of three powerful soul fluctuations.

Two of them were relatively weak—completely insignificant in Su Yu's eyes—but the strongest one instantly made him serious.

That savage aura… this level of pressure…

Su Yu stepped out from within the encirclement of the Bi-Phosphorus Sevenfold Flower, exiting the Rainbow Poison Miasma, and three figures landed across from him.

"It's you!"

"Su Yu!"

Su Yu stared at the two familiar faces, both surprised yet somehow not entirely caught off guard.

Tang Zhen. Wang Dong.

As for the burly man who had brought them along, Su Yu guessed that this must be Titan.

"What are you doing here?" Wang Dong's gaze shifted to the Rainbow Poison Miasma behind Su Yu, then compared it to the map in his memory—his face instantly darkened.

No wonder.

No wonder Su Yu was so unbelievably powerful.

So this is the reason!

He beat them to it—he took everything from within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!

And Huo Yuhao, along with Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, acting so unreasonably strong as well… they definitely also benefited from the immortal herbs inside!

Damn it.

Such a sacred treasure trove—ruined by him?

Wang Dong could already imagine a wasteland inside the Yin Yang Well, everything stripped bare.

Su Yu ignored Wang Dong's wild assumptions, his gaze fixed on Er Ming.

"You're Su Yu?" Er Ming crossed his arms, staring at Su Yu.

Although his posture was relaxed, inside he was already on high alert.

He felt threatened by Su Yu!

"What the hell—wasn't he only supposed to barely match a level 98?"

Back then, Xuan Zi had been heavily injured, only managing to suppress Su Yu with the help of a special branch from the Golden Ancient Tree, unable to unleash his full strength.

Shrek's estimate was that Su Yu's full power, even with the synergy of soul spirit and body, could barely fight a level 98.

But now, Titan could feel pressure just standing here in front of him.

This was no "barely matching" level 98—this was absolutely the power of a Limit Douluo!

Titan was silently cursing Xuan Zi a hundred times over.

Xuan Zi (internally): Hey! I'm innocent this time, okay?!

"I didn't expect the Hao Tian Sect still had a powerhouse like you in hiding." Su Yu stood his ground, making no move to yield. He had no intention of handing over the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Titan had shown himself back in Mingdu when he took Wang Dong and the others away, so Su Yu wasn't surprised to recognize him.

"Su Yu, I'm sure you know exactly what's behind you," Titan said coldly.

"The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Yeah, I know."

"Since you know its name, then surely you're aware this Yin Yang Well, ten thousand years ago, was—"

"Alright, alright, stop right there!"

(End of Chapter)