Because there was absolutely no other opportunity, Lin Yunfeng fought for his face one last time, but other than feeling vexed, he didn’t feel anything.
The old tree demon was addressed as ‘senior’ by the group of people headed by the Palace Master. That old man, whether in terms of age or cultivation, was their senior.
Finally, after the discussion between these few people, the Palace Master, acting as a master receiving disciples, accepted the old tree demon into the Pure Yang Palace and the old tree demon became one of the few top-most cultivators in the Pure Yang Palace. Simultaneously, he also became the hall master of the Eccentrics Hall.
She Kui and Xie Sha didn’t have any objection to this. They never knew anything about power struggles and the cultivation of that old tree demon was very formidable, so both of them accepted that he became the hall master.
All of the elders began to prepare to defend as many peak JieDan experts as possible at the time of the ritual, so that as many people could attend this incomparable encounter as possible. Yang Chen, together with Gao Yue returned to her courtyard, concerned about her injury.
“Currently, I don’t feel anything wrong.”
Facing Yang Chen’s care, Gao Yue’s face had turned a little red and then she replied with confidence:
“Not just that, my spiritual power cultivation has also increased by a lot.”
After saying that, Gao Yue looked at Yang Chen with a face full of worry and asked:
“Your spiritual power cultivation has greatly decreased, is there anything to worry about?”
“No, it will be back to normal in a few days.”
Yang Chen said that with an indifferent expression. He definitely would not let Gao Yue feel guilty about this.
“This time, you have greatly offended Elder Lin and the people of the Luminous Moon Hall!”
Gao Yue anxiously continued, but she immediately patted Yang Chen’s shoulder:
“But they were also trying to take advantage of you, so you do not need to mind them. If this sort of matter happens again in the future, directly go and find master. Master will definitely get you out of any predicament!”
This lineage of Wang Yong, Gao Yue and Yang Chen, didn’t have any other people they could rely on, so they had to take care of it themselves. This time, it clearly were the people of the Luminous Moon Hall who had made the first provocation, but Yang Chen returned it with a ruthless slap.
“Furthermore, you said that I will be your responsibility.”
After Gao Yue said this, her gaze turned to Yang Chen again:
“Don’t tell me you have some method to defend me from the influence of the tribulation?”
“Be at ease, disciple will take care of that!”
Yang Chen patted his chest and guaranteed:
“I guarantee to get you front row seats!”
If other people had said this, Gao Yue may not have believed it, but after Yang Chen had opened his mouth, Gao Yue was completely convinced. After such a long time, Gao Yue had a blind trust towards Yang Chen. Especially after he had healed her through the pair cultivation for spiritual awareness, this confidence had become even deeper.
Naturally Yang Chen was not just talking big, he directly returned to the old tree demon and began to help him in finding a suitable location. This location had to be at the MeiQing Mountain, furthermore, if he failed, there shouldn’t be any damage to the Pure Yang Palace. But the possibility of failure was extremely low: the old tree demon had suppressed the tribulation several times now and with the Body Dividing Secrets, he absolutely could not fail.
This location should also be beneficial for the disciples of the Pure Yang Palace: the spirit power would greatly fluctuate during this tribulation, so the location had to be chosen such that a majority of people could sense it.
But this matter was for the Palace Master and them to think about. Yang Chen did not need to care much about it. He just had to come at a certain time and take the best seats.
Regardless of anything, Yang Chen was convinced that there would be no better place for the ritual than where the old tree demon’s main body was. But the only people who could be present near his main body while he was going through his tribulation would the ones whom he trusted with his life, otherwise the old tree demon would definitely not agree.
But the strange thing was that the old tree demon readily agreed to Yang Chen’s request. Nobody knew why he had so much confidence in Yang Chen, or if he thought that an initial Foundation stage and an initial JieDan stage cultivators could not be a threat to him. In any case, that old tree demon agreed without any hesitation.
Within less than a day, the entire Pure Yang Palace became aware of this news. Everyone within the range of the MeiQing Mountain was looking forward to it in high spirits.
Unfortunately, the time of that old tree demon’s tribulation was very soon and was going to begin just the next day, otherwise, if they could notify their friends and relatives, even if they could not look at it personally and could just sense the fluctuations in the heavens’ and earth’s spirit power, it would be greatly beneficial for them.
The region was properly chosen: it was a place between the Nine Earth Manor and the Pure Yang Palace, slightly closer to the Pure Yang Palace. This place was found to be the most suitable region after careful calculation, so the old tree demon also didn’t have any objections to it.
The group, including the Palace Master hadn’t discovered that only an incarnation of the old tree demon was present with them and not the main body. She Kui and Xie Sha knew this fact, but they didn’t say anything and only followed the group of the Palace Master and the elders who were arranging the defensive spell formations. They were greatly astonished after experiencing the spell formation and at the same time also silently learnt it.
It took a whole day for the Palace Master and the elders to arrange the defensive spell formations, but all of them were very happy. This kind of opportunity did not come every day.
Last time, Yang Chen had allowed people of the Clear Sky Sect to witness the tribulation of elder Hua Wanting, but he had worried that he could not get such an opportunity for the Palace Master and the elders. The arrival of the old tree demon was just like a shipment of charcoal in the deepest winter and had satisfied Yang Chen’s small wish.
Everyone was nervously waiting for the tribulation to begin. The elders had already prepared everything properly and all of the hall masters were protected within the spell formation and they were also the last line of protection and at the same time they had also prepared to sense everything at close range.
Under the eyes of the entire MeiQing Mountain, the old tree demon triggered his Yin Fire tribulation. Strictly speaking, his incarnation triggered the Yin Fire tribulation.
An imaginary fire began to burn from the second body of the old tree demon. Soon afterwards it penetrated into the mud and the entire body of the old tree demon seemed to be shrouded within imaginary fire. His entire person seemed to have turned into a human shaped torch, burning brightly.
The old tree demon again and again tried to push down the Yin Fire, but the Yin Fire continued to burn his body. The formidable spirit power triggered the energy of heaven and earth to fluctuate, which could be sensed throughout the entire MeiQing mountain.
Even at a distance the sensation was the same, but the few YuanYing stage experts had turned pale with fright. This kind of formless and shapeless Yin Fire was the final roadblock on their path towards the Da Cheng stage. Just looking at this kind of strength, if this Yin Fire really reached their bodies, how would they handle it?
That old tree demon’s resistance was extremely great: after suppressing the Yin Fire for the ninety second time, all of the Yin Fire flames attached to his body completely vanished. Soon afterwards, an extremely formidable pressure, which made everyone unable to look at him directly, began to slowly burst out from his body.
The energy of heaven and earth seemed to have lost control and the old tree demon’s body seemed to be an enormous whirlpool which frantically emptied all of the spirit power in a radius of several hundred miles.
The divided body of the old tree demon was floating in the air in front of everyone and began to complete the final transformation of reaching the Da Cheng stage. The frightening spirit power submerged his body like a wave and the Yin Fire from a moment ago had cleaned all of the impurities in his body completely. At this moment, after being rinsed by the spirit power, the old tree demon had broken through the YuanYing stage and entered the realm of the Da Cheng stage flawlessly.
Under everyone’s gazes, the old tree demon’s body rose into the air and countless rays of life started to emerge from his body and, like goose feathers, snow began to fall to the ground, covering almost the entire MeiQing mountain and then it disappeared.
Soon afterwards, in the regions where the light rays had fallen, young cassia saplings emerged from the ground and began to grow quickly under the nourishment of the spirit power, becoming fist thick in a short time.
By now, the entire MeiQing Mountain was completely below the shadow of cassia trees, so that the young saplings in Yang Chen’s backyard were nothing out of the ordinary, submerged among countless cassia trees. Apart from Yang Chen and Gao Yue, nobody else knew the location of the Cassia Tree Demon’s main body.
The defensive spell formations arranged by the elders effectively resisted the dispersed spirit power from the Yin Fire and also allowed all of the hall masters to observe this grand occasion.
This was the first Da Cheng expert in the Pure Yang Palace in several hundred years and this was moreover also everyone’s first time personally witnessing the birth of a Da Cheng stage expert. This implied that the Pure Yang Palace would get even more formidable from now on and the sect’s strength would increase even more.
The group of elders and hall masters were unable to control their excitement and were regretting being unable to enter seclusion immediately. But a Da Cheng stage expert had just been born and he was also the hall master of their eccentrics hall, how could they forget their manners? Therefore, after the spell formations were removed, the first thing everyone did was to congratulate the old tree demon.
Near the old tree demon’s main body, Yang Chen and Gao Yue were very scared, seeing the old tree demon extinguish the Yin Fire ninety two times and complete the tribulation.
Compared to outside, it was much less intense at the location of the old tree demon’s real body. Only a faint flame would burn and be suppressed, but Yang Chen knew that this small flame contained at least ninety percent of the Yin Fire Tribulation’s might. Even if it just seemed like ten percent to the outside.
With such a close distance, Gao Yue could also sense the frightfulness of the Yin Fire tribulation and, looking at it tensely, she clenched her fist and her face lost color in her nervousness.
Those people who hadn’t gone through a tribulation could not sense the frightfulness of that small Yin Fire, but they would still be intimidated, like Gao Yue, who was thinking how she would handle it if this frightening power came onto her body at this moment?
“Master!”
Yang Chen promptly caught the anomaly within Gao Yue and immediately grabbed her sweaty hand:
“Attending this ritual is to increase your knowledge, not to strike at your confidence!”
As soon as she felt the warmth from Yang Chen grabbing her hand, Gao Yue was quickly roused from her depression and she seamlessly struggled free from his hand, immediately recovered her senses.
“You are just at the initial JieDan stage right now, the Yin Fire tribulation is indeed slightly frightening for you right now, but believe me master!”
Yang Chen had fixed his gaze onto Gao Yue’s eyes, making her gaze back into his eyes:
“All of these heavenly tribulations will not be a barrier to you!”
Yang Chen’s words touched the sore point in her heart. Indeed, the ritual was just to increase her knowledge and not to strike at her confidence. Moreover, Gao Yue had such blind trust towards Yang Chen that, as long as Yang Chen said that she could, she would immediately feel the same way.
While, with Yang Chen, Gao Yue’s mood had quickly changed, over at the old tree demon, who had completed his Yin Fire tribulation, he began to rapidly absorb spirit power. Yang Chen and Gao Yue, who were the closest to his main body, had naturally clearly experienced this entire process.
“Congratulations! Congratulations!”
Yang Chen cupped his hands and congratulated the main body of the old tree demon. Gao Yue also followed suit.
Next, in a grand ceremony, the Pure Yang Palace declared the old tree demon to be the hall master of the Eccentrics Hall and at the same time, with absolute certainty, also declared that the Pure Yang Palace had a Da Cheng stage expert.
Many envoys from friendly sects dropped in congratulate them and the sect was once again busy with receiving visitors and other trifling matters. The Pure Yang Palace had once more become the focus point, giving rise to the attention of countless sects and cultivators.
Only, none of this was related to Yang Chen. In fact, after the end of the ritual, the group of people who had witnessed the tribulation entered a short seclusion to comprehend everything. Gao Yue was no exception and Yang Chen had also entered seclusion to inspect his body.
From the time he had went to save his master, he had been very busy and did not even have the time examine his body, but now that everything was finished, he could properly examine all of the transformations which had happened in his body.
Although he was able to save Gao Yue using the Great Profound Heart Sutra, the price he had to pay was extremely high. His spiritual awareness had fallen from the initial YuanYing stage to the peak JieDan stage, by an entire realm. Even the area of his spirit sea had decreased greatly.
But despite this, Yang Chen discovered that, after passing through the pair cultivation, the framework of his spirit sea had become even more stable. Also, the decrease in spiritual awareness was not like it had disappeared, instead it was more like the spiritual sea had been forcefully compressed and the spiritual awareness had been compressed.
Discovering this, Yang Chen immediately became delighted. He would not have even blinked even if he had to use his entire spiritual awareness to save Gao Yue, but he had surprisingly discovered that his condition was not as bad as he had estimated, so naturally he had become very cheerful.
During the practice of the Three Purities Secrets, Yang Chen quickly discovered something different. Compared to before, cultivating the Three Purities Secrets had become even more smooth and easy.
Originally, he had already reached the third layer of the Three Purities Secrets, but cultivating it every time, it was somewhat difficult. But at that moment it had become very smooth. There were almost no obstructions, and since the area had decreased, the circulation had also become much easier.
After spending several days, Yang Chen had finally inspected his body completely. Apart from his spiritual awareness and his spirit sea, there was no remarkable change in any other parts.
By the next day, his spiritual awareness had once again reached the bottleneck. People still continued to visit the Pure Yang Palace, but this did not have any relation with him, so Yang Chen returned to the Nine Earth Manor to continue with his duty as the Merit Transferring Disciple.