Chapter 3173: Crossing the Divine Tribulation
The abyss seemed truly endless, the deeper they fell, the denser the darkness became.
Strange and unpredictable forces pressed down on them from all directions. With Zhang Ruochen's Great God physique, he could naturally withstand it, but Mu Lingxi had not yet stepped into the Divine Realm.
"Crack!"
A faint sound of bone fracturing came from her body.
Zhang Ruochen knew very well that no matter how unbearable it was for Feng Tian, she would never ask for help.
Thus, he took the initiative to move closer, releasing the Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram to envelop her.
The pressure eased, and the broken bones within her gradually healed. Mu Lingxi's pale face slowly regained color. However, she said nothing, calmly accepting Zhang Ruochen's protection.
"Falling like this, who knows when we'll reach the bottom of the abyss. I'm going to use a spatial displacement. The space here is quite chaotic—grab my arm to avoid being swept away by spatial turbulence," Zhang Ruochen said.
Mu Lingxi's jade-like face remained cold and unmoved.
She had weathered countless storms in the world—mere spatial turbulence was nothing to her.
Zhang Ruochen knew that Feng Tian stood at the pinnacle of the universe and wouldn't care about such danger, but he had to consider Mu Lingxi's safety. So, he made the Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram much more solid.
"Whoosh!"
Space trembled, and the two vanished from their spot.
They flickered and reappeared a thousand miles below.
"Whoosh!"
Another spatial displacement.
And so it went. By the ninth spatial displacement, an accident finally occurred. A violent surge of dark energy, accompanied by spatial turbulence, slammed into them.
Here, Zhang Ruochen's cultivation was already severely suppressed, and the spatial turbulence was fierce—like divine swords stabbing and heavenly rivers surging.
The spatial turbulence pierced through the Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram, rushing straight at them.
In such a place, even a god caught in it risked falling.
Zhang Ruochen's expression shifted. Just as he reached out to grab Mu Lingxi's wrist, he felt his arm tighten—she had grabbed him instead.
"You're supposed to be Xumi's heir, known as the Master of Time and Space. Can't you even handle this?" Mu Lingxi's tone carried no small amount of resentment, clearly dissatisfied with Zhang Ruochen's performance.
A Great God with extraordinary spatial mastery, yet he couldn't protect her.
Zhang Ruochen was speechless. He had warned her earlier, but she had insisted on being arrogant.
Now she was blaming him!
Without another word, Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power, weaving it into a net that tightly wrapped around the two of them, forcibly breaking through the dark energy and spatial turbulence.
They continued downward.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Ruochen suddenly stopped, looking down. He released tens of thousands of stars from his body, using the truth light they emitted to illuminate the darkness.
Below, a spatial rift zone appeared in the darkness.
Countless spatial cracks, the shortest stretching thousands of miles.
The longest extended to the edge of sight.
Space kept closing and splitting open, accompanied by black lightning and deep rumbling thunder.
The rules of heaven and earth here were completely different from those of the Kunlun Realm, with no connection whatsoever. It felt like arriving in another universe—unable to sense the boundaries of space.
Chaotic, dark, unknown, oppressive, empty...
Zhang Ruochen's brows furrowed tightly. "There truly are many incomprehensible mysteries in the world. Outside the Kunlun Realm, or in the nearby void world, no one could ever observe a place like this. It's clearly within the Kunlun Realm, yet it's not. Could there be a third world beyond the real world and the void world?"
Mu Lingxi released her grip on Zhang Ruochen's arm, stepping on the void with a graceful posture. "The world where the River of Time flows, the world of Lihentian, and even parts of the Santu River region could be considered third worlds."
"They exist in reality, yet not in the real world. No trace of them can be found in the void world. But they are everywhere."
"The Kunlun Realm is an eternal, undying great world. Since ancient times, it has produced multiple Ancestor-level powerhouses. It's normal for it to have some extraordinary places."
"Ancestor-level powerhouses can destroy and create. Even their Divine Realm worlds can evolve into third worlds, transcending reality and nothingness."
"Legend has it that the Divine Realm worlds of Ancestor-level powerhouses can be eternal and indestructible. Some, upon the Ancestor's fall, transform into divine lands that merge with the great world, making it vaster and blessing future generations."
"Others are left in unknown places, becoming independent great worlds of their own."
"Most of the unfathomable places in the Kunlun Realm are related to Ancestor-level powerhouses."
"The dark and void forces here are so violent that space cannot bear them. This should be an interesting place."
If it were just void forces tearing space apart, one wouldn't need to guess—passing through the spatial rift zone below would lead straight into the void world.
But the simultaneous presence of darkness and void was quite baffling.
Without waiting for Zhang Ruochen's instructions, Mu Lingxi grabbed his arm again. Her posture was light and gentle, but her gaze was icy cold.
"Whoosh!"
The two entered the spatial rift zone. Instantly, violent void forces, dark energy, and spatial turbulence surged like a tidal wave, pressing in from all sides.
Zhang Ruochen released his divine Qi at full power, unleashing the might of a Great God to resist these three forces.
After a moment, the spatial turbulence vanished, and the world fell eerily silent.
It was like suddenly plunging from a waterfall into a deep pool.
The two landed on the ground. Immediately, a dark force with powerful devouring properties rose from the soil, creeping up along their legs.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen planted the Bodhi Tree into the ground. Buddha light radiated for ten thousand zhang, dispelling the darkness.
The black soil beneath their feet shimmered with a layer of golden light.
Mu Lingxi collapsed entirely onto Zhang Ruochen, her fingers digging into the flesh of his arm as if trying to pierce through. She endured in silence, still not uttering a word.
Zhang Ruochen looked down at her legs. The dark force had invaded, causing the flesh to wither and decay, and it was still spreading upward.
In such a strange place, a Supreme Realm Great Saint became extremely fragile.
Any slight disturbance could kill her.
Zhang Ruochen immediately lifted her and placed her under the Bodhi Tree.
"Whoosh!"
He channeled the light force within him, pressing his hand against her leg. "This place is too terrifying. The so-called ground is actually solidified dark matter. Your body isn't a divine body—it can't withstand such strong power."
Zhang Ruochen looked up and met Mu Lingxi's cold eyes. Feeling the awkward intimacy of the moment, he said, "Feng Tian, if you think I'm overstepping, please retract your divine soul and let Lingxi's consciousness take over this body."
Mu Lingxi ignored him, shifting her gaze elsewhere to observe the surroundings.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head lightly. Even in such a sorry state, she still held onto her Heavenly Venerable airs. If it weren't for his concern for Lingxi's safety, he wouldn't bother with her.
She wasn't wearing shoes, her bare feet exposed.
Zhang Ruochen's hand moved from her leg down to her sole.
Threads of light divine Qi, like silk, spread from the top of her foot up to her calf and thigh, weaving through her skin and flesh.
The forces of light and darkness—one warm, one cold—mutually annihilated, creating an unbearable tingling numbness.
At first, Mu Lingxi's expression remained natural, but gradually, her brows tightened, her teeth clenched, and her lips pressed together as she endured.
Finally, her smooth, jade-like face crumpled like a steamed bun.
When the dark force was completely cleansed, she had already closed her eyes, burying her face to hide her expression. She kicked at Zhang Ruochen and snapped, "Get lost!"
Zhang Ruochen caught her kicking foot, then set it down, stepping back and turning away from her.
After a long while, Mu Lingxi slowly stood up, stretching her leg meridians. Her tone was resolute: "Damn it, I'm going to help her cross the Divine Tribulation right now. Once she steps into the Divine Realm, nourished by my power, her body will improve by leaps and bounds. No more of this restraint. Then I can use some of my strength!"
"Zhang Ruochen, guard me!"
Zhang Ruochen disagreed with her approach. "We've just arrived here and know nothing about this place. If we trigger the Divine Tribulation now and attract some malevolent entity, aren't we digging our own grave?"
"I don't care about that. You, Zhang Ruochen, have the strength of a Tai Xu Great God. If you can't handle a little danger, what use are you to me?"
Having suffered several setbacks and been forced to rely on Zhang Ruochen, Feng Tian was furious and humiliated. That's why she decided to go all out and have Mu Lingxi cross the Divine Tribulation.
"Your little lover, with help from you and Chi Xingtian, has a decent foundation. Especially her second sacred source—the demonic sacred source—has some flair. Based on my speculation, her Divine Tribulation should be a demonic tribulation. Internally, it's a battle between heart demons and reason. Externally, it's the burning of her body by demonic fire."
Without further ado, Mu Lingxi began breaking through her realm under the Bodhi Tree.
Other cultivators could hardly predict what their Divine Tribulation would be, but Feng Tian was no ordinary existence. She could see through the essence of all things.
What was dangerous for a Supreme Realm Great Saint was already analyzed and countered in her mind.
However, such countermeasures could only be understood, not easily explained.
In truth, every major force had records left by predecessors on crossing the Divine Tribulation. But being able to apply even ten to twenty percent of that knowledge was already remarkable.
Now, with Feng Tian and Mu Lingxi essentially sharing one body and two souls, there was no need to tell Mu Lingxi how to cross the tribulation—Feng Tian could help her directly.
That was why, despite opposing such a rash move, Zhang Ruochen accepted it.
For Mu Lingxi, this was a tremendous blessing.
The only thing worrying Zhang Ruochen was whether the Divine Tribulation would sense Feng Tian.
But Feng Tian likely wouldn't gamble with her own life—she must have a plan.
Mu Lingxi stood under the Bodhi Tree, eyes tightly shut, her posture straight as a sword. A red phoenix mark flickered continuously on her brow.
It was unclear if she had already begun the heart demon tribulation.
Zhang Ruochen activated his Truth Eye to survey the surroundings. But the darkness pressed down overwhelmingly, blocking his vision to only a few thousand zhang.
And that was only with the help of the Bodhi Tree's Buddha light.
(End of Chapter)