Chapter Thirty-Four: The Land of Trials

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Lin Yanghao arrived outside the Trial Grounds. He tried several times to enter, but each attempt ended in failure—without exception, he was blocked from going in. He soon realized that a kind of protective barrier had enveloped the entire perimeter.

Gathering the spiritual energy from his dantian into his palm, Lin Yanghao struck the barrier with all his might. When one blow didn’t work, he continued to pound at the same spot, each strike echoing with a violent crash.

Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Finally, under his relentless assault, a small opening appeared in the barrier. Delighted, Lin Yanghao flipped himself through the gap and entered.

The moment he stepped inside, a suffocating chill swept over him, an oppressive yin energy that made his skin prickle. Hastily, he circulated his energy to defend himself, marveling at how terrifyingly dense the yin energy here was—far surpassing even the Land of Death. By Lin Yanghao’s estimation, the concentration here was at least several dozen times greater.

What on earth is going on? If the yin energy here had always been this intense, anyone entering would surely die on the spot. Fortunately, he was a cultivator; even an Emperor of Martial Arts might not withstand this current atmosphere. Remembering that initial bone-chilling cold when he first came in, Lin Yanghao still felt a lingering chill all over his body.

He recalled how Feng Batian once told him he had trained here when he was at the eighth stage of martial cultivation. Back then, Feng Batian hadn’t even discovered the existence of the Trifoliate Demon-Subduing Flower. That convinced Lin Yanghao that this suffocating yin energy must have arisen with the appearance of the protective barrier. As for how all this came to be, he had no idea—could it really be the work of a cultivator? He couldn’t imagine who else could have orchestrated something of this scale, and so his thoughts instinctively turned to cultivators.

Pressing onward to the heart of the Trial Grounds, Lin Yanghao believed the truth would surely reveal itself ahead.

The deeper he went, even within the shield of spiritual energy, Lin Yanghao could still sense a trace of the world’s chill seeping through, a testament to just how terrifyingly dense the yin energy here was.

Where in the world did Feng Batian go? I’ve nearly turned this whole Land of Death upside down—almost to the point of digging three feet under!

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Throughout the entire Trial Grounds, Lin Yanghao found no trace of Feng Batian. With nothing left to do, he prepared to leave.

Suddenly, from below ground, a succession of lion-like roars erupted, startling Lin Yanghao—there was something beneath the earth?

With thunderous thuds, a snowy white tiger burst from underground. Though it resembled a tiger, this beast was nearly ten times the size of an ordinary one, its presence far more imposing.

With another roar, the beast lunged at Lin Yanghao, its mountain-like bulk bearing down on him.

Damn it! At the critical moment, Lin Yanghao spun out of the way with lightning speed.

“Do you think I’m some feeble housecat just because I haven’t shown my claws? Let me show you what I’m made of!” Channeling his spiritual power, Lin Yanghao unleashed a barrage of crackling attacks, each one landing squarely on the beast.

But to his astonishment, the creature remained completely unharmed. Given his current strength, even an Emperor of Martial Arts would have perished under such an onslaught, yet his attacks seemed to tickle the beast at best. Lin Yanghao was left in utter disbelief.

“Boy, are you a cultivator?”

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The beast spoke—yes, it actually spoke—leaving Lin Yanghao completely dumbfounded.

“Have you attained sentience? How can a beast like you speak?” He wondered if this creature was perhaps a great demon on par with the higher echelons of cultivators. Memories of childhood tales—where monsters could talk—came flooding back, and the fact that his attacks had been so casually dismissed only reinforced his suspicion.

“Boy, don’t compare me to those lowly beasts. I am none other than the renowned Celestial Beast, the Heavenly Frost Sabertiger,” the massive white tiger replied with disdain.

What! A Celestial Beast! Lin Yanghao was shaken. Anything associated with the word “celestial” was extraordinary—in the Spirit Realm, even the weakest thing from the Celestial Realm would be unmatched, let alone for someone like him who hadn’t even truly begun the path of immortal cultivation. He’d always believed the mightiest beasts were the spirit beasts of the Spirit Realm, but now he knew there was a Celestial Realm above even that. If this Heavenly Frost Sabertiger truly hailed from there, it was no wonder his mind was racing with countless thoughts.

How could I be so unlucky? I came out just to find someone, and ended up in this mess. It seems the culprit behind the current state of this place is standing right before me. Lin Yanghao couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sorrow at the thought.

“Boy, I’m not going to eat you. I’ve waited here for over five hundred years, and you must be the one I was meant to meet. Ha ha ha! At last, I’m going to be free!” The Heavenly Frost Sabertiger suddenly burst into laughter, his demeanor completely transformed.

Lin Yanghao began to suspect this so-called Celestial Beast might actually be deranged. He could only listen as the beast continued.

“I imagine you’ve guessed it by now. I am the awe-inspiring Heavenly Frost Sabertiger from the Celestial Realm. Ah, it’s a tale of tears—I ended up in this accursed place all because of one wretched old man. Back in the Celestial Realm, I was as carefree as one could be, but one day, a nasty old man appeared out of the blue and insisted I guard this miserable place. Of course I refused, but who would have thought his strength outstripped mine by leagues? He struck me with a seal and forced me to wait here for a cultivator. Now, at last, the one I’ve been waiting for has arrived. Ha ha!” The tiger’s voice trembled with excitement.

Lin Yanghao now felt there were too many mysteries surrounding his arrival in this world—first the enigmatic ring, then Old Lin, now the Heavenly Frost Sabertiger. Both incidents involved the appearance of a strange old man. He couldn’t shake the feeling that his path was being orchestrated by someone else, every step within another’s grasp. The thought of being manipulated filled him with unease and deepened his confusion about that old man. Why would someone, even more powerful than this Celestial Beast, pay such close attention to him?