Lin Yuan stood in an open space outside Shrek City, his silver-white hair ribbon fluttering lightly in the morning breeze. He raised his eyes to the sky, silver-white patterns flowing through his violet eyes as he quietly invoked the Space Authority. His fingertips sliced across the void, and a Space Rift about a foot wide suddenly opened. Black mist churned within it, vaguely revealing lush forests and a clear lake on the other side.
"I'm back," he murmured, then leaped into the rift.
Space twisted and light interlaced within the rift. In the blink of an eye, Lin Yuan's feet touched solid ground. Rich life energy rushed toward him, and the damp air carried the fragrance of spiritual herbs and the gentle freshness of lake water. Before him lay the familiar Lake of Life, its waters blue as gemstones. Ancient trees towered along the shore, while flecks of sunlight spilled through their leaves and made the lake shimmer.
"Xiao Yuan!"
A clear cry rang out as a jade-green figure hurried over. Biji had taken human form, her green dress fluttering in the wind. She quickly ran to Lin Yuan, reached out to tousle his silver hair, and smiled warmly. "You're finally back."
"Did Sister Bi Ji miss me?" Lin Yuan asked, deliberately tilting his head. A mischievous glint flashed through his violet eyes as he gently tugged at Biji's sleeve, his voice carrying a hint of coquettishness.
Biji laughed at his appearance and tapped his forehead, her tone affectionate. "Of course I missed you. Not just me—your Sister Zi Ji talks about you every day too."
At that moment, Lin Yuan rose slightly onto his toes, gently braced Biji's shoulders, and quickly planted a kiss on her soft lips.
Biji's entire body stiffened. Her emerald eyes widened instantly, while a visible blush spread across her cheeks and even set the tips of her ears burning. She unconsciously stepped half a pace back and stared at the smiling youth before her, temporarily forgetting how to react.
She raised a hand to cover the lips he had kissed, her emerald eyes filled with shock before embarrassment replaced it. She gave a light cough and turned her face away as if composed, though her voice trembled faintly. "No sense of propriety. You're already this old, yet you still fool around."
"I said it when I was little: once I grew up, I'd definitely marry Sister Bi Ji and Sister Zi Ji." Lin Yuan's smile deepened. He took Biji's slightly cool hand and gently stroked her delicate skin, his tone serious yet carrying a youth's characteristic slyness. "Words spoken in childhood still count. Sister Bi Ji is so beautiful, and she dotes on me so much. It would be such a waste not to marry you."
Biji's ears reddened further at his blunt words, but she did not pull her hand away. She merely glared lightly at him. "You only know how to sweet-talk. Be careful your Sister Zi Ji doesn't hear you." As soon as she spoke, a cool voice came from the woods. "Biji, who are you talking to?"
Zi Ji, dressed in purple, walked briskly through patches of forest light, her figure slender and graceful. The instant she saw Lin Yuan, her eyes brightened, and she hurried over. But when she saw their clasped hands and Biji's flushed cheeks, she raised a brow and teased, "Oh? You just got back and you're already bullying Biji?"
Lin Yuan released Biji's hand and turned toward Zi Ji. Before she could react, he wrapped an arm around her waist and placed a gentle kiss on her lips as well. Zi Ji stiffened, then pushed him with feigned annoyance. "You've got some nerve! You were only gone for a year, and now you dare get handsy with me?" Though her words sounded displeased, there was not a trace of anger in her eyes—only faint, hidden delight.
"This is a reunion gift for my sisters." Lin Yuan smiled and stepped back half a pace, spreading his hands. "Besides, I'm fulfilling my childhood promise. I'm stamping it in advance so you sisters can't go back on your word later."
Biji had recovered by then. She stepped forward and lightly slapped Lin Yuan's arm, saying helplessly, "Stop fooling around. The Lord and the others are waiting for you. Ice Empress has already arrived. She's on the small island at the center of the Lake of Life."
Anticipation flashed through Lin Yuan's eyes, and he nodded. "Alright, let's go."
The three of them walked side by side toward the small island at the center of the Lake of Life. The water beneath their feet parted on its own, forming a crystalline path. Mist drifted over the island, and several figures waited quietly within a stone pavilion entwined with vines.
Gu Yue Na sat in the center of the pavilion, her silver-white dress lending her an aura of cold elegance and nobility. At the sight of Lin Yuan, the indifference in her eyes instantly melted away. She rose to greet him and naturally drew him into her embrace. "It's good that you're back."
Lin Yuan buried his face in the crook of her neck, greedily breathing in her familiar scent. His voice softened. "Sister Nana, I missed you so much."
Inside the pavilion, Di Tian and Ice Empress stood side by side.
In human form, Ice Empress was a pretty yet frosty young girl around one meter sixty tall, dressed in a jade-green gown. Her skin was whiter than snow and translucent as jade. Her dark green hair was tied into twin ponytails that fell behind her, and her golden eyes were captivating. A biting chill radiated from her body. When she saw Lin Yuan looking over, she slightly raised a brow. "Little Dragon God?"
"Sister Ice Empress, Dragon God is Dragon God. Why add the word 'Little'?" Lin Yuan lifted his head from Gu Yue Na's embrace, a mischievous glint flashing through his violet eyes as his tone carried the stubbornness unique to youth.
At his words, Ice Empress's golden eyes curved into a cold arc, and the chill around her stirred faintly. "What? Not convinced? With that little body of yours, calling you Little Dragon God isn't doing you an injustice." She stepped forward, condensed a tiny shard of ice at her fingertips, and flicked it lightly toward Lin Yuan's forehead. "You may be the Dragon God's reincarnation, but your Soul Power hasn't even reached rank forty. If you really fought me, a Four-Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, I'm afraid you'd be frozen into an ice sculpture."
Lin Yuan casually raised a hand and crushed the ice shard before it reached his forehead. The instant it shattered, it became droplets of water that gathered in his palm into a tiny ice flower. He raised his violet eyes slightly, and faint ripples spread through the space around him as invisible dragon might quietly filled the air. "Sister Ice Empress, don't underestimate me. How about we make a bet?"
"Bet on what?" Ice Empress raised a brow.
"On whether I can swallow your entire Four-Hundred-Thousand-Year Heavenly Tribulation." Lin Yuan flicked his fingertip, and the ice flower in his palm scattered into tiny crystals. A confident sharpness flashed through his violet eyes. "If I win, you have to agree to one condition. If I lose, I'll acknowledge you as my sister and give you a drop of Dragon God Blood Essence."
Ice Empress's golden eyes lit up at once, and even the chill around her seemed to freeze for a moment. Dragon God Blood Essence was an incomparable Supreme Treasure to Soul Beasts. It could purify bloodlines and break through bottlenecks. Even a single drop would be enough to raise her cultivation another level. She looked Lin Yuan over with interest. "Fine, I'll take that bet. If you win, what condition do you want me to agree to?"
"Be my bodyguard from now on. Whatever I tell you to do, you have to do it. As for how long..." A sly smile curled at the corner of Lin Yuan's lips, his violet eyes gleaming with mischief. "Until I no longer need you. Of course, I won't make you do anything wicked. At most, you'll spar with me, or help me deal with trouble when I go to the human world."
Ice Empress narrowed her golden eyes slightly as the chill around her surged again. "You certainly know how to calculate. But if you want a Four-Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast like me as your bodyguard, you'll have to show real ability. If you can't swallow the Heavenly Tribulation, don't even think about reneging on that Dragon God Blood Essence."
"Don't worry. I always keep my word." Lin Yuan patted his chest, and his silver-white hair ribbon fluttered with the motion. "By the way, how much longer before the Heavenly Tribulation arrives? I can't wait to try it."
"It can come at any time. Honestly, I'm not confident I can survive it myself." A trace of gravity crossed Ice Empress's eyes, and the chill around her unconsciously receded. "The Four-Hundred-Thousand-Year Heavenly Tribulation is far stronger than the previous ones, and lightning tribulations are especially deadly to Soul Beasts. If Di Tian hadn't said you had a way to borrow the Heavenly Tribulation's power, I might have chosen to keep suppressing my cultivation and postpone the tribulation."
"Relax. It's just a lightning tribulation—it can't kill a 250 like me. Uncle Di Tian, is there a place in the Star Dou Great Forest for facing a tribulation?" Lin Yuan said with a dismissive wave.
Di Tian stepped forward, his dragon might restrained but present, and spoke in a deep voice. "I prepared one for you long ago. A hundred li west of the Lake of Life lies Meteorite Cliff. At the base of the cliff is a natural Spirit Gathering Array. It can both cushion the Heavenly Tribulation's impact and gather the world's energy to aid recovery. The terrain there is open, so it won't affect other Soul Beasts."
Gu Yue Na gently stroked Lin Yuan's silver hair. Her tone was soft, but filled with caution. "The Heavenly Tribulation's power exceeds anything you imagine. Even with Dragon God's Heart protecting you, you must not be careless. Di Tian and I will stand guard at the cliff's edge. If anything goes wrong, we'll immediately disperse the Heavenly Tribulation."
"Got it, Sister Nana." Lin Yuan smiled and nodded, eagerness gleaming in his violet eyes. "I'm the one who's going to swallow the entire Heavenly Tribulation. How could anything happen to me so easily? By the way, why haven't I seen Sister Auspicious Beast?"
"Auspicious Beast has been in seclusion ever since you left the Star Dou Great Forest, hoping to take human form sooner," Biji said.
Lin Yuan nodded in understanding. With a flick of his fingers, a strand of wind element became a playful vortex that spun around Biji's hair. "It seems Sister Auspicious Beast is working hard. I probably won't see her during this one-month break."
Zi Ji stepped forward and poked his cheek, her tone teasing. "Take care of yourself first. Don't let the lightning tribulation turn you into a charred-haired dragon."
"It won't." Lin Yuan swatted her hand away. Silver-white patterns flowed through his violet eyes, and faint ripples spread through the space around him. "I'll show you what true Dragon God foundations look like."
With that, he turned to Gu Yue Na and took her cool hand in his. "Sister Nana, let's go. Let's settle this Heavenly Tribulation early."
A gentle smile rippled through Gu Yue Na's eyes as she lightly squeezed his hand. "Alright. Whatever you say."
The group of five left the island along the water path and sped westward toward Meteorite Cliff. Di Tian led the way, and his immense dragon might frightened the Soul Beasts along their route into retreating. Frosty energy curled around Ice Empress, and fine ice crystals formed across the ground wherever she passed. Biji and Zi Ji guarded Lin Yuan on either side, their eyes alertly scanning the surroundings. Gu Yue Na held Lin Yuan's hand throughout, her pace calm and unhurried. The faint pressure she radiated made even the world's energy grow docile.
In less than half an hour, the outline of Meteorite Cliff appeared ahead. It was a solitary black cliff that rose abruptly from the ground, its steep walls marked by the erosion of time. At its base lay a vast circular clearing, its ground glowing faintly with the patterns of a natural Spirit Gathering Array.
"This is the place." Di Tian stopped, transformed into human form, and pointed toward the base of the cliff. "The Spirit Gathering Array has already been activated. The world's energy will gather automatically, enough to support you as you absorb the Heavenly Tribulation's energy."
Ice Empress stepped forward, her golden eyes sweeping over the cliff base. Jade-green Soul Power suddenly erupted from her body, and the terrifying aura of a Four-Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast soared into the sky. "I'm ready. I can trigger the Heavenly Tribulation at any time."
Lin Yuan released Gu Yue Na's hand and slowly walked to the cliff's edge, his silver-white hair ribbon snapping in the fierce wind at the summit. He looked down at the cliff base, where the Spirit Gathering Array shimmered like stars. After taking a deep breath, he turned toward the others, his violet eyes brimming with confidence. "All of you, retreat to a safe area. Don't get caught up in the Heavenly Tribulation."
Gu Yue Na looked at him deeply and warned, "Remember, if you can't endure it, send us a message immediately. We'll act."
"Got it." Lin Yuan waved his hand, then leaped down as lightly as a feather and landed steadily at the center of the Spirit Gathering Array.
After everyone had retreated several li to a safe area, Ice Empress took a deep breath. Jade-green Soul Power abruptly burst from her body, and the terrifying aura of a Four-Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast shot into the sky. The clouds overhead instantly churned. The once-clear sky rapidly darkened as thick black clouds spread like spilled ink. Lightning flickered faintly within the cloud layer, accompanied by deep, muffled thunder.
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