Two Hundred and Thirty Thousand Years of Cultivation

The moment they accepted the Mystic Ice Marrow, their enormous bodies trembled simultaneously.

Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow.

A legendary supreme ice-element treasure.

They had never imagined, even in their dreams, that they would one day lay eyes on such a thing.

A-Tai's voice trembled slightly.

"Th-this... this is Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow!"

A-Tai bowed to the Snow Emperor, his voice carrying a hint of overwhelmed excitement.

Xiaobai's reaction was even more direct.

His eyes instantly grew moist, with obvious tears glimmering within them.

"Mom..." Xiaobai's voice choked up. "Is this really for me?"

Seeing the two soul beasts' reactions, the Snow Emperor merely nodded faintly.

"Yes, these are for you. Absorb them well and raise your cultivation as soon as possible."

The Snow Emperor then added,

"Ling Xiao found the Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow. If you want to thank someone, thank Ling Xiao."

Upon hearing this, A-Tai and Xiaobai both turned to look at Ling Xiao nearby.

"Thank you."

Ling Xiao nodded in response, while the Snow Emperor spoke again.

"You must be prepared. The Extreme North may face some trouble next."

Though the two soul beasts were not particularly clever, they understood the meaning behind the Snow Emperor's words.

If something could trouble the Snow Emperor, it was certainly no minor matter.

Thus, the Snow Emperor explained the Extreme North's hidden crisis to them in full detail.

The gist was simple: the overall strength of the Extreme North had to improve as quickly as possible.

With the Snow Emperor's guidance, they instantly understood the severity of the situation.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty!"

"I will raise my cultivation as quickly as possible and willingly brave fire and water for the Extreme North!"

Xiaobai nodded seriously. "Don't worry, Mom! Xiaobai will work hard too!"

The Snow Emperor gave her final instructions.

"Good. Go back and enter seclusion first. We will gather again in three days."

Thus, amid the drifting snow of the Extreme North, all of them entered seclusion.

The Snow Emperor and Ice Empress already had sufficient cultivation.

What the Snow Emperor needed was to repair her damaged origin while sensing the laws of ice between heaven and earth.

The Ice Empress, meanwhile, needed to consolidate her foundation and build up as much strength as possible to face the heavenly tribulation.

A-Tai focused entirely on raising his cultivation. He still had quite a way to go before reaching three hundred thousand years.

Xiaobai was already very close to two hundred thousand years, so he needed to prepare to break through at any moment.

As for Ling Xiao...

He did not absorb the Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow. For the time being, he had no use for those pieces of Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow.

Nor did he summon heavenly lightning to cultivate, because that lightning was no longer enough for him.

Ling Xiao was studying the God-Sealing Platform.

Though his progress was slow, Ling Xiao's perception was gradually becoming sharper.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

After the five gathered before the Ice Crystal Palace, they headed straight toward the depths of the ice plains.

The place they chose this time was more remote than ever before.

On the ice plains, the cold wind howled.

The Snow Emperor and the other two stood at a distance, watching the two figures ahead without blinking.

Xiaobai stood in the middle of the ice plains, his body restored to its original size.

Ling Xiao stood not far away.

Xiaobai threw back his head and let out a long roar.

"Roar~!"

After absorbing the Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow, Xiaobai had reached the threshold of two hundred thousand years.

The heavenly tribulation sensed that he was about to break through.

At that moment, the clear skies above the Extreme North were suddenly blanketed by thunderclouds stretching for thousands of miles.

Unlike the hundred-thousand-year thunderclouds from before, the two-hundred-thousand-year thunderclouds were purple.

The thunderclouds bore down like mountains, while four-colored lightning surged within them.

White, red, yellow, and green enveloped the entire sky in an apocalyptic scene.

The origin of the Innate Thunder Spirit allowed him to sense every fluctuation of energy within the tribulation clouds.

He sensed an exceptionally unusual power mixed within the tribulation lightning.

The opposing force of light and darkness.

Two utterly opposing powers collided, tangled, annihilated each other, and were reborn within the tribulation clouds.

One light and one dark, one positive and one negative—the two energies continuously churned within the tribulation clouds.

Not only that, Ling Xiao also sensed a power that isolated everything.

The instant the heavenly tribulation descended, the energy between the one undergoing tribulation and heaven and earth was completely cut off.

The tribulation-taker could no longer borrow the power of heaven and earth to restore themselves, and could only rely on their own foundation to withstand the baptism of the heavenly tribulation.

The two-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation was no longer a simple baptism of lightning.

It was a life-and-death test on every level, involving the laws themselves.

Ling Xiao slowly closed his eyes and focused all his perception on the heavenly tribulation.

He was comprehending the laws contained within it.

The fundamental law of lightning.

This was the foundation of heavenly tribulation. It carried the righteous aura of heaven and earth, possessing the attributes of purifying evil and undead beings, and restraining all powers related to evil souls.

The laws of the four elements.

They contained tearing, burning, crushing pressure, and freezing, testing the foundation of soul power in every aspect.

The law of the polar opposites of light and darkness.

A law that only appeared beyond two hundred thousand years.

Lightning of light purified the body, while lightning of darkness destroyed the soul. Their opposition increased the difficulty of overcoming the tribulation.

Although Ling Xiao had yet to reach the level of comprehending laws, these perceptions laid a solid foundation for him.

Xiaobai's tribulation officially began.

"Boom~!"

The first bolt of tribulation lightning descended.

The four-colored lightning intertwined into a thick bolt, carrying an aura that could destroy everything as it struck straight toward Xiaobai at the center of the ice plains.

"Roar!"

Xiaobai let out an earthshaking roar and used his enormous body to receive the bolt of tribulation lightning.

The four-colored lightning exploded across his body, instantly scorching a patch of his white fur black.

Fortunately, Xiaobai was thick-skinned and tough-furred, so this bolt of heavenly lightning did not harm him.

Bolts of heavenly lightning fell one after another, and Xiaobai endured the baptism of each one.

After withstanding the first several bolts of tribulation lightning, Xiaobai's body had been thoroughly tempered.

The next bolts began to turn deadly as the law of the polar opposites of light and darkness gradually emerged.

Lightning of light and darkness descended at the same time, creating a fierce clash within Xiaobai's body.

"Roar!"

Xiaobai let out a pained howl.

Ling Xiao seized the moment and charged in.

His figure transformed into a bolt of lightning, instantly entering the range of the heavenly tribulation.

Sensing the intervention of another external force, the heavenly tribulation's power instantly surged severalfold.

The four-colored tribulation lightning suddenly grew several times stronger, and the opposition between light and darkness became even more violent.

But Ling Xiao was utterly unafraid. He directly received that bolt of tribulation lightning with his body.

"Boom~!"

The heavenly lightning pierced straight through his body.

The four elements exploded within him, while the polar opposites of light and darkness assaulted his flesh and soul at the same time.

Yet Ling Xiao only felt comfortable.

"Mm~ Comfortable."

Even his previously damaged origin was completely repaired beneath this baptism of heavenly lightning.

His cultivation began to soar wildly.

One hundred and eighty thousand years.

Two hundred thousand years.

Two hundred and thirty thousand years!

Ling Xiao controlled the subsequent heavenly lightning and continued helping Xiaobai temper his body.

"Roar~!"

After an earthshaking roar from Xiaobai, he successfully passed the two-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation.

Unfortunately, Ling Xiao had only sensed the laws; he had not truly comprehended them.