Chapter 464: Arhat Gave Pointers to the Sword, Heavenly Tribulation Emerges

"From the Yang Spirit arises the profound, allowing the six senses to gain awareness. When the heart becomes free of all delusions, the heavenly tribulation manifests..."

By the Pool of Transcendence, soft mist rippled faintly around Wang Sheng, who was shrouded in a pale-white glow. The light seeping out from his seven orifices was dazzling enough to make hearts tremble.

Wang Sheng and the others had been in the Small Immortal Realm for a year and eight months. They had all already taken their turn in the Platform of Immortal Dream and, under Yaoyun's guidance, were now cultivating in secluded celestial palaces across the Small Immortal Realm, seeking further breakthroughs.

Generally, the longer one stayed in the Platform of Immortal Dream, the greater the benefits they'd obtain. The Celestial Master's slumber within it lasted over nine months. When he woke up, his cultivation leaped straight to the mid-stage of the Rebirth Realm—a far more terrifying progress than Wang Sheng's thousand years of cultivation in the Dream Realm.

Naturally, the Celestial Master's long-standing accumulation of knowledge and experience played a huge part in his astonishing breakthrough.

Wang Sheng had been hard at work as well. He focused wholeheartedly on refining his Pure Yang Sword Song, perfecting his fourth sword intent while continuously advancing in the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra.

Currently, he had reached the mid-stage of the Tribulation Realm. He already had one foot under the heavenly tribulation clouds, yet he still hadn't found a suitable method to cross it.

No path was free of hardship.

Ordinary cultivators feared faltering in the face of a heavenly tribulation. After all, it could reduce them to ashes if their enchanted power even so much as momentarily stagnated.

Wang Sheng's worry was the opposite. If he faced the pre-ascension heavenly tribulation now, it wouldn't even be able to temper his body or spirit in the slightest.

He could ask the Celestial Master and the others to help summon a stronger heavenly tribulation, but that came with too much uncertainty.

Heavenly might was unpredictable. Accidentally crippling or killing himself would be far worse than gaining nothing from the tribulation.

The thought made him feel restless.

Meanwhile, his Pure Yang Sword Intent continued to refine itself, driving his cultivation forward through minor realms until he felt he was only a hair's breadth away from his next breakthrough.

At present, the light he radiated came from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. As written in the

Pure Yang Immortal Mantra,

four of his six senses were now infused with spiritual brilliance.

His six senses had awakened.

Wang Sheng could no longer control the timing of his tribulation. Even the slightest, most random impulse could trigger it.

It was like a thin layer of paper waiting to be pierced.

His rapid progress made the Daoist masters uneasy. They feared he was pushing himself too hard and rushing forward recklessly, which could harm his potential.

Since it wasn't proper for them to speak to Wang Sheng directly, they instead asked Jingyun to pass the message. Hence, Jingyun waited by the Pool of Transcendence for half a month. When Wang Sheng woke up, she gently conveyed the others' concern.

"Cultivation should follow the flow of nature. Pursuing higher realms with blind desire is the inferior path."

Jingyun gently lectured him for half an hour, and he could only agree with a solemn expression. He told her that he would slow down his cultivation, spend more time comprehending the Great Dao, and attune himself to nature instead of forcing progress.

Wang Sheng found it hard to explain that his rapid breakthroughs were not the result of deliberate pursuit. He had simply stopped limiting them.

In contrast, Mu Wanxuan was still diligently cultivating within the Pool of Transcendence even though she had reached the Rebirth Realm. Jingyun's lecture would have suited her far better.

Wang Sheng's swift progress in the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra over the past two years stemmed partly from his thousand years of cultivation within the Dream Realm. Since he had already reached the Ascended Immortal Realm in the dream, he was now simply regaining what he had already mastered.

Another major factor in his unparalleled growth was his Dao of the Sword, which fed back into his understanding of the Dao of Pure Yang. Using his Pure Yang Sword Song, he transformed his years of comprehension in the Dao of the Sword into deeper Dao of Pure Yang insight. He then expressed it through his Pure Yang Sword Intent.

Refining his fourth sword intent cleared up the parts that he had once found confusing. Whenever he hit a mental wall, he practiced his sword techniques to gain inspiration.

If his Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent was perfect for combat, then his Pure Yang Sword Intent was a treasure for enlightenment and cultivation.

Even Chun Yangzi himself could not have foreseen such an outcome.

When Chun Yangzi created the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra and the Pure Yang Sword Song, he was already an expert of the Immortal Dao. By the time he had gained immortality, he could no longer grasp the breakthroughs of the lesser realms that he had once passed through.

Based on Wang Sheng's calculations, the advantages that his Dao of the Sword had brought him would no longer be effective once he reached the middle stage of the Grand Immortal-Ascension Realm.

He came to that realization when he became one with his sword and borrowed Yaoyun's spiritual power to slay the ancient cultivators. At the time, he temporarily reached that realm. Now, his Dao of the Sword could fully translate that strength into combat power.

If not for his desire to carefully study his Dao of Pure Yang's transformations through each minor realm and explore the subtleties of his Dao of the Sword, he would have advanced even faster in cultivation. Advancing too quickly served no real purpose, though; it would only make others worry more. A steady pace was best.

***

Not long after Jingyun had visited the Pool of Transcendence, Huai Jing came strolling over with his hands clasped behind his back. He arrived just as Wang Sheng was taking a break between sword practices. The two walked along the cloud path beside the Pool of Transcendence, admiring the springs and peaks of the celestial mountain.

The cultivation systems of Buddhist and Daoist sects differed, yet Huai Jing's cultivation was already comparable to the Daoist sects' early-stage Rebirth Realm. Though a little surprised, Wang Sheng didn't pry into his friend's cultivation matters.

"When do you plan to leave, Fei Yu?"

"Leave for Earth?"

Huai Jing smiled faintly. "No, I mean this Realm of Exiled Immortals. You're progressing in your cultivation with unstoppable momentum. I thought I'd ask since you're about to face your tribulation."

Wang Sheng pondered for a moment. He had honestly never given the matter much thought.

"I'm not in a rush. Out there in the endless starry sky, there are as many experts as clouds. That'll still be true tens of thousands of years in the future. Instead of fighting for time, let's focus on our growth. The stronger we are before we go, the better our chances of survival.

"Once I reach the Ascended Immortal Realm, I'll head to the entrance of the Realm of Exiled Immortals and find a way to seal it. That way, everyone can cultivate in peace. We can just explore the endless space together once we've gathered enough strength. When that time comes, I might scout the path ahead."

Still smiling, Huai Jing nodded. "That's a sound idea. I feel a lot more at ease now that I know you're not being impatient. Anyway, the entrance to this realm actually has a two-layer array. I once heard an old monk say that a battle between ancient supreme beings had completely torn apart a part of this realm. The entrance is hidden in a corner of that perilous stretch of broken space, making it difficult to locate."

Wang Sheng frowned slightly at Huai Jing. "It's in such a dangerous area?"

Huai Jing only smiled in return.

Wang Sheng could not help but complain, "Why do your old Buddhist monks seem to know everything?"

Again, Huai Jing just smiled in response.

Wang Sheng shook his head. "So be it. I'll see for myself when I reach the Ascended Immortal Realm. By the way, do Buddhists also face heavenly tribulations?"

"We do. All paths stem from the same origin. Buddhist tribulations are different from Daoist tribulations, though. Ours test the heart, most often taking the form of heart devils." Huai Jing then thought for a moment. "Buddhist cultivation focuses on honing the mind, heart, and root. Daoist cultivation focuses on one's essence, spirit, and qi. That's why our tribulations have different natures."

Wang Sheng rested his hand on a white jade railing. "I've heard people say that the Great Dao itself forbids seeking and attaining immortality. It created heavenly tribulations to stop cultivators from becoming immortal. "

"There's some truth to that, but it's not entirely correct." Still smiling gently, Huai Jing pressed his palms together and stood beside him. "Before we speak of defying heaven, we first have to define what heaven means."

Wang Sheng laughed. "Does it have something to do with the Dao of Heaven?"

A faint Buddhist light rose around Huai Jing. He was just about to reply when Wang Sheng blurted out, "You can make even your head shine?"

The Buddhist light around Huai Jing flickered. "This is a Buddhist secret art meant to help you gain new comprehension! Listen carefully!"

Wang Sheng grinned. "Alright, alright. Please continue, Buddhist Master."

Huai Jing cleared his throat and drew another calm breath. The gentle Buddhist light flowed once more around him.

Meanwhile, Wang Sheng straightened, awaiting Huai Jing's "preaching." Unconsciously, his gaze was drawn into the radiance, and his mind grew tranquil.

Huai Jing softly explained, "The Three Realms do speak of the Dao of Heaven, but simply put, it's merely the combined manifestation of the Great Dao's many operating laws. The Great Dao itself serves as the foundation.

"Some say the Great Dao has its own will, while others say it doesn't. Some believe it is spiritless, which means it has no nature or emotion and treats all beings equally, existence and void alike. Others claim the opposite.

"To cultivators, its embodiment is the supreme Three Pure Ones. My cultivation is still too shallow for me to fully understand this matter, but I do know that cultivation is the pursuit of one's own Dao and the refinement of one's own self.

"I once heard a great immortal say that when your Dao can contend with the Great Dao itself and envelop the cosmos, then you've become a Grand Dao Golden Immortal. Your ultimate goal at this point is to transform your Dao into a Great Dao, thereby completing your cultivation.

"From this perspective, cultivation does not truly defy the heavens. Rather, cultivators imitate, learn, challenge, and finally merge with the Great Dao. Despite its many forms, all cultivation follows this same principle."

Wang Sheng froze, then fell deep into thought. Before long, he closed his eyes and seemingly entered a state of enlightenment.

Huai Jing raised an eyebrow. He dissolved into mist and drifted away to avoid disturbing Wang Sheng.

"Great Dao... Dao of Heaven..." Wang Sheng murmured as faint Dao Rhythm began to ripple around him, accumulating and circulating steadily.

No one knew how long had passed before faint sword cries began to echo within him and white light seeped from his every pore.

More time passed. With a deafening crack, lightning exploded above him.

Startled, Wang Sheng looked up. The glass-like ceiling had turned dark and stormy.

At the center of the black clouds, a familiar cyan tribulation cloud was slowly rotating.

His heavenly tribulation had arrived without warning.