Chapter 83: Tribulation Stage

The deficiency in national fortune affected more than just the chessboard—it also impacted Yu Yin herself. Unlike General Shenwei, her Tribulation Stage state was not stable.

What puzzled her was that General Shenwei had relied on the army to ascend to the Tribulation Stage, which should have made him weaker than her. And yet, he was stronger than expected.

Though Yu Yin didn’t understand the reason, she did not slow down in hesitation—on the contrary, her attacks became even sharper.

General Shenwei had spent years tempering himself in the military. His combat instincts were practically ingrained into his body. Now, with the power of the Divine Repository augmenting him, he held the advantage over Yu Yin!

Not to mention, he wasn’t alone—Prince An and the other five Soul Formation cultivators were also attacking.

Since the Tribulation Stage made one impervious to spells, they simply resorted to other means!

Prince An had sacrificed his twin daughters to recruit King Qiongqi for this very purpose. Though King Qiongqi’s physical strength wasn’t as absurd as Zhang Konghu’s, he was still capable of trading blows with a Tribulation Stage cultivator.

And that was all they needed!

The Grand Elder of the Five Thunder Orthodox Sect once again cast the Five Thunder True Law, simulating tribulation lightning. Despite its name, the Five Thunder True Law was closer to Dao than mere spells, meaning it did not fall under the immunity of “all techniques are ineffective.”

The fact that Yu Yin had been forced to dispel the lightning last time was proof of that.

The Lord of Dream Lake retrieved his prized Profound Heavy Water—each drop weighed ten thousand catties, and he had a whole bowl!

The Sect Leader of Vast Sky Sect swung a massive hammer, smashing it down toward Yu Yin!

Prince An took out the Measuring Heaven Ruler. This artifact could analyze an enemy’s weaknesses, allowing for precise targeting. However, since Prince An was only at the Soul Formation Stage, his measurements were not entirely accurate. He could only make rough estimates, and because he relied solely on spells, he couldn’t attack Yu Yin directly.

Only spells cast by a Tribulation Stage cultivator could harm another Tribulation Stage cultivator.

But Prince An didn’t need to attack—he only needed to relay Yu Yin’s weaknesses to General Shenwei.

“Her Baihui, Tongtian, Qianding, Chengguang, and Shangxing acupoints—one of them is not fully tempered!”

“When she circulates her spiritual power through a full cycle, there is a momentary pause!”

“Among her six viscera, there is a weak point…”

“Her spiritual platform has a flaw…”

Each weakness Prince An revealed led to a targeted attack. The initially unstoppable Yu Yin began to struggle, her movements growing sluggish as exhaustion set in. She could barely keep up with General Shenwei’s relentless strikes—let alone the other attacks harassing her.

Moreover, her cultivation realm fluctuated wildly. The national fortune could no longer sustain her in the Tribulation Stage.

“Did you really think you could hold us back alone?”

The Minister of War and the Chief Judge of the Court of Judicial Review kicked the heavily wounded Minister of Personnel aside and rushed toward Prince An.

They could already see that the battle was nearing its conclusion. If they didn’t participate now, they would miss their chance to claim merit and rewards later.

Though these two were not the strongest among Soul Formation cultivators, they were the final straw that broke the camel’s back. Yu Yin could no longer hold her ground.

She fell from the Tribulation Stage back to the Peak Soul Formation Stage—and never returned!

Prince An was overjoyed. He gripped the Measuring Heaven Ruler, aiming for Yu Yin’s weakest point, ready to shatter her vital acupoint.

Even General Shenwei, though stoic, couldn’t hide his satisfaction. He had supported Prince An’s usurpation not for wealth or status, but for the sole purpose of defeating Yu Yin.

Once, he had believed himself a genius destined to become the Human Sovereign. Yet the Nine Provinces Earth Veins hadn’t even granted him the qualification to be a candidate. That was the moment his mindset changed.

Since he couldn’t become a Human Sovereign, he would defeat a Human Sovereign candidate. That way, he could prove that the Nine Provinces Earth Veins were wrong!

Jiang Li was someone he was destined to never surpass. Bai Hongtu was a true Tribulation Stage powerhouse—beating him was impossible. That left only Yu Yin.

And she had made it so easy. She never bothered to cultivate her own forces. Now, at this critical moment, the only person standing by her side was the Minister of Personnel.

General Shenwei struck with a palm, rupturing Yu Yin’s internal organs, reversing her meridian flow. She coughed up blood uncontrollably, looking far weaker than when she had been pretending to be sick.

She was on the brink of death.

Yet despite facing the greatest peril of her life, her mind was perfectly calm.

Long ago, she had touched upon a barrier, yet national fortune had held her back, preventing her from breaking through. But now, that barrier—once so impenetrable—seemed as though it could be shattered with just a single push.

Not even national fortune could stop her anymore.

Prince An’s laughter, General Shenwei’s strikes tearing through the air, the crackling thunder of the Five Thunder True Law, King Qiongqi’s enraged roars, the Minister of Personnel’s cries of despair…

She closed her eyes.

Yet, she saw everything more clearly than ever before.

The cacophony of noise faded away. Her spiritual platform became immaculate, untouched by a single speck of dust. She envisioned herself sitting cross-legged, merging with her spiritual platform, merging with the heavens and earth.

So this is what true Tribulation is…

At last, Yu Yin understood the meaning of the Tribulation Stage.

No wonder no one ever spoke about how to break through. Because the moment you tried to describe it—you could never ascend to the Tribulation Stage.

The reason it was called the Tribulation Stage was because one had to traverse a true tribulation. And not just any tribulation—it had to be a certain death scenario. A trial where death was the only outcome, and yet, one had to grasp life within death.

If a Soul Formation cultivator knew the truth about the Tribulation Stage, they would try to artificially create their own tribulation. But no matter how ingenious their methods, they would never succeed.

A Soul Formation cultivator who avoided creating a death tribulation would eventually encounter one. But the moment they consciously thought about surviving it and breaking through, they would fail.

Even great powerhouses who tried to engineer a tribulation for others to surpass failed every single time.

Yu Yin had forced herself into a near-death state, hoping to trigger a breakthrough. Though her reasoning was flawed, the result had inadvertently followed the correct path.

Breaking through to the Tribulation Stage was too difficult.

A Peak Soul Formation cultivator simply would not encounter a situation where death was certain. Even if they were besieged by ten cultivators of the same realm, they could still escape—that was not a death tribulation.

The Tianyuan Dynasty was chaotic, and its cultivators killed recklessly. Yet at most, Nascent Soul cultivators died often. Soul Formation cultivators could go ten years without a single casualty. As for Peak Soul Formation cultivators? Their deaths were even rarer.

Achieving the Tribulation Stage also required verifying one’s Dao—establishing one’s own path.

For Yu Yin, this was not difficult at all.

It was ironic. The battle against Outer World Demons was the most dangerous moment for Tribulation Stage cultivators—but also the best opportunity for Soul Formation cultivators to ascend to the Tribulation Stage.

Prince An’s face twisted in terror as he realized—Yu Yin’s weaknesses were rapidly vanishing.

Then, they were gone altogether.

In that instant, she had become flawless.

Impossible!

He refused to believe it.

He could not believe it.

There was only one kind of flawless cultivator—

A Tribulation Stage cultivator.

BOOM!!!

A divine might descended.

The Grand Elder of the Five Thunder Orthodox Sect sensed it first. He looked up abruptly, feeling like a forgery had encountered the original, his entire body trembling with fear.

All across the realm, people instinctively turned their eyes to the sky.

A supreme powerhouse had just been born.

On the peak of the Dao Sect, Bai Hongtu gazed toward the Tianyuan Dynasty.

He could not see that far, but he could feel it.

“I’ve waited so long. At last, you’re finally my equal.”

Perched atop an Immortal Peach Tree, the Mortal World Celestial swung her pale legs, also looking toward the Tianyuan Dynasty.

“The outside world seems interesting… but I’m too scared to go out. What should I do?”

BOOM!!!!

Heavenly might transformed into tribulation.

Yu Yin had officially stepped into the Tribulation Stage.