Chapter 311
Chapter 311
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: First Tribulation of the Heaven of Non-Existence
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"Young Master? Young Master, wake up."
A voice sounded by his ear. Lu Yang opened his eyes.
What met his gaze was a woman in a red dress, her brow marked with cinnabar, her beauty utterly bewitching and peerless.
He looked around.
Beaded curtains and embroidered hangings draped the space. Painted beams and carved rafters gleamed overhead. Light danced across vermilion doors, gold tiles paving the floor. Snowlight filtered through jade-framed windows into palace-like chambers. A heady fragrance filled the air, leaving Lu Yang entranced and dazed.
But the next moment, memories that did not belong to him flooded his mind:
"The Innate True Person reached Great Perfection in Qi Refining and secluded himself to break through to Foundation Establishment. Yet he fell victim to a scheme by the Primal Saint Sect. They located his seclusion site and shattered his true qi foundation."
"As a result, he was forced to form a fourth-grade true qi foundation, forever barring his path to higher realms."
"The Innate True Person sought the Void Proof, partly because it benefited heaven and earth, but likely also because his orthodox path was now hopeless."
"This is the first tribulation!"
Only then did Lu Yang snap back to reality. He surveyed his surroundings. His current situation mirrored the Innate True Person's that day, down to the intelligence he possessed.
'What a thing, this [Heaven of Non-Existence].'
Shock rippled through Lu Yang's heart. Were it not for his control of this avatar via [Marionette Strings], he might never have discerned the true from the false in [Heaven of Non-Existence].
Everything he saw, everything he heard, the fragrance at the tip of his nose, even his own body—all perceptions felt utterly real. His cultivation was no exception. He was no longer at mid-Foundation Establishment but at Qi Refining Great Perfection. Clearly, [Heaven of Non-Existence] demanded he break the scenario as the Innate True Person.
Any means beyond this identity were sealed away.
'Given time, [Heaven of Non-Existence] will expand massively, becoming a fruit of the path that all cultivators crave—even True Lords unable to halt it!'
Lu Yang instantly grasped the terror of [Heaven of Non-Existence].
This was the first tribulation, so he could only substitute for the Innate True Person at Qi Refining Great Perfection. But as time passed, the Innate True Person would advance!
'And once the Innate True Person's cultivation surpasses that of the tribulation-breaker, the breaker can preview higher realm cultivation ahead of time!'
Even more crucially, Seeking Metal!
'The Innate True Person ultimately Sought Metal. If that's one of the tribulations too, it offers Foundation Establishment cultivators a trial run at Seeking Metal!'
This alone would draw every Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Moreover, per the Innate True Person's account, each tribulation passed in [Heaven of Non-Existence] granted a matching Divine Ability—an immense temptation.
And [Heaven of Non-Existence] held no risk of death.
'[Heaven of Non-Existence] is a illusory fruit of the path. Fleshly bodies cannot enter, nor can souls or divine senses—only consciousness.'
Thus, even if a cultivator failed a tribulation and "died" inside [Heaven of Non-Existence], the worst was a few days of stupor, plus some drained merit and fortune. No threat to life. The rewards far outweighed the risks—who wouldn't be tempted?
Of course, it wasn't flawless.
Time within [Heaven of Non-Existence] flowed in sync with the outside world. A cultivator's main body would be defenseless during entry.
'But if I only send in avatars under [Marionette Strings], I can sever the strings in a pinch to avoid that.'
So thought Lu Yang. He rose from the bed, glancing at the woman beside him. The Innate True Person's memories held no record of her.
Nor of this place.
In those memories, the Innate True Person had been in seclusion preparing for Foundation Establishment when he suffered qi deviation. One blink, and he awoke here.
The Innate True Person did not recognize her, but Lu Yang did.
"The Innate True Person cultivated true qi originally meant for an [Empty Profound Qi Sea Dao Foundation], but the Primal Saint Sect sabotaged him, leaving only a flawed [Qi Sea Dao Foundation]."
Why?
What technique across the entire Primal Saint Sect could downgrade a third-grade true qi on sight, crippling even the Dao Foundation?
*The Mending Heaven True Scripture!*
Lu Yang knew this third-grade true art of the Primal Saint Sect inside out, with ample practical experience. He recognized it at once.
"[Heaven and Earth Yin-Yang Dragon-Tiger Union Grand Array], derived from the *Mending Heaven True Scripture*. Laid by one hundred and eight [Heavenly Maidens], each wielding pipas or guqins in musical revelry, beguiling the mind until true qi grade plummets."
This was a supreme array.
Once activated, beyond the one hundred and eight [Heavenly Maidens], it divided into array master and array entrant. In truth, the master plundered the entrant.
The entrant's true qi grade crashed.
The master's soared with the gains.
Fortunately, Lu Yang knew it well.
With that in mind, he scanned his surroundings. What he saw was a city of women, songbirds and swallows flitting about, each with unique allure and grace.
But Lu Yang knew this was illusion.
Beneath the [Heaven and Earth Yin-Yang Dragon-Tiger Union Grand Array], only the women were real. All else was a beguiling facade.
If he followed the array's natural flow, he would encounter countless beauties in this city. Each would weave tales of twists and turns, tales of life-and-death devotion, until he sank into oblivion, forgetting his past, reduced to dregs.
Three ways to break the array.
One: Traverse the flowers unscathed, leaf un沾. Guard essence, qi, and spirit; remain chaste, and the illusions hold no sway. Walk out calmly.
Two: Slaughter through.
Heart of iron, strike without mercy. Blood and wind in your wake, kill until the array's foundation crumbles.
Lu Yang chose neither. He now bore the Innate True Person's identity; many techniques were unusable.
Like the *Mending Heaven True Scripture*.
Best counter to this array? The *Mending Heaven True Scripture*. If Lu Yang could wield it, the array would shatter instantly.
But [Heaven of Non-Existence]'s rules forbade it.
Likewise, guarding his mind amid the array or butchering his way out—both tricky for him now.
So he chose the third path.
'Only one play now: charge ahead blindly!'
With that thought, Lu Yang activated superhuman mode and barreled into the array, startling the [Heavenly Maidens].
But they quickly composed themselves.
Suicidal fool!
One hundred and eight of them, array-empowered, taking turns—who below Foundation Establishment could withstand?
Yet soon, they sensed wrongness.
Lu Yang grew fiercer with battle!
One, two, ten, twenty... No matter how many [Heavenly Maidens] assailed him, he took them effortlessly!
In the end, the remaining awake [Heavenly Maidens] eyed Lu Yang and dared not advance.
In their eyes, what quarry was this? A rampaging beast! Screams echoed in his wake!
Who the hell could stop him?
Meanwhile, Lu Yang remained calm, a hint of disdain in his gaze.
"That's it?"
I haven't even tried yet, and you're down?
What tribulation? To Lu Yang, the Innate True Person fell here, true qi grade plummeting, for one reason:
Inadequate prowess!