Chapter 238 Peak Spirit Connection Realm

At this moment, Yang Yan could distinctly feel that his strength, which was originally at the peak of the seventh tier of the Spirit-Connecting Realm, was surging upward once again. Sensing the flow of his vital energy, he understood the reason behind this sudden outburst: the evolution of the wood-attribute spirit pivot within his body had triggered the evolution of the Nine Nether Taiyin Technique!

Such a development naturally filled Yang Yan with overwhelming joy. After all, what he desired most right now was power. Back in the ruins, after refining the Goddess of Luo's Tears, his strength had jumped straight from the sixth tier of the Spirit-Perceiving Realm to the third tier of the Spirit-Connecting Realm. Although this recent evolution of the wood-attribute spirit pivot could not compare to the monstrous transformation when his water-attribute spirit pivot had reached perfection, Yang Yan estimated that the benefits he gained this time would by no means be negligible.

"You truly have remarkable fortune, kid. I can faintly sense that the Nine Nether Taiyin Technique you are practicing has now reached the peak of the Profound Tier, just a single step away from the legendary Earth Tier technique. Truly astonishing."

At this time, Elder Yang’s voice resounded in Yang Yan's mind, carrying a tone of pleasant surprise and gratification.

"The peak of the Profound Tier?"

However, Yang Yan was evidently somewhat unsatisfied with this result. He harbored great anticipation for the terrifying combat power the Nine Nether Taiyin Technique would possess once it reached the Earth Tier. He had originally hoped that it would successfully evolve to the Earth Tier this time; it seemed he had been a bit too naive.

"You are far too greedy, kid! Do you think the gap between the Profound Tier and the Earth Tier is so easily bridged? Being able to push the Nine Nether Taiyin Technique to the peak of the Profound Tier in such a short period is already quite extraordinary. Even so, there remains a considerable distance to the Earth Tier. If Earth Tier techniques were so easily attained, techniques of that caliber across the Tianyuan Continent would be as worthless as radishes and cabbages on the street!"

Hearing what was on Yang Yan's mind, Elder Yang could not help rolling his eyes and retorted mentally.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yan awkwardly scratched his head. It seemed he really was being too greedy; cultivation could never be achieved overnight, and steady, solid progress was the only true path. Given that his strength had received such a substantial boost from the evolution of his cultivation method, the outcome was already immensely satisfactory. Moreover, his current cultivation speed was hardly slow; compared to his peers, it could only be described as cheating.

Shaking his head slightly, Yang Yan collected his thoughts and focused all his energy on breaking through to the next realm. As the endless natural energy, along with the energy contained within the wind and shadow, was continuously absorbed, the swelling sensation inside his body grew increasingly intense. He could feel that he was on the verge of breaking through to the eighth tier of the Spirit-Connecting Realm.

At a certain moment, when the energy within Yang Yan's Tianshu acupoint condensed to an extreme degree, the emerald-green, highly viscous liquid wood-attribute spiritual power inside his body showed signs of becoming even more refined and surging. Under the continuous infusion of that boundless energy, he finally broke through into the eighth tier of the Spirit-Connecting Realm.

"The eighth tier!"

A surge of joy welled up in Yang Yan's heart. In the blink of an eye, he had soared from the peak of the fifth tier all the way to the eighth tier of the Spirit-Connecting Realm. Such a cultivation speed was enough to make other cultivators vomit blood and die of frustration.

Furthermore, the wildly growing power within his body showed no signs of stopping. Instead, the spiritual power vortex in his Tianshu acupoint spun faster and faster. The surrounding ambient energy and the energy within the storm converged upon the Tianshu acupoint with even greater frenzy, like a thousand rivers emptying into the sea.

"Today, I want to see just how far I can break through!"

A bold surge of heroism rose abruptly in Yang Yan's chest. While absorbing natural energy with near-madness, he also completely unlocked the seals within his body.

"Peak of the eighth tier of the Spirit-Connecting Realm!"

Yang Yan's voice pitched slightly higher due to excitement. After less than half an hour of frenzied absorption, his current strength had completely stabilized at the peak of the eighth tier of the Spirit-Connecting Realm, leaving him just a single step away from breaking into the ninth tier—the ultimate peak of the Spirit-Connecting Realm!

"Faster! Even faster!"

Low, guttural growls escaped Yang Yan's throat. A vortex of spiritual energy had already formed around his body, with his physical form positioned squarely at its center.

As time slowly elapsed, the wood-attribute spiritual energy within Yang Yan's Tianshu acupoint grew exceptionally viscous. Every single drop of spiritual power contained a force ten times stronger than before. When this concentrated spiritual power reached a certain threshold, Yang Yan's strength finally experienced another upward surge.

"The peak of the Spirit-Connecting Realm! My strength has reached the peak of the Spirit-Connecting Realm? Hahaha!"

Unable to suppress the excitement in his heart, Yang Yan burst into loud laughter. He had waited far too long for this day.

A massive leap of four entire tiers—bounding straight from the fifth tier of the Spirit-Connecting Realm to the very peak—was a timely gift in the snow for Yang Yan. Sensing the spiritual power surging within his body to a degree he had never known before, a wave of wild joy washed over him.

"Don't get too smug just yet, kid. Look at the sky!"

However, Elder Yang's voice at that moment poured a bucket of cold water over Yang Yan's head. Snapping back to his senses, Yang Yan raised his head to look at the sky, and an expression of astonishment immediately surfaced on his face.

The previously clear and cloudless sky had long since become blanketed in dark, heavy clouds. Streaks of lightning darted across the expanse like silver serpents, the low, pressing dark clouds looming so heavily overhead that they created an immensely oppressive atmosphere, akin to the impending arrival of an apocalyptic doom.

"How can this be? Breaking through within the Spirit-Connecting Realm shouldn't trigger such a massive natural phenomenon, right?"

Shock and doubt intertwined in Yang Yan's heart.

"You really are modest, kid. Ask yourself, who else in this world could possibly match you, vaulting from the fifth tier to the peak of the Spirit-Connecting Realm in just a few short hours? In a sense, your cultivation speed exceeds the boundaries of mortal comprehension, and as such, it is something the rules of heaven and earth will not tolerate. If I'm not mistaken, a heavenly tribulation is about to descend!"

Elder Yang's laughter carried a hint of schadenfreude.

"A heavenly tribulation?!"

Yang Yan's heart tightened involuntarily. He truly had not expected that a mere breakthrough in his realm would provoke such a monumental anomaly.

Even the most powerful individual cultivators could never hope to contend with the laws of heaven and earth. Yang Yan harbored profound awe toward the so-called heavenly lightning. As punishment for his astronomical cultivation speed, he had to weather the heavenly lightning by his own strength; otherwise, he would be reduced to absolute nothingness within the flashes of lightning and thunder, forever erased from the mortal world.

"This heavenly tribulation can only be weathered by your own strength. Although perilous, for someone like you who practices the Supreme Sacred Profound Heaven Technique, it should not pose too much of a problem. Furthermore, this heavenly tribulation can act as a catalyst, which may prove immensely beneficial for the evolution of your Profound Ice Body."

Elder Yang's voice echoed in his mind.

Hearing this, Yang Yan was momentarily startled. He had never imagined that the heavenly lightning might hold such benefits for him.

"The various forms of energy in heaven and earth ultimately stem from the same origin. Theoretically, your Profound Ice Body can only ascend by relying on the supreme yin and cold elements of nature. To put it bluntly, that chilling force is simply a form of energy existing within nature, and this lightning force also originates from the natural world. Although their manifestations differ, their essence is fundamentally the same; they merely express their energy in different ways."

Elder Yang explained further.

A wave of emotion stirred in Yang Yan's heart. What Elder Yang said was undoubtedly true. All forms of energy existing in nature—even the spiritual power residing within cultivators, regardless of whether it belonged to the metal, wood, water, fire, or earth attributes—ultimately derived their source from natural energy, differing only in their external manifestation.

Though the lightning energy of heaven and earth was exceptionally violent, to Yang Yan at this moment, it felt almost like a supreme restorative tonic. If his physical body wished to undergo tempering to become stronger, this presented a rare and invaluable opportunity.

"Come on then! Today, I shall witness just how formidable this so-called heavenly lightning truly is!"

Staring up at the rolling thunderclouds in mid-air, the slight trace of cowardice that had earlier appeared on Yang Yan's face completely vanished, replaced by an incomparable, blazing, and soaring fighting spirit.

"Rumble..."

Silver-white lightning tore across the pitch-black night, illuminating the entire mountain peak in a ghastly white. Accompanied by a deafening crash of thunder, deafening explosions began to ring out above Yang Yan's head. Silver lightning wriggled like schools of silver serpents—one streak, two streaks—until finally, they flashed incessantly like a celestial river, lighting up the entire sky as bright as day, as if parading their might in intimidation against Yang Yan.

Faced with the ocean of lightning spanning the heavens, the expression on Yang Yan's face remained completely unchanged. He watched it all with utter calm. At a certain moment, the boundless sea of lightning seemed provoked by Yang Yan's arrogant attitude. Countless tiny, silver-white electric arcs slowly converged toward the center of the dark clouds, flowing like countless rivulets of silver water until, under Yang Yan's shocked gaze, they merged into a single silver-white beam of light half a meter thick!

Continuous crackling sounds echoed as countless electric arcs flickered relentlessly across the surface of that silver-white beam of light, carrying an overwhelmingly violent energy and a bizarre aura.

"Nature is truly the most awe-inspiring existence."

At this point, Yang Yan had to admit that compared to nature, any human being was as insignificant as an ant. No matter how formidable one might be, one still had to operate within the rules of heaven and earth.

Yet, facing the half-meter-thick silver-white beam of light, Yang Yan's heart grew remarkably calm, devoid of the slightest fear. In fact, the boundless spiritual power that had previously enveloped his entire body actually began to slowly recede back inside him!

"What on earth is this kid doing? Is he looking for death?"

Seeing Yang Yan's actions, Elder Yang was filled with doubt. Relying solely on his current physical strength, withstanding the most terrifying lightning tribulation would likely prove exceptionally difficult; the slightest misstep would reduce him to ashes.

However, just as Elder Yang was about to issue a warning, for some reason, upon seeing the young man's unshakeable and resolute gaze, the words lingering on the tip of his lips were swallowed back down.

Having accompanied Yang Yan all the way to this point, Elder Yang had witnessed step by step how he had walked from a good-for-nothing incapable of cultivation to where he was today, bearing witness to all the trials, tribulations, and brushes with death along the way.

He had existed for an unknown number of millennia, during which he had encountered geniuses as numerous as the stars in the sky. Yet, not a single one of them had ever repeatedly shattered his understanding and definition of genius the way Yang Yan did.

Moreover, he knew very well that Yang Yan bore far too many heavy burdens on his shoulders. Given his personality, he would never throw his life away lightly before accomplishing the goals he had set for himself. He valued his own life dearly.

Having figured this out, Elder Yang retracted the words on the verge of his tongue. He wanted to see what kind of miracle Yang Yan was about to display this time.

Staring intently at the thick, formed silver beam of light hanging in mid-air, Yang Yan clenched his fists tightly within his wide sleeves. A faint, crystal-like layer of cuticle began to emerge across his skin—the manifestation of his Profound Ice Body reaching the Lesser Completion stage.

At present, his Profound Ice Body had reached the peak of Lesser Completion, just a single step away from breaking through to the Greater Completion stage. Today, he intended to utilize this thunderous force to achieve that breakthrough.

"Rumble..."

Even as Yang Yan pushed his Profound Ice Body to its absolute limit, the thick silver beam of light in the sky was primed and ready. A moment later, like a laser beam, it suddenly streaked toward Yang Yan's location at a speed invisible to the naked eye!

"Hahaha, well-come!"

Seeing this, Yang Yan burst into loud laughter, his face suffused with an expression of sheer madness. He clenched his fists tightly and, the instant the lightning was about to strike him, threw an upward punch with all his might.

"Bang!"

The moment the white beam of light made contact with Yang Yan's fist, a thunderous explosion rang out. Silver-white electrical currents continuously diffused across Yang Yan's body, transforming his entire person into a glowing silver statue.

At that very moment, the light-blue cuticle layer coating Yang Yan's fist shattered instantly upon touching the silver-white beam. Following that, the beam shattered into countless tiny silver electric arcs, darting like probing needles into every corner of Yang Yan's body!

Crack, crack, crack!

The ferocious electric currents striking Yang Yan's body produced a deeply eerie sound. Trembling violently all over, every hair and strand of hair on Yang Yan's body stood rigidly on end, and a faint, charred scent began to emanate from his flesh.

Trembling uncontrollably, he felt as though every single pore across his body was being corroded by those bizarre electric arcs. The numbness mixed with excruciating pain sent his muscles into severe spasms. Deep within his bones, the electric current seemed to be gnawing away at his marrow, sending wave after wave of bone-scraping, heart-piercing agony radiating across his entire being.

Yang Yan's expression twisted hideously. Trembling violently, he swayed unsteadily, looking as though he could collapse and fall at any second.

Under this ferocious lightning assault, cracks resembling dried, parched earth began to fracture across much of Yang Yan's skin. Trickles of blood seeped like streams from the burst skin, and in the span of a single breath, Yang Yan had completely transformed into a bloody man!

The heavenly punishment descending from the skies inflicted immense trauma upon Yang Yan's physical body. For a fleeting instant, Yang Yan even felt as though his soul was about to ascend. Had his soul power not already broken through to the Lesser Completion stage of the Spirit Realm, that single strike would likely have blasted his soul into scattered ashes, destroying his mortal shell and scattering his consciousness forever, leaving him no better than a walking corpse.

Clearly, such an outcome would have been far worse than death itself for Yang Yan.

Gritting his teeth fiercely, Yang Yan desperately mustered his willpower to resist the impact of the electrical current. After a brief yet agonizing while, the half-meter-thick pillar of lightning that had descended upon him was finally weathered by sheer endurance.

The instant that pillar of lightning dissipated, although pain still lingered throughout his body, Yang Yan vaguely yet distinctly felt that his physical strength had grown even more formidable. Furthermore, his soul—which had been somewhat dazed by the electricity—also showed a clear tendency toward gradual enhancement.

"To think that this lightning force can not only temper one's physical body, but even grant considerable benefits to the soul!"

Realizing this, Yang Yan was overjoyed. Such a dual progression of both body and soul was undoubtedly monumental news to him. Under the impact of this pleasant surprise, the vitality that had been somewhat sapped by the lightning recovered substantially.

Simultaneously, the wood-attribute spiritual power within Yang Yan's Tianshu acupoint autonomously mobilized, dispersing through his meridians to every corner of his body, slowly repairing his ruptured wounds.

At this moment, the unique characteristics of wood-attribute spiritual power manifested vividly. Its proficiency in healing external human trauma was displayed to the utmost, especially now that the grade of Yang Yan's wood-attribute spirit pivot had been elevated and his overall strength had reached the peak of the Spirit-Connecting Realm. The healing capability of the wood-attribute spiritual power was even more pronounced. In merely a fraction of a moment, the bleeding across Yang Yan's body stopped, and some of the wounds even began to show signs of gradual closure.

Thus, under the dual repairing mechanisms of the Supreme Sacred Profound Heaven Technique and his wood-attribute spiritual power, such external injuries clearly posed no hindrance to the current Yang Yan.

"Hahaha, exhilarating!"

Throwing his head back, Yang Yan burst into loud laughter. Feeling the injuries within his body beginning to heal, he felt immensely gratified. He could sense that amid the lightning assaults that had just wracked his entire body, every single cell in his framework had undergone a form of catalysis, springing up like bamboo shoots after a rain as they greedily and madly devoured the surrounding energy. Under the infusion and reinforcement of that energy, his physique grew all the more formidable.

Meanwhile, the sea of lightning across the skies seemed provoked by Yang Yan's verbal taunts. Amidst the tremendous roars of thunder, endless tiny bolts of lightning gathered once again, ultimately forming an even thicker silver pillar of light than before. This time, without a moment's hesitation, the silver beam formed and immediately plunged downward, crashing straight toward Yang Yan's head.

With a crazed expression, Yang Yan threw his head back in roaring laughter, raised his fists, and launched a fierce counter-attack, smashing upward with all his might against the descending silver beam.

Bang, bang, bang!

Intense collisions echoed ceaselessly across the mountain peak. At this juncture, Yang Yan had completely entered a state akin to madness. Without any flashy techniques, relying purely on his raw physical strength, he traded blows head-on with the boundless silver lightning. If anyone else were to witness this spectacle, their jaws would undoubtedly drop in sheer disbelief.

Heavenly lightning was something that even cultivators who had truly stepped into the Spirit Sea Realm dared not touch rashly, let alone someone like Yang Yan, who refused to use spiritual power for defense and instead met it head-on with pure physical fortitude. Across the entire Tianyuan Continent, few could be found capable of such a feat.

After absorbing this second wave of lightning power, although Yang Yan himself was battered and bruised, the sensation of his physical body and soul growing stronger left him ecstatic.

Compared to the first time, Yang Yan weathered this second batch of lightning power with far less wretchedness.

Though the lightning assaults grew increasingly fierce and rapid, Yang Yan's body seemed to develop an immunity through the successive bombardments. Accompanied by the continuous cycle of his body suffering damage and subsequent healing, his physique grew progressively stronger through this endless process of destruction and reconstruction.

As time slowly trickled forward, Yang Yan had successfully weathered nearly ten consecutive lightning strikes. The deeper he went, the more intense his fighting spirit grew, and the wider the triumphant grin on his face became. He could clearly perceive the benefits he was reaping from the lightning force.

He could now feel that the muscles within his body carried a faint silver luster, making his physique incomparably more formidable than before. Furthermore, the Profound Ice Body, previously at Lesser Completion, now felt as though it was on the verge of breaking through to Greater Completion at any second.

At a certain moment, all the silver lightning across the pitch-black, churning sky vanished completely, seemingly hiding deep within the rolling dark clouds.

Yet, faced with this situation, Yang Yan's face did not relax in the slightest. He could distinctly sense that the depths of those dark clouds above were quietly brewing an even more perilous assault!

"Come down with whatever you've got! Today, I, Yang Yan, will use this lightning power to break through to the Greater Completion of the Profound Ice Body!"