At the very instant Lin Xiao struck, the corner of Yun Jin's lips curved into a subtle smile.
Prey.
He had taken the bait.
Yun Jin suddenly turned, exposing her back completely to Di Xiao.
Then, she drew her sword and slashed directly at that hand.
In the next moment—
A figure appeared.
"Pavilion Master Lin!" Yun Jin smiled faintly. "Why have you come here?"
Lin Xiao's expression shifted.
When Yun Jin turned, Di Xiao had also instantly halted his attack. That should not have been the case. Shouldn't Di Xiao have seized the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow?
No.
Something was very wrong.
Lin Xiao's expression darkened, and by instinct, he tried to retreat into the void.
But—
He was immediately forced out.
Yun Jin laughed softly. "The space has already been sealed. Pavilion Master Lin, coming out was easy, but returning to the void again will be… difficult."
Even the void had been locked down!
Lin Xiao's face grew grim. Di Xiao now stood calmly at Yun Jin's side.
Looking at the two of them, Lin Xiao roared in anger, "Di Xiao! You've been deceiving me all along!"
By this point, how could he not understand?
From the very beginning, Di Xiao had been stringing him along. They had staged this long play solely to lure him out. And the moment he showed himself, the act was finished.
"Pavilion Master Lin," Di Xiao said in a level tone. "Deception is not the right word. I simply want to kill you. But as the Pavilion Master of a Holy Land, you are not easily struck down openly. So, the only way was to let you step into death on your own."
Lin Xiao gritted his teeth and pointed at Yun Jin. "Di Xiao, how can you be so foolish! Yun Jin already knows about the Xuan Yin Crystal and Tian Zhao Stone. Even before crossing her heavenly tribulation, her strength is no weaker than yours. If she succeeds, do you think she'll spare you a way to live?"
Yun Jin arched a brow. "If you put it like that, you'll scare Senior Di to death."
Di Xiao shot her a sidelong glance. "Enough nonsense. He has revealed himself. Let's just kill him."
Yun Jin sighed helplessly. "Pavilion Master Lin, I had wanted to chat with you a bit longer. But Senior Di is impatient. So, I suppose we'll have to say farewell sooner than planned."
Lin Xiao's face was dark and cold. "You cannot keep the space sealed forever. The two of you together still cannot kill me!"
As his words fell—
Massive machines rose from beneath the ground. Yuan Yuan scuttled out from somewhere.
"Laser weapons, in position," Yuan Yuan reported.
In the next instant—
Ten Mahayana battle automatons soared into the air, encircling Lin Xiao.
The moment after—
A crimson glow flared, as a deadly killing formation enveloped the battlefield.
Lin Xiao's expression kept shifting.
What were all these things?
Why did each one radiate such a threat to his life?
And added to Yun Jin and Di Xiao—
This time… Yun Jin had prepared thoroughly, intending to keep him here.
But Lin Xiao was not so easily slain. He no longer bothered to disguise himself. Endless demonic qi poured forth, and his body transformed into layers of black mist, no longer even resembling human form. This—
Was Lin Xiao's true body.
Sensing that Yun Jin had truly sprung her killing trap this time, Lin Xiao also stopped hiding. In an instant, he unleashed his strongest form.
"Laser, fire. Formation, activate," Yuan Yuan's emotionless voice echoed.
Beams of searing light blasted into the black mist, while the formation's scarlet rays cut it apart wildly.
The ten battle automatons charged in next.
Yun Jin did not move.
She wanted to see for herself—
Could the current means of the Celestial Divine Palace truly pin down a supreme powerhouse?
Under wave after wave of assaults, the black mist noticeably shrank. Lin Xiao's face floated amid the darkness, eerie and twisted. Tendrils of mist extended outward, trying to coil around the automatons. Before they could reach—
Boom!
Another volley of laser fire rained down.
Lin Xiao was forced to dodge. Under the relentless strikes, the black mist broke apart into fragments, and grotesque black blood rained through the air.
Lin Xiao roared, "Yun Jin! I underestimated you. But if you think you can kill me, you're still unqualified!"
The mist gathered again, forming a giant face in its core.
The next instant—
Lin Xiao began chanting a sinister incantation.
An ancient and immense power descended.
"This is… the Earth Ruler," Di Xiao muttered gravely.
One of the four great Immortal Artifacts. The Masters of the four Holy Lands could, under special conditions and with a price, draw upon the power within the artifact.
"A mere Immortal Artifact," Yuan Yuan's mechanical voice droned.
The next moment—
A far more terrifying power descended. The phantom of the Celestial Divine Palace appeared overhead.
The Earth Ruler was only an Immortal Artifact.
The Celestial Divine Palace, in its full form, was a Divine Artifact.
How could the two compare?
Just as Lin Xiao sought to harness the Earth Ruler's power to escape, that greater force crashed down.
Lin Xiao's face changed drastically.
A Divine Palace?!
Wasn't this the Divine Palace from the Spirit Beast Forest?
This too was an artifact?
No. No!
This aura was vastly stronger than any Immortal Artifact. Against it, the Earth Ruler had no chance at all.
"Yuan Yuan, stop playing around. Finish him," Yun Jin said casually.
A trace of despair flickered in Lin Xiao's eyes. He had thought Yun Jin and Di Xiao were teaming up to kill him. But in truth—
Neither of them had even bothered to strike. It was only this automaton, Yuan Yuan, employing a few techniques, and already he had no chance to resist?
"Yes, Master!" Yuan Yuan pressed the controls without pause.
Lin Xiao could only flee desperately once more.
"This should give you peace of mind to finish your heavenly tribulation," Di Xiao said, turning to Yun Jin.
"Heavenly tribulation, huh." Yun Jin looked bored. "This thunder never ends. Who knows how long it'll keep going? Forget it, I can't be bothered anymore."
Di Xiao: "???"
This was a heavenly heavenly tribulation!
A heavenly tribulation!
Since when could someone simply decide they couldn't be bothered to endure it?!
What nonsense was Yun Jin saying?
Just then—
Yun Jin suddenly raised her hands.
A terrifying force converged.
One hand of yin, one hand of yang.
Yin and yang combined.
A revolving Yin-Yang Wheel appeared in the sky.
Di Xiao's pupils shrank violently.
Yun Jin…
She had actually crafted a Yin-Yang Wheel with her own hands?
Its power could not compare to the original artifact, of course.
But it was still a Yin-Yang Wheel!
Her comprehension of the Yin-Yang Law had soared once again in just half a month?
"Go!"
Yun Jin hurled the Yin-Yang Wheel into the storm clouds.
It spun slowly.
The endless lightning suddenly found its vessel, pouring into the wheel in torrents.
In only a few breaths—
The clouds dissipated, the lightning vanished.
Every bolt of heavenly thunder had been absorbed by the Yin-Yang Wheel.
The heavenly tribulation… was gone?!
No—
Not entirely.
A single bolt remained, slipping straight into Yun Jin's sea of consciousness.
The final stage of the heavenly tribulation should be—
Di Xiao whipped his gaze toward her.
He was about to speak when Yun Jin's eyes suddenly turned hazy and clouded.
Di Xiao could only sigh softly.
The last trial… was the Heart Demon Tribulation.