Chapter 1928 — 1928: Yuan's Heavenly Tribulation

"Is that why you were at the Extreme Yin Lake? To improve your Cold Immunity?" Sun Ling Cai asked.

"That's right. I need to train my body in a place with extremely strong Yin Qi."

Sun Ling Cai pondered for a moment before speaking, "Actually, I might be able to help you in this regard."

She retrieved a scrolled painting from her spatial ring and continued, "This is one of my masterpieces. It's called 'The Cold That Cuts Heaven', and I painted it when I visited the White Hell, one of four forbidden zones within the Nine Heavens."

"White Hell? What kind of place is that?" Yuan asked, his curiosity sparked upon learning it was one of the four Gateways to Hell, much like the Vanishing Valley.

"It's a land where the snow never stops falling—a world buried in endless white, which is how it got its name," Sun Ling Cai explained. "It's also one of the coldest places in the Nine Heavens. Even Immortals can freeze to death there."

"I see… So how exactly will that painting help me improve my Cold Immunity?" Yuan asked, raising an eyebrow.

In response, Sun Ling Cai unfurled the scroll. The moment it opened, a wave of chilling aura surged out, instantly filling the room with an icy presence so intense that frost began creeping across the walls, freezing everything in sight.

As for the painting itself, it depicted the peak of a towering snowy mountain—majestic and desolate—its summit shrouded in swirling frost, capturing the very essence of an eternal winter.

"This is one of many snowy mountains within White Hell," Sun Ling Cai explained. "I can send people inside, and the environment and temperature are nearly identical to the real thing. If you're looking to train your Cold Immunity, this is the perfect place."

"Training inside a painting, huh? That's a first for me," Yuan said, raising an eyebrow with mild amusement.

Sun Ling Cai offered an awkward smile. "To be honest… this painting was originally meant to trap enemies. It's more of a torture chamber than a training ground..."

"That's fine by me. The harsher the environment, the faster my Cold Immunity will improve."

Sun Ling Cai added, "Also, you're trying to reach the Seventh Heaven without drawing attention, right? I haven't tested it before, but in theory… I might be able to smuggle you in using this method."

"Oh?"

"Since I don't know if it'll actually work, I am going to try it out on someone else first," she continued.

"I'll just find someone who's willing to participate in this experiment and take them to the Seventh Heaven with me when I visit the Demon Sealing Clan's headquarters. After I finish reporting to the Demon Sealing Clan, I will return here to help you with your Cold Immunity training," she explained.

"Alright, then I will wait for you here at the sect. How long do you think it'll take for you to return?"

Sun Ling Cai pondered for a moment before responding, "It shouldn't take longer than a month."

"Then I will see you in a month."

Sun Ling Cai left the Frozen Cloud Ethereal Sect shortly after.

Before heading to the Seventh Heaven, Sun Ling Cai went to look for a guinea pig for her experiment.

After some thinking, she went to a prominent family in the Sixth Heaven and offered one of her treasured paintings to whoever was willing to assist her experiment.

Due to Sun Ling Cai's reputation, she didn't have any issue gaining their trust, and with such an attractive offer, it didn't take long before she acquired a volunteer.

Once prepared, Sun Ling Cai transferred the volunteer into one of her paintings before making her way to the Stairway to Heaven.

However, she was unable to ascend to the Seventh Heaven because the Stairway to Heaven had detected the volunteer's presence within her treasure.

'So I can't use the Stairway to Heaven, huh?'

Fortunately, Sun Ling Cai was not out of options.

After the attempt to smuggle a volunteer through the Stairway to Heaven failed, Sun Ling Cai retrieved a rare and valuable treasure—one that allowed her to return directly to the Seventh Heaven without relying on the Stairway to Heaven.

It was a one-time-use teleportation treasure, capable of sending its user to any previously marked location. Unlike most teleportation treasures, which were restricted to the same or lower realm, this one had no limitations. Despite its rarity and staggering cost, Sun Ling Cai didn't hesitate to use it for her experiment.

Sometime later, Sun Ling Cai returned to the Seventh Heaven.

After her return, she immediately retrieved her painting and the volunteer from it.

'It worked!' she cried inwardly after seeing the volunteer in perfect condition. 'Now I just need to return to the Sixth Heaven and do it again with the Founder!'

Meanwhile, as he waited for Sun Ling Cai's return, Yuan absorbed the spiritual energy refined by the Demon Devouring Sword.

After reaching the peak of Spirit Enlightenment, Yuan pondered whether he should attempt to enter the Divine Realm.

'If I'm going to enter the Seventh Heaven soon, I should enter the Divine Realm before I do so. Hopefully, my physique won't prevent me from doing so.'

Yuan closed his eyes and began attempting to enter the Divine Realm.

Hearing the notifications, Yuan opened his eyes.

"Heavenly Tribulation, huh?"

He wasn't surprised that he had evoked a Heavenly Tribulation since every cultivator had to face a minor tribulation to ascend from the Spirit Realm to the Divine Realm.

Just as Yuan stood up and prepared to leave his living quarters to confront the Heavenly Tribulation, another notification appeared.

Meanwhile, the skies above the Frozen Cloud Ethereal Sect darkened as ominous black clouds gathered overhead. Thunder rumbled in the distance, its echo rolling across the land, audible from miles away.

"H-Heavenly Tribulation! Someone triggered a Heavenly Tribulation!" The disciples were shocked and alerted by the phenomenon.