Wu Meiying paid no attention to the storm clouds gathering overhead. She had experienced this breakthrough so many times before that such a sight no longer phased her. How many times had she broken through the Deva Realm now? She had survived every time but two out of the many hundreds of times she had done this, and the only reason she hadn’t survived those two was because her enemies found her while she was breaking through.

She sat cross-legged in the middle of her cultivation zone, hands forming a unique seal known only to her and a select few others. Chi swirled within her body like a nebula. She was taking all the chi she had gathered and combining it into her own unique world.

What separated the Deva Realm from the Human Limit Realm was more than just power. To reach the Deva One, cultivators were required to create a world within themselves. They used their dantian as the focul point and expanded its power. Those who could form that world would then break through. This world was also what allowed Deva Realm cultivators to use a domain. The domain was simply bringing the Deva Realm cultivator’s unique world into the outside.

The rumbling of thunder alerted her to the incoming danger. Wu Meiying opened her eyes and looked up, glaring at the massive storm clouds that had gathered around her. It was a lot bigger than her last break through. She was surprised. This world’s chi was so thin that she didn’t think her breakthrough would be so powerful, but it didn’t matter. Even if this was the biggest heavenly tribulation she had been through in a thousand years, she wouldn’t be phased.

“Come!”

Wu Meiying had already prepared everything. Her inner world was solidly formed within her mind. All that was left was to temper it with the heavenly tribulation lightning.

The Heavenly Tribulation was something that all cultivators must overcome if they wish to advance. Because immortal cultivation goes against the Will of Heaven, the Heavens will send down tribulations to oppress high-level cultivators who progress toward immortality. It always takes the form of a lightning storm and happens right before a cultivator breaks through.

Of course, this was as much an oppression as it was a test. Those who survive are blessed by the heavens, while those who fail are cursed.

Wu Meiying held out her arms wide as if welcoming the tribulation, and, as if angered by her brazeness, the storm clouds grew increasingly violent. Lightning flashed. Numerous bolts measuring in the hundreds if not thousands gathered together in a single point. Then, without warning, the lightning blitzed toward her.

“Nnnng!”

Wu Meiying gritted her teeth as she allowed the lightning to slam into her chest. She had anchored herself to the floor with chi, but she still felt the pressure try to blow her away. While the pain was immense, like millions upon millions of molten needles sinking into her skin, she pushed it all aside and focused on circulating her cultivation technique. The Circulation of Time’s Heavenly Dao Cultivation Method stirred inside of her.

Time is not linear.

Time is fluid.

Past.

Present.

Future.

All are one in the great wheel of time.

And yet time moves ever onward.

It is constant.

To control time is to control the universe.

To control the universe is to seek domination.

Yet time cannot be controlled.

Only tweaked.

Time is not linear.

It is fluid, and like a flowing river, it moves ever onward.

Wu Meiying wished she could recite the rest of her cultivation method, but doing so would be dangerous at this stage. Her cultivation wasn’t high enough.

The lightning that had struck her in the chest was absorbed inside of her. Wu Meiying’s inner world, which she had been carefully cultivating for the past month, stirred inside of her. The power from the lightning tempered her world. Grassy plains spread out far as the high could see. A temple appeared in the distance, situated on a great mountain, and before the mountain, a small hut sat at its base. Inside this hut was the glowing sphere, her dantian, which was pure silver and glimmering with gentle luminescence.

The stormclouds rumbled.

“Oh? It appears you are not satisfied with just one strike,” Wu Meiying murmured as she stared at the stormclouds with a daring grin. “Very well. Let’s see how many times you need to strike me before you are satisfied.”

The Heavenly Tribulations for those entering the Deva Realm could happen once, or it could happen three times. It wasn’t like entering the True God Realm, in which lightning would strike more times depending on the cultivator’s potential. There was a limit to how many tribulations the heavens could give a mortal.

Lightning gathered once more. Then it struck. Wu Meiying gnashed her teeth together as she gathered the energy within the lightning to further temper her inner world. This world would become her domain, and she wanted it to be perfect. Several clocks appeared. They hovered in the sky. Each clock represented one of her reincarnations. This was the first time she had tried this, and it was a struggle to make them form, but if she could utilize the power of her previous reincarnations, she would become that much more powerful.

It’s no good. I don’t have enough power…

Wu Meiying glared at the moon she was trying to create, which looked like another giant clock. It was only a crescent. She lacked the power to form it.

More lightning gathered.

“Hah! I guess you really don’t want me to progress further!” Wu Meiying laughed at the heavens. “But that’s fine. You can try to suppress me all you want. I’ll use your power for my own gain! Now come!”

The lightning thundered as if angry, then another bolt, one several times more powerful than the last two combined, struck her in the chest. Wu Meiying coughed. Blood splattered the ground. Her teeth were stained red, but she refused to be beaten. Forming a hand seal, she gathered all the heavenly powers from the tribulation lightning and used it to finally form the moon inside of her. It looked like a giant three-dimensional clock.

Wu Meiying took a deep breath as the stormclouds finally dissipated. She had broken through. However, before she could celebrate her success, visions assaulted her mind.

In her vision, she saw a man with a cold face and ostenatious clothes. He sat upon a throne. Standing before him was a… blank space. Wu Meiying could see nothing of this person, but she knew that someone was standing there.

“I just received the news that Yi Fu has been killed.”

“…”

“It simply means we must hasten our plans to avoid any disruptions. I will get my two Deva Realm experts to deal with the unknown cultivator should they appear.”

“…”

“Plans change. In either event, I’ll need you to start your plans. Is the distraction to keep the Heavenly Sword Sect occupied ready?”

“…”

“Once the Heavenly Sword Sect is busy fending off the magical beasts from the Da Continent, we will launch our invasion of the Shang Kingdom.”

“…”

“Do not worry. I have not forgotten our deal. I will give Hou Jingshu to you.”

The vision ended. Wu Meiying bit her lower lip. She wished she could see more, but she knew that no amount of struggling would let her see the rest of that conversation. The fact that she had seen it at all was a miracle.

“First they take away my loves family, and now they are attempting to kidnap Jingshu,” Wu Meiying murmured as she stood up. She was naked. Her clothes would have disintigrated from the lightning, so she’d decided not to wear any. She quickly walked inside of her abode.

After wiping away the sweat, soot, and blood from her body, Wu Meiying dressed herself in a simple hanfu made of pure silver. It was a modified version of the Heavenly Sword Sect’s inner court disciple uniforms. The long gown trailed down to her bare feet. She briefly pondered putting on shoes, but she was more comfortable like this. Perhaps this was the affect adding her reincarnations into her inner world.

“Those fools are getting far too bold,” Wu Meiying said to herself. “I need to do something about this, but my options are limited…”

After pondering the situation for a moment, Wu Meiying decided to speak with the sect master. She stepped outside after putting on her necklace that blocked people’s perceptions of time, then slowly lifted herself into the air.

Flying was something cultivators could accomplish at the Human Limit Realm, but it was still difficult for them to control their flight, so most used objects like swords and other weapons to assist them. There were several weapons made specifically to assist people in flight. Once a cultivator reached the Deva Realm, however, such items became more of a hindrance than a help.

Wu Meiying quickly took off toward the sect master’s residence. She wanted to speak with him as soon as she was able. Yet someone flew toward her as she was making her way, and she grimaced when she realized who it was.

“Little Sister Meiying!”

“Zhe Fēnglì. It has been some time.”

The one who appeared before her was none other than Zhe Fēnglì, son of the sect master. It had been two whole months since she had seen him. Last she heard, he had left the sect on some task for his father. She was both surprised and disappointed to see he had returned.

“Congratulations on your breakthrough,” Zhe Fēnglì wore a big smile. “With this, you have become the youngest person in the history of our sect to enter the Deva Realm. I was also impressed with your Heavenly Tribulation. It’s very rare for someone to receive three strikes when breaking through.”

Oftentimes, the number of strikes Deva Realm cultivators received increased with each successive subrealm breakthrough. They received one strike when breaking through, two when entering the second subrealm, and three when entering the third and final subrealm. That she had received three strikes just breaking through was a sign of her potential. It also meant she’d have three strikes every time she broke through a subrealm.

“Thank you for the kind words,” Wu Meiying said politely.

Zhe Fēnglì was not a bad man, which was why she continued to be polite, but she just had no interest in him. If he wasn’t the son of the sect master, she would have told him to shove his pretty boy face up his ass a long time ago. That would get her in trouble, sadly, and she needed the Heavenly Sword Sect because they were the only ones with enough power and resources to hide her from her enemies and help her cultivate.

After accepting the young man’s congratulations, she directed her gaze toward his companion. He was maybe a year or two older than her. Long hair tied into a ponytail, sharp eyes, dark eyes, and softer than normal features. He had similar pretty boy looks to Zhe Fēnglì. He was dressed in the hanfu of an outer court disciple.

“And who is this?”

“This is a new friend I made. He’s a new disciple and the son of the Saintly Sword Sect’s sect master.”

“Oh…”

The Saintly Sword Sect was a branch sect of the Heavenly Sword Sect, and they were stationed within the Shang Kingdom. Of course, she knew who this boy was since she had seen him several times when checking on Hou Jingshu and Zhou Lihua. She had even watched his battle against Mei Xilan. He wasn’t bad. He had good potential at least, but when she saw the dazed look in his eyes, she realized he would become trouble for her in the future.

Well, that’s something for future me to worry about. I have more important things to deal with right now.

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Wu Meiying said with a simple nod. She then looked at Zhe Fēnglì. “You’ll have to excuse me. I’m in a bit of a hurry right now.”

“You’re going to see the sect master?” Zhe Fēnglì raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

“… All right. I was hoping we could talk more, but I can see you have something important to say to him. I’ll leave you alone for now.”

So even he can learn…

“Much appreciate. I’m going on ahead now.”

Wu Meiying did not wait for a response as she increased the output of chi to increase her speed. The resulting explosion of the sound barrier shattering echoed across the mountains.