217: Breaking through to Mahayana, the insidious scheme of Nanxiao Divine Palace

Cultivating the Sword Dao was already extremely time and energy consuming. To achieve Perfection in the Five Elements Law and Break Through to Mahayana was, by common sense, impossible without thousands of years of gradual effort.

They had plenty of time to digest the resources of the Demon Nether Domain and stabilize their power.

However, Chen Yuan's existence was specifically meant to break common sense!

On the barren mountain, Chen Yuan looked up at the sky, his gaze calm and unwavering as he faced the destructive Five-Colored Lightning Cloud.

“Come!”

He did not summon any Magic Treasure.

“Boom-crack!”

The first bolt of Golden Tribulation Lightning struck down, incredibly sharp, seemingly capable of tearing the Void Realm!

Chen Yuan neither dodged nor avoided it, punching out with a fist. The Five Elements rotated on his fist's edge, directly shattering the Golden Lightning!

The scattered lightning was absorbed into his body, tempering his bones and Meridians.

Immediately following, the Azure Yimu Divine Lightning, Black Gui-shui Divine Lightning, Crimson Binghuo Divine Lightning, Yellow Wutu Divine Lightning... bolts of Tribulation Lightning containing the Five Elements Origin power struck down one after another, each more terrifying than the last!

Chen Yuan used either his fists or palms, or mobilized his Sword Intent, remaining steadfast atop the mountain peak, shattering and absorbing the bolts of Tribulation Lightning.

His Physical Body shimmered with Treasure Light amidst the lightning, and his aura did not weaken; instead, it became more concentrated and powerful under the baptism of the Lightning Tribulation!

The Five Elements Primordial Heavenly Tribulation consisted of thirty-six bolts!

When the final bolt of Chaos-Colored Divine Lightning, which fused the Five Elements Origin, was forcefully split open by Chen Yuan’s sword, the sky full of lightning clouds slowly dissipated.

A vast aura, truly transcending all living beings and resonating with heaven and earth, erupted from Chen Yuan, sweeping across the Eight Desolations!

Mahayana Stage, achieved!

Sunlight pierced the clouds and shone upon him; his green robe flapped loudly in the mountain wind, making him look like a Divine Spirit descending upon the world.

The entire Eastern Wasteland fell into a brief silence, followed by earth-shattering cheers and discussions!

“He succeeded! The Hall Master succeeded!”

“Mahayana! Our Eastern Wasteland finally has another Mahayana Cultivator! No, a Peerless Mahayana like the Hall Master!”

“In just a few months, from Return to Void to Mahayana... the Hall Master is truly a Divine Being!”

As the direct subordinate of the Eastern Profound Hall, the people of the Nine Heavens Sword Pavilion were even more excited, sharing in his glory.

Chen Yuan felt the power of a completely different level within his body, along with the sense of control over the Five Elements Origin Qi of heaven and earth, which he could manipulate as easily as his own limbs. He gave a slight smile.

However, he did not linger. With a flash of his figure, he returned to the time-space cultivation chamber in the Eastern Profound Hall.

While the outside world was buzzing due to his Breakthrough, he had already begun planning his next step.

Early Stage Mahayana was still not secure enough.

The nine heavens star liquid was also not yet used up.

He needed to continue Cultivating.

The news that Chen Yuan had triggered the Five Elements Primordial Heavenly Tribulation in the Eastern Wasteland and successfully Broken Through to the Mahayana Stage spread at an astonishing speed.

In just one day, it crossed the Boundless Territory and reached the ears of the complacent Nanxiao Divine Palace, which had just occupied the Demon Nether Domain.

Inside the Temporary Main Hall of the Nanxiao Divine Palace, newly built upon the ruins of the former Demon Nether Palace.

“Bang!”

Palace Master Xiao Yunzi crushed a precious Spirit Jade Teacup into dust in his hand.

The perpetual gentleness on his face vanished, replaced by undisguised shock.

“Has the news... been confirmed?”

His voice carried a trace of subtle dryness.

An Elder in Charge of Intelligence below bowed and replied, his voice also trembling:

“Reporting to Palace Master, it is absolutely true! Multiple sources in the Eastern Wasteland confirmed that Chen Yuan successfully underwent the Five Elements Primordial Heavenly Tribulation outside the Eastern Profound Hall and was Promoted to Mahayana one day ago!”

“How is this possible?!”

Xiao Yuchen, the Divine Son, slapped the table and shot up, his face filled with disbelief and jealousy. “How long has it been from Body Integration to Mahayana? Is Chen Yuan the Heavenly Dao's Illegitimate Son or something?”

His eyes flashed with greedy and vicious light:

“This brat must have obtained a great Opportunity we can't even imagine! Perhaps a complete Legacy from an Ancient Mighty Figure, or perhaps he swallowed some Heaven and Earth Divine Item! Otherwise, it's absolutely impossible!”

The other Elders in the hall also recovered from their shock, their expressions turning extremely grim.

“Palace Master, Old Ancestor, this matter is far from trivial!”

An Elder with a gloomy face said in a deep voice, “That Chen Yuan's combat power was already Heaven-Defying; he was able to slay You Sha while only at the Body Integration realm.

Now that he has Broken Through to Mahayana, his strength is bound to soar!

Our actions before were indeed too decisive, leaving no room for retreat. If he Breaks Through to Undergoing Tribulation one day and comes here fueled by rage, our Nanxiao Divine Palace might be in great trouble!”

Another Elder chimed in, his tone filled with worry:

“If we had shared some of the Demon Nether Domain's benefits with the Eastern Wasteland back then, we might have eased relations. But now... we are mortal enemies!”

Fear and regret spread throughout the hall.

The reason they dared to be so arrogant before was their certainty that Chen Yuan could not Break Through the Heavenly Chasm of Mahayana in the short term.

They had plenty of time to digest the fruits of their victory and stabilize their power.

Who could have expected such a swift and brutal slap in the face?

Ancestor Nan Xiao, who had been sitting upright with his eyes closed at the head seat, slowly opened them. His seemingly cloudy eyes now flashed with bone-chilling cold light.

“This brat... absolutely cannot be spared.”

His voice was hoarse and carried undeniable authority. “His growth speed is too terrifying. If we let him develop, even I might not be able to control him within a century.

We must seize the Opportunity while his wings are not yet fully grown and his Foundation is unstable, and utterly eliminate him!”

“Old Ancestor is wise!” Xiao Yuchen immediately agreed, a vicious look on his face. “Then let's gather a Great Army, directly flatten the Eastern Wasteland, capture Chen Yuan, and perform Soul Search and Treasure Seizure!”

“Do not be reckless.”

Xiao Yunzi, being the Palace Master after all, still maintained his sanity.

“Our Nanxiao Divine Palace is the Leader of the Righteous Path. How can we attack the Eastern Wasteland, a fellow Human Race power, without cause? We need a justifiable excuse, otherwise, we will surely face global criticism, and may even incur displeasure from the Divine Land.”

“Excuse?”

Xiao Yuchen's eyes darted; a Vicious Scheme flooded his mind, and he laughed sinisterly,

“Isn't that simple? Send people secretly across the Border to infiltrate the Eastern Wasteland, and then make someone disappear.

We then publicly announce that this person was your Personal Disciple, Palace Master, and was unjustly murdered by people from the Eastern Profound Hall in the Eastern Wasteland!

It is only right and proper for a Revered Master to severely punish the murderer and avenge his Disciple! As for the dead Disciple... we can just find a Disciple with decent Bone Structure, promise his Family great benefits to keep them silent, and grant him the title of Palace Master's Direct Disciple.”

The more he spoke, the more pleased he became:

“When the Great Army pressures the Border, we force Chen Yuan to come out and give an explanation.

We won't kill him, after all, he performed meritorious service by eliminating demons, and we must uphold Benevolence and Righteousness. We only need to force him to sign the Divine Soul Slave Mark, so he will serve the Nanxiao Divine Palace from now on. This way, we gain a powerful fighter, uncover his secrets, and demonstrate our Palace's magnanimity! If he refuses...”

A cruel smile appeared on Xiao Yuchen's face:

“Then don't blame us for being ruthless, causing the Eastern Wasteland people to suffer and blood to flow like rivers! Unless Chen Yuan is willing to bear the Eternal Infamy of letting the entire Eastern Wasteland be buried with him!”

This scheme was utterly vicious; it seized the high ground of “Reason” while forcing Chen Yuan into an impossible dilemma.

Ancestor Nan Xiao nodded slightly, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes. “Proceed according to this scheme. Be quick!”

“Yes!”