Chapter 84: Promotion Means Dealing with Lin Qingyun

In the desolate wilderness stretching a hundred miles, a lavish aircar stood atop a barren mountain. Even Lin Kunshan, usually overwhelmed by his daily responsibilities, had arrived. Not only was he present, but Zhang Xueyi was there as well, along with several experts Lin Kunshan had invited to assist in safeguarding the ritual.

Among them, one was a formidable master at the Radiant Sun level. The others included a grandmaster of formations and a renowned alchemist skilled in the arts of pill-making. Zhang Xueyi was visibly anxious, and Lin Kunshan’s expression was grave.

“Chairman Lin, President Zhang, we’ve set up supporting formations over there and prepared ample medicinal pills. Please rest assured…”

“That’s right, everything is well prepared. Even if there’s a period of weakness after the crossing, there’s nothing to worry about…”

“We’re still within the national borders, and Chairman Lin has reported everything. Your son is exceptionally gifted—he will surely step into the Cloud Ascension realm smoothly…”

… …

Seeing both Lin Kunshan and Zhang Xueyi so tense, the group could only sigh in resignation.

Since obtaining the Cold Medicine Fire Embryo Pill, although its potency had waned, it merely altered some subsequent physical effects, without greatly impacting Lin Qingfeng’s advancement. After a period of secluded cultivation, Lin Qingfeng was now facing his tribulation for advancing to the Cloud Ascension realm.

Normally, transitioning from the Heart of the Zither realm to Cloud Ascension involved at least three tribulation bolts, the area affected spanning a few miles—not particularly disruptive. At this moment, they were watching from a small mountain seven or eight miles away.

“I appreciate your efforts on my son’s behalf. I’m not worried about anything else—only that the lingering effects from recent events might impact his state of mind during the breakthrough…” Among those present were consultants from Lin Medicine Group and other specialists invited by Lin Kunshan. After expressing his gratitude, Lin Kunshan still looked anxiously toward the distance.

Thunder rumbled.

At that moment, the tribulation clouds gathered, and the first bolt descended.

Refined artifacts, auxiliary formations—all could be used, but within limits, as discovered through generations of trial and error. With ample preparation, deep foundations, and abundant resources, the risks were several times higher than for independent cultivators.

That was the reality: they had high-grade pills, superior artifacts—even spiritual tools—greater reserves, and all sorts of external assistance. In such circumstances, independent cultivators simply couldn’t compare.

The three bolts passed swiftly. As Zhang Xueyi patted her chest in relief and pressed her palms together in gratitude, the tribulation clouds above did not disperse. Instead, subtle changes began to appear.

Clearly, what followed was not a stronger lightning tribulation, but some strange variant—perhaps an inner demon tribulation.

“It’s changed… Something’s wrong. What should we do? Hurry, think of something…” Zhang Xueyi clutched at Lin Kunshan, urging him anxiously.

Lin Kunshan was just as worried, though he felt an urge to kick Zhang Xueyi away.

This is a heavenly tribulation; who dares intervene? He himself was only halfway into the Radiant Sun realm, and though he was nearing it thanks to external assistance, interfering with a lightning tribulation was impossible.

Not even the kin of supreme experts could intervene—only make thorough preparations beforehand and hope for the best during the ordeal.

“Ah… Kill… Kill… Kill…”

“Mock me, steal from me—die, all of you die…”

Now, Lin Qingfeng, who had calmly weathered the lightning tribulation, soared into the air. His strength was rising, now advancing into the Cloud Ascension realm, undergoing transformation.

He no longer needed to rely on artifacts for flight as in the Heart of the Zither realm; he could soar directly on the clouds. Yet, his current state was one of madness.

His voice echoed across ten miles, clearly visible to Lin Kunshan, Zhang Xueyi, and the others.

“This is bad—it seems to be an inner demon tribulation, Chairman Lin. Didn’t your group just achieve breakthroughs in this area?” Someone looked to Lin Kunshan.

Since the tribulation clouds hadn’t dispersed, they couldn’t approach.

Recently, Lin Medicine Group had made notable progress in the field of heart tribulations and inner demon tribulations, launching several pills that had brought them into the spotlight.

“I prepared some for him, even went to Master Chifeng to request a special pill. I hope he can retain a shred of sanity and remember the medicine…”

Because of past conflicts involving Li Xiaobo and Zhang Baole, the research behind heart tribulation and inner demon tribulation pills had Lin Qingyun’s influence. When Lin Kunshan gave Lin Qingfeng these pills, Lin Qingfeng had scoffed at using them. Now, Lin Kunshan worried about that.

At this moment, Lin Qingfeng was frantically attacking his surroundings within the tribulation cloud. Though there was no more lightning, the ever-changing clouds seemed to contain countless shadowy figures.

Lightning tribulations were fearsome, but at least visible; heart tribulations and inner demon tribulations, however, were intangible and elusive.

“It’s over, it’s over… My son…” Zhang Xueyi’s legs collapsed beneath her, for Lin Qingfeng was on the verge of losing control. His power surged, his body erupted in places, his face twisted in terror, and a monstrous, horned entity formed from his gathered strength.

He howled in nonhuman voices, but just then, several streams of power erupted within him, stabilizing his mind.

With his sanity barely restored, Lin Qingfeng hurried to channel his power, accelerating the effect of the medicine.

In a perilous moment on the brink of madness, he regained clarity. Once he mastered his soul and will, the tribulation clouds finally dispersed.

As soon as they vanished, everyone rushed forward. Lin Kunshan, bringing Zhang Xueyi, was among the first to reach him.

“My son…” Zhang Xueyi, heart aching, rushed to embrace him, only to be pulled back by Lin Kunshan.

“Shut up. All you do is disturb him. If you make another sound, go back.” Lin Kunshan barked angrily, keeping Zhang Xueyi from approaching Lin Qingfeng.

Lin Qingfeng stood there, having consumed multiple pills and even swallowed a rare millennium herb found in ancient ruins.

Half an hour later, Lin Qingyun’s injuries had mostly healed, and his aura stabilized.

“Congratulations, Chairman Lin, and Young Master Lin! To survive a mutated lightning tribulation, your future strength will be truly extraordinary.” Someone offered their congratulations.

Others, curious, asked Lin Qingfeng how he overcame the inner demon tribulation—information they needed for their own families.

Mentioning it, Lin Qingfeng’s eyes twitched, his fist clenched, reluctant to speak but unable to avoid the topic.

“Don’t worry about Lin Qingyun’s influence. This is our Lin Medicine Group. The better the company, the more we earn. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have the resources to undergo tribulations and advance.” Others might not understand the delay, thinking Lin Qingfeng was simply unwilling to speak, but Lin Kunshan knew the reason and immediately sent a secret message to Lin Qingfeng.

“I secretly swallowed the special pill Master Chifeng made for me to resist inner demon tribulation. As you all know, our advances in heart tribulation and inner demon tribulation pills have yielded medicines for experience, resistance, and various forms of support.”

Once he admitted to taking the pill in advance, everyone understood.

One method was to time it precisely so that, whatever the circumstances, the pill’s outer protective force would dissolve at the crucial moment. The other was for Lin Kunshan to forcibly seal the pill with soul power, linking it to Lin Qingfeng’s soul and will. If Lin Qingfeng lost control, the pill’s seal would automatically break.

Everyone applauded Lin Medicine Group’s breakthrough in heart tribulation and inner demon tribulation pills—it was the perfect advertisement.

Although Lin Qingfeng felt some discomfort, recalling how Lin Qingyun had once supported Li Xiaobo and purchased Xiaobo’s Foundation Pill, he remained courteous in his responses.

Now, having become a Cloud Ascension realm expert, Lin Qingfeng’s confidence soared. His greatest desire was to find Lin Qingyun and teach him a lesson.

Even in a country governed by law, a little discipline was possible. Now that he was a Cloud Ascension expert, Lin Qingyun would no longer dare to be so arrogant. Though Lin Qingyun was advancing rapidly, the step into Cloud Ascension was far from easy. Besides, Lin Qingfeng had used the Cold Medicine Fire Embryo Pill to ascend, and later integrated various treasures; while not as effective as at first, his progress would be swift.

With ample resources, he would face little resistance up to the fourth level of Cloud Ascension.

Lin Qingyun, wait for me. From now on, I’ll deal with you every time I see you. My father, as an elder, can’t act, but we’re brothers—sparring is always acceptable between us.

… … … … … … … … … …

In Paradise on Earth, Lin Qingyun had spent the past few days here. The living conditions and cultivation environment were the best, making it hard to imagine this was Hanze, a forsaken place.

Lin Qingyun explored any project that didn’t cross his bottom line.

Anything he wanted to investigate, inquire about, or needed to spend money on, he had Little Black handle.

What he was after was a needle in a haystack—there was no clear target or objective, so he simply gathered information as best he could.

Meanwhile, he wandered around, using most of his time to cultivate and reflect on recent gains.

After his recent self-discipline and with the Xuanyang Pill he had long prepared, Lin Qingyun felt he had completed in a few months what most people would take years to accumulate and could now attempt to break into Cloud Ascension.

Of course, he needed further preparation. This was his greatest trump card in coming to Hanze.

Here, there were Cloud Ascension-level beasts and quite a few Cloud Ascension cultivators. If his investigation provoked someone at that level, he would be hard pressed to resist.

But by leveraging the heavenly tribulation of his own advancement, he could use it as a means of survival. In his previous life, Lin Qingyun had tried this tactic, but the last time he was killed, he hadn’t managed to break through in time—otherwise, he could have dragged all his enemies into his tribulation and enjoyed their destruction.

For this reason, Lin Qingyun wasn’t in a hurry to advance to Cloud Ascension. He continued to temper his body and soul, reinforcing his nine Dao Foundations. The more thorough the preparation, the deeper the reserves, the more freely he could choose when to break through.

As for the tribulation itself, Lin Qingyun never feared it—it was his specialty.

In the Beast Arena, today’s event was a highlight: two beast kings, each comparable to the eighth stage of the Heart of the Zither realm, were battling.

Capturing a beast king at the eighth stage alive was harder than killing a stronger one. So today, Paradise on Earth’s beast arena was packed, with bets pouring in.

At that moment, Zhou Wanhui arrived with four men. Each exuded a formidable aura, far above the ordinary ninth stage of the Heart of the Zither realm. Many who recognized them made way in a hurry.

These were five deputy captains under Zhou Wanlong, with Zhou Wanhui being Zhou Wanlong’s own younger brother. In Gathering Area Three, they were notorious for their dominance.

“Brother Hui, that kid’s over there. Didn’t the captain say we should wait, follow him when he leaves, then make a move?”

Someone pointed out Lin Qingyun’s location.

“Damn it, that kid must be loaded. He hasn’t traded anything in the zone, which means either he’s hidden his goods outside, or he has an extremely rare storage device. We’ve been monitoring him for days—if this continues, it could take ten days, twenty days, or even a year or two. We can’t let him drag this out any longer; we need to put pressure on him, stir up trouble, force him out of Area Three.”

“Let’s go, give him a taste first. But remember, this is Paradise on Earth—keep it under control. We’re just here to pressure him. If he leaves Paradise on Earth, we’ll find other ways to force him out.”

With that, Brother Hui led the four deputy captains straight to Lin Qingyun’s location.