Divine Emperor of Death

Chapter 4422: Forsaken Yin Trials

Bing Luli ignored Natalya’s gesture that didn’t reach her bosoms ultimately.

The frown on her face turned into a soft smile, “You’re openly admitting to being a bandit family?”

“Of course. We couldn’t have gathered so much wealth if we weren’t bandits.” Natalya placed her hands on her hips, looking smug.

“However, our banditry is one of poetic justice rather than outright poaching. We only rob those who want to give us their stuff by courting death~”

“Pfft~”

Bing Luli suppressed a burst of laughter, her bosoms trembling.

“You have a way with words. But you don’t need to do that since the winner does end up claiming the possessions of the loser after an altercation or life-and-death struggle unrelated to the robbery. It is a heaven-given right. There’s no karmic sin from doing such a thing.”

“Right~” Natalya nodded.

If it gave karmic sin, then she could only imagine how much their family would have gathered although she knew Davis would just end up using it to their advantage.

She giggled as she thought about him, eliciting Bing Luli to incline her head.

“You’re thinking about your husband?”

“Indeed.” Natalya turned shy as she placed her palms on her cheeks, “I was quite busy inside the trials. I didn’t realize two years had passed just like that. I wonder what is going on outside. I can’t wait to go back and surprise him with my new cultivation base.”

Bing Luli’s expression turned slightly curious as she saw the glimmer in Natalya’s eyes.

“You seem quite proud. Care to tell me what kind of trials you went through? I’m curious.”

“Of course.” Natalya beamed as she folded her arms beneath her bosoms, lifting her chin ever so slightly, “They were called the Forsaken Yin Five Petals. Five trials in total. Each one is designed to sever ties with worldly attachments and embody the ideal of frozen detachment.”

Bing Luli’s eyes narrowed faintly, “Figures… the cultivation path of the Forsaken Yin Lotus is one of cold, pure, and unshakable detachment. Not many can remove themselves from the situation, much less their own awareness.”

“Exactly~” Natalya’s smile dimmed just a bit, her tone turning reflective. “The first trial was about severing ties with desires like wealth, recognition, and vanity. It was almost like being stripped bare. We were placed in an illusion where all our dreams were within reach, and we had to walk away.”

“That already sounds… difficult,” Bing Luli commented, her tone more serious.

Natalya nodded, “The second trial made us relive emotional bonds. Family, friends, and lovers. One by one, we had to either let go… or be frozen in the illusion. I saw my sister, my parents, my sisters… Davis.”

Her voice lowered after his name, “But I chose to be together by his side, which infuriated the trial spirit. After all, I still passed the threshold of forsaking all others, managing to pass.”

“…” Bing Luli gave her a complicated look but said nothing, allowing her to continue.

“The third trial tested pain… emotional and physical. It was brutal. We had to endure years of happiness, only to be dropped in solitude and betrayal, repeated loss, and even death… all within a few moments, but it seemed so long.”

Bing Luli nearly gawked, her bosoms heaving, “And yet you passed that too…?”

“Yes.” Natalya’s voice was firm, “I steeled my heart… because I believed in returning to the real world and not letting illusion dictate my cultivation. I reminded myself it was all a trial, not reality. Big sister didn’t backstab me. Third sister didn’t suppress me. Fourth sister didn’t look down on me. Darling did not betray me. Those never happened, so I was able to remain firm, not letting the trial break me.”

“…” Bing Luli’s heart shook, unable to believe what kind of fanatical belief this woman held.

“And the fourth?”

“That was the most subtle,” Natalya admitted, “It was peace. A perfect life. Eternal contentment. No struggle. No pain. Just… stillness. The trial tried to drown us in comfort until we forgot we were cultivators, forgot we were even humans with emotions. That one almost got me.”

Bing Luli’s brows raised, “A dream of paradise… a trial of stagnation and numbness. Not many would want to leave that- no, could even think of leaving.”

Natalya chuckled faintly, “It was tempting, but I’m not one to be content with stasis. I want to grow… mature… stand beside my husband, ripening into a new fruit so that he can eat me. So I shattered that illusion, too.”

“And the fifth?” Bing Luli’s lips twitched, but she still asked, already suspecting the answer.

Natalya sighed, “That’s the one where I was kicked out before I could even check what it was. However, I suspect it would be any different. Judging how the trials went, I think it would be to become no one, to shed all identity and emotion, to be pure, unfeeling ice. Not just cold… but to be the void, unburdened by anything.”

Bing Luli’s eyes narrowed in solemn understanding.

“…So it wasn’t a complete failure,” Bing Luli said after a moment, her voice warm and thoughtful, ” No matter what happened, you successfully stepped into the Empyrean Stage by cultivating the Forsaken Yin Manual your way. It is proof that the Forsaken Yin Lotus Manual isn’t as confining and self-isolating as one thought it was.”

Natalya looked up, blinking in surprise before her lips parted in a grin.

“Maybe,” she said softly, “Even if I couldn’t enter the final trial, the other four tempered me far beyond what I thought I could endure. I can feel the change in my cultivation. My yin is purer, colder… more refined. But it didn’t consume my heart. I’m proud of that. If I had been consumed, I wouldn’t know how to face him.”

Bing Luli giggled, “You should be proud. That kind of balance… is far harder to attain than simply casting away emotion. I would never be able to do it even if I tried, becoming one of the many failures this manual has stacked against time.”

“Thank you,” Natalya said sincerely, “And besides… the Forsaken Yin Lotus path wasn’t truly for me. I walk the path of ice, but not solitude. I’ll freeze my enemies, but I’ll never freeze my heart. If I’m not looking at Davis in the front, then I would for sure know something is wrong.”

Bing Luli smiled, clearly approving. However, a hint of sad smile remained on her face.

She felt like she could never be near that fanatical level of having the ultimate faith. She felt even Evelynn and the others would admit that they couldn’t compare to Natalya in this regard.

“Still,” Natalya added with a mischievous glint in her eye, “I can’t wait to see Davis’s face when he sees how much stronger I’ve become. He’s going to fall in love with me all over again~”

“Ahaha~”

Bing Luli burst into laughter again, unable to stop herself, “You’re shameless.”

“I’m the one who seduced him first, remember?” Natalya winked, “Shamelessness is part of the charm~”

She saw that Bing Luli laughed more heartily, causing her to smile softly.

“What about you? Did you manage to make any progress?”

“Of course I did. I also found Mu Bing and my three ancestors. They’re also here as they traveled all the way from the Aurora Cloud Gate.”

“Oh? Where are they now?” Natalya looked around, wanting to find them.

However, Bing Luli shook her head, “They’re in other secret areas, comprehending suitable intents from many kinds of inheritances. This secret realm is a treasure trove for us ice cultivators, making one think just what happened to the Forsaken Yin Lower Realm for it to become destitute and turn into the current and impoverished Frozen Wasteland Lower Realm as we know it.”

“True… it even has a manual at the fabled next stage. Most Lower Realms don’t have such a thing. I suspect there is more to the mystery than we know, but I am kicked out, so I doubt I could get to the bottom of the mystery quickly. I don’t care, though. I just want a copy of the next grade of the cultivation manual, and I’m gone. Two years- it’s been two years. I can’t wait any longer…!”

Natalya acted hysterical, causing Bing Luli to giggle.

Abruptly, Tanya trembled ever so lightly, her eyes quivering. Suddenly, tears began pouring down her face, causing Natalya and Bing Luli to feel surprised.

“I see… it must’ve been sorrowful, unable to let go of the sword but still made the last step to abandon it. These carvings. I understand. They are screams for help, filled with the power to cut through solid blocks of ice, piercing through even the coldest heart.”

Tanya uttered something slowly as though she was in a delirious state as she stood up.

Her palm went to the hilt and with a single wave of her sword after unsheathing in a single swing, she struck out, forming another yet similar sword carving right beside the carving.

Natalya and Bing Luli’s brows raised as they saw how similar it was- leading them to believe that Tanya had comprehended the intent behind it and might have even mastered it in one stroke.

Thanks gui_li for the Golden Gachapon!

Thanks Solomon for the Magic Castle!

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May 24th

[12/12 normal chapters]

[1/5 bonus chaps]

[0/4 mass release chaps]