Lin Yun was thrilled that he could evolve the True Intent of an Earth Level Martial Skill. With the Blood Man’s help, Lin Yun was confident he could quickly comprehend the True Intent of both Inch Step and the Qingfeng Body Technique.

Just as Lin Yun was overjoyed, he suddenly sensed a catastrophic energy lock onto him.

Lin Yun was very familiar with this energy. Back in the Divine Realm, he had seen it many times; nearly every general in the Divine Realm had been targeted by it before.

"Celestial Punishment..." Lin Yun muttered, unable to stop himself. He had no idea why the Celestial Punishment would appear now. Generally, it would only manifest after one reached the Primordial Ocean Realm.

As its name implied, the Celestial Punishment was the heavens’ judgment upon Martial Artists. Cultivation itself was an act of defying the heavens; every breakthrough not only increased a Martial Artist’s strength but also extended their lifespan.

A Primordial Ocean Realm expert, for instance, could live for at least five hundred years. This was the reason for the Celestial Punishment’s existence.

Only by withstanding the Celestial Punishment could one advance to a higher realm. Failure meant being utterly obliterated by it.

’But I only broke through to the Qi Sea Realm, and it actually triggered the Celestial Punishment?’ Lin Yun cursed his luck as he bolted out of the room.

The destructive power of a Celestial Punishment was astonishing. Although he had never heard of anyone triggering one at the Qi Sea Realm and had no idea how powerful his would be, Lin Yun didn’t dare to underestimate it.

The Capital City was certainly not a good place to face a Celestial Punishment. If the Royal Family’s Primordial Ocean Realm experts detected it, Lin Yun would be in deep trouble. Someone who attracted a Celestial Punishment at the mere Qi Sea Realm would surely be treated like a lab rat by everyone.

There was no time to hesitate. Lin Yun could clearly feel the Celestial Punishment about to descend. He had to find a secluded place before then. Moreover, since this was his first time undergoing a Celestial Punishment, he needed to make some preparations.

Without even having time to speak to Little Ape, Lin Yun threw the door open, ready to sprint out of the Capital City. But as he opened the door, he saw Wangcai and his son sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard.

With no time for explanations, Lin Yun simply said to them, "I have to go outside the Capital City for a bit. I’ll come find you at the Wang Family’s residence later."

Before they could reply, Lin Yun shot off toward the Capital City’s gate. Wangcai and his son stared after his retreating figure, utterly baffled. When Lin Yun had burst out, they had felt a terrifying power radiating from him.

This power emanated from the Celestial Punishment. Although it had not yet fallen, being targeted by it had already imbued Lin Yun with its aura.

They hesitated for a moment, and Lin Yun was already gone. Just then, Little Ape chased after him. It didn’t know what Lin Yun was doing, but it was incredibly dependent on him and felt uneasy being away from him for even a moment.

Racing to the nearest city gate at top speed, Lin Yun didn’t bother with pleasantries and tossed out his Identity Token. The moment the gate guard saw it belonged to a Disciple of the Academy’s Genius Class, his expression became respectful.

Lin Yun, however, had no time to waste. "Let me out! It’s urgent!" he said directly.

As time passed, the aura of the Celestial Punishment on Lin Yun grew more and more intense. When the gate guard felt it, he was nearly scared out of his wits.

Not caring whether the guard was stupefied or not, Lin Yun snatched back his Identity Token, activated the Qingfeng Body Technique, and sprinted out of the Capital City.

It wasn’t until nearly a hundred breaths after Lin Yun had left that the gate guard came to his senses. The aura of the Celestial Punishment had utterly petrified him.

"Are... are all the Genius Class Disciples that terrifying?" the gate guard muttered, not knowing he had just felt the pressure of a Celestial Punishment.

Within those hundred breaths, Lin Yun had already covered a kilometer. Not paying attention to his direction, he spotted a small, desolate hill not far from the Imperial City.

’That’s the place,’ Lin Yun decided.

A quarter of an hour later, Lin Yun reached the summit. By now, a faint rift had torn open in the sky above him. Once that rift fully formed, the Celestial Punishment would descend.

Back in the Divine Realm, Lin Yun had seen many of Lin Xiaotian’s soldiers who failed to withstand the Celestial Punishment and were reduced to nothing but ash.

Now, facing the Celestial Punishment himself, the faint pressure emanating from the rift in the sky was already enough to make Lin Yun want to surrender.

This was Celestial Might. Not even a Divine Emperor from the Divine Realm could defy it. It represented the will and the rules of the myriad worlds, and no one could transcend those rules.

"What the hell? A Celestial Punishment for reaching the Qi Sea Realm? Do the heavens really hate this Divine Demon Cultivation that much?" Lin Yun muttered, but his hands didn’t stop moving.

With a flash of his Space Ring, twenty thousand Low Grade Primordial Stones appeared around him. Facing a Celestial Punishment without resources to back you up was suicide.

That wasn’t all. He grabbed fifty Qi Essence Pills in his hand and held two Life Extending Pills in his mouth, ready to be swallowed at a moment’s notice to save his life.

Little Ape, having chased Lin Yun all this way, didn’t dare approach the hill. The aura emanating from the rift in the sky above it made the creature instinctively retreat.

Lin Yun stood alone on the summit, looking up at the sky. The rift had now fully formed, and the Celestial Might pouring from it was more than ten times stronger than before.

Feeling this aura, Lin Yun even felt an impulse to fall to his knees.

"Damn it, bring it on! You’re going to try and kill me for reaching the Qi Sea Realm? So what if you’re the heavens? I’m practicing Divine Demon Cultivation, so if you’ve got the guts, strike me dead!" Lin Yun roared, having made his preparations to receive the descending Celestial Punishment.

As if in response to his words, a bolt of lightning shot out from the rift, aimed squarely at Lin Yun.

The moment the first bolt of lightning fell, Lin Yun felt a mortal threat. Without hesitation, he shattered the twenty thousand Low Grade Primordial Stones around him, swallowed three Qi Essence Pills, and executed the Black Steel Tyrant Fist to its absolute limit, punching straight at the lightning descending from the sky.

BOOM! With a deafening roar, the entire hilltop was obliterated by the lightning bolt. In the face of the Celestial Punishment, Lin Yun was like a tiny ant.

On the dust-choked hill, there was no trace of Lin Yun. The entire summit had been blasted to smithereens.

Several li away, a worried expression crossed Little Ape’s face as it stared at the hill. With intelligence on par with a human’s, it knew the lightning had targeted Lin Yun. It wondered if he could survive such a powerful blast.

It wanted to go to him but didn’t dare. Its very bloodline seemed to hold it back, warning it not to approach the hill. If it went, it would surely die.

With such powerful Celestial Might appearing so suddenly, and only a little over ten li from the Capital City, the moment the Celestial Thunder struck, several auras belonging to Primordial Ocean Realm experts erupted from within the Imperial Palace.

Several Primordial Ocean Realm experts flew into the sky from various parts of the Imperial Palace, their gazes fixed gravely on Lin Yun’s location.