The wizened elder, his face a mask of desolate despair, clutched the Celestial Binding Net. He abandoned all thought of flight, planting his feet upon the dust-strewn ground. Deep in his heart, he knew the truth: he was but a hollow shell, a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator in name only. Compared to the power emanating from Wang Lin, a true Ascendant with his own rooted Dao, escape was a fool’s errand.

Capture was inevitable, a matter of sooner rather than later.

Better, then, to gamble. If the fickle whims of the Celestial Binding Net were favorable, it might ensnare Wang Lin for three precious days. In those days, he could either flee beyond pursuit, or, should fate smile upon him, capture the powerful cultivator. With the aid of certain arcane elixirs, he might even transform Wang Lin into the true Inferior Celestial Guard spoken of in the ancient jade slip!

The mere thought of the inferior Celestial Guard’s power, as described in the enigmatic jade slip, sent tremors of desire through the old man’s aged frame.

His own crafted Celestial Guards were but flawed imitations, bearing no resemblance to the beings described in the mystical text. The jade slip whispered that transforming a Core Formation cultivator into a Celestial Guard held only the faintest glimmer of success.

An Ascendant cultivator offered slightly better odds, but the likelihood remained minuscule. Only a cultivator at the very pinnacle of the Ascendant stage, nearing the brink of enlightenment, presented even a one in ten thousand chance of success.

There were, however, exceptions. A cultivator possessed of their own unique Dao would also offer the same one in ten thousand chance.

Lost in these desperate calculations, the old man gripped the Celestial Binding Net. Moments later, Wang Lin’s figure shimmered into existence before him.

As soon as the man emerged, the old man bellowed, flinging the Celestial Binding Net forth. In an instant, it swelled to colossal proportions, becoming as boundless as the heavens above and as expansive as the earth below!

Wang Lin, even before his arrival, had sensed the strange energy emanating from the net. With his innate caution, he surmised that the old man’s artifact was no ordinary trinket. The fact that the elder hadn’t attempted escape after producing it only reinforced his belief in its potency.

Though he knew not why the old man had refrained from using it earlier, Wang Lin’s wariness heightened.

The moment he appeared, Wang Lin compressed countless teleportation spells beneath his feet. At a mere thought, he could pierce through space to any location within his range.

The Celestial Binding Net dissolved into the very fabric of the world, a verdant light shimmering from the sky. Simultaneously, a matching emerald glow erupted from the ground. These two ethereal lights lunged forward, converging with relentless speed.

“Bind him! Bind him! Bind him!” The diminutive elder resembled a man possessed, his eyes locked upon the emerald glow. His murmurs escalated to a frantic roar.

“Bind him! You must bind him!” The old man’s face flushed crimson, his fists clenched tight, veins bulging upon his brow.

Wang Lin snorted with disdain. The verdant light possessed an unnerving quality; even his divine sense could not penetrate it. True to his nature, Wang Lin willed himself to teleport away, evading the approaching luminescence.

But at that instant, the emerald light of the heavens and the earth accelerated, its speed surpassing comprehension. It contracted with astonishing swiftness, but its target was not Wang Lin. Instead, it focused upon the seemingly crazed diminutive elder.

The old man’s face paled. He retreated, his voice trembling. “Don’t bind me! Don’t bind me… I freed you! You can’t bind me… please, Celestial Binding Net, spare me! Grant me life…” As Wang Lin watched, dumbfounded, the emerald light engulfed the old man in an instant. Flames flickered around the elder, attempting to ignite and carry him away, but they were immediately extinguished.

Despair etched upon his face, the old man erupted in a furious tirade. “You ungrateful, traitorous Celestial Binding Net! You only bind me, never my enemies!” He emitted a golden aura, but it flickered and died.

“Your original master must have been killed by you!” The bitterness in the old man’s heart defied description. He unleashed spell after spell, invoking more than a dozen wildly different escape techniques, but all to no avail. He could only watch helplessly as the emerald light swallowed him whole.

The emerald light vanished, reforming into the Celestial Binding Net, shimmering with a faint, otherworldly glow. It had bound the diminutive elder tightly, rendering him utterly immobile, even his fingers locked in place. Then, it deposited him directly before Wang Lin. In all his life, Wang Lin had never witnessed such a scene: a foe ensnared by his own artifact and delivered neatly into his grasp. This was a first in seven centuries!

Wang Lin was certain that even in seven millennia, such an event was unlikely to repeat itself.

Even Wang Lin, with his renowned composure, found himself momentarily stunned. His surprise was evident!

“This…” Wang Lin’s face softened into an amused grimace. But at the same time, his apprehension toward the Celestial Binding Net soared to unprecedented heights. He had just witnessed the old man’s futile struggle against the net’s power, his every spell rendered useless.

The elder, bound and delivered before Wang Lin, saw the expression on the man’s face and felt a fresh surge of frustration. “Never seen a free delivery before? My artifact malfunctioned, alright?”

Wang Lin, normally so impassive, couldn’t help but laugh. Such mirth was rare indeed. The diminutive elder harrumphed, resigned to his fate. His timid nature had been stifled by sheer, overwhelming vexation. He considered himself the most ill-fated cultivator in all the realms: blessed with an extraordinary opportunity, only to be undone by the very artifact he had gained from it.

“Hmph, I was simply unlucky this time. Kill me, flay me, do whatever you want!” He spoke with forced bravado, but his heart throbbed with anxiety.

Wang Lin’s smile vanished, replaced by his customary cold demeanor. He seized the elder, his body blurring, vanishing from the spot.

Back at the citadel, most of the cultivators had seized the opportunity to flee during Wang Lin’s pursuit. Stripped of their Immortal Seeds, they were finally free.

But some remained. Bie Ruonan was among them.
Elara stood as if rooted to the spot, her gaze lost in the vast canvas of the heavens. A tempest of emotions churned within her sapphire eyes, veiling her thoughts in mystery.

From the ethereal void, Wang Lin materialized, his gaze sweeping across the desolate landscape. Only a handful of cultivators remained, and they bowed low, their voices a chorus of gratitude for his intervention.

Yet, Elara, as if blind to his very presence, remained enraptured by the sky.

Wang Lin, with a curt nod to the grateful few, reached out with his left hand, seizing Elara with effortless ease. He ascended with the speed of a shooting star, leaving the remaining cultivators behind. Their purpose fulfilled, their debts repaid, they parted ways, the years they had endured together now but a fading dream.

“Release me! By what right do you seize me?” Elara, jolted from her trance, struggled against his grip, her voice sharp with indignation.

“Silence!” Wang Lin’s voice was a chilling wind that pierced her very core. Yet, defiance sparked in her eyes. “I know why you take me. You seek a vessel, a mere tool. So be it. Use me, then release me!”

Wang Lin, his face an impassive mask, regarded her as one might a corpse. “You are not worthy to be my vessel.”

His speed redoubled, and in an instant, they were leagues away.

Below, Sun Yunshan paced anxiously, surrounded by fallen warriors. Hope flickered in his eyes as a streak of light descended from the heavens – Wang Lin!

In his grasp were two figures, one a familiar face that sparked a brief joy in Sun Yunshan’s heart, instantly replaced by unease.

His gaze shifted to Wang Lin’s right hand. “Ancestor!” Despite his trepidation, the sight sent a shockwave through him.

Wang Lin touched down, casting Elara towards Sun Yunshan. With a gesture, he summoned a Qilin beast, whose arrival caused the fallen warriors to tremble. From their foreheads, glowing azure glyphs ripped free, swirling towards the Qilin’s maw, feeding its insatiable hunger.

The beast roared, a cacophony of triumph, and the collected souls were absorbed into Wang Lin’s soul banner.

“Sun, the seals are broken, your sister is free. Your missing uncles await your search. As for the prisoner within the Soul Refining Tribe, I shall release him. Farewell!” With a final glance, Wang Lin, clutching the diminutive elder who claimed descent from celestial realms, vanished with a single step.

He had no interest in their familial struggles.

Within the Soul Refining Tribe, in a towering pagoda, Wang Lin materialized. He cast the elder aside and sat in meditation. His eyes blazed with power. With a gesture, three swords erupted from his pouch, their tips shimmering with frost as they encircled the elder.

These were the blades of Rat, Sheep, and Boar. Through his mastery, Wang Lin had unlocked their inner energies, deciphering the secrets of their formations.

“Have you heard of Sword Immortal Ling Tianhou’s Three Talents Sword Array?” Wang Lin’s voice was soft, yet it sent a shiver down the elder’s spine. His beady eyes darted to the blades circling him.

“When the binding on you is broken, any false move will reveal to you the true wonder of Sword Immortal’s Three Talents Formation!” Wang Lin declared.

The name of the formation had been gleaned from the soul of the Boar blade. The twelve Sword Zodiac blades, in groups of three, could form the Three Talents Array. Should all twelve be unleashed, they would become the fearsome Twelve Earthly Branches Sky-Slaying Array, the pride of Sword Immortal Ling Tianhou!

“Now, tell me your true identity!” Wang Lin’s experience allowed him to see the elder’s timid nature. His voice took on a hypnotic cadence. “Refuse, and I will tear your memories from your soul, and condemn you to oblivion!”