A man with raven hair stroked the head of his Thunderbeast, a glint of peculiar interest in his eyes. “I wonder what treasures and celestial arts this Thunder Immortal Realm will reveal this time,” he muttered, his voice low. “The envoys of the Thunder Immortal Palace are sure to engage in a fierce struggle for them!”

A sinister smirk played on his lips. His Thunderbeast, a blur of lightning, sped away into the distance.

“Rumor has it,” he mused, “that the Shattered Stone Labyrinth of the Southern Domain of Luo Tian is where the enigmatic Celestial Deceiver first emerged. Its appearance caused a surge of power, transforming this place into a Thunder Hell, a realm of lightning and fury. Yet, it has become a haven for those who seek to master the ways of thunder!”

His eyes flashed with determination, and he urged his beast to greater speed.

Deep within the Thunder Pool, Wang Lin focused his mind. The incantations of the Thunder Nullification Art echoed within him, each word meticulously deciphered. He settled into a meditative posture, his hands forming mystic seals upon his knees, and drew a deep breath, closing his eyes.

The Thunder Nullification Art was a rare and potent skill, a way to draw the essence of thunder, the primal power of the heavens and earth, into one’s own being. It was a treasure guarded jealously by those who had attained the Second Step of Immortality, never to be shared lightly.

This art demanded the complete integration of thunder into the body. For those unprepared, it was akin to inviting disaster, risking grievous injury or even utter annihilation.

Yet, for Wang Lin, it was the perfect path. His very soul was formed of thunder, and his newly forged body was imbued with its essence. As the Thunderbeast would see it, Wang Lin was, in his entirety, a vessel of lightning.

After a time, Wang Lin slowly raised his hands, his expression serene. With a swift flick of his wrists, he released the hand seals, and ripples of pure, crackling energy spread outwards, illuminating the pool.

Within that single gesture lay the power of nine distinct hand seals, executed with blinding speed, imbuing the air with the essence of thunder.

A deafening roar echoed through the Thunder Pool as the vast energy within responded. A single, massive bolt, as if guided by an unseen hand, surged towards Wang Lin, like a dragon of pure lightning, eager to be unleashed.

But as it touched his skin, it dissolved, flowing directly into his body.

The thunder of this place was untamed, far exceeding the power of common lightning. It surged through his veins, an unbridled force threatening to overwhelm him. But Wang Lin remained unmoved, his hands moving with even greater speed, channeling the Thunder Nullification Art. His body became a living vortex, a great millstone grinding down the raging energy, extracting the purest essence of the cosmos from the thunder within.

The Art spoke of the initial struggle, the need to balance the resistance of the body against the raw power of the thunder, requiring time and patience.

But Wang Lin was spared this hardship. His body and soul were already one with the storm, the thunder’s fury merely a familiar sensation, no source of pain or harm.

He focused all his will upon the process of extraction, ignoring the surging energy.

At last, the thunder began to break, collapsing under the pressure of the Thunder Nullification Art, yielding a tiny, almost imperceptible fragment of pristine Essence.

To Wang Lin, it was a priceless treasure. Essence, a rare and precious power, was the key to Ascendancy, only glimpsed in the moment of breakthrough, never to be replenished. To draw Essence directly from the world was a power reserved for the Second Step Immortals. Only through a series of improbable events could Wang Lin hope to achieve this.

He suppressed his elation, carefully guiding this minuscule thread of raw power, directing it towards his nascent soul. Once absorbed and refined, the impurities purged, this Essence, though diminished, would become his own.

This was a delicate moment. With unwavering focus, Wang Lin coaxed the Essence, still untamed and volatile, towards his waiting soul.

But then, disaster struck! An unforeseen event, catching Wang Lin completely unprepared. The Essence, upon touching his soul, erupted in a frenzy, like a wild horse breaking free of its reins.

It burrowed into his soul, but not to merge. With blinding speed, it raced towards the very core of his being, the place where the Celestial Deceiver resided! In an instant, the raw Essence merged with the ancient pearl! A resounding boom, unheard by the outside world but shaking Wang Lin to his core, echoed within his body. It felt as if he had been struck by a colossal mountain. His face drained of color, his soul trembled, and his body convulsed.

Unbidden, the Celestial Deceiver, sensing the surge of energy, emerged from his soul. It rose, through his flesh, and drifted out of his brow.

Wang Lin stared, dumbstruck, as the scene unfolded before him.

The Deceiver, once again freed from its prison, pulsed with power. The moment it emerged, the Thunder Pool erupted in chaos, a torrent of pure energy unleashed. Countless bolts of lightning, now coalesced into dragons of pure power, burst forth from the pool.

The surrounding stone shattered, the debris crackling with captured lightning. The Immortal Guardians retreated, fleeing the zone of influence.

Even the Thunderbeast was startled, instinctively backing away from the growing tempest.

Wang Lin gazed at the Celestial Deceiver suspended in the air, his confusion deepening.

From the Thunder Pool, an endless stream of lightning dragons converged, plunging headlong into the Deceiver. It was a sight of unimaginable scale and intensity, holding Wang Lin in thrall.

The Celestial Deceiver rotated slowly, devouring the lightning with each turn. Gradually, a violet glow emanated from its surface.

This was a familiar sight, a transformation he had witnessed before.
A blinding violet light erupted, momentarily consuming all before abruptly scattering, revealing once more the strange and potent warding. Simultaneously, a colossal gate materialized in the very fabric of existence, looming before Wang Lin’s awestruck gaze. The sheer strangeness of it all left him reeling.

Unbeknownst to him, this very spot marked the first emergence of the Heaven Defying Pearl into the mortal realm! The bizarre transformations of this place were the echoes of that ancient arrival.

Now, Wang Lin had unwittingly stumbled upon this nexus, bringing the Heaven Defying Pearl back to its genesis point – a twist of fate pregnant with karmic resonance.

Yet, this was no mere accident. Wounded in spirit, Wang Lin had followed a sensation of comfort, a homing beacon leading him here. Though the Lightning Dragon’s essence played a part, a more profound and subtle influence guided him: the Heaven Defying Pearl itself.

For Wang Lin, the Pearl was a singular entity, melded with his very soul, lacking a fixed form. It could sway his spirit, and that sensation of solace was, in truth, an emanation from the Pearl! Had this been all, little would have transpired. The Pearl’s Five Elements were not yet complete, and without true ownership, even a journey to this place would have yielded nothing.

But then came the culmination of the Five Elements, a transformation that awakened the Pearl. The emergence of the colossal gate signaled the first true activation of the Heaven Defying Pearl within Wang Lin.

This activation signified the Pearl’s acknowledgement of its master.

And so, the sequence unfolded, naturally as a stream finding its course. Wang Lin reabsorbed the now-bonded Pearl into his spirit. Arriving at the site of its origin, the Pearl, fueled by the ambient energies of the cosmos, underwent a profound metamorphosis! Remove any single thread of cause and effect, and the current transformation would have been impossible. In all its timeless existence, only Wang Lin had achieved this pivotal step.

The immense Celestial Gate stood revealed once more. Violet light pulsed, as if the very world, the essence of existence, even the surrounding Lightning Pool, were saturated in violet hue. Lightning itself was transmuted into violet bolts! The emergence of this gate triggered an overwhelming sense of primal reverence that surged through Wang Lin. Though he had witnessed it once before, he felt a profound lightness, yet his eyes burned with an unyielding spirit.

Amidst the violet haze, a gargantuan arm coalesced beyond the Celestial Gate. This time, however, Wang Lin’s heart leaped in his chest! At the moment of its manifestation, countless violet lightning bolts from the surrounding pool lashed out, assaulting the arm with a thunderous roar, binding it as if with chains of pure energy! Wang Lin’s gaze was a laser beam, fixed upon the arm. After a moment of grim deliberation, he gritted his teeth and soared into the heavens, aiming straight for the colossal gate.

Had the arm been unfettered, he would not have dared to enter, even with the gate re-opened. But now, he sensed an opportunity, a fleeting chance to glimpse the mysteries that lay beyond, one that might never come again! His speed was great, but tempered with caution. Should the gargantuan arm break free, he would retreat without hesitation! Closer and closer he flew! The arm strained to move, but the lightning restraints held firm, slowing its advance to a crawl.

A flicker of decision crossed Wang Lin’s eyes. He accelerated, becoming a streak of lightning as he plunged towards the gate. At the instant of his approach, a sliver of the gate cracked open! And in that moment, the universe itself seemed to hold its breath…

Wang Lin’s form froze just outside the sliver. His eyes snapped wide, his very being seized and drawn into the depths of the Celestial Gate! All he perceived sent shivers down his spine! He felt as though his spirit had left his body, adrift in a boundless, timeless, and primordial chaos.