A storm of black lightning, thick with celestial wrath, thundered from the heavens. It struck the shattered earth with a cataclysmic roar, cleaving the ground in a jagged, echoing fissure.

Deep within this newly formed chasm, Wang Lin’s eyes had just flickered open.

The lightning, a ravenous beast of energy, plunged into the depths, striking Wang Lin with brutal speed.

*THOOM!*

His body convulsed under the assault. The lightning surged through him, a tempest unleashed within his flesh. But even as it raged, it met fierce resistance. The ancient power of the Blood Avatar and the enigmatic aura of the Elder clashed against it in a furious, internal battle.

Wang Lin’s mortal form became the war-torn battlefield. The collision of these forces birthed a surge of pure, untainted Celestial Essence that permeated every fiber of his being. His nascent soul, starved for power, greedily devoured this energy, growing with unnatural speed.

A strange light ignited in Wang Lin’s eyes. He was awake, truly awake, the lightning having jolted his consciousness fully into being.

“The Heavenly Tribulation…” Wang Lin breathed, a wisp of awe and trepidation in his voice. He remembered the power of the tribulation he faced in the Demon Spirit Land. Now, as it bore down upon him once more, his eyes blazed with a strange anticipation.

In that first moment of clarity, he sensed the chaos writhing within him. If left unchecked, this turmoil would tear him apart, even without the Tribulation’s intervention.

“This tribulation… it comes at the perfect time!” A fierce light burned in Wang Lin’s eyes. He met the descending storm not with fear, but with a surge of exultation. Without hesitation, he slammed his hand against the earth and launched himself skyward.

From within the Immortal Sword, Xu Liguo shrieked in terror, “Master! Master! Take me back to the storage pouch! This place is too dreadful!”

As Wang Lin ascended, he summoned the Immortal Sword with a flick of his wrist, securing it and the fragments of Immortal Mountain within his pouch.

The moment he burst from the fragmented land, the clouds surrounding it roiled and churned with unprecedented fury. A wave of celestial pressure, far greater than anything he had experienced in the Demon Spirit Land, slammed down with shocking force.

It was as if unseen hands were forcing Wang Lin back to the earth. Every bone in his body screamed in protest.

Simultaneously, four bolts of black lightning coalesced, one from above, one from below, and one from each side. They descended upon him, an inescapable cage of annihilation. Wang Lin’s eyes shone with terrifying intensity. He spread his arms wide, embracing the tempest. The lightning from above struck first, blasting directly into his body. Then, with a deafening roar, the bolts from left and right found their mark.

Finally, the fourth bolt, spawned from the churning clouds beneath the fragmented land, pierced through the earth itself and struck Wang Lin from below.

The four bolts of black lightning erupted within him, clashing once more with the ancient power of the Blood Avatar and the enigmatic aura of the Elder.

This time, the collision was cataclysmic. It was a true storm unleashed within his being, a vortex of pure energy. From this chaos, the three forces birthed even greater waves of Celestial Essence.

So immense was the power that Wang Lin roared aloud, his voice laced with raw, untamed energy. His aura surged, spiraling upward as his soul, nourished by the Celestial Essence, completed the critical transformation from the late-stage Soul Transformation realm to the threshold of the Yin Void.

For what was a soul before this pivotal shift? Merely an imitation, a pale shadow. The true soul was one that could draw upon the very essence of the heavens and earth, reborn in the crucible of Celestial Essence!

The ancient cultivators had sought to master “Qi,” the very breath of the universe. When this Qi matured within them, it would coalesce into a Divine Spirit – the true Soul!

But modern cultivators had lost this path, forced to struggle to emulate the ancients only after reaching the Yin Void realm.

Now, a flood of Celestial Essence coursed through his soul, driving it toward this transformation. Wang Lin’s spirit was taking that critical leap forward, evolving into a true and powerful entity.

Late-stage Soul Transformation had been surpassed! He had broken through!

In that moment of ascension, Wang Lin perceived his Path, his Dao! It was as if the secrets of the universe, the very fabric of existence, had been laid bare before him.

A long, piercing cry escaped his lips, cutting through the storm and echoing outwards, a testament to his newfound power.

Blood Ancestor, who had been gleefully anticipating Wang Lin’s demise, heard this roar and his expression twisted in dismay.

“Yin Void…” he muttered, his face darkening. “It seems the Essence within my Blood Avatar has allowed him to withstand the Tribulation, to even reach Yin Void… But even that is not enough…”

Before he could finish his thought, his face contorted in astonishment. He stared, transfixed, at the tumultuous clouds.

“…it is still climbing…”

Wang Lin felt a sensation he had never known before – a liberation, a sense of completion. The Immortal Force within his body began to dissipate, replaced by the raw, untamed power of the newly awakened soul.

As if enraged by this defiance, the clouds above roared with thunderous fury. In an instant, eight bolts of black lightning, each thicker and more potent than the last, crashed down upon him.

Wang Lin threw back his head and laughed. His soul, no longer bound by human form, burst forth from his brow. It had transformed into the shape of a fearsome, ancient Thunder Dragon. As the eight bolts of lightning fell, the Thunder Dragon opened its maw and devoured them whole.

Eight times it swallowed the heavenly fire, each time returning to Wang Lin’s body, releasing its captured energy. The Blood Avatar and the Elder’s aura within him surged once more, unleashing even greater quantities of Celestial Essence.

Wang Lin’s cultivation soared. The Yin Void realm stabilized and he marched forward towards its pinnacle!

The Yin Void and Yang Solid realms were a bridge between the first and second steps of cultivation, a fusion of Yin and Yang to achieve a perfect balance. Yin Void saw the transformation of the soul, while Yang Solid marked the complete dissipation of Immortal Force, replaced entirely by Celestial Essence.

This was the process of transformation – of becoming, truly, like the ancient Qi cultivators.

Throughout history, since the fall of the Immortal World, only a handful of individuals had been able to bridge both realms in a single, unbroken breakthrough. Without exception, these individuals had risen to become paragons of the second step!

Even Tian Yunzi had required three centuries to traverse these realms. Ling Tianhou had needed eight hundred years. Blood Ancestor himself had struggled for nearly a thousand!

It was not merely a matter of talent, but of raw Celestial Essence!

Now, Wang Lin was advancing along this path with terrifying speed. The Heavenly Tribulation was his nourishment, and the Blood Avatar and the Elder’s aura were the wellspring of power that fueled his ascent!

Blood Ancestor watched from afar, his eyes burning with a murderous rage.

“I came to destroy him,” he snarled, “and instead, I have gifted him this opportunity! I… I will not accept this!”

Above, within the heart of the shattered clouds, Wang Lin raised his head, his gaze clear and filled with anticipation. A thunderous roar echoed from the storm, and from within its heart coalesced a bolt of lightning that shimmered with seven brilliant, iridescent colors…