A fist, a finger, erupted with blinding speed the instant Wang Lin’s eyes snapped open. The God-Quake Fist unleashed ripples of power that expanded in limitless waves. These tremors, born of raw force, spread outward from the throne upon which Wang Lin sat, shattering the earth around him. The very ground buckled and heaved, torn asunder by the shockwave.

Countless fragments of stone, as if ripped free from the fabric of the world, howled through the air, sweeping in all directions. Each ripple contained an untold number of concussive blows, unleashed in a cataclysmic burst by Wang Lin’s single fist.

The palace floor disintegrated, the very void cracked and screamed. A deafening roar echoed through the shattered halls as the earth crumbled. The remaining corpses, blasted apart by the force, were caught in a colossal vortex, swirling around Wang Lin’s position.

This tempest of destruction thundered toward Tuo Sen!

Tuo Sen roared in defiance, a series of violent thuds echoing from within his body as he struggled against the storm’s relentless assault.

Wang Lin retracted his fist, and with a sudden surge, his Devil Dao finger met the tip of the approaching God-Slaying Spear. A sound that drowned out the storm’s fury erupted, a thunderous bellow that shook the heavens.

The God-Slaying Spear shuddered violently. The divine tremor and demonic force flowing from Wang Lin’s finger surged into the weapon, halting its relentless charge.

It was as if Wang Lin’s finger had become the most unyielding object in existence, capable of withstanding the God-Slaying Spear’s might.

The spear trembled, a violent, desperate vibration. This was not merely the result of the clash with Wang Lin’s Devil Dao finger, but also the relentless assault of the shockwaves.

Waves of energy reverberated outward, battering the God-Slaying Spear. Almost instantly, a layer of intricate runes appeared on the spear’s surface, flickering erratically as if on the verge of shattering under the relentless assault.

The God-Slaying Spear, the strongest royal artifact forged by the Ancient God Tu Si in his lifetime. In the hands of Tuo Sen, who was closest in blood to the god, its power rivaled that of Tu Si himself!

The moment Wang Lin’s finger touched the God-Slaying Spear, he felt an indescribable force surge into him. The power threatened to shatter his finger, its strength flooding into his body in a deafening cacophony.

A trickle of blood escaped Wang Lin’s lips, but his eyes burned with unwavering determination. His expression remained serene, as if everything was proceeding according to his plan.

Even the immense power unleashed by the God-Slaying Spear!

At that moment, he plunged his divine sense into the throne, following the strange connection between the seat and the pulsing heart on the third level. As he drew closer, the resisting force intensified, making it impossible for him to reach the heart with his own power alone!

In that instant, the God-Slaying Spear’s boundless energy erupted within Wang Lin’s body, surging outward with violent force. The throne beneath him groaned, and yet more cracks appeared in the stone platform beneath it.

At the same time, Wang Lin forcefully channeled the power that had invaded him, transforming it into a driving force to propel his divine sense toward the throne!

His divine sense, already fading, moved slowly against the opposing energy. But with this surge of power, it shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, smashing through the resistance and entering the third level, where it connected with the beating heart!

In that instant, as Wang Lin’s divine sense fused with the heart, the true inheritance began. Wang Lin’s mind echoed with a rhythmic thrum, a steady beat like that of a colossal drum: *thump…thump…thump.*

The sound, like a thunderclap, reverberated in his mind, even influencing his own heart, which quickly synchronized with the alien rhythm of the third level heart!

The throbbing grew faster, and with the perfect synchronization came an excruciating pain that threatened to tear his heart apart!

At the instant of harmonious beating, a strange connection formed between Wang Lin’s heart and the heart of the third level. A torrent of memories, maddening and overwhelming, flooded his mind.

The agonizing pain, like his very soul being ripped asunder, was far more intense than the Ancient God’s One Loss Tribulation. In his torment, Wang Lin unleashed a chilling roar.

*Thump-thump-thump…thump-thump-thump.* The third level heart beat faster and faster, the individual thumps blurring together into a continuous sound. At the same time, Wang Lin’s heart was pulled along, beating with terrifying speed. If one could see through Wang Lin’s chest, they would see his Ancient God heart writhing with countless veins, as if about to explode. Crimson blood seeped from the veins, staining the surrounding flesh.

All this happened in an instant.

As the third level heart throbbed violently, a sigh seemed to echo in Wang Lin’s mind. Then, with a final, deafening boom, the heart unleashed a last surge of power toward Wang Lin’s divine sense!

Wang Lin coughed up blood. His heart cracked in a thousand places as agonizing pain ripped through him. A horrifying grimace contorted his face, and behind him, the colossal form of the Ancient God Tu Si materialized.

But even the god’s image was twisted in agony, as if struggling.

With the final surge of power from the third level heart, the towering phantom of Tu Si shattered, as if torn from Wang Lin’s Ancient God lineage!

In the instant the Ancient God’s phantom crumbled, a colossal head replaced Tu Si behind Wang Lin!

This single head was as large as Tu Si’s entire body. The face was blurry, impossible to make out, but the left eye was a gaping void, filled with the inky black blood of ages. One could barely make out the head’s terrifying expression.

The instant this head materialized, and the final surge of power from the third level heart struck Wang Lin, the entire stone platform beneath the throne gave way!

The mountain of stone crumbled, layer upon layer disintegrating in a cataclysm of dust and debris!
The stone dais, strained beyond its limit, shattered as if struck by a god’s hammer. Even the imposing throne atop it, once a symbol of power, convulsed and crumbled. Splintered fragments of armrests and the remnants of its once-proud backrest lay scattered amidst the debris.

As if his very being threatened to unravel under this immense pressure, Wang Lin roared. His left hand, which had been desperately holding back the Spear of Extinction, snapped back. With a violent flick, a crimson tide erupted into the air, coalescing into the Bloodsword itself!

The Spear of Extinction, no longer opposed by Wang Lin’s desperate grip, hurtled towards him, a weapon of annihilation poised to pierce his soul.

But in that instant, the Bloodsword materialized, a beacon of red against the encroaching darkness. It surged forth with the force of Wang Lin’s near-broken form, the cataclysmic collapse of the dais, and the echoes of a primal power awakened within the third layer of his heart – the domineering spirit of the ancient Dao Gu!

The clash reverberated through the heavens and shook the very foundations of the palace. Bloodsword met Spear of Extinction, a cataclysm of force and will. Unbelievably, the Bloodsword, with an impossible keenness, cleaved through the mighty spear like a sharpened blade through bamboo. In a flash, the bloodied weapon passed entirely through the Spear of Extinction!

The crimson blur surged onwards, ignoring the sundered weapon at Wang Lin’s feet. The Bloodsword plunged into the chest of Tuo Sen, who had been striding forward with murderous intent. No force in this world could halt its advance; the Bloodsword pierced through Tuo Sen’s armor and bone, exiting his back in a crimson spray, before disappearing once more into the shadows.

Tuo Sen coughed forth a torrent of blood, his forward momentum arrested. He stumbled backward hundreds of paces before crashing to his knees, head snapping up in a silent scream.

The Spear of Extinction, now in two useless pieces, plunged into the earth on either side of Wang Lin. The ancient runes that had shimmered across its surface now flickered and died.

Meanwhile, within Wang Lin’s brow, the nascent vortex of the eighth star, a swirling blur of potential, resonated with newfound energy. It solidified, coalescing into a complete and potent vortex! He had overcome the most arduous step in his path to becoming an eight-star Ancient God!

This swirling foundation was his very own. Without it, Wang Lin would never hope to rise up as a truly complete Ancient God. It would take untold millennia for the energy to gather around him, rendering the goal impossible.

Eight-star Ancient God, a being only surpassed by the legendary nine-star within their clan, such power was not easily attained!

Inspired by the surging power of the third layer of his heart, the ancient demon corpse, upon which Wang Lin’s hand still rested, shuddered violently. The petrification that had encased it shattered, leaving behind no trace of its stony prison. At the same time, within the ancient demon’s right eye, the demon stars burst forth!

The fifth and sixth demon stars blazed into existence!

All of this unfolded in a heartbeat. Wang Lin’s left eye, clouded and fading, was consumed by agony. Pain radiated not only from his heart but also from his very soul. Memories threatened to tear loose, ripping his mind asunder. Blood trickled from his failing left eye.

To continue on this path would mean blindness and the loss of his memories, his link to his past. He’d lose the faces of his parents, his lovers, and the memory of his home. Wang Lin would never accept such a fate. With a defiant howl, he rose from the throne for the first time.

He was no longer seated upon the dais!

The moment he broke contact with the throne, the connection between his heart and the third layer severed. The throne, its purpose fulfilled, collapsed into a heap of rubble, vanishing from existence.

A deathly hush fell upon the palace, broken only by the sound of two laboured breaths echoing through the vast chamber.

Wang Lin closed his eyes. The colossal, ethereal head, the manifestation of Tu Si that had loomed behind him, slowly faded from sight. After what felt like an eternity, Wang Lin’s features softened, and he opened his eyes once more.

“From this day forward, I am no longer the inheritor of Tu Si… I am… Dao Gu!” Wang Lin lifted his right hand from the ancient demon corpse, then pressed his finger to his brow. With a savage tug, he ripped forth a shimmering, ethereal essence – the memories of Tu Si, gleaned long ago in the ancient god’s domain, memories he had slowly peeled away from his soul!