Behind Wang Lin, a legion of near ten thousand heads writhed in tormented agony. Their chilling wails, born of unimaginable suffering, rose in a cacophony that mingled with the clash of steel and the death cries echoing across the star-strewn battlefield.

“The Wheel of Life and Death is complete. The Array of Causality undone. I shall weave it anew!” Wang Lin, seated upon the Emperor’s Furnace, raised his hand. As his fingers tightened into a fist, fifty thousand of the captive heads surged forth, whirling with blinding speed to coalesce into a monstrous vortex.

The vortex spun with deafening roars, shaking the very fabric of the cosmos. As it gained momentum, it solidified into a stagnant, unmoving Wheel, birthing the Grand Array of Causality!

“Open eyes perceive Truth, closed eyes embrace Illusion! The Dao of Truth and Falsehood takes form, the Grand Array of Deception manifests!” Wang Lin’s voice, a haunting whisper, carried on the stellar winds. The remaining fifty thousand heads erupted, forming a second, equally immense vortex before him.

This vortex shimmered between reality and phantasm, barely tethered to existence. A twisted, blurred spectacle, it pulsed with nascent power, radiating the essence of Truth and Deception across the desolate expanse.

In a breath, the vortex solidified, and the Grand Array of Deception roared into being!

Wang Lin’s face was etched with grim determination. With a swift gesture, he pointed towards the swirling vortex of Life and Death shimmering in the star-strewn void. In that instant, the three primordial vortexes—Life and Death, Truth and Deception, Causality—converged, overlapping before Wang Lin in a symphony of power.

As they fused, the arrays born of the three primal essences were fully unveiled!

“I require the willing sacrifice of ten thousand souls from within our realm, to become the spirits of my three great arrays. They will drive the Wheels of Essence, shifting the heavens and stars, disrupting the cosmic ballet, and obliterating all who are not of our world!” Wang Lin’s voice resonated with gravity. His three Wheels of Power demanded ten thousand souls to serve as guiding spirits, unlocking their full, terrifying potential.

The moment his words echoed across the battlefield, ten thousand cultivators from his realm, without hesitation, stilled their bodies and released their souls, spirits soaring towards the overlapping Wheels before Wang Lin.

In mere heartbeats, the ten thousand souls arrived, taking their place upon the Wheels. A thunderous roar erupted as the three coalesced into one, expanding to a colossal size, a gigantic Wheel reaching towards the heavens.

This Wheel pulsed with the essences of Life and Death, Truth and Deception, and Causality. With each rotation, it bent the path of fate. With each revolution, it threatened to unravel the very fabric of space.

This was Wang Lin’s ultimate creation, the pinnacle of his own profound power. He could only ever forge a single such Wheel in his entire life, born from the fusion of his three primal essences.

The ten thousand souls, now bound to the gargantuan Wheel, became the engine of its cataclysmic power. With a unified roar, they strained against the impossible weight, propelling the Wheel towards the remaining hundreds of thousands of invaders.

One turn!

The heavens cracked, and the cultivator stars that formed the enemy’s stellar阵阵 trembled and began to crumble. The star-filled space was drained of life, rendered utterly barren. Nearly thirty percent of the invaders were instantly annihilated, their bodies shattered into dust.

With only a single rotation, the ten thousand souls began to fade, their strength utterly depleted. But in that moment, the cultivators of Wang Lin’s realm retreated, all kneeling in silent unison, even the ethereal Mu Bingmei. As they knelt, their souls burst forth, merging with the gigantic Wheel that blotted out the stars, joining the chorus of souls pushing the Wheel of Fate once more.

The roar echoed across the void as the Wheel completed a second rotation. Another thirty percent of the invaders perished, their bodies collapsing under the unfathomable weight of its power.

Rivers of blood flowed, painting the star-fields crimson.

The survivors, witnessing the unfolding horror, succumbed to utter terror. They were maddened by fear, their hearts trembling, and they turned and fled in every direction.

Faced with a power they could not comprehend, they dared not resist, for resistance was futile!

Even the two Sky Profound masters engaged in battle with Qing Shuang and his companions were horrified. The withered crone and the last remaining Celestial Consort, abandoning all pretense of honor, broke free of Qing Shuang’s encirclement and fled into the void. Their powerful cultivations allowed them to escape swiftly, disappearing into the distant darkness.

Against these scattering remnants of the invading force, even tens of thousands of souls could no longer muster the strength to rotate the immense Wheel a third time!

Qing Lin, the Rain Immortal Emperor, closed his eyes. His soul ascended, a being of immense power, enough to shake the heavens. It manifested as a titanic figure, and he descended, a giant’s stride bringing him before the Wheel where he pressed his hands against it.

Simultaneously, Hong Shanzi and the woman in purple from Zhaohe both closed their eyes. Their souls erupted, while the distant Qing Shui, ignoring his grievous wounds, sent his soul as well!

The four souls pressed against the colossal Wheel, and with a grinding roar, it slowly completed its third rotation!

At the moment of that third turn, the very fabric of space tore apart, a true unraveling as if layers of reality were being peeled away. Those invaders who had managed to flee were caught in this collapsing reality, their bodies rent asunder by the shifting stars.

The Wheel, having completed its third rotation, still possessed a vestige of power. But it could not complete a fourth. Wang Lin, eyes blazing, sent his own soul towards the Wheel. He grasped the wheel, pouring every last ounce of his strength into it.

At his touch, the Wheel stirred once more, completing its fourth rotation. And as that fourth rotation finished, the cosmos groaned. A strange force, born of the fusion of Wang Lin’s soul with all the souls of his realm, unleashed a terrifying wave of destruction.

Sweeping across the desolate landscape, this wave struck the remaining invaders, no matter how far they had fled. Their bodies convulsed, then shattered into dust.

The crone who had once hunted Wang Lin, facing the full brunt of the storm, vanished without a trace, her form and spirit extinguished!

Only the last remaining Celestial Consort, forewarned and bearing an ancient escape technique from the仙罡大圞陆, sensed the coming doom. With a face ashen with terror, she tore a rift in the fabric of reality and slipped through, surviving the devastation.

All was over!

Outside the Wheel, the myriad souls, weakened beyond measure, slowly returned to their bodies. And in the moment of that return, each cultivator coughed up blood, stricken by grievous wounds.

Wang Lin, too, spat blood. The Wheel born of the three primal essences had placed an unbearable burden upon him. Even his ancient god body could barely withstand it.

Were it not for the sacrifice of countless cultivators from his realm, he could not have turned the Wheel of Essence. Likewise, had the other three Sky Profound masters not been either slain or imprisoned, their combined resistance would have prevented the cultivators from lending their souls to the cause.

“Three years… the final three years!” Wang Lin, weary but resolute, rose from the Emperor’s Furnace, taking it and the Wheel of Essence with him, and transformed into a brilliant streak of light, soaring into the depths of the cosmos.

“Rest and recover for three years. I shall stand guard!”