The winds of primal blood, once a raging tempest, subsided, leaving naught but the star-strewn void where but a moment before, stardust danced in fury. Only the rock beneath Wang Lin’s feet remained, a solitary isle in a sea of silence. The storm’s departure left a stillness so profound, it whispered of forgotten ages.

Wang Lin lifted his gaze, his eyes fixed upon the Eastern Heavens. There, once more, he sensed the lingering essence of Tian Yunzi. A spectral echo began to coalesce around Wang Lin’s mortal form, a shifting veil of shadow and light. Slowly, as if one layer superimposed upon another, his corporeal self fractured and separated. The true Wang Lin, the core of his being, strode forth from this ephemeral shell.

As the true Wang Lin materialized, his discarded avatar raised a hand and grasped at the empty expanse. Instantly, the Ghastly Sail appeared, its canvas twisted with malevolent faces. With a forceful sweep, the Sail unfurled, enveloping the desolate space in a shifting shroud of illusion.

Within this phantom domain, Wang Lin regarded his former self, a chilling glint igniting his eyes.

“The Art of Three Lives… a power far beyond mere imitation. Su, in his desperation, would sacrifice his own avatar, perhaps even embrace a death within the Three Lives, to unravel Tian Yunzi’s machinations!

“Yet, such a course is fraught with peril, a price perhaps too dear! Tian Yunzi, if you desire this contest of wills, then let us see who shall claim the victor’s crown!” Wang Lin murmured, his words echoing in the ethereal realm. His avatar reached out, a single finger descending to touch the true Wang Lin’s brow.

A whistling gale echoed through the cosmos as the avatar’s eyes blazed with an otherworldly light. His fingertip seemed to pierce the very veil of reality, plunging into the true Wang Lin’s soul.

In that instant, the billowing Ghastly Sail, which had been circling them, began to writhe and coalesce into a swirling mist. It formed a gargantuan, grotesque visage, its spectral tendrils reaching out to consume Wang Lin’s brow.

The sight was both wondrous and terrifying. The swirling mist, a confluence of shadows and whispers, poured into the true Wang Lin, saturating his soul. Wisps of it clung to his skin, encasing him in a shimmering, spectral shroud.

Wang Lin’s avatar, his complexion paling slightly, withdrew his hand from his true form’s brow. He turned and bowed deeply towards the star-strewn tapestry above.

“Elder Lan Meng, Elder Qing Shuang, and Elder Hong Shanzi, I, Wang Lin, stand here in my true form. I beseech you, lend your strength as guardians in this crucial moment!”

Even as his words echoed into the void, a shimmering azure light flared to life. Lan Meng Daozun materialized, his presence exuding an ancient power. Behind him, Qing Shuang and Hong Shanzi followed in solemn silence.

They had been observing the dance between Wang Lin and Tian Yunzi, their eyes witnessing the ebb and flow of their conflict.

“With me as your shield, have no fear. Should you find his true self, no matter how great his cultivation, escape shall be beyond his grasp!” Lan Meng Daozun said, settling into a meditative posture before the true Wang Lin, his gaze fixed upon the avatar.

Wang Lin nodded, offering a respectful clasp of hands to the three elders. He turned and strode into the void, his path set towards the Eastern Heavens, where Tian Yunzi’s essence lingered.

As he ventured forth, the single drop of water and pinch of soil materialized in his hand. He clutched them tightly, safeguarding the precious essence they contained.

“While my true self searches for Tian Yunzi’s origin, I, as his discarded shell, must also prepare for the trials ahead. Once Tian Yunzi grows desperate, he will likely conjure forth all his avatars, seeking to overwhelm me before I can strike at his heart. I await his folly.” Wang Lin pondered, even as he walked. He wove hand seals and pressed them against his chest.

In that instant, the soul residing within Wang Lin’s avatar underwent a transformation. This was the soul of a Devourer, honed over years of trials and tribulations. It could consume all, even itself.

The avatar’s soul held within it the essence of everything he had once been. Even his nascent god-soul was inextricably linked to it. If that soul were to perish, so too would all that it embodied.

“My memories, my true self possesses them entirely. My essence, I have grasped it once, so even if it fades, I can call it back to me! Essence is born of understanding, and that understanding dwells within my true soul!

“Tian Yunzi, this game is already decided. You have lost!” Wang Lin declared, the mark on his hand flashing before dissolving into his chest.

Without further hesitation, he merged his consciousness fully with the ever-growing Tian Yunzi soul that nestled within his being. Together, they ventured toward the East.

Far away, in the Eastern reaches of the Zhao He Starfield, in the heart of an endless ocean of stars, the figure of Tian Yunzi shimmered into existence. The strange smile that often played upon his lips was gone, replaced by a stony mask of dread. His usually placid face was a grim study in suppressed turmoil.

His gaze fixed upon the void before him, a chilling glint of apprehension shone in his eyes.

“Wang Lin, to slay my true self, you must first find it, but even I have lost its trail in the folds of time! I do not believe you will succeed… but this Wang Lin is a master of deception. Perhaps that was all a ruse… He has risen from humble beginnings to become the force he is today, and it would be foolish to dismiss his words. I must remain vigilant…” He muttered, breaking from his trance. “Enough dawdling. I must hasten my plans, flaws be damned!

“Once complete, I shall slumber, awaiting my ninety-ninth awakening. This time, my grand design will finally reach fruition!

“Wang Lin, your presence has expedited my slumber, your very existence has shortened it. My ninety-ninth awakening draws ever closer!” Tian Yunzi’s eyes shone with cold determination. He raised his hands and closed his eyes.

In that instant, throughout the Zhao He Starfield, across countless worlds and asteroid fields, hundreds of identical Tian Yunzi figures flickered into existence!

Each and every one of these newly-formed Tian Yunzis locked their gaze upon a single point in the cosmos, a point occupied by the traveling avatar of Wang Lin!

At the same moment, within the Kun Xu Starfield, upon countless cultivation planets and scattered amongst the starry expanse, the fabric of reality shimmered and distorted. More Tian Yunzis appeared, an even greater number than before!

Each and every one of these newly-formed Tian Yunzis fixed their gaze upon the distant Zhao He Starfield!

Simultaneously, in the Luo Tian and Yun Hai Starfields, ripples echoed through the void as countless other Tian Yunzi avatars materialized. These three thousand avatars formed an overwhelming legion.

This was Tian Yunzi’s grand army, culled from the countless bodies he had consumed throughout his numerous awakenings!

As these three thousand avatars filled the Jieran star region, Wang Lin’s avatar paused in its journey. His eyes shone with the light of understanding.

“He has taken the bait!” The Tian Yunzi soul within Wang Lin’s avatar stirred, its latent power erupting like a geyser. It flowed through Wang Lin’s vessel, reaching out to the three thousand avatars, weaving itself into their essence. Wang Lin’s avatar was becoming the truest incarnation of Tian Yunzi!
Within Wang Lin’s very soul, the myriad emanations of Tian Yunzi stirred, each a tendril of his being, readily sensed. He knew precisely where each fragment resided, felt the thrumming life force that bound them all – a force undeniably Tian Yunzi’s own.

Wang Lin, on his own, might never have pierced the veil to find Tian Yunzi’s true form. Yet, his cunning ran deep, a dare to outwit the heavens themselves. Even as Tian Yunzi plotted against him, Wang Lin weaved his own counter-scheme.

The seemingly innocuous words he had spoken, each syllable held hidden power. Through such carefully crafted phrases, he’d forced Tian Yunzi’s hand, compelling him to alter his grand design. Though fear of Wang Lin gnawed at him, his desire to swiftly consume Wang Lin’s essence outweighed it. He called forth all three thousand of his scattered fragments, hoping to overwhelm his foe in a blinding flash.

But Tian Yunzi had sorely underestimated Wang Lin. Though he had begun with no certainty of locating his enemy’s core, Wang Lin now felt conviction blossom within him.

And that conviction, that nascent certainty, was a gift from Tian Yunzi himself – a gift delivered by the very essence of those three thousand fragments!

By tracing the threads of their life force, Wang Lin could now pinpoint Tian Yunzi’s presence, lock onto his dispersed being. He would follow these threads back to their source, to the wellspring of his power, his true self.

It was like seeking a single stream within a tangled river delta. Impossible, perhaps. But now, Tian Yunzi, in his arrogance, had offered Wang Lin three thousand paths, each leading to the same source. All was now laid bare before Wang Lin’s searching gaze.

A brilliant light ignited in Wang Lin’s eyes, burning with the intensity of twin moons. A smile touched his lips as his fingers danced, weaving a hand seal before he plunged them towards his brow.

“By these three thousand echoes of soul, I conjure a path! By the Way of Dreams, I shall journey forth! With the Ghost Sail as my vessel, I shall enter illusion, dream through three thousand forms, and follow the Wheel of Rebirth! I shall hunt down Tian Yunzi’s true self!” The instant his fingers touched his brow, Wang Lin’s true body, nestled deep within the Zhaohe Starfield, guarded by the Daoist Lan Meng and his allies, snapped awake from its meditative slumber.

“I have found the road to his true form!” An unearthly light blazed in his eyes, flooding his entire being. With the force of three thousand souls as his guide, Wang Lin’s spirit ripped open a pathway to the slumbering echoes of past millennia.

Before his eyes, reality dissolved into a swirling haze, time itself seemed to flow backward. Following the psychic trails left by Tian Yunzi’s scattered selves, he plunged into a realm of dream and illusion.

It was a fusion of his Dream Dao and the Ghost Sail’s deceptive power. Guided by Tian Yunzi’s three thousand reflections, Wang Lin would immerse himself in their shared world, perhaps even in Tian Yunzi’s own cycle of awakening and rebirth, to unearth his true origin, his uncorrupted self.

This was the method Wang Lin had conceived – his strike against Tian Yunzi.

At this very moment, within the heart of Wang Lin’s being, he found himself drifting through a nebulous void. But swiftly, the fog dissipated, and clarity descended, revealing all before his eyes.

He saw the stars, the familiar constellations of the Zhaohe Starfield. He saw a lone meteor, drifting silently through the void. And within that meteor, Wang Lin saw Tian Yunzi! Kneeling across from him, unconscious and still, was an old man – none other than Ling Tianhou!

Tian Yunzi sat there, a mask of agony etched upon his face. In his right hand, he clutched the remnants of a crimson liquid – if Wang Lin’s eyes did not deceive him, it was the altered Blood of the Celestial Dao, stolen from the Azure Dragon Holy Emperor.

Tian Yunzi’s torment intensified. After an eternity of suffering, he let out a guttural roar, his eyes snapping open. Within their depths, a whirlwind of spectral forms flickered – each one, without a doubt, one of his scattered fragments!

His gaze settled upon Ling Tianhou, and with terrifying swiftness, his maw opened, stretching impossibly wide, and he devoured Ling Tianhou whole. In that instant, a look of utter confusion washed over Tian Yunzi’s face, and his eyes slowly closed.

Time flowed, vast and unending. Centuries crawled by, until one day, Tian Yunzi’s eyes burst open, filled with a bewildered light.

“I have awakened… again… The power to sleep and awaken next time, I have also prepared…he is Wang Chi…”

All this Wang Lin witnessed, though stretched across vast ages, unfolded in a single heartbeat within his own perception.

“He devoured Ling Tianhou… why does he say he has ‘awakened again?’ How many times has Tian Yunzi been reborn?” As those visions faded with Tian Yunzi’s awakening, new images began to coalesce before Wang Lin’s eyes.