The celestial winds, imbued with an ethereal essence that seeped into the very heart, caressed his face. When joy dwelled within, these breezes brought forth a refreshing coolness, a profound comfort that eased the soul.

Yet, should his spirit be burdened with turmoil, even the most fleeting zephyr of the immortal realm could not grant clarity or peace.

Qing Shui arose, casting a silent glance at Wang Lin. After a moment of contemplation, wordless, he departed with a quiet sigh. The truth of the Third Soul was known to him, as was its current incarnation and the tangled threads that bound it to Wang Lin. He understood Wang Lin’s inner conflict.

Long after Qing Shui vanished, Wang Lin remained perched upon the mountain peak, gazing into the heavens of the Immortal Realm. The struggle etched upon his face lingered, unresolved.

Had this Third Soul been a stranger, Wang Lin would not have hesitated to employ any means—be it sealing, or even destruction—to avert the merging of souls and the ultimate devouring of the seven vital energies.

But the Third Soul was Xie Qing, his disciple. The prospect of taking his own student’s life wracked Wang Lin’s heart with agony.

At last, as night descended, a drawn-out sigh escaped his lips, and he lowered his gaze from the heavens. He remained undecided, though a nascent answer began to form within the depths of his being.

Yet, beyond the identity of the Third Soul, two other enigmas plagued him, obscuring the truth that had once seemed so clear.

“Tian Yunzi is a fragment of the Heavenly Dao,” he murmured, his voice barely a whisper. “In our battle, I delved into his cycle of reincarnation and witnessed him devouring the Seventh Prowess of the Seven-Colored Immortal, long before the dawn of ages!”

He closed his eyes, concealing the light of contemplation that burned within.

“But as the Seven-Colored Immortal crumbled, at the very moment his three souls and seven vital energies were torn asunder, I saw that Seventh Prowess again…”

Wang Lin’s brow furrowed in concentration. “I saw it enter reincarnation, to be lost. Perhaps it did, indeed, traverse a full cycle, as the Third Soul has done many times. But then, in one death, as it sought a new place of rebirth, it was devoured by Tian Yunzi, the Heavenly Dao’s splintered manifestation.”

He continued, “This Seventh Prowess was violet, a symbol of the Seven-Colored Immortal’s wrath and madness. Tian Yunzi claimed it… Yet, when I consumed him, within the Nether Beast, I felt a distinct absence. The Seventh Prowess of the Seven-Colored Immortal was not there!”

Wang Lin’s eyes snapped open, a chilling light flickering within. “If my senses deceive me, then good. But if I am correct, and the Heavenly Dao is devoid of the Seventh Prowess… Where is it? And who might it be now?!”

He frowned deeply. “Before, when the Heavenly Dao failed to consume the Four Great Generals and Zhan Old Ghost, I suspected it remained incomplete. If my suspicions are true, then this proves the Heavenly Dao is indeed incomplete!

“One piece is missing… Perhaps that missing piece *is* the Seventh Prowess! Could Tian Yunzi have another, undiscovered aspect?!” Wang Lin’s pupils contracted.

“I almost forgot the Gray-Robed Tian Yunzi!” he breathed, drawing a deep breath.

“Though, perhaps it is not him…”

Wang Lin remained in silent thought for a long time upon the mountain. This first enigma eluded him. Yet, the second problem weighed even heavier upon his mind, stirring deeper turmoil within his heart.

“Of the seven vital energies, I know six: Qing Shui, Si Tu, Greed Wolf, Azure Frost, Mu Bingmei, San Ling Shangren… Qing Shui and Si Tu are proven vital energies of the Seven-Colored Immortal. I expected that, for their souls of fate never appeared within the Heavenly Tribulation Cycle!

“But the souls of fate of the other four *did* appear in the Heavenly Tribulation Cycle. That was the method by which I originally discerned the seven vital energies. But now, it becomes a contradiction!” Wang Lin rubbed his temples, unable to comprehend.

“If a soul of fate exists within the Heavenly Tribulation Cycle, then that individual is one of the myriad beings born within this Cave World. If that is so, how can those four also be vital energies of the Seven-Colored Immortal…? There is a problem here!”

He lifted his head, gazing at the night sky of the Immortal Realm, and his eyes were filled with contemplation. He raised his right hand and pressed it to his brow, as if touching the Nether Beast that resided within his transformed Mustard Seed space.

“I cannot understand… yet I have a sense that this is crucial. It may even be the key to resolving the merging of the Seven-Colored Immortal’s three souls…

“If everything I saw in the illusion was false, then none of this makes sense… If what I saw was true, and Azure Frost and the others are indeed vital energies, then the existence of their souls of fate within the Heavenly Tribulation Cycle cannot be explained…” A hint of blood began to stain his eyes. He was trapped within a labyrinth of thought, unable to find his way out.

Behind Wang Lin, the Great Celestial Xuan Luo opened his eyes. He had been observing Wang Lin throughout his dream journey into the Vermillion Bird and the quest for the Third Soul, having witnessed all that had transpired.

“He is trapped in a cycle of thought, and cannot grasp it for now. Yet, the matter is simple…” Xuan Luo raised his right hand and pointed towards Wang Lin.

With that single gesture, Wang Lin’s body shuddered. He did not perceive Xuan Luo’s presence, but at that moment, a thunderous roar echoed in his mind, tearing through his thoughts and granting him a strange, new understanding!

“Variable! It is a variable!” Wang Lin drew a deep breath, his eyes shining with clarity. At that moment, his mind was sharper than ever before, as though nothing in all creation could escape the scrutiny of his thoughts.

“Azure Frost, Greed Wolf, Mu Bingmei, San Ling Shangren… Perhaps, at the beginning, their souls of fate were not within the Heavenly Tribulation Cycle, just like Si Tu and Qing Shui.

“But through countless cycles of reincarnation, due to a strange variable, the four became true individuals, utterly distinct from the Seven-Colored Immortal. Their origin may have been his vital energies, but now, through that strange change, they have become true natives of the Cave World.

Reincarnation after reincarnation, change after change, fusion after fusion… Now, they have completely distanced themselves from the Seven-Colored Immortal! They *were* his vital energies, but now, they are not!”
Here unfolds the very essence of Creation, a power akin to the Celestial Dao, the core of all existence! It is Variance itself. Under its influence, a confounding enigma has shrouded these four souls!” Wang Lin murmured, the thought arriving with sudden force, yet cleaving through the mists of his confusion.

“As for Qing Shui and Si Tu, they have yet to be fully transformed by this Variance, to become truly independent beings… Perhaps, after countless millennia, and many cycles of death and rebirth, they too shall be shaped by the Celestial Dao, like the essence of the Seven-Colored Immortal, finally separating from its totality!”

Wang Lin inhaled deeply, the clarity of his mind unleashing a torrent of insight.

“If this power within the Dao can alter the Seven Souls, surely it can also affect the Three Spirits. Should I seize control of this force, I could grant independence to the Third Spirit, preventing any future convergence of the three!”

“With the Three Spirits forever sundered, all obstacles would crumble! But what, in truth, *is* this power…?” Though his mind was sharp, Wang Lin could not fathom the Celestial Dao’s hidden core.

His own understanding of the Dao was incomplete. He knew not its genesis, nor the reasons behind its ability to birth life and weave the tapestry of rules and laws!

The clarity in his mind waned as the night surrendered to the dawn, its luminescence slowly fading from Wang Lin. Behind him, Xuan Luo sighed softly.

“The Dao… Its mysteries are beyond comprehension. Even I, who by chance became a Great Heavenly Venerate, possess but a glimmer of understanding… To fully grasp it, I must ascend even further…” Xuan Luo’s eyes gleamed with an otherworldly light.

“The Nine Suns seek this path of further ascent, yet none have succeeded. They rely instead on the endless cycle of reincarnation for their ponderings… The Dao, it originated from the primordial God Realm. When, oh when, will someone truly unravel its secrets…? Alas.” Raising his right hand, Xuan Luo gazed at his index finger, where a black, circular mark pulsed, like a miniature vortex, emanating the aura of the Dao.

Morning’s light vanquished the shadows. As the first rays of the sun kissed the horizon, Wang Lin ceased his contemplation. Taking a deep breath, he rose, his eyes filled with a complex blend of emotions. With a single stride, his form blurred like a flowing river, soaring towards the heavens in that first instant of dawn.

In that moment, his figure rivaled the sun’s brilliance, tearing through the firmament, bursting from the Silver River Array, and vanishing into the starry expanse towards the domain of Luo Tian!

With a ripple of space, Wang Lin’s presence dissolved into nothingness, reappearing beyond the Immortal Realm, amidst the stars of Luo Tian.

One step, a shift of worlds!

Having materialized, Wang Lin did not unleash his Divine Sense. Instead, he closed his eyes. Xie Qing was his disciple, bound to him by the threads of karma. Through this connection, he needed no Divine Sense to perceive his presence.

After an age, Wang Lin opened his eyes, turning towards the east, his gaze laden with even greater complexity. He sensed Xie Qing, deep within a Cultivation Star in the eastern reaches of Luo Tian, as though awaiting his arrival…

“Are you truly waiting for me…?” Wang Lin sighed softly, and began walking towards the east, his figure slowly fading into the void, until he vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, within the Luo Tian Star Domain, the Four Great Generals advanced swiftly. Ahead of them, the colossal Mist Beast shook its massive head, its eyes burning with a keen, spectral light, as it searched ceaselessly. It seemed to have found a trace.

War Old Ghost followed behind the Four Generals, his eyes burning with intense light. The Mist Beast’s demeanor spoke volumes!

Also within the Luo Tian Star Domain, near the border of Zhaohe, the Seven-Colored Daoist strode forward. He had scoured Zhaohe without finding a single clue. Now, he had begun a meticulous search of Luo Tian.

(To be continued!)