Du Qing, Elder Ancestor of the shattered Azure Dragon Sect, gazed up at the tainted heavens. A chilling premonition coiled in his gut, a sense that the one he hunted was no mere mortal, but a being of formidable and terrifying power. Doubt, a serpent in his breast, threatened to paralyze him. Should he continue this pursuit?

After a long moment of agonizing silence, Du Qing gritted his teeth, his eyes hardening into chips of ice. “To yield now would be an unbearable admission of weakness. I must face him, test his mettle! If he is but a charlatan, I shall strike him down. But… if he is indeed my equal, a worthy opponent, then my thoughts must change. The Azure Dragon Sect is broken, a wound that cannot be healed. But perhaps… perhaps he could be *absorbed*. His strength, channeled into the Sect, could eclipse its former glory!”

A being of capricious temperament though he was, Du Qing was no fool. He had made his decision. Raising his right hand, he plucked a slip of crimson paper from the void. With a flick of his wrist, the paper crane swelled, bursting into a cloud of scarlet smoke that coalesced into a living avian form. The smoke-crane let out a piercing screech and soared away, guided by some unseen force, towards the elusive figure ahead.

Du Qing followed, each step carrying him further into the unknown. “With the guidance of this relic, gleaned from the Great Soul Gate, he cannot escape me for long!”

Meanwhile, across the ravaged plains of Tianniu Continent, the earth groaned under an earth-shattering tremor. From the ravaged soil erupted a creature of immense size and terrible beauty – a Vermillion Bird woven from living flame. Its radiant wings spread wide, scorching the very air and causing the parched land to crack and crumble under its searing heat. Atop the Vermillion Bird’s head, Wang Lin, his white hair swirling in the wind, surveyed the desolate landscape with eyes burning with cold fire.

Half a moon had passed since his second consumption of a Earthfire Vein Soul. Wang Lin had wasted not a moment, pressing relentlessly forward, devouring every Earthfire Vein he encountered.

In these past weeks, he had consumed nine Earthfire Veins. Adding these to the two he had previously taken, his Flame Origin now contained eleven Earthfire Dragon Souls.

His Fire Essence surged with a power far exceeding its state within the Domain of the Caves, more than doubled in strength. This staggering increase fueled his hunger, driving him on a ravenous quest to consume more and more!

He was aware of the hunter on his trail. Though he had not seen his pursuer, Wang Lin knew exactly who it was. None other than Du Qing, the Azure Dragon Sect’s strongest, an old beast with the power of an Initial Void Tribulant!

The logic was inescapable. Only one confident enough, skilled enough, could have tracked him this far. Amongst those he had angered since arriving in the Immortal Astral Continent, only the Azure Dragon Sect Elder Ancestor from Kang Ren’s memories possessed the ability.

*”Kang Ren’s recollections place the Azure Dragon Sect Elder Ancestor as an Initial Void Tribulant… but the true nature of his power is beyond that wretch’s understanding!*

*Perhaps he has truly endured the Nine Xuan Tribulations and stands at Initial Void Tribulation… or perhaps he still struggles with the Xuan Tribulations themselves!”* Wang Lin, wary of relying solely on Kang Ren’s incomplete memories, refused to underestimate his adversary.

With a flash of grim determination, Wang Lin urged the Vermillion Bird onward. Its cry split the sky as it hurtled toward the horizon. Each Earthfire Vein consumed made the creature swifter, closing the gap between its speed and Wang Lin’s own.

The Vermillion Bird vanished like a wraith. Half a day later, a rainbow tore across the sky, twisting into the form of Du Qing. He had pursued his prey relentlessly for weeks, drawing ever closer. Yet, his heart grew darker with each passing league.

In those days, he had encountered nine desolate Earthfire Veins, each one radiating a power that chilled him to the bone. The mounting evidence shook his initial confidence, sowing seeds of doubt.

*”Another one! Cursed fiend, how many must he devour before he is satisfied? If he continues to consume these veins, how can I hope to catch him? How can I risk pursuing him…?*” Du Qing stared down at another withered Earthfire Vein, his scalp prickling with fear.

*”What if I strain myself to catch him, only to find myself outmatched and wounded? My entire pursuit would become a laughingstock!*” The thought haunted him. Hesitation gnawed at his resolve. Finally, with a defiant roar, Du Qing cast his fears aside. He would not retreat until he had seen the truth of his opponent’s strength.

*”I may present myself as an Initial Void Tribulant, but I have only weathered the Seven Xuan Tribulations! Yet, with my Fireshale Violetwood body, my strength surpasses that of ordinary cultivators. My flesh is akin to that of an Ancient Nation warrior! I refuse to believe I cannot defeat him! Even if our cultivations are equal, my physical might will surely overwhelm him!”* With newfound confidence, Du Qing redoubled his efforts, pushing himself forward guided by the smoking crane.

Seven days later, the Vermillion Bird soared overhead, its shadow swallowing the land below as it swept past a barren wasteland. In six days, Wang Lin had consumed three more Earthfire Dragon Vein Souls! Fourteen in total, causing his Flame Essence to explode with power, doubling its strength from the Domain of the Caves.

An hour later, Du Qing stumbled upon the latest site of Wang Lin’s destructive feast. The desiccated husk of an Earthfire Vein. He was visibly shaken, his face drawn and pale, the relentless pursuit taking its toll.

This toll was not merely physical, but a torment of the soul. The endless parade of withered Earthfire Veins chipped away at his confidence, threatening to break him. He would have preferred a costly battle to this unending torment.

Four days later, on another barren stretch of Tianniu Continent, the sky shrieked, rent by the dragon’s mournful cry. Another Earthfire Vein, consumed. A Vermillion Bird of unimaginable size burst forth from the land and screamed into the void.

Thirty minutes later, Du Qing appeared, staring numbly at the ravaged landscape. A long, unsettling silence stretched between the sky and ground.

*”…Sixteen…*” Du Qing was beginning to question if Wang, the mysterious predator he was chasing, was himself a sentient Earthfire Vein made manifest.

Two days later, deep in the northern reaches of Tianniu Continent, a land of endless, jagged peaks that clawed at the sky. The mountains stood stark and black, devoid of any life. A suffocating, oppressive air hung over this lifeless domain, rising from the fissured earth. The landscape seemed to radiate a palpable heat.
In the forgotten reaches of Tianniu Continent, where the footsteps of cultivators rarely trod, an echoing silence usually reigned. But at this moment, from the heart of the jagged peaks, a thunderous roar ripped through the air, a sound that shook the very heavens.

It was the bellow of a Fire Dragon Soul, a sound far exceeding the roars Wang Lin had encountered before. This was a tangible thing, a sonic tremor that resonated through all existence within these desolate lands. This was not merely a soul’s lament; it was the true voice of a power so immense that it had solidified into reality.

Having devoured countless streams of earth-fire, Wang Lin had never encountered such an insurmountable, terrifying earth-fire soul. In the depths of the mountains, a colossal Vermillion Bird emerged, bearing Wang Lin upon its back. He turned sharply, his eyes widening at the sight behind him.

The mountains themselves writhed in agony. The earth for miles around buckled and collapsed as the peaks shattered into dust. From the abyss rose a Fire Dragon of unimaginable size, its head alone stretching for tens of thousands of feet, its body an unknowable immensity. Though clearly a soul, it possessed a terrifying tangibility, a testament to the unparalleled power of this earth-fire vein.

“This is not a tributary; it is a scion!” Wang Lin exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with insight. He had surveyed this place carefully before, and now, witnessing the extracted soul in such a state, his suspicions were confirmed.

A main earth-fire vein could spawn countless tributaries, branching out like limbs from a central trunk. But a scion was different. Once, perhaps, it had been connected to the main vein, but in the eons since, it had broken away, becoming a fully independent entity. A scion was like a child of the main vein, possessing nearly the same power, differing only in strength.

“I wonder how many scions exist within Tianniu Continent… surely not many,” Wang Lin mused. “To devour a scion is akin to consuming countless tributaries. Now that I have found it, I cannot let it go!” The Vermillion Bird shrieked, wheeling in the sky before plunging down towards the roaring Dragon Soul.

The Fire Dragon Soul, a vision of savage grandeur, unleashed a torrent of flames that instantly blotted out the sky. They surged for tens of thousands of miles, engulfing Wang Lin and his Vermillion Bird in a sea of incandescent fury.

All avenues of escape were sealed. Within the flames, choking black smoke billowed, consuming every breath of air and warping even light itself. All space was rendered indistinct, a swirling vortex of heat and smoke. Only the monstrous Fire Dragon remained clear, its malevolent eyes burning with primal rage as it hurtled towards Wang Lin and his mount.

Wang Lin snorted disdainfully. This earth-fire scion soul, though powerful, a match for a mid-stage Empyrean Exalt cultivator, would not deter him. He formed a hand seal, pointing a finger at the onrushing Dragon.

“Sixteen Souls of the Earth-Fire Tributaries, by the name of Wang Lin, appear!” As the words left his lips, sixteen immense Fire Dragons, each ten thousand feet long, materialized around the Vermillion Bird, swirling and roaring as they charged alongside it toward the Dragon Soul.

At that very moment, a streak of light descended from the distant sky. It was Du Qing, who had finally caught up.

From afar, he beheld the flame cloud that dominated the landscape, heard the earth-shattering roar of the Dragon. At that sound, Du Qing’s form jolted. His youthful body cracked and split, a spectral light flashing within. He transformed into a being of violet wood.

As he became wood, flames erupted from within him, swirling protectively around his wooden form without causing it harm. This was a manifestation of Du Qing’s Dao source, the very essence of flame.

This awakening had been triggered by the Dragon Soul’s roar, which echoed the fire of Tianniu Continent itself. Du Qing was a Dao source cultivator, acknowledged by the land’s flames.

Ordinary tributaries lacked the power to call forth Du Qing’s Dao source, but a scion, with its near-equal link to the main vein, could achieve this feat.

Du Qing’s face paled. His gaze fell upon the distant sea of flames, where he could just discern the sixteen Fire Dragons circling the Vermillion Bird, an awe-inspiring spectacle of dragons and bird devouring the earth-fire.

And above them, astride the Vermillion Bird, stood a figure in white, his robes stark against the inferno. Though he could only see his back, Du Qing felt a crushing weight of pressure, as if facing a mountain.

“It is him!” Du Qing’s eyes gleamed with determination.