In the heart of the ancient Scorpion Temple, Wang Lin sat in serene meditation. Four majestic emanations of his very being, the true forms of his Source, stood as silent guardians, allowing him to focus his will. Within this tranquil haven, he sought to unleash the full potential of his cultivated power.

He had already reached the apex of the Empyrean Realm, having mastered eight fundamental Sources, one of which had even manifested as a True Form. Now, with earth-shattering force, three more Source True Forms had been birthed within him, and he had grasped a ninth Source!

This ninth Source was the key, the linchpin upon which his ascension rested!

For he now possessed nine Sources: Life and Death, Cause and Effect, Truth and Illusion, Restriction, Slaughter, Thunder, Fire, Water, and Earth!

“I shall break through to the Profound Void!” Wang Lin’s eyes blazed with determination. He inhaled deeply, drawing upon the essence emanating from his four guardians. The nine Sources within him began to spin, faster and faster, striving towards the gateway of the Profound Void.

The Empyrean Realm and the Profound Void were separated by but a single word, yet the gulf between them was immense. A cultivator of the Profound Void had grasped the very fabric of the heavens and earth, and possessed at least one Aspect of the Void.

To attain the Profound Void was to step into the ranks of the powerful. Even on the Immortal Astral Continent, such a being held sway outside the Nine Sects and Thirteen Orders. More importantly, reaching the Profound Void granted access to arcane arts, mystical techniques of immense power. Though of little use on its own to Wang Lin, achieving the Profound Void would grant him a tremendous leap forward.

The nine Sources roared within him, spinning with ever-increasing velocity. The aura of his Empyrean peak exploded outward, reaching a terrifying crescendo. Above him, the very heavens shimmered, forming illusory visions.

A swirling vortex of clouds appeared, mirroring the frantic rotation of his inner Sources. Within this maelstrom, Wang Lin’s spirit-soul seemed to undergo a metamorphosis, radiating blinding light. Though contained within his body, this radiance pierced through his very skin, becoming visible to the world.

Wang Lin now seemed translucent, imbued with an indescribable majesty. At that very instant, a resounding boom echoed within him as his cultivation shattered its previous restraints, surging from the peak of the Empyrean Realm and reaching the nascent stages of the Profound Void!

The moment he entered the Profound Void, Wang Lin’s perception of reality shifted. Obscure truths, once veiled in shadow, now shone with brilliant clarity.

He opened his eyes, surveying his surroundings with a newfound wisdom.

“The Profound Void is but a stepping stone. My true goal is to reach the Empty Tribulant Realm!” Wang Lin murmured. As he spoke, the Profound Void was merely a passage. The blessings he had received, especially the accumulated cosmic energy within the Green Devil Furnace, held within his soul, would explode his power again.

Most crucial was his possession of nine Sources. His immediate task was to unite them, to bring them into harmonious alignment! Should he succeed, he could face the Nine Xuan Tribulations!

If he survived those tribulations, Wang Lin would ascend to the realm of the Empty Tribulant Paragon!

His eyes gleamed with resolve. He had waited long for this opportunity and would not let it slip through his fingers. Without hesitation, Wang Lin inhaled deeply and cast a hand sign, pointing his finger towards the heavens.

“Nine Great Sources, Technique of Unification!” At his command, the True Forms of Fire, Earth, and Water trembled. From each of their celestial crowns, a torrent of Source essence erupted.

These three streams of essence danced before Wang Lin, swirling and merging. From afar, one could see flames erupting, earthen light shimmering, and waves of water rippling in their dance.

“These three belong to the Five Elements. Once united, they will become the catalyst for reaching the mid-stage of the Profound Void! Especially since they all reached the True Form of their Source. Once unified, their power will reach new heights,” Wang Lin thought. He manipulated the three Essences, and they came together, flames dancing, water rushing, earth trembling.

In their dance, they collided with immense force. However, rather than merging, they shattered apart!

Wang Lin’s eyes narrowed. He bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood, using it as an adhesive to bind the scattered Sources.

“Water and Fire are intrinsically opposed, but I will use Earth as a mediator. Earth can drown water, and Earth can smother fire. Combined with the essence of my soul-blood, imbued with my very will, I refuse to believe that these three Elements cannot fuse!” With a guttural roar, Wang Lin cast hand signs at impossible speed, launching them towards the swirling essences.

The vortex of the three elements erupted into booming sounds. Within the chaos, illusions appeared, visions of raging floods and infernos, with earth covering all.

Time passed, and Wang Lin had spat out seven mouthfuls of blood. The three Essences began to coagulate, and Wang Lin focused to grasp them with his will. Hundreds of collisions and thousands of times.

Seven days later, with an earth-shattering roar, the three Essences merged. Within their joined dance, a single picture was formed. Earth, water, and fire were a collage.

Within that portrait, the earth was in the center, above was the sea of fire, below were the surging waves. The instant the three collided, the essences merged together, taking on the shape of a being.
Here, rewritten in a fantasy style:

“Behold! The convergence of three Grand Essences takes form. This reborn manifestation, infused with the very elements of Thunder, Flame, and Earth, assumes a semblance of independence. No longer merely a True Body, it more closely resembles an Avatar of the Heavens, a five-fold Elemental Echo!”

“The moment this tri-Essenced form materialized, the soul-force within Wang Lin’s core spiraled into a frenzy. It greedily devoured the accumulated power of the cosmos, causing his cultivation, already bordering the Emptiness Profound realm, to surge with untamed might!”

“Toward the Mid-stage of Emptiness Profound he ascended, a climb that consumed a full month. At its culmination, a long cry tore from Wang Lin’s throat. His cultivation had reached the Mid-stage of Emptiness Profound!”

“Never before had any mortal risen so swiftly, leaping from the Early-stage to the Mid-stage in mere months. Were this feat to become known, Wang Lin would surely become the cynosure of all eyes.”

“Yet for him, this was but a beginning, far from the end of his trials.”

“‘Essences of Slaughter and Restriction are unique, rarely harmonizing. But with Thunder as my guiding thread, weaving it into silken strands, I can bind these disparate powers. My cultivation shall soar again, reaching the Late-stage of Emptiness Profound!'”

“‘Especially as the Essence of Thunder has manifested a True Body. Its might surpasses the other two. Thus, it can be done!'” Wang Lin muttered. His eyes flashed, revealing within their depths countless crimson threads, the reflections of the Essence of Restriction. As these coalesced before him, a tempest of carnage erupted from within his very being, chilling the air. The Essence of Slaughter roared to life.

These two unique forces swirled before him. Wang Lin raised his right hand, gesturing toward the seated Thunder True Body.

Its eyes snapped open, brimming with lightning. It rose, and with a flicker, transformed from its corporeal form into a slender bolt of pure energy. It shot toward the Essences of Slaughter and Restriction, weaving between them like a lightning serpent, forging bonds of union with furious speed!

This convergence proved far more arduous than that of the five elements. For a month, Wang Lin toiled, each attempt ending in failure. The Essence of Slaughter was tyrannical; the Essence of Restriction, anathema to thunder. The two refused to blend.

Wang Lin’s eyes became laced with blood. He glared at the three Essences before him, a furrow etched upon his brow. True fusion, he knew, required a catalyst, a secret harmony. Without it, endless trials would yield nothing.

“‘If only I possessed a third unique Essence, the task would be eased… But I can wait no longer. If these Essences will not merge, then I shall change my approach. I will draw them all into the Thunder True Body!'” A spark ignited in Wang Lin’s eyes. He abandoned his earlier strategy, choosing the Essence of Thunder as the core, to which the others would be drawn, absorbed.

With a flourish of hand seals, he spat forth several mouthfuls of his very soul-blood, bathing the Thunder True Body in its essence. The True Body, infused with Wang Lin’s will, resonated with thunderous roars. It stretched out its arms, becoming two tendrils of lightning, lunging toward the Essences of Slaughter and Restriction!

With the body of Thunder, to consume Slaughter!

With the body of Thunder, to consume Restriction!

Should he succeed, this Thunder True Body would undergo a metamorphosis. Infused with three Essences, it would even change the very nature of thunder. Such a thing was rare, almost unheard of. Wang Lin knew not what awaited, what transformations would occur. But now, he had no choice.

Months passed. Then, on one momentous day, the Thunder True Body before Wang Lin unleashed a wave of power that shook the heavens. It had successfully absorbed Slaughter, had claimed Restriction as its own. A series of deafening booms echoed across the heavens as the Thunder True Body underwent a transformation, a metamorphosis that stunned Wang Lin into silence.