By decree of the Celestial Emperor, Wang Lin was summoned to the Imperial City for an audience. The decree specified no time, and Wang Lin, in his own time, would heed the call.

Three years drifted by like desert sands.

During these years, within the vast, desolate expanse of Meng Tu Continent, Wang Lin carved a sanctuary deep beneath the endless sands. There, in solitude, he meditated upon the battle against the venerable ancestor of the Dao Demon Sect, seeking wisdom from that fierce encounter.

At long last, after three years of contemplation, Wang Lin opened his eyes within his subterranean haven. His gaze held a spectral depth, as if starlight itself was captured within his pupils.

“Bound by my current cultivation, and without donning my Soul Armor, I can only weave nine Divine Abilities into a single strike,” Wang Lin mused, raising his right hand before him. As he clenched his fist, a muffled thunder resonated from his palm.

“Nevertheless, this fist carries far greater force than it did three years past. Should I now face the ancestor of the Dao Demon Sect, I could, without my Soul Armor, withstand his initial blow!”

Wang Lin remembered being forced back three steps by the Dao Demon Sect ancestor’s first strike. Now, after three years of diligent training, though his cultivation remained unchanged, his battle prowess had undeniably increased.

“Alas, my observations and studies of the Hastening Divinity Art reveal that, even with the aid of Golden Immortals, I can open at most a sixth Divine Meridian. And even then, I would require the essence of nine Golden Immortals!” Wang Lin clearly understood the power of the Hastening Divinity Art during his battle with the Dao Demon Sect ancestor.

The art’s potency stemmed from the exceptional quality of the Divine Meridians Wang Lin forged. However, this very quality made the creation of new Meridians increasingly difficult.

The Dao Demon Sect Leader’s shattered soul was capable of opening the fourth and fifth Meridians, but the sixth required the life force of nine Golden Immortals!

“This method of cultivation for the Hastening Divinity Art is… exceedingly difficult. The sixth requires nine Golden Immortals, the seventh, perhaps nine Celestial Immortals, and the eighth… could it demand nine Ascended Celestials? If that were so, would the ninth require nine Grand Celestials…? Perhaps a single Grand Celestial would suffice for the final Meridian…” Wang Lin chuckled ruefully.

“Yet, the Hastening Divinity Art must be pursued. Its power is undeniable, the ultimate expression of my combat potential!”

“My true cultivation remains at the initial stage of the Void Tribulant realm. Bound by this, I can only infuse nine Divine Abilities into a single blow. Therefore, I must acquire the essences of Metal and Wood as swiftly as possible, and then manifest my True Body. The fusion of the Five Elemental True Bodies will raise my cultivation to the middle stage of the Void Tribulant realm.”

“In this state, I can then weave even more Divine Abilities into my strikes. But how many more will I be able to integrate once I reach the middle Void Tribulant stage?”

“Furthermore, I must engage in battle with more Celestial Immortals, drawing the attention of the Grand Celestials… And in these many battles, I must uncover the path to Celestial Ascension, to determine if it is as the Dao Demon Sect ancestor claimed.”

Wang Lin’s eyes flashed with determination. He rose from his three-year meditation.

“I must venture to the Trial Grounds of Celestial Ascension, and see how many layers I can conquer with my strength!”

With a shimmer, Wang Lin appeared above the desert sands, at the mouth of his cavern. He swept his sleeve, and a colossal Sea Dragon manifested before him. The beast roared to the heavens, then lowered its head to Wang Lin in reverent submission.

Wang Lin, composed, stepped onto the Sea Dragon’s head. The creature shuddered, transforming into a streak of iridescent light and vanishing into the horizon.

“Within Meng Tu Continent lie two sects: the Earth Gate and the Meng Tu Sect! Both are among the Nine Sects and Thirteen Clans of Eastern Continent, yet they boast only Golden Immortals, no Celestial Immortals!” Wang Lin mused, seated atop the Sea Dragon as it sped forward. The information from the tortoise shell regarding Meng Tu Continent filled his mind.

“Though I require the souls of Golden Immortals, these two sects bear me no ill will. So be it!” Wang Lin’s eyes flashed, and he sent a mental command. The Sea Dragon veered towards Tian Continent, which bordered Meng Tu.

The tortoise shell vaguely indicated that a Celestial Immortal resided within the Heavenly Gate on Tian Continent!

“Though the map on the tortoise shell seems vast, it shows only a fraction of the true land. I must venture to the Earth Gate and Meng Tu Sect, and obtain their jade scrolls depicting the local geography.”

In years past, Wang Lin’s cultivation was meager. Both the Earth Gate and the Meng Tu Sect were behemoths to him, to be avoided with utmost care. But now, the tables had turned. These sects held no terror for him, merely ordinary orders.

“The Earth Gate is the nearest. I shall go there first!” Wang Lin glanced at the tortoise shell map, pondered for a moment, then changed course. His Sea Dragon sped eastward, vanishing in an instant.

Meng Tu Continent was largely desert. The endless dunes resembled a sea, and when the storms raged, they churned the sands into fearsome dust devils.

These storms varied in intensity. The weakest could make the mortal realm tremble, while the strongest could send even cultivators fleeing in terror. For within these powerful storms lay a peculiar magnetic force, potent enough to draw in cultivators, even trapping their souls.

Fortunately, such storms were rare, and their grandeur allowed for ample warning.

However, in the eastern reaches of Meng Tu Continent lay a region perpetually shrouded in dust storms. Once every century, these storms unleashed their full fury, rendering the surrounding countless leagues desolate. Normally, the region was a twilight realm of swirling dust and endless winds, all but impenetrable. Yet, within this strange, storm-swept area of Meng Tu Continent stood a sect renowned throughout the land: the Earth Gate. Among the countless sects of Meng Tu, only the Earth Gate and the Meng Tu Sect reigned supreme, unchallenged by any. The two massive sects held the entire continent in their sway. Now, within the storm-wracked territory of the Earth Gate, a colossal Sea Dragon materialized, emerging from the distorted twilight. Upon its head sat Wang Lin. As soon as they appeared, a furious gale descended, yet the wind could not even stir the strands of Wang Lin’s hair. His figure seemed ethereal, lacking substance.

The Sea Dragon remained unperturbed by the tempest, its eyes glowing with icy light as it stared into the heart of the storm. Wang Lin calmly directed the Sea Dragon forward, sensing the essence of Wind and Earth within the storm. The wind raged before him, yet the sands parted in deference to Wang Lin, like subjects before a monarch. Slowly and deliberately, they flew towards the storm’s epicenter, where a barrier of earthen light enveloped a vast territory, preventing the storms from encroaching further. There lay the sect grounds of the Earth Gate. The sect was a veritable paradise amidst the storm, with soaring peaks, flowing streams, and countless pavilions. There, the Earth Gate disciples bustled, a hive of activity within its boundaries. The Earth Gate consisted of fewer than ten thousand disciples, a far cry from the other Nine Sects and Thirteen Clans. The Earth Gate only accepted those with exceptional talent. The disciples were divided into nine ranks, each with correspondingly luxurious accommodations and rewards, far exceeding other sects.

The Earth Gate spared no expense in nurturing its ten thousand disciples, especially those with exceptional talent, granting them unimaginable resources. The first-rank disciples were the most rare, numbering less than a hundred. The ninth-rank disciples were the most numerous, totaling over two thousand. At this moment, within the fifth-rank district of the Earth Gate, amidst a cluster of elegant pavilions, two cultivators were seated in meditation. They were a man and a woman. The man appeared to be in his early twenties, with handsome features and a chilling aura. His cultivation was at the nascent stage of the Insightful Nirvana realm, a second-step cultivator. The woman gazed lovingly at the man, her eyes filled with devotion. However, without warning, the meditating man began to tremble violently, his face contorted in pain, as he let out a muffled cry. Alarmed, the woman reached out, placing her hands on the man’s chest and pouring her own cultivation power into him.

After a time, the man’s pain slowly subsided, and he opened his eyes, his entire body soaked in sweat.

“You… you have tried so many times. Do not try again. Is that dream truly so important to you?” The woman bit her lip, her voice soft as she spoke, gazing at the sweat on the man’s brow. The man remained silent, staring out the pavilion window. After a long pause, he calmed himself.

“That dream is important.”

“More important than me?” The woman’s lip seemed to draw blood. Confusion clouded the man’s eyes.

“That dream has haunted me for nearly two centuries. In that dream, there is a person. I cannot see her face, but I feel as though my very existence is for her, as if she were my wife in a previous life.”

“That is just a dream, Qing. It is just a dream!” Tears welled in the woman’s eyes as she gazed at the man she had loved for over a century.

“A dream?” The man named Qing’s confusion deepened.

“It is only a dream!” The woman sobbed, embracing the man tightly, as if fearing she would lose him, repeating the words over and over.

“Is it truly only a dream?” The man closed his eyes. At that moment, amidst the man’s confusion, outside the Earth Gate’s barrier, Wang Lin remained calm. He passed through the raging storms, ignoring the magnetic forces within. He halted there, with the colossal Sea Dragon beneath him. The dragon’s massive eyes, fixed on the Earth Gate, glowed with a chilling light.

“Earth Gate Sect Leader, Ancient One, come forth and greet me!” Wang Lin’s divine sense thundered across the sky, echoing throughout the Earth Gate, shaking the minds of every disciple, including the bewildered man named Qing.