I need not vanquish thee, for I require only thy stillness… Wang Lin’s form blurred, the five spiraling Divine Meridians within him whirled with sudden, frenzied speed. In that instant, no less than ninety-seven afterimages sprang into being about him in the heavens!

Adding his true form, there stood now ninety-eight Wang Lins!

Each spectral duplicate mirrored the original, possessed of a verisimilitude uncanny to behold. They were born of Wang Lin’s blinding speed, each a fleeting echo unleashed by a single step.

“Halt!”

“Halt!!”

“Halt!!!”

The ninety-seven phantoms, joined by Wang Lin himself, each unleashed a single, potent incantation in that split second – the Art of Stillness!

At its casting, the very heavens trembled. Each of the ninety-eight Wang Lins raised a right hand, aiming a piercing finger towards the exquisite maiden below!

In the wake of their gestures, the ninety-seven afterimages converged, merging into Wang Lin’s true form until the skies birthed a colossal phantom – a single finger, vast enough to prop up the very heavens!

This ethereal digit descended, pointed directly at the Celestial Haizi!

Fifty years past, clad in Soul Armor and wielding the Speed Divine Art to unleash the combined might of ninety-eight spells, Wang Lin had driven a Dao Demon Sect Grand Celestial ancestor to retreat in terror, even prompting the desperate deployment of a Dao Robe gifted by the Great Celestial Dao Yi.

Even then, the merest wisp of Divine Sense, materialized from the Great Celestial Dao Yi, had been required to shatter Wang Lin’s earth-shattering assault!

But now, after five decades of ceaseless trials, Wang Lin had fully mastered the power gleaned from the Scorpion Temple. In countless challenges, he had honed his cultivation to a razor’s edge, reaching a state of perfect control. Today, he could vanquish many a Celestial without the need of Soul Armor. Nay, he could even stand against that Grand Celestial ancestor from the Dao Demon Sect and claim victory, unarmored!

His own strength had grown, an evolution beyond recognition from fifty years ago. To don the Soul Armor once more, to wield the Speed Divine Art and merge the power of ninety-eight spells into one – the resulting might would far surpass that of yesteryear!

Color drained from the Celestial Haizi’s face, replaced by an expression of stark disbelief. This was the first time she had witnessed Wang Lin unleash his full power, and the sheer potency of those ninety-eight combined spells sent shivers down her spine!

As the celestial finger descended from on high, all creation seemed to grind to a halt. The sea breeze stilled, the waves subsided, and the very turning of the world faltered.

This power, which held sway over all, fell upon the Celestial Haizi. Her body convulsed, her right hand froze mid-gesture, and even the spiritual essence within her was stilled by the relentless finger!

Ninety-eightfold Stillness!

Ninety-eight repetitions of the Art of Stillness!

Wang Lin’s face was ashen, drained by the sheer expenditure of power. In achieving the ninety-eightfold iteration of the Art of Stillness, a subtle shift had occurred, an elusive change that resonated strangely with the arrival of the Great Celestial Dao Yi’s phantom form.

“We share no enmity, and I desire not to slay you!” Wang Lin spoke to the captive Celestial Haizi, then blurred into motion, plummeting towards the ocean depths. His speed was such that he vanished in an instant.

In days gone by, even with the convergence of ninety-eight spells, Wang Lin lacked the true condensation, the unity of power found in the mightiest Celestials capable of merging such spells. Like an army of soldiers without a general, a mere wisp of a Great Celestial’s Divine Sense could shatter his efforts.

But now, his true form could absorb nine spells, or even thirty-six due to its peculiar ability to compress and condense. The difference in power was vast!

As the army of soldiers had gained a skilled commander, perhaps not strong, but capable of greatly amplifying the army’s powers!

Knowing that the effect on Haizi would not last long, Wang Lin plunged into the depths with all haste, seeking the deepest abyss.

Four breaths passed, and Wang Lin reached the ocean’s floor, a place of crushing pressure that would shatter ordinary mortals. Yet, Wang Lin, possessing the body of a Dao Ancient, remained unscathed.

Upon the seabed, Wang Lin raised his right hand and struck a single, devastating blow. As his fist connected, the waters surged violently, forming ninety-eight spiraling vortexes before him that burrowed into the ocean floor.

With a resounding roar, the seabed collapsed, revealing a gaping chasm into which the ocean poured, creating an abyss akin to a dark void.

Wang Lin did not hesitate. In the three years past, he had thoroughly surveyed the Mountains and Seas, discerning how to reach the Mountain-Sea Tree that supported this realm!

He plunged into the darkness, vanishing from sight.

Six breaths had now passed. Upon the waves, the Golden-Venerated Octopus Sea Beast remained motionless, caught within the same Art of Stillness. The exquisite maiden upon its back was likewise frozen, unable to so much as blink.

Nearby, the Sea Dragon roared in triumph, howling wordlessly to the captive octopus, words understandable only to their kind.

What it said could only be known by itself, or maybe the octopus if it could hear.

Eight breaths had now flown. Wang Lin found himself at the very bottom of the Mountains and Seas, within the world of the dark chasm. This place was a void, inundated with the sea, and at its heart lay an immense tree!

Its size was such that it spanned half the Mountains and Seas, its edges beyond sight. Its trunk was withered and dead, but its branches spread forth, upholding the entirety of the Mountains and Seas.

Compared to this behemoth, Wang Lin seemed insignificant. Death permeated the tree, and layers of seals encompassed it. Furthermore, a dense aura of slaughter clung to the air, as if the tree had witnessed and caused countless deaths!

Surrounding the withered trunk, beyond the layers of seals, orbited seven emerald lights. Each orb was no larger than a fist, a seemingly insignificant scale to the immense tree.
The verdant orb pulsed with life, the very essence Wang Lin sought. It was a Shan Hai Tree Spirit, born from the death of the ancient tree’s soul. To a cultivator, such a spirit could birth the foundation of Wood Essence itself!

The Shan Hai Tree, in its ancient life, had possessed many such spirits. But throughout the ages, as its soul waned and finally perished, many had been stolen, leaving only seven clinging to existence.

These precious spirits were not contained within the sealing barrier surrounding the tree. Mysteriously, they had all drifted beyond its confines, as if the seal held no power over them.

Ten breaths had already passed since Wang Lin’s arrival.

Without hesitation, Wang Lin launched himself from the base of the Shan Hai Tree. With a sweep of his sleeve, six of the seven Shan Hai Tree Spirits surged towards him, drawn into his storage space. He turned to depart.

But in that instant, a searing pain ripped through Wang Lin’s eyes. Unbidden, golden light erupted from within, halting him in his tracks.

The pain was laced with a strange, irresistible summons, emanating from within the Shan Hai Tree itself. Something within its depths was calling to the power held within Wang Lin’s very eyes!

The old man of the Green Devil Scorpion Temple had once infused a shard of the Immortal Extremity Sword into Wang Lin’s pupils, granting his gaze a formidable authority, a sword-like power of suppression.

Whirling around, eyes blazing with golden light, Wang Lin sensed a streak of gold hurtling towards him from within the Shan Hai Tree.

In that fleeting moment, he saw it clearly: a shard of pure gold, no larger than his palm, within the approaching radiance!

“A fragment of the Immortal Extremity Sword!” Wang Lin exclaimed inwardly.

The golden shard flew towards him from the depths of the tree, not as if summoned, but as if *he* were the one calling *it*.

But as the shard neared the sealing barrier, blinding light erupted. The seal fought to contain it, and a ripple spread outwards. The shard pierced the barrier, half its length protruding into the outside world, the rest held fast by the seal’s implacable power.

As the fragment breached the seal, the golden light in Wang Lin’s eyes intensified, and the pain within burned hotter, as if a matching shard within sought to break free.

“How could a fragment of the Immortal Extremity Sword be within the Shan Hai Tree?!” In the past fifty years, Wang Lin had sought the origins of the objects the Green Devil Scorpion Temple Elder had placed within him. To master them, he needed to understand their history.

The Immortal Extremity Sword. Legend held it had been shattered in a battle between the Immortal Ancestor and the Green Devil Scorpion, struck by its venomous tail. Yet, in those fifty years, Wang Lin had heard the legend repeated at least ten times!

Nearly every continent claimed their sealed Celestial Devil was responsible for the sword’s demise. Conflicting accounts made it impossible to discern truth from fiction.

Some even said that the Immortal Extremity Sword had simply fractured and scattered across the Immortal Clan’s domain after the Immortal Ancestor’s disappearance!

These thoughts flashed through Wang Lin’s mind. He hesitated.

“This seal was placed by the Immortal Ancestor. To take the fragment… risks activating its power!”

Fifteen breaths had now passed since his arrival. Determination hardening his gaze, Wang Lin stepped back. Instead of his corporeal form, his Lightning True Body materialized, a crackling avatar of power, and shot towards the exposed fragment of the Immortal Extremity Sword. Reaching out, its hand closed around the shard!

“The Green Devil Temple also had seals, but they posed no great threat. But this seal seems different… Still, fortune favors the bold. I cannot leave without it!” As the Lightning True Body gripped the shard, the power of the Shan Hai Tree’s seal erupted!

Ripples materialized around the imprisoned shard, coalescing into a colossal face, its expression severe and commanding. A wave of oppressive power surged towards Wang Lin’s Lightning True Body.

“Detected: Non-Immortal Ascendant spirit. Initiate seal!” An ancient voice echoed through the depths of the sea.

“There truly is a problem!” Wang Lin mused, his eyes flashing. (To be continued!)