Having set aside the jade scroll, Master Wang Lin ceased his contemplation. The imperial coronation paled in comparison to the vital work of his cultivation.

“The Golden Origin True Body should coalesce in these coming days,” he mused, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes. “Once the Five Elements have taken true form and merged as one, I can finally validate my conjecture and calculations.” Yet, doubt lingered. What if the perfected Five Elements True Body failed to elevate him beyond the Late-Stage Sky Calamity? Such a setback would force him to abandon the path of origin true bodies, and instead he would need to seek the elusive Fourth Void Origin of Life, Death, Karma, and Truth.

This Void Origin, shrouded in mist, depended on chance and epiphany. Years might yield nothing, or a thousand might pass without a clue.

He gazed upon the orb of swirling golden mist before him, a growing hope warring with apprehension. A soft sigh escaped his lips as his gaze drifted from the golden sphere. He had pushed his limits. The coming days would deliver the answer.

With a slight parting of his eyelids, Master Wang Lin pondered for a moment. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, runes of light erupted upon the wooden floor, forming a silent, rotating array that emanated no outward glow. He rose and stepped within, his form dissolving into the shifting glyphs.

Far beneath the cabin, ten thousand leagues into the earth, lay a cavern, carved only five days prior. Within its vast expanse, bands of black and white light enveloped a colossal Yin-Yang symbol, a nascent Grand Empyrean Sun!

Beneath this swirling sun floated a ten-foot head, eyeless, earless, cloven by a deep fissure at its crown—the head of the Immortal Ancestor!

Myriad arrays and restrictions, imbued with the power of his non-immortal, non-ancient fusion, shielded the cavern from prying eyes. Even the most powerful Ascendant Empyreans would struggle to perceive its existence, and even the Grand Empyreans would need to search hard.

Master Wang Lin materialized beside the head, his expression serene. He had created this sanctuary to nourish his Grand Empyrean Sun. His analysis suggested that the complete absorption of the Immortal Ancestor’s head would solidify the Sun’s form.

Seating himself cross-legged before the relic, he exhaled a wisp of azure Qi. It sped towards the head, burrowing into its seven orifices. A sudden tremor shook the ancient visage, emitting a wave of golden light. This light was immediately drawn upwards by the Grand Empyrean Sun, converted into swirling black and white energies that fueled its growth.

For nearly three months, the Sun had been consuming this energy, but the head of the Immortal Ancestor resisted easy assimilation.

After a long while of cultivating, Master Wang Lin opened his eyes. With a gesture, a patch of dark gold swirled into existence in his palm. Within the golden light hovered a frail soul, eyes closed, clutched in his grasp. His gaze was composed, but his pupils contracted with gravity.

The wretched soul was none other than that of the Immortal Emperor Lian Daozhen!

The once-proud emperor now trembled in Master Wang Lin’s hand, struggling to open his eyes. Yet, even in this state, an astonishing immortal aura emanated from him, carrying the palpable pressure of a Grand Empyrean. But the aura was tainted, a gray pallor creeping over its splendor, as if the soul endured unspeakable torment.

“Such potent curse-craft…” Master Wang Lin murmured. Despite layers of seals and the combined might of his own powers and the emperor’s, Wang Lin could only maintain a fragile equilibrium, preventing the soul’s dissipation.

“I had intended to use the emperor’s aura to strengthen the fusion of immortal and ancient forces within me, but that is no longer necessary. Still, his soul remains of great value.” He glanced at his Grand Empyrean Sun.

“If only the curse could be cleansed…” He stroked his chin. “I could merge the emperor’s soul into my Grand Empyrean Sun. With him as a catalyst, I could force the absorption of the Immortal Ancestor’s head.” After a moment, his eyes glinted. Performing a hand seal, he pointed a finger at the captive emperor’s soul.

The soul convulsed, emitting a silent shriek that rippled through the cavern, causing its wards to flare.

With grave concentration, Master Wang Lin touched the Immortal Emperor’s head. After a time, he slowly lifted his hand, drawing from the soul a wisp of ashen energy.

As his hand rose, the gray thread at the tip of his finger transformed into a ghastly, gray phantom, jaws agape, lunging to devour Master Wang Lin.

In that instant, Wang Lin’s eyes flashed, his pupils turning silver. The silver light struck the phantom, and it recoiled in terror, shrinking in size before Master Wang Lin crushed it in his hand.

The gray essence vanished.

Sweat beaded on Master Wang Lin’s brow. The silver light faded from his eyes, replaced by a wry smile.

“The fleeting fusion of immortal and ancient energies can dispel the curse… but my current cultivation cannot sustain it long enough to cleanse it completely.” He glanced at the emperor’s soul in his hand. The trace of curse he had extracted was already returning.

With a sigh, he stowed the soul, and rested in place to contemplate his next move.

“It seems I must wait until my cultivation has increased, when I can sustain the fusion longer and unleash its full power, before I can purify the emperor’s soul and merge it with my Grand Empyrean Sun. Moreover, the nature of the magic and the emperor’s special identity forbid I seek help from my master, Xuan Luo.” Wang Lin, by habit, kept his secrets to himself unless he was in dire need of assistance.

Having put the soul away, Master Wang Lin summoned a jade scroll, gifted by Prince Jidu. It contained a single, devastating strike from the Ancient Ancestor.

He had studied the scroll but remained unable to fully grasp its essence, as if a veil obscured its secrets, limiting its use to a single, devastating attack. But now, having absorbed more of the soul blood, the scattered, inaccessible fragments of the Ancient Ancestor’s memory had begun to coalesce.

Holding the scroll, Master Wang Lin peered into its depths. A hazy figure flitted across the surface, existing within an equally indistinct realm. Yet he didn’t feel discouraged. He closed his eyes. And then opened them, filled with silver light!

He cast the light at the scroll again. As the vague figure flickered, the coalescing fragments of memory in his mind suddenly locked together, revealing a scene.

A gray-robed man with long hair stood upon a floating isle. His face was that of the statue in the Ancient Dao Imperial City. His back was turned, as he looked at the sky with arrogant disdain. Swooping towards him were a swarm of black creatures. Their bodies were leonine, but with fish tails and human heads.

Their shrieks were piercing. The creature at the forefront, stronger than the rest, exuded a power close to that of a Grand Empyrean.

The gray-robed man met them with nothing more than a scornful glance, and he lifted his hand. The very skies began to separate, and the land pressed inward!

With a thunderous roar, the segmented space compressed, crushing the creatures into dust.

With a crack, the scroll splintered. Fragments fell and turned to dust.

Master Wang Lin snapped back to awareness. The silver light subsided, but a newfound brilliance shone in his eyes.

“Such is the power of the Ancient Ancestor’s finger…”