In the valley where Sima Mo’s cavern resided, a potent aura of elemental energy permeated the air. This energy swirled and coalesced into a vortex that hung suspended in the sky above the vale. Directly beneath this swirling tempest, Wang Lin sat cross-legged in meditation.

This Seven-Colored Realm was steeped in mystery, its depths fraught with peril and the unknown. Yet, to Wang Lin, it was an opportunity of immense proportions.

Having absorbed the memories of Cang Songzi, Wang Lin now possessed a deeper understanding of this realm, even knowing the purpose of the liquid within the jade vial and the means of escape.

Had his cultivation not broken through to the mid-stage of Cleansing Nirvana, Wang Lin would have hesitated, for Cang Songzi’s memories revealed the true dangers that lurked here, most notably the mountain that stood deep within.

But now, with his comprehending, he merely needed to absorb sufficient Primordial Crystals to reach the mid-stage of Cleansing Nirvana. At that point, combined with his Ancient God body, shattering cultivators at the mid-stage of Nirvana would be effortless. Only those at the late-stage of Shattering Nirvana posed a true challenge.

“If my cultivation could reach the Great Perfection of Cleansing Nirvana, even late-stage Shattering Nirvana monsters would be no match for me!” Wang Lin inhaled deeply, causing the valley’s abundant energy to rush towards him. In moments, the energy vanished, consumed by his being.

Sounds like thunder rumbled within him as his hair stirred without wind. His Primordial Spirit, also in meditation, swelled in size, devouring the boundless energy that poured into him.

As the energy grew, Wang Lin’s Primordial Spirit expanded to match the size of his physical form, filling him entirely. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, unleashing twin beams of starlight that pierced through the heavens.

The moment his eyes opened, the multitude of Primordial Crystals surrounding him shattered, collapsing into dust that swirled around him, forming rings of power – proof of his advancement to the mid-stage of Cleansing Nirvana!

A smile played on Wang Lin’s lips as he exhaled a breath of stale air. With a flick of his wrist, he produced the jade vial, the very one he had seized from Cang Songzi.

“To devour the Dao with a Lost One, to nourish the Dao with a Devoted One, to infuse it into the four stone tablets, and then, using the scriptures etched upon the bones beneath, to transform it into an unimaginable force that invades the bones and extracts their blood… this is no mere blood, but the essence of the Dao of the bones’ former owner!” Wang Lin’s eyes gleamed with the profound knowledge he had gleaned from Cang Songzi’s memories.

How Cang Songzi had obtained this knowledge remained a mystery, lost within the fragmented memories of a Shattering Nirvana cultivator. Soul-searching was imperfect, and memories rarely came complete.

“The key to extracting the Dao essence lies in the identity of the partial remains! There should be two stone tablets in this place, each with half a set of remains. In essence, the tablets are holding the pieces of one man!

“This man must have been someone of great renown in life. Whether slain by an enemy or desecrated after death, his bones were subjected to this earth-shattering ritual, forcing out his Dao to create this essence! By drinking this essence, one gains his Dao!

“The scriptures etched upon the bones were added later, the work of some great mage who transformed his own divine powers into scripture, conceiving this terrifying method!”

“But the Dao essence cannot be consumed directly, as it will plunge one into a deep slumber of indeterminate length. Cang Songzi’s plan was to find a place of absolute safety, drink the essence, and await awakening. This was why he didn’t drink it when fighting the old woman!

“His chosen place of slumber was the mountain deep within, though Cang Songzi’s memories offered no reason for this choice, nor any sign of the white-haired old man.” Wang Lin’s gaze narrowed, fixed upon the jade vial in his hand.

“Intriguing. Everything here seems designed to provide the stone tablets with insight into the Dao. Even the savage beasts serve this purpose. Why are there no thirteenth-level beasts? Perhaps all who reached that stage were slain, their Dao souls extracted.

“It all hinges upon the Dao essence within this vial, but for the powerful mage who created this place, drinking it is likely not so simple…

“The white-haired old man on the mountain must be guarding something. Perhaps everything is connected to that which he protects!” After a moment of contemplation, Wang Lin stowed the vial within his robes.

“But Sima Mo’s jade slip mentioned four stone tablets, yet I only sensed two, and one of them was empty, lacking both bones and vial… this is peculiar indeed.”

After a short silence, Wang Lin turned his gaze towards the nine caverns carved into the valley’s walls. He had opened only the first three, leaving the remaining locked. He teleported to the fourth cavern.

Placing his hand upon the stone face of the cavern, Wang Lin channeled his elemental energy. With a soft press, the stone shuddered, the enchantments upon it shattering as the entrance rumbled open. Wang Lin’s eyes, sharp as lightning, peered into the cavern, and his brow furrowed. The fourth cavern was empty, barren of any objects. He stepped inside, searching thoroughly, yet found nothing.

After a moment of contemplation, Wang Lin moved to the fifth cavern. This cavern was protected by enchantments, but they were of the ages-old sort, their power formidable.

Breaking through this protection would be challenging. Wang Lin raised his right hand and formed a magical seal, conjuring a ghostly image of an enchantment. As he pressed his palm against the stone, a booming sound echoed through the cavern as the stone grew transparent, shimmering with ripples of power.

At that moment, Wang Lin’s eyes flashed as he froze, staring into the cavern beyond the translucent stone. The cavern was inhabited!

Four figures, clad in tattered robes, without hair, and with eyes vacant as if they were sleepwalkers, wandered aimlessly within the cavern, seemingly without pause, destined to walk for eternity.

Upon the cavern floor, a formation emitted a soft glow, enveloping the four wanderers and seeping into their bodies as they walked. A jade slip lay at the formation’s heart.

“The Lost Ones!” Wang Lin recognized the figures instantly. Recalling Sima Mo’s jade slip, he took a deep breath. He flashed to the sixth cavern, repeating the process to render the stone transparent and peered within.

Inside the sixth cavern, he saw three figures, seemingly devoid of physical bodies, their Primordial Spirits drifting within. They seemed to whisper, but the sound was lost behind the stone.

“The Devoted Ones…” Wang Lin mused. He saw that this cavern held more enchantments, their purpose to seal the Devoted Ones completely, preventing their escape unless they could awaken and break the seals themselves. A jade slip lay within the enchanted formation.

With another deep breath, Wang Lin approached the seventh cavern. Upon making the stone transparent, his pupils constricted as he saw an old man sitting cross-legged.

The old man’s hair was as white as snow, his face pale and bloodless. Locked into a meditative state as if for all of time, the enchantments around him were denser than those in the Devoted Ones’ cavern, sealing him completely.

As Wang Lin gazed upon the old man, the figure suddenly snapped open his eyes. Madness shone in his gaze as he fixed his eyes on Wang Lin, a bestial roar bursting forth from his lips. He lunged towards the stone, divine powers manifesting around him as he attacked the barrier.

But even as the old man’s powers appeared, the enchantments within the cavern flashed and absorbed them. The old man’s roars grew more violent as he clawed at the stone.

No sound escaped the barrier, not even the old man’s roars could be heard. The stone remained unmoved.

After a time, the old man, exhausted, stared at Wang Lin before slowly retreating and resuming his meditation. The enchantments returned to their normal state.

“He must be… the Rebel!” After seeing the three caverns, Wang Lin understood. These were Sima Mo’s fellows, brought here and sealed away in the hope that they would awaken. But it appeared that Sima Mo had failed.

“The jade slips in the Lost Ones’ and Devoted Ones’ caverns must contain the Ensnarement of Time! Sima Mo’s plan was that if any of them awakened, they could learn the Ensnarement of Time and break the seals from within.”

With a sigh, Wang Lin approached the eighth cavern. The stone before it was sealed with ordinary means, not the Ensnarement of Time. With a glance, Wang Lin waved his hand and the seal vanished, the stone door sliding open.

As the eighth cavern opened, Wang Lin drew in a sharp breath, staring at its contents before exhaling slowly. Within the cavern lay a set of half bones!

The set of bones was from the lower body, engraved with scripture that emitted no light, only darkness. The bones were locked within a sealed formation, trapping the lower half of the bones.

“So, the missing bones from the stone tablet were here…” Wang Lin’s gaze swept over the bones, and he immediately felt a powerful pull, as if the bones were attempting to draw out his very soul. He retreated, severing the connection immediately.

Regaining his composure, Wang Lin thought long and hard if he should walk away, but could not bring himself to do so. He stared at the bones, noting a deep fracture in the right leg bone, not completely broken, but severely damaged.

After a time, Wang Lin formed a set of seals with his hands, casting multiple enchantments upon himself to seal his mind. He then grasped at the air, producing Cang Songzi’s crystal sword. Leaving a sliver of his consciousness upon the blade, he placed it to the side, and raised his foot to move forward. Even with a distance of only several feet, Wang Lin took each step with the utmost caution. He knelt next to the bones, and rested his right hand resolutely upon the broken bones of the leg. It was a way for him to truly touch and feel!

The moment Wang Lin’s consciousness touched the bones, his mind exploded.