“…I surmise this is linked to the Ancient Ones. Then the Immortal Emperor’s other scheme must surely involve them! The Immortal Emperor, in his machinations, drew a Dao Ancient from his own world… his goal being to ensnare it, perhaps even to manipulate the Three Clans, seeking to use them in place of the Dao Spirits to nurture the Celestial Dao!”

“An individual such as the Immortal Emperor wouldn’t act without certainty. If he could arrange for a Dao Ancient to be drawn here, he must have been confident of success… yet why, in the end, was the Celestial Dao slain by Wu…” “And there was that time in the Alliance Star Region, during my tribulation. I inadvertently opened a spatial rift, and my divine sense entered a strange realm. There, I saw countless statues of Ancient Gods, Ancient Devils, and Ancient Fiends… What place was that? Could it be tied to this ancient tomb, or even to the Seven-Colored Daoist?”

“And then there’s the matter of the Vermillion Birds, generation after generation sealed away, with the blame falling upon the Venerated Master’s teacher… but who *is* the Venerated Master’s teacher?”

“Furthermore, the silver-clad woman, upon seeing the statue of the Seven-Colored Daoist, screamed in madness, repeating that she did not open the gate… What gate is she speaking of? And why did its opening incite such furious slaughter from the Seven-Colored Daoist?”

“This gate… could it be a gate to nurture the Celestial Dao? Or perhaps a gate to seal away its enemies? Or… a gate to another world entirely?”

“Or perhaps,” Wang Lin muttered, his brow furrowed, “all my conjectures are entirely wrong…” He could only analyze so much from these fragmented clues. Whether his conclusions were accurate, he had no way of knowing.

“When the Fifth Grade Grave Platform took form, the one who claimed to be Dao Ancient Ye Wu spoke of his clan. If they could enter the Wheel of Reincarnation, they would gain a legacy. If not, they would seize the Netherworld… What is the Netherworld?”

Wang Lin rubbed his temples, his gaze flickering with thought.

“Regardless, the existence of this Ancient Tomb must be intimately connected to the Seven-Colored Daoist. Is this truly a place he left behind to nurture the Celestial Dao? Or is it, in truth, the legacy shackles left by the dying Dao Ancient Ye Wu…? This place is called the Ancient Tomb… does that refer to the tomb of Dao Ancient Ye Wu?” The more Wang Lin pondered, the more tangled his thoughts became.

After a long while, he sighed softly, ceasing his vexing contemplation. His eyes flashed, turning to the withered trees that rimmed the perimeter of the ground.

“These trees, if I am not mistaken, were planted deliberately. While the statues served to seal the heads of the Ancient Gods, these trees were meant to absorb the Ancient God essence within.” “The reason they have all withered and died is that, over countless ages, the Ancient God essence in the heads has dissipated. Deprived of sustenance, the trees naturally perished. When Greed Wolf came here, he saw only a single wooden spirit. It seems only that one remains. Had Greed Wolf not arrived, even that last tree would likely have withered away.”

“From this, it can be deduced that, apart from Greed Wolf, no one has been here for a very long time, including whoever planted these trees so long ago. He, too, likely planted them and never returned…”

Wang Lin’s gaze flickered, and after a moment of contemplation, his eyes hardened with resolve. He sat cross-legged at the brow of the skull, took a deep breath, and with a flick of his fingers, a torrent of restrictions surged forth, filling the sky and forming a protective barrier.

He further conjured the Thunder Diagram above, deeply concealing it, and the Nine-Colored Flames also permeated the heavens. Even the Blood Sword was unleashed, hidden within the firmament.

These preparations, woven together, formed a formidable killing array. Should anyone rashly intrude, they would immediately meet its deadly edge.

With his defenses in place, Wang Lin wasted no time. His Ancient God power surged forth, flowing from his body and into the skull beneath him.

The skull seemed like a bottomless abyss, accepting Wang Lin’s Ancient God power without the slightest change. Time passed, but Wang Lin continued, steadily feeding his power into the skull.

Gradually, the Ancient God stars on his brow began to glimmer. Six stars surrounded him, pouring forth an even denser flow of Ancient God power.

After several hours, as Wang Lin unceasingly used his own Ancient God power as sustenance, he distinctly sensed a change in the skull beneath him. Around it, the withered trees seemed to receive nourishment, gradually emanating a trace of vitality.

However, to revive all the trees entirely would require far too much time, and Wang Lin’s Ancient God power would be insufficient.

After a brief consideration, Wang Lin abandoned the idea of reviving them all. Instead, he focused his Ancient God power, channeling it through the skull, enveloping nineteen withered trees, providing them with his full strength.

As time flowed on, the nineteen trees gradually transformed from their withered state, gaining more and more vitality. The bases of their trunks regained their original color, slowly spreading upwards.

This process was monotonous, but Wang Lin maintained the flow of his Ancient God power. Simultaneously, he raised his right hand and touched his brow. With a rumble, the Celestial Emperor Furnace materialized before him, hovering in the air.

The Celestial Emperor Furnace could be made large or small. At the moment, it was only ten *zhang* in size. Within it, a murky chaos swirled, with faint screams echoing from its depths. Wang Lin divided his attention, forming seals with both hands and pointing at the furnace.

Instantly, the murkiness within the Celestial Emperor Furnace dissipated, revealing to Wang Lin a black sea of poison. The water was deathly still, without a single ripple. Within it existed a multitude of incense souls, tainted by the poison.

“Refine!” Wang Lin commanded, pointing forward. Immediately, the poisonous sea within the furnace ignited, emitting muffled roars. Vast waves surged, forming huge vortexes that spun with thunderous force.

“This sea was formed from the grotesque tongue of the Great Desolate Shangren, and it also contains the incense souls of Myriad Sound Dao Sovereign. Once I refine it, it will become a powerful treasure of poison!” Wang Lin’s expression was serene as he began the refinement.

The sea within the Celestial Emperor Furnace roared with increasing intensity. The countless incense souls within emitted piercing, agonizing screams. The sounds were extremely grating, but the Celestial Emperor Furnace muffled them, making them faint when they reached the outside.

The rumbling continued ceaselessly. Gradually, a large amount of black mist floated up from the endless poisonous sea. This mist was the gaseous form of the refined seawater, slowly filling the entire Celestial Emperor Furnace.

However, the black mist did not dissipate; it simply accumulated. Eventually, when the mist reached a certain density, it transformed into patches of black cloud. Drops of black rain descended from within, falling back into the sea.

This scene seemed like a cycle, but in reality, with each conversion of seawater into rain, a portion was lost. This lost poisonous water did not vanish into thin air; instead, it condensed, making the poison within the remaining seawater even more concentrated!

Before long, the black clouds within the Celestial Emperor Furnace grew denser, and the rain fell like a torrential downpour, causing the sea to surge with booming waves. Under Wang Lin’s constant refinement, the amount of seawater slowly diminished. After three days, despite the continuous rainfall, the sea had shrunk by nearly half.

The color of the seawater had become jet black, so dark that even divine sense could not penetrate it. The poison within was even more terrifying.

Seeing that there were no anomalies and the poisonous sea was still being refined, Wang Lin felt reassured. He waved his right hand, and the poisonous sea within the Celestial Emperor Furnace vanished, replaced by another realm.

This realm was also filled with an endless sea, but the color of the water was violet. Within it were numerous extremely rare incense souls.

The body of Inspired Adept sat cross-legged at the bottom of the sea, frantically refining these incense souls, attempting to transform them all to dedicate their incense to him.

Behind Inspired Adept stood a colossal statue. The statue was none other than the Devil God statue of his Inspired Tribe, its arms wrapped around abundance. The statue emitted dazzling light, and all the incense souls enveloped by its rays had expressions of confusion and struggle.

A small number of incense souls seemed to have already been transformed, dedicating their incense to Inspired Adept, who absorbed it with a flushed face, barely containing his excitement.

Seeing this, Wang Lin slightly frowned. These incense souls belonged to Myriad Sound Dao Sovereign, and transforming them would take even Inspired Adept a long time. Wang Lin was not in a hurry, but within this ancient tomb, if he could help Inspired Adept accelerate his absorption and successfully step into the Third Step, it would greatly benefit Wang Lin.

In contemplation, Wang Lin divided a strand of his primordial spirit and infused it into the Celestial Emperor Furnace. Suddenly, within the furnace, Wang Lin’s figure materialized above the violet sea.

“Ancient Slave!”

A voice filled with majesty echoed within the Celestial Emperor Furnace. Inspired Adept, who was sitting cross-legged at the bottom of the sea, abruptly opened his eyes, revealing a fanatical reverence. He leaped up, and with a roar from the sea, flew before Wang Lin, kneeling in the air dozens of *zhang* away. Inspired Adept knelt in the air, lowering his head and saying, “Ancient Slave Inspired greets Master! I wonder what task Master requires of Ancient Slave!”

Wang Lin’s manifested form coldly gazed at Inspired Adept. After a long moment, he slowly spoke: “I bestow upon you a Dao Spell. With your cultivation, you should be able to quickly learn it. Use this spell to quickly assimilate the incense here and take the true Third Step!”

Inspired Adept looked up sharply, his eyes burning with even greater fervor. His entire life of cultivation had been aimed at becoming a Third Step Grand Magus, but he had been hindered by incense, stopping him forever. Now, it didn’t matter that Wang Lin had refined him with dream Dao and the Celestial Emperor Furnace. Even if none of that had happened, if Wang Lin could give him such great fortune, he would willingly carry out Wang Lin’s orders!

He would sacrifice everything to achieve Dao!

Wang Lin raised his right hand and pointed forward. Immediately, a brand hurtled towards Inspired Adept’s brow. Inspired Adept did not dodge in the slightest, allowing the brand to penetrate his forehead with a roar, entering his primordial spirit.

“Dao Spell, Assimilation! Master this spell as soon as possible!” Wang Lin withdrew his gaze. He was extremely satisfied with subduing Inspired Adept. With the Celestial Emperor Furnace and his various methods, he did not fear that the other party would betray him.

“If I could encounter another Third Step Grand Magus in the initial stage of Spirit Void, with Inspired Adept’s cooperation, defeating them wouldn’t be difficult… if I could capture and refine them to become another Ancient Slave…” Wang Lin’s heart stirred, and his divine sense manifestation vanished from the sea and sky, returning to his main body.

At the same time, outside this ancient tomb, the Feng Tian Wolf Tribe giant was treading upon his Fifth Grade Grave Platform, forcefully passing through endless Yin Qi. Gradually, he drew closer and closer to his destination.

“Not far now. In another three days, I can get there! If I can get nine of those leaves, combined with my tribe’s divine ability, I can permanently keep the Feng Tian Wolf Dao by my side, sealing its path of return for my use! At that time, even though my cultivation is still in the initial stage of Spirit Void, I will be the strongest among those in the initial stage of Spirit Void!” The Feng Tian Wolf Tribe giant’s eyes flashed with excitement as he manipulated the Grave Platform to move faster.