Upon the deck of the Soulfiend Barge, Hu Lin tore loose the Ghastly Banner, unfurling it with a flourish of both hands. His eyes, burning with an inner light, scrutinized the painted visage of the ghoul, a thing of nightmare given form. As the canvas rippled, the face seemed to writhe, mirroring Wang Lin’s gaze with a horrifying sentience.

It was by the power of this very banner that Fan Shan Meng of the Immortal Astral Continent was able to weave her Great Soul Illusions from afar, achieving a terrifying second layer of phantasmal reality.

Wang Lin recalled with chilling clarity how, within the recent illusion, a mere glance at this ghastly face had been his undoing, plunging him into dream within dream. All control had been lost until, breaking free of the enchantment, his eyes had opened once more to behold the selfsame banner.

It was as if the entirety of the illusion had unfolded within the span of a single, fateful look.

“This is a treasure of my Great Soul Sect, the very heart of this Soulfiend Barge…” Fan Shan Lu spoke softly, breaking the silence.

“The strife between you sisters is no concern of mine,” Wang Lin declared. “No oath-blood need be exchanged. Our purposes align, and should no treachery be concealed, cooperation is possible.

“However, your sister’s actions were… intriguing. Tell her this: I claim the Ghastly Banner and this Soulfiend Barge. Let these be recompense for the unpleasantness that transpired!” With a flick of his wrist, the banner vanished into his storage realm. He turned, his gaze steady upon Fan Shan Lu.

She opened her mouth as if to speak, but in the end, remained silent, her eyes betraying a storm of conflicting emotions.

“You need not leave this barge,” Wang Lin continued. “I shall leave it in your care, and when I have need of it, a summons shall be sent. Furthermore, the Daogu altar you spoke of within the illusion, does it reside within this vessel?” A chilling glint flickered in his eyes.

After a long silence, Fan Shan Lu shook her head. Her pale hand rose, and a jade slip sped towards Wang Lin, who caught it swiftly. Within, he found a detailed map.

“This region is home to countless monstrous beasts. Its creation is tied to the ancient war within the Abode, torn apart by the conflict. It has become inexplicably linked to a strange and alien world. Follow the map’s guidance, and you shall find the Daogu altar.

“Within this slip, there also resides a mystic art, the very same I spoke of within the illusion: a technique to devour the Third Soul. Consider its study with care.” Her voice was soft as she spoke, her gaze drifting towards the distant stars, tinged with a yearning that spoke of home.

Wang Lin pondered for a moment, then bowed slightly towards Fan Shan Lu. He turned and strode off the Soulfiend Barge, but as he was about to depart, her voice, tinged with melancholy, reached him once more.

“My sister is consumed by vengeance, using even me as a pawn… I will aid you fully in our alliance, but I have one request: When you open this Abode and journey to the Immortal Astral Continent, take me with you… I wish to return home…”

“Opening this Abode is fraught with peril. Only the Third Soul holds the memories and knowledge of the Heavenly Dao. Only by summoning the Heavenly Dao, guided by its light, can one enter the Immortal Venerate’s Manor within the Seven Dao Sect Abode Realm…

“Within the Immortal Venerate’s Manor, the site of the ancient war, though ruined and broken, lies a portal to the Immortal Astral Continent. To open this portal is to open the sealed Abode.”

Wang Lin paused in his stride, silent. Then, turning, he looked upon Fan Shan Lu, her form silhouetted and forlorn. He nodded.

“I promise you this!” Wang Lin rarely gave his word. This was the first promise he had uttered since reaching the Third Step of cultivation.

It was not born of trust, nor tied to any grand design, but solely for the sake of the four words she had spoken.

“I wish to return home…”

Fan Shan Lu bit her lip, watching Wang Lin. Hearing his words, she nodded faintly, then bit her tongue, spitting forth a mouthful of blood. The crimson ichor shimmered, then transformed into molten gold, hurtling towards Wang Lin.

“This is my oath-blood!”

Wang Lin caught the pale golden liquid, absorbing it into his body. Then, without another glance, he turned and walked towards the abyssal darkness of the star-strewn void.

The Soulfiend Barge’s enchantments no longer needed study. The terrifying reality of the second-layered illusion was as potent as the real. The insights and understanding he had gained within the phantasmal world lingered even now that he had broken free.

Just as Fan Shan Lu’s wounds within the illusion had remained after its shattering, the Great Soul Sect’s techniques were truly strange and unfathomable.

“The Ghastly Banner is the Soulfiend Barge’s main sail, and within it resides far more than just a ghastly visage. Upon its surface are woven countless enchantments, encompassing the entirety of the vessel.

“By refining this banner, I can not only master those enchantments but also seize control of the Soulfiend Barge itself!” Wang Lin walked through the stars, lost in thought. His divine sense delved into his storage realm, slowly beginning the process of refining the Ghastly Banner. As he worked, fragments of understanding began to dawn, revealing the methods of control. Though scant now, with time he would master it completely.

A moment later, Wang Lin’s eyes flashed. He cast aside his thoughts of the banner and raised his right hand, touching his brow.

“The Son of Ye Mo met his end by my hand. I absorbed eight drops of his Daogu blood, blood formed from his nascent soul. Should I fully refine them, my Daogu body will be strengthened greatly! I must seek out the altar. Perhaps fortune awaits…” Even with his recovered cultivation, he still fell short of the might of the Profound Void experts.

“Now, with the opening of the Ancient Immortal Realm and the emergence of the Four Generals, whose aim is to seek out the Third Religion… it spares me a great deal of calculation. Now is the perfect time to increase my cultivation!” His pace quickened as he contemplated his path, his divine sense reaching out, carefully scanning his surroundings.

The star-filled void was a canvas of inky black, punctuated by the occasional presence of monstrous beasts. None posed a threat to Wang Lin. A mere flicker of his divine sense sent them cowering into the shadows.

Yet within this alien region, Wang Lin remained vigilant. Though no beast could overwhelm him, he could not be certain if the Seven-Colored Daoist had truly come here!
Thus, though his divine sense stretched forth, it did so with unwavering focus. At the slightest anomaly, he would flee without hesitation. Though fraught with peril, he could not abandon his pilgrimage to the altar.

Were he to cower from mere uncertainty, Wang Lin would never have reached his present state, nor attained such formidable cultivation.

As he journeyed onward, several hours passed before Wang Lin abruptly halted. His countenance shifted instantly, and without a second thought, he lunged backward, on the verge of vanishing.

But as he faded, a soft exclamation escaped his lips. His gaze locked upon a point in the star-strewn void, his expression a tempest of emotions.

His divine sense, in that fleeting moment, had glimpsed a figure seated in meditation amidst the remains of a bestial graveyard, hundreds of thousands of miles distant. The figure was wreathed in iridescent light, unmoving.

His face shifted from complex to bewildered, then from sorrow to elation.

It was none other than the Rainbow Daoist!

After a moment of somber thought, Wang Lin’s eyes gleamed. The Daoist’s current state was undeniably peculiar, but fresh from his own encounter with illusion, Wang Lin surmised that the other was likely trapped in a similar phantom, utterly consumed.

“This illusion… it bears the mark of Fan Shanmeng. That the Rainbow Daoist, with his vast power, is ensnared… something is amiss!” Wang Lin’s keen mind instantly grasped the anomaly.

Silent consideration followed, and a tremor of inner conflict ran through him. He was torn. One path led to immediate escape. The Rainbow Daoist, lost within his visions, posed no threat of pursuit.

In that case, Wang Lin’s journey to the altar would be unhindered.

Yet, another part of him sensed an opportunity. Should he dare to enter the Daoist’s illusion, he might uncover long-hidden secrets. He also felt that Fan Shanmeng was not solely responsible for the Daoist’s condition. A deeper mystery lurked.

A nagging intuition told him that to forsake this once-in-a-lifetime chance would bring him endless regret.

The struggle consumed the time it took for half an incense stick to burn. Finally, a cold light ignited in Wang Lin’s eyes.

“Fortune favors the bold!” He surged forward, his form dissolving into the void. With utmost caution, he reappeared a mere ten thousand feet from the meditating Rainbow Daoist.

The area reeked of death, strewn with the decaying corpses of monstrous beasts. Wang Lin stood upon the carcass of one such creature, examining it closely. Slowly, his eyes widened.

“These beasts have not been dead long… very recently, in fact…” He lifted his gaze to the distant Rainbow Daoist, raised his right hand, and with a wave, caused a nearby carcass, dozens of feet in length, to rise into the air. It hurtled towards the Daoist, whistling through the void.

Wang Lin watched intently, his body tensed to flee at the slightest sign of danger, his eyes fixed upon the corpse as it neared within a hundred feet of the Rainbow Daoist.

But at that very instant, the iridescent light surrounding the Daoist flickered violently. The corpse shuddered, then disintegrated into nothingness before Wang Lin’s very eyes.

No blood, no shattered bones, not even dust remained. It had simply ceased to exist.

“Just as I suspected!” Wang Lin fell silent, then began to walk forward with deliberate care. His pace was slow, his heart hammering in his chest. He covered nearly ten thousand feet, stopping just beyond where the beast’s remains had vanished, within a hundred feet of the Rainbow Daoist.

After a long hesitation, Wang Lin clenched his jaw and sat down, crossing his legs. He raised his right hand, and with a touch to his brow, seemed to delve deep within his own soul. As he raised his hand, his vision blurred. He thrust his hand forward, pointing it towards the seated Rainbow Daoist.

“With my dream, I enter your illusion! Art of the Dream Dao!”

As his fingers lowered, Wang Lin jolted violently, a line of blood tracing its path down his lip. The blurriness in his eyes vanished. He remained seated, unchanged.

The Art of the Dream Dao did not require physical contact, but the Rainbow Daoist’s immense power, coupled with the protective barriers surrounding him, prevented Wang Lin from entering his illusion.

Wang Lin frowned, his face etched with frustration. (To be continued!)