Though the continent of Wind Immortal Realm had been wrested away by Wang Lin, the very space it once occupied endured, and within it, the sealed passage remained, a grim testament to a forgotten connection.

In that instant when the potent aura surged forth, the gate at the passage’s end shuddered violently. Unable to contain the spreading essence, it allowed a terrifying presence, born of the Cave World, to seep through, infiltrating the halls of the Returning Sect within the Immortal Astral Continent.

As this dread aura washed over the Returning Sect, every cultivator of the Immortal Astral Continent within its borders paled, their faces contorted in sudden horror. Those of highest cultivation were stricken with disbelief and awe.

“One of the Nine Suns… the aura of a Great Celestial… Impossible! Which Great Celestial has appeared there?!”

Far away, within the frozen mountains of the Immortal Astral Continent, Fan Shanmeng, seated in meditation upon a glacier, felt her blood turn to ice. The glacier beneath her shattered as she leapt to her feet, her face ashen with fear.

“This… This is the aura of a Great Celestial!”

Upon the Immortal Astral Continent, among the Nine Sects and Thirteen Houses of the East, the Purple Sun Sect reigned supreme. The power of this one sect alone could crush all others beneath its heel.

This dominion stemmed from a legend whispered within the Purple Sun Sect – a Great Celestial resided within its hallowed halls, one of the nine suns of the Immortal Astral Continent!

Veiled in mystery, their true form remained unknown, their gender a subject of speculation. Yet, this very obscurity lent the Purple Sun Sect an untouchable air.

Now, within the grand hall of the Purple Sun Sect, a council of elders gathered, their faces etched with worry. Before them stood a stern-faced man, his voice booming through the hall.

“Tell me! Explain this at once!”

“They claimed… they wished to frolic in the Beast Taming Realm, but… but…” one elder mumbled, his expression laced with resignation.

“Frolic? The Great Celestial’s aura bleeds into the void, and you call it frolicking?!” the man roared, though his own eyes betrayed a similar helplessness.

“The Beast Taming Realm is sealed shut… they locked it themselves, barring our entry…” another elder sighed, shaking his head.

“The reincarnation of a Great Celestial brooks no error! Their powers are yet to fully awaken, they are unready to wield such cosmic might… What are those young Ancestors doing!” The man slammed his foot against the ground, causing the Purple Sun Sect to tremble and the very land outside to quake.

In the rift within the Cloud Sea, Wang Lin sat upon the altar, his eyes wide with shock as he beheld the terrifying power unleashed by Greed’s touch.

The sun held within Greed’s hands swelled, rapidly expanding to the size of a man. Its radiant light blazed forth, causing the approaching firebirds to shriek in agony, turning tail in desperate retreat. Yet, even as they fled, the light consumed them, causing them to explode into nothingness.

Even the Seven-Colored Daoist paused, stunned by the sheer magnitude of what he was witnessing. Though the entirety of his past memories remained fragmented, some were etched into the very fabric of his soul, impervious to the separation into three spirits.

These memories spoke of the Nine Suns of the Immortal Astral Continent – of the fear and reverence they commanded.

“This… the aura of a Great Celestial…” the Seven-Colored Daoist gasped, his face paling. Struck by the overwhelming radiance, he spat forth blood, his body convulsing as he retreated in terror. All thoughts of consuming Wang Lin fled his mind, replaced only by a paralyzing dread.

He was not alone. Within the Inner Realm, across the expanse of the Luo Tian Star Field, the Battle-Scarred Old Ghost, trailing behind the Four Generals of the Ancient Immortal Realm, seeking a glimpse of the Third Soul, felt a tremor run through him. He spun around, his face ashen.

“Great Celestial!” Though he uttered no sound, a piercing voice resonated from within him.

“How can this be? The aura of a Great Celestial has reached this place… This…”

As the terrifying aura swept through the Inner Realm, encompassing the Four Star Fields, reaching beyond the Outer Realm to the Ancient Star Cluster, and saturating the Cave World, it touched every living being. It passed through planets, beasts, mortals, and cultivators alike, causing them to lose their sense of self for a fleeting moment.

And within this throng of existence, whether it be a savage beast, a humble mortal, or a powerful cultivator, the aura stirred something dormant within their soul. Memories of countless reincarnations, forgotten and buried deep within their minds…

Memories that would have remained dormant for eons were it not for the Great Celestial’s touch. Now, by chance, this dormant memory stirred within the mind of a single being within the Cave World!

This awakening memory… belonged to the Seven-Colored Daoist’s Third Soul!

Within the Cloud Sea rift, the Seven-Colored Daoist, his face contorted with terror, fled with desperate speed. He burst from the rift, vomiting blood, and disappeared into the void, never looking back.

The Cloud Sea rift had become a source of unimaginable dread. Never could he have imagined that pursuing Wang Lin would unleash the power of a Great Celestial.

Upon the altar within the rift, Wang Lin stared in stunned silence as the sun encompassing Greed’s body drew him towards the rift behind, and swallowed him into its depths.

Through the crack, Wang Lin saw two adorable young girls.

“Oh, it’s you…” one of the girls, within the Beast Taming Realm, seemed to recognize Wang Lin, a look of delight spreading across her face.

“Hanhan, look! It’s the one I told you about, the one who also goes by Wang Lin!”

“Wawa, quickly seal this rift before those pesky old geezers come! If they find out, we won’t be able to come here anymore!”

“Alright, I’ll seal the rift. You go hide Greed; we can’t let them find him!”

In Wang Lin’s eyes, the rift was swallowed by a golden light, fading into the void.

This series of events left Wang Lin utterly bewildered. He sat upon the altar, his mind lost in thought, his gaze fixed upon the place where the rift had vanished.

“One of the Nine Suns… a Great Celestial…”
The star-strewn void lay silent, devoid of even the faintest glimmer. Upon a forgotten altar, Wang Lin sat in quiet contemplation, his mind replaying the events that had brought him to this desolate place.

“Those two…that child was actually a Great Celestial…” he mused, his eyes slowly regaining their light. “A Great Celestial of the Immortal Astral Continent, spoken of only in legends! His very aura was enough to drive back Seven-Colored, to send the Daoist of Seven Colors fleeing in terror!”

A spark ignited within Wang Lin’s gaze. “One day, I, too, will become a Great Celestial!” He closed his eyes, mastering the turmoil within, and then opened them again, his resolve hardening.

“Seven-Colored will not dare return here. For now, this place offers a rare sanctuary. Here, I shall comprehend the source of the forbidden seal, and I shall melt the eight drops of blood. And there is also the arm of the Dao Ancient…” Wang Lin turned his head, his gaze falling upon the gargantuan limb, easily ten times his height.

“If I can absorb this arm, and wield the Tear Heaven technique through it…what power would it unleash? Would it even approach the might of Ye Mo?” His eyes gleamed with ambition. When tranquility finally settled upon him, he raised his right hand, tapping his forehead. Instantly, the eight droplets of blood belonging to the Son of Ye Mo flew forth.

The blood motes hung suspended before him, devoid of outward radiance, yet emanating a palpable, ancient aura. The starlight within Wang Lin’s brow, the marks of the Ancient God, swirled and coalesced, forming a vortex of seven points.

Within his left and right eyes, the stars of Demon and Devil likewise emerged, lending Wang Lin a fearsome and unsettling visage.

“Dao Ancient blood…containing the power of all three Ancient clans…” Wang Lin reached out, seizing one of the drops of blood. He paused for a moment, gathering his resolve, and then crushed it in his hand. As the crimson mist spread, he inhaled deeply, drawing it into his seven orifices.

This time, it was not a simple matter of containing the power within his brow, but a true merging, an absorption. As the last vestiges of the blood vanished into his form, a low rumble echoed within him. Every inch of his flesh, every bone in his body, swelled and pulsed, frantically absorbing the Dao Ancient power within.

The Ancient God starlight in his brow spun faster and faster, until, faintly, a nascent eighth star began to materialize. But it was unstable, flickering, threatening to vanish at any moment.

Wang Lin’s face contorted in pain. He gritted his teeth, bearing the torment of expansion. The leap from seven stars to eight was a monumental task, and he had to divide his focus, coaxing the stars of Demon and Devil in his eyes to grow as well. He sought balance between the Ancient clans, not the singular ascent of the Ancient God!

Time trickled by, and seven days slipped into the past. Sweat drenched Wang Lin’s garments, but he clung fiercely to consciousness. He shattered the second droplet of blood, absorbing its essence, and then the third!

With two droplets simultaneously surging through his body, not only did the eighth star in his brow begin to solidify, but within his left eye, the Demon star spun wildly, hinting at the emergence of an eighth point of light!

Wang Lin’s body swelled once more, nearly bursting at the seams. Behind him, the illusory form of a Dao Ancient manifested, distorted and writhing as if undergoing some strange and miraculous transformation.

Days later, Wang Lin’s eyes snapped open. With a flick of his sleeve, the remaining five droplets of blood exploded into mist, engulfing his entire being. The mist writhed, seeping into him through his orifices, through the pores of his skin.

As the crimson fog dissipated, guttural roars emanated from within. Within Wang Lin’s left eye, the eighth Demon star blazed into existence!

The moment it appeared, demonic energy surged outwards, coalescing into a swirling tempest that swept across the void. Within the fractured space, countless savage beasts prostrated themselves, paralyzed with terror.

Simultaneously, within his right eye, the star of the Ancient Devil, the eighth point, flickered into being!

Devilish energy poured forth, an overwhelming tide of cruel, bloodthirsty power that consumed the stars.

Finally, came the emergence of the Ancient God star!

“The Three Calamities, Seven Tribulations…they draw near!” The mist that had cloaked Wang Lin was long gone. In his brow, the eighth star of the Ancient God radiated blinding light, on the verge of solidifying into existence!