The Path of the Dragon’s Spine, a road for souls seeking rebirth. It stretched into the immeasurable distance, its end unseen. This path, however, was not for Wang Lin. He stood upon the dragon’s back, gazing at the protective walls of ice that lined the way, his eyes fixed on the horizon.

Faintly, he thought he could discern the figures of Li Qianmei and others, moving steadily along this road, destined for reincarnation.

“Wang Lin, if you are to protect the remnant soul of Wan Er, if you are to force her passage into the Immortal Astral Continent and defy the Immortal Astral Laws, you must leave this place and traverse the Void. You may become lost, you may even perish…” The voice of Xuan Luo echoed within Wang Lin’s mind.

The Immortal Astral Laws are unseen, yet they manifest as a crushing pressure. If you can endure this pressure, if you can withstand it, then you might find a way through!

But this chance, even with my aid, is no more than fifty percent… Never before has a Great Celestial Sovereign aided a being from a Spirit Burial Realm in defying the Immortal Astral Laws. You are the first… This is your fortune, so do not feel overly indebted to me.

If you succeed, I shall take you as my disciple and bring you back to the Daogu Clan! If you fail and meet your demise… I shall watch over your reincarnated self. You… take care!” Xuan Luo sighed softly. His regard for Wang Lin was profound; he truly intended for him to inherit his mantle, to protect the Daogu lineage, to safeguard him during his reincarnation.

He even considered aiding Wang Lin in entering the Ancient God Realm, to make him the tenth sun, though the matter was fraught with uncertainty and peril.

The Immortal Astral Continent teemed with countless Spirit Burial Realms. Nearly every sect possessed its own. Of course, for a Spirit Burial Realm to sustain life, it needed a Dao. While not abundant on the Immortal Astral Continent, they were not entirely rare either.

Since ancient times, countless beings from these Spirit Burial Realms have sought passage, attempting to break free, only to be crushed by the Immortal Astral Laws…

As you depart from this Path of the Dragon’s Spine, you may glimpse countless portals within the Void. Each of those portals is a Spirit Burial Realm from the Immortal Astral Continent. You might even see the remnants of those who failed, the countless Spirit Burial beings destroyed by the Immortal Astral Laws.

I know not what impact the passage of a Spirit Burial being will have on the Immortal Astral Continent, but I hope that you will be the first to succeed!

I cannot remain long within the Immortal Clan’s territory. I will wait for you for ten years… If you have not emerged within that time, then it shall be assumed that you have perished…” Xuan Luo’s words, tinged with age and sorrow, resonated within Wang Lin’s mind as his form materialized before him.

His gaze was warm, regarding Wang Lin as a venerable elder would regard a favored nephew.

“Within the Immortal Astral Laws, I cannot leave a mark upon you, nor can I know of your safety. The only measure of your survival will be time… Ten years, Wang Lin. Ten years from now, as I depart, my power will dissipate, and the Immortal Astral Laws will reach their zenith. In such a storm of power, an unwavering heart may be the only anchor against despair…

Within ten years, you must reach the Immortal Astral Continent…”

Wang Lin was silent, contemplating all that Xuan Luo had done for him, imprinting it deeply within his heart.

“Now, before you depart, tell me, will you accept me as your master?” Xuan Luo’s voice was gentle, each word a warm caress upon Wang Lin’s ears.

To insist on taking him as a disciple at such a moment, rather than waiting until he had successfully entered the Immortal Astral Continent, spoke of a rare devotion, a selfless act that stirred Wang Lin’s soul.

“Master…” Wang Lin could find no reason to refuse this heavy burden of affection and responsibility. He understood that this title bound him to the Daogu lineage, a connection that could never be severed.

This title meant that he would now dedicate himself to protecting the Daogu lineage, even at the cost of his own life!

This title was gratitude, a repayment for all that Xuan Luo had done for him…

Xuan Luo roared with laughter, overflowing with joy. He gazed at Wang Lin, grasped his arms, studied his face, and his laughter echoed through the void.

“My disciple, I shall await you in the Immortal Astral Continent!” As Xuan Luo spoke, he raised his ancient hand and swept it across the icy surface of the Dragon’s Spine. The ice immediately melted, forming a breach, and an eerie light shone through, a fragment of the Immortal Astral Laws themselves.

“You are my disciple, and I shall bestow upon you a gift!” Xuan Luo slammed his hand against his brow, bit through his tongue, and spat forth a mouthful of blood. The blood shimmered with a crimson light and transformed into a blood dragon. The blood dragon roared and coiled around Wang Lin, enveloping him and carrying him towards the breach in the ice.

“I am one of the Nine Suns. A drop of my essence blood will guard you for a portion of your journey, and I shall weave a spell to temper the Immortal Astral Laws and protect you!” As Wang Lin was swept by the blood dragon towards the breach, he raised his hand and grasped at the air, pulling forth countless glimmering souls.

These souls were all the creatures and spirits within Wang Lin’s storage space, save for the Madman!

“Xu Liguo, Liu Jinbiao, the mosquito beasts, and all other beings who have been with this disciple for so long… I beg you, Master, send them to the Immortal Astral Continent…” Wang Lin was only halfway through his request when the mosquito beasts, led by the mosquito king, suddenly erupted into a frenzy. Their eyes glowed with madness as they broke free and hurtled towards the breach in the ice, flying into the unknown beyond.

It was as if they sensed something they desperately craved, driving them into a mad dash towards the opening. The suddenness of this event shocked Wang Lin and even startled Xuan Luo.

Within the pitch-black void, the formless Immortal Astral Laws held sway, but the mosquito beasts seemed to feel no ill effects. Instead, they were undergoing a transformation.

Their bodies swelled rapidly, expanding to an incredible size. Explosions rang out from within their bodies, and an eerie light flickered, each movement causing immense power to ripple off them. They seemed utterly at peace, as if this was their true home!
But swiftly, a dire metamorphosis unfolded. The swarm of mosquito beasts, in the throes of what seemed a blissful awakening, erupted in unified screams of agony. A multitude, their bodies shattering with thunderous force, dissolved into clouds of gore. Wang Lin, witnessing this gruesome spectacle, stood aghast. He prepared to intervene, to salvage his insectile allies, yet watched as those that remained swelled to monstrous proportions, each becoming a behemoth resembling a mountain range within moments, only to collapse in ruin. The survivors continued their grotesque inflation.

Most terrible of all was Wang Lin’s own Mosquito King. Its carapace dripped crimson, its howls echoing with torment, as if battling a hidden power or perhaps…absorbing it.

Affection for his loyal companion ran deep. Wang Lin acted on impulse, but Xuan Luo, with an abrupt sweep of his arm, stayed him. The Mosquito King itself, as if understanding the intent, darted away, its multiple eyes conveying a resolute plea.

“Do not interfere! This savage beast is… extraordinary!” Xuan Luo, his eyes gleaming with an uncharacteristic intensity, fixed his gaze upon the mosquitos erupting from the rift. His voice was weighted with gravitas.

“They are adapting to the emptiness steeped in the Laws of the Immortal Ascendant… More than that, observe their transformation. It is as though, in ages long past, their ancestors thrived here. They have returned home, yet were not born to this place. Though no memory remains, the echoes of it exist within their essence, creating conflict, body and spirit pulling in different directions, which thus causes death!”

“It is akin to a fish that has adapted to life beyond the water’s embrace. To cast it back into the depths risks drowning! Refrain from interference. This, for them, is a pivotal metamorphosis.” Xuan Luo, his gaze unwavering, fell into deep contemplation.

As Xuan Luo spoke, the swarm continued to dwindle, leaving a scant hundred remaining. But each surviving mosquito had grown to a frightening size, their forms swollen to grotesque extremes. Their eyes blazed with a fevered light that blended agony and fanaticism.

Despite the carnage, not one mosquito beast turned back. Consciousness remained intact. Each understood that this chance was a gateway to unparalleled evolution, a return to their ancestral form.

Within their spirits, the echoes of distant forebears resonated, amplified with each cycle of expansion.

The Mosquito King, of course, was the largest of them all. Colossal, it possessed a form as large as several mountain ranges, comparable to the gargantuan mosquito that Wang Lin had seen in the Wind Immortal Realm.

A terrifying aura radiated from its very being.

As time slipped by, Wang Lin’s anxiety reached its peak. He could wait no longer. He would rather his Mosquito King fail than face death!

For Wang Lin, the Mosquito King was akin to family, a companion throughout two millennia. In that moment of collapse, Wang Lin flashed forward, a streak of determination in his eyes, venturing straight to the breaking beasts.

As he drew near, a resounding cry echoed from the crumbling forms, shattering the silence. This, accompanied by nine more equally powerful cries!

The cacophony shook the very void, steeped in the Laws of the Immortal Ascendant.

From the ruins erupted the Mosquito King, its size comparable to a cultivator star, its mandibles capable of dwarfing all.

Behind it, nine golden mosquitos, each a hundred thousand feet tall and as awe-inspiring as the Mosquito King within the Feng Xian Realm’s rift, drifted in the void. Their savage aura forced Xuan Luo to widen his eyes.

“Legend speaks of the time when the Immortal Ascendant Continent first rose, emerging from a savage wilderness. Then, the Divine Kingdom appeared, creating the heavens and the earth, and giving birth to all living beings. Afterward, stars filled the space beneath the Continent!”

“The Laws of the Immortal Ascendant descended, filling the emptiness like an endless ocean. Within it are nine beasts, born with the ancient Immortals… These… these savage beasts can fuse with the complex Laws of the Immortal Ascendant! Could it be…?” Xuan Luo’s eyes widened further, reflecting disbelief.