The middle-aged man’s eyes followed the youth’s gaze, and his pupils constricted as he beheld the roaring sea of fire erupting from the depths of the grotto, consuming the array with pillars of incandescent fury. This was no mere mortal; he possessed the very essence of power, a third-step Ascendant Soul master, second only to the Sect Leader within the Azure Dragon Sect. Throughout the entire Celestial Bull Continent, he was a force to be reckoned with.

Within the raging inferno, he glimpsed a figure seated in meditation, engulfed in flames, a coffin resting upon his back. An aura that threatened to shatter his very soul emanated from the figure, a presence both terrifying and immense.

“This is no corpse!” The middle-aged man’s face darkened. He cast a venomous glare at the petrified and terrified Kang Ren before stepping towards the fiery columns. His confidence rested upon his own profound cultivation. Moreover, the meditating figure radiated no overwhelming power. Thus, he strode boldly toward the flames.

He was already close, and with a single stride, he reached the outer edge of the inferno. The protective energy bubble surrounding him met the flames, erupting in a series of crackling explosions. The fire recoiled from his approach, creating a path, an invitation to enter.

“What manner of wild spirit dares intrude upon the Azure Dragon Sect? I’ll reduce you to a puppet, lest the cultivators of the Celestial Bull Continent laugh at us!” With another step, the middle-aged man half entered the sea of fire. Though the flames roared and surged, they were unable to penetrate the barrier around him.

But in that instant, Wang Lin’s closed eyes snapped open. Twin beams of icy light erupted from his gaze. The middle-aged man’s face twisted in terror as he felt a shuddering, horrific aura explode from the meditating figure’s eyes.

The sheer force of this presence was earth-shattering, dwarfing his own existence like a firefly beneath the radiant moon, threatening to consume him. He froze, his progress halted by the paralyzing fear.

“Get out!” Wang Lin’s voice, a chilling whisper, echoed through the grotto. His right hand swept forward. As the word left his lips, the grotto was plunged into a glacial winter. Outside, a howling wind tore through the skies, and the falling rain seemed to solidify into ice. Even the sea of fire dimmed, as if struggling against imminent extinction.

The middle-aged man felt the brunt of the force. A frigid chill gripped his very bones. As Wang Lin waved his hand, the protective bubble around him shattered into fragments, sending the middle-aged man reeling. He coughed up blood, his eyes wide with disbelief and terror.

His body moved against his will, as if struck by the force of ten thousand mountains crashing down upon him. He stumbled backward, vomiting more blood. Like a broken kite, he was hurled from the grotto.

Before the astonished gaze of tens of thousands of Azure Dragon Sect cultivators, the middle-aged man flew from the grotto, spewing a third mouthful of blood. He crashed hundreds of yards away before finally managing to stop, his face ashen, his eyes filled with an unspeakable dread.

“Who are you?!” he shrieked, his voice laced with desperate fear.

This sudden turn of events sent a wave of shock through the Azure Dragon Sect. Even the two elders, transformed into colossal dragons within the clouds, were shaken. The white-haired elder, Xu Yun’s master, widened his eyes in utter disbelief.

“Hidden within that grotto! Even Elder Zhao, an Ascendant Soul master, was instantly defeated, grievously wounded!”

“Silence!” Wang Lin’s cold voice echoed from within Kang Ren’s grotto.

Silence descended immediately. Even the falling rain seemed to freeze, suspended in the air.

The sight of the frozen rain filled the white-haired elder with dread. “He speaks the law, and creation obeys! He… he must have reached the Empyrean Exalt, perhaps even higher! Who is this person?! What manner of being has Kang Ren brought back? Such power… He must be renowned throughout the Celestial Bull Continent. He cannot be some unknown nobody!”

Inside the grotto, Kang Ren was consumed by despair. He had witnessed the highly-regarded Elder Zhao vomiting blood and being thrown backward from the flames. He knew that he had unleashed a terrible calamity! “This… this isn’t a stroke of fortune; this is a grand ancestor!”

Wang Lin, still bathed in flames, closed his eyes once more. His divine sense had already scanned the area during the eruption of the terrestrial fire, finding no one worthy of his attention.

However, he knew that he was in the Immortal Astral Continent, a land teeming with powerful beings. He could hear the voices outside and knew that the Sect Leader and the Old Ancestor were away and currently returning.

Though this domain was vast, even a third-step master would require time to arrive. Even merging with the cosmos might not work here, as this Immortal Astral Continent might differ from the Realm of the Cave. Wang Lin had suspected this from the moment he had awakened.

As the terrestrial fire continued to envelop him, merging with his body and nourishing his fire essence, Wang Lin’s right hand shot out, seizing Kang Ren. The wretch, his body bound by Wang Lin, was pulled into the flames and grabbed by the throat.

Icy eyes stared at Kang Ren. As their gazes met, Kang Ren’s mind exploded as if struck by ten thousand thunderbolts. He was utterly helpless, unable to resist. His face twisted in terror as he looked at Wang Lin with utter despair.

“S-Senior, have mercy!”

Wang Lin ignored Kang Ren’s plea. His divine sense plunged into Kang Ren’s mind, sifting through his memories. Finding what he sought, he cast Kang Ren back outside the fire and once again bound him in place.
I. The Sect Master of the Azure Bloom Sect in his nascent Void Realm, and the aged Du Qing, a master of the Void Tribulation… Wang Lin frowned. He held little regard for the Void Profound, but that Void Tribulation, that was a trial.

“My storage void cannot be opened easily. Misfortune may arise. Thus, my treasures will be inaccessible, and the enchanted puppet cannot be summoned… Alas, this puts me at a disadvantage against a cultivator of the Void Tribulation.”

Lost in thought, the mystic flame flooded Wang Lin’s being, transforming into fiery essence, nurturing his very core. The flame essence thus grew in strength and vitality.

“Enough,” Wang Lin mused. “I shall depart this place and seek a secluded haven to study the riddle of my storage void. Furthermore, the other essences within me seem to undergo subtle change; I must become familiar with them.” His eyes gleamed with resolve. He had only just arrived in the Immortal Astral Continent and had yet to fully acclimate. His nature eschewed needless arrogance.

Having made his decision, he raised his hands and performed a secret incantation. Instantly, the earth trembled anew, and even more of the mystic flame erupted from the depths below, engulfing the entire cavern and spreading outwards.

The spectacle did not escape the eyes of those outside, especially the middle-aged man. He had cultivated to such heights, and his mind was sharp. He immediately discerned the truth.

“He intends to flee!” The middle-aged man’s face darkened. The earlier display filled him with dread, but even greater was the terror of facing the wrath of the Elder Master upon his return!

The Elder Master’s rage was legendary, capable of turning men into mere wooden effigies. The middle-aged man had witnessed such a fate before, and his heart was filled with trepidation.

“He must not escape before the Elder Master returns. Should he flee, I cannot endure the Elder Master’s fury!” Biting his teeth, the middle-aged man roared.

“Li Changtian, Duo Mengde, Han Xin! He seeks to escape. He must not be allowed to flee, or you know the consequences of the Elder Master’s wrath! Abandon the Celestial Waters Array, all disciples of the Mustard Dragon Sect, and unleash the Dao-Soul Wood!” He suppressed his injuries and charged forth. Behind him, the white-haired elder paled and followed, gritting his teeth.

Simultaneously, the two dragons within the clouds contorted, becoming a man and a woman. Remembering the Elder Master’s fearsome power, they unleashed their full cultivation, transforming into two streaks of light hurtling towards the cavern below!

The Mustard Dragon Sect’s four grand elders, four great powers of the Third Step, moved in unison to prevent Wang Lin’s departure!

Under the middle-aged man’s command, the tens of thousands of Mustard Dragon Sect disciples abandoned the Celestial Waters Array. Their hands wove through the air, chanting in unison. Their myriad voices melded into a strange, resonating power, filling the heavens and earth.

The Dao-Soul Wood was a divine art of the Great Soul Gate. The Mustard Dragon Sect Elder Master shared a deep connection with the Great Soul Gate, and he was gifted with this technique to serve as the foundation of their sect’s formations!

If one listened closely, two words could faintly be discerned within the incantation: Dao and Soul!

“Dao blooms…”

“Soul like a lotus…”

The sound enveloped the land below, reaching Wang Lin within the cavern. It caused a tremor in his mind, as if a force were entering his body, dissolving his Dao Heart and separating his soul.

This sensation filled Wang Lin with vexation. His eyes flashed, and he stepped forth, heedless of danger. As he did, the Heart Tremor Thunder, learned from the Ancient Graveyard, erupted!

Thumping, thumping heartbeats echoed from within him, growing ever more intense, merging into a continuous barrage, like a thunderous storm countering the outside chanting of the Dao-Soul Wood.

At the same time, as the four grand elders stormed into the cavern, intending to seal it and prevent his escape, Wang Lin raised his right hand, seizing the void, his face contorted in ferocity.

“Sever the Soul of the Earth Flame Vein!”