He was, at that moment, poised to devour the earthfire. But this fire was unlike any other; its consumption would not be easy. “Now,” thought Du Qing, his eyes gleaming with resolve, “now is the perfect moment to strike him down!” Without hesitation, he darted toward the flames.

Deep within the swirling inferno, Du Qing saw Wang Lin. And Wang Lin, in turn, felt Du Qing’s presence beyond the fiery veil.

An aura, almost of the Empty Tribulation realm, emanated from Du Qing, particularly as he took on the aspect of a wooden golem. This sensation was clear to Wang Lin.

Wang Lin remained calm. He had known Du Qing was in pursuit, and now that he had been caught, it was expected. He felt no panic, nor did he acknowledge Du Qing’s approach. Instead, with a Vermillion Bird screeching beneath him and sixteen fire dragons circling, he plunged toward the soul of the subterranean fire vein, a colossal dragon of flame rising to meet him.

The distance was short, and their collision was swift. Even as Du Qing strained to intervene, he was a step too late.

First, the sixteen fire dragons struck, their impact echoing like thunder. At the moment of contact, Wang Lin, perched atop the Vermillion Bird, made a hand seal, his fingers flashing.

Instantly, the sixteen dragons roared, their bodies transforming into chains of burning iron, wrapping themselves around the earthfire dragon soul. From afar, it seemed as though sixteen fiery leashes bound the struggling dragon, its roars shaking the very heavens.

At the same time, the Vermillion Bird beneath Wang Lin erupted forward with a piercing cry. It plunged toward the bound dragon soul, its massive form merging with the dragon in a desperate, ravenous embrace.

All this occurred in a heartbeat, a seamless, fluid dance of power that left Du Qing breathless.

The earthfire dragon soul writhed and howled, its features contorted in agony. Within its form, a Vermillion Bird could be faintly seen, and atop its draconic horns, stood Wang Lin, his white hair flowing in the heat.

His left hand rose, and the sixteen fiery chains that bound the dragon soul came under his control, as if he held them in his very grasp.

The sight was awe-inspiring, enough to shake the spirit of any who witnessed it.

Enveloped in flames, Wang Lin stood as a monarch of fire, the dragon soul seemingly poised to become his mount.

Dragon roars shook the heavens. Only then did Du Qing, like an arrow loosed from a bow, pierce the fiery sea, hurtling toward Wang Lin.

As Du Qing drew near, Wang Lin’s head snapped up. With his left hand, he dragged the colossal fire dragon soul upward, forcing it to lift its head and unleash a deafening roar, a sound that tore through the sky and rippled outward as waves of fire.

At that same moment, an endless surge of fire power erupted from the sixteen chains in Wang Lin’s left hand, flooding into his body. From within the dragon’s form came the cry of the Vermillion Bird.

With the Vermillion Bird’s howl, vast power surged through the earthfire dragon soul and into Wang Lin. In that moment, the fire power within him became earth-shattering!

His right hand rose, and with a silent command, he thrust it forward!

That single strike channeled the fire essence that had surged through him, amplified to a power rivaling the full force of all Wang Lin’s essences combined within the Cave World!

One essence alone now matched the power of the previous seven!

The growth of his fire essence was the one thing that truly inspired him on this journey.

With this strike, the world trembled. The surrounding sea of fire shrank, coalescing before Wang Lin, merging with the fire power within him to form a colossal hand.

The fingerprints were clear, a perfect replica of Wang Lin’s right hand! This hand, a hundred yards in size, roared forward, incinerating all traces of life in its path, heading straight for Du Qing!

Du Qing’s eyes narrowed. He formed a hand seal, and in the heavens above, the sky twisted, forming a vortex. From within that vortex, a gigantic wooden arm emerged, smashing toward Wang Lin’s fiery hand.

The events transpired in the blink of an eye. Hand and arm collided, the impact sending a terrifying shockwave in all directions.

Wang Lin’s hand shattered, but the wooden arm born of Du Qing’s magic was engulfed in the flames of the exploding hand.

Du Qing grunted, taking three steps back, then looked up sharply.

Wang Lin stood motionless atop the earthfire dragon soul, yet the dragon itself was convulsing. Cracks spread across its skin, as if it were being torn apart.

Wang Lin had channeled all the force of Du Qing’s attack into the body of the dragon, using Du Qing’s own power to weaken the beast that he could not yet devour.

The fire dragon shrieked, recoiling as its body continued to crumble. With each fragment that fell away, the image of the Vermillion Bird within grew more defined.

Du Qing’s face paled. He realized that the white-haired cultivator was using his strength to aid in the dragon’s consumption.

As he looked up, Wang Lin’s cold gaze locked with his own across the distance.

With that first blow, Wang Lin had gauged Du Qing’s strength. He was certainly not at the Empty Tribulation stage, still within the Xuan Tribulation. His power was a bit stronger than the Palm Sovereign, but not comparable to Seven-Colors or Old Ghost Zhan!

Wang Lin saw through Du Qing’s facade, but Du Qing could not discern Wang Lin’s true strength.

“Judging by his aura, he is at most at the peak of the Spiritual Void, not yet reaching the Empyrean Void… but such a cultivator could not have survived my magic, much less devour the earthfire!”

“His body should have shattered under the force of my magic, yet his expression is unchanged. And since most of the power was diverted into the dragon beneath him, I cannot gauge his true cultivation!”

“But I refuse to believe he is only at the peak of the Spiritual Void! He must be concealing his true power, or he never could have escaped from the Azure Dragon Sect!” As their eyes met, each was consumed by speculation.

Du Qing, cautious by nature, was hesitant. After the events of the pursuit, uncertainty had taken root. After the blow, he stared at Wang Lin, not daring to act rashly again.

“Who are you, and why have you ravaged the mountain gate of my Azure Dragon Sect! You will give Du Qing a reason, or you shall remain here today!” Du Qing’s voice was cold, his eyes glinting with malice.

“Your Azure Dragon Sect disciples sought to turn Wang Lin into a puppet. I have only destroyed your mountain gate, spared your lives as a measure of restraint.” Wang Lin flicked the sixteen chains that formed the bodies of the fire dragons, causing the earthfire dragon soul to shriek in agony. Its body crumbled further, and the Vermillion Bird image within became clearer, as if it would be fully revealed at any moment.

Seeing this, Du Qing’s form flickered, as if he would turn back into a wooden golem. The screams of the fire dragon vein provoked chaos in the fire essence within his body.

“A joke! You have slaughtered thousands of my Azure Dragon Sect disciples, yet you claim to have spared them!” Du Qing scoffed, staring at the fire dragon soul beneath Wang Lin, as inner conflict raged within.

Wang Lin gave him the feeling of being mysterious, and the sight that he had beheld along the way left Du Qing uncertain of victory.

Hearing Du Qing’s words, Wang Lin said nothing more, choosing to focus on the dragon, continuously channeling his fire essence and devouring the dragon soul.

After a short period of calm, the fire dragon vein shrieked in panic and agony. Flames rose from Du Qing’s body, beyond his control. His eyes were filled with chilling malice; if he didn’t strike now, the fire essence within his body might turn against him.

“Words fail you? Then I will take what I am owed!” Without hesitation, Du Qing shot toward Wang Lin. As he approached, Wang Lin smirked, raised his right hand, and pointed to the heavens.

The sky thundered, and the clouds roiled as a gigantic hand appeared from nowhere: the Spirit Sealing Mark!

As the seal appeared, the world changed. It thundered as it hurtled toward Du Qing.

Du Qing’s expression shifted the moment he saw the hand.

“The Great Hand of the World Sect, Spirit Sealing Mark! You are from the World Sect of Soul Cloud Continent!”

Upon hearing Du Qing’s words, Wang Lin felt a flicker of surprise. As the Spirit Sealing Mark descended, Wang Lin formed another hand seal and pointed to the heavens once more.

A burst of seven-colored light roared forth, instantly engulfing the space before Wang Lin, cloaking everything in its radiance. The seven colors contracted and coalesced into a spear!

As the spear materialized, Du Qing’s eyes narrowed and his face paled. He ceased his advance and retreated several steps.

“The Seven-Colored Magic of the Eastern Serenity Sect! You… you… are you from the World Sect or a disciple of the Eastern Serenity Sect!”

“What do you think…” After unleashing two different spells in succession, Wang Lin clenched his right hand into a fist. As he opened his palm, millions of seals burst forth, hurtling toward the sky. The world shifted again, and a gigantic, open, ancient umbrella materialized before Du Qing’s eyes.

Du Qing shuddered, a look of disbelief on his face. He instinctively took several steps back, his gaze toward Wang Lin filled with deep apprehension.

“The Immortal Gang Continent, the Immortal Emperor’s favorite, the three strongest Dao Sects… The Hidden arts of the Lofty Cloud Dao… The World Burning Ancient Umbrella…” Du Qing’s face was pale. Wang Lin’s magic was growing more shocking by the minute. He wouldn’t believe that Wang Lin had stolen them; all of these arts looked genuine, definitely not ones that could be learned from theft!

“Just who are you!?”