It was not the woman’s lack of wit, for any soul, upon sensing the shift within the earth-fire vein, and stepping into that stone chamber to behold a figure wreathed in flames fleeing into the depths, would have suspected treachery.

Pursuit would be the natural inclination, and thus, missteps inevitable. Perfection is a rare gem in this vast cosmos.

Even Wang Lin himself, faced with the same circumstance, might struggle to grasp the ploy in an instant.

The woman’s swift assessment was indeed remarkable. Her abandonment of the chase, her direct plunge into the earth’s core, brought a cold smile to Wang Lin’s lips as he sensed her movements.

The earth-fire vein now throbbed with two warring wills: the spirit of the earth-fire dragon, and the essence of his own true form.

“Now, it is my turn!” Wang Lin’s eyes flashed. He would brook no interference with the assimilation of his true form. This merging was of paramount importance, a transformation of his very essence, especially crucial for one like him, drawn from the realm of the Caves to the lands of the Immortals. This alteration would amplify his power tenfold!

With a ripple beneath his feet, he vanished without a trace.

The woman, cloaked in a shroud of ghostly visages, moved with blinding speed. Suddenly, a prickling premonition seized her heart. Without thought, she veered aside. A streak of crimson light howled past, piercing her spectral guard, grazing her form with a thunderous blast before burying itself in the earth-fire vein ahead, unleashing a deafening roar. It was a bloodstained sword!

The blade radiated a savage aura, and within it pulsed the lingering essence of the Ancient Dao lineage!

The woman’s face paled at the sight of the bloody blade.

“The Bloodthirst Sword of the Seven Dao Blades! You are no mere cultivator!” She whirled around, only to see the sword materialize once more before her eyes. The air shimmered, and Wang Lin stepped forth.

“Bloodthirst Sword…” A flicker of recognition crossed Wang Lin’s face. He possessed the legacy of Ye Mo, yet lacked the complete memory of the left eye. He knew the sword was a gift from the Dao Ancient Emperor to Ye Mo, but its specific name eluded him.

He spoke no words. Instead, he raised a hand towards the unseen heavens. A torrent of rainbow light erupted from the earth-fire vein, coalescing before him into a shimmering, prismatic spear.

The spear lunged towards the woman.

With a disdainful snort, she swept her hand forward. The ghostly visages surrounding her roared, lunging to engulf the iridescent weapon.

In an instant, the two forces collided. The spear offered no resistance, devoured whole by the spectral horde, which then surged onward towards Wang Lin.

The woman’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent as she strode forward, following her spectral vanguard.

“Since you offer yourself so freely, you shall remain!” The chilling words echoed through the earth-fire vein, reaching Wang Lin’s ears.

Wang Lin retreated, and with a flick of his sleeve, the golden seal of Xuan Luo appeared, hurtling towards the ghostly visages.

The seal exuded immense power, infused with a sliver of Xuan Luo’s own might. As it crashed against the specters, they emitted a piercing shriek before dissolving into nothingness.

Bathed in golden light, the seal hurtled towards the woman, who gasped, her pupils shrinking, and halted in her tracks.

At the same time, Wang Lin’s eyes flashed, and he darted backwards, vanishing into the earth-fire vein. As he disappeared, the golden light dimmed, the seal ceasing its advance. Both it and the Bloodthirst Sword vanished without a trace.

“Pursue me no further. I bear no ill will towards the Great Soul Sect, seeking only to cultivate a certain art that requires the use of this earth-fire vein!” Wang Lin’s voice echoed in the stillness, reaching the woman’s mind.

She stood there, lost in thought.

In that brief moment, she had sensed the terrifying aura of a Great Celestial emanating from the golden seal. The power inspired dread and made her suspect many things.

After a long silence, her eyes hardened once more.

“So what if he possesses a treasure bestowed by a Great Celestial! He wields the Bloodthirst Sword, bearing the mark of the Ancient Dao lineage. The identity of the celestial who gifted him the treasure becomes obvious!

“The Great Celestials of the Ancient Kingdoms, though mighty, have no dominion over the Immortal Clan! And even if I err, and a celestial of the Immortal Clan stands behind him, his interference with the Great Soul Sect’s earth-fire vein justifies my pursuit. I seek only to impede him, not to slay him… even a Great Celestial cannot be so unreasonable!” She muttered to herself, then surged into the depths of the earth-fire vein.

Her fiery spirit, essential to her cultivation, refused to yield. Though shaken by the seal, she had quickly steeled her resolve.

In this she surpassed Du Qing.

Elsewhere in the earth-fire vein, Wang Lin, guided by the will of his true form, sensed the woman’s renewed pursuit and sighed.

“Alas, those who tread the path of the Void Tribulation possess unwavering determination. A treasure imbued with a Great Celestial’s power cannot easily deter them… Very well, if she will not retreat, we shall see who is the swifter!” Wang Lin’s eyes glinted with resolve, and he vanished once more.

Deep within the earth-fire vein, within the skull of the earth-fire dragon’s spirit, Wang Lin’s true form continued its assimilation. The dragon’s roars and struggles grew weaker. Within the dragon’s skull, only the hair of Wang Lin’s true form remained as Vermillion Bird feathers. But now, darkness was spreading from the roots.

The blackness shimmered with an abyssal light, slowly enveloping the feathers. When complete, the transformation would be finished. The true form would be fully materialized.
The sands of eternity slipped through unseen fingers as Wang Lin, lost within the heart of his nascent true form, cast aside all awareness of the looming peril. He wrestled with time itself, a desperate gamble for precious moments. Should the Lady of Cinders arrive before his true form solidified, Wang Lin faced utter ruin, his efforts dissolving into naught.

To find such an opportunity again would be a herculean task!

His original body, a mere shadow of his true self, repeatedly presented itself before the fiery Lady, attempting to impede her advance. He unleashed a torrent of arcane arts, yet after a few such encounters, the Lady paid him no heed, her relentless pursuit focused solely upon the heart of the Earthfire Vein.

Hours bled into one another. The Lady drew ever closer.

Within the very essence of the Dragon Soul, where Wang Lin’s true form resided, the beast weakened, its roars diminishing, its thrashing form beginning to still.

But this tranquility was a deceptive facade. A sudden, blinding light ignited within the Dragon Soul’s eyes. It raised its head in a final, earth-shattering bellow, and its seemingly pacified form erupted once more.

With that roar, the colossal Dragon Soul, a being of boundless fire, blazed with incandescent intensity. In the blink of an eye, it began to shrink, its immense form collapsing inward upon itself.

From a size beyond measure, it compressed to a mere ten thousand fathoms, then a thousand, then a hundred, then ten!

At the cost of its very form, the Dragon Soul unleashed its most potent defiance. Its body shrunk to ten fathoms, then five, then three, then a single fathom!

In this furious implosion, its very will became concentrated. At the final fathom, it shattered the limit, becoming a fist-sized orb of pure, searing flame!

As Wang Lin’s true form was ejected from the shrinking Dragon Soul, the fiery orb, imbued with the creature’s final, desperate act, hurtled towards Wang Lin’s brow.

With a deafening roar, the orb struck Wang Lin’s forehead, merging with his flesh, plunging into his true form!

The instant the light invaded, Wang Lin’s consciousness erupted in chaos. He was but a mortal man cast adrift on a raging sea, clinging to a frail raft.

A tide of overwhelming will descended, threatening to obliterate his spirit, to usurp his true form. It was the very will of the Earthfire Dragon Soul, sacrificing its body in a last-ditch effort to seize Wang Lin’s vessel, to transform his true form into a prison for its own undying essence!

The invading will was relentless, descending upon Wang Lin’s consciousness like a crushing hand. It possessed a primal struggle, a refusal to surrender, filled with phantom roars hurled defiantly at the heavens.

Through the haze, Wang Lin perceived light and heat, a confluence that embodied the very essence of fire.

The fire within raged with a desire to consume all, even itself, fueled by a mad, defiant will that challenged the very fabric of existence.

It sought to devour Wang Lin’s consciousness, to incinerate his being into ashes!

*I,* fire! The wellspring of my own fire is not from Vermilion Bird, but from a candle’s flame. Within its dancing heart lies the truth!

Winds howl, seeking to extinguish the fragile spark. The candle is small, teetering on the precipice of oblivion, yet with each gust, it resists, fighting with every flicker, unwilling to surrender to the nothingness.

*That* is the source of my fire. *That* is the candle’s will. *That* is my very essence. *That* is the defiance that has forged my path through the heavens!

Dare you extinguish it? Dare you suppress it?

Wang Lin’s true form snapped open its eyes, filled with an inferno within. A roar ripped from his throat, his consciousness within battling against the Dragon Soul’s oppressive will, with a spirit just as indomitable!

Like the candle in the storm!