A wheezing sigh echoed within the fiery veins of the earth, beckoning forth a chilling response. Far off, the sorceress seemed to hear it, her face twisting with urgency. She sped towards the sound, and in her wake followed Wang Lin’s true form, his eyes gleaming with purpose. They raced forward, a desperate chase against the molten heart of the world.

The sorceress, heedless of Wang Lin, poured all her strength into the pursuit. Wang Lin, outmatched in raw power, could not halt her. Yet, he held one trump card, a spell of binding!

But this arcane art remained unused, held back for the moment when it could strike with the most devastating effect!

With each desperate stride, the sorceress drew closer to Wang Lin’s Source Avatar. Her divine sense unfurled, painting a clear picture of what lay ahead. The moment her mind’s eye fell upon the Avatar, her countenance shattered!

“By the Ancients… a Source Avatar?!” she gasped. “He’s been here, channeling the earthfire to forge his own primal self!”

A chilling dread gripped her, a tremor passing through the hand concealed within her sleeve. The shock to her very soul dwarfed even the sight of a treasure bestowed by a Great Celestial Sovereign. For she had never witnessed a Celestial Sovereign, but the Source Avatar… she had seen such a thing before!

The venerable Azure Ox, Patriarch of the Great Soul Sect, possessed such a form. The sorceress knew the agonizing difficulty of its creation, and the immense power it wielded. She had believed she would only ever witness one Source Avatar in her life. Now, here before her, was a second, and it was utterly different!

“So, that’s why he lured me away… why he braved the depths of the earthfire veins… why he sought this place despite possessing a Celestial Sovereign’s treasure…”

“All to forge this legendary Source Avatar!” she hissed, her face paling. She understood the implications, that the Avatar’s completion would shatter the earthfire veins, consuming all in its wake.

“I cannot let it succeed!” she vowed, her voice sharp. Whether for the sake of the earthfire veins or from a wellspring of envy within her heart, she could not permit his triumph. With a guttural cry, she spewed forth a mouthful of blood, her essence merging with it. In that instant, her speed increased tenfold, becoming a blur of spectral smoke as she raced towards the location of Wang Lin’s Source Avatar.

Within his Source Avatar, after the cry of defiance, the will of the fire dragon soul that had descended upon him shattered. With that destruction, Wang Lin’s own will rose to dominance. The dragon’s final, desperate struggles dissolved into nothingness!

As the dragon’s consciousness crumbled and Wang Lin’s will asserted itself, consuming the scattered remnants, a thunderous roar erupted within his mind.

With that roar, Wang Lin’s divine sense expanded outwards. He sensed, distantly, a mournful cry echoing from the depths of the earth beneath the Heavenly Bull Continent.

The moment that cry pierced his mind, as he absorbed the last echoes of the broken dragon soul, his mind fractured. The echo from the earth seemed to draw him into itself, creating a terrifying illusion.

His vision blurred, and when it cleared, he found himself in a vast sea of stars. The cosmos stretched endlessly, and Wang Lin felt without form, adrift amidst the celestial tapestry.

Lost and confused, he was suddenly deafened by a great roar in the distance. Turning towards the sound, Wang Lin’s pupils constricted in horror.

He beheld a bull!

A colossal beast wreathed in ice, so cold that the very stars seemed to freeze in its presence. The creature’s form stretched beyond sight, its roar shaking the very foundations of existence.

An indescribable aura of dread emanated from it, blanketing everything. Wang Lin felt frozen, his thoughts slowing to a crawl. Never in his life had he encountered such a terrifying creature, its aura rivaling even the mighty Xuan Luo!

“The Heavenly Bull!” The words burst into Wang Lin’s mind, accompanied by ancient myths and legends of this land.

The Immortal Ancestor slew a beast from beyond the heavens, fashioning its body into a continent. He sealed it and named it the Heavenly Bull Continent. From there, mortals were born, and cultivators flocked, establishing sects that, after countless years, would become the Eastern Heavenly Bull Continent amongst the Immortal Seven-Two Continents!

As these thoughts reverberated through Wang Lin’s mind, golden light erupted above the icy beast in the sky. The light, boundless and radiant, filled the cosmos. From within it stepped a figure clad in royal robes, crowned with a diadem.

As this figure appeared, the stars trembled. A powerful, incomprehensible force of immortal energy filled the void, clashing with the chilling aura.

“The Immortal Ancestor!” Wang Lin knew without a doubt that this figure, whose face was hidden from view, was the ancestor of legend! “Could it be that in absorbing the dragon soul, I was dragged into the ancient past, to the moment when the Immortal Ancestor sealed this Heavenly Bull?

But according to the legends, this bull should be aflame, not frozen! ” Wang Lin stared in shock, his heart pounding in his chest.

As the Ancestor appeared, the Heavenly Bull roared once more, unleashing the icy power that surrounded it. Cracking sounds echoed through the stars, the very cosmos freezing around the beast.

To Wang Lin’s eyes, this power was overwhelming. Not even he, at his full strength as a Seven-Colored Immortal, could hope to stand against it. Only Xuan Luo, perhaps, could contend with its might!
Under the frozen firmament, the Emperor robed in shimmering azure raised his hand, fingers reaching for the celestial heights. With a sudden decree, he pointed down, his voice echoing through the star-strewn void.

“Eight Extremes Immortal Path, the Way of Fiery Extremes!”

As the words resonated, wisps of jade-green smoke emanated from his fingertips, swirling around his hand nine times before forming nine ethereal rings. Layer upon layer, they hurtled toward the Celestial Ox.

Expanding as they traveled, the rings swelled to immeasurable size, colliding with the beast in a flash.

The first ring met the Ox’s chilling aura, causing the cosmos to shudder as the icy breath dissipated. The second pierced the remaining frost, striking the Celestial Ox. Simultaneously, the other seven rings descended, each leaving its burning mark.

The Celestial Ox roared in defiance, yet could not escape the ethereal bonds. As the ninth ring settled upon it, all trace of ice and cold vanished from its form. In its place, a sky-searing inferno erupted, engulfing the Celestial Ox in a blazing cage, transforming it into a living fire-bull!

“For your transgression against my Immortal kin, you shall become the earth, your spirit nourishment for the land. Your bones shall be its veins, your soul imprisoned until the end of days!”

With a mournful bellow, the Celestial Ox plunged downwards, becoming a vast expanse of land. Mountains rose from the plains in an instant, the Ox’s bones forming the very foundation. From its remains flowed endless fire, transforming veins into rivers of molten fury.

Deep within the heart of this new world, the Celestial Ox’s soul was bound, its frustrated roars echoing from the depths, unheard by all but the soil above.

Wang Lin witnessed this transformation, his vision blurring before snapping back into focus. He remained within the fiery heart of the earth, the celestial beast’s mournful cries still ringing in his ears.

His mind still clouded, Wang Lin’s Origin True Body began to transform. Raven feathers gave way to midnight strands, the physical form drawing ever closer to completion.

But a crimson light flashed before him, a woman of ethereal beauty emerging from the bloody haze. Upon seeing the shifting hair of Wang Lin’s Origin True Body, her eyes narrowed with urgency and murderous intent. With a raised hand, she prepared to unleash a destructive spell upon the almost-complete form.

Behind her, the air rippled as Wang Lin’s true form materialized. The moment her hand rose to strike, Wang Lin’s eyes gleamed with icy resolve. The prepared binding spell, held in check until this moment, now surged forth.

“Divine Bind!” Not a simple paralysis, but a command to cease existence!

As the Divine Bind took hold, the beautiful woman froze, her spell undone. Wang Lin coughed blood, his body erupting in a cloud of crimson mist. Yet, without hesitation, he shifted, bypassing the woman, knowing she wore arcane protection.

He teleported directly to his Origin True Body, fusing with it, completing his spiritual essence. As they merged, his hair completed its transformation, becoming a cascade of ebony.

A mighty force emanated from Wang Lin’s form. His Fiery Origin True Body was complete!

The beautiful woman’s eyes widened as her body regained movement.

“Even with your fusion, you cannot prevail!” she thought, never having encountered such binding magic, the origin of which was beyond her comprehension.

As she lunged toward Wang Lin, he raised his hand, his eyes burning with power.

“Eight Extremes Immortal Path, the Way of Fiery Extremes!”

He may not possess the blood of the Immortal, but he had other means.