With a low growl rumbling from his throat, a tempest of divine sense unfurled, engulfing the very air around him. It slammed into the dissolving ripples of Wang Lin’s Ancient Dao, the echoes of a lost Immortal. Nine layers of shimmering energy shattered in silent surrender, exploding into a scattering of crystalline light.

炎欒, blasted back by the sheer force of the invading will, stumbled a hundred paces before regaining her footing.

The all-encompassing power silenced the Great Soul Sect elders, their murmurs and movements swallowed by the crushing weight of its presence. The chaotic tides of magic that had churned the heavens stilled to a breathless calm.

Between Wang Lin and 炎欒, where the divine sense originated, a figure materialized: an ancient man cloaked in emerald robes, his hair a waterfall of silver. This was none other than 青牛真人, his true form now made manifest!

Even as his spectral body solidified, 青牛真人’s original essence strode forth, merging with the newly formed shell. Behind him, a shadowy, formless phantom flickered into existence.

A wave of terrifying power emanated from the elder, its intensity exceeding even the peak strength of the long-vanished 彩仙尊, as Wang Lin felt.

“A late-stage Void Tribulant!” Wang Lin’s expression remained impassive, yet his pupils betrayed a fleeting flicker of surprise.

“Greetings, Ancestor!” The Great Soul Sect elders, previously struck mute, bowed in unison as the elder’s form took shape.

Even 炎欒, her face a mask of shifting shadows, lowered her head in grudging respect. Only Wang Lin remained standing, his gaze sweeping over 青牛真人 with unwavering calm.

“炎欒, Elder Wang is a guest I have invited. Henceforth, he shall be counted among the Great Soul Sect’s elders. As for your 炎脈 Peak, I shall see that you are provided with a new mountain sanctuary. Furthermore, you shall be granted three days within the Soul Repository!” 青牛真人 announced, his gaze settling upon the striking sorceress, 炎欒.

炎欒, though resentful, remained silent. Recalling Wang Lin’s formidable prowess, she could only nod in acquiescence.

“This matter is closed,” 青牛真人 declared, his voice ringing with authority. “All that pertains to Elder Wang is now a secret of the Great Soul Sect. Let no word of it escape these walls, lest ye face the full weight of the Sect’s laws!” He turned his gaze upon the assembled elders, his eyes finally resting on Wang Lin.

“Elder Wang, welcome to the Great Soul Sect!” A warm smile graced 青牛真人’s weathered face.

Wang Lin returned the smile, offering a respectful bow. As the eyes of the entire assembly focused upon him, he spoke with measured grace: “I am but a newcomer to these lands. Should I err in my ways, I trust my fellow Daoists will not hold it against me.”

His words, delivered with neither arrogance nor false humility, coupled with the display of his power, elicited a flurry of polite responses from the Great Soul Sect elders.

“Elder Wang, you are too kind! As brothers and sisters of the Sect, we shall undoubtedly find ourselves assisting one another.”

“Ha! Elder Wang’s cultivation is remarkable, his magic astounding! We of the Dao respect strength above all else. There is no question of offense!”

“If Elder Wang should find the time, he is welcome to visit my 松雲 Peak. I have a rare tea, harvested by the hands of celestial maidens. We could converse over its fragrant leaves.”

Polite words flowed from all sides. Wang Lin, patient and gracious, answered each in turn. Then, with bows and farewells, the elders departed, transforming into streaks of light as they returned to their respective peaks.

Soon, only 炎欒, Wang Lin, and the ancestral 青牛 老祖 remained in the skies above the Great Soul Sect. In the distance, 炎欒’s disciples stood, among them 礬珊夢, her gaze towards Wang Lin filled with a complex mix of emotions.

“Elder Wang, I bid you choose a mountain within the Great Soul Sect to serve as your sanctuary. I shall lend my hand to its shaping. Once you are familiar with the ways of the Sect, seek me out. Every elder is granted one opportunity to enter the Soul Repository, where lies a wealth of magic and techniques for your choosing.

“Furthermore, there are three gifts awaiting you, prepared long ago. Now that you have arrived, I shall, in the name of our ancestors, present them to you… They shall prove most useful!” The weight of 青牛 老祖’s words, his obvious regard for Wang Lin, did not escape 炎欒. She remained silent, yet inwardly she seethed.

Wang Lin nodded, his gaze drifting towards the Great Soul Sect. From this vantage, he could see the crimson peak, once vibrant, now marred and defiled.

After a moment’s contemplation, he realized his conflict with 炎欒 was, in truth, rather shallow. He had been the aggressor, leaving her sanctuary in ruins. Such an affront would be difficult for anyone to accept.

“Senior 青牛, I have no need for a new peak. The 炎脈 Peak will suffice!” Wang Lin declared, gesturing towards the battered mountain in the distance.

“As for a new sanctuary, let it be given to 炎欒 instead.” Wang Lin turned a smile towards the beautiful sorceress.

Taken aback, her expression softened, yet the resentment remained. Seeing Wang Lin’s smile, she sneered and glared fiercely.

青牛 老祖 chuckled, nodding. “As you wish. Seek me out at 青天 Peak in three days!” 青牛 老祖 raised his hand, summoning a jade slip that flew towards Wang Lin.

“This slip will allow you to freely traverse most of the Great Soul Sect’s barriers!” Wang Lin accepted the jade slip and, without further words, shot towards the despoiled peak. As he passed 炎欒’s disciples, he paused, his gaze lingering on 礬珊夢.

A tremor ran through her as she lowered her head. Her cultivation was not to be dismissed; she, like 杜青, was a Seventh Xuan Tribulant. Years ago, she and her sister had been chosen as consorts of 彩仙尊, a circumstance owed not to their strength, but to their being disciples of the Great Soul Sect.

And within that lay a deeper reason, tied to a fortuitous encounter. Otherwise, 彩仙尊, then only a fledgling Void Tribulant, would never have sought her as a partner.

彩仙尊 was an enigma, his devotion and infatuation incomprehensible to outsiders. Yet his enduring affection for 礬珊夢, even after he ascended to the heights of a mid-stage Void Tribulant, spoke volumes.

Perhaps that was why, upon discovering 礬珊夢’s rumored dalliance with 連道非, his rage had been so immense!
“My grotto lacks a serving maid. That one is suitable. Yan Luan, deliver her to me.”

Wang Lin’s steps faltered. He turned his gaze upon Fan Shanmeng, raising a hand to point.

At that touch, a tremor ran through Fan Shanmeng’s spirit. Hearing Wang Lin’s words, her face paled. “You shall not!”

The tranquility Yan Luan had so carefully cultivated shattered with Wang Lin’s pronouncement. A fierce light ignited in her eyes, and this very anger lent her an unearthly beauty.

Wang Lin laughed, transforming into a streak of light as he soared into the Grand Soul Sect. His gesture, however, held a deeper meaning.

As Wang Lin departed, Yan Luan fixed a strange, knowing gaze upon Fan Shanmeng, her thoughts shrouded in mystery.

Under her master’s intense scrutiny, Fan Shanmeng bit her lip, her heart trembling with apprehension. She lowered her head, unable to speak.

Within the Grand Soul Sect, upon the dim peak of the Yan Meridian, Wang Lin stood, his divine sense unfurling to encompass the entire mountain. Deprived of its earth fire leyline, the peak had become a wasteland, its very substance brittle and crumbling. It seemed that even a gentle touch could bring it crashing down.

Yet, this state held no sway over Wang Lin. He raised his right foot, stepping down gently. Immediately, the true form of his Fire Origin manifested behind him, merging with the mountain.

In the instant the Origin melded with the peak, it erupted in a raging sea of fire. The flames roared, reaching towards the heavens and encompassing the mountain, setting it ablaze.

“Deprived of its fiery power, I shall replenish it! Lacking a fiery will, it shall become a mountain through my own!” Wang Lin murmured. The sea of fire surged, consuming every pre-existing restriction, forging new ones in their place. The mountain’s pallid hue transformed, once again becoming a crimson as brilliant as the noonday sun!

It was even more intense than before. The flames danced upon the peak, seemingly destined to burn for eternity, never to be extinguished!

Yan Luan witnessed this spectacle, and her silver teeth clenched. The momentary easing of her rage at Wang Lin’s acquisition of the ruined peak vanished entirely.

“I am irreconcilable with him!” she vowed silently, stifling the burning fury within. After the Blue Ox Ancestor re-established her peak and departed, she immediately summoned Fan Shanmeng.

“Fan Shanmeng, you shall go to the Yan Meridian peak! Since that Wang fellow desires you as a serving maid, then you shall serve him!”

“Master!!” Fan Shanmeng’s face drained of color. She trembled, sinking to her knees, a picture of pitiful distress, tears glistening in her eyes.

Yan Luan merely snorted at the display.

“This Wang fellow… he is the one you spoke of before, from the Realm of the Caves, is he not? Hmph! Stow away your alluring ways! Your charms are useless on me! Your nature is wanton, causing the death of your Daoist partner, the Seven-Colored Immortal, and driving Lian Daofei into the Realm of the Caves of the Seven Dao Sects! I may not possess your abilities, but if you can put them to good use, using them to curse that Wang fellow to death, I shall not leave you unrewarded!”

Fan Shanmeng’s delicate frame shuddered. She raised her head to speak.

“Silence! You shall go, whether you wish it or not! Curse him to death! This is your area of expertise. With your allure and bewitching beauty, you can accomplish it. Go!” Yan Luan swept her sleeve, and a gale-force wind swept Fan Shanmeng out of the mountain.

Outside the peak, Fan Shanmeng remained in silence for a long while. She turned her gaze towards the burning mountain where Wang Lin resided, her eyes filled with a profound venom. Were it not for Wang Lin’s words, Yan Luan would never have sent her forth.

“Curse him to death…” her master’s words echoed in her mind. Fan Shanmeng took a deep breath. The venom in her eyes vanished, replaced by a fluid, inner allure. Her expression composed, she walked lightly towards the burning peak.