The very firmament shuddered, and the colossal staircase, an apparition born of arcane energies, ascended towards the uttermost reaches of the heavens. Upon its first step stood Wang Lin, a figure of celestial bearing, his white hair dancing in the ethereal breeze, radiating an otherworldly grace.

He cast his gaze downward, his eyes, like twin stars, sweeping across the land until they settled upon the peaks of Yan Luan. There, upon a female disciple possessed by the lingering spirit of Yan Zang, his gaze fell. The disciple gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief. In that single, piercing look, Yan Zang felt her essence threatened, on the verge of being forcibly expelled from the mortal vessel.

Another moment, and her spirit would be shattered.

Never had she experienced such a sensation. Even the formidable Young Ancestor, though capable of such a feat, lacked this raw, undeniable power.

In that instant, to Yan Ji, Wang Lin was no longer the man she had known.

It was a bizarre paradox. The same being, yet emanating two profoundly different sources of awe.

She was not alone in her astonishment. Within the Great Soul Sect, every soul who met Wang Lin’s gaze felt their mind reeling, their bodies trembling. They staggered backward, each haunted by the chilling sensation of their soul straining to escape, their very essence teetering on the brink of expulsion.

Regardless of cultivation, from the lowest acolyte to the most venerable elder, even the reclusive ancient ones who stirred from their mountain retreats felt their spirits quake and yearn to break free.

All this was wrought by the terrifying power emanating from Wang Lin’s gaze!

Even within the Azure Sky Grotto, the Old Azure Ox Ancestor felt the weight of his gaze. As Wang Lin’s eyes shifted from Yan Luan, they locked upon the grotto. The Ancestor’s face paled, his body convulsing. A swirling mist of azure energy erupted behind him, morphing into the primal form of his true self.

Wang Lin’s gaze soon dissipated, yet the Old Azure Ox Ancestor remained shaken, his eyes wide with trepidation. The gaze was cold, devoid of emotion, yet imbued with the implication that all of creation lay prostrate at his feet.

The Old Azure Ox Ancestor had never journeyed to the imperial city of the Dao Ancient lineage, never beheld the colossal statue of the Ancient Ancestor, towering within the floating metropolis. Had he done so, he would have recognized a haunting familiarity.

For the gigantic, ethereal figure of Wang Lin mimicked the Ancient Ancestor’s imperious presence, though subtly different in the details.

“What…what has befallen him? This being…this being is not Wang Lin! Who is he?!” The Old Azure Ox Ancestor, his face ashen, burst from his grotto, hovering in the air with a gaze of profound unease.

The colossal image of Wang Lin in the heavens withdrew its gaze from the earth, closing its eyes. The Old Azure Ox Ancestor was ignorant of Wang Lin’s secrets, unaware that the entity now present was still Wang Lin, yet imbued with an awe-inspiring presence borrowed from his very division of soul!

As Wang Lin closed his eyes, he raised his foot, his expression serene. He took a step, and the world trembled. The immense staircase shook, as though it could not bear the weight of his passage.

It was as if Wang Lin’s step originated from a distant void, one that the Soul Repository, the Great Soul Sect, even the whole of Azure Sky Continent, could not withstand!

Amidst the thunderous clamor, Wang Lin took another step. His pace was unhurried, yet resolute, as though he strolled through his own manor, ascending the stairs with ease.

The third step, the fourth, the fifth… Watched in silence by the denizens of the Great Soul Sect, they saw Wang Lin, eyes closed, ascend fifteen steps!

Fifteen steps conquered without hesitation, as if the ancient wards held no sway over him.

The sight drained the color from the faces of the Great Soul Sect’s disciples, filled the elders with shock, and caused the Old Azure Ox Ancestor to gasp!

Yan Zang, within the possessed disciple, felt her spirit tremble, threatening to disintegrate. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into flesh, drawing blood.

The heavens roared. Wang Lin, his eyes still closed, ascended the sixteenth step, the seventeenth, the eighteenth. Then, in a flash, his eyes snapped open.

A celestial pressure emanated from his gaze, engulfing the land below. Those who beheld it reflexively lowered their heads, unable to meet its intensity. The possessed disciple trembled, Yan Zang’s spirit poised to be driven out.

“Yan Zang, I have won!” The calm words echoed through the heavens as Wang Lin took the final step, ascending to the nineteenth level, and entering the eighth layer of the Soul Repository!

As his words rang out, the possessed disciple shuddered violently, her eyes growing vacant as Yan Zang’s essence vanished. She stumbled backward, lost and disoriented.

In that instant, the Great Soul Sect fell silent… then erupted in an explosion of astonished cries.

“He…he succeeded!!”

“He cleared seven, eight layers! Elder Wang has truly reached the eighth layer!”

“His gaze…it was terrifying. I have never seen such power in the eyes of any other cultivator!”

Within the Azure Sky Peak, the Old Azure Ox Ancestor contemplated the fading image in the sky, his face a tapestry of conflicting emotions.

Within the sixth layer of the Soul Repository, Yan Zheng’s face drained of blood. She stood transfixed at the entrance to the seventh layer, silent and unmoving.

The gourd in her hand seemed to writhe with an invisible force, yearning to be drawn away. Yet, Yan Zheng gritted her teeth and tightened her grip, clutching the gourd fiercely.

“Eh? You would renege?” The voice of Wang Lin echoed from the eighth layer as Yan Zheng grasped the gourd, accompanied by the measured tread of boots ascending the stairs above Yan Zang.
The instant Wang Lin breached the eighth tier of the Soul Repository, he turned and descended. Once one successfully navigated the seventh and eighth levels, subsequent ascents and descents would no longer trigger the celestial upheaval within the Grand Soul Sect. This truth remained veiled from outsiders, yet Yan Luo perceived a phantom of an unmatched immortal descending from the eighth tier towards her.

The crunch of footsteps echoed within the Soul Repository as Wang Lin’s feet met the steps, each footfall carrying him lower. He soon arrived at the seventh tier.

“Since you wagered, to renege now is unbecoming, Yan Luo. This pact was not proposed by Wang. It was of your own making!” Wang Lin’s voice was serene, devoid of any tremor, echoing from the seventh tier and reaching Yan Luo’s ears.

Her pupils contracted as Yan Luo witnessed Wang Lin’s right foot descending onto the stairwell leading to the seventh tier. From her vantage point, only that foot was visible, obscuring Wang Lin’s form. The instant Wang Lin’s foot landed, Yan Luo felt as though she were standing before the cosmos itself, facing the incandescent sun.

“Do you truly intend to renege?” Wang Lin’s voice carried an authority akin to divine judgment, seemingly transcending the Soul Repository’s enchantments and even the very laws of the Immortal Astral Continent, now descending upon the Grand Soul Sect.

With each step Wang Lin took downwards, his legs, his torso, gradually materialized before Yan Luo’s gaze.

“Do you truly intend it? Answer me!” On the ninth step, Wang Lin stood fully revealed, his words calm yet resonating like thunder, causing Yan Luo to pale and stagger backward.

Panic flickered in her eyes. In that moment, she seemed to forget her own cultivation, feeling insignificant before Wang Lin, as though he were not merely Wang Lin at all.

“Who are you?!” Yan Luo’s eyes were bloodshot, her voice bordering on a scream.

Wang Lin was employing the aura of his avatar to suppress Yan Luo, overwhelming her spirit and etching a fissure within her dao heart, ensuring that any future encounter would be marred by terror.

Thus, she would pose no further threat to him.

Lacking any deep-seated animosity, Wang Lin did not aim to shatter her dao, and her cultivation would continue unhindered. However, towards Wang Lin, she would forever harbor terror and avoid confrontation.

“Give it to me!” Wang Lin descended two more steps, casually raising his right hand.

Yet, to Yan Luo, each footfall felt like a blow to her very soul, threatening to crush her under the weight of the heavens themselves. It felt as though only by relinquishing the gourd would she escape being pulverized by the cosmos.

Trembling, the light in Yan Luo’s eyes seemed to flicker and fade. She could not withstand the oppressive force assailing her spirit. In that moment, Wang Lin’s presence evoked a fear unlike any she had ever known.

Her right hand gradually loosened, and the gourd, with a faint shimmer, floated towards Wang Lin, landing in his palm.

Wang Lin’s eyes appeared serene, but a glint of triumph flickered within. This was the first time he had fully unleashed the aura of his avatar, and the sheer power of it left him astonished.

Clutching the gourd, Wang Lin turned and ascended the stairs toward the seventh and eighth tiers, seeking to claim his chosen techniques and spells.

Only after Wang Lin departed, his figure vanishing from Yan Luo’s sight, did the oppressive aura dissipate. Her body weakened, Yan Luo retreated, her heart bitter, her expression a complex blend of emotions.

In the eighth tier, Wang Lin strode forward. Dust lay thick upon the floor, as if untouched for ages. The chamber was small, illuminated by the gentle light emanating from nine materialized Soul Projections.

Within each of these Soul Projections lay one of the Grand Soul Sect’s nine most formidable dao techniques and spells, any single one capable of devastating the very heavens and earth.