“I awakened a kalpa too soon…” The middle-aged man murmured, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. A long silence followed, broken only when he lowered his head, his gaze sweeping across the ruined continent. He unfurled his divine sense, its power so vast that it instantly enveloped every inch of the desolate land.

He vaguely recalled arriving here long ago, utterly destroying this place, slaying all living beings, and absorbing the deathly aura before sinking into secluded cultivation.

By his calculations, he should have awakened five kalpas hence, yet here he was, roused a full kalpa early.

“It is from that direction… a tremor that reaches the depths of my soul, stirring me from slumber… the aura of my own kind… can it be that one of us has been born?” He paused, deep in thought.

His ancient memories stirred, hinting at a dim connection to the direction from which this aura emanated.

“There… lies the lineage of the Guardians…” After a moment of contemplation, the middle-aged man slowly rose to his feet. As he stood, a spectral light flickered around him, materializing into a black robe. The robe concealed his features, save for the astonishing length of his hair, which cascaded through the fabric in a peculiar manner.

With a flicker, he ascended into the sky, his long hair dancing behind him like a black dragon. As he climbed higher, a shadowy dragon began to coalesce around him, as though the man himself was transforming into a fearsome black dragon, hurtling toward the edge of the heavens. His destination lay far beyond, on the continent of Immortal Astral!

Even at his speed, the journey to Immortal Astral would take centuries.

Leaving the black dragon man for now, we turn to the Immortal Astral Continent, to the Green Devil Continent of the Immortal Clan. Deep within the Scorpion Temple, Wang Lin gazed upon the three illusory Sources before him, raising his hands to form a series of seals.

With a swift gesture, he pointed forward. The three illusory Sources immediately began to converge, slowly merging into one. These Sources were not acquired through external means, but born from within him, from the essence of his being.

The three Sources budded during his first mortal trial, solidified during his second, and fully matured during his third!

Life and Death, Cause and Effect, Truth and Illusion – corresponding, shifting, slowly merging before Wang Lin’s eyes.

Within Life and Death, Wang Lin saw the Vermillion Bird Star, saw the generations of the Da Niu family.

Within Cause and Effect, he saw Willowleaf, saw Wang Ping, saw himself as a father.

Within Truth and Illusion, he saw Su Dao, saw the dream of sixty years, saw the familiar faces and events.

These three illusory Sources were no longer merely Sources to Wang Lin, but the embodiment of his life’s trials, his defiant struggle against fate!

“I used the essence of Life and Death to transcend mortality, the essence of Cause and Effect to understand the Dao, and the essence of Truth and Illusion to comprehend it.”

“Within Life and Death, my muddled thoughts gave rise to Cause and Effect, and within that Cause and Effect, my… was continuously imprinted, eventually transforming into Truth and Illusion, and within that Truth and Illusion, I would find the Dao…”

“After Life and Death comes Cause and Effect, after Cause and Effect comes Truth and Illusion, and after Truth and Illusion… comes… Enlightenment!” Wang Lin murmured, raising his right hand to sweep before him. The three illusory Sources spun rapidly, merging in earnest.

As they merged, Wang Lin stared transfixed at the Source, seeing within it his entire life, from birth until this very moment.

He saw himself kneeling before his parents’ graves, his cries of anguish echoing through the air.

He saw himself cradling Li Muwan’s lifeless body, roaring at the heavens, and the tear that trickled from her eye as it closed, falling upon the earth.

He seemed to see, years later, a dream-like flower blooming where that tear had fallen.

He saw the resentful child after learning of Willowleaf’s son, and the mouthful of blood he coughed up, his heart shattered with grief.

He saw Li Qianmei, tracing tears of blood upon his petrified form for ten long years, and the strangers who would ask, “Do you know…”

“My life…” Wang Lin sighed softly, his face showing the marks of age during the merging of these three illusory Sources.

Time flowed onward, and Wang Lin silently witnessed the merging of his memories as the three illusory Sources were fully integrated, without a sound.

The merging of the three Sources, unified, formed a thread imbued with Wang Lin’s memories, taking the shape of a ring, which drifted toward him and imprinted itself upon his forehead.

At the instant of the ring’s mark, the memories vanished from Wang Lin’s eyes, replaced by a dazzling light.

In that light, the power within Wang Lin surged once more. His cultivation had already reached the later stage of Emptiness Profound, but now, as the power increased, he completely absorbed all the Celestial Force accumulated within him that belonged to the Green Devil Scorpion!

Even the greater part of the Green Devil Scorpion’s soul, which Wang Lin had devoured after its failed attempt at possession, was rapidly absorbed by Wang Lin’s explosively growing nascent soul.

But even this was not enough. The Celestial Force could only bring Wang Lin’s cultivation endlessly closer to the peak of Emptiness Profound!

He could not break through, could not step into the Profound Tribulation realm to face the nine Profound Tribulations that awaited!

He needed more Celestial Force!

With a flash of light in his eyes, Wang Lin opened his mouth and inhaled deeply. The Celestial Force within and without the massive Scorpion Temple poured in, even the surrounding mist was drawn in, forming a gigantic vortex, creating a celestial phenomenon that continuously coalesced within the Green Devil Continent!

This transformation immediately caught the attention of all the cultivators remaining in the Green Devil Continent. The battle between the Green Devil and Heavenly Bull Continents was drawing to a close, and after the deaths of countless cultivators, few remained in the Green Devil Continent!
Though few in number, the ascetics that lingered held power of no small measure!

Especially the disciples of the Sect of Dao and Demon. Though the relentless hand of fate had claimed many of their brethren over the past century, nearly three-tenths of their order remained. Yet, their Master, the patriarch of Dao and Demon, had retreated into solitary contemplation more than a hundred years past, and had not emerged since.

Now, a strange stirring emanated from the heart of the Green Whiplash Continent, from the Green Scorpion Temple itself, and echoes of this upheaval resonated through the very bones of every sect and order upon the verdant land.

Those whose senses were keen enough to perceive it knew of, or had at least heard whispers of, the legend of the Green Scorpion’s Rebirth. And so, across the Green Whiplash Continent, more than a dozen trails of vibrant light erupted skyward, all converging upon the Green Scorpion Temple, eager to witness the prophesied return! From within the Dao and Demon Sect as well, two such streaks of light soared forth, drawn towards the spectacle.

For months, unnatural tempests had raged around the Green Scorpion Temple. For months, the power of the Heavens had poured into that hallowed place with unholy fervor. Those few cultivators who dared venture near the area, retreated as the maelstrom grew, fearing to draw too close to the rebirth of the Green Scorpion, lest they incur its wrath.

Unbeknownst to them, all this celestial energy, gathered over so many months, was being drawn deep into the Scorpion Temple, into the very being of Wang Lin. He devoured it with ravenous haste, his own power growing with each passing day, ascending beyond its former heights. Finally, after months of relentless accumulation, that tide of power reached its crest. With a thunderous roar that echoed within his soul, Wang Lin’s cultivation surged from the Late Stage of Sky Profoundity to the very Pinnacle of Sky Profoundity!

This monumental shift was veiled beneath the swirling chaos of the Heavens, and masked by the fear that bound the hearts of the surrounding ascetics, lest they interfere with the Scorpion’s Rebirth. Thus, Wang Lin’s transformation went unnoticed.

The instant his power reached the zenith of Sky Profoundity, Wang Lin opened his eyes, and a chilling light blazed within them. He raised a hand, and the Five Elements True Body shimmered, dissolving into his being.

As the Five Elements fused with him, Wang Lin’s power surged again, amplified beyond reckoning!

Then, with another imperious gesture, he summoned forth the terrifying True Body of Lightning Origin. With a leap, it crashed into Wang Lin, merging with him in a cacophony of crackling thunder.

With the Lightning True Body now a part of him, Wang Lin radiated a power that shook the very foundations of the temple. He felt his strength anew, realized that even without the Celestial Bull Soul Armor, he could stand against cultivators of the Late Stage of Sky Tribulation!

And this was before unleashing the Slaughtering Lightning. If he dared to unleash that untamed force, the devastation would be beyond his own comprehension.

That lightning, born from his own reckless creation, he could not control!

This newfound might coursed through him, filling him with an unshakable conviction. It subtly altered his very essence, so that any who gazed upon him would feel their spirits tremble before they even raised a hand against him!

Rising to his feet, Wang Lin clasped his hands behind his back and gazed upward. His eyes pierced the Scorpion Temple, reaching the sky above. He spread his divine sense, and with a thought, encompassed the entire Temple.

Yun Yi Feng and his companions were gone, fled perhaps, after waiting for too long, unwilling to tarry any longer.

They were of no consequence. To Wang Lin, they were nothing more than fading shadows. He now had to face the Nine Heavenly Tribulations!

“If I, Wang Lin, can conquer these Nine Heavenly Tribulations in one fell swoop and ascend to the rank of Sky Tribulation Grand尊, then I will obliterate the Sect of Dao and Demon, leaving not a single soul alive, even their Sky Tribulation masters, to repay their gracious boon of the past century!” Cold fire blazed in Wang Lin’s eyes, fueled by an unwavering conviction!

Gazing at the sky, Wang Lin waited.

He waited for the Heavenly Tribulations that would herald his ascension to Grand尊!

He had never witnessed the Heavenly Tribulations, but now, Wang Lin had the confidence to ascend the highest tower and behold the fleeting glory of that trial.

Throughout the ages, those who faced the Heavenly Tribulations trembled with fear, treading with utmost care. Even the future Grand Celestial Venerables were often consumed by dread. Such brazen confidence as Wang Lin’s was a rarity beyond measure!