The Scorpion Soul, woven from the dense essence of the heavens and earth, was drawn into Wang Lin’s being. His withered nascent soul, like a parched desert drinking a spring, devoured the energy and began to reverse its decay with furious speed, surging back from the brink of oblivion!

As the sixth breath descended, Wang Lin’s nascent soul once more began to wither, but the Scorpion Soul’s celestial power staved off complete annihilation, achieving a precarious balance. Yet, this equilibrium was fleeting, destined to crumble under the relentless passage of time.

Unless Wang Lin could discover a greater font of celestial power to replenish his wellspring!

Mortals who faced this tribulation often resorted to endless consumption of elixirs, gorging themselves on anything that might offer respite, fighting to survive by sheer force. Should they endure until the seventh breath, their nascent soul flickering but unextinguished, they then had to withstand three more agonizing breaths, completing the trial of ten.

But those final three breaths were a horror magnified tenfold. Even the wealthiest cultivator often faltered, unable to endure, for the assimilation of elixirs was a slow trickle compared to the ravenous hunger of decay. The nascent soul would wither and die within those fleeting moments, starved and overcome.

Thus, the quality of the elixirs was paramount. Yet even with the most potent draughts, survival remained a gamble, a mere increment in the face of overwhelming odds.

This Tribulation of the Withered Soul held the victim in its iron grip, dictating every moment of torment. Throughout the ages, all who had faced it had done so passively, relying on brute resilience alone.

Even the Grand Empyreans, the mightiest of cultivators, had suffered this trial, forcing their way through with copious elixirs and the chilling fear of death as their only allies!

Legend spoke of only two Grand Empyreans in countless years who had weathered the Xuan Tribulation nine times in succession. Even they had merely gritted their teeth and persevered until the tenth breath passed, and the tribulation faded of its own accord.

The seventh breath descended mercilessly. The fragile balance within Wang Lin shattered. His nascent soul withered with renewed ferocity, yet Wang Lin’s expression remained unchanged. He seized the fleeting moment of equilibrium between decay and replenishment, his mind racing, searching for a means to break free from this torment!

“To endure passively, I must seek out the Green Devil Scorpion True Soul, imprisoned as it is, and draw upon its power to overcome this trial. With the power of the True Soul, this tribulation should pose little threat!”

“But… that imprisoned True Soul… to draw upon its power cannot be simple, and the time required may be far too great…” Wang Lin’s eyes flashed.

“Tribulation is also opportunity…,” he thought. “I hold firm to this belief. This tribulation, though insidious, is merely a trial! It seeks to wither Wang Lin’s nascent soul… let us see if the power of its decay is greater than the strength of my conviction!” Wang Lin lifted his head, a strange light burning in his eyes, a light fueled by unwavering belief!

With his keen mind, Wang Lin understood the key to overcoming this ordeal. He saw the path chosen by all who had come before, but it was a path of passivity, of surrendering to the tribulation, of merely existing beneath its weight.

Such a choice, Wang Lin would not make!

“I have belief enough, and my nascent soul is imbued with my conviction! Let us see how this tribulation seeks to break me!!” Wang Lin gazed upward, his eyes fixed upon the spectral runes in the sky, his gaze burning with resolution.

He had faced heavenly tribulations many times, and the fear of them had long since vanished. In its place was a defiant spirit, a desire to rise above the heavens themselves!

The eighth breath descended as Wang Lin looked up. His nascent soul withered with terrifying speed, dwindling to a mere sliver by the end of the eighth breath. But within that sliver resided Wang Lin’s belief, his unwavering conviction honed by a lifetime of cultivation, his unwavering resolve to revive Li Muwan!

That single fragment of nascent soul refused to wither, remaining as tenacious as Wang Lin himself!

“I believe my nascent soul is immortal to the heavens!”, “I believe my existence cannot be erased!”, “I believe my destiny is in my own hands!” The ninth breath came, and Wang Lin’s body trembled, yet his expression remained unchanged. It brought with it the power to extinguish his entire nascent soul, to annihilate Wang Lin’s very being. But that sliver of soul, charged with unwavering conviction, remained!

It was no longer a mere fragment of a nascent soul, but the embodiment of belief itself. The might of the heavens could destroy any nascent soul, but it could not crush the conviction of a man. For a man without conviction was a man tossed about by the winds of fate, destined to blame all but himself for his own misfortunes!

For he had surrendered his belief!

But Wang Lin was not such a man. His belief burned like a raging fire, and he looked upon the runes in the sky with eyes that could shake the heavens!

“I believe that this tribulation will fade to nothing!”, “I believe I can revive Wan’er!”

“I believe I can ascend to the pinnacle of the heavens!!!” Wang Lin roared, his conviction echoing like a vow, shaking the very foundations of existence!

The tenth breath descended, seeking to obliterate Wang Lin’s very conviction, crashing down like a furious wave, intent on engulfing the last vestige of his belief.

But when the tenth breath faded, the sliver of nascent soul, infused with his unwavering conviction, remained!! It not only remained but exploded with sudden power!

“The majesty of the heavens may destroy my body, my nascent soul, my spirit, but it cannot destroy my belief!” Wang Lin roared, taking a single step towards the sky. Compared to the vastness of the heavens, he was but an ant, yet a terrifying aura emanated from his being, an aura that could make the heavens tremble. Fueled by this aura, Wang Lin shot towards the spectral runes in the sky, and as he drew near, he raised his hands and tore at the illusionary symbols!!

The tear echoed with the force of Wang Lin’s conviction, and the illusionary symbols, feeling the impact of Wang Lin’s belief, began to solidify, turning into real manifestations. As Wang Lin tore at them, they shattered with a deafening roar!

In the instant of their shattering, the withered and scattered power of Wang Lin’s nascent soul surged back to life, reaching its peak in a flash, then continued to explode with renewed vigor!!
The Seventh Tribulation, the Ten-Breath Divine Decay, shattered before Wang Lin’s might!

At the instant of this seventh trial’s demise, the heavens and earth were swept by a boundless transformation. Amidst a myriad of shimmering, radiant clouds, a second sigil materialized into being.

This new mark, unlike its predecessor, pulsed with intricate complexity. From its depths arose an aura of endless ages past. As it solidified, the Eighth Tribulation, the Soul-Wasting Curse, descended!

Ten breaths of the Soul-Wasting Curse! The second trial of the soul’s torment, it spared the essence of the spirit, yet relentlessly stole away the very essence of one’s soul.

This calamity wrought havoc upon the river of time, for the soul’s life, like the ephemeral blossom, had its end. That fleeting moment might stretch into eons, or wither away in less than a century!

When the soul’s vitality ebbed, so too did the soul itself perish. A myriad of years vanished in a single breath, making this trial more insidious than the last. It was not designed to slay the cultivator outright, but rather to compel them to sacrifice their own lifespan.

This tribulation was intertwined with the Ninth, for if one offered a hundred thousand years of their life force, the final trial would become easily surmountable. Yet, within the realm of the Empty Profound, few possessed such vast reserves of years unless blessed with unimaginable fortune.

Without the offering of lifespan, the Ninth Tribulation meant certain doom.

In the Eighth, the cultivator held the reins, choosing the extent of their sacrifice. It was a test of will and strategy. Those who dared face this eighth hurdle would carefully calculate their remaining years, offering all excess in exchange for a greater chance of surviving the final ordeal.

Upon entering the Empty Tribulation realm, one’s lifespan could only increase by reaching the level of Grand Celestial. The years sacrificed in the Eighth Tribulation would be lost forever.

Unless fate intervened.

Wang Lin gazed upon the second sigil in the sky. The moment his eyes fell upon it, alien thoughts flooded his mind. He instantly grasped the nature of the Eighth Tribulation.

He pondered how the Celestial Sovereign had passed this stage, assuming some unforeseen fortune had played its part.

His understanding was now clear. Many he believed to be stuck within the Nine Tribulations were, in truth, halted at the Eighth.

This Tribulation could be averted. One could sacrifice even a single year of lifespan and withdraw.

But such a path only made the Ninth Tribulation that much more insurmountable.

Wang Lin stood in silence. After a long moment, his eyes flashed with determination. He surged towards the sigil in the sky, his hand outstretched.

“Sacrifice! One year!”

The moment his words echoed in the void, a tremor passed through him, so slight it was nearly undetectable. Before him, the sigil faded away.

The Eighth Tribulation had vanished. Wang Lin could have withdrawn, but he did not. He looked to the heavens, awaiting the emergence of the final test.

If he could survive this final tribulation, his cultivation would break through the Empty Profound and elevate him to the ranks of a Grand Empyrean!

He inhaled deeply, his expression grave. He had overcome eight tribulations and now faced the ninth and final trial.

His left hand rose, grasping at the void. Golden light surged forth, and the long-unseen Li Guang Bow materialized in his grasp!

His right hand gripped the bowstring. With a mighty heave, Wang Lin drew back the bow until it formed a perfect crescent. A spectral glow emanated from it, and the Li Guang Arrow appeared.

Looking to the sky, Wang Lin’s eyes burned with a murderous intent. Behind him, his Five Elements True Body mirrored his actions, holding illusory bows and arrows.

Then, as lightning crackled between Wang Lin’s brows, the Lightning Essence True Body materialized, radiating an aura of destruction. It drew back a phantom Li Guang Bow crackling with lightning.

When he sacrificed only a year of lifespan in the Eighth Tribulation, he had already made his choice. He would not overcome the Ninth – he would destroy it!

No matter how formidable or difficult the Tribulation, he would not yield. He would obliterate it! Eight tribulations were enough. To endure this final trial was against Wang Lin’s nature. More so, Wang Lin possessed a hatred for the Heavenly Tribulations, a hatred he himself scarcely understood.

This hatred had manifested in countless tribulations.

Its roots could be traced back to the Vermillion Bird planet in the cave dwelling, when he cradled Li Muwan and roared his desperate fury at the heavens.

As Wang Lin drew back the Li Guang Bow, the Immortal Ancestor strands coursing through his meridians radiated immortal power, flowing through his body and into his arms, then into the bow and arrow. The bow blazed with golden light, engulfing Wang Lin in its radiance.

The light transformed into a golden dragon, roaring towards the heavens, as if seeking to tear down the very fabric of the world!

To Wang Lin’s left, the bows of his Five Elements True Body emanated blue, red, and brown lights corresponding to water, fire, and earth. When these three colors coalesced, they, too, roared into existence, transforming into three fearsome dragons to accompany the golden one!

To Wang Lin’s right, his Lightning Essence True Body stood cold and resolute, its raised arms pulling back the lightning bow. The heavens reflected its power, and a fifth dragon materialized.

This was a dragon of pure lightning, wreathed in countless bolts of destructive energy. Its power dwarfed even the Five Elements True Body and Wang Lin himself.
From afar, it was a sight to behold, a scene of raw, untamed power! Five Dragons of pure energy soared, their roars echoing across the land, shaking the very foundations of the world!

High above, a final glyph blazed into existence, the sigil of the Ninth Celestial Tribulation! ‘Twas known as Reincarnation, the ultimate barrier standing between mortal ascendance and the hallowed rank of Void Tribulant!

This Rune of Rebirth radiated an ancient power, a force that could bend the flow of years and ensnare the soul in an endless cycle of rebirth, ultimately leading to oblivion!

“Destroy… the Tribulation!” Wang Lin’s roar, a thunderclap of defiance, shattered the golden light engulfing him, radiating outward in a shockwave that crashed upon the ears of the Green Devil Continent’s mages, mere witnesses to the spectacle. They stood in stunned silence, the preceding events already etched into their minds with awe and terror.

“Destroy it!”

“He… he endured eight Celestial Tribulations, and now, faced with the ninth, he seeks not to pass, but to shatter it?!” One trembled, whispering. “Such audaciousness… only the Great Green Devil himself could dare such a feat!” As pallor washed over their faces, their minds reeling from the pronouncement, Wang Lin, within the golden aura, released the taut string of his bow!

The moment the cord sprang free, imbued with potent celestial force, it rebounded, sending a surge of energy into the arrow. A howl of impossible power echoed across the heavens!

Even as that cry rang out, the arrow, moving faster than the sound itself, shot forth with blinding speed!

Seen from afar, it was no mere arrow. It was a Golden Dragon of terrifying majesty, its form carved from light and celestial fury. The howl was its roar, the golden streak its serpentine body, unleashed upon the sky!

As the Dragon was unleashed, the heavens themselves recoiled, the very air quaked in terror, and every living thing trembled in its wake!

The Golden Dragon surged towards the heavens, embodying an indomitable will. Behind it, as it pierced the skies, Wang Lin’s Five Elemental Avatar, to the left, simultaneously loosed its own bowstring. With resonating hums, three more howls tore through the air, and three Dragons of azure, crimson, and ochre power followed in the wake of the Golden Dragon, each lunging towards the Glyph of Reincarnation!

Not just one dragon, but four! Four arrows of dragonfire, rising from the earth like volcanic eruptions, hurtling towards the heavens!

Yet still, not four, but five! Wang Lin’s Thunderous Avatar, to the right, uncoiled its lightning-wreathed hand, and a scream that threatened to shatter the very fabric of reality erupted as its bowstring snapped free. A Dragon of pure lightning rose to meet the challenge!

This Dragon carried within it the essence of annihilation, the principles of ancient seals, and the very wrath of heaven. It was destruction incarnate, an arrow forged to obliterate all that stood before it!

Five Dragons to tear asunder the Celestial Sigil!

Five Arrows to claim the fate of the heavens!

Wang Lin’s golden arrow struck first, meeting the Ninth Tribulation’s Reincarnation Glyph head-on, unleashing its full force in a blinding explosion of power. The sigil shuddered violently, as if on the verge of collapse.

Close behind, the three-colored arrows of the Five Elements tore through the air. In the midst of that deafening cacophony, each arrow struck the glyph in turn, three cataclysmic blows that drowned out all other sound. The sigil above buckled under the assault, cracks spider-webbing across its surface!

It had been formless, an ethereal concept. Yet Wang Lin’s arrows carried his unyielding conviction, his hatred of Celestial Tribulation, and his unwavering determination to destroy it.

That conviction resonated with the very essence of an Ancient God’s will, giving substance to the void, solidifying the ephemeral into the tangible!

Finally, the arrow of annihilation arrived, the lightning bolt-forged missile carrying the weight of the world’s destruction. It plunged into the weakened Glyph of Reincarnation, unleashing its inherent power!

A spark of slaughter-lightning pulsed in its core, a mere fraction of its potential, yet enough to shake the heavens!

The Reincarnation Glyph trembled, then shattered in a deafening explosion, its fragments scattered across the sky as the firmament itself seemed to crumble.

And with it crumbled the Scorpion Temple beneath Wang Lin, its colossal form unable to withstand the tremors. The monstrous edifice collapsed, sending shards of stone hurtling in all directions.

The Green Devil’s Scorpion Temple was no more!

As the dust billowed, obscuring Wang Lin’s form, a wave of power surged forth, a force that promised to forever alter the face of the world. The essence of a Void Tribulant!

The aura pulsed with extraordinary strength, spawning a whirlwind that ripped through the sky, churning the broken earth, and mixing with the remnants of the shattered Tribulation. It centered upon the very spot where the Scorpion Temple had stood, the heart of the Green Devil Continent! From leagues away, a dozen Green Devil mages watched with reverence, and as the pressure of the Celestial Tribulation lifted, they raced towards the center of the disturbance.

“Hail to the Great Green Devil!” they cried. “We celebrate your revival!”