The dozen or so cultivators from the Green Devil Continent bowed their heads, expressions reverent, towards the storm where the Scorpion Temple had stood, now dissipated of its calamitous pressure.

Within that tempestuous vortex, a dense aura of Void Tribulation surged, writhing and lashing against the very fabric of the heavens, causing the skies to recoil in its wake.

A shadowy figure flickered within the heart of the storm, tall and slender, with long hair that danced in the swirling mists. Though its form remained indistinct, the oppressive weight of the Void Tribulation emanated directly from it.

Though merely the pressure of the initial stage of the Void Tribulation, it sent tremors through the souls of all nearby cultivators. It felt as if they stood before not simply a nascent Void Tribulation master, but a supreme and peerless sovereign, his cultivation at the very zenith of that realm!

After what felt like an age, the figure within the storm slowly stepped forward, its form gradually coalescing from the haze until it stood fully revealed. Wang Lin gazed at the heavens, his expression serene.

He felt it within his bones. After obliterating the Ninth Tribulation of Xuan, a barrier that had long suppressed his growth had been shattered, allowing his cultivation to soar to the initial stage of the Void Tribulation!

“Void Tribulation…” Wang Lin closed his eyes. Within his very being, a colossal vortex spun with terrifying speed, radiating an earth-shattering aura. Under its influence, Wang Lin felt as if he could grasp the heavens and earth in the palm of his hand.

A profound and wondrous sensation.

Finally, as the storm behind him slowly dissipated, Wang Lin snapped open his eyes. He raised his right hand, clenching it tightly. Cracking sounds echoed within his grasp as a terrifying force, exceeding even the power of an early Void Tribulation cultivator, coalesced in his fist.

As his fist clenched, the earth beneath his feet roared. Countless fissures erupted, tearing open the ground and spreading outwards in a devastating wave. The aura of Void Tribulation within him exploded outwards, causing the dozen Green Devil cultivators to pale and retreat, staring at Wang Lin with a mixture of shock and suspicion.

They felt no trace of the Green Devil Scorpion’s essence upon him. A chilling realization dawned on the faces of the cultivators.

“The feeling of Void Tribulation…” Wang Lin murmured, gazing at his clenched fist. He was about to depart when a sudden shift seized him. He sensed the Heavenly Jewel, nestled within his soul, stirring to life now that he had ascended to the Void Tribulation stage. It pulsed and throbbed, radiating a powerful force of attraction that seemed to want to tear itself from his body and spread downwards into the earth.

And, for the first time, Wang Lin clearly sensed a wave of consciousness emanating from the Heavenly Jewel – a potent yearning!

He had never been able to perceive this wave of consciousness so distinctly before his ascension to the Void Tribulation realm. It seemed that as his cultivation increased, so too did the Heavenly Jewel grow more powerful, more… *aware*.

A cold glint flashed in Wang Lin’s eyes. After a moment’s contemplation, he raised his right hand and thrust it downwards towards the earth!

As his fist descended, he changed it into an open palm, striking the ground with immense force. The earth trembled, the countless fissures collapsing in upon themselves and sending shockwaves in all directions.

A wave of destruction erupted, plunging into the earth and creating a massive, concave crater thousands of feet wide, burrowing deep into the very core of the world!

For at the bottom of the Scorpion Temple lay the prison of the Green Devil Scorpion’s soul! Wang Lin’s palm strike had shattered the ground, forcefully connecting the crater with the sealed soul, ripping it open.

At the very instant the earth was torn asunder, a howl that sent shivers down the spines of the Green Devil cultivators echoed from the depths of the pit. It was a sound of agonizing torment, laced with an all-consuming resentment.

From the pit, torrents of green mist erupted like geysers, soaring into the sky and coalescing into a colossal Green Devil Scorpion!

The scorpion spanned tens of thousands of feet, its appearance immediately blotting out the sun and casting a monstrous shadow over the land. The Green Devil cultivators were overcome with terror!

“The adult form!”

“What… what calamity has occurred? If the Great Green Devil’s soul has emerged, then who is this being?!”

“Could it be that he is *not* the Great Green Devil reborn through possession?!” The doubts they had harbored before now turned into a terrifying certainty. A thought, almost too dreadful to contemplate, took root in their minds!

“Wang Lin!! He is Wang Lin of the Celestial Bull Continent!!” Among the dozen or so cultivators, one hailed from the Dao Demon Sect. He was one of those who had participated in the hunt for Wang Lin on the border between the Green Devil and Meng Earth Continents more than a century ago!

He had held suspicions before, but now the truth struck him like a thunderbolt. He recognized Wang Lin!

The soul of the Green Devil, newly released from its prison, shrieked in fury, its immense body shimmering in the sky as it fixed its gaze upon Wang Lin. Four crimson runes were etched upon its form, sealing its head, tail, and front and back bodies, radiating a force of suppression.

These were the very runes cast by the Immortal Ancestor to imprison the soul and convert it into the power of the Green Devil Continent!

Wang Lin’s form was tiny in comparison to the Green Devil Scorpion, but as he stood there, his cold gaze emanating a presence that overshadowed even the scorpion’s furious spirit.

His white hair flowed about his shoulders as, in the instant the scorpion shrieked and materialized, he slowly raised his right hand and hurled a punch towards the soul. This blow was infused with Wang Lin’s Dao Ancient power, amplified by the full force of his nascent Void Tribulation cultivation. It was a heaven-shattering force aimed directly at the scorpion.

The roar was deafening. The scorpion’s soul reeled back, its body swept by a gale that threatened to extinguish it. But then, the four runic seals blazed with light, forcefully absorbing the brunt of Wang Lin’s attack, allowing the scorpion to retain its form after retreating thousands of feet.

*HOAR!*

The scorpion roared once more, its immense form shimmering as it charged towards Wang Lin. At the same time, an icy, furious divine sense echoed throughout the area!

“All Green Devil cultivators, slay this man!!”

The dozen Green Devil cultivators shifted, fixed their gazes on Wang Lin, and charged forward in unison, becoming streaks of light as they raced toward him!

“The Immortal Ancestor’s seals, even after all these years, remain formidable. It speaks to the power of the Immortal Ancestor’s cultivation…”

Wang Lin watched the approaching scorpion with a chilling calm. The Heavenly Jewel within him spun at a furious pace, and the longing within it was more potent than ever before.

His eyes flashed, Wang Lin raised his right hand and, with a sudden wave towards the approaching Green Devil Scorpion, revealed a blinding flash of white light in his palm. The Heavenly Jewel, for the first time since Wang Lin had arrived in this Immortal Astral Domain, manifested itself in this world!

As soon as the Heavenly Jewel appeared, it radiated a boundless white light, illuminating all directions. The approaching scorpion staggered, stunned. Then, almost immediately, its eyes widened with incomprehensible terror and fear. It let out a horrifying shriek, halting its advance and retreating in frantic haste!

“White light… This is… the White Jewel!!”

Its terrified visage and hurried retreat stunned the charging cultivators who were now focusing on the Heavenly Jewel emitting a white radiance!

The scorpion soul retreated swiftly, but it was no match for the Heavenly Jewel that inspired such dread. The Jewel took flight, moving at an unimaginable speed, directly towards the scorpion soul. With a *bang*, even as the runic seals flashed, the Heavenly Jewel pierced through their protection and plunged into the deepest recesses of the scorpion’s very soul!

In that instant, a terrifying suction force erupted from the Heavenly Jewel. The gigantic scorpion soul, spanning tens of thousands of feet, visibly shrunk before the very eyes of the Green Devil cultivators.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths!!

Within three breaths, the colossal scorpion soul contracted madly, until it had been completely absorbed by the Heavenly Jewel, vanishing without a trace. Only the four seals that the Immortal Ancestor had left behind lingered in the air, flashing once before turning to ash and dissipating into nothingness.

This sudden turn of events left the surrounding cultivators utterly terrified. They now regarded Wang Lin as a nightmare made flesh, and frantically scattered in all directions, each using every method at their disposal to flee as quickly as possible.

Wang Lin did not give chase. Instead, he stood in place, gazing at the Heavenly Jewel that had absorbed the complete scorpion soul. A glint flashed in his eyes, and he raised his right hand to grasp at the void.

The Heavenly Jewel flew to Wang Lin’s hand to be clenched in his palm.

The very moment Wang Lin held the Heavenly Jewel, he shuddered violently. He felt it clearly: the Heavenly Jewel had approached yet another step towards wholeness, and within it was being wrought a transformation that would shake the heavens and the earth.

After a moment of contemplation, Wang Lin waved his left hand. Immediately, a storm spontaneously materialized around him, encompassing the surrounding lands for a thousand miles. Its aura was terrifying, a barrier that would keep all living things from intruding.

With his protection established, Wang Lin didn’t hesitate. He plunged his divine sense into the Heavenly Jewel, eager to witness the changes that would occur when it had reached yet another stage of completion!

As Wang Lin’s divine sense entered the Heavenly Jewel, his vision blurred. When clarity returned, he found himself in a boundless void, a place of vast emptiness. In the heavens, a gigantic gate, as if it were connecting heaven and earth!!

On that gate, a pale-green arm emitted a sense of utter devastation!

The Heavenly Gate!