A hush fell over the Celestial Realm. Nearly every Celestial Venerate, Leap Venerate, and even the five Great Venerates, were drawn by Heavenly Venerate Wang Lin’s seemingly audacious act, their attention laser-focused upon him.

Such a spectacle was rare in the annals of the Celestial Clan, seen only once before, in the age of the Nether Dao Venerate.

But now, the spotlight, once belonging solely to the Nether Dao Venerate, began to fragment. A portion of its brilliance detached, descending upon Wang Lin!

Henceforth, across the Celestial Realm and within its very history, Wang Lin’s name would blaze like a newborn star, ascending to the heavens, its radiance boundless, known to all worthy to know!

And before long, even the Ancient clans would likely hear tell of this momentous occasion!

The Celestial Clan’s forty-ninth Leap Venerate, after first achieving that rank, had stormed through the eleventh and twelfth layers. Now, he dared to challenge the thirteenth!

Upon Emperor Mountain, the Grand Venerate of Ages, once lax, now watched with eyes sharp and bright, his gaze fixed upon the falling autumn leaves before him. His countenance was grave, devoid of its former indolence.

He understood that to conquer the thirteenth layer, even adorned in a Soul Armor, spoke volumes. This one, perhaps, was not as insignificant as first believed…

Within the Central Province’s Imperial Palace, the Celestial Emperor himself manifested upon his Dragon Throne, his eyes gleaming with peculiar light. Lost in thought, he watched the ethereal screen before him, witnessing Wang Lin plunge into the thirteenth layer.

Beside him, the black-clad Nether Dao Venerate had assumed a seated posture, his divine sense coalescing at his crown, preparing to enter the Heavenly Venerate Nirvana.

Within the very heart of the Heavenly Venerate Nirvana, Great Venerate Dao Yi frowned slightly, sighing inwardly. He knew Wang Lin had stirred a tempest. To recruit such a cultivator, even for a Great Venerate, would require sacrifice.

But even a grand price was worth it. If this one were to rise to the station of Great Venerate, all past deeds would become karmic fortune, reaping bountiful rewards. To have a fellow Great Venerate, one with whom such a bond had been forged, would elevate any Great Venerate’s standing within the Celestial Clan immeasurably.

Great Venerate Wu Feng, too, lamented softly. He foresaw a repeat of history, a time when, save for the Twin Stars, the four Great Venerates had vied for a single soul.

Unless, of course, some unknown calamity were to befall him…

Silence reigned within the Heavenly Venerate Nirvana. Celestial Venerates watched the sky, their hearts heavy. In a single day, the gulf between them and Wang Lin had grown from the fifth layer to the twelfth.

Recalling their thoughts upon Wang Lin’s initial conquest of the fifth layer, they now seemed laughable. By their very station, their Celestial Venerate status, they had no right to judge a Leap Venerate who could breach the twelfth layer!

Now, they could only gaze upwards in awe at the figure in the sky!

Even Xue Yu and her companions fell silent, their expressions complex, yet their inner turmoil greatly diminished. The chasm was too vast, enough to erode any intricate emotions.

“The Nether Dao Venerate halted at the thirteenth layer… I wonder, can this one surpass him…?”

“If he overcomes the thirteenth layer, he will utterly eclipse the Nether Dao Venerate, becoming the first to achieve such a feat upon first ascending to Leap Venerate! Even if he falls short of the Nether Dao Venerate’s current achievement of clearing the fifteenth layer, he will not be far behind!”

Beside them, Leap Venerate Zi Yan remained ashen, witnessing the unfolding events. Though he knew he must change his perspective, he could not help but feel a surge of complex emotion.

“The thirteenth layer… he will never pass it!”

Beyond Xue Yu and Zi Yan, more than twenty other Leap Venerates had gathered, scattered across the land, bearing witness to this grand occasion!

“I wonder if he can breach the thirteenth layer…”

“Among our Celestial Realm’s Leap Venerates, including Cai Wei and the Nether Dao Venerate, nine have failed at the thirteenth layer! Even if Wang Lin fails, he will join that illustrious company, becoming the tenth of his kind!”

“The thirteenth layer… he cannot possibly overcome it. He must have a limit.”

These Leap Venerates, those who were allied, shared their thoughts through divine sense, their eyes fixed on the shrouded thirteenth layer palace, barely visible through the clouds.

Within the palace of the thirteenth layer, Wang Lin’s face was pale. The moment he stepped inside, he was once again met with a blurry void, surrounded by mist, thicker than the previous two layers.

Wang Lin stood in silence within the swirling fog.

“The twelfth layer’s nine otherworldly spirits included the Celestial Bull… To overcome that layer, even with the Soul Armor, was my limit…”

“The Soul Armor, after all, is not omnipotent. It can enhance my cultivation and augment my battle prowess, but its effectiveness diminishes as my cultivation increases. At best, it can only bring me infinitely closer to the Celestial Bull…”

“But that closeness, in truth, still leaves a gap.”

“Fortunately, in the eleventh layer, I learned the Dao of Extreme Fire, and in the twelfth, I grasped the Dao of Extreme Water. Of the eight Extreme Daos passed down from the Ancient God Realm by the Celestial Ancestor, I now command two!”

“This thirteenth layer… To pass, or not to pass…?” Wang Lin gazed at the mist, his eyes lost in thought. What is the Dao? As he pondered, the same echoing voice from the previous two layers reverberated within the void, filled with an immense pressure.

As the voice echoed, Wang Lin’s eyes grew calm. He had already answered this question twice, each time with a different response. The first time, he declared the Dao to be life and death; the second, cause and effect.

This third time, Wang Lin understood, the Dao was truth and falsehood!

This comprehension and test of the Dao might be difficult for others, but Wang Lin had begun contemplating it long ago, back in the Cave World.
The roar that shook the heavens… it seemed he had barely achieved it. “Enough,” Wang Lin murmured to himself, his resolve hardening. “Having conquered this thirteenth layer, I shall stop here. This feat alone, even if those Grand Empyreans perceive the faint glimmer of my soul armor, will be testament enough to my power.”

“Life and death, entwined as a rope, that is the Way. The rope, its ends joined, forms a circle, and within lies Causality, another facet of the Way! Mortals are ensnared by dream shrouds, unable to distinguish waking from slumber. These shrouds hinder the masses from seeing the truth of the heavens, trapping them in a labyrinth of reality and illusion. Therefore, the power to shatter these shrouds, to open one’s eyes to true sight, is the essence of Truth and Illusion, and yet another path of the Way!” As those words echoed within him, a moment of clarity pierced Wang Lin’s mind. He recalled his own century of dream cultivation on Vermillion Bird Star, and spoke them aloud.

As his declaration reverberated, the swirling mist obscuring the path ahead vanished, revealing the complete tapestry of the starry sky…

Time flowed onward. Amongst those gathered at the Empyrean Nirvana Ground, anticipation slowly yielded to apprehension and regret as the time since Wang Lin’s arrival at the thirteenth layer stretched beyond a single incense stick’s burning.

“He lingers far longer on this floor than the last. The trial here must be exceedingly difficult…”

“It seems he shall truly be halted at the thirteenth layer. After all, even he must have his limits!”

“Indeed! To ascend to the Empyrean Leap for the first time and immediately join the ranks of the Ten Great Empyrean Leaps of the Immortal Clan… his name shall surely echo through the ages!”

“A pity. Had he been able to overcome this thirteenth layer, he would have stood second only to the esteemed Lord Cai Wei, becoming one of the Immortal Clan’s Three Greatest Empyrean Leaps…”

“In the end, he has not surpassed Lord Ming Dao…”

These Empyrean Leaps, gathered in expectation, sent forth tendrils of divine sense, laced with either pity or veiled relief.

“Is this truly his limit?” Grand Empyrean Dao Yi watched the heavens, a measure of relief easing his features. If he cannot pass the thirteenth layer, he will be easier to recruit.

Just as doubt settled over the assembled throng regarding Wang Lin’s progress, a distant, ancient teleportation array sputtered to life, emitting bursts of light. Within the swirling radiance, a figure began to coalesce. As the light faded, a young man garbed in black stood revealed before them.

His arrival caused a stir akin to the earlier arrival of Grand Empyreans Dao Yi and Wu Feng. Those who gazed upon him felt a surge of energy, as if his presence heralded a new tempest within the Empyrean Nirvana Ground!

“Ming Dao Zun!”

“That is Lord Ming Dao?”

“Even he has come! If Wang Lin fails to conquer the thirteenth layer, then so be it. But if he succeeds, what expression will cross Ming Dao’s face?” Not all of the Empyrean cultivators present had met Ming Dao Zun, but whispered knowledge spread swiftly. Respect and anticipation mingled in the gazes directed towards the dark figure.

They hungered to witness the moment when Wang Lin emerged, when their eyes would meet, and the storm that would surely follow!

“The strongest amongst Empyrean Leaps, the first beneath the Grand Empyreans… Lord Ming Dao has arrived at this very moment! This affair grows interesting!”

“Ming Dao has evidently been unable to remain still. After all, Wang Lin is clearly poised to surpass him. His absence would have been out of character.”

“Lord Ming Dao is known for his pride. It has been long since anyone challenged him. Even Lord Cai Wei can only be suppressed by his might.”

Those truly familiar with Ming Dao Zun, his peers amongst the Empyrean Leap cultivators, exchanged subtle glances, their hearts filled with anticipation.

“Ming Dao greets Grand Empyreans Dao Yi and Wu Feng.” The black-clad youth, his expression cold and imperious, cast nary a glance at the surrounding Empyreans, turning instead to offer a respectful bow to Dao Yi and Wu Feng.

Wu Feng regarded Ming Dao, a sigh resonating within his heart. He had offered this man generous terms years ago, yet the youth chose the Immortal Emperor. Wu Feng was about to speak, but abruptly tilted his head upward.

Not only he, but every soul present at the Empyrean Nirvana Ground felt a tremor through their very being. They abandoned all thoughts of Ming Dao Zun and collectively turned their gazes skyward.

There, the thirteenth palace, shrouded in clouds, erupted in a torrent of golden light! The clouds were drenched in gold, as if the entire sky itself had been transformed into a realm of pure gold in an instant!

“He has conquered the thirteenth layer!”

“When Ming Dao Zun first became an Empyrean Leap, he was halted at the thirteenth layer on his first attempt! Now, Wang Lin has conquered it. He has already surpassed Ming Dao’s achievement!”

The eyes of the black-clad youth, Lord Ming Dao, narrowed into slits as he stared at the sky, his expression darkening.