The heavens roared, and the earth trembled as Wang Lin ascended into the celestial dome, fueled by an unyielding defiance. He had initially aimed for the thirteenth tier, but the Immortal Emperor’s machinations ignited a firestorm within his soul.

This inferno confirmed his suspicions: the Imperial City held perilous trials. The Immortal Emperor sought to shatter Wang Lin’s prestige, ensuring no Grand Empyrean would extend a hand, or, if they did, treat him as one who had merely conquered thirteen tiers.

A direct, yet brutally effective strategy. To plummet from the zenith of glory, to transform from a celebrated prodigy into a figure of scorn – such a stark reversal, Wang Lin could ignore. He cared little for fleeting opinions. However, to allow his triumphant arrival to be reduced to a mere jest, to let his name be forever tarnished throughout the Immortal Continent – this he would not permit! Even against the Immortal Emperor, he would fight!

“Fifteen tiers, you say I’m only capable of thirteen? Then today, I shall unleash a storm of defiance, a cataclysmic surge of power! Immortal Emperor, your despicable tactics reveal the utter depravity that courses through your veins! It is no wonder the sealed wretch beneath the Eastern Horizon Sect cursed ‘Despicable Lies’ with his dying breath!” A chilling glint shone in Wang Lin’s eyes. With impossible speed, he surged through the thirteenth tier, his form a dragon soaring towards the fourteenth.

As he stood on the precipice of the fourteenth tier, he paused, casting a scornful glance below. “Immortal Emperor, open your eyes wide and bear witness!”

“Insolence!” bellowed Empyrean Nether, the Emperor’s sworn protector. Yet, the Immortal Emperor remained impassive, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“I am watching to see if you can conquer the fifteenth!” His eyes, however, betrayed him with a nearly imperceptible constriction of his pupils.

Wang Lin sneered. The mask of civility had shattered; he would hold nothing back. Such audacity would ensure his safety within the treacherous Imperial City.

He took a resolute step, entering the fourteenth tier!

“The Soul Armor’s time wanes. Since I seek to make a name for myself, I shall unleash the Immortal Astral Law of the Avatar! Avatar, born of the soul, merge with flesh!” Wang Lin’s form vanished into the depths of the fourteenth tier.

In the wake of his disappearance, silence descended upon the assembled cultivators. This dramatic turn was no less shocking than the revelation of the Soul Armor’s role in his thirteenth-tier triumph.

“Fourteenth tier… Only Empyrean Nether and Empyrean Subtle have conquered it… This Wang Lin, this imposter, will surely fail!”

“He acts out of wounded pride, a desperate gamble born of rage.”

“Intriguing! The events unfolding here in the Heavenly Venerate’s Nirvana are a labyrinth of twists and turns. I wonder what final transformation awaits us?”

“Waste no thought! He cannot possibly succeed! The Soul Armor’s power is spent; what hope does he have?”

The Heavenly Venerates watched from above, their gazes icy, their hearts filled with disdain. Even the scores of Empyreans, though their thoughts differed, largely anticipated Wang Lin’s defeat, viewing his actions as those of a cornered beast.

Grand Empyrean Dao I frowned, unconvinced Wang Lin could overcome the fourteenth tier. “His will is weak, easily manipulated by the Immortal Emperor’s words. He cannot possibly succeed. He is not worth courting.”

Empyrean Nether chuckled, his expression eternally unchanging, though a flicker of unease danced within his gaze. He could not explain the sense of foreboding that gripped him.

The Immortal Emperor remained silent beside him, his face serene, yet a sliver of doubt gnawed at his heart. “Knowing him, he rarely acts without assurance… But the fourteenth tier without the Soul Armor… it is near impossible. Otherwise, he would not have retreated before. He only courts humiliation!”

But the moment these thoughts coalesced, a mere nine breaths had passed, when suddenly, the heavens exploded with a blinding golden light!!

It erupted from the fourteenth tier, piercing the clouds, engulfing all around. This light, searing and brilliant, seared the eyes and hearts of all who witnessed it!!

“Nine breaths!! Impossible! It took him so long on the thirteenth! How could he possibly conquer the far more difficult fourteenth in just nine breaths!?”

“…He… he… he passed it!! His Soul Armor has expired! Without the Soul Armor, his cultivation is only that of the fifth tier!!”

“Does he possess another Soul Armor?”

Grand Empyrean Dao I started, his body blurring as he shot towards the heavens, determined to witness the radiant fourteenth tier at close range!

“He actually conquered the fourteenth!” Empyrean Nether hissed, his gaze locked upon the sky, burning with murderous intent.

“It is only the fourteenth,” the Immortal Emperor said, his voice calm, though the subtle constriction of his pupils betrayed his growing alarm. He slowly closed his eyes.

Above, Wang Lin’s form materialized outside the fourteenth-tier palace. Without pause or hesitation, he blurred towards the fifteenth!

As his silhouette entered the fifteenth-tier palace amidst the golden radiance, a wave of murmurs erupted from the crowd below.

“To conquer the fourteenth tier in nine breaths, and then to challenge the fifteenth… Could we have misjudged him?!”

“Even with a Soul Armor, to reach the fifteenth tier is an astonishing feat!”

Grand Empyrean Dao I stared blankly at the sky, his ambition, once extinguished, now rekindled.

One breath, two breaths, three… By the ninth breath of Wang Lin’s presence in the fifteenth tier, the fifteenth tier, too, erupted in blinding golden light!!

This light ripped through the clouds, expanding in all directions. Its appearance was like a colossal slap across the Immortal Emperor’s face, forcing him to snap his eyes open, revealing a rare and profound shock!!
The venerable Grand Empyrean Dao Yi drew a deep breath, his eyes blazing with an unearthly light.

“We have misjudged him. This youth possesses a potential even more terrifying than the Underworld Empyrean. The soul-armor is but an extension of his strength! For who else, clad in the same armor, would dare to challenge the fifteenth level?”

Grand Empyrean Wu Feng, though outwardly composed, betrayed a smile. His eyes shone with undisguised admiration. His earlier confrontation with the Celestial Emperor had been a gamble, a wager placed on this very moment. Should it prove successful, Wang Lin would surely remember it. Even if he did not immediately pledge allegiance, this act would become a bond of goodwill, bearing fruit when Wang Lin inevitably ascended to Grand Empyrean status.

“Fifteen levels… he has conquered fifteen levels…” The Underworld Empyrean’s gaze radiated a murderous aura, his pride wounded beyond measure. Such an achievement was an affront to his very being. In a blur of motion, he shot towards the celestial dome.

His actions did not go unnoticed. A collective gasp rippled through the assembled cultivators.

“Still conquering each level in nine breaths… this Wang Lin is far more than we believed!”

“This man commands power beyond our comprehension. He deliberately concealed his true strength, avoiding the limelight. Had the Celestial Emperor not forced his hand, he would never have attempted the trials!”

“It is clear! There are secrets shared between the Celestial Emperor and him, explaining the Emperor’s attempts at verbal assault!”

A similar realization dawned upon the Transcendent Empyreans. The contempt they once held for Wang Lin was gone, replaced by a complex mixture of awe and respect.

Regardless of his methods, the ability to conquer fifteen levels spoke volumes!

Hai Zi, Empyrean of the Sea, watched the scene unfold, a gentle smile gracing her lips. She gazed up at the celestial dome, fully aware of the growing chasm between them. She could only stand among the crowd and look up to him, yet her heart filled with joy.

The Underworld Empyrean’s dramatic departure added a new dimension to the spectacle. He hurtled towards the heavens, reaching the sixteenth level just as Wang Lin emerged from the fifteenth, preparing to ascend. They stepped into the sixteenth hall together!

The Empyrean Ascension Lands permitted multiple entries, so the two would not meet within, but would face their individual trials.

For countless years, the sixteenth hall had remained devoid of golden light. Unlike the fifteenth, it had never been breached.

“The Underworld Empyrean and Wang Lin, both daring to challenge the sixteenth level! Who among them will succeed?” Grand Empyrean Dao Yi’s eyes burned with anticipation.

This was a momentous occasion for the entire Celestial Clan. A renowned veteran and a newly risen star, vying for the same impossible goal.

Wu Feng’s expression turned serious. The Ascension Lands grew progressively more difficult with each level. The Underworld Empyrean had attempted the sixteenth level twice before, failing both times.

The Celestial Emperor watched from afar, his countenance growing darker by the moment. His recent pronouncements had been openly defied, and the indignity stung. A chilling frost crept into his gaze as he watched the heavens.

Time slipped away, and as the ninth breath drew to a close, a blinding golden light erupted from the sixteenth hall, a spectacle unseen for millennia!

“Golden light! From the sixteenth level! The sixteenth level has been conquered! No Transcendent Empyrean in this era has ever achieved this!”

“Who is it? Which of the two succeeded?”

“Nine breaths… it must be Wang Lin!”

“Not necessarily! The Underworld Empyrean is a seasoned warrior. He wouldn’t have attempted this without confidence. I wager it’s him!”

Dao Yi, Wu Feng, and the Celestial Emperor watched with bated breath, desperate to know the victor.

Hai Zi stared intently, her face etched with anxiety. But soon, her eyes widened with uncontainable joy.

Wang Lin emerged from the sixteenth hall. His face was pale, but he remained standing before the entrance, waiting for the Underworld Empyrean!

Dao Yi’s eyes widened. Grand Empyrean Wu Feng gasped in disbelief. As for the Celestial Emperor, his face contorted in a mask of barely concealed shock.

Even the ancient Grand Empyrean Jiu Di, dwelling atop Emperor Mountain, drew a sharp intake of breath.