Like light through a loom, a year of seasons swiftly passed. As the autumnal leaves fell upon the Emperor’s Mountain and the first snowflakes descended, the tales of a burgeoning era within the Immortal Clan, whispered a year prior, did not fade. Instead, they swelled into a vibrant chorus across the land.

A year before, upon the Immortal Domains, there emerged a cultivator with hair as white as the winter’s frost. He dared to tread the path of the Heavenly Venerate Nirvana, and from the fifth trial layer, he ascended with unparalleled speed, conquering seventeen trials in succession! He stood as the undisputed master among the Ascendant Venerates!

He eclipsed the former glory of the Nether Dao Venerate, standing at the very apex beneath the Great Heavenly Venerates. This white-haired wonder became known as the White-Haired Ascendant Venerate, and his name, carried upon the tongues of the Heavenly Venerates, became legend. That name was Wang Lin!

The name of Wang Lin swept through the year like a tempest, unknown to no Heavenly Venerate, no Ascendant Venerate. Through such pervasive dissemination, nearly every Golden Venerate Patriarch of every sect had heard tell of him!

Nay, even beneath the Patriarchs, among the Sect Lords and Elders, knowledge of Wang Lin spread like wildfire. The Immortal Clan had birthed its forty-ninth Ascendant Venerate, and moreover, one who had conquered seventeen layers of the Heavenly Venerate Nirvana, the strongest of them all!

Rumors of his exploits filled the Immortal Domains, a tapestry woven of wonder and awe. Some claimed he possessed Soul Armor, blessed by the profound recognition of the Spirits Beyond the Heavens!

Others whispered of his peerless cultivation, yet his humble heart. It was said that after conquering a dozen trials, he wished to proceed no further. But the Nether Dao Venerate, in his arrogance, offered insult and scorn, igniting a righteous fury within Wang Lin. He ascended to the seventeenth layer, crushing the Nether Dao Venerate beneath his heel!

There were even whispers of the Heavenly Venerate Hai Zi, who, enamored of him, was met with cold rejection.

And still other tales claimed he hailed from a tiny sect in the Eastern Province, a place unknown to the ears of most cultivators.

These whispers, like seeds carried upon the wind, took root and blossomed across the Immortal Domains.

Such a being, surely, would attract the attention of the Great Heavenly Venerates, who would vie for his allegiance. Yet, he turned away the summons of the Great Heavenly Venerate Dao Yi, refused the entreaties of the Great Heavenly Venerate Wu Feng, and spurned the beckoning of the Great Heavenly Venerate Jiu Di. Instead, he pledged himself to the waning power of the Twin Great Heavenly Venerates!

When this news spread, confusion rippled through the Immortal Clan. The reasons behind his choice sparked a new storm of rumors and speculation.

For a year, it was said that Wang Lin remained within the Purple Sun Sect, never venturing beyond its borders. Numerous Ascendant Venerates, heedless of distance, journeyed to the Purple Sun Sect, seeking to meet with Wang Lin and engage in enlightened discourse.

Those who left after their audience departed with faces of reverence and respect. Yet others remained within the Purple Sun Sect, drawn into deep discussions with Wang Lin, where they reaped a bounty of wisdom.

And so, the Purple Sun Sect, through the name of Wang Lin, once again rose into prominence.

The tales of Wang Lin, by various paths and means, trickled into the thirty-six Prefectures of the Ancient Clan. For the emergence of the Immortal Clan’s forty-ninth Ascendant Venerate was a matter of great concern to the Ancient Clan, especially as this new Ascendant Venerate had usurped the Nether Dao Venerate, claiming the title of the strongest.

Of the thirty-six Prefectures of the Ancient Clan, the three tribes each held dominion over twelve. When word of Wang Lin reached the Dao Ancient tribe, Xuan Luo opened his eyes within his secluded chambers.

In his eyes shone both admiration and pride.

He admired Wang Lin’s ascent to such heights within the Immortal Clan, and he took pride in the knowledge that this man was the very disciple he had discovered within the Caverns Realm!

“He should be returning soon…” Xuan Luo kept the knowledge of Wang Lin to himself, not even sharing it with the Dao Ancient Emperor.

As this news reached the Imperial Palace and came to the attention of the Dao Ancient Emperor, his search for a consort continued. One by one, women brought from across the lands were tested to see if they could merge with the fragment of a lingering soul.

Yet, even now, all had failed. Still, he did not yield, but expanded his search to find a woman who could truly become one with this soul.

When the Dao Ancient Emperor learned of Wang Lin, he did not believe that this was the same Wang Lin he had once harbored jealousy towards. Therefore, though he took note, he did not dwell upon it.

This attention was manifested in the mobilization of all resources to gather information on Wang Lin, for this man had the potential to become the Immortal Clan’s sixth Great Heavenly Venerate!

The Ancient Clan already stood a Great Heavenly Venerate short when compared to the Immortal Clan. Were it not for the Ancient Dao Great Heavenly Venerate, who stood apart from the three tribes, a figure of transcendant power, the Ancient Clan would have long been overrun by the Immortal Clan’s armies.

The Ancient Dao Great Heavenly Venerate resided upon the Ancient Peaks of the Ancient Clan’s lands. His cultivation was earth-shattering, undeniably the strongest among the Nine Suns of the Immortal Astral Continent!

Even the Immortal Clan’s Eastern Imminence Great Heavenly Venerate of old was no match for him. Moreover, the Ancient Dao Great Heavenly Venerate was known throughout the world as the only one of the Nine Suns to have slain a Great Heavenly Venerate!

His existence stretched back to the era of the Ancient Ancestor. When he became a Great Heavenly Venerate, Jiu Di was but a Golden Venerate cultivator.

After the Ancient Ancestor and the Immortal Ancestor vanished, the Immortal Clan and the Ancient Clan erupted into a full-scale war. The Immortal Clan possessed eight Great Heavenly Venerates, while the Ancient Clan could only muster four!

As the war reached its zenith, and the Immortal Clan seemed poised to conquer half of the Ancient Clan’s territory, the Ancient Dao Great Heavenly Venerate emerged from his seclusion. He alone marched against the Immortal Clan, and before the eyes of countless Immortals, he battled two Immortal Clan Great Heavenly Venerates, slaying both. As he returned, he was ambushed by another Immortal Clan Great Heavenly Venerate, whom he also defeated!

After this battle, the name of the Ancient Dao Great Heavenly Venerate echoed throughout the Immortal Astral! The Immortal Clan was forced to retreat, bringing the war to an end.

For countless years, the Ancient Dao Great Heavenly Venerate remained, having not yet returned to the Void. His presence cast a long shadow of fear across the Immortal Clan, preventing them from invading, even though they now possessed one more Great Heavenly Venerate.

There were even whispers that the Immortal Clan’s Eastern Imminence Great Heavenly Venerate was slain while challenging the Ancient Dao Great Heavenly Venerate!

Protected by the Ancient Dao Great Heavenly Venerate, word of Wang Lin slowly spread throughout the Ancient Clan. The name of Wang Lin was, for the first time, etched into the memories of many within the Ancient Clan.

As the year waned, the Nether Dao Venerate seemed to fade into obscurity, his achievements overshadowed by the rise of Wang Lin.
In the hallowed realm of the Immortal Clans, beneath the imperial city of Zhongzhou, lay a vast and ancient subterranean palace. Within its heart, in a pool of churning, obsidian water that exhaled a noxious black miasma, sat the冥道尊 (Ming Dao Zun), the Lord of Nether Paths, clad in garments as dark as midnight.

Each ripple of the pool brought forth fresh torment, twisting his features into a mask of agony. His body trembled violently, yet he remained steadfast, enduring this ordeal for a year’s turn.

“王持 (Wang Chi)… Wang Chi…” he would roar, his voice echoing through the cavernous depths whenever the pain reached its crescendo. “You have stolen everything from me! I will reclaim it all with my own hands!”

With each furious bellow, the black waters thrashed with renewed vigor. The sinister essence seeped into his very being, infiltrating his veins and slowly reshaping his blood.

“The Ancestral Regression Technique… Even among the direct descendants of the Immortal Ancestor, none have mastered it. I promised you, when I sought your allegiance, that I would help you obtain the blood of the Immortal Ancestor…” A frigid voice, like the whisper of winter winds, cut through the subterranean cacophony.

From the shimmering distortions beside the pool emerged the figure of the Immortal Emperor.

“I made a promise, and I shall fulfill it. This very place holds the key to our clan’s ascension, the source of our Grand Empyreans. Here, your bloodline will be tested. Whether you succeed in your regression depends solely on the depths of your hatred, the strength of your resentment. Endure this, and perhaps… you may return to the source!”

“Return… Return to the source! 王林 (Wang Lin), I will kill you!” The Lord of Nether Paths howled, his face contorted in a frenzy of rage, but his eyes flickered, dimming as if his sanity were slowly being devoured.

“Kill you… Kill you…” As the Lord of Nether Paths uttered his desperate vow, the Immortal Emperor’s lips curled into a knowing smile. With a final, glinting glance, he turned and departed, leaving the tormented soul to his dark baptism.

“This generation shall witness the rebirth of the Immortal Ancestor’s glory! That old windbag 久帝 (Jiu Di) is past his prime; I shall strike him down first! Should he yield, who would dare defy me? As for 道一 (Dao Yi), he is cunning and treacherous. The title of Grand Empyrean should have belonged to his elder brother, but he murdered him to seize it! I admire such men; they are ripe for exploitation! Then there is 武封 (Wu Feng), who holds the Immortal Emperors in contempt. Such insolence cannot be tolerated. I shall strip him of his title, and bestow it upon 道非 (Dao Fei)! He is my imperial brother, and I have invested much in him. It is time to reap the rewards. Finally, the 双子 (Shuang Zi), the Twins… as long as their souls remain separate, they pose no threat!”

The Immortal Emperor vanished, a sinister smile upon his face, leaving the echoing roars to reverberate through the abyss.

Far away, in the Purple Yang Sect of Dongzhou,王林 (Wang Lin), the figure whose name echoed through the legends of the Immortal Ascension Continent, dwelled in a land gripped by the icy embrace of winter. The Purple Yang Sect lay blanketed in snow, a pristine shroud covering the earth.

For the past year, save for the occasional visit from Celestial Sovereigns seeking enlightenment, Wang Lin had remained in one place: a forbidden zone within the Purple Yang Sect known as the饲尊界 (Si Zun Jie), the Realm of Nurturing Sovereigns.

He had glimpsed this realm long ago, but its form had shifted and changed since his arrival at the Purple Yang Sect. Seated at its edge, Wang Lin had spent the better part of a year in silent contemplation.

He sensed it: an unseen barrier, a membrane separating him from his familiar, cherished homeland. There resided those he knew, the lands he loved, the starry sky, and the countless planets of cultivation.

He raised his hand, as if to touch the veil, and a look of yearning and remembrance washed over his face.

“The scent of home…” Wang Lin sighed softly, closing his eyes. He had lingered here for a year, and he knew his time had come to depart.

In the distance, the sound of girlish laughter rang out, clear and bright as silver bells. The innocent joy in their voices soothed the turmoil within Wang Lin.

“小彪子 (Xiao Biao Zi)! Don’t bully the little wolf! You’ve tricked him out of everything he owns!”

“Xiao Biao Zi, let’s go down the mountain and trick people! It’ll be fun!”

“Please, you two little demons, don’t call me Xiao Biao Zi anymore… It really… really doesn’t sound good…” Liu Jinbiao wailed, his face etched with despair.