“Am I to believe it is I, or the esteemed Netherworld Ascendant… or perhaps, the truth lies shrouded in celestial whispers, the ancestral power destined for the Celestial Emperor and his cunning Royal Tutor?” Wang Lin mused silently, his face an impassive mask that betrayed no ripple of emotion in response to the Royal Tutor’s words.

His gaze remained fixed upon the Royal Tutor standing atop the sacrificial altar, his words woven with threads of truth and falsehood, yet one certainty resonated within Wang Lin’s heart: This supposed inheritance was no simple matter!

“Pray, enlighten me as to the manner in which I must ‘cooperate’ to claim this ancestral power you speak of! And further, as legend dictates the Ancestor has vanished, his fate unknown, how then shall this inheritance be enacted?” Wang Lin inquired, his voice measured, his eyes unwavering.

“The matter is fraught with complexity, yet the Celestial Emperor has prepared with utmost diligence. He has sought out the finest prodigy of our Celestial Clan, the Netherworld Ascendant. Even without the Ancestor’s blood, he has risen to become the first among the Ascendants, a feat unmatched since your own. Should he possess the Ancestor’s blood, his cultivation shall surge beyond measure!

His burning hatred for you, the relentless ambition to surpass you, shall forge within him an unwavering resolve. This very resolve, I believe, can fuel his vitality to limitless heights, granting him a forty percent chance to endure the agony of the ancestral awakening, to successfully force forth every drop of power within his blood, transforming him into a being akin to the Ancestor himself!

Then, he shall become the Second Celestial Ancestor! And know this, the Celestial Emperor has schemed for years, weaving enchantments around the Netherworld Ascendant, though I remain ignorant of his precise methods. Yet, he is confident he can control the power of the awakened Netherworld Ascendant.

I have attempted to divine his machinations, but the path remains shrouded, though I suspect trickery in the nature of soul usurpation or manipulation. But mark well! The key to this entire matter lies within the Blood Pool!” The Royal Tutor gestured toward the pool where the Netherworld Ascendant sat in meditative stillness.

“This artifact is of utmost rarity, accumulated through the ages by generations of Celestial Emperors. Only now has it reached the required potency, to tip the scales slightly in favor of a successful awakening. Should you agree to my terms, I shall personally oversee this ritual, diverting the power destined for the Netherworld Ascendant and bestow it upon you!

Upon receiving this power, you shall ascend to become the paramount figure of the Celestial Clan, surpassing even the Grand Empyrean! And then, even Lian Daozhen’s fate shall rest within your hands, to spare with a mere utterance!” The Royal Tutor’s pace quickened.

“Speak your terms,” Wang Lin replied calmly, his voice unwavering.

“I demand but one thing: When you have gained the Ancestor’s power, when you have become the Second Celestial Ancestor, you must fulfill the role of the original Ancestor and lift the ancient seal that binds my people! Free us, so we may be at last released!” The Royal Tutor’s eyes burned with an alien intensity as he fixed Wang Lin with his gaze.

“Thereafter, my people shall depart this Celestial Astral Continent, venturing beyond the Heavens, returning to our ancestral home. As for you, you shall become the supreme leader of the Celestial Clan, basking in endless power, a ruler whose reign echoes the glory of the original Ancestor!

If you doubt my word, I shall swear an oath! Should I betray this promise, may my very essence be scattered into dust!” The Royal Tutor raised his right hand, forming an arcane sign. As the sign manifested, his final words crystallized, not fading into the ether, but coalescing into glowing runes, forming a complex totem that lingered for a moment before vanishing without a trace.

“This is an Oath Seal. Upon this Celestial Astral Continent, the laws of the Astral Heavens bear witness to its truth and falsehood. With your cultivation, you should be able to perceive its existence and veracity!” The Royal Tutor spoke quickly.

Wang Lin remained silent.

Moments ticked by, and for the first time, a flicker of anxiety crossed the Royal Tutor’s face.

“Wang Lin, I harbor no ill will! Everything I have spoken is the unvarnished truth! We share no animosity. I would not seek to harm you! I only seek to secure a future of freedom for my people!

Grant me this boon! Grant me this one favor!

No one willingly endures a life of servitude, or condemns their descendants to endless generations of servitude! You cannot begin to imagine such an existence! Have you seen the children of my clan, their fates sealed from the moment they draw breath! Such a thing has persisted for countless millennia. We yearn to break free, we strive to shatter this prison!

But my people lack the strength to resist! Wang Lin, you are our only hope! Aid my people, this once!” The Royal Tutor’s voice resonated with a raw sincerity, his expression etched with the profound sorrow of ages. He clasped his hands in supplication, bowing low from atop the altar before Wang Lin.

Yet, Wang Lin’s expression remained a glacial mask. His eyes were devoid of warmth. His dark hair signified death and destruction, and even should this tragedy deepen a thousandfold, it would scarcely stir him. Especially as he would not place trust in mere words alone.

Wang Lin glanced toward the Netherworld Ascendant writhing within the Blood Pool, sensing the madness radiating from within.

“He has lost his senses?”

“His consciousness has been extinguished by the Celestial Emperor, leaving only a consuming hatred for you, and a desire for your death!” The Royal Tutor confirmed.

The hatred, as Wang Lin perceived it, did not seem so deep, yet considering the path the Netherworld Ascendant had tread, understanding dawned.

Time trickled by. The Royal Tutor waited in anguish, his gaze fixed on Wang Lin’s frigid countenance. With a sigh, he gritted his teeth and spoke once more.

“If Daoist Wang is willing, I will offer the incense power gathered from every Domain of this Celestial Astral Continent! Should Daoist Wang absorb this power, its benefits shall be immeasurable!

Your cultivation, your skills, even your lifespan shall be transformed. In time, you may ascend to the realms of Emptiness and Annihilation! Such power would elevate you to the very apex of this universe!” The Royal Tutor raised his right hand, drawing it across his brow. His body trembled violently as a black crystal the size of a fist slowly materialized from his forehead. The crystal radiated no light, yet the air around it thrummed with the concentrated energy of countless incense offerings.

“This is the Nexus of incense gathered from every Domain within the Celestial Astral Continent. With this in your possession, the entire continent shall constantly pour forth incense power to fuel you!”
From the void, a being of immense power, unlike the children of this realm, was born. This Ancestor required a conduit, a vessel to draw sustenance, for he could not directly absorb the ethereal essence. Our people were forced to become these conduits, transforming vital energy into sustenance he could consume. Others across the lands also partake in the siphoning of spiritual incense, but their methods are crude, their gains impure. They, in truth, become mere seeds, unknowingly contributing to the Ancestor’s endless hunger.

“But you,” the Grand Vizier proclaimed, his eyes gleaming with resolute intent, “you were born amidst the very source of this spiritual incense, within the sacred Cave-Realm. For you, the Ancestor’s dependence on our blood is not needed. Your soul, your very being, can directly absorb and refine its power!” With a sweeping motion, the Vizier cast forth a dark, crystalline shard towards Wang Lin.

The shard, as it hurtled forward, seemed to encounter an unseen barrier before Wang Lin, halting its advance and hovering motionless. Upon the altar, the Vizier, having relinquished the crystal from his very core, visibly aged, his form crumbling into decay.

“This…is the very life-crystal of my people. Its loss means my own demise draws near. I bestow it upon you, trusting that you will lend aid to my children, liberate them from this place… guide them home…” The Vizier’s voice, etched with ages of sorrow, spoke in hushed tones.

Wang Lin remained silent, then raised his hand, summoning the crystal to his grasp. He did not immediately absorb its power, but lifted his gaze to meet the Vizier’s, and nodded slowly.

“I am unversed in the Celestial Oaths, only the Bloodsworn is known to me!” Wang Lin declared. He sliced his own palm, and a single drop of blood, brimming with his essence, floated forth. So potent was this essence that, if released as a crimson mist, it would confound even the most skilled of trackers.

“If your words are true, then I shall offer my aid!” Wang Lin’s words infused the blood drop, causing it to shimmer with arcane light. He flicked it towards the Vizier, where it remained suspended before him.

The Vizier’s face lit with fervor. He glanced at the blood droplet, then pointed to the pool where the slumbering冥道尊 (Ming Daozun) lay, his eyes tightly shut. “Thank you, friend! Time is of the essence. Please, enter the pool. I shall weave a ritual, and while the Celestial Emperor remains hindered and Ming Daozun yet slumbers, I will transfer his legacy to you!

“There will be pain. Your very blood will need to be altered, the Ancestor’s lineage made to flow through your veins. I implore you, do not resist! Resistance will render everything futile…

“Friend Wang…” The Vizier’s voice was heavy with gravitas, his gratitude profound. He bowed to Wang Lin a second time, hands clasped.

“For your kindness, my people shall remember! I, on behalf of all my kin upon the Celestial Continent, offer our deepest thanks!”

Wang Lin’s expression remained impassive as he approached the pool. But as he neared its edge, he suddenly raised his head, his gaze fixed upon the Vizier’s face. The Vizier’s expression was still one of gratitude, his eyes filled with a weary melancholy, the pallor of approaching death upon him, just as he had foretold.

“I must rescue 连道非 (Lian Dao Fei) first!” Wang Lin spoke, his voice measured.

The Vizier offered a rueful smile, glancing upwards at the form of Lian Dao Fei, bound by nine enchanted chains. He sighed.

“Friend Wang, I would not deceive you. The chains that bind Lian Dao Fei were forged by the Celestial Emperor himself. I cannot undo them. Any attempt to touch them would alert him, even amidst his battle with the Twin Terrors… and I am simply powerless to break them.

“But once you have attained the Ancestor’s power, all will be resolved! Trust me, friend, trust me this once! I pledge to you the lives and futures of all my people!

“Trust me!” The Vizier’s plea was uttered with the utmost sincerity. He offered the price of his own life, solely to earn Wang Lin’s belief.

Wang Lin scrutinized the Vizier for a long moment, then nodded slowly. He stepped into the pool, but as his right foot sank into the blood-red liquid, it subtly twitched.

The motion was so slight, veiled by the ripples created by his entry, that it went unnoticed. But from Wang Lin’s foot emanated the faintest whisper of a murderous aura.

The aura snaked through the pool, directed straight towards the slumbering and contorted form of Ming Daozun. In an instant, it plunged into the very core of his being.

Upon the altar, the Vizier’s heart surged with excitement. He watched as Wang Lin entered the pool, and with trembling hands, began to weave a complex series of hand seals, drawing upon the last vestiges of his life force to fuel his forbidden arts. But at that moment, a chilling wind swept through the entire underground palace!

Ming Daozun’s tightly shut eyes snapped open. A moment of confusion clouded his gaze, before it was replaced by unbridled madness. The freezing air emanated from his very body, and as he opened his eyes, the pool, with startling speed, began to freeze over!