Wang Lin, his face etched with grim resolve, plummeted from a rent in the heavens. With a flicker of motion, he transformed into a streak of rainbow light, streaking towards the distant peaks. He landed upon the summit of one of nine towering mountains, lifting his gaze towards the heavens.

Even as he moved, the Imperial Preceptor mirrored his actions, appearing atop another of the mountains with equal haste.

Above them, a colossal palm print of burnished gold descended, swiftly eclipsing all else in the sky. The very heavens were consumed by its brilliance, transformed into a sea of golden fire.

Yet, as the golden palm thundered downwards, a tremor shook the very foundations of this strange realm. The mountain shaped like the head of an ancient ancestor stirred, its eyes flashing with golden light. The falling palm, as if drawn by an unseen force, seemed to melt in mid-air, splitting in twain. The two halves were swiftly absorbed by the ancestral mountain’s eyes, and the golden palm vanished without a trace!

A furious roar echoed from the heavens, belonging to the Immortal Emperor. It was a sound muffled by countless layers of space, yet it grew steadily louder, as if the Emperor was tearing through the fabric of reality itself.

But before his wrath could fully manifest, the roar was abruptly replaced by the bright, lilting voices of two young maidens. The Immortal Emperor’s advance had been thwarted by the Twin Celestial Sovereigns!

“Wang Lin, the Immortal Emperor is held, but he could break free at any moment! Time is fleeting! We must subdue the Nether Dao Lord, and quickly! Once he is subdued, I will use my magic to transfer his legacy to you…” The Imperial Preceptor’s face was ashen, his breath ragged as if his life was nearly spent.

Even as he spoke, though the golden palm was gone, the Nether Dao Lord was revealed. His flesh was rotted and falling away, exposing his blackened bones. Yet, within him, golden light still flickered, slowly consuming him from the inside out. The Nether Dao Lord roared in pain. Above, the sky was fractured, revealing crimson rents where the Preceptor had shattered the blood pool. Now, a torrent of blood rained down upon the land.

The crimson rain cascaded down the nine peaks, gathering on the ground in an endless tide.

The Nether Dao Lord, drenched in blood, howled to the heavens before fixing his maddened gaze upon Wang Lin. With a speed that defied the eye, he charged, a spectral blur of terrifying power, crashing towards the mountain where Wang Lin stood!

Wang Lin’s pupils contracted. As the Nether Dao Lord drew near, he took a single step back, and ninety-nine afterimages bloomed around him.

The mountain trembled under the assault. Any other peak would have crumbled, but this one endured, shedding only loose stones. Not a single deep fissure appeared in its unyielding form.

The Nether Dao Lord’s furious onslaught dispersed more than seventy of Wang Lin’s afterimages, but the remaining ones coalesced into his true form some distance away.

His face was calm, his eyes fixed on the unyielding mountain with a curious gleam. “What is this mountain? What is this place?” Wang Lin asked, directing his question towards the Imperial Preceptor!

“These are the nine Immortal Mountains, foundation stones of the Immortal Clan. They protect the clan, suppress the spirits of the seventy-two Immortal Continents, and allow the Immortal Emperors to pass down the Eight Extremes Titles through the power of blood! This is the Forbidden Palace beneath the Imperial Palace. This is where the true Immortal Ancestor secluded himself!” The Preceptor replied without hesitation.

“Wang Lin, strike now!” The Preceptor’s eyes flickered. He launched himself from his mountain towards the Nether Dao Lord. Raising his right hand, a tiny figure of pure white light manifested within his palm, swiftly growing to life-size beside him.

The Nether Dao Lord, halting his assault on the mountain, bellowed in defiance. He seemed to ignore the Preceptor, charging towards Wang Lin once more.

“All things exist because they have always existed!” The Preceptor’s luminous doppelganger vanished in a blink, only to reappear before the Nether Dao Lord. It extended a single finger, pointing towards the corrupt being.

As the finger descended, ripples distorted the void around the Nether Dao Lord. These ripples, like ethereal ropes, coiled around his body, halting his advance.

Wang Lin’s eyes flashed. The golden light within the Nether Dao Lord was too intense, its power too dangerous. But seeing the Preceptor’s move, Wang Lin hesitated no longer, shifting his trajectory towards the struggling Dao Lord.

Raising his right hand, the illusory Night’s End blade appeared. The earth transformed into a roiling sea, the sky became a starless black, and Wang Lin himself rose from the depths like the dawn, radiating light. This spell, amplified by Wang Lin’s power, combined with the light that pierced the darkness, raced towards the ensnared Nether Dao Lord.

Simultaneously, the Preceptor bit his tongue, expending his last vestiges of life. A torrent of blood gushed forth, coalescing into a blood-red figure. The blood-man howled to the heavens, its face contorted in rage. Transformed into a scarlet shadow, it flew towards the Nether Dao Lord!

Wang Lin and the Preceptor, united, unleashed their most potent magic against the Nether Dao Lord!

The Nether Dao Lord was not inherently so powerful, but the golden light within him was unbreakable, capable of overwhelming any spell or weapon, forcing any who dared approach to retreat. It was a fire that would consume any moth drawn to its light.

But as the blood-man and Wang Lin’s Night’s End closed on the darkness that was the Nether Dao Lord, the corrupted being screamed to the heavens. His agony reached its peak as the majority of his flesh sloughed off in a violent eruption!

This was not mere decay, but a forceful separation of flesh from bone! The majority of the Nether Dao Lord’s body exploded outwards, a devastating wave.

The blood-man was caught in the blast, shrieking in agony as the Nether Dao Lord’s expelled flesh pierced its form. It vanished before it could even get close!

This flesh contained the essence of the Immortal Ancestor, more powerful than any magic. Wang Lin’s face paled as he retreated, the force of Night’s End diminishing much of the onrushing flesh. Yet, some pieces slipped through the dimming light, striking him on his chest, his right leg, and his left arm.

Agony flared as golden light erupted from the wounds, threatening to incinerate him.

“He awakened too early! He has not absorbed enough of the Immortal Ancestor’s bloodline! This is why he is transforming. Once all of his flesh has fallen away, his bones will collapse. If he can endure until the bones are reformed, then the golden light will rebuild him. He will have completed his reversion!”

“Wang Lin, we can no longer hold back! We must unleash everything we have, and subdue him before his reversion is complete, or before he succumbs to death! Only then can I transfer the Immortal Ancestor’s legacy to you!” The Preceptor’s voice was weak, laced with desperation. With a flicker of movement, he raised both hands, summoning countless figures of light from his palms.

Again, he bit his tongue, his body withered as if he were already dying. He spewed forth another mouthful of blood, transforming it into a blood-man. He fused the remaining light figures with the blood man, causing it to explode with power. The blood-man opened its eyes, showing not fury, but serenity as it drifted towards the Nether Dao Lord.

The Preceptor trembled, his breathing labored, his face deathly pale. Death hung heavy in the air around him.

Seeing the Preceptor’s sacrifice, Wang Lin gritted his teeth, channeling the full might of his Celestial Bull Soul Armor. His hair danced in the wind, his Dao Ancient power merging with his cultivation, as he strode towards the Nether Dao Lord, his fist raised to strike!

This was his peak, a single strike fueled by all of his power. As his fist shot out, ninety-nine phantoms flickered into existence, coalescing into the true form of the Celestial Bull, slamming into the Nether Dao Lord.

The Nether Dao Lord shuddered. The last vestiges of his flesh tore away, and his body was left a skeleton.

The bones were pitch black, but within his chest pulsed a golden orb of radiant light. This was the legacy of the Immortal Ancestor.

The receding flesh could not stop the blood-man, born of the Preceptor’s life force, nor could it halt the Celestial Bull, manifested by Wang Lin. The Nether Dao Lord seemed on the verge of breaking.

But then, a shriek that resonated through the very soul echoed from the skeletal form.

“I will not yield!”

From the empty sockets of the Nether Dao Lord’s skull, two golden flames ignited, flickering briefly before threatening to extinguish. Cracks appeared across his skeletal body, quickly spreading, and then it shattered.

As his bones disintegrated, an indescribable surge of power erupted outwards, sending Wang Lin reeling, overwhelmed by a sensation of mortal danger!

Nearby, the Preceptor’s dim eyes flashed with light, with a glimpse of undisguised excitement. Expending his last vestige of life, his body crumbled as his life ran out. A glimmer of ethereal light shot forth from his remains, hurtling towards the Nether Dao Lord!