The sound was not loud, nor did it shake the heavens, yet the moment it resonated, a pressure radiated from Wang Lin, rivaling that of Mount Gu Dao itself!

This aura of dominance would have stirred the hearts of any who felt it, leaving them aghast. For the pressure of Mount Gu Dao was sourced from Gu Dao, the Grand Celestial, the mightiest being in the Immortal Astral Continent! Yet now, from within Wang Lin’s very being, rose a force nearly equal in power!

The implications of such a phenomenon were terrifying indeed!

As the two uttered syllables crashed through the air, Mount Gu Dao trembled violently, dust billowing as if the mountain were about to crumble. Before Wang Lin, the two gray-robed figures merged, becoming a single fist. From that fist, a gray mist coalesced into a spectral head, which, a mere three yards from Wang Lin, unleashed an ear-splitting shriek.

The head, as if struck by a hurricane, vanished with shocking speed, dissolving into nothingness. Simultaneously, the merged fist of the two figures shattered, bone and sinew collapsing into ruin!

Amidst the destruction, the figures were thrown back, splitting apart mid-air. They coughed up blood, their normally placid faces etched with disbelief.

The crimson spittle barely left their lips before they were forced backward, sent reeling by the sheer power of Wang Lin’s roar. They staggered back a thousand paces.

Mount Gu Dao reverberated with a deafening roar as, from the highest tower on its peak, a colossal black hand materialized. Growing swiftly in the wind, it became a hundred yards in size, a monstrous black mountain of five fingers descending upon Wang Lin.

The hand, and the pressure generated from the power within Wang Lin that was neither immortal nor ancient clashing in the heavens, within the mountain of Gu Dao.

With a deafening crash, the black hand quivered and recoiled, vanishing back into the sky. Wang Lin shuddered, the fused power within him strained, separating once more. The essence and ancient power returned to their separate paths, while the sliver of fused immortal and ancient power within him began a second cycle, though at a slowed pace, as if decades were needed to complete a single rotation.

Xuan Luo, watching from behind, gasped for breath.

From the tower, after a long silence, a cold, indifferent voice spoke.

“Ascend. This one will awaken your soul blood…”

Wang Lin, his face ashen, stood upon the three-hundredth step, silent. Then, with a single, deliberate movement, he took the final stride. His foot landed upon the three-hundred-and-first step, and in that instant, the drop of soul blood within him dissolved, vanishing into his very being, fusing completely with his flesh and bone.

He needed no assistance from the Grand Celestial of Gu Dao. The soul blood had merged perfectly, revealing its ancestral lineage.

Standing there, Wang Lin bowed, his fist held respectfully before him, toward the summit of Mount Gu Dao.

“I thank the Grand Celestial of Gu Dao for his aid.” Wang Lin was no fool. The chasm between himself and Gu Dao was vast. Even though the Grand Celestial offered him a way to leave with the three hundred steps, Wang Lin concealed his dislike for Gu Dao in his heart, giving thanks.

Furthermore, the fusion of his immortal and ancient powers was indeed a result of the pressure exerted by the Grand Celestial. Perhaps it was mere chance, or perhaps it was a tacit agreement.

Regardless, Wang Lin knew that as the strongest being in the Immortal Astral Continent, the Grand Celestial of Gu Dao deserved his respect.

“Fear not. I have said that if you ascend three hundred steps, I shall allow you to leave. Now that you have succeeded, descend from the mountain,” The cold voice of the Grand Celestial echoed down after a long pause.

The pause made it as if the Grand Celestial was lost in thought.

Wang Lin said nothing in return, turning to descend the mountain. Reaching Xuan Luo’s side, he saw a subtle, almost imperceptible fluctuation radiating from his master’s form. It was clear: Xuan Luo was prepared to intervene should the Grand Celestial break his word.

“Master…” Wang Lin murmured softly. This act of protectiveness warmed the fissure within Wang Lin’s heart, softening the divide with the ancient race.

“Let us go,” Xuan Luo said, his eyes boring into Wang Lin’s before sweeping past him, burying his shock regarding the Eight Tunes Two Forms. With a flick of his sleeve, he gathered Wang Lin, and they transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the heavens.

Only after the two had vanished into the distant horizon did the two injured gray-robed figures return to their pillars, gazing at the receding forms with complex emotions before closing their eyes in meditation.

After a long while, a sigh echoed from the tower.

Within the mist-filled peak chamber, a figure stirred. Shrouded in the swirling vapors, it approached a window, gazing out at the heavens, its gaze fixed on the direction in which Xuan Luo and Wang Lin had disappeared.

Xuan Luo, bearing Wang Lin, returned to the Dao Ancient Clan’s imperial city after days. There, behind the mountain of the Dao Ancient Palace, Wang Lin took up residence in the wooden house.

Xuan Luo did not question Wang Lin about the events on Mount Gu Dao, nor did Wang Lin offer any explanation. As if the incident had never occurred, Xuan Luo veiled it in silence, and as the days passed into a month, it seemed to fade away like smoke.

For that month, Wang Lin was as if secluded, sitting in meditation within the wooden house. During his journey to Mount Gu Dao, he had visited many places, absorbing numerous sources of essence, increasing his own essence power and improving his cultivation.

The essence and ancient power within him seemed to return to their proper places during this month. The essence solidified into a true form, while the ancient power once again materialized as the twenty-seven stars between his brows and eyes.

Outwardly, everything appeared normal. Yet, Wang Lin alone knew that he could now, with a single thought, fuse the immortal and ancient powers together for a brief, explosive burst.

That power, its pressure, could rival that of Mount Gu Dao!

As his essence cultivation and ancient power increased, the duration of this temporary fusion would lengthen, and the power released would intensify. Until the day came when they merged completely, no longer just a fleeting fusion, he would possess a power akin to that of the Grand Celestial of Gu Dao.
Within his very essence, the fused wisp of Ancient Immortal power stirred slowly, its cycle a languid dance that would not complete for what seemed an age.

On this day, Wang Lin opened his eyes from his meditative slumber. A glint of light sparked in his gaze as he raised a hand, a cylindrical vial materializing within his grasp. He hesitated, then opened it, revealing a scant amount of liquid, shimmering with the purest essence of wood.

With a touch of his finger, he extracted a single drop and infused it within himself. The liquid vanished instantly, and as it did, the wood essence within Wang Lin’s being erupted, its growth visible to the naked eye.

Three suns later, as Wang Lin absorbed another precious drop, the wood essence within him surged further, hurtling towards the manifestation of a true form.

Barely half a moon had passed when the last of the liquid was consumed. The seated form of Wang Lin shimmered, a double taking shape before him. It was his Five Elemental True Form, standing tall and serene.

The Five Elemental True Form, its expression calm, emanated a colorless light before Wang Lin. Within that light, the emanations of wood and metal were noticeably dimmer than the others, unlike the brilliance of water, fire, and earth. Yet, gradually, the emerald hue of the wood essence grew brighter and brighter. After several days, its luminescence flared, matching the vibrant hues of water, fire, and earth!

With a flicker, the Five Elemental True Form divided, spawning four figures and a radiant orb. The four were the True Forms of water, fire, earth, and, now, Wang Lin’s own wood essence!

Amidst these four True Forms, the golden orb pulsated – the untamed potential of metal, yet to coalesce into a True Form.

Wang Lin opened his eyes, gazing at the golden orb, his expression conflicted. After a moment, determination hardened his gaze. Raising his right hand, he summoned a fragment of shimmering gold.

It was a shard of the Immortal Extinction Sword, claimed by Wang Lin from the long street in the Immortal Ancestral City. He had attempted to refine it before, but a full fusion eluded him. Now, he would combine it with the raw metal essence he had absorbed over the past months under the guidance of Xuan Luo. He would forge a path, breaking the limits of the Five Elemental True Form, achieving ultimate perfection.

If he could manifest the metal essence into a True Form, the Five Elemental True Form would surge in power. Moreover, it would validate the deductions and analyses Wang Lin had made upon the vast ocean before arriving at the Ancient Clan.

“If the Five Elemental True Form achieves perfection, and my cultivation increases, my theory will be proven true!” Wang Lin spoke the words of the world, no longer hesitating, exhaling a breath of golden mist. The mist enveloped the Immortal Extinction Sword fragment, binding it to the heart of the raw metal essence.

Time drifted onward, another moon began its cycle…

Two and a half months had elapsed since Wang Lin and Xuan Luo returned to the Ancient Dao Imperial City. Throughout these days, Wang Lin remained within the wooden hut, not venturing outside once. Xuan Luo had visited twice, observing from outside the hut for a short time. Knowing that Wang Lin was focused on consolidating his essences and in no danger, he turned and departed.

On this particular morning, as the first ray of sunlight kissed the land, parting the black veil of night and bathing the valley with warmth, a jade slip sped from the direction of the Ancient Dao Palace. It circled the wooden hut several times before finally landing on the grass outside the door.

Then, with a sudden tremor, the jade slip transformed into a rainbow streak and soared into the hut, coming to rest between the fingers of Wang Lin, who remained seated in peaceful meditation.

He scanned the jade slip with his divine sense. It was a message, brief but potent: an invitation.

“The Ancient Dao Emperor…a Consecration Ceremony, in ten days…” Wang Lin’s expression remained unchanged. The jade slip, sent from the Ancient Dao Imperial Palace, was an invitation to attend the ceremony.

“The fact that this slip was sent suggests my Master’s approval. This ceremony must be of great importance to the Ancient Dao lineage.” Wang Lin pondered.

“The Ancient Dao Emperor has been searching for a consort for centuries, and now he has finally chosen one, to be crowned Empress…Should I go, or should I stay…” The fusion of his metal essence was at a critical stage. He had no desire to attend this Consecration Ceremony.