A spectral form, mirroring Wang Lin’s own closed eyes, hovered behind him as he ascended. On the ravaged earth below, five elders gaped, their eyes fixed upon the ethereal figure, faces etched with reverence.

“It is the Ancestor himself!” one rasped, disbelief coloring his voice.

“The Ancestor appears! Could this mortal be the one he has sought for ages?” another whispered, his gaze shifting to Wang Lin.

They exchanged knowing glances, as, in that very moment, crimson clouds in the heavens began to descend with unnatural speed. Not inch by inch, but by fathoms, until ten fathoms of crimson wrath pressed down upon them.

A deafening roar echoed through the cosmos as the very foundations of Tian Yao City crumbled. Buildings collapsed, sinking into the earth, vanishing beneath a crushing force. Where once a metropolis stood, now a colossal basin yawned open, dust and debris pressed into the abyss.

Yet the celestial assault did not cease. Cracks spiderwebbed from the basin’s edge, the earth groaning in agony as the chasm widened. The red clouds continued their relentless descent, a crimson canopy threatening to smother the world.

Thunderous roars echoed as the clouds sank further, shaking the very fabric of existence. Cracks widened, spreading in a frenzy, engulfing leagues, then hundreds, then thousands, until a vast expanse lay shattered.

Tian Yao City, once a beacon of civilization, was no more.

Wang Lin hung suspended, the epicenter of this celestial tempest. He remained motionless, as if lost in a deep slumber, as the divine pressure bore down upon him.

Then, as if awakened from a long dream, Wang Lin’s eyes snapped open, and in that instant, the spectral ancient demon behind him mirrored the action, its own monstrous gaze blazing with an unholy light.

A strange power now guided Wang Lin, lifting his hand, and sending it toward the crimson clouds above. In unison, the immense spectral hand of the ancient demon followed, mimicking his gesture.

But those with keen eyes could see it was the spectral demon who moved first, beckoning Wang Lin to follow.

“Extinguish the Dao!” the demon spoke, its voice echoing from Wang Lin’s own throat.

Though softly spoken, the words unleashed a torrent of demonic energy, a wave emanating from Wang Lin and the spectral figure.

Like a launched arrow, Wang Lin shot toward the crimson clouds, the ancient demon surging behind him.

Within the clouds, a furious tempest raged, celestial wrath given form in the roaring thunder and the furious descent of the crimson mass, now upon him.

One palm strike, and the clouds shattered!

The demon’s palm, Wang Lin’s palm, crashed upon the descending crimson cloud. A tempest erupted, and thunderous roars reverberated as the celestial energy thrashed.

Wang Lin was hurled back, plummeting to the ravaged earth. As his feet touched down, another seismic wave ripped through the ruined landscape, cleaving an additional hundred leagues of devastation.

The ancient demon, following his descent, touched the ground, his form flickering as if on the verge of dissolution.

For the power of the heavens is not easily defied. As a rebel against fate, the ancient demon had confronted countless trials. After a moment, his form solidified once more.

The crimson clouds dissipated, but in their wake, a ten-fathom-thick beam of scarlet energy descended from the far reaches of the heavens.

This crimson ray dwarfed the previous assault, a weapon of a higher caliber. Its target was not Wang Lin, but the spectral ancient demon.

Demon and mortal gazed upward, the ancient demon’s eyes erupting with eldritch light.

“Crimson Skyfire Ray! It has been too long since I last tasted its power…”

The ancient demon leaped from behind Wang Lin, swallowing the crimson ray whole.

The demon’s form disintegrated, only to reconstruct itself. A cycle of collapse and rebirth, repeated thousands of times in mere moments.

The demon was forced from the heavens back down to the ravaged earth. A ring of energy radiated from its feet, a three-fathom high wave obliterating everything in its path, expanding outward, until the effects reached a hundred leagues. The earth groaned and buckled, creating ruins anew.

Finally, the skies cleared, the celestial tempest had passed.

The ancient demon let out a contented belch, his form flickering with fatigue before he dissolved into a wisp of smoke and disappeared.

“Three months hence, meet me at Dragon Pool…” The ancient demon’s voice echoed, resonating beyond Wang Lin’s ears, into the very air itself.

With a step, Wang Lin was gone.

A gust of wind swept through the ruins. The five elders crawled from the rubble, exchanging bewildered glances.

“Yun Dun, you little whelp! Get over here!” one bellowed, his voice raw with anger.

“Yun Dun, get your backside over to your grandpappy!” another roared.

“If you’re not out here in three breaths, I’ll toss you in Dragon Pool for a century!”

The elders’ voices ripped through the air like thunder.

A blur emerged from the distant ruins, darting towards the noise. Upon hearing the elders’ threats, the figure grimaced, then appeared before them with an apologetic sigh.
Yun Dun, grandson of the lineage, had but recently endured the scolding of five ancient Grand Sires. He, that very youth who shared wine and stories beneath the painted moon with Wang Lin!

“You addle-brained fool!” thundered one of the Grand Sires. “The Sky Demon City…vanished! I grant you three moon cycles to restore it to its former glory, or I shall cast you into the Dragon’s Maw for a century’s torment!”

“Two centuries!” roared another.

“Five!”

“A millennium!”

“Nay, confine him for a Bear-Age!” the last Grand Sire scoffed.

The youth shuddered, forcing a wry smile. “Revered Sires, be at peace. I swear, ‘ere three moon cycles wane, the Ancient Demon City shall rise anew.”

“And the one favored by our ancestor,” a Grand Sire rasped, his voice suddenly grave, “seek him out. In three moon cycles, deliver him to the Dragon’s Maw!” With that pronouncement, they vanished, leaving naught but the echo of their displeasure hanging over the ravaged land.

Wang Lin materialized leagues hence, instantly casting his divine sense across the landscape. Satisfied, he inhaled deeply and retrieved a token from his pouch. This token, the key to the mystic grotto, allowed passage at will.

He performed the arcane gestures inscribed upon it, the token bathed in ethereal light, engulfing him and whisking him away.

He stood once more upon the stone platform, borne aloft by the ancient, leashed beasts. Without pause, he hastened towards the grotto’s maw.

Having survived the Heavenly Tribulation, Wang Lin sensed a profound shift within. His comprehension had reached its zenith, and was now intertwined with his nascent Immortal Power. A chilling realization gripped him.

To Ascend…to hear the Dao at dawn and embrace death at dusk!

A single misstep could shatter his cultivation and unravel his very soul. Though he knew not what effect this might have on his ancient Godly form in the outer world, Wang Lin dared not risk such a gamble.

Ascension was a perilous threshold, to be crossed only in a place of absolute safety, shielded from all external forces. The grotto, without a doubt, offered the most secure sanctuary.

He traversed the platforms with blinding speed, finally reaching the grotto’s entrance. With a final surge, he vanished into the familiar depths.

Wang Lin made straight for the chamber where he’d first discovered the wine jug. There, he crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and exhaled slowly. He retrieved his pouch, noting with concern the dwindling supply of Immortal Jade, depleted by the ravages of the Heavenly Tribulation.

With a flick of the wrist, he emptied the pouch. Jade cascaded forth, blanketing the chamber floor in shimmering, mountainous heaps.

A dense aura of Immortal Qi permeated the air. Wang Lin’s eyes flashed. He drew forth the Crimson Essence!

A nail-sized gemstone, radiating a faint red glow. Its mere presence seemed to still the very air, halting the flow of time. Within it throbbed the power of the Heavenly Dao itself.

“The Ascension Crystal! A gift from Senior Zhou Yi. Should I succeed in my ascension, his kindness shall be etched upon my soul for eternity!” With a steady hand, Wang Lin grasped the crystal and swallowed it whole.

He closed his eyes, immersing himself in the delicate dance of comprehension and Immortal Power, embracing the perilous path to Ascension.

The days bled into weeks. Wang Lin’s countenance remained serene as a still pond. The Immortal Jade around him steadily diminished, crumbling to dust as his body greedily absorbed its ethereal essence.

During Ascension, a crystal would form within the soul, akin to a mortal heart within the flesh – the very essence of the nascent deity.

Zhou Yi’s gift of the Ascension Crystal would become Wang Lin’s second heart!

As Wang Lin struggled to Ascend, the Sky Demon City embarked upon a frenzied recovery. Legions of demon soldiers poured in from across the Sky Demon Province, converging upon the ruins to raise the city anew.

Uncountable leagues away, in the heart of the ancient battlefield, atop the blackest tower, two points of spectral light flickered within the helm of a suit of ebon armor.

“Even the Ancient Demons have emerged to shield him from the Heavenly Tribulation…to devour him now seems such a waste…but to miss this chance, to wait for another… the power of Ascension, though meager, cannot be disregarded!”