The man known as Hai Zhu, a figure of middle years, met his end beneath Wang Lin’s blade. With a swift stroke, his head was severed, and the spirit within was imprisoned. For Wang Lin, a cultivator seeking to ascend, dealing with a nascent soul of a late-stage Transformation Spirit was effortless.

He carried the head away, his movements like a zephyr through the boughs, vanishing in the blink of an eye. The jade scroll of the Demon Emperor, however, he left behind. It held no allure for him, a bauble of little consequence.

Yet, it was a token of goodwill, offered by the Demon Emperor. To refuse it outright would have been seen as unwarranted arrogance.

As he strode forth, Wang Lin cast not a single glance towards the legion of ten thousand demon soldiers. He ascended into the heavens, leaving them behind.

The head of Hai Zhu became fuel for Wang Lin’s arcane arts. He consumed the contained sword energy, drawing it into his very being. Hai Zhu’s spirit, subjected to a merciless soul search, yielded the information Wang Lin sought. Broken and shattered, the remnants of the spirit were cast into the Soul Banner, destined to become a single, tormented主魂.

The disciples of the Great Lo Sword Sect, dwelling within the Demon Spirit Land, possessed not only the inherited sword energy of the Ling Tianhou, but also the hidden protection of one known as…Greed Wolf. The name echoed strangely in Wang Lin’s mind. He could not recall ever hearing it before. Yet, the face of Greed Wolf, as gleaned from Hai Zhu’s memories, seemed vaguely familiar. “Though I am certain,” Wang Lin mused as he flew, his brow furrowed in contemplation, “I have never met him.”

Greed Wolf…according to Hai Zhu’s recollections, his cultivation had already surpassed the Transformation Spirit stage, reaching the realm of Yin Vacuity, “Only a single step behind Situ Nan’s Yang Solidification.” Wang Lin’s brow furrowed deeply, then suddenly, he halted in mid-air, frozen in place.

“Situ Nan!” Wang Lin inhaled sharply. With a flick of his wrist, he retrieved a jade slip from his storage pouch. As his divine sense swept across it, his expression darkened.

Had he not been reminded of Situ Nan, Wang Lin would have forgotten the jade slip he had received long ago. Within it were several portraits, etched by Situ Nan himself, depicting those who had once caused the collapse of his physical form.

When Situ Nan bestowed the jade slip upon Wang Lin, he had no expectation that he would ever encounter these individuals. He simply wished for him to remember them, to avoid any entanglement.

Wang Lin had never imagined that he would indeed cross paths with the figures in those portraits. Moreover, cultivators could easily alter their appearance, making the search based solely on a few images akin to seeking a single grain of sand on a vast beach.

“If this Greed Wolf is truly one of Situ Nan’s old enemies,” Wang Lin murmured, stroking his brow, “then he must know of the Celestial Defying Bead.” The Celestial Defying Bead was his deepest secret. For over seven centuries, its properties had remained enigmatic.

In the past, mere raindrops had been enough to bring the water attribute to completion. But as time passed, the task grew ever more arduous.

Now, only the metal attribute remained incomplete. Yet, Wang Lin sensed that the difficulty of this final stage was reaching an almost unbearable height.

If the Celestial Defying Bead could be completely separated from his soul, Wang Lin would not be so troubled. In the face of mortal danger, he could make a rational choice.

But now, the bead was inextricably linked to his soul, impossible to separate. The only way to extract it would be to draw out his soul and refine it, just as he had done with the sword energy of the Ling Tianhou.

Wang Lin frowned deeply.

“What is the true origin of this Celestial Defying Bead?” he wondered. “Why is the Alliance of Cultivation so interested in it? It has been with me for hundreds of years, yet its only apparent power is the ability to manipulate time within its confines. Even when hiding within it, it is useless against powerful cultivators, who can easily detect its presence.”

“By all accounts, the bead seems little more than a trinket. Even its time-altering ability is only truly effective against low-level cultivators. To those of higher standing, it is less appealing than a handful of immortal jades.”

Wang Lin sighed, gazing into the distance, his eyes like sharp blades. “Of the Great Lo Sword Sect disciples within the Heavenly Demon Prefecture, there were originally five, led by Chen Long. Since the death of Mo Yang, they have grown suspicious of me, however subtly. Given the Great Lo Sword Sect’s methods, they would likely have sent someone to investigate immediately. But they have taken no action.”

“According to Xuan Zhu’s memories, Greed Wolf was in the Fire Demon Prefecture, seemingly investigating a hidden secret. Now, ten years later, only Hai Zhu remained in the Heavenly Demon Prefecture. The others have gradually journeyed to the Fire Demon Prefecture to meet with Greed Wolf.”

“Zih Shu, too, must have been on his way to join them, only to perish because he harbored murderous intent towards me.”

“What exactly has Greed Wolf discovered?” Wang Lin’s eyes flashed.

“Alas, with Greed Wolf present, I have lost the opportunity to collect more of the Ling Tianhou’s sword energy. But this matter cannot be rushed.” A cold smile crept across Wang Lin’s lips. With a flick of his body, he teleported away.

“This current war is the perfect opportunity for me to gather the Qi of Slaughter. I cannot let it pass. But my own strength is limited. This…this is how I should proceed!” A chilling light gleamed in Wang Lin’s eyes, and his figure vanished.

Wang Lin did not participate in the great battle raging in the Fire Demon Prefecture. He teleported constantly, and after several days, returned to the Soul Refinement Tribe in the Heavenly Demon Prefecture. After more than a decade of growth, the Soul Refinement Tribe had established a considerable presence, becoming one of the four largest tribes in the wildlands of the Heavenly Demon Prefecture.

Wang Lin’s return sent the entire tribe into a frenzy. Many tribesmen had never seen Wang Lin, but through tales passed down from generation to generation, they viewed him as a being akin to the ancient demons, offering him their unwavering devotion.

The valley where he resided was their sacred ground!

Upon his return, Wang Lin immediately summoned Shi San and Ouyang Hua. From among the tribesmen, he selected ten thousand individuals. To each one, he gifted a strand of the Qi of Slaughter. This Qi, residing within their bodies, would transform the life force of those they killed into sustenance, drawing it back into the Qi of Slaughter within them.

The more these ten thousand individuals slaughtered, the stronger their Qi of Slaughter would become. In moments of great peril, it could even transform into the Brand of Life, protecting their lives.

Afterward, these ten thousand individuals were dispatched, sent forth into the battlefields of the Fire Demon Prefecture. Wang Lin did not order them to join the ranks of the Heavenly Demon Army. Instead, they were to disperse, to develop on their own. Wang Lin had only one requirement for these individuals: to constantly nurture the Qi of Slaughter within them through unrelenting bloodshed!
Ten thousand souls, a paltry number against the tide of tens of millions of demonic soldiers surging in this war. Wang Lin knew this truth well. Without hesitation, he commanded Ouyang Hua and Thirteen, each bearing enchanted artifacts, to grant them three months. Within that span, they were to lead the remaining tribesmen and devour the three neighboring clans within the Heavenly Demon Prefecture!

As for Wang Lin himself, he retreated into a secluded valley, where he sat in meditative stillness, ceaselessly deepening the mark of his spirit upon the Scattered Demon. The remaining hours he devoted to mending his Forbidden Banner.

Three moons swiftly passed. Empowered by Wang Lin’s enchanted gifts, Thirteen and Ouyang Hua consumed the three tribes, one by one. A multitude of outsiders, forced to drink the demonic tide, swelled the ranks of the Soul Refining Tribe.

For these new tribesmen, unversed in the arts of Qi cultivation, Wang Lin unfurled the Banner of Venerated Souls. With a flourish, countless spirits surged forth, guided by his will, and entered the bodies of the new recruits. He did not harm their souls, but chose instead to bind them in coexistence.

Then, Wang Lin unleashed the aura of slaughter that resided within him, merging it with the essence of each tribesman. Thus, the second wave, an army thirty thousand strong, was dispatched to the Fiery Demon Prefecture!

Many remained within the Soul Refining Tribe. Wang Lin, wielding the great art of Spatial Translocation, moved the entire clan from the desolate wastes. His destination: the ancient battlefield where the Scattered Demon had once dwelled.

At the site of the fallen Demon Tower, Wang Lin used his arcane powers to conjure a towering edifice. Within its walls, he took his place in perpetual meditation. There, his people would begin to flourish anew.

Simple dwellings blossomed across the land, and soon, a new tribe stood tall.

Another ten years drifted by like fallen leaves.

During this decade, Wang Lin never once emerged from the tower.

Three vast armies from the Heavenly Demon Prefecture spilled into the borders of the Fiery Demon Prefecture, met by a furious defense. Across a thousand battlefields, a maelstrom of death raged.

These ten years were but the prelude to a war that had only just begun.

Throughout this decade, waves of tribesmen, imbued with Wang Lin’s aura of slaughter, had joined the fray. At the same time, the reach of the Soul Refining Tribe continued to expand, their eyes set upon the barbaric tribes within the Fiery Demon Prefecture.

But Wang Lin seemed to have forgotten the war unfolding. Within the tower, he spent his days in ceaseless meditation, etching the mark of the Scattered Demon deeper into his spirit. He was preparing, preparing for the approaching centenary, to strengthen his own power! Only then could he fulfill his pact with the Ancient Demon.

These ten years of relentless meditation had further solidified Wang Lin’s nascent peak cultivation.

He could feel it, the aura of slaughter that emanated from him, though some dispersed, grew stronger each day. Those tribesmen who carried it within them found their safety and strength increasing with each kill!

Now, the accumulated aura of slaughter had reached a hundred thousand, infused within the bodies of a hundred thousand tribesmen, growing ever stronger.

“To feed slaughter with slaughter! After this war, I shall see just how many times a single strand of slaughter can be divided!” Within the tower, Wang Lin’s eyes snapped open, his gaze like lightning, his power a surge, radiating outward.

Beyond the tower lay a barren circle, ten miles in diameter. Beyond that, an endless expanse of dwellings, stretching hundreds of miles in every direction!

This was the new Soul Refining Tribe!

Each month, tribesmen returned, bringing hordes of captives from the Fiery Demon Prefecture. Each month, the Soul Refining Tribe grew larger.

Wang Lin withdrew his gaze, reaching into his storage pouch. The orb of confinement, sealing Yao Xixue, emerged. He crushed it in his hand, and Yao Xixue appeared within the tower.

Wang Lin spoke coldly, “Have you considered my offer?”

Yao Xixue was no longer naked, but clothed in robes of azure blue. She glared at Wang Lin, her teeth clenched, and spat, “What thoughts plague your mind? For ten years, I have told you everything you asked. What more do you want?”