Never before had Wang Lin yearned for the descent of a celestial tribulation as he did in this moment. His eyes blazed with anticipation, fixed upon the swirling clouds that birthed the seven-hued lightning.

In all his days, he had never witnessed lightning manifest in such a chromatic splendor.

The iridescent clouds coalesced with unnatural speed, imbued with an overwhelming aura of celestial creation. Beneath their oppressive weight, the fragment of land upon which Wang Lin stood groaned and shuddered.

Once more, the edges of the broken continent crumbled and gave way, its size diminishing rapidly. Yet, with each reduction, the land grew increasingly resilient.

Wang Lin’s eyes gleamed with potent energy. A mere flex of his will sent a torrent of Yuan energy coursing through him like molten gold.

“Thump-thump,” pounded not only his heart, but also his very soul, each pulse sending tremors through his being, accelerating the flow of energy within.

A surge of power unlike any he had known surged within Wang Lin. It was a dominion he had never before grasped so completely. He raised his right hand, clenching it into a fist.

In that instant, he finally understood the sensation of wielding the very forces of creation, the ability to gaze upon the heavens and regard all living things with detached serenity!

He could feel it, clear and undeniable: his cultivation had shattered the limitations of the first step of cultivation, transcending the pinnacle of Ascendant and reaching the realm of Yin Void!

“Tribulation, unleash your fury!” Wang Lin roared, a touch of wildness coloring his features as he challenged the sky.

As if in answer, the seven-hued lightning converged into a single, blinding point. With an otherworldly shriek that seemed to pluck at the very strings of the soul, it descended.

The sound was akin to a demon’s lullaby, conjuring phantoms of familiar faces around Wang Lin. Yet, his gaze remained unwavering, his mind clear.

With a deafening crash, the multicolored lightning struck, carrying the weight of a collapsing world. It plunged from the heavens like a celestial arrow, aimed directly at Wang Lin.

The instant the lightning touched him, Wang Lin was hurled back to earth with earth-shattering force. He crashed into the ground, leaving a crater in his wake. Deep within him, the remnants of the Blood Soul and the enigmatic old man’s essence collided violently, clashing against the relentless onslaught of the tribulation’s power.

“Again!” Wang Lin roared, leaping back to his feet. Electricity crackled across his skin, and his hair danced in a nonexistent wind.

At that moment, he appeared as both a celestial being and a demonic fiend!

Heavenly wrath brooks no defiance. In that instant, the clouds surrounding the fragment of land churned and roiled in a frenzy, unleashing a torrential downpour of seven-hued lightning. Bolts rained down upon Wang Lin, engulfing him and the very ground he stood upon.

The thunderous roars were the only sound left in existence. Wang Lin found himself immersed in a hell of pure lightning, surrounded on all sides by the chromatic fury.

The fragment of land groaned once more, collapsing until only a thousand feet remained. Wang Lin stood upon it, feeling as though he were trapped within a celestial forge, constantly hammered by relentless strikes of lightning.

Cracks spread across his skin, spider-webbing in every direction. Within him, the remains of the Blood Soul shattered entirely, dissolving into countless fragments of energy that merged with Wang Lin’s own spirit.

Once again, the sensation of overwhelming power surged through him. He could feel his cultivation ascending to heights previously unimaginable!

From the established level of Yin Void, he instantly reached the peak of Yin Completion, and it continued to climb!

He was inexorably approaching the realm of Yang Solid!

“Still lacking!” Wang Lin’s eyes flashed. The Blood Ancestor’s fragment of soul had been completely consumed, but a substantial portion of the old man’s lingering breath still clung to him. Wang Lin felt a certainty that its continued presence would eventually taint his being.

His resolve hardened. His path to immortality had always been paved with peril. Fortune favored the bold, and only one path lay before him!

Wang Lin shot skyward, a defiant spear aimed at the heart of the thunderous clouds.

For the first time, Wang Lin took the offensive. He would not passively endure the lightning’s wrath, but actively challenge it!

He pierced the lightning veil, spreading his arms wide and inhaling with all his might. The clouds reverberated with a sound that bordered on a living roar. In an instant, the storm clouds coiled tighter, and countless bolts of lightning assailed him.

Wang Lin laughed, a wild, unhinged sound. He unleashed his spirit, using it as a shield to absorb the lightning, and as the power surged through him, the old man’s presence within began to dissipate, transforming into pure, untainted celestial energy.

This was an opportunity, a chance beyond any Wang Lin had encountered since glimpsing the path to the Third Step!

His cultivation rose with each swallowed cloud, ascending without end. Wang Lin forgot everything – his cultivation, the lingering presence of the ancient being – as he opened his maw and devoured great swaths of the storm.

The clouds shrank, becoming less dense, almost transparent. Even the Blood Ancestor, watching from afar, could clearly see Wang Lin within.

The Blood Ancestor gasped, staring in disbelief as Wang Lin consumed the very storm that threatened to destroy him. “A madman… Wang Lin is a madman! No one defies the heavens during a tribulation! I can’t let him continue!” The Blood Ancestor snarled and shot forward.

His own cultivation, weakened by his ordeal, had barely reached the peak of Yang Solid, still shy of Nirvana Scryer. But he was confident he could crush Wang Lin!

Shifting into a crimson blur, he hurtled toward Wang Lin within the storm. As he drew near, Wang Lin’s eyes snapped open, a primal sense of danger washing over him. Through the thinning clouds, he saw the approaching crimson shadow.

“Blood Ancestor!” Wang Lin grinned, a cold, predatory expression. He retreated into the depths of the cloud, vanishing from sight.
Beyond the swirling veil of thunderclouds, the Blood Ancestor’s face was a storm of its own, shifting from crimson rage to pallid fear. With a grit of his teeth, he plunged headlong into the tempestuous heart of the storm. As he breached the cloud’s edge, the full fury of the Heavenly Tribulation crashed upon him. Unlike Wang Lin, he possessed no innate affinity for lightning, no Thunder Origin Soul to shield him. His power, moreover, was but a shadow of its former glory. A sliver of dread, unwelcome and sharp, pierced his heart.

Yet, even fear could not extinguish his burning desire to destroy Wang Lin. With a snarl of contempt, he surged forward, his crimson eyes soon piercing the swirling chaos to find his quarry. Wang Lin stood amidst the maelstrom, a figure consumed by bolts of celestial energy.

Perhaps it was a trick of the tumultuous light, but as the Blood Ancestor gazed upon Wang Lin, he saw not a man, but a magnificent dragon woven from pure lightning!

Wang Lin, sensing the encroaching evil, fixed his gaze upon the Blood Ancestor. With blinding speed, he raised his hand and slashed downwards, unleashing the Roar of the Forsaken! The Blood Ancestor, with a practiced gesture, conjured a shadowy blood avatar before him. But as it lunged forward, the avatar struck the Roar of the Forsaken and dissolved into nothingness.

A furrow deepened on the Blood Ancestor’s brow. He cursed inwardly. Had his power not been diminished, the blood avatar would have held!

As he prepared to unleash another devastating spell, Wang Lin vanished within the swirling clouds, his form obscured by the storm. He channeled every ounce of his remaining strength into the Roar of the Forsaken, unleashing it again and again. With reckless abandon, Wang Lin unleashed the attack. These strikes were like blades that cut through the very rules of existence.

With a scornful huff, the Blood Ancestor channeled the dark power within himself. Instantly, crimson light exploded from his form, resolving into ancient runes. The symbols shimmered for a moment before imploding in a cataclysmic burst, pushing the surrounding clouds back for a full ten feet.

Wang Lin, eyes like chips of ice, retreated further into the tempest, greedily devouring the turbulent energy around him. Each bolt of lightning he absorbed diminished the residual power of the ancient soul within him.

The Blood Ancestor, unwavering, locked onto Wang Lin’s vital essence and lunged forward, each hand forming into a crimson orb of pure destructive power. He had to end this quickly! The longer he remained within the heart of the Tribulation, the stronger his sense of impending doom grew. He felt that he had to act before any twist occurs!

Outside the clouds, the battle would have been simple, but the heart of the Heavenly Tribulation made his task near impossible! Wang Lin’s Thunder Origin Soul thrived amidst the storm’s fury. It was a sanctuary where he was at home. Furthermore, the lingering power of the elder soul within him dampened the storm’s destructive energies. Finally, Wang Lin was filled with boundless Yuan power.

The combination of all these factors meant that he could move as freely as he wished!

Evading the Blood Ancestor’s onslaught, Wang Lin weaved through the storm, absorbing lightning and consuming the clouds. With each passing moment, the clouds grew thinner, weaker.

Suddenly, a tremor shook Wang Lin’s very being. The ancient soul within him, after so long with him, winked out of existence, and Wang Lin realized that there was no force to resist. All he was left with was endless Yuan power!

His cultivation soared. It shattered through the barrier, and he advanced to the Yang Spirit realm!

But this was only a beginning. As the last vestiges of the elder’s power drained away, as every trace of immortal energy vanished from his flesh, his cultivation continued to climb. He secured his new position within the Yang Spirit Realm!

The transformation in Wang Lin was not lost on the Blood Ancestor. His face turned ashen. A cold dread, not unlike that which he felt when he first arrived, gripped him.

“I cannot allow this to continue! If he continues to improve, he may even reach the peak of Nirvana Scrying!” The Blood Ancestor’s eyes were bloodshot with panic. He had, just moments before, hardened his soul into a mortal form.

A surge of power, greater than anything he had ever known, coursed through Wang Lin. His eyes blazed with a light that seemed to command the heavens. Inhaling deeply, at the moment the Blood Ancestor bore down upon him, Wang Lin reached up and tapped his brow. In that instant, his nascent soul erupted from his forehead, severing the connection to his physical form!

His mortal shell fell from the clouds, but a strand of his essence guided it down, where it landed and sat in meditation.

The nascent soul took form into an ancient Thunder Dragon! It roared through the clouds, its form wreathed in lightning and fire.

“Blood Ancestor, you have come to my door. I must thank you, for I, Wang Lin, will send you on your way!”