The Great-Headed Child’s eyes blazed with a feral light, the desperate madness of a cornered beast.

His life, a tapestry woven with threads of sorrow, began with a cruel twist of fate. Born with an oversized head and a diminutive body, he was a constant source of ridicule amongst his kin during his formative years.

Yet, this physical aberration was but a prelude to a deeper affliction. He was simple-minded, his face perpetually adorned with a vacant, idiotic grin.

His own mother regarded him with disdain, offering neither comfort nor care. Thus, his childhood was spent in a torrent of scorn and abuse, though he, in his ignorance, understood little of it, meeting all with that same vacant smile.

His innate talents were insufficient to tread the path of cultivation, and at the tender age of fifteen, he was cast out by his family, his name stricken from their hallowed lineage.

But destiny, it seemed, had a cruel jest to play. Five centuries hence, he reappeared within the family’s halls, his appearance little changed, the foolish smile still etched upon his face. Yet, his cultivation had soared to the realm of Ascension!

This revelation sparked a frenzy of concern amongst the family elders, who swiftly welcomed him back into the fold, an honored member amongst their elite. Centuries ebbed away, and the Great-Headed Child’s power grew exponentially, reaching the very zenith of the Yang Soul stage!

The echoes of his tormented youth had twisted his spirit, and within that millennium, many within the family met brutal ends, men and women alike suffering grisly deaths.

He acted with meticulous care, ensuring that no trace of his involvement remained. But thirty years past, one particularly savage act of cruelty proved too much for the family to bear. A venerated ancestor, a master of the Insight stage, descended from his seclusion, vowing to end the Great-Headed Child’s reign of terror.

All within the clan believed victory certain, yet the Great-Headed Child unleashed a power that stunned them all – he too had attained the Insight stage decades prior, concealing his true strength until this fateful moment! He clashed with the ancestor, a battle that shook the very foundations of the clan.

The ancestor fell, and the Great-Headed Child retreated, wounded and vanished. He remained unheard of until the War of Immortals, where his sudden emergence sent shockwaves through his family ranks!

Recalling his tumultuous life, the Great-Headed Child’s gaze intensified with malice. With a furious roar, sinews erupted from his monstrous cranium, each thick vein pulsing with raw, untamed power, as if seeking to tear the very heavens asunder. They hurtled towards Wang Lin.

A miasma of celestial energy intertwined with a sinister demonic aura billowed forth. As they plunged towards Wang Lin, a deafening boom resounded. The mass of intertwined sinews at the forefront exploded, splintering into countless strands that formed a constricting net.

Wang Lin, his gaze unwavering, sneered and unleashed a treasure – the Seal of Immortality. The seal erupted with blinding golden light, instantly conjuring hundreds of thousands of golden glyphs that swirled into a vortex, sweeping forward with irresistible force.

The sinews snaked and coiled around the Seal of Immortality, but the torrent of golden glyphs plunged through, each one embedding itself onto the writhing flesh, forming a potent seal.

Several of these glyphs, fused with the essence of cultivators’ souls, possessed an even greater potency. Each strike reverberated with thunderous force, their sealing power magnified a hundredfold compared to ordinary seals!

Almost instantaneously, a golden radiance enveloped the Great-Headed Child as the tempestuous storm of glyphs surged forth, binding him completely.

With a primal scream, the Great-Headed Child’s eyes glowed crimson as he strained against his bonds. Countless runes shattered with echoing cracks, and in that fleeting moment, Wang Lin moved!

Wang Lin’s right foot stepped forward, rippling waves of energy following in its wake. With the second stride, space seemed to compress beneath his foot, as if any place in creation could be reached with a single step.

Space Distortion!

In the next instant, Wang Lin stood before the Great-Headed Child, his right hand transformed into a sword of focused intent. His Dao resonated with unparalleled strength, forming the Yin-Yang Pisces.

With a thrust, black and white energy swirled around his fingers as he pierced through the layers of golden glyphs. The seals parted before Wang Lin’s approaching hand, allowing him to plunge his fingers into the Great-Headed Child’s brow!

Terror flooded the Great-Headed Child’s eyes as he instinctively recoiled, but his movements were glacial in comparison to Wang Lin’s speed. He felt a searing heat in his forehead, followed by a devastating tremor that spread throughout his body.

Black and white energies enshrouded him, causing his enormous head to rapidly shrink as if collapsing in on itself, the sinews retracting into the skull.

He coughed forth a torrent of blood, but it was no blind expulsion. Each droplet hurtled toward Wang Lin!

Each crimson bead contained concentrated celestial energy, and if even a drop touched Wang Lin, his mortal vessel would collapse into dust. The Great-Headed Child’s cultivation was formidable, a testament to his second-step Insight stage.

Wang Lin remained unperturbed, not even flinching as the bloody rain approached. With a voice like cracking ice, he uttered a single word: “Freeze!”

Employing the Immortal Art of Stasis, his mastery of the Insight stage far exceeded his previous limits. Furthermore, the Immortal Origin within him, formed from Clear Water’s seed, spiraled into a frenzied vortex, allowing a wisp of raw Immortal power to seep into creation!

This instantly elevated the Stasis Art to a level that Wang Lin had never attained before.

A single word to freeze the world. The crimson rain hovering before Wang Lin was suspended mid-air, frozen in the void. The Great-Headed Child, eyes wide with terror, was also frozen, utterly still!

Wang Lin’s countenance remained serene as he sidestepped the suspended blood. Once more, his right hand, a lightning bolt, descended upon the Great-Headed Child’s brow.

The Great-Headed Child’s body convulsed, sent spiraling backward in a spray of blood. Yet, the Stasis Art lingered, and in a blink, Wang Lin pursued once more.

But in that moment, a flicker of alarm crossed his face. Streaking across the sky, swords of light roared downwards. The hundreds of Luo Tian cultivators, sensing the danger, had breached the atmospheric veil, descending like wrathful angels onto Suzaku Star! Their cultivation levels were significant, their intent to annihilate any threat to their dominion.
The arrival of these beings radiated a pressure of unimaginable weight, leaving the cultivators of Vermilion Bird stunned, for they had never witnessed such a gathering of power.

As the Celestials descended, their eyes immediately found Wang Lin and the Big-Headed Child. Upon recognizing Wang Lin, their expressions shifted, paling with apprehension.

Wang Lin did not falter in his pursuit. As he advanced, he reached into his storage pouch, producing the celestial banner, a token of his Lei Xian status, bestowed upon him by Yan Lei Zi. The banner unfurled, and with a roar that shook the heavens, a spectral tiger of swirling violet energy materialized, lunging towards the assembled Celestials.

“This Immortal engages in a duel! You will stand guard and allow none to interfere. Disobey, and face oblivion!” Wang Lin commanded without turning. He pressed his fingers upon the brow of the Big-Headed Child once more, and with a resounding thud, the Child plummeted from the sky, crashing into the earth below.

The ground splintered and cracked, forming a deep crater that reverberated through the surrounding lands.

Seeing their retreat, the Vermilion Bird cultivators realized that Wang Lin’s status among the Celestials was indeed high!

Wang Lin landed gracefully, gazing down at the Big-Headed Child writhing within the crater. The Stasis Art had faded, leaving the Child pale, bloodied, and filled with terror as he stared up at Wang Lin.

With a chilling gaze, Wang Lin raised his hand. A surge of emerald light emanated forth as dark clouds gathered in the sky above. Lightning crackled and danced, as if guided by an unseen force, converging towards Wang Lin’s open palm.

In an instant, a swirling orb of raw lightning crackled to life, a miniature tempest contained within his hand. Arcs of pure energy lashed out, painting the air with vibrant light, and giving the illusion that Wang Lin held the very thunder of the heavens in his grasp.

The Big-Headed Child trembled at the sight. The horrors of the battle at First Line Sky flooded back, paralyzing him with dread. He was truly afraid, utterly and completely.

“Brother Xu, my path to cultivation has not been easy! Let us talk, I beg you! Spare me, and I will agree to any demand!” the Big-Headed Child pleaded, his pupils constricted with fear. He was not a fool; during their entire confrontation, Wang Lin had refrained from unleashing his full power. It was clear that Wang Lin’s desire to end his life was not absolute. Perhaps, if he yielded, he might yet escape this predicament.

“I require a servant,” Wang Lin stated, his voice devoid of emotion.

The Big-Headed Child hesitated. “I have entered the Ascension Pool and purged my Dao Essence. I cannot offer my will.”

“That is of no consequence. I possess an art. If you submit willingly, it will cause you no harm. But if you harbor resistance in your heart, the art will shatter, and you will meet your end instantly!” Wang Lin declared, raising his hand once more. An arcane sigil formed within his palm. Immortal Essence flowed from his celestial bean, coursing through Wang Lin’s arm and imbuing the symbol.

A golden light flared, revealing a glyph of blackened gold emanating from Wang Lin’s hand.

Within the jade scroll given to him by Immortal Emperor Qing Lin, there were records of celestial guardian creation, as well as powerful binding and control techniques. However, Wang Lin’s previous attempts to utilize these arts had fallen short of the scroll’s descriptions.

Even Li Yuan’s slave seal was mentioned within Immortal Emperor Qing Lin’s notes, though Wang Lin had never fully understood it. Only after learning about Celestial Essence did everything become clear.

Such binding techniques required a true Immortal to perform. Without celestial energy, one could not unlock their true potential. Now, drawing upon his own Celestial Essence, Wang Lin forged the seal. The glyph shimmered with power before hurtling towards the Big-Headed Child’s brow.

In that instant, Wang Lin felt a connection, a sense that with a single thought, he could extinguish the Big-Headed Child’s life!

He paused, understanding the difference between these binding arts and the creation of celestial guardians.