Wang Lin had long sought a method to replenish the celestial essence within his Immortal Bean. Each use depleted this essence, and with time, exhaustion would spell the very collapse of the Bean itself.

Furthermore, this celestial essence held the key to unlocking the arcane arts of Rain Summoning and Bean Soldiers. While Rain Summoning posed a lesser challenge, the creation of Bean Soldiers remained utterly beyond his grasp without sufficient celestial power for practice and study.

This was the crux of Wang Lin’s hesitation in delving into these two celestial techniques.

Now, a glint sparked in his eyes. With a swift motion, black winds swirled around him as he uttered a command, “Ta Shan, Cloud Sparrow, hold the center! I shall deal with these foul creatures without!”

Wang Lin strode forth, dissolving into the very fabric of nothingness. When he rematerialized, he stood beside another withered corpse. His right hand formed a blade with two fingers, and lightning crackled in his gaze as he thrust it forth. The cadaver whirled, spewing forth a cloud of deathly vapor accompanied by a rune of dark power, aimed squarely at Wang Lin.

A slight frown furrowed Wang Lin’s brow. He retreated, merging back into the void to evade the assault. Reappearing behind another corpse, he once more stabbed forth with his fingers.

The instant the cadaver turned, the strike landed, erupting in a thunderous boom. The corpse shattered, releasing a torrent of celestial energy that surged towards Wang Lin, merging into his being.

One fallen, yet scores of withered corpses now charged, their gnarled limbs and vacant eyes fixed on Wang Lin.

An odd light gleamed in Wang Lin’s eyes as he surveyed the approaching horde. He could sense a rich aura of celestial energy emanating from them, but even though they had been powerful in life, their present state left them as slow, witless husks, devoid of all but the most basic instincts. In his current state, a nascent Ascendant cultivator, killing them would not be difficult.

However, Wang Lin considered something more. He sought more than merely slaying the withered husks to claim their scattered celestial essence; a far bolder notion brewed in his mind.

His heart hammered in his chest as he retreated, dodging the clumsy attacks of the corpses. His thoughts raced, weighing the mad plan once more.

Moments later, resolve hardened his gaze, and a strange light flickered in his eyes. He had received the inheritance of Clear Water, a master of Rain Summoning and Bean Soldiers. Yet, deep down, it was the latter that truly captivated him. Although he hadn’t intensely studied it, he had gleaned certain truths from the ancient texts.

The essence of Bean Soldiers lay in capturing the souls of those one slew, trapping them from the cycle of reincarnation, and bending them to one’s will.

Yet, mastery of this arcane art was no simple feat, particularly in its nascent stages. One was required to summon forth all those they had slain in their lives, one by one, into a phantasmal cycle of rebirth fuelled by celestial energy.

Only then could they be truly bound.

More importantly, it required the possession of one’s own Celestial Art.

This so-called Celestial Art was something created by the Immortal Emperor Bai Fan. The version that he manifested became a space like a world, and he called it the Profound Empty Military World. In this space, the remnants of souls could be contained, refined like in a furnace, and would then serve as the foundation for the creation of Bean Soldiers.

However, this space was something of Bai Fan’s own making, so it was difficult for outsiders to learn it. Clear Water would have had the talent to learn it if he tried, but he didn’t. Instead, he embarked on a different path and created the Killing Realm.

He didn’t need a place to contain souls; he only needed endless slaughter to become a domain. Anyone he killed could never escape his control!

Clear Water was arrogant, so the art that he created was called Celestial Art—Drawing the Land as a Prison!

The Inheritance for Bean Soldiers was given to Wang Lin. Whether it was the Profound Empty Military World or Drawing the Land as a Prison, neither of them were his path. Wang Lin always intended to use his cycle of life and death, Yellow Springs Dao, to create his own reincarnation!

Now, these withered corpses stirred something within him. They were not entirely devoid of spirit; their souls were bound within their Nascent Souls, trapped and fused with their decaying flesh over countless years.

If he could bring them all within his own cycle of reincarnation, he would immediately possess a vast army of souls ready to be shaped into Bean Soldiers.

A fierce light ignited in Wang Lin’s eyes. Emerging from the void, he raised his right hand to the heavens and roared, “Reincarnation of the Yellow Springs!”

In an instant, a strange power surged forth, plunging into the heart of the chamber. Above Wang Lin, a phantasmal Yellow Springs River manifested, its depths swirling with boundless, vengeful energy.

The river of souls danced around him, its energy thrumming with his movements. He strode forward, arms outstretched, lightning flickering in his gaze. A vortex spiraled above his brow as the Nascent Soul of the Primordial Thunder Dragon burst forth, letting loose a deafening roar!

**HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL!**

He used the authority of thunder in the heavens!

The roar shook the very foundations of the world. Though deep within the seventeenth layer of the Immortal Legacy Clan’s underground domain, the sound reverberated across the entire planet of Vermillion Bird, causing an unimaginable upheaval.

Massive thunderclouds suddenly blanketed the skies, and a deluge of lightning bolts descended, aimed directly at the Immortal Legacy Clan’s chasm!

The sheer volume of lightning converged, bathing the entire chasm in blinding light. The crater became a funnel, swallowing the unrestrained celestial storm.

Beyond Vermillion Bird, even the void between stars convulsed. Thunder materialized from nothing, forming serpentine dragons of lightning, all converging on Vermillion Bird.

Across tens of thousands of miles of space, the very heavens became a sea of lightning, all directed at Vermillion Bird. From afar, it would seem as though the planet had become a focal point of an apocalyptic storm!

The endless torrent of lightning unleashed a cacophony of thunder that echoed across the cosmos. United, they plunged into the Immortal Legacy Clan’s chasm.

It was like a pilgrimage, as if the progenitor of all thunder in the heavens had summoned its descendants. The thunder in all directions hesitated not in answering the call!

On Vermillion Bird, all other sounds faded, replaced by the resounding thunder. In the heavens and earth, there was only thunder!
Upon the crimson surface of Suzaku, a scene of utter devastation unfolded, mirroring the end of days. The sight struck terror into the hearts of all cultivators dwelling there, a primal fear that resonated deep within their souls, leaving them trembling like ants before the wrath of the heavens. Mortals, overcome with dread, fell to their knees in supplication.

This cataclysm was not confined to Suzaku. Far beyond, in the star-strewn void, a squad of Luo Tian cultivators, outnumbered a hundredfold by their foes, hurtled through the darkness. Leading them was the Six-Fingered Ascetic. Yet, as he journeyed, his countenance shifted, his eyes locking onto a point ahead. With his refined senses, he perceived an impossible concentration of celestial lightning gathering in the distance.

A chill ran down his spine, and the memory flashed before him: Xu Mu, in the narrow chasm of the One Line Sky, unleashing a torrent of thunder that obliterated the Grand Head Child.

“Could it be that Xu Mu lies ahead?” he muttered, a wry smile twisting his lips. “No matter, I shall simply alter course. Best not to cross paths with such a being.” And with that, he redirected his squadron, choosing a safer, circuitous route.

The surging thunder, channeled through a gaping abyss, echoed throughout the heavens. Descending through each successive layer, it crashed down with devastating force, finally reaching the seventeenth level of the Immortal Relic Clan, where Wang Lin was ensconced.

In an instant, the seventeenth level was consumed by a tempest of lightning. The concentration of celestial energy was beyond comprehension, a roaring maelstrom that shook the very foundations of the ancient place.

The desiccated corpses that haunted the level were engulfed in bolts of raw power. Each strike unleashed a concussive wave that amplified the tremors. With a shattering explosion, one of the corpses disintegrated. Immortal essence escaped its husk, rushing towards Wang Lin. As it crumbled, the Yellow Springs River swept forth, as if plucking the soul from within and drawing it into its murky depths.

This scene was repeated again and again throughout the level. Finally, as the lightning reached a density that defied reason, the bolts simultaneously imploded, erupting in a cataclysmic detonation!

The explosion birthed a raging storm of thunder, a tempestuous surge that annihilated every remaining corpse. Immense reserves of immortal essence were released, merging with Wang Lin, causing the celestial beans within his dantian to swell at an alarming rate. In mere moments, they multiplied, each growing to the size of an infant’s fist.

Meanwhile, as the Yellow Springs River expanded, countless souls were drawn into its embrace. The river throbbed with resentment, amplified by the addition of hundreds of souls of fallen immortals, some writhing in anguish, others finding solace in oblivion. A macabre spectacle that would surely shatter the sanity of any mortal witness!

As the lightning collapsed, it focused its power into a single, irresistible point, creating an unimaginable force that caused the entire seventeenth level to convulse violently!

With a deafening roar, the seventeenth level shattered! Beams of light erupted from the depths, and the passage leading to the eighteenth level was violently ripped open!

Yun Quezi stood in stunned silence, his mind reeling. Though he held Wang Lin in high regard, he realized he had underestimated the man’s power. The ability to shatter the barrier to the eighteenth level sent tremors through his soul. He could only stare in awe and disbelief.

The Grand Head Child trembled, his mind haunted by the memory of the One Line Sky. The sight of the power that had once claimed his life reignited his terror, filling him with renewed dread for Wang Lin.

Ta Shan remained impassive, yet Lei Ji gasped, his heart pounded at the sight of such raw power. The prospect of serving as the mount of such a formidable being filled him not with resentment, but with a sense of honor. In the cultivation world, strength was the only measure of respect.

As the passage to the eighteenth level was blasted open, the elder daoist, resembling a wizened dragon, vanished from Suzaku in a flash of movement.

“The eighteenth level… must not be entered!”