Chapter 2004: Flickering Lights, Treading the Heavenly Path, Empty Destruction Dao!

Inside Luohou Prefecture, the moment Wang Lin devoured and absorbed the Soul of the Luohou Great Fiend to fuse with his Slaughter Soul, Jidu, who was inside the great hall, trembled and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

The instant the fresh blood sprayed out, an invisible Seal within his body suddenly collapsed and was opened.

Strange light flowed from the eyes of Prince Jidu; he could feel a power awakening within his body, a power that filled his entire being and caused him to close his eyes.

Outside the great hall, between heaven and earth, the black-haired Wang Lin's Slaughter True Body slowly withdrew his gaze from the Original Mountain of the Initial Ancient Imperial City. His eyes were utterly cold and emotionless.

Beside him was Wang Lin's Five Elements True Body, rotating with five-colored light.

Although the two True Bodies looked identical, the feeling they gave off was vastly different.

The Five Elements True Body represented Wang Lin's lifelong cultivation, giving people a gentle feeling yet possessing the pressure of a powerful expert.

The Slaughter True Body represented the bloodshed of Wang Lin's life, exuding coldness and ruthlessness that chilled the hearts of those who saw it, making them afraid to approach.

"True Bodies, return!" After a long while, a calm voice emerged from the secret chamber of the great hall, echoing between heaven and earth. The Five Elements True Body suddenly lowered its head, looked toward the secret chamber of the temporary palace, and with a flash, transformed into a five-colored long rainbow, shooting straight toward the ground and vanishing instantly.

As for the Slaughter True Body, it showed no hesitation or delay either. Its black hair fluttered, its black robes whipped in the wind, and it slowly walked toward the ground, transforming into threads of black mist that gradually dissipated.

Inside the secret chamber of the temporary palace, Wang Lin sat cross-legged. In front of him, the Five Elements True Body and the Slaughter True Body stood calmly. He looked at the two True Bodies, his eyes revealing solemnity.

"A hundred years of cultivation finally condensed this Slaughter True Body… Now, I must see if, after Fusion and returning to my main body, my cultivation can ascend another step from the previous Empty Tribulation Realm Great Perfection!

If my cultivation can increase again, perhaps I can completely dispel the power of the curse technique within the Immortal Emperor's Lian Dao True Soul and fully control this Soul!" Wang Lin took a deep breath, withdrawing his gaze from the two True Bodies. He looked toward the Immortal Emperor Soul suspended in the air of the secret chamber, which had been refined by his Soul Fire for a hundred years. Amidst its golden flashes, the sense of decay within it was no longer spreading; instead, it had been condensed into a mass the size of a baby's fist, stuck inside the Immortal Emperor Soul, unable to be completely expelled.

"My cultivation path is completely different from others. After Empty Tribulation Realm Great Perfection, there are the titles of Heavenly Venerate and Leaping Heavenly Venerate added by later generations, but in reality, whether it is Heavenly Venerate or Leaping Heavenly Venerate, they all fall within the scope of Empty Tribulation Realm Great Perfection.

And every time my cultivation improves, it is categorized according to the Realm…" Wang Lin suddenly felt anticipation. He wanted to know what level he would truly reach if his cultivation improved beyond the Empty Tribulation Realm Great Perfection.

"Is it the Great Heavenly Venerate… or perhaps…" Wang Lin's eyes showed fanaticism as he murmured.

"Or perhaps… the Fourth Step!! But does the Fourth Step truly exist in this world? Could the Immortal Ancestor, Ancient Ancestor, and others be the Fourth Step…" Wang Lin's eyes flickered, suppressing the anticipation in his heart. He raised his right hand and pointed at the Five Elements True Body. Instantly, the True Body stepped forward, overlapping with Wang Lin's body in a flash. As it sat down cross-legged, it completely merged with him, becoming one inseparable entity.

The moment the Five Elements True Body fused, Wang Lin's white hair moved without wind, and his internal cultivation roared into operation. In an instant, he reached Empty Tribulation Realm Great Perfection. Furthermore, due to a century of secluded cultivation, his spirit was full, and his internal cultivation was vigorous and boundless, placing his body at its Peak.

Gazing at the black-haired Slaughter True Body, Wang Lin gritted his teeth, his eyes showing determination. He raised his right hand and pointed at the Slaughter True Body. The Slaughter True Body suddenly looked up, staring at Wang Lin with its emotionless gaze, and began walking toward him step by step.

In a blink, the Slaughter True Body approached Wang Lin. Its steps did not pause. After gradually overlapping with Wang Lin's cross-legged figure, it turned and sat cross-legged, completely overlapping with Wang Lin's body, slowly beginning the Fusion process.

As the Fusion process continued, confusion gradually appeared in Wang Lin's eyes. Simultaneously, his internal cultivation surged explosively. This increase, occurring at an indescribable speed, stirred up changes in the world, causing Wang Lin's cultivation to seemingly break a certain Bottleneck and rush toward another strange Realm beyond Empty Tribulation Realm Great Perfection.

During this process, his cultivation instantly surpassed the so-called Heavenly Venerate level established by later generations, and as it continued to climb, it directly reached the so-called Leaping Heavenly Venerate title.

The process continued, showing no sign of stopping. The confusion in Wang Lin's eyes grew thicker; he seemed to faintly lose Consciousness, existing within a state of illusion.

As his cultivation continuously climbed, passing beyond the Leaping Heavenly Venerate level, it surged toward another boundary—the boundary of the Great Heavenly Venerate!!

After an unknown amount of time, the Fusion of the Slaughter True Body and Wang Lin's main body was mostly complete. Only a small overlap remained, seeming as though they would soon fully merge into one. At this moment, a silver light appeared in Wang Lin's eyes, which were filled entirely with confusion and incomprehension beneath that light.

Finally, with a boom in his mind, Wang Lin felt as if his Soul had shed its shell. He sensed his Soul floating out of his Physical Body, penetrating the limitations of his Physical Body and the secret chamber, appearing high above the sky.

The sky was not clear blue; there were no sun, moon, or stars. It seemed that in this vast world, only Wang Lin's single Soul existed at this moment. He looked down at the ground, which was covered in a stretch of white mist that he could not see through.

He looked up at the sky, which was surrounded by dense, thread-like lines that seemed to possess their own Rules. Every single thread had its own Rule.

"This is Heaven…" Wang Lin was confused. He couldn't see the true Heaven; all he saw were these threads. Even when he exerted his full power to look, he only saw more threads existing beyond the endless ones, boundless and without end.

Filled with confusion, Wang Lin wanted to fly upward. He had a faint feeling that if he could step out of this boundless expanse of threads, he could take the step beyond Empty Tribulation Realm Great Perfection!

This step would be a leap of life, an astonishing transformation, like a silkworm breaking its cocoon and flying out! This feeling was extremely intense and grew deeper, as if buried in the depths of his Soul.

After a moment of silence, Wang Lin suddenly looked up. Although confusion still lingered in his eyes, determination was stronger. Without hesitation, he abruptly charged toward the endless threads!

His speed along the way was so great that he himself could not clearly perceive it, yet in his continuous advance, he rushed into the ocean-like expanse of endless threads. He allowed the threads to surround his body, but he kept moving forward.

After an unknown period of time, in front of Wang Lin, within that boundless sea of threads, he saw a bridge!

To be precise, it wasn't one bridge, but nine!!

Beyond this bridge, there was another, hanging there like a rainbow, and behind that, there were more… Rainbow-like bridges, lined up within the vastness, emitting an ancient, primordial aura. They had existed for an untold number of years, seeming to have been present since the creation of heaven and earth.

Behind the distant ninth bridge was a curtain of illusion. Within it seemed to be another world, faintly showing what looked like human figures, but when Wang Lin looked closely, he could see nothing; it was all a blur.

"Bridge of Treading Heaven!" Wang Lin murmured. He saw a massive stone tablet standing beneath the first bridge ahead. Four large characters were carved on this tablet. The script was very strange—Wang Lin had never seen it in his life—but the moment he saw these four characters, their meaning mysteriously appeared in his mind.

Besides those four characters, there was also a line of smaller text on the stone tablet. Wang Lin silently read it.

"Tread the Heavenly Path, Empty the Destruction Dao, Immortal Soul, Be Worshipped by All Beings!"

Wang Lin's expression wavered. He had faintly heard back then that if the Fourth Step truly existed in this world, its name was Treading Heaven!

Standing outside the first bridge, after a long time, the daze in Wang Lin's expression gradually faded. His eyes shone brightly. After another moment of silence, he suddenly looked up and walked toward the first bridge.

Step by step, the first bridge looked very close, but it took several hours to reach it. When Wang Lin stood beneath the bridge, he finally saw everything clearly about this first bridge.

This bridge was actually illusory, without any substance. It could be seen, but his Divine Sense could not perceive it. Especially the ancient aura emanating from it—it was definitely not something built by human effort.

"Bridge of Treading Heaven…" Wang Lin raised his right hand and gently touched the bridge before him, but his hand easily passed through it. Startled, he placed his hand in front of him and examined it closely.

He saw crystalline particles of light swirling in his hand. Inside every particle was boundless vitality. They gradually flew up from Wang Lin's hand, returning to the first bridge.

Closing his eyes, Wang Lin stood there until half an incense stick of time passed. His eyes suddenly opened, and he immediately lifted his foot, taking a step onto the First Bridge of Treading Heaven!

The moment he stepped onto the bridge, Wang Lin immediately felt clearly that his Soul Body, existing in this place, was undergoing sublimation. It was as if a vast number of Heaven and Earth Laws were being clearly understood by him. He had never experienced this feeling before. He stood motionless on the bridge.

After a long time, Wang Lin exhaled deeply, a strange look appearing in his eyes as he gazed at the bridge.

He took a step, walking forward step by step. When he reached the end of the first bridge, the changes in the Heaven and Earth Rules seemed to have been imprinted onto his mind, indelible.

He looked up into the distance. Behind the faraway ninth bridge, the blurred, illusory scene was now slightly clearer. It looked like a place of singing birds and fragrant flowers, but the figures within remained vague; he couldn't even tell how many people there were.

In silence, Wang Lin stepped off this bridge and slowly walked toward the Second Bridge of Treading Heaven ahead. He had a strong feeling that if he could cross all nine bridges and clearly see everything within that illusory scene, he would be able to achieve a Breakthrough past the Third Step and enter the legendary Dao of Treading Heaven!